Voting for the 2016 Shiitake Awards going on now until March 1, 2017

VOTE HERE -- https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/F5NZN2J

The 8th Annual Shiitake Awards is here! For 8 years now, the annual Shiitake Awards spotlights the most insane and inane stories surrounding the "sex offender" topic. The Shiitakes is a parody of the infamous Golden Raspberry Awards ("Razzies"), which parodies award shows like the Oscars or Golden Globes. So we are, in essence, a parody of a parody. Our job at the Shiitakes is to spotlight and ridicule the people who use the "sex offender" issue to advance their careers in the worst way possible, as well as spotlighting and deriding their inane ideas.

Each year, we open up voting in January, we open up the voting for each of 8 categories plus a special category. This year, the special category pits two famous victim industry profiteers against each other in our special "Civil War" category, and of course, your chance to determine which state is the worst/ dumbest state in the USA, a.k.a., the legendary ICBS National CHUMPionship. Florida has maintained a stranglehold on this category for much of the existence of the Shiitake awards, but as always, two states have staked their claim for the title. Who was the dumbest politician, newscaster, cop, and wannabe vigilante of the year? What was the dumbest news story or new law of the year? That is up for you to decide.

Vote for one, and ONLY one, candidate. I know that the decision is hard enough for you, but for the Shiitake Awards Selection Committee (tm), we struggled more to whittle down the candidates to three of the worthiest selections. Vote on every category, and share with your friends.

Note: This is a project that I enjoy doing because it is fun and a form of stress relief. All joking aside, it is sad to note that I've been running this award for almost a decade and there is an abundance of nominees every year. This award is "just for fun," but it is also useful for advocates because we point out the worst abuses of registered citizens, and these stories are indictments against the registry. Please vote and share, then follow & send nominations to the official Shiitake-Worthy blog at http://shiitakeweekly.blogspot.com/

-- Thanks for voting!
Derek W. Logue of OnceFallen.com

Shiitake Awards 2016 FINALISTS

DUMBEST NEW BILL/ LAW OF 2016

1. Virginia SB 666: This bill bans registered citizens from buying those obnoxious "specialty license plates" that benefit children's programs. (Sadly, this law actually passed.) This bill affected a whopping 13 license plates.
2. Florida HB 1179: Fee scale bill that would have forced registrants to pay up to $300 just to visit Florida. (Thankfully the bill died.)
3. Virginia Robby’s Rule”: Legislation passed and enforced adding 5,604 names to the Virginia Sex Offender and Crimes Against Minors Registry. The so-called "Supplement" to the list includes information on individuals not previously listed who were convicted of certain sexual offenses on or after July 1, 1980, and before July 1, 1994, according to a state police news release.

DUMBEST POLITICO OF 2016

1. Mass. State Rep. Shaunna O’Connell: In criticizing a state Supreme Court nominee for stating the registry was “too expansive,” Rep. O'Connell (R-Taunton) argued that the nominee’s stance "render her unfit to serve as a justice." She took to talk radio and her own online platforms urging Massachusetts residents to write Governor's Council members and encourage them to reject Budd's nomination. Earlier in the year, she claimed, “"The sex offender registry is constantly attacked so that sex offenders can hide." 
2. Catherine Hanaway, Missouri Gubernatorial Candidate (lost primary): Blamed “liberal sexual permissiveness” for what she claims is a growing acceptance of CP.
3. Hector Balderas, New Mexico Attorney General: He and his staff walked out of a legislative session in protest over a bill allowing teen sexters to get off the registry, citing that the NM ICAC would lose funding. At least he admitted it is all about the money!

DUMBEST QUOTE OF 2016

1. Darryn Hinch, Australian Senator: In promoting Australia’s version of IML, Hinch stated, "100,000 convicted sex offenders on the register ... the private register, go to Indonesia every year…They're not going there for the sun, they're going there for the sons and the daughters. That's [an issue] that I can get involved in, and they are the sort of thing I want to do."
2. Tina Dionne of East Millinocket, Maine: Admits she sees the registry as a form of shame and vengeance. “I didn’t care how much prison time [Cote] got, I wanted him to be on the list for life. I don’t want him to be able to do this to anyone else. No matter where [Cote] goes, people are going to have to know what he did…The sex offender registry helps people be aware of what people like him have done. They can’t just take off to another state and start over. That has to follow them.” 
3. Mass. State Rep. Shaunna O’Connell: Her direct attack on the anti-registry movement; "The sex offender registry is constantly attacked so that sex offenders can hide."

2016 EVERYDAY ZEROES (Vigilante Fails)

1. Jeb & Jessica Lessley, B’ham AL: Posted a billboard in their yard and made many allegations on her registrant neighbor, and possibly involved in a “suspicious” fire at the neighbor’s house. Also, harassing registrants online. 
2. Conchita Sarnoff: Wrote a book claiming 1 MILLION children are sex trafficked in the US without any evidence and bashed anyone who challenged her dubious stats.
3. Curtis J. Hurt, Kelso WA: Failed at winning a local election because he’s mostly known for forming a wannabe vigilante group called “The Punisher Squad.”

2016 HOLY SHIITAKES AWARD (Dumbest RSO-Related Story)

1. Littlefield TX throws out mail-in ballots of registrants in civil commitment center: If civil commitment is NOT prison, then there was no legal basis to toss out the votes.
2. Washington Supreme Court