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#1 Aug 12 2009 at 2:26 PM Rating: Good
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-quinn-internet-12-aug12,0,671658.story

Quote:
SPRINGFIELD -- Gov. Pat Quinn signed new laws Tuesday designed to limit sex offenders' use of technology as a way to find more victims.

One law taking effect Jan. 1 makes it a felony for registered sex offenders to use social networking sites, a move aimed at taking another step toward shutting down an avenue of contact between an offender and victim.

"Obviously, the Internet has been more and more a mechanism for predators to reach out," said Sen. Bill Brady (R-Bloomington), a sponsor of the measure and a governor candidate. "The idea was, if the predator is supposed to be a registered sex offender, they should keep their Internet distance as well as their physical distance.

"The object is to protect innocent individuals on the Internet from sex offenders."


Who defines "social networking". Does every "social networking" site now have to carry a logo or a stamp warding off sex offenders?

Quote:
Quinn also signed into law a new offense known as grooming, where a predator over time coaxes a minor into meeting for sexual activities. The law, whose sponsors included Rep. Jack Franks (D-Marengo), is aimed at closing a loophole in the current sex registration law, he said. It takes effect immediately.


How long before casual agreements on an internet forum or news article comments board becomes "grooming"?

Quote:
Another bill, signed on a busy day where Quinn dealt with dozens of bills, deals with child visitation rights. As of Jan. 1, the law will provide for visitation rights through electronic communication such as telephone, e-mail and instant messaging.


So absent fathers can now be absent with the blessings of the law so long as they shoot the kid an occasional email? How long before custodial parents start denying face to face visits because the law permits the use of email or skype instead?


This all seems a bit overboard to me (like most legislation these days). 95/95 and all that.



#2 Aug 12 2009 at 3:11 PM Rating: Good
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Sex offenders should not even be listed in a directory, at the very most, they should have a state directory of sex offenders.

Laws about sex offenders shouldn't even be legal; they shouldn't even be considering crap like this. They should be abolishing it.

Why in the hell is sex offense so special? It's bad, but it's not worse than murder. It's probably not worse than kidnapping.
#3 Aug 12 2009 at 3:34 PM Rating: Good
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Pensive the Ludicrous wrote:
Sex offenders should not even be listed in a directory, at the very most, they should have a state directory of sex offenders.

Laws about sex offenders shouldn't even be legal; they shouldn't even be considering crap like this. They should be abolishing it.

Why in the hell is sex offense so special? It's bad, but it's not worse than murder. It's probably not worse than kidnapping.

Murder, the victim clearly won't have long term life affecting problems. Kidnapping normally ends in death, same result.

The issue with sex crimes is the long term damage caused to the victim. kindergartners with herpes - thats something that for the rest of the childs life he/she will suffer with.

There are some extreme laws against sex offenders and the term sex offender is a blanket term - I mean, a teen who gets busted for sending naughty photos of themselves could be charged as a sex offender - society probably won't differentiate between them and old uncle Joe who gave his toddler niece herpes.

I mention Old Uncle Joe because typically, in the case of child molestation, it is someone who knows the family (generally an older Caucasian male.)- I can pull the info out of my Bartol & bartol Criminal Behavior book when Im feeling more motivated.

If you murder someone, the punishment allowable by the laws seems to carry a longer sentence than if you were to go on a raping spree at the local preschool. I suspect a dead preschooler won't need therapy or medical treatment much the same way a molested or raped preschooler would...
#4 Aug 12 2009 at 3:44 PM Rating: Excellent
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If you murder someone, the punishment allowable by the laws seems to carry a longer sentence than if you were to go on a raping spree at the local preschool. I suspect a dead preschooler won't need therapy or medical treatment much the same way a molested or raped preschooler would...


