Let’s Talk About Biden…

OK, I’m sure everyone in the state is going to be spouting out their opinions on this.  As I live in the state I consider myself entitled to add in my own opinions here.  Let me start by saying I appreciate the comments made by Beau Biden regarding his current position as Attorney General.  I will list his … comments here:

Dear Friend,

As many of you know, since returning home from Iraq, I have been giving serious consideration to running for the United States Senate. I have received strong encouragement both here in Delaware and all across the country to undertake this effort – and this outpouring of support has truly been humbling.

I understand why people care so deeply about this election. The challenges we’re facing as a country are extraordinarily difficult. The economy. Jobs. Health care. Energy. Education. Climate change. Financial regulation. Foreign policy. These are not only the issues of the moment – they’re the issues that will determine our children’s future. And as someone who has had the privilege of serving with the bravest men and women on this planet, I care deeply about how we treat our returning veterans and how we resolve our involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan.

I feel strongly about these issues. However, my first responsibilities are here in Delaware. I have a duty to fulfill as Attorney General – and the immediate need to focus on a case of great consequence. And that is what I must do. Therefore I cannot and will not run for the United States Senate in 2010. I will run for reelection as Attorney General.

One of the primary reasons I ran for Attorney General was to protect the most vulnerable among us: children. As the father of two young children, I can think of no worse crime than those committed by child predators. It is why one of my first actions and top priorities as Attorney General was the creation of the Child Predator Task Force.

The idea that any child can be a victim of abuse is horrific. The fact that it has engulfed an entire community is unspeakable. The pain and trauma suffered by the children, their parents, and the families, can’t be measured. But justice can be done. And I am determined to see that it is.

I have a job to finish. And that’s what I must do.

Thank you for all your support,

Beau Biden

You can view this at it’s original site here
http://www.wgmd.com/2010012529134/attorney-general-beau-biden-not-running-for-u.s.-senate-this-year.html

Now, I mean no offense to the man and know very little about his actions while in office.  He states that the reason he became AG was to protect children.  He was unable to stop the recent child predator we have all heard so much about recently as we all were.  No one else in the state seems to be filled with the amount of guilt which he does to the point where they choose not to further their careers.

On the other hand, no one else in the state has a sitting Vice-President as a father.

Here is my honest opinion.  I read the article in the News Journal and no matter what it says, the reason Biden isn’t running has a great amount to do with the recent election in Massachusetts.  I believe Beau was told by his Daddy that he was not allowed to lose whatever race he participated in this year.  It would look horrible politically if Beau lost running for his own father’s seat (one which he held for years).  After the race in Boston he must have realized being a Democrat is not a shoe-in anymore.  In fact, if anything, it may help you lose.

Now anyone and most likely everyone will come to this opinion.  I realize this and that’s why I feel no need to elaborate.  Just wanted to get the word out there.

That being said, check out this blog:  http://delmarvacenterright.wordpress.com/ which a friend of mine has started.  I would have to say he is intelligent, even if I don’t always agree with him  Well worth checking out!

Me on CNN? Who would have thought…

So I had an interesting experience this week.  I was contacted by CNN for an interview because of the protest I organized this summer regarding the Rehoboth Beach Boardwalk being rebuilt with stimulus money.  To be more precise with a final amount of 5.5 million dollars of federal stimulus money.  It seems CNN had been studying the different stimulus programs throughout the country and the Rehoboth project is listed as one of the most wasteful in the country.

My initial response was one of, well, worry.  Knowing the backing most of the mainstream media has given to anything the current presidential administration has done I assumed I would be on the defensive during the whole interview, justifying my opinion and what I consider to be the opinion of a majority of my fellow “tea party patriots”.  I was not given very much notice so spent the weekend brushing up on my facts regarding the various aspects of Rehoboth Beach Boardwalk Phase II and Phase III.  (many thanks to my friends who helped me by sending me information, I learned some new facts from you guys which surprised CNN).

When I arrived at the interview site, which was directly in front of the construction crew working on the boardwalk, I was enthusiastically greeted by Sara and Christine, as well as the Dolphins fan camera man.  As an Eagles fan I was so distracted by his hat I lost his name somewhere in the recesses of my mind, as horrible as that is to admit.  They were completely surprised by my age as well as being a Democrat and spent a long time discussing with my why I became politically active.

