RSOL of Virginia
Reform Sex Offender Laws
Seeking Justice and Safety for all Virginians

 

 

 

 

 

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This Site was last updated Sunday, August 2, 2009

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Posting #59– Dear Secretary of the Navy

By: RSOL of Virginia
Date:  04/04/2009

RSOL of Virginia,

Dear Secretary of the Navy Donald Winter,

We’ve recently learned of the intent to remove all privileges previously earned by service members based on a conviction for a sexual offense, regardless of the circumstances. On February 6, Military.com article “Zero Tolerance for Sex Offenders” and on March 9, Navy Times.com “New Policy Bars Sex Offenders from Navy Housing”

We are surprised and disappointed that military leadership would bow to the popular sentiment regarding this issue when it comes to protecting its own.

We at RSOL of Virginia feel this is not the stance that our military leadership should take.

It is well documented despite what the media and local governments would have you believe that the Sex Offender Registry are listing citizens who should have never been labeled a “sex offender” and the registry has become a useless tool in identifying a true threat from a non-threat.

I am personally listed as a “sex offender” because of an angry child who wanted to save her fourteen year old dog from being “put down”. In America today an accusation alone is sufficient to convict, imprison and stigmatize someone as a “sex offender” when there is a sexual claim.
Teenagers who engage in consensual sex and “text” naughty photos are also labeled as sex offenders. In some states urinating outside, flashing, streaking and mooning will also land a person on the sex offender registry. Certainly I cannot be the only person on the registry wrongly convicted so this casts a doubt on the entire system in regards to whom and how one lands on this registry.

Even if you were to cast aside the question of innocence the fact remains that the benefits and honors our government wants to strip from those who served our country with valor and honor had earned these benefits prior to whatever crime they were convicted of.

If you are to go forward with this ruling should you not include any and all servicemen who have broken any law after they had left the military? Should we not include any and all persons who have demonstrated less than honorable actions and behaviors? One could easily argue that we should, but this would have to include persons who have had affairs or been ungentlemanly towards their wives. Essentially this would preclude a large quantity of our servicemen.

The bottom line on this is that a person’s action later in life do not and should not diminish his or her accomplishments of the past. How is it that you can so easily dismiss the good in someone due to a mistake or crime committed later in life?

In some cases the crime is a result of mental illness or post-traumatic stress. Please recall that our country sadly has a history of returning our military heroes to society with mental issues. To some extent we might be punishing our servicemen and women for problems that their service induced and then they were offered no care.

I served in Desert Storm and personally do not intend to ever ask for nor take advantage of the benefits I earned during my time in the Navy.

But many U.S veterans will and it is extremely wrong to vindictively take away those benefits that had been earned by respectable service for our country based on something that had no relevance to the sacrifices made during the individual’s active time serving our country.

Please do not proceed with the ban of “registered sex offenders” in military housing, in commissaries and exchanges and the removal of burial rights (Bill-HR 731).

 

Sincerely,
RSOL of Virginia Organizers

 

1st Response to Posting #59
From:  Department of Defense
Date: 06/14/2009

Your letter to the Department of Defense, dated April 4, 2009, was directed to my office.

I apologize for the delay in responding.

The policy that you are referring to from the Military Times Article is a Navy-specific policy.  I referred your letter to the Navy for their response.

Please let me know if you don’t  receive a response from the Navy in the next week or so.

Sincerely,

Colonel, US Army
Director, Office of Legal Policy

 

2nd Response to Posting #59
From:  RSOL of Virginia
Date: 06/14/2009

Colonel,

Thank you for the response.

We sent our April 4 letter to the Secretary of the Navy and every member of the Senate Committee on Armed Services, Senate Committee on Homeland Security, Senate Committee on Veteran's Affairs, to Donald Winter and to Hillary Clinton. Out of almost 50 letters, you have been the ONLY response, very disappointing but not surprising.

Unfortunately the stigma "sex offender" leads most people to the conclusion of guilty and that they are a pervert so why shouldn't our government and society ostracize them all.

The proliferation of “Sex Offender” Legislation over the past 20 years in America that were meant to memorialize an assaulted, murdered or missing child have largely failed.

Our Legislators have taken a group of people and used them as a platform to win elections and instill fear into the parents of our country so that they look like heroes. People that are not child-molesters, pedophile's and perverts have all been bucketed into one massive registry and must endure a lifetime of shame. Our Legislators repeatedly state inaccurate recidivism rates (the rate to reoffend) of “sex offenders” to the public to gain support of voters and to push through flawed legislation. The recidivism rate for "sex offenders" is significantly lower than that of murders, drug dealers/users or armed robbers. An interesting fact since Sex Offender Legislation is based on the assumption that "sex offenders" will recidivate with new sexual offenses.

My husband is a victim of our "justice system", it failed him because it's set-up to fail. He served his country honorably as a Naval Nuke and his burial rights should not be revoked and he shouldn't be banned from exchanges and commissaries, just because it's currently acceptable to hate anyone that carries this label. Any benefits that a citizen earned while serving our country should be honored by our country, not revoked.

Thank you.
RSOL of Virginia

 

3rd Response to Posting #59
From:  Department of Defense
Date: 06/18/2009

RSOL of Virginia,

I am sorry that you have not received at least more responses, but I do know that the Navy is responding. To get something inside the Pentagon, it must go through screening. It probably takes two or three extra weeks just to get where it's going. I am sure that is the way with Congress too. And then, sometimes getting it out is difficult too.

Of course, I know you recognize this is a difficult issue, and I do recognize that the registration laws can sweep up some unfairly.

 To be honest, it's a tough issue politically to take a stand against. I am sure that some just decide that not responding to your letters is the best route.
 
In any event, I do understand your position.

So far the policy you wrote about is just a Navy one. I don't see a movement to expand it beyond that Service right now. I think it raises a lot of legal issues that would have to be looked at carefully before any wider implementation.

Colonel, US Army
Director, Office of Legal Policy