Archive for the ‘Texas’ Category

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More victims of the sex 80s and 90s hysteria

Monday, February 14th, 2011

This case fits in perfectly with the day care sex abuse hysteria of the 1980s and 1990s.  In 1994, four women were accused of molesting two young sisters ages 7 and 9, convicted, and sentenced to decades in prison, but on closer examination, these convictions are yet another monument to the lynch mob mentality typical of a public that imagines sex criminals hiding behind every tree.

The case was largely decided on the testimony of pediatrician and child advocate Nancy Kellogg who immediately suspected the case was a satanic abuse case after examining the victims when the accusations were made, two months after the incident occurred.  By the mid 1990′s the impossible claims made during the satanic ritual abuse panic were already being discredited wholesale, but that didn’t stop Ms Kellogg from proceeding with this case.

Kellogg’s theory of Satanic ritual abuse was not directly presented to the jury, but the language of Prosecutor Philip Kazen certainly seemed to be tying the case to teh notoriety of the nationwide day care cases:

“We’re going to ask you,” Kazen told jurors, “to believe a 9-year-old little girl who was sacrificed on the altar of lust.”

Typical of other sex abuse cases or the era, teh case was aggressively prosecuted and guilty verdicts were reached despite the ample room for doubt.  The first warning sign was the fact that pediatrician Kellogg was pushing the Satanic ritual abuse angle in spite of its having been discredited.  Secondly, the children’s stories were perpetually changing.  Physical medical evidence was hardly conclusive.  The two girls had a history of making rape accusations.

Typical of innocent people, the four women rejected plea deals, opting to go to trial.   There is little comment from the actors in the ordeal.  Reviving this case won’t doing them any good.

Two advocacy groups, the Lubbock-based Innocence Project of Texas, or IPOT, and the National Center for Reason and Justice in New York, or NCRJ, have taken up the women’s case.

Let’s wish them luck.  The child sex abuse witch hunts of the 80s and 90s are proof of the utter cruelty people are capable of when given an excuse.  The fact that there are still victims of that crusade of languishing in prison is an example of the indiscriminate destruction that can be wrought under the mantra of “protecting children”.

Posted in Child Molestation, Day Case Sex Abuse Cases, Prosecutorial Misconduct, Texas | 2 Comments »

States back off on child child pornographers

Tuesday, February 8th, 2011

State obscenity laws that criminalize the sending of child porn by electronic means often don’t differentiate between children and adults.  A minor who sends a picture of herself to a boyfriend can be prosecuted under child porn laws.  Adults who send nude pictures of themselves to another adult are, of course, protected under the First Amendment.  Not so with minors who are not accorded those same free speech rights.

Texas is one such state trying to introduce a new perversion twist to this situation.  Rather than having to charge minors with a felony for sexting, they are considering a new option.  From Chron:

Instead of sending young people to jail for sexting, judges under Senate Bill 407 would be authorized to sentence minors — and one of the minor’s parents — to participate in an education program about sexting’s consequences.

Who better to train parents on how to raise their children than the state, right?  I guess, given the choice between spending the rest of your life as a registered sex offender or a re-education program, the latter option probably seems pretty attractive, although the kid is probably not entirely sold on the idea that he did anything wrong to begin with (precisely the kind of attitude that is remedied by a state re-education program).

The attorney general’s office quoted a 2008 report from the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy indicating that 22 percent of teen girls said they have electronically sent or posted online nude or semi-nude images of themselves.

If you’re criminalizing an activity that almost a quarter of minors are guilty of, it’s only a matter of time before 60 Minutes does a segment about how your state is cranking out felon sex offenders by the boat  load.  Destroying kids’ lives is one thing, but embarrassing the state is another.

Of course, the concept of not prosecuting kids for non-crimes is not even on the radar of these morons.

Under current Texas law, minors charged with sexting face a third-degree felony, penalties of two to 10 years in prison, a fine up to $10,000 and lifelong registration as sex offenders.

Other states are addressing the same issue:

Watson’s bill is similar to recent legislation in Vermont, Illinois, Utah and Ohio that seeks to ease sexting penalties and prevent young people from getting caught up in the criminal system.