Prepared for anger, I was on my guard.  Imagine my surprise when I found out that the group had just come from the infamous West Rehoboth (which “only” received $130,000 in stimulus money) and considered the Boardwalk project to be a waste.  The way the questions were worded, I felt that they actually agreed with me.

I do understand that these people are professionals and most likely wanted me to feel disarmed, but if that’s the case they did their job well.  When I finished the interview I felt good, and slightly confident.  I am hoping that when I view the airing of the segment I will have represented the 9/12 Delaware Patriots well, as well as other groups which are against massive amounts of government spending.  The editing of the interview may make me look foolish, but I can honestly say I did my best, was well prepared, and tried to ensure CNN was aware of the fact that not all of the state of Delaware is complacent.

So all in all I think, or should I say hope, I did well.  I am looking forward to the airing of my segment, which will be most likely on Thursday, January 21st.  I am still unsure of the exact time and will make sure everyone knows when I know.  I hope, when you watch it, you feel I represented you well.

Happy Holidays and Sad Sussex Thoughts

So I was … gently reminded this holiday season that my pen has been silent recently.  Of course, the holiday season is a great excuse for that, so I will simply carry on giving my opinions about whatever I feel the need to.

I would like to start by wishing everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.  Naturally, these well wishes are a bit belated, but I wish them all the same.  Although I realize the technicalities involving the calendar year (we didn’t start with a year zero) but I would still consider this a new decade.  What a decade it has been…  What a year this has been…  It truly leaves one unsure of where to start.

I will say I am sick of hearing about White House party crashers.  Who cares?  I mean that literally, with all else going on in the world and country who cares this far after the fact?  Although they could have been carrying bombs, they weren’t.  I am also sick of Tiger Woods.  Are there many celebrities anyone can name who have been faithful to their spouses?  Maybe, wait, I’m getting an idea here, that’s why most Hollywood weddings don’t last.  I don’t care if an athlete was cheating on his wife with numerous women.  Once again there are more important issues happening around us.

Do you know what I do care about?  I care about our own local pedophile (I believe it is an insult to other pediatricians to call him one).  The actions that man carried out were horrendous.  I feel the families involved will rightfully never be the same.  I also hope that parents will learn from this incident.  A friend of my family taught her children something I always thought was interesting.  She taught her children to call their genitalia by its correct name (penis or vagina) stating that nicknames were not admissible in a court of law.  This was about 7 years ago, but I always remembered how she wanted to ensure her children knew what was a good touch and how to tell people if someone hurt them.  The details of the videos this “man” (I use that term very loosely here) recorded for his own sick pleasure are horrific and once again I apologize to the families involved in this and the community as a whole.  I am aware this affects all of us.

That being said, I completely disagree with what John Atkins is trying to push through right now.  I see his bill as a way to win support from a community in pain.  I see this bill as a people pleaser,  It is so easy to say “I want tougher sex offender penalties” when we have been so recently hurt as a whole community.  I strongly urge politicians to carefully review the constitutionality of every aspect of the bill instead of seeing something that will make people feel like the politicians care.  I will tell everyone right now, there is no way a politician does not care about an issue like this.  This changes everyone in the area at least a little in the way they view doctors, hospitals, and other care providers.  Here is the proposed bill.

Proposed Legislation for Sexual Offenders

Background

a.. Recently, there has been a lot in the news about child sex offenders and their victims.
a.. Dr. Earl Bradley at BayBees in Lewes may have molested up to 100 children in a 10 year period.
b.. Dover sex offender charged with molesting a 7 year old.
c.. Sarah Foxwell’s body was found Christmas Day not far from the Delaware border.
b.. These stories are very tragic, and as a State Representative, I want to ensure that all children in Delaware are safe from sex offenders.
c.. Ultimately, I would like Delaware to be the toughest state in the nation on high-risk, repeat sex offenders.
d.. I am currently drafting several pieces of legislation that will affect high-risk, repeat sex offenders and will make Delaware a safer place for all of us.