That's nice and all, but what the fuck does it have to do with imposing retroactive punishment on people who've already been punished by the legal system? This is a law that likely creates *more* victims, not less. If the idea is to pass enough laws that it's impossible for Sex Offenders not to violate one in the course of everyday life, just stop wasting time and amend the Constitution to remove the ex post facto clause.

The idea should be to prevent recidivism, right? Anyone who's studied this for more than ten or fifteen seconds should realize that the way to prevent that with the general given pathology here *is not* to isolate them socially. Isolate them socially from 11 year olds? Sure. Isolate them from *society in general*? Disastrous. Not to mention the myriad enforcement issues with this law.

Are you really ok with someone literally going to jail for having a Facebook account, regardless of if they contact *anyone* through it?

Judges need to grow some balls and do the right thing, here. A law prohibiting SO's from *contacting children* makes sense. This doesn't. At all.

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To make a long story short, I don't take any responsibility for anything I post here. It's not news, it's not truth, it's not serious. It's parody. It's satire. It's bitter. It's angsty. Your mother's a *****. You like to jack off dogs. That's right, you heard me. You like to grab that dog by the bone and rub it like a ski pole. Your dad? Gay. Your priest? Straight. **** off and let me post. It's not true, it's all in good fun. Now go away.

#5 Aug 12 2009 at 3:45 PM Rating: Good
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Shameful.

#6 Aug 12 2009 at 3:54 PM Rating: Good
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It's sickening that such a tight grip is being used against such a vague classification.
#7 Aug 12 2009 at 3:59 PM Rating: Excellent
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MentalFrog wrote:
It's sickening that such a tight grip is being used against such a vague classification.


Is there a ************ joke in there? I can't tell.
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#8 Aug 12 2009 at 4:20 PM Rating: Good
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Typically, if it's just a teen sending a photo of themselves, the D.A.s would plead it down to a non sex crime. But there are always exceptions. This may reduce the amount of molestations by predators on some naive 13 year old kid, but I agree, Sex offender is too much of a blanket term these days.


The great brownduck wrote:
Who defines "social networking". Does every "social networking" site now have to carry a logo or a stamp warding off sex offenders?

How long before casual agreements on an internet forum or news article comments board becomes "grooming"?




Have you read the bill? I am sure the information is in there.


Edited, Aug 12th 2009 6:21pm by DarthGekko
#9 Aug 12 2009 at 4:36 PM Rating: Decent
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Have you read the bill? I am sure the information is in there.


Hahahahhahahahaha. Please. The idea that these sorts of "feel good" laws are written with any sort of specificity is ludicrous. I haven't read the bill, but I'll wager $1000 blind that it's some vague mishmash of idiocy along the lines of "any website that allows posting of pictures, or one to maintain a profile or operates a means to contact other people"

It'll be intentionally vague, by design to allow the broadest enforcement possible in cases where maybe there isn't enough evidence to charge anything meaningful, but there was enough probably cause to investigate to the point of establishing someone had a tweeter profile.

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Disclaimer:

To make a long story short, I don't take any responsibility for anything I post here. It's not news, it's not truth, it's not serious. It's parody. It's satire. It's bitter. It's angsty. Your mother's a *****. You like to jack off dogs. That's right, you heard me. You like to grab that dog by the bone and rub it like a ski pole. Your dad? Gay. Your priest? Straight. **** off and let me post. It's not true, it's all in good fun. Now go away.

#10 Aug 12 2009 at 4:38 PM Rating: Excellent
Quote:
imposing retroactive punishment on people who've already been punished by the legal system


Felons, and particularly Sex Offenders, as nebulous a term that is, seem to be one of the last great bastions of discrimination in our country. Way too many people are either unconcerned about this discrimination or are gung-ho about imposing further restrictions on them.

The problem is, it's basically legal under the way the 14th amendment is written. This leads every god damned politician who wants to look like he is tough on crime to work on ever increasingly ridiculous legislation to pad his platform on crime.

