Foley... up to 20 years in prison.. (he sponsored this bill )

[SoCalDem]

New law seeks to boost child safety
Measure calls for national internet database on sex offenders, among other steps
http://www.eschoolnews.com/news/showStory.cfm?ArticleID=6459

Anyone who tries to lure children to online pornography or other material that is "harmful to minors" would face up to 20 years in jail, according to a new law signed by President Bush July 27. The law, among the most sweeping child safety measures in years, also calls for the creation of a national internet database to track convicted sex offenders.

July 31, 2006—Congress has passed a bill that some are calling the most extensive piece of child safety legislation in the last decade. Under the measure, convicted child molesters would be listed on a national internet database and would face a felony charge for failing to update their whereabouts. Also, anyone who tries to confuse or mislead minors on the web by providing phony or deceiving information or images in an attempt to entice them to a potentially harmful online destination could be subject to a fine and up to 20 years in prison.

"Sex offenders have run rampant in this country, and now Congress and the people are ready to respond with legislation that will curtail the ability of sex offenders to operate freely," said Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, who sponsored the legislation with Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D.

The bill, called the Children's Safety and Violent Crime Reduction Act of 2006, was designed to help police find more than 100,000 sex offenders by creating the first national online listing available to the public and searchable by ZIP code. It also calls for harsh federal punishment for sexually assaulting children, including the possibility of the death penalty when a victim is murdered.

The Senate approved the measure by a voice vote on July 20. The House passed it on July 26, and President Bush signed the bill into law July 27.

Supporters say the measure is imperative to ensuring youth safety both on and off the internet.

"We track library books better than we track sex offenders. This evens the score," said Rep. Mark Foley, R-Fla., a sponsor in the House.
snip

[sweetheart]

1. There's a sex ring in the congress

Foley is just the tip of the iceberg, the republicans are shaking...

[Virginia Dare]

2. I believe you're right...

this is looking like a MAJOR cover-up. It's about to blow.

[kanrok]

16. "It's about to blow"

LOL...no pun intended, I assume?

[Blue Gardener]

4. You know it goes beyond just emails

I hope the rest of the story comes out before November. Foley is a pedophile, I'm sure he's done more to boys than just send them perverted emails.

[partylessinOhio]

5. I suspect that too. Expose the iceberg.

[susu369]

7. Bull's-eye

*nt*

[MoseyWalker]

8. I believe you're right, too

these people, and the way they present themselves, just creeps me out. I don't know how they manage to get where they are without "manipulating" the votes.

[zonkers]

10. Plese start a thread w/ your subject line. It's straightforward & powerful

and just says it all simply. And maybe post a bit of that sex law posted in original post. If not I will. It is a powerful meme. (hate that silly word but...)

[sweetheart]

31. Yours

Worst yet, a foreign power can this very moment be blackmailing the
republican congressmen who are also involved in this perversion ring.

Not only are the republicans not the nation of national security, but
whilst they're out their buggering american teenagers, the country
is at risk from serious enemies abroad and domestic. It puts a
whole new meaning to the knowledge that the republicans have just
been fucking around in the congress.

[zonkers]

32. Keep going, I'm listening..(on edit) well I posted a big loud thread in GD

I'm sure someone will blast me about my using ALLCAPS but who cares.

[NNN0LHI]

39. Don't forget when you post it to say...

There's a sex ring in the REPUBLICAN congress

Words are everything.

Don

[Spazito]

3. The incredible hubris regarding this continues to take my breath

away. While sponsoring and speaking on this bill making Foley's very acts a crime, he continued to commit the crime, all the while assuming he would never be caught. Unbelievable.

[bobbolink]

6. I can only hope he's caught in this very law!

What times we live in, that somebody like this, so brazen, is likely to get away with it.

DAMN!

:nuke:

[havocmom]

9. Believe the law broadened who had to register as sex offender too

He is so self-screwed.

It is amazing how much Karma in Action we have seen in the past 12 months.

Katrina definitely brought a change in the wind.

[SoCalDem]

12. and he sponsored a provision that makes them renew their

driver's license every year so the officials will know where they are year by year..

[havocmom]

18. Mommas, don't let your teen sons ride the bus!

;)

[bobbolink]

13. From your lips to the ears of the Goddess.

I've seen so much justice turned inside out the last several years that I don't trust it til I see it, but I really hope you're right!

I sooo hope you're right!

I would love to see my cynicism turned around on this!

[G Hawes]

22. It did, but

he still has to be convicted of a sexual offence first, and it doesn't seem as though the youth involved wants to pursue charges.

I don't blame him for not wanting the notoriety and I understand his hesitance, but it would be so nice to see Foley end up on the sex offender registry. Just so damned appropriate.

