aTypical Joe: a gay New Yorker living in the rural South

Wednesday, March 28, 2007

Genarlow Wilson sits in prison, Eric Johnson gloats

I missed this yesterday. Despicably wrong:

The issue before the Georgia General Assembly today is SB 37. It is not just about Genarlow Wilson; it is about excusing the predators and ignoring the victims.

The bill will allow defense attorneys to petition judges to re-open every case of a convicted sex offender who engaged in sodomy, child molestation, aggravated child molestation, or enticed a child for indecent purposes if the convicted sex offender and the minor victim are less than four years apart. The victims involved could be as young as 13.

I oppose any legislative effort to require the courts to revisit more than 1,100 cases like Wilson’s.

Let’s reiterate: * will * allow * defense * attorneys * to petition * judges. That is not “requiring” but if there are in fact “1,100 cases like Wilson’s” then lord please, yes, let’s revisit them!

Recently I quoted a documentary on racism and integration:

[T]he lesson, that racism fear and bigotry might be subdued by good leadership, rather than harnessed for political gain, is one we’re still waiting to learn.

Without commenting on the potentially racist implications of what’s going on in Wilson’s case, I lay blame squarely on the shoulders of elected officials craven pols like Johnson for using the fear of sexual predators to turn our kids into criminals for political gain.

Leadership is sorely lacking.

Genarlow Wilson will stay in prison, where he may well be trained to become the criminal Eric Johnson believes him to be. Heaven help us.

RELATED: Johnson’s OpEd makes no new arguments. His same old arguments were effectively, and fairly, addressed by The Savannah Morning News.