Please Support This **Update** It Passed

[lizbud]

This is all way off topic, but I believe parents do have a right to practice
it if they are up to it. It's a BIG responsibility. A child is only young & curious
to learn in their younger years & the chance to enhance that spirit of learning does fade as they grow older. IMO.

I really believe we were blessed to have great schools (not like some are
today). Both my kids did well with the teachers & developed friendships
that have lasted through their adult years.

[Cataholic]

Vela,
My heart breaks for your poor son. I see it all too often in the public schools here, and this bullying seems to start younger and younger.

[lizbud]

Just recieved this email fron Indiana Senator Lugar this morning. Great news.


Dear Ms. XXXXXXXX

Thank you for sharing with me your support for S. 1738, the
Combating Child Exploitation Act of 2008. I share your support for
this important legislation, and I signed on as a co-sponsor of this bill.
I am pleased that President Bush recently signed this bill into law.

Any crime is disturbing, but those that victimize children are
particularly reprehensible. I believe that children are our most
precious resource, deserving of the protections we, as caring adults,
are committed to afford them. Over the years, with my strong
support, legislation has been enacted to provide our communities
with greater protections from child predators by giving law
enforcement the tools needed to fight this scourge. However, we
must continually review ways to combat this problem.

S. 1738 seeks to protect children from exploitation by
directing the Attorney General to create and implement a National
Strategy for Child Exploitation Prevention and Interdiction to
coordinate the prevention strategies of the Department of Justice,
U.S. Attorneys, and the FBI. The bill also authorizes $320 million in
additional federal funding to assist local law enforcement officials in
investigating and prosecuting these heinous crimes.

Thank you, again, for contacting me on this important
issue.

Sincerely,


Richard G. Lugar
United States Senator

[Lady's Human]

And another bit of freedom goes into the trashcan.

[Puckstop31]

And another bit of freedom goes into the trashcan.

But you are "safer" now. It's better to be 'safe', than free, right?

[Lady's Human]

Better to be safe than free?

ROFLMAO!

[Puckstop31]

Better to be safe than free?

ROFLMAO!

Surely you know I was saying that in jest. LOL

We are only promised life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

[lizbud]

And another bit of freedom goes into the trashcan.

Yeah, just like laws reguiring stop lights on corners of busy roads, and
laws requiring us to pay to have our streets cleaned & the trash picked up.

This sharing of information between agencies can help stop the creeps
from abusing the world's children, I say go for it.I am so happy that a very
well respected, Sen Richard Lugar, co-sponsered the bill.

[Lady's Human]

There's a big difference between basic public safety and opening the door to more surveillance by big brother.

Funny, I remember someone complaining about a similar bill, except it was a bill which required warrants (which this doesn't) and requiring specific court oversight of the monitoring agencies (which this doesn't).

IIRC it was called the patriot act?

Oh, right, I forget, that was a bill supported by the current President, so it must have been bad. My mistake.

[lizbud]

IIRC it was called the patriot act?

Oh, right, I forget, that was a bill supported by the current President, so it must have been bad. My mistake.

Strange, but I don't remember you condemming the patriot act.

Here's another "undercover investigation" that paid off. Are you going to complain about the tactics of these agencies too?


LOS ANGELES, California (AP) -- Dozens of burly, tattoo-covered members of the Mongol motorcycle gang were arrested Tuesday by federal agents in six states after a three-year investigation in which undercover agents infiltrated the group.


Agents raid the home of former Mongols motorcycle gang leader Ruben Cavazos.

1 of 2 At least 38 members of the Southern California-based Mongol Motorcycle Club were arrested under a federal racketeering indictment that included charges of murder, said Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives spokesman Mike Hoffman.

During some arrests, sharpshooters stood guard on surrounding rooftops as motorcycles were lined up and confiscated.

"It's going to be a large hit to their organization. We are arresting many of their top members," Hoffman said.

Among those arrested was the gang's former national president, Ruben Cavazos.

Federal and local agents had 110 federal arrest warrants and 160 search warrants that were being served across Southern California and in Nevada, Oregon, Colorado, Washington and Ohio. The sweep, dubbed Operation Black Rain, was to continue throughout the day Tuesday, agents said.

Hoffman said the Mongols had been recruiting members of Los Angeles street gangs to assist in their operations.

The Mongols are primarily Latino and formed because the Hells Angels refused to allow Hispanic members.

Four ATF agents infiltrated the gang and were accepted as full members, a difficult process that requires winning the trust of the gang's top leaders over a period of months, Hoffman said.

The agents were required to live away from their families in homes set up to make it look like they lived a Mongols lifestyle, Hoffman said. Four undercover female agents also were involved in the operation, pretending to be biker girlfriends and attending parties with the agents; women are not allowed to become full members of the gang.

"If you go to a party all the time and you don't ever bring a girl around, it's kind of weird," Hoffman said. "Someone might get suspicious."

To be accepted in the gang, the agents had to run errands and were subject to a background check by private detectives.

At Cavazos' home in West Covina, about 18 miles east of Los Angeles, a red custom-modified Harley-Davidson motorbike sat outside. No occupants were home, but several police and ATF agents were seen going through items in the house.

Cavazos wrote a memoir titled "Honor Few, Fear None: The Life and Times of a Mongol," published by HarperCollins in June.

HarperCollins publicist Sarah Burningham in New York said she handles only book-related issues for Cavazos but would forward an e-mail from The Associated Press requesting comment.

At least 22 motorcycles were on display outside the Los Angeles Police Department's main building Tuesday morning. All were modified, chrome-covered Harleys with custom artwork. One had a fiberglass skull on the clutch; another's kick stand had been modified to make it look like bird talons. Several bore Mongols insignia.

Las Vegas police reported serving several warrants at homes in southern Nevada, where five men were in federal custody pending an appearance before a federal magistrate, said Natalie Collins, spokeswoman for the U.S. attorney's office in Las Vegas.

In 2002, a Mongols member got two to five years in Nevada state prison for his part in a casino brawl with Hells Angels during a biker rally. Three people died in the fight.

Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or