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Senator Joe McCarthy, Sex Offenders, and the 109th Congress

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Edward R. Murrow is back in the nick of time, just when we need him the most.

“Good Night and Good Luck” is a feature film account of Murrow's 1953 and 1954 "See It Now" broadcasts assailing Sen. Joseph McCarthy during the nation's anti-Communist hysteria.

From the moment in a 1950 speech when McCarthy waved his infamous (and never-identified) "list of 205 Communists working in the State Department," the senator exploited the country's Cold War paranoia, relentlessly pursuing those he deemed Communist sympathizers.

We are once again at this point, blacklisting the American known as the sexual offender. The collective “we” have allowed politicians to exploit our most vulnerable fear, the safety of our children, for personal political advantage. We are all responsible for allowing hysteria driven legislation, at the city, state, and federal level, to remain unchecked due to the manipulation of our emotional bonds to our children by politicians. Voters have not demanded the truth from their elected representatives and have allowed politicians to legislate the safety of our children.

Journalists have not asked the hard-nosed questions or educated the public about the relative ease of how one becomes an offender, perpetuating the myth that all offenders are child molesters. The majority of offenders registered have been “convicted” of poor behavior choice offenses which involve no victim. Most charged persons lack adequate funding for a legal defense to fight such charges. The resulting plea bargain is followed by automatic sexual offender registration as decreed by Florida Statute 943.0436 . Our politicians have even legislated judicial discretion, the power of a judge to impose a fair and just sentence. Registration is for life or 20 years, whatever comes first and permeates every aspect of the registrant’s life.

Politicians run unchecked with this issue, due to guaranteed press coverage and easy votes. State Representative David Simmons of Longwood, Florida reflects this attitude quite blatantly with his recent comment regarding yet further proposed residency restriction legislation at the state level, "Who's (going) to complain?" Although a group of Americans and their families are being blacklisted, banished, and segregated, our politicians continue to propose and pass “Scarlet Letter” legislation.

The Palm Bay, Florida City Council was presented 10/6/05 with the most current data provided by the United States Department of Justice, which definitively determined in a 10,000 person study, the treated sex offender recidivism rate to be 5.3%.” Instead of tabling the issue for further research, the Council instead opted to schedule the proposed ordinances for second reading and public hearing 10/20/05. These ordinances will impact an offender’s ability to make a living and provide for family, which sets a dangerous unconstitutional precedent.

As Edward R. Murrow indicated in his famous October 15, 1958 “Wires and Lights” speech, “There is a great and perhaps decisive battle to be fought against ignorance, intolerance and indifference.” It is our duty to question authority because without scrutiny, authority remains unchecked and corrupt.

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