Comments on: International Megan’s Law passes with no opposition

By: Curt

Curt — Thu, 07 Apr 2016 21:56:35 +0000

I have sent this letter to two US Congressmen, two US Senators, Homeland Security, Dept of Justice and NO ONE has answered me:

“To Whom It may Concern,

I apologize for having to bother you with this matter but I am trying to understand what H.R. 515 might mean to me when my wife and I go on vacation to Costa Rica on May 15th. I have tried contacting SEVERAL Congressmen, Senators, The Dept of Homeland Security, etc but no one has answered me and my time to cancel is running out.

In 1983, while serving in the United States Air Force, I plead guilty to a felony sex offense involving my 14 yr old step-daughter. Let me start by saying I plead guilty because I was guilty and I did NOT want to put my daughter through a trial. I “could” have tried to defend myself as there were circumstances involved; approximately 150 days before I committed the felony, I was T-Boned by a drunk Greek national in what was estimated to be a 140mph impact. I was in intensive care for 13 days before being released back the base hospital but right after my release from the base hospital I almost immediately started having issues. It was later determined by the VA that I suffered from severe brain trauma. I had NEVER acted this way before nor have I again over the past 32 years.

Anyway, my sentence was 10 years ( I agreed to this sentence as part of my guilty plea) but it was reduced to 8 years by my Convening Authority. I served 3.5 years in Ft. Leavenworth Military prison before being released on parole. After 1 year, I was released from parole by the USAF for good behavior but I stayed in public and private counseling, on my own volition, for 7 more years. Later, the USAF agreed to upgrade my discharge from Dishonorable to General Under Honorable Conditions which allowed me to get further treatment and counseling through the VA Health Care System.

Now, at 60 years old. I am retired and my wife and I are planning a vacation to Costa Rica on May 15th. Then I read about H.R. 515…. I am no longer on a Washington State Sex Offender Registry as it hasn’t been required for the past 22 years. This is however the first time I have traveled out of the country over the past 32 years. I need to know what will happen to me? Will I be arrested for going on vacation? Will I not be allowed back into the Unites States? Were exceptions made to H.R. 515 for people with circumstances like mine?

Please know that I did EVERYTHING humanly possible to take complete responsibility for my actions and make restitution to my country and my daughter. I was lucky in that she gave me a chance to prove myself and today we are best friends. Furthermore, I made a solemn promise to NEVER be the cause of another person’s pain or to violate the law in ANY manner and I have been faithful to that promise.

I just don’t know what to expect now and your assistance would be a great help regarding this matter.

Sincerely -:”

Does anyone here have answers? Thanks!

By: BS

BS — Thu, 07 Apr 2016 19:35:01 +0000

This is just sad! I committed a sex crime when I was 19. Still punished for it again and again. It is time we all unite and let the country and now the world that we will not take this humiliation anymore.

By: Alexander C. Miles

Alexander C. Miles — Wed, 09 Mar 2016 00:30:19 +0000

The next step will be to prevent U.S. citizens who are registered sex offenders from renouncing their U.S. citizenship, as well as make all U.S. registered sex offenders have to register at the U.S. embassy or consulate abroad whenever they are spending more than e.g. one week outside the U.S.. This would apply to any and all U.S. citizens permanently living abroad, whether working, studying, or enjoying their retirement. Naturally, there would be a U.S. web site providing pictures and addresses of the citizens, and naturally, all levels of government of that particular country would be advised of the presence of the citizen, and the nature of the citizen’s past offense.
This will happen within the next two years.
Just to make sure SORNA applies world wide to U.S. sex offenders, and to make sure there are no loop-holes such that U.S. sex offenders may enjoy the benefits and protection of U.S. laws. Anywhere and at all times!

By: david

david — Thu, 04 Feb 2016 05:25:36 +0000

In reply to Dave.

Pfft! Like there’s evidence to support ANY of the degradation and humiliation we are forced to endure: Residency restrictions, the registry, polygraphs, ex post facto punishment, ect,, ect., ect. No facts to support any of it.

Enough is enough. With almost 850,000 people on the registry (and that number keeps growing faster than the lies politicians spin to justify this crap) why aren’t more SO’s involved in the sex offender law reform movement?

By: Dirty Politics

Dirty Politics — Thu, 04 Feb 2016 05:07:52 +0000

In reply to Fred. Rep Smith was savvy in his tactics to get this done the way he did with a voice vote only at the time of day he did based upon the CSPAN and Congressional transcripts. He knew what he was doing.

By: SW

SW — Wed, 03 Feb 2016 22:59:13 +0000

I wonder what the European Union or United Nations will say about this law.

By: sandy

sandy — Wed, 03 Feb 2016 19:56:21 +0000

In reply to Perseus II. I imagine that you are speaking of the restrictions that apply when one is still on parole or probation. Once that is over, any citizen can get a passport. I know that registrants travel out of the country and return home; I do not know what procedures may be in place for them to do so, but from the comments on here, that has varied greatly according to, quite probably, state and destination.

By: Perseus II

Perseus II — Wed, 03 Feb 2016 19:37:06 +0000

Will someone please answer me this question: What are the states with SO registries, which is just about all of them I think, that allow RSOs to travel internationally? I know here in Texas an RSO bet not leave his/her county of residence without permission from least 50 people and a mountain of approved paper work the size Mount Everest, let alone leave the good ole US of A. So again, just what states allow this international travel? If you tell me, will, RSOs sneak out of the country, then, when they have gorged themselves sexually on child victims, they willingly return the good ole US of A to their lives of SO retrictions and all the other crap that comes with it. And I’m not going to even ask how a convicted felon gets a passport. Must be a gapping hole to size of Texas and Alaska put together in the US Passport office for that to happen, or, could be they don’t give a crap, I don’t know but I have always labored under the assumption that fire works go off and red flags go up whenever someone with a criminal record applies fro a passport. Perhaps I was wrong, and if I was, then I hate myself for not taking advantage of that gapping hole and getting my A$# out of the good ole US of A years ago. It would have been at least 10,000 years before I came back here!!!

By: Ray

Ray — Wed, 03 Feb 2016 17:58:51 +0000

In reply to JR. Read my post on confronting Americas hysteria it is now the second story on the homepage

By: Tim Lawver

Tim Lawver — Wed, 03 Feb 2016 16:18:50 +0000

In reply to Nick.

Nick,
It is hard to believe we Americans as bad as we are THINK we should be telling other cultures how to act, how to be, or live their lives. We suffer greatly from a malady sociologist call “sociocentrism” SEE:http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/sociocentrism?s=t

Definition 2 is most appropriate