Poor motherchildfuckers.
#11 Aug 12 2009 at 4:46 PM Rating: Decent
Afterthought: Aren't job finder sites and those such as linkedin.com social networking sites? Don't these people have a hard enough time finding a job as is?
#12 Aug 12 2009 at 4:48 PM Rating: Good
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The problem is, it's basically legal under the way the 14th amendment is written.


No, it isn't. It's been interpreted as legal provided the intent is protective and not punitive. Which begins to stretch credulity when you start talking about felony prison sentences imposed for people registering on a website and you can't demonstrate any sort of protective value.

The reality, setting aside the law, is that something happens, society can't punish the individual who committed the crime enough so they pass laws to punish people they view as of the same class. We have a long history of stupidly doing this to any sort of labeled class. See FDR putting Japanese American's in camps, the history of Indian Affairs, etc. etc.

It's far worse here, though, because it's such a one way affair. It's nothing, risk free, politically to vote for these sorts of laws. When they start failing on every level, it's almost impossible to vote to repeal them.



____________________________
Disclaimer:

To make a long story short, I don't take any responsibility for anything I post here. It's not news, it's not truth, it's not serious. It's parody. It's satire. It's bitter. It's angsty. Your mother's a *****. You like to jack off dogs. That's right, you heard me. You like to grab that dog by the bone and rub it like a ski pole. Your dad? Gay. Your priest? Straight. **** off and let me post. It's not true, it's all in good fun. Now go away.

#13 Aug 12 2009 at 5:28 PM Rating: Excellent
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Quote:

Murder, the victim clearly won't have long term life affecting problems. Kidnapping normally ends in death, same result.


Rape is not worse than murder. Rape damages a person and leaves them with problems, in a way that cancer might, or aids: never goes away, might go into remission, but always there. It sucks, it's awful, but murder means that you die and you never even have the chance, ever, again, to experience any pleasurable aspect of life. You can't focus on the pain that oblivion absolves you without also recognizing the pleasure that it steals. If it didn't steal any pleasure, we could just kill rape victims and be doing them mercy.

I'm aware of the old epicurean deal about how death ain't all that bad, because you can't experience it. While it serves as a good reason not to fear death, it does not serve as a good reason to die.

Of course, this is just for rape, and not groping someone or pissing in public when you're 19 and getting a living death sentence put on you for doing something stupid before you've matured. I fail to see how any sex crime but rape can even come close to being murdered. So, if you'd like, we can have two discussions here, one about rape, and one about larger picture.

Quote:
That's nice and all, but what the **** does it have to do with imposing retroactive punishment on people who've already been punished by the legal system?


That too. I don't understand why you'd even bother releasing someone if you thought that you had to watch them like a hawk.
#14 Aug 12 2009 at 5:40 PM Rating: Good
Quote:
Rape is not worse than murder. Rape damages a person and leaves them with problems, in a way that cancer might, or aids: never goes away, might go into remission, but always there. It sucks, it's awful, but murder means that you die and you never even have the chance, ever, again, to experience any pleasurable aspect of life. You can't focus on the pain that oblivion absolves you without also recognizing the pleasure that it steals. If it didn't steal any pleasure, we could just kill rape victims and be doing them mercy.


So we're judging actions purely by how much harm they cause, are we? Ok, that's cool.

Anyone who eats a (meat) burger from McDonalds is morally equivalent to someone who pays someone else to torture an animal to death for their pleasure and should be punished in the same way.

Edited, Aug 13th 2009 1:40am by Kavekk
#15 Aug 12 2009 at 5:44 PM Rating: Decent
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Quote:
So we're judging actions purely by how much harm they cause, are we? Ok, that's cool.


You know as well as I do that the alternative systems have just as many faults in them. Attempting to combine duty and consequences is hard as hell, both are arbitrary anyway, and this particular arbitrary application of consequence doesn't need to conflict with mitigation from duty if we choose to fanwank about it.

