THE KIDS ACT - S.431

"The real rulers in Washington are invisible, and exercise power from behind the scenes."

~ Felix Frankfurter, Supreme Court Justice, 1952

October 2, 2008

CONGRESS UNANIMOUSY PASSES S.431 - “Keeping The Internet Devoid Of Sexual Predators Act” While many Americans were tucked safely in their beds and fast asleep, Congress was busy conducting a late night “behind close doors” meeting Tuesday night.

Such “secret sessions” of congress are authorized by Article I, Section 5, of the United States Constitution. Historically, these secret sessions are held only when discussing matters of National Security, impeachment proceedings, or other business deemed to require confidentiality and secrecy. Was Congress planning on how to deal with the impending economic collapse and resultant fallout of this country, where if the truth be told would send Americans into a riotous frenzy? No. Were they working on strategies to bring our troops home from any one of the 83+ countries we currently occupy? No. Were they working on ways to deal with the second coming of the Cold War? No. After Senator Joe Biden and Vice Presidential hopeful made the statement that “WE (and here I’m assuming Congress and law enforcement) know the whereabouts of at least 400,000 online child pornographers right now”, I wondered that maybe Congress was working on a sweep to arrest those 400,000 active and known online child pornographers. But, they weren’t doing that either. Instead, the focus became S.431. Probably the single most unconstitutional bill ever created in this country to date. S. 431 stands for “Keeping the Internet Devoid of Sexual Predators Act”. On its face it sounds great, doesn't it? Of course it does at least in theory anyway, and passing a law, any law against sex offenders is always good for at least a couple extra votes when election time roles around. (Both Obama and McCain were Co-Sponsers by the way). So, WHO exactly are they kicking of the internet, in a round about way of course? It isn’t the 400,000 online child pornographers (who pose a current and imminent threat to children) that Senator Biden was talking about. Sadly, those people who are actively preying on children weren’t even addressed as usual. Instead, it is apparent that their target is who it has always been. The 600,000 plus former offenders. Many of whom were convicted one time of one crime, many decades ago who have been living law abiding lives ever since, or at least trying to under the circumstances. You see, many in congress have come to the realization that former offenders and their families have no representation as far as elected officials go. Further, these families are standing up, speaking out, and assembling online. The one and only platform available to give these families a voice. Congress doesn’t like that. Why? Because these families are hacking at the root of the problem, exposing the lies our elected officials constantly tout even though their own taxpayer funded studies tell a completely different story. Former offenders and their families in their efforts to correct a past wrong are looking for viable solutions, methods of preventing sexual crimes and proving that the soundbites our Congressmen and Women are spouting are NOT based on fact. They are based on fear and hype. I know of no other way to get people to willingly give up their God given rights than to scare the living daylights out of them. Fear is the single greatest motivator and history has proven that time and again. Websites which spread the truth, bust the myths and report the facts that have sprung up now stand a very good chance of being “deleted” because our elected officials themselves are fearful. Fearful of the truth coming to bite them in the rear. That’s why their meetings are held in secrecy, behind closed doors. Not because this issue was a matter of national security, rather it was a matter of securing their own positions and ensuring that the public be led around by the nose based on unfounded fear, because with fear, we the people will gladly submit and Congress knows it. Really, this type of congressional and/or government action is not much different from Communist China where its citizens are forbidden from accessing Google. The Chinese government places filters on their internet so that that country’s government can control what it citizens see and hear. They want to be their citizens sole source of information and nothing goes out unless it has the government’s seal of approval. The penalty from trying to get around these filters is punishable by death. The

United States

government has had control of the mainstream media for quite awhile now and lest you or anyone else be fooled, our news IS filtered. But for the as of yet, untamed wild west of the internet, the government thus far, hasn’t been able to control individuals and alterniative news sources. Unless American’s act now, that will soon be changing. The passage of the keeping the internet devoid of sexual predators act is just the beginning. Governments don’t take away people’s rights overnight. They do it ever so slowly targeting at first those most loathed in society – registered sex offenders a term erroneously interchangeable with sexual predators. No matter that the term “sexual predator” has a completely different legal meaning than registered sex offender. No matter that many of the crimes that landed one on the registry weren't predatory and didn’t even involve the use of a computer. Never mind that registered sex offenders have the second lowest re-offense rate (the first being murder). No, none of those things matter. What matters is that those who dare speak out be silenced one way or another. No matter if the law violates the most basic of rights, the right to freedom of speech, freedom of association, and freedom of assembly. The government has proven time and again they don’t give a damn about children. Their knee-jerk, retroactively applied laws are a testament to that- over a decade after such laws there isn’t a single shred of evidence that one child has been “saved” because of ANY of these laws. No law that they have passed, not a single one has focused on prevention, and successful reintegration. Not one has focused on the social problems that lead to sexual offending. Not one. We saw how the registries began with people convicted of sexual offenses but quickly and predictably expanded to include other types of ex-offenders as well. People convicted of involuntary manslaughter to drug offenses. There is no reason to believe that the silencing of “we the people” will stop at registered sex offenders either.

The questions we should be asking ourselves are: Who’s next? AND How far are Americans willing to let the government exercise what appears to be limitless power over its people no matter how un-constitutional? I watched video footage on youtube of Americans protesting on Wall Street over the massive bailout of the banks both foreign and domestic. Many hid their identities with masks and costumes. Why? Because, whether we realize it or not, we ARE all already afraid of our government. If ever there was a time for the ACLU to stand up and do its job – which is protecting Americans civil rights and liberties that time has surely come.

THE KIDS ACT - S.431

Copyright 2008 operationawareness.com