Back in April I posted about legislation in Arizona, North Carolina, Florida, and Virginia that provides for a lesser charges in the case of minors who send nude pictures of themselves to friends, thereby committing the terrible crime of child abuse where they are both the predator and the victim.  Sheesh!  Regardless of whether it’s a misdemeanor or a felony, it’s pretty clear that the real source of the abuse these kids face is at the hands of their own state governments.

Posted in Illinois, Ohio, Sexting, Texas, Utah, Vermont | 8 Comments »

Monday Links

Monday, February 7th, 2011
  • After an anonymous tip, a female teacher in Ohio is accused of having sex with five of her male students. She “faces up to 81 years in jail if she is convicted of 16 counts of sexual battery and three offenses involving an underage person.” The sexual “battery” charge presumes that the sex was unwanted.  I’m guessing that’s probably not the case (although reality does not play a major roll when it comes to the legalities of sex with  minors).
  • Florida is going to consider banning “simulated” obscenity, whether clothed or unclothed, in material accessible to minors.  Perhaps next year they will outlaw having dirty thoughts within 1000 feet of a minor.  No more suggestive cheer leading moves or dancing in Florida.
  • to minors by adding a clause that says that “a suspected sexual predator purposely and knowingly sent obscene electronic messages to a minor”.   This is apparently a attempt to reconcile free speech rights with their desire to restrict free speech rights.
  • Biblical porn: “My lover thrust his hand through the hole, and my insides groaned because of him.”  Surprise!  The Bible is conflicted about sex!

Posted in Books, Censorship, Florida, Massachusetts, Obscenity, Ohio, Pornography, Prostitution, Relgious Zealotry, Texas, Trafficking, Virginia, Washington | 5 Comments »

The idiocy of typical sex trafficking articles

Monday, January 31st, 2011

I came across an article about sex trafficking in Chron that typifies the  way the problem is vaguely hyped by law enforcement and the way it’s mindlessly reported by the media who simply parrot what they hear from government.  The article begins immediately with claim followed by a disclaimer that says they can’t prove the claim.

Authorities know that thousands of men, women and children are trafficked into Texas. Proving it in a court of law is another matter.

What differentiates trafficking from illegal immigration is the use of force.  But here is where it starts to get goofy.

“They may be victims of trafficking that do not even know it,” Sean McElroy of Homeland Security Investigations told the newspaper.

Yeah, they probably thought they were over here voluntarily, but DHS clearly knows what’s going on in their heads better than they do.

McElroy handles trafficking and smuggling investigations for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Houston office. He said many victims initially appear to be illegal immigration cases until weeks of interviews show that they entered the United States against their will.

When it comes to cops, no does not mean no.  They just keep asking until you say yes.  In 1989, law enforcement was able to get four innocent people to confess to the notorious “Central Park Jogger” rape case after hours of “interviews”, so it should come as no surprise that incarcerated illegals can eventually be pressured to agree to the government’s version of events.

So, of the thousands of trafficking cases alluded to in the first paragraph, hpw many have been prosecuted?

Federal court records show no cases of human trafficking in 10 South Texas counties since 2000. Corpus Christi police said they cannot recall any cases where they were able to charge a suspect with trafficking, despite suspicions.

And what is the state doing to crack down on this epidemic of non-identifiable crime?

Beginning this year, state law requires newly sworn law enforcement officers to take a basic course in human trafficking. Legislation has been proposed with the aim of equipping local law enforcement to crack down on human trafficking rings that lead to or pass through Texas.

And where is all this trafficking not happening?

The attorney general’s study said the state’s busiest trafficking artery was the 900 miles of Interstate 10 that runs from El Paso to Houston, making both cities the state’s busiest trafficking centers.

Articles like these are common and so self-contradictory that they don’t hold up under even the slightest bit of analysis.

Said Hunter, “We still depend largely on kidnapping and prostitution laws to address human trafficking cases. A missing or kidnapped child whose face appears on a milk carton could actually be the victim of human trafficking.”

Well, I guess that last sentence is true.  They may not be able to identify a single case of trafficking, but they have no problem prosecuting prostitution and then calling it trafficking.

