The Scarlet Pumpkin: Sex Offenders Forced to Post Warning for Halloween

1. ukanduit
   October 16th, 2008 at 3:04 pm

   why don’t they just round them all up for halloween?

2. Zombie
   October 16th, 2008 at 3:53 pm

   And where are the people crying out that this tramples on the rights of the sex offenders?

3. Clippy
   October 16th, 2008 at 4:12 pm

   Gee, I can’t wait till someone starts planting counterfeit stickers on unsuspecting people’s homes.

4. Chrsch
   October 16th, 2008 at 4:32 pm

   That’s not right at all. What, are they worried these people are going to molest every child that comes to their doorstep? GG Maryland

5. seekshelter
   October 16th, 2008 at 5:12 pm

   since they have to post it, the molestors should have some fun with it… maybe throw up another sign with a picture of themselves looking looking menacing…that says…. ‘imma getcha!!!”

6. ted
   October 16th, 2008 at 5:32 pm

   That’s a good way to avoid having to give out candy.

   Something sounds bogus about this, like somebody saw the sign at Wal-Mart and decided to make up a story for it.

   Parents are more concerned about poisoned candies and peanut allergies than they are about violent sex offenders on Hallowe’en.

7. Stuart
   October 16th, 2008 at 6:59 pm

   That’s standard procedure at our house, that sticker would make things easier. Although we get asked ‘money or a trick’ which just shows the UK really should leave trick or treating to he US.

8. edvard
   October 16th, 2008 at 7:00 pm

   @Zombie: Right over there-
   http://www.cfcoklahoma.org/

   @Ted: Nope, not bogus, it’s a real deal, and I know folks who are VERY concerned about where their kids go to get candy.
   True, I haven’t seen any reports of mass child molestings by repeat offenders on Halloween (which is obviously the target for this campaign…) and statistics bear out that a predator is most likely to molest someone they know personally, usually a neighbor or family member, but vigilance is a good idea no matter the circumstance.

9. Peeves
   October 17th, 2008 at 2:57 am

   I’m surprised at how tame the sign is..in no way implying the person is a sex offender though I’m sure the adults in the community know what it means. But I wonder, if parents are so worried about their children getting molested while they trick or treat..why don’t they just supervise them? It’s kind of like TV violence/sex/etc. Just control where your kids go/watch.

10. MSLGWCEO
    October 17th, 2008 at 11:19 am

    You will all be very happy and relieved to know, that there has NEVER been a Halloweener in the history of the United States that has ever been molested by a registered sex offender.

    Both Halloween and Election Day are coming. So, we’re not at all surprised that politicians across the nation are once again posing as Heroes in the fight against the Great Sex Offender Trick-or-Treat Bogeyman. Under the banner of protecting children, they’re restricting the actions of all sex offenders on Halloween, and sending out hordes of probation officers to make sure they stay in their homes (and, in some states, target themselves by posting “No Candy Here” signs), while expecting sheriff and police officials to monitor sex offender compliance on an already especially busy night.
    http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/ethicalesq/...

    It amazes me that it can be proved with government statics that there has NEVER been a case where a REGISTERED sex offender EVER molested a trick or treater at their door. Or harmed them in any way. So what is the problem here.

    Well, politicians are the real scary ones out there. They and the news media for ratings and votes will do and say anything. That’s the bottom line.

    When I grew up, I heard some of my elders tell me not to drink in that fountain because a black man or woman would drink from it. I always asked why could I not drink there? Would I get germs??? Would it make me sick??

    In today’s society, the politician’s have lied to the public about the recidivism rates of sex offenders. Politician’s have lied to the public about “stranger danger” as most offenses occur between a family member or someone the victim knows. These are facts not just spouting’s.

    Parents do need to keep an eye on their children as they always have, but there is no reason to believe that someone is lurking around the corner or behind every bush that is going to take an hurt your child.

    Happy Halloween. Beware of politicians. They are the scariest of them all.

    Only one who is inherently interested in fear mongering would use Halloween to petrify the public into thinking that Halloween is unsafe because of the presence of RSO’s. To calculate risk in epidemiology, you divide the number of cases divided by the population of interest. In this case it would be 1/650,000. The risk is so incredibly low that my calculator gives the division an error!!!!!! ” That is only for 1 year, now times that by say, 50 years. OH MY! Fear mongering is what the entertainment news media and politicians are MORE concerned about than protecting children.
    MSLGWCEO at http://www.cfcoklahoma.org

    Read this article, “MORE SCARY HALLOWEEN LAWS AGAINST SEX OFFENDERS.”
    Here: http://www.cfcoklahoma.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&i d=186%3Amore-scary-halloween-laws-against-sex-offenders&Itemid=1

11. Notorious M.O.L.
    October 17th, 2008 at 3:59 pm

    I live in Maryland. When I was living with my parents, our neighbors used to hand out candy every year…until their adult-aged son had to move back in with them. While going through the lists of sex offenders in our zip code online that the police maintain we found out that he was a sex offender of some kind (the charge was vague, we’re not totally sure what happened). They were no longer allowed to hand out candy AND the police came to their house on Halloween to check to make sure they were abiding by the law that they had to have their lights out and all.

    It’s not fake, it’s really what they make them do around here.

12. ted
    October 17th, 2008 at 7:27 pm

    I have to laugh at MSLGWCEO’s absolute assertion that there has NEVER been a case of Halloweener sex abuse. I would say it’s not easy to accomplish, but not impossible.

    And as for recidivism? Well, I know of at least one well-publicized case where a violent sex offender killed a boy after being released from prison.

    That’s why you accompany your kids. By the time they’re old enough to go out on their own, they’re probably too old for door-to-door candy anyways.

13. zeytoun
    October 18th, 2008 at 1:20 pm

    Another pseudo-danger to work ourselves up over.

    Just like the myths of poisoned candy, or razor bladed apples.

14. MoonCake
    October 26th, 2008 at 10:42 am

    this is just like the DUI license plates. i’m wondering how many other criminals are color coded?

    not only do i find this to be an invasion of privacy, but also just another way to keep those who have paid their dues from re-entering society. believe it or not, SOME people who come out of jail just want to wipe the slate clean and start fresh. but it is laws like this that keeps people from living a normal life again, which often causes repeat offenses because of one phrase: “what’s the point?” what’s the point in trying to live a normal life when the government isn’t going to let you forget your crime anyway? the penal system is completely f-cked up on so many levels, and this is just one of them.

15. allard
    October 28th, 2008 at 10:36 am

    why don’t we just kill all the pedophiles and rapists on the spot? they’re a waste of life and deserve the most painful death possible.

16. MissOakley
    October 28th, 2008 at 11:23 pm

    Because Allard, then you would be a murderer and then I would say why don’t we just kill all the murderer’s et al on the spot? They’re a waste of life and deserve the most painful death possible. When you supply a “solution” such as that to this type of situation, then you’re only making it worse. Get an education please, and maybe you’ll do the world a favor by stop being such a dumbass.

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