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March 03, 2008

Great Blogs to visit for more information

Blogs will be added to this post as we get time.

there are a lot, so here's the best one: www.fraudarena.wordpress.com. fantastic collection of information and commentary, check out her blog links, as well.

MASP of California now has a blog, brand new. You can visit and join in discussions at www.maspofcalifornia.blogspot.com.

February 27, 2008

Legislative update and new features!

Legislative Update-
 
We lost SB 6386 and HB 2715 - both bills would have made great changes in laws to protect our kids. We'll work on them over the next year, and get them through the next session.
 
Three bills are still in the running, and they're in the home stretch. SB 6358, HB 3103, and HB 2728. All are very simple pieces of legislation that would go a long way toward correcting gaps that let a lot of predators through to our kids. You can read about them on our Support Legislation page, and you can support them there, too.
 
HB 2728 is a big deal for us, and it needs your support.
 
Please go to our Support Legislation page and send the pre-addressed email there, or simply contact the Senate Committee for Human Services and Corrections and let them know you support HB 2728. I call them all the time, the woman that usually answers the phone is very nice.
 
That phone number is 360-786-7316. If they don't answer the phone, you can just leave a message with your name, the city you live in, and your support HB 2728.
 
Activism doesn't get any easier!
 
Also, we have a newly-built website, and a MUCH better blog. The blog is a great thing because, should you choose to, you can subscribe to the RSS feed and read our updates along with your daily RSS news, rather than get it in your inbox. If you'd like to do that, let me know, and we'll unsubscribe you from this newsletter.
 
In May we're observing National Missing Children's Day - with a week of activities. Mom's Clubs, PTSAs, preschools, public schools, and law enforcement - everyone is joining in, and it's a fantastic thing. Why is it so fantastic?
 
58,000 non-family abductions in the US every year. Some abductions last for a very short period and the child isn't transported - however, in the vast majority of even the most brief abductions, the child is still sexually or physically victimized.

While it's an important and necessary act to record certain information about kids in case they get kidnapped - we need to prevent the assault, the kidnapping, the sexual violence toward children.
 
So, a week of access to prevention education, for on the street and on the internet. If you want to help, let us know. More details will follow when we have all of the participating organizations levels of commitment, which you can read more about at our website on the page National Missing Children's Week.
 
Please go check out the website, shop at our store, and comment on our blog!

In support of HB 3103

I am representing Washington Communities Against Predators.
This past December, two people came to me, separately, asking me if I knew that there was something going on in Washington Schools, and likely through-out the country, called 'passing the trash.'
This phrase is used to describe what happens when a school official needs to remove a 'problem employee' from one environment for troublesome but not necessarily criminal issues, and doesn't want to risk negative publicity for the school by going forward with formal allegations of misconduct.
They did not know how common it was, but they both had very strong issues with the results, in that parents and the new school's employees had no means of knowing that 'problem teacher' was a threat.
At the time, I had the resources to note down their concerns and add it to my list of things to research for future work. Today, a third person sent me a link to a news article [see link below]  from King 5, regarding HB 3103.
I have taken the time to read the documents associated with HB 3103, and am very glad to have the opportunity to contribute on its behalf.
The fact is, children have to go to school. Yes, parents could home school, but that is a possibility for a very limited number of Washington citizens.
Parents are responsible for the safety of the children every-where in their lives, right up until the school's door. Inside the door, it is the school's responsibility to protect the children. We now know that there is this threat, and HB 3103 articulates an appropriate response to this threat.
I urge that this bill be passed through the Senate and signed into law.