***

Besides, we haven't been talking about the motivation of the action, just the action. If the motivation is the same, we can consider the consequences in the same light, in which case I feel perfectly fine saying that murder is worse than rape.

Edited, Aug 12th 2009 9:48pm by Pensive
#16 Aug 12 2009 at 5:47 PM Rating: Good
Pensive the Ludicrous wrote:
Quote:
So we're judging actions purely by how much harm they cause, are we? Ok, that's cool.


You know as well as I do that the alternative systems have just as many faults in them. Attempting to combine duty and consequences is hard as hell, both are arbitrary anyway, and this particular arbitrary application of consequence doesn't need to conflict with mitigation from duty if we choose to fanwank about it.


As long as we apply the system consistently and arrest anyone who buys a burger from McDonalds, I'm fine with accepting this system. Actually, more than fine.
#17 Aug 12 2009 at 5:49 PM Rating: Decent
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See edit

You know the alternative is just not to talk about right and wrong, and then how would I ever get posts Smiley: confused
#18 Aug 12 2009 at 5:56 PM Rating: Good
Quote:
Besides, we haven't been talking about the motivation of the action, just the action. If the motivation is the same, we can consider the consequences in the same light, in which case I feel perfectly fine saying that murder is worse than rape.


I don't think the motivation for the two crimes is likely to be the same, really, but OK.

It's a shame, you know, because I've been waiting to bring up that argument (the McDonalds one) for a long time and you didn't bite. Maybe someone else will, but I doubt it.
#19 Aug 12 2009 at 6:06 PM Rating: Decent
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Pensive the Ludicrous wrote:
Sex offenders should not even be listed in a directory, at the very most, they should have a state directory of sex offenders.

Laws about sex offenders shouldn't even be legal; they shouldn't even be considering crap like this. They should be abolishing it.

Why in the hell is sex offense so special? It's bad, but it's not worse than murder. It's probably not worse than kidnapping.


I've bumped into you saying this a lot over time, and it just occurred to me that the best way for you to answer your question is to go out and find someone who has been raped, and then talk to them about it.

That makes it sound a lot simpler than it is, because the victims don't exactly talk about it, but I think it's really the only way you'll get a satisfactory answer to your question. We can't convince you by telling you what rape does. You should go out and see the consequences firsthand, and then you can take a look at your moral system where rape isn't as bad as kidnapping and decide if you're really okay with it.
#20 Aug 12 2009 at 6:17 PM Rating: Excellent
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What about me? I was molested as a kid. I was sexually assaulted as a teenager. I'm with Pensive. I don't think it should be this extra-special class of criminal that gets all these restrictions. I don't think what happened to me was worse than like being killed or severely beaten or kidnapped. I think that there are lingering longstanding issues that I've dealt with as a result. I don't know if it is worse though. The worst PTSD I've ever seen was someone who went to Vietnam but also was kidnapped in this very @#%^ed up way as a kid. I think he had it worse. I think definitely it's incredibly traumatic and violating to be sexually assaulted but I don't think it's necessarily worse than other serious, violent and @#%^ed up crimes.

I do think sexual abuse was much more confusing and penetrated my psyche than the physical abuse--but then again, if you want to talk about lifelong damage, severely neglected kids have it the worst, by a long shot. And you can find objective studies and anyone who works with kids will tell you that neglect is so much worse than abuse in terms of the damage.

Still though, I generally agree with Smash's contentions. In addition, I'll say that in general I'm not a believer in sex offender registries at all. I certainly think that having minors on them for the rest of their life is a travesty of justice. The OP addresses a different issue.





Edited, Aug 12th 2009 10:19pm by Annabella
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#21 Aug 12 2009 at 6:51 PM Rating: Decent
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Quote:
What about me? I was molested as a kid.


So were a bunch of women on this forum iirc, but I'm certainly not going to say it for them, though I do invite their opinions.

Quote:
You should go out and see the consequences firsthand, and then you can take a look at your moral system where rape isn't as bad as kidnapping and decide if you're really okay with it.


