To Klatch with a Predator
August 17th, 2007 at 4:42 pm
In case you haven’t noticed, Americans are downright obsessed with sexual ‘predators’. From NBC’s “To Catch a Predator” reality show to increasingly harsh sex offender laws, the nation is swept up in one of its periodic hysterias. In Texas, politicians heroically compete to see who can invent the most draconian punishments for sexual offenders. This year the Texas Legislature passed “Jessica’s Law,” a git-tough measure that imposes the death penalty for certain types of sexual assault. Who cares?, you might ask - these criminals are finally getting what they deserve. Good question, and who better to direct it to than a registered sex offender.
Tomorrow you get that chance. Instead of watching the Saturday morning cartoons, join “Joe” at Austin’s MonkeyWrench Books from 11am to noon for an in-the-flesh discussion of his “Life as a Sex Offender.” Permanently branded with a Scarlet ‘A’, “Joe” will discuss how sex offenders are subject to a lifetime of legalized discrimination and illegal harassment.
“He says in no way is he a predator,” said Ruth Epstein, VP of Public Education for the Central Texas chapter of the ACLU, who is sponsoring the event. With his back to the audience, “Joe” will tell the story of how what he says was consensual sex with minor girls became in the eyes of the law criminally deviant behavior. “Joe” will argue that the predator dragnet often sweeps up people that aren’t bona fide pedophiles, but rather adults and juveniles who sleep with people much younger than themselves.
“Questions from the audience are welcome,” says the press release. I’m sure there will be a few.
January 5th, 2008 at 7:15 pm
Kudos! I totally agree that the sex-offender registry is out of control and needs to be revamped so that people who haven’t done such horrible crimes are not scarred for life.
Right now, anyone who commits any crime involving sex,regardless of what it is, gets thrown in with rapists,predators,child molesters and even murderers.
Being on the registry is almost the equivilant of being convicted of murder or worse.While I agree that we should keep children safe,I feel that the registry
has become a smokescreen for politicians to hide behind and does nothing to address the root of the problem.