"It is a serious threat to this country not to have a media that is a check and balance on those in power. What we see now is that the media in this country has reached an all-time low having a media embedded in the power structure."
--Amy Goodman, Democracy Now
As far as I'm concerned, Amy Goodman could not arrive in Central Florida soon enough.
Talk about a press embedded (or as I like to say, "in bed") with the power structure...Florida newspapers spoon nicely-all tucked in and cozy-with the Sunshine State's elected officials.
Case in point.
This is the same state where the St. Petersburg Times couldn't quite bring itself to expose former Congressman Mark Foley's dirty laundry.
St. Pete just washed their 300% luxury Egyptian cotton sheets and hung them out to dry in the state of the Sunshine law, where open government waxes paramount.
Everything here is out in the sunshine for all to see.
R-I-G-H-T.
Meanwhile, Foley former Co-Chair of the Missing and Exploited Children's Caucus is instrumental in the passage of the Adam Walsh Act, all bad ass on "protecting the children."
Oh snap!
The St. Pete Times STILL sat on the Foley emails, in their possession and chose to embed- jump in bed-all wrapped up nice and cozy in Grandma's quilt with Foley...a two-faced, lying, double talking lawmaker who "represented" the rest of us poor sand fleas.
Which leads me to Florida's newly elected Attorney General, Bill McCollum.
If I were a mental health professional, I would recommend choke therapy for this horse-toothed jackass.
Self-choke every time his mouth opens.
The "Brevard Watchlist"-a Florida Today newspaper public feature-purported to "monitor public officials, dig for documents and respond to your whistle-blower tips", recently blogged aboutHR 573Child Predator Cybercrime Legislation.
"Sickos, be warned."
Nice opening line, journalists, not too biased.
Good old Bill apparently feels the present Dracionian Florida sex offender laws-which practically legislate breathing in the direction of a kid as a sex offense-doesn't adequately distinguish between "a pervert who uses the web to chat with kids and one who uses it to arrange a rendezvous and shows up in a creepy van full of ropes and knives".
Uncle Bill wants that to change.
One proposed plank of HR 573 creates a new crime for online predators who solicit children for sexual activity and then take the additional step of traveling to meet the child (second-degree felony/15 years in prison).
But teens-you just go ahead and post whatever you want on MySpace. Uncle Bill's not worried about you trading lewd photos with friends.
He's after all those poor sucker chatters entrapped by undercover law enforcement, pretending to be underage minors.
Eighteen old seniors-male or female-dating sophomores...that includes you. Romeo and Juliet takes on a whole new meaning when our beloved state chooses to throw the "Sex Offender" book at you.
And I ain't talking Shakespeare.
On second thought, better think twice about just who is posting pics to your MySpace. Before heading out to meet that hot 15-year-old babe, better think on this visual...
"She" just might be a short, fat, balding, Coke-bottle lensed State Trooper wannabe who couldn't meet the height requirement and settled for employment as a deputy sheriff rim rod who found a legitimate way to make a buck-while getting a self f***-off his own sexual deviance.
And then, teenage friends...sex offender hell waits for you.
The Florida Sex Offender Registry. It's no fantasy.
Florida Today-for God knows whatever reason-had the chance to nail McCollum on the obvious discrepancy...okaying the online posting of lewd pictures teenager to teenager, yet destroying the lives of those legal age teenagers when caught in the back seat with their 15-year-old Prom date.
Bill, want to do something really, really special as Florida's Attorney General?
Get law enforcement out of the chat rooms and put their Feet on the Street.
Stop fabricating crime.
Clean up the current sex offender laws that make regular people convicted felons for words on a page.
That freshman chick who chose the senior jock over you back in the dog days of high school? Flash your AG badge at the now middle-aged Cracker housewife at your next reunion and stop criminalizing your rejection on the rest of us.
Stop perpetuating a myth that everyone registered as an offender is John-Freaking-Couey.
Hey, Florida Today and the rest of the so-called print media.
Throw off the sheets and rub the sleep out of your eyes.
Follow the money trail. These easy sting arrests lead to big buck federal law enforcement dollars for the State.
Every loophole has been sewn shut by the Florida Legislature. I am so tired of screaming about the unconstitutionality of these laws, my ebbing strength allows me to provide a link to assist you on the print media Road to Recovery.
Your journalistic integrity drops a notch each time I read an article supportive of the lie these Keystone politicians have perpetuated through use of our kids to pass hysteric, fear based legislation.
I'm not holding my breath, especially after reading the subsequent post which appeared the same day as Uncle Bill's torrid tale of battening down the hatches against those whose fingers go walking off the keyboard to insert a key into the ignition.
"Accused pedophile, on run since 1999, found living good life in Costa Rica".
Strip off the sheets, Mainstream Press and hang these scare-the-hell-out-of-the-parents-and- get-their-vote politicians out to dry.
One free thinking investigative reporter is all I'm asking for.
Expose the truth behind these laws and I guarantee Mr. Pulitzer will take note.
Good night and good luck.