Without talking to victims of kidnapping also? Man, a biased sample is such a wonderful device for determining moral repugnance, ain't it? Regardless of how any lady (or dude) feels, I could understand wanting to die after being raped, because, you know, sympathy and all that. I can understand a lot of things that I don't agree with: religion, terrorism, private business, etc. I think it's still kinda shortsighted to think, even from the point of view of the victim, that being dead is a better alternative to having a life ahead of you to mend.

And honestly? I'm willing to be proven wrong. Maybe some people don't get over it. If they really were better off dead, why not pull a Kevorkian? Would that not be the right thing to do, just as it is in the case of end of life directives and assisted suicide and stuff?

Oh, in terms of anecdotes, aside from this board, I played ffxi with a lady who was forcibly impregnated when she was in her teens. She was one of the coolest ladies I've ever met, and was certainly making the most out of life, often going so far as to claim that it made her stronger. Does this anecdote actually mean anything at all with regards to the categorical ethical status of rape vs murder? Not really, but I figured I'd share.

Quote:
I don't think the motivation for the two crimes is likely to be the same, really, but OK.


No, not between categories, but they will vary within the category itself. Someone who rapes out of lonely desperation is less bad than someone who rapes out of spite and malice. Someone who murders out of anger is less bad than someone who murders from sadism.

Edited, Aug 12th 2009 10:54pm by Pensive
#22 Aug 12 2009 at 7:31 PM Rating: Decent
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Pensive the Ludicrous wrote:
Without talking to victims of kidnapping also? Man, a biased sample is such a wonderful device for determining moral repugnance, ain't it? Regardless of how any lady (or dude) feels, I could understand wanting to die after being raped, because, you know, sympathy and all that. I can understand a lot of things that I don't agree with: religion, terrorism, private business, etc. I think it's still kinda shortsighted to think, even from the point of view of the victim, that being dead is a better alternative to having a life ahead of you to mend.

And honestly? I'm willing to be proven wrong. Maybe some people don't get over it. If they really were better off dead, why not pull a Kevorkian? Would that not be the right thing to do, just as it is in the case of end of life directives and assisted suicide and stuff?

Oh, in terms of anecdotes, aside from this board, I played ffxi with a lady who was forcibly impregnated when she was in her teens. She was one of the coolest ladies I've ever met, and was certainly making the most out of life, often going so far as to claim that it made her stronger. Does this anecdote actually mean anything at all with regards to the categorical ethical status of rape vs murder? Not really, but I figured I'd share.


All I said was that you should go speak to some rape victims and get an idea of what it does to people before you construct an ethical opinion. You don't have to jump down my throat.
#23 Aug 12 2009 at 7:34 PM Rating: Good
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He's not jumping down your throat. Pensive tends to be pretty passionate about his opinions.
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Seriously, what the f*ck nature?
#24 Aug 12 2009 at 10:15 PM Rating: Decent
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So passionate it doesn't even feel that way anymore. Was that really assertive? My bad dude. I mean I was consciously trying not to curse even.
#25 Aug 13 2009 at 12:14 AM Rating: Good
This law seems to be in direct conflict with the other reason the internet is used at all: ****.

Now, I'm no psychologist, but if you've ever seen an interview with pretty much any female **** star (Sorry poofs, I don't know if this correlates with the men of ****), she's had some sort of sexual trauma at a young age. She then associates sex with getting what she wants, moves to LA, & ends up doing bukkake flicks.

Laws like these are preventing the makings of the next generation of **** gals & by association, hookers.

Gov. Quinn needs to remember the **** stars & hookers.
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#26 Aug 13 2009 at 4:15 AM Rating: Excellent
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Omegavegeta wrote:
Gov. Quinn needs to remember the **** stars & hookers.


After all, he IS a politician! It's only a matter of time before he gets in with a few of them, gets caught, and has a scandal blow up around him.
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