Posted in Prostitution, Texas, Trafficking, United States | 2 Comments »

50,000-100,000 hookers expected for Super Bowl

Thursday, November 18th, 2010

Dallas has taken the new lead position in the great global competition for record setting prostitution statistics.  As I wrote back in March, 40,000 hookers were predicted to show up at the World Cup in South Africa, although much to the disappointment of the purveyors of prostitution paranoia, the reality fell somewhat short of the fantasy.

Stories about the impending trafficking crisis are already heating up.  Last year, the Dallas News reported that police were predicting a spike in the number of prostitutes on hand for the 2010 and 2011 Super Bowls, both of which would be played in Dallas.

At the National Prostitute Diversion Conference today, Sgt. Louis Felini said between 50,000 and 100,000 prostitutes could be in the metroplex for the Super Bowl.

But….

Felini noted that there is no way to truly predict the number of women who will come to the area for the purpose of prostitution.

I suppose if you’re pulling numbers out of your ass, the number could just as easily have been a million.  Nice work, Officer Felini.

But, wait. The article offers support for his prediction:

He said his estimate was based on other cities’ experiences with high-profile sporting events. As the St. Petersburg Times reported earlier this year in advance of the Super Bowl in Tampa:

TAMPA — Sex and the Super Bowl.If you look at it as Tampa police Capt. Bret Bartlett does, the two are inseparable.

“The sun rises in the East,” he said, “and hookers come into town during the Super Bowl.”

To get ready for the eventful week, Tampa police conducted a reverse prostitution sting Monday that netted 13 arrests.

If that doesn’t convince the most skeptical that 50,000-100,000 prostitutes are indeed likely to descent on Dallas, then they are just being obstinate.

My next post on this topic will no doubt be about the  shortage of hookers everywhere else in the country as they all pick up and head to Dallas.  I predict rioting and an uptick in sexual assaults on farm animals.

Posted in Prostitution, Texas, Trafficking | Comments Off

Sex toy freedom fighter opens new store

Wednesday, November 10th, 2010

Sherri Williams, owner of two Alabama adult stores is opening a third store in a Huntsville building formerly used by a bank which gives the new store the novelty of having a drive-up window similar to neighboring fast food outlets.

Sherri Williams is known for waging a long court battle to get Alabama’s sex toy ban overturned.  The sex toy ban was introduced by State Senator Tom Butler (see the Sex Hysteria Hall of Shame), sailing through the sexually repressed state legislature with virtually no opposition.  Sherri Williams assisted by the ACLU sued to have the law overturned, taking her fight all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court.  Needless to say, the law withstood the challenge.

It should be noted that Senator Bulter, who has served in the Alabama legislature since 1982, was roundly trounced by Republican Bill Holtzclaw in the 2010 elections.  Whether Holtzclaw is any better remains to be seen, but it’s a certainty that Alabama will continue to defend its reputation for being among the most sexually repressed populations in the country (and probably the world).

To be fair to other states that proudly take repression seriously, it should be pointed out that Colorado, Georgia, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas and Virginia also have criminal statutes targeting sex toys.

Posted in Alabama, Colorado, Georgia, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Sex Toys and Paraphernalia, Texas, Virginia, Women's Rights | 5 Comments »

Once a sex offender, always a sex offender?

Sunday, September 19th, 2010

There is an interesting article in the Houston area Champions Sun about the Texas sex offender registry.  Dr Jerome Brown who has treated some 400 sex offenders since 1984 says it’s a myth that sex offenders are repeat offenders.

Labeling someone as a sex offender for life is problematic, according to Brown. Studies on the topic have only been released in recent years, however, the research does not indicate that tagging individuals as sex offenders is effective, he said.

“It’s actually more detrimental because they have trouble living a normal life. They’re permanently on the outside,” Brown said. “This can often be destructive because he’ll give up and won’t try to do or make his life better.”

Gee, you mean setting someone up for a lifetime of  systematic state sanctioned  persecution isn’t conducive to making someone more socially responsible.  I’m stunned!

Brand [sp] said there needs to be a change in the risk assessment of sex offenders, with those on the highest level being monitored extensively and those on the lower end not being monitored at all.

