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Screw due process of law...

...and that whole "innocent until proven guilty" shit. Trials and evidence are just inconvenient anyway, right? After all, accused and guilty are pretty much the same, right?

Well, if you think that way, then Ohio is the place for you.

It's brilliant really. The state of Ohio has found a way to get rid of all undesireables. Gays, bisexuals, transgendered, punks, you name it. You piss off your neighbor then ten minutes with a quavering voice, and congratulations, you're a sex offender! No more waiting for silly things like proof, or evidence. Now the accusation and a willing public official is all you need. Who's going to argue with the accusation?

No One

Better Safe Than Sorry they'll say, or We're Doing It for the Children, or No One would falsely accuse someone of THAT. Yeah, you read about what people pull in divorce cases, and tell me about that last one. Right now, that kind of accusation is all it takes to ruin someone's life, and they're going to make it so that the accusation becomes the crime.

Oh, way to go Ohio...

Of course, they have a "six year petition to be removed from the rolls" option. Great. So you get accused, and for six years, you can't get a job, (who the hell is going to hire, or retain a sex offender? No one will put up with that kind of PR), spend time with your kids, or any kids in your family, you probably will not be able to find a place to live. At the end of that time, the state may say "Oh, okay, you're safe, there you go, no longer a sex offender". Great. Will they purge Google of all the places your name shows up? Will they give you back over half a decade of your life? No. You're just free to explain a six - year gap in your life. "Well, I was on the sex offender role, but Ohio decided that I'm really not a risk to society, so it's all good."

Can someone show me the fantasy world where this doesn't ruin your life for good? Because I'm not seeing it.

Here's an idea, why stop there? Why not jail them for those six years, or better yet, to reflect what this will do to their life, just have the person singing the declaration of guilt take them out back and have them dig their own grave, then put a bullet in their skull. It's no less permanent, and probably a lot kinder in the long run.

Let's hope that even that great "What the government wants, the government gets" fellatio master himself, Justice Scalia is willing to agree that this is just bullshit.

Because if it passes SCOTUS muster, well, at least to me, the USA will have only 49 states that I'd be willing to live in or even visit.

Technorati Tags: Politics, WTF?

Categories: Politics

Posted by John C. Welch at 16:29 | Permalink

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...and that whole \"innocent until proven guilty\" shit. Trials and evidence are just inconvenient anyway, right? After all, accused and guilty are pretty much the same, right?\n\nWell, if you think that way, then Ohio is the place for you. \n\nIt's brilliant really. The state of Ohio has found a way to get rid of all undesireables. Gays, bisexuals, transgendered, punks, you name it. You piss off your neighbor then ten minutes with a quavering voice, and congratulations, you're a sex offender! No more waiting for silly things like proof, or evidence. Now the accusation and a willing public official is all you need. Who's going to argue with the accusation?\n\nNo One\n\nBetter Safe Than Sorry they'll say, or We're Doing It for the Children, or No One would falsely accuse someone of THAT. Yeah, you read about what people pull in divorce cases, and tell me about that last one. Right now, that kind of accusation is all it takes to ruin someone's life, and they're going to make it so that the accusation becomes the crime.\n\nOh, way to go Ohio...\n\nOf course, they have a \"six year petition to be removed from the rolls\" option. Great. So you get accused, and for six years, you can't get a job, (who the hell is going to hire, or retain a sex offender? No one will put up with that kind of PR), spend time with your kids, or any kids in your family, you probably will not be able to find a place to live. At the end of that time, the state may say \"Oh, okay, you're safe, there you go, no longer a sex offender\". Great. Will they purge Google of all the places your name shows up? Will they give you back over half a decade of your life? No. You're just free to explain a six - year gap in your life. \"Well, I was on the sex offender role, but Ohio decided that I'm really not a risk to society, so it's all good.\" \n\nCan someone show me the fantasy world where this doesn't ruin your life for good? Because I'm not seeing it.\n\nHere's an idea, why stop there? Why not jail them for those six years, or better yet, to reflect what this will do to their life, just have the person singing the declaration of guilt take them out back and have them dig their own grave, then put a bullet in their skull. It's no less permanent, and probably a lot kinder in the long run.\n\nLet's hope that even that great \"What the government wants, the government gets\" fellatio master himself, Justice Scalia is willing to agree that this is just bullshit.\n\nBecause if it passes SCOTUS muster, well, at least to me, the USA will have only 49 states that I'd be willing to live in or even visit.\n

Technorati Tags: Politics, WTF?