Word 'Rape' not allowed..

OMAHA, Nebraska (AP) -- The U.S. Supreme Court has refused to hear an appeal involving a case in which a Nebraska judge banned anyone from saying "rape" in a sexual assault trial.
The Supreme Court turned down a case involving the ban of the word "rape" from a sexual assault trial.

The Supreme Court turned down a case involving the ban of the word "rape" from a sexual assault trial.

Lawyers for Tory Bowen had argued that Lancaster County District Judge Jeffre Cheuvront violated their client's constitutional rights by barring her from using such words as "rape kit" and "victim" during her testimony in the trial.

The judge said he banned the language because was concerned about the accused's right to a fair trial.

While restricting Bowen's testimony, Cheuvront allowed attorneys for Pamir Safi to use such words as "sex" and "intercourse" to describe the encounter between Safi and Bowen.

Bowen says Safi sexually assaulted her in October 2004 while she was too intoxicated to give consent. Safi maintains the sex was consensual.

CNN and The Associated Press usually do not identify accusers in sexual assault cases, but Bowen has allowed her name to be used publicly because of the issue over the judge's language restrictions.

Bowen attorney Wendy Murphy said in an e-mail Monday that she was disappointed but not surprised by the high court's decision.

"Tory Bowen and this case will forever be known as the beginning of reform on this important issue, because we laid the groundwork for the inevitable day when judges will stop making such ridiculous rulings," Murphy said.

A mistrial was declared in Safi's first trial in November 2006 when the jury deadlocked. Bowen said afterward that the judge's ban had a negative effect on her testimony, causing her to pause to ensure her words didn't violate the order.

Cheuvront declared a second mistrial in July 2007 during jury selection, citing news coverage and public protests on Bowen's behalf.

Bowen sued Cheuvront over the language ban. A federal judge dismissed the lawsuit, ruling that Bowen failed to prove that he should intervene. The 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the dismissal, saying the federal court didn't have jurisdiction.

The case was listed Monday among those the Supreme Court declined to hear. Prosecutors previously said they decided not to pursue a third trial

See, here we have a judge that is actually paying attention. Prove your case on merit, not with sympathy. Amen Judge, Amen...

Teacher jailed for NOT having sex with teen

Yeah it is a grabber headline, but the charge is absurd..

GARLAND, Texas -- Garland police Tuesday night arrested a teacher on charges of improper relations with a student.

The teacher's name is Lindsey Holt.

Police said that on Tuesday evening, an officer patrolling a south Garland park found Lindsey Holt, 23, in a compromising position with a 17-year-old student.

Ok, so what is the position she was found in? If it was not sexual in nature then what are you charging her for again? Improper relationship? Ok, I'll bite, was she holding his hand?

Garland police said the case does not involve a sex offense and that the relationship was consensual.


The charge deals with the teacher's position of authority as an educator over her student.

"The actual charge is improper relationship between an educator and student," said Joe Harn, of the Garland police.

The charge is a second-degree felony that carries a punishment of two to 20 years in prison and-or a fine of up to $10,000.

20 years when the only law she broke was improper relationship?!?!?

Holt bonded out of Garland Detention Center Wednesday.

Some parents said that, given the allegation, Holt should not be allowed to return to her job, NBC 5's Randy McIlwain reported.

Holt's employment status is uncertain. Because Garland Independent School District is on holiday break, school administrators could not be reached for comment.

What did she do wrong? Was she boinking him? No, Was she blowing him? No, what exactly did she do, and how can it be proven as improper if nothing sexual was occurring? Was she converting him to Islam!!?!

If she was doing something that was headline grabbing, you know damned well that news and police would be screaming about another Sex Offender in the public employ.. But no. We have vague information at best, and sooner or later we'll see her face on the SO registry.. Just good Practice.

Here we are America. You asked for it, and you got it. Now, even non-sexual contact with kids will get you arrested. Congratulations, Hitler really did win the war...

What is YOUR priority?

GRAHAM, Wash. - Three girls died despite efforts by their father and firefighters to save them as fire swept through a Graham home after midnight Sunday.

The girls' father and stepmother made it out of the burning home alive, said Deputy Fire Chief Gary Franz of the Graham Fire Department.

The girls were at the home for a weekend visit with their father, Leonard Ballard, who lived there with the girls' stepmother. Neighbors said the girls usually visited every other weekend.

Family members identified the three sisters as Michaela Ballard, 10; Emily Ballard, 11; and Katelyn Ballard, 13. The two younger girls attended Pioneer Valley Elementary School in Spanaway, and the oldest girl attended Bethel Junior High.

Fire crews were called to the scene at about 12:04 a.m. By the time they arrived, about 10 minutes later, flames and smoke were pouring from the single-family home, at 25301 103rd Ave. East in Graham.

The father and stepmother were able to get out of the house alive, and the father attempted to rescue his daughters.

When firefighters arrived, they found the girls' father unsuccessfully trying to rescue his children by using a ladder to reach a second-floor window.

Franz said firefighters took over the rescue effort when they arrived. One fireman went up the ladder into a second-story room, but had only about one minute to search the room before his partner warned him to leave because of the fast-moving flames. The fireman did not find any of the girls.