a.. Proposed Legislation
b.. All high-risk, repeat sex offenders should receive truth in sentencing when serving time for a sexual offense.
a.. If a sexual offender is giving 20 years for molesting a child, that person should serve 20 years of jail time, not 8 or 9.
b.. Any sexual offender who is convicted of a second sexual offense will be served a mandatory life sentence.
c.. We need zero-tolerance sentencing for child molesters and other sex offenders.
c.. For all high-risk, repeat sex offenders, their driver’s license (or state ID) will be stamped with the words “sex offender.”
a.. This tool will allow law enforcement officers to better protect the public from repeat offenders.
b.. For example, a police officer in a routine traffic stop will remember a license stamped with “sex offender” and that memory may come in handy if a child is hurt or kidnapped from the area.
c.. Also, in places with large crowds like the state fair or a busy park, law enforcement officers do not have access to a computer. A stamped driver’s license will alert the officer to the presence of a high-risk, repeat sex offender.
d.. For all high-risk, repeat sex offenders, a special license plate to be designed by the Department of Motor Vehicle that must be registered and displayed on the offender’s vehicle.
a.. For too long child sex predators have been stalking our children, it’s now time we know where they are.
b.. An easy identifiable license plate will not only be a red flag for parents, but we can teach young children to avoid these vehicles and drivers at all cost.

a.. Wisconsin, Ohio, and Alabama have considered legislation requiring sexual offenders to have special license plates on their car denoting their sexual offender status.
a.. All high-risk, repeat sex offenders must register all Internet domain and chat room names with the authorities.
a.. Law enforcement officers can then monitor those domain and chat room names to ensure that the sex offender is not committing another crime through the Internet.
b.. Failure to register domain and chat room names would result in [fine? imprisonment?]
b.. Before leaving prison, all male, high-risk, repeat sex offenders that are older than 21 and have targeted a child younger than 12 would be chemically castrated.
a.. Castration may prevent these sex offenders from harming more children.
b.. For the liberal groups that will claim that this is cruel and unusual punishment; I say so is the rape and victimization of our young children. It is my job to see that children have a safe environment.
c.. Ten states have enacted or are considering enacting similar legislation. Louisiana enacted this legislation in June of 2008 and Europe is also debating this concept.
c.. It will be an additional penalty for a sexual offender to provide a cell phone to his or hers victim without the victim’s parental consent.
a.. Sexual offenders that target pre-teen and teenage girls often hook their victim by giving the girl a cell phone.
b.. There is no reason why a child should have a cell phone given to them by a non-family member that the child’s parents know nothing about.

Miscellaneous

a.. Sexual offenders, especially those involved in child molestation, often have a high recidivism rate, and are never rehabilitated. Their sex crimes often escalate to include murder.
b.. Sex offenders often target children under 2 years of age because they can’t talk very well, making it less likely for the offender to be caught.
c.. Lawmakers must stand up for kids who are victims of sexual offences because we have the power to protect them.”

Representative John C. Atkins
41st District – Delaware House of Representatives

As much as I agree with taking a stand, there is a website http://desexoffender.dsp.delaware.gov/SexOffenderPublic/ where you can search sex offenders.  You can also view photos of sex offenders in your area and those who are wanted for failing to register.  If you are truly worried about sex offenders, have your children go through pictures like these.  This bill also does nothing to protect against those who haven’t been caught yet.  Of course, because if they haven’t been caught how can you punish them? What I am getting at here is the reason Bradley was able to harm so many people is because he had not been caught yet.

An even worse thought occurs to me.  Castration may stop certain elements of the human body from working, but does it stop the mind? Does it stop a sick, demented man from using something else around him to violate a child?  Or even stop a man from killing a child because he is unable to get any other physical release?

I am simply saying here that as much as I want Bradley to be in prison for the rest of his life, not in solitary, but in with the general population where they can do to that man everything he deserves, I don’t want people to enact laws such as this and then assume all sex offenders have been taken care of.  Laws such as this will not stop people determined to hurt children.  I would think it would only make us more complacent in our children’s safety.

I am sure I will get a lot of angry emails about this so please remember, I am not justifying anyone’s actions or blaming anyone other than Bradley.  I do not think Atkins is trying to take advantage of us, but I am reminded of something a great man said. “They who would give up essential liberty for temporary security deserve neither liberty or security.”