do you really know your neighbor?

[stephElf]

You have already stated that some of the laws are too stringent.
But if the law isn't changing, then unfortunately people need to abide by them.

I grew up in NJ where there were similar laws keeping a 16 yr and a 17 yr from banging like Jack Rabbits... why is there the whole "is she legal?" joke/comment?  If a 19 yr old guy decides to date a 17 yr old girl.. well he needs to take the situation a bit more seriously. It is what it is....

[stephElf]

Isn't it because the south is full of backwoods kiddie rapists?

lmao!

[ChriswUfGator]

Im a big fan of the sexual predator living across the street from one of our local elementary schools.

http://offender.fdle.state.fl.us/offender/flyer.do?personId=13820

Or the one living right behind the same school

http://offender.fdle.state.fl.us/offender/flyer.do?personId=33386

Im sure the sexual battery Under 12 just means he REALLY loved this kid. It must suck being so misunderstood.

Or this guy two blocks from the same school

http://offender.fdle.state.fl.us/offender/flyer.do?personId=825

Lewd and lacivious under 16... but it happened in 96... that would make him only 40. I guess thats not too much of a gap....

Its too bad there isnt a law against living so close to schools... OH WAIT. There is!

Im all for taking it case by case. For instance, there is one about a block down from me who seems to fall into that wrong place/wrong time category, but most of them in our area seem like real gems.

Dan, have you looked at the age of the "offender" at time of sentencing, then added the year (or two or three) it can take for that to have worked its way through the system from arrest to conviction, in order to figure out what age the "offenders" were at the time they committed the "offense"? And then compared that to the age of the "victim"? I doubt it, because those stats aren't available, and the court records are usually under seal.

So all you're really doing is looking at a website with a list of registered offenders, then applying a broad brush just like everyone else. And for all you know, those people could have been living there for 20 years, before the law went into effect.

Look, I'm not denying that there are legitimate sex offenders, or that they should be (and need to be) punished for their crimes. My issue with this is I suspect a nice big chunk of Florida's registered "offenders" are only "offenders" through the operation of legal fiction.

[cindi]

100+ "misunderstood" guys (and yes there are some women folk in that mix also) in 1 square mile is a whole lot of misunderstanding.  and yes i am well aware there are MANY cases of "wrong place, wrong "girl", but what is an "acceptable" age?  
obviously dan didn't jump to conclusions when he found out about the guy around the block that fell into the wrong place/wrong time.  back to the, get to know who lives around you.

[tufsu1]

What percentage of sex offenders fit into the above type scenario that most of us would deem ridiculous?

Far more than you'd think. That's the problem.

and that is the sole reason I took exception to the stated term for all sex offenders give in the original post

[ChriswUfGator]

You have already stated that some of the laws are too stringent.
But if the law isn't changing, then unfortunately people need to abide by them.

Yeah with that attitude, women wouldn't be allowed to vote and african-americans would still be in the back of the bus.

Nice viewpoint!

[stephElf]

You are kidding right?

Is it really that hard for 2 people to wait till they are 18 to have sex? Jesus Christ....

[ChriswUfGator]

100+ "misunderstood" guys (and yes there are some women folk in that mix also) in 1 square mile is a whole lot of misunderstanding.  and yes i am well aware there are MANY cases of "wrong place, wrong "girl", but what is an "acceptable" age?  
obviously dan didn't jump to conclusions when he found out about the guy around the block that fell into the wrong place/wrong time.  back to the, get to know who lives around you.

I don't think ALL of them fall into that category.

Clearly, there ARE legitimate sex offenders out there, and their acts do need to be addressed by the legal system. However, speaking specifically about this state (and others in the 'bible belt'), far too many "offenders" really haven't committed anything that a *normal* rational person would consider an "offense".

And these online "registry" sites don't give you anywhere NEAR enough information to tell the difference. These people are branded for life, and nobody cares enough, let alone has enough information, to actually figure out why. I also have long questioned the constitutionality of offender registry operations in the first place, as these people have already in theory paid their debt to society by serving their sentence.

[ChriswUfGator]

You are kidding right?

Is it really that hard for 2 people to wait till they are 18 to have sex? Jesus Christ....

What's hard is understanding how it could possibly be your place to dictate that to them?

Or the legislature's for that matter.

If someone rapes a 10 year old, that's a crime and it should be punished. With all due respect, unless you're going to rely on some BS religious argument, I see no crime in two 15 or 16 year old kids having sex. They can drive cars, they can operate in society, are you telling me they can't stick something in a hole? Gimme a fukking break.

And that's what truly preposterous about our laws, even according to your own logic. If BOTH are under the magic number, no crime. One over, one under, all of a sudden now we have a crime. If they'd already been dating for years, it doesn't matter. Honestly, WTF?

[stephElf]

And again, I haven't stated whether or not that I think 18 is the acceptable age.

There are a ton of "unfair" laws.

Are you suggesting it's perfectly fine for people to just choose which laws to abide by? And then when they get caught to hell with any repercussions because the law isn't what they deem "fair"?

[stephElf]

You are kidding right?

Is it really that hard for 2 people to wait till they are 18 to have sex? Jesus Christ....

What's hard is understanding why it's your place to dictate that to them?

It isn't my place! I didn't make ANY of the laws we live by.

[ChriswUfGator]

You are kidding right?

Is it really that hard for 2 people to wait till they are 18 to have sex? Jesus Christ....

What's hard is understanding why it's your place to dictate that to them?

It isn't my place! I didn't make ANY of the laws we live by.

Then if you recognize an unjust law, why defend it?

[stephElf]

All I am saying is... if people don't want to get in trouble, they need to follow the law.

There are a few I don't follow, but if I got in trouble for it, it wouldn't be some shock or boo-hoo, I knew it going in!

[tufsu1]

but it is our place...laws are often written or changed because people speak up.

[buckethead]

Let us think back on a few laws that never should have been, shall we?

A few short years back, it was considered legal for one person to own another person.

Any others?