[havocmom]

Does the youth have to press charges? Seems the state can charge

and try.

[G Hawes]

24. Sure.

But they'll need the boy to testify.

[havocmom]

25. Wow, you are fast on the keyboard today

yes you are

[G Hawes]

28. :)

[havocmom]

30. ah, yeah

:rofl:

[bobbolink]

43. I'm having a hard time with parts of this, because a friend's

grandson (15!)got caught in this "sex offender" stuff that has gotten out of hand.

We certainly need better protection for kids than used to be, but.... sometimes we go so far in the other direction that it harms more.

That has nothing to do with Foley, but it's coloring my view.

I certainly hope there will be justice with Foley, but I ain't counting on it. sigh...

[rusty_parts2001]

11. It would be poetic justice to see him

prosecuted under the law he wrote. What karma.

[G Hawes]

14. I didn't see anything in the emails that

was about Foley trying to get the youth to look at pornographic material. Maybe I missed it, but it doesn't sound like the bolded part of your post would apply to this pervert.

I doubt that he would get anywhere near 20 years in jail for talking dirty online in the absence of physical contact with the boy, in the absence of sending him obscene materials or luring him to view obscene materials, and in the absence of receiving any pornographic material from the boy.

But I hope that the boy decides to pursue charges and that the creep gets jail time.

[annabanana]

19. It's not the emails that are the most damning...

it's the instant messages that have been posted about...

[G Hawes]

35. Yes, I have read the instant messages, too

But I didn't see anything that would bring his conduct into the bolded part of the post.

[goddess40]

15. It would be only right to give him the max

he helped write the bill, he should do the time he was demanding for others. But then again Limpballs should have done the max time too since he used to scream that others should do the time.

[blogslut]

17. not quite

The HR: 4427 - better known as the Adam Walsh law - covers keeping track of sex offenders, funding public service programs and enforcing record-keeping requirements for producers of real and simulated pornography. There is also a bit in there about using keywords, auto-downloading software and webpage redirects to lure kids onto pornographic sites.

[havocmom]

21. Also broadens which offenders have to register

Foley now qualifies, I believe

Wonder what the elder Walsh is thinking about now. He's been running with the GOP guys as they pass themselves off as all moral and tough on crime... Wonder what he thinks of allies caught with their pants down, so to speak.

[G Hawes]

23. I don't think he qualifies yet.

He has to be convicted of a sexual offence first.

[havocmom]

27. He has pretty well assured it will happen, hasn't he

Now, how many GOP Congressmen will get taken to court for the coverup?

[G Hawes]

33. My guess is none.

The whole lot of them are so corrupt, they'll probably get away with it.

I doubt that any others besides Foley can be charged criminally for the coverup because they don't seem to fall under the list of people who are subject to the mandatory reporting rules, but presumably if the youth were to sue civilly, they could be sued in negligence.

Their story, of course, is that the boy's parents didn't want them to take it any further, and they might get off the hook on that basis, I guess.

Unless - and I think this is a distinct possibility - that the publicity will result in more pages or other boys coming forward and then all kinds of possibilities arise.

This will sound wrong - because I don't want there to be other victims, of course - but it would be nice to know that if there are other victims out there, this could be the catalyst to bring them forward.

[blogslut]

29. If he's convicted

However, I know this law. I've read it many times. Some day I will tell you what's wrong with parts of it. But right now, what Foley did does not fit in this law. This law doesn't cover using e-mail and IMs to troll for teens.

[G Hawes]

34. I agree.

I'm having a hard time finding any law that covers his conduct.

[fooie]

41. Agree also

The material we have seen does not appear to be illegal. One problem the GOP leadership faces, however, is the possibility that they gave Foley time to wipe hard drives of other evidence.

[Sgent]

20. Define "children" under federal law

because the federal age of consent is 16 -- which means this page met the requirements.

[G Hawes]

26. In the Act,

the term "minor" is defined as a person under 18.

[SoCalDem]

36. and.. if the page is 16 NOW, how old was he when the IMs were sent?

The media keeps saying the page is 16.. this didn;t happen yesterday :eyes;

[Sgent]

38. Wash post says he IS 17 -- was 16 at the time of events

nm

[kerry-is-my-prez]

37. The thing is - he better than ANYONE should have understood it was wrong.

I hope he doesn't even TRY to plead ignorance.

[fooie]

40. Violation of US Code?

Nothing I have read of his exchanges with the boy have violated federal statute. I would love to see him and the GOP leadership prosecuted, but unless this kind of material is covered under state statute, it's not gonna happen. Repulsive, yes, but probably not illegal.

[SoCalDem]

42. DC is not a state though..

Do they have similar laws?