Firefighters suspended the rescue effort until they could knock down the heat and flames. When they re-entered the house, they found two of the girls dead. The third was found a few hours later.

"We made every effort to rescue them, but unfortunately we were unable to do that," Franz said.

Franz said it took one hour to get the fire under control and more than four hours to completely extinguish the blaze. He said the house was "virtually destroyed."

There are reports of explosions before the fire erupted -- sending huge flames shooting into the sky around midnight. But how the fire started is still a mystery.

Franz said the girls' father and stepmother were sleeping in a basement at the home at the time of the fire. He said the father's hair was burned in his rescue attempt, but he did not have to be hospitalized.

Franz said the three sisters were sleeping in the upper area of the two-story house and the home was engulfed in flames when firefighters arrived.

The fire raged through the upper floor of the two-story home. Soon after fire crews arrived, the roof collapsed, complicating firefighting efforts.

Franz said it's been at least 10 years since there has been a fire death in the Pierce County town of Graham, and losing the three victims is very hard on fire crews.

"Losing people in a fire is very difficult on firefighters," he said. "It hits everybody pretty hard."

"Our hearts go out to the family, and our thoughts are certainly with them," Franz added.

Franz says it appears there were working smoke alarms in the house, and that fire crews could hear them as they arrived at the scene.

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A fund has been set up to help the family of the girls. To donate, you can call the Tacoma-Pierce County Chaplaincy at 253-564-7848 and ask about the “Ballard Family Fund.”

I found this, not a Sex Offender topic, nor political but wanted to share this with everyone.

What is YOUR priority?

I would have died in that house before I would have left my children in there, whether I thought I could get to them or not. I cannot tell you the whole story, as the father can only say that. But I noticed the He and Stepmother made it out alright. Is that the parent that you want to be?

I do not know what I am capable of doing, I cannot say what tomorrow will bring. One thing I can say for certain is that my children would be the first out of the house in a fire. Don't preach to me about saving the children until you can know that they are the most precious things to save.

One of the 'good' guys shows the REAL danger

LAKE COUNTY, Fla. -- A captain of a North Carolina fire department was arrested in Central Florida on charges of traveling to have sex with who he thought was a woman and her 7-year-old daughter, Lake County sheriff's deputies said.

Mark Farwell, 38, a captain with Department of Defense fire department in Goldsboro, N.C., faces a charge of traveling to meet a minor and five counts of prohibited uses of a computer.

According to the Lake County Sheriff's Office, detectives in January were working undercover in a Yahoo! chat room posing as a woman with a 7-year-old daughter and began a dialogue with Farwell. Over the next 10 months, Farwell talked to the undercover detectives on the Internet and over the phone, deputies said.

Farwell talked in explicit detail about having sexual contact with the woman and her daughter, Lake County sheriff's deputies said.

Farwell traveled to Ocala to visit his parents and arranged to meet with someone he thought was the woman to have sex, deputies said. He traveled to Lake County on Sunday and was arrested by detectives, according to the sheriff's office.

Here we have another proven account of the REAL dangers to the public at large. It isn't the people that are on the registry that need to be feared, it is the ones that you 'trust', the ones that you would have never imagined hurting another. Well here you have it folks, the real threat.

Something that needs to be said

lately, I have been following the speeches by McCain and Palin.  The topics are mixed, but usually they find a way to curve all of them back to "Our boys are fighting for freedom overseas..." a reference tying McCain's service to the young men and women fighting overseas in Bush's war.  First I think that is a slap, although it is funny how they use wars that are both based on the same premise to push an agenda.

The war overseas has nothing to do with our freedom.  It hasn't in years.  man, that sucks to say.. years.. but I digress...

The young people that went overseas to Afghanistan were originally sent there to find and defeat enemies of the United States due to 9/11.  I will not argue that fact, I even supported it.  However that might have been, we have thrown out organized hatred within that country, and now should be looking at leaving.  There was a purpose to go there, we accomplished that purpose, now let them come home. 

Iraq on the other hand, here is a case of Bush and his cronies wanting to up their stock portfolio.  I mean look at it.  Chaney is an ex-board memeber of Halliburton.  He still has PLENTY of stock in a blind trust waiting for him when he leaves office.  Halliburton was given no bid contracts in Iraq, and they have seen incredible stock jumps.  Yes, Bush and Chaney have set themselves up using our kids lives as collateral.

Bush has major ties with Halliburton, Kellogg-Brown&Root, and their sub companies.  All of these companies were granted EXCLUSIVE contracts to 'rebuild' iraq and suport our forces there.  Funny thing is, I thought the Military were suppoed to be self-supporting in theater.  But what do I know, I was only in 10 years....

I guess, seeing as I got off track here, I should tie this back together. McCain/Palin would have you believe that this war is patriotic, is one for our freedom.  I say bullshit.  A group of men fought and died for our freedom 232 years ago.  These men had aspirations to create a great country and to help its citizens become prosperous.  What this war today does is makes us more hated in the world, lines the pockets of our elected officials, and gets our kids killed.  Very much like Vietnam...  So I say to McCain and Palin that they are right to equate THIS war with Vietnam, but not for the reasons they are trying to sell to the American public.