“A 16-year-old who’s had sex with a 13-year-old is treated and often regarded as the same fixated pedophile that’s attracted to children, but they are different as night and day,” Brown said. “One is a kid that made a dumb mistake and the other is a very dangerous predator. Should they be treated the same?”

The comments are just as interesting as the article and, surprisingly, all are sympathetic to arguments against the sex offender registry.  One points out how nice it must be for these state paid doctors to determine how long these offenders need treatment.

Think about it, what a business to be in, you have the state funneling your clients in your door on a daily basis and depending where you are in your “business plan” and possibly how greedy you are you can make money hand over fist for a very long time.

Another comment notes the disproportionate punishment that sex related crimes bring.

Yes, there are terrible people out there who do terrible things. But we don’t punish the person who shoplifted a pack of cigarettes the same way we punish a bank robber. Why are we punishing a person who looked at pornography on an office computer the same way we punish someone who commits rape?

Another commenter asks why other serious crime is treated so much differently.

Question…where can I click on a button on the internet to find a website showing where convicted murderers, aggravated robberers and other violent felons are living in my community?? NOWHERE!

Overall, a good article, not that we’re likely to see sex offender registries overturned anytime soon.  Those who commit sex related offenses will probably always be fair game for persecution.

Posted in Sex Offender Registries, Texas | 4 Comments »

Arrested because you might possibly maybe be thinking of committing a victimless crime

Tuesday, August 31st, 2010

The Crime Report has an interesting story about New York’s law against “loitering for the purpose of engaging in a prostitution offense”.

And that was pretty much it. The officer didn’t hear her say anything; nor did he ask any of the men he saw her talking to what she had said. That didn’t faze the assistant district attorney, who attempted to get condoms found in the defendant’s purse admitted as evidence.

Of course, prostitution has migrated from the street to the internet:

Before the Internet, vice cops had it relatively easy. Most cities had specific areas known for street prostitution where undercover officers posing as johns could chat up a lady, strike a deal to pay for a sex act, and then pull out the cuffs. But in the last decade, the oldest profession has “gone high-tech,” says Jaime Ayala, Deputy Chief of Police in Arlington, Texas.

Gee, one would think that getting it off the street would be a good thing…

And then there’s the obligatory reference to Craig’s List.  Of course, no one really knows how many women and children are actually victimized by Craig’s List, but you can be certain it’s “a lot”.

Anyone who has perused the adult sections of Craigslist or Backpage knows that men and women (and boys and girls) advertise their sexual services online. What this means for police is a lot more legwork. At the same time, a rise in awareness about the ugly world of human trafficking, where women from abroad—and, in some cases, American children—are held hostage in brothels disguised as massage parlors, has shifted law enforcement focus and resources away from traditional vice work, according to many attorneys.

These days, most vice work is simply tricking someone into committing a “crime”.   Pardon my skepticism that the internet makes it more difficult for cops to arrest prostitutes.  If anything, it makes it easy to set up a sting without even having to leave the office until you’re ready to spring the trap.

The Prostitution Free Zone is a novel idea that codifies the crime of “being in the wrong place at the wrong time” by permitting cops to arrest anyone with a prior record of prostitution who happen to be in the PFZ.

Washington, D.C. also created PFZs in 2006.  But, according to Professor John Copacino of the Georgetown University Criminal Justice Clinic, the district “gets around the constitutionality” by making the zones temporary: they can be in effect for just 10 days at a time. Portions of the district’s downtown area were declared PFZs during the inauguration of Barack Obama in January 2009.

I guess it’s ok to suspend people’s Constitutional rights if it’s only in ten day chunks.  And then there are the folks who just want to get laid without having to ante up the cash:

Georgetown’s Copacino also sees problems. Standing around, even propositioning potential (non-paying) sexual partners while wearing a short skirt and stilettos, is not illegal. “You can’t criminalize normal behavior, ” says Copacino.

It gets worse:

The problem, says [Portland defense attorney Elizabeth Wakefield], is that the city is now issuing many of these charges as violations rather than crimes, which under Oregon law means that the defendants don’t qualify for court-appointed counsel who could encourage them to challenge the arrest.

Poor people = fair game.

Posted in District of Columbia, New York, Oregon, Prostitution, Texas, Trafficking, Women's Rights | Comments Off

You people!

Wednesday, August 25th, 2010

Before I started this site, I wanted to start a blog called youpeople.org because, folks, there are times when you just want to grab the public by the shoulders and yell, “What’s wrong with You People?”

While everyone has heard the phrase, ‘sex sells’, it would be a challenge to find anyone more dedicated to that philosophy for their own personal gain than politicians.  And way out ahead of the pack you will find prosecutors.

Nothing exemplifies that approach to self fulfillment quite like the parade of state attorneys general who have hitched their wagon to the moral crusade against craigslist.  As described on Huffington Post, seventeen state attorneys general have signed a letter (PDF) demanding that craigslist remove its adult services section.

“Only Craigslist has the power to stop these ads before they are even published,” Kansas attorney general Steve Six said in a statement.

Yes, that is absolutely correct.  That’s because the First Amendment prevents the government from doing it itself.  Unfortunately, being good students of the persuasion techniques practiced by organized crime, state governments are masters at intimidation when it looks like it could gain them some votes.

The campaign against craigslist didn’t start as a grass roots movement.  It started as a crusade by a noisy minority who are adept at stirring up public emotion with visions of children being exploited.

“No amount of money, however, can justify the scourge of illegal prostitution and the suffering of the women and children who will continue to be victimized, in the market and trafficking provided by Craigslist,” the letter said.

Women who advertise on criagslist are invariably described as idiots with no will of their own to resist exploitation by evil pimps and slave masters.  They have to be victims, otherwise who would get worked up about it?  And, of course, a lot of them have to be children for the same reason.

While wearing sheets is out of fashion, there should be no mistake that these state attorneys general are using persecution of a favorite target as a means to inflame the public’s mob mentality.  They might as well be carrying torches and pitchforks.  And the public, knowing that it would be impolite to demand actual numerical evidence that rises above the level of guesses and delusional claims, mindlessly goes along with the hysteria.  Who would oppose those whose only wish is to “help women and children”?  But, the last time I heard, a willingness to be your brother’s keeper wasn’t sufficient reason to burn the Constitution.

My message to the people of these states is this:

Well, folks, your wish is coming true.  In your fervor to impose your narrow personal values on everyone else, You People have created a monster who will enthusiastically piss on free speech in order to carry out your will.  But, be warned.  The monster is pretty kinky.  He likes a threesome, so don’t be surprised to find him in your bed as a supervising partner deciding what does or doesn’t constitute acceptable behavior between you and your lover.

P.S.  I intentionally avoided mention of Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley simply because if I started writing about her, this post would have turned into a book.  She is probably one of the most self-serving and parasitic of politicians, having mastered the craft of exploiting children and sex hysteria for her own personal benefit.  In a contest to be the antichrist, Coakley would be a leading contender.

Posted in Arkansas, Censorship, Connecticut, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Maryland, Michigan, Missouri, Montana, New Hampshire, Ohio, Prostitution, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Trafficking, Virginia | 1 Comment »

Super Bowl Prostitution Exclusion Zones

Wednesday, August 4th, 2010

Arlington Texas, home to the Cowboys Stadium where the 2011 Super Bowl will be played, is considering prostitution exclusion zones near the stadium since, as anyone can tell you, sports fans are sex addicts.

From the Dallas Morning News:

Zones like this give police a way to arrest convicted prostitutes in certain areas even if they aren’t caught plying their wares yet. The idea is to make it easier for police to clear out areas with a high concentrations of street prostitution or large numbers of hookers trolling for business in hotels or clubs.

Sounds like Minority Report style law enforcement where they just arrest you because they think you might commit a crime.

In any case, the irony of a prostitution exclusion zone in a state where prostitution is illegal everywhere borders on surreal and the idea that Constitutional rights can be summarily waved simply by decree is just scary.  It would seem that law enforcement activities that used to require probable cause are now routinely being done on a whim.

Posted in Prostitution, Texas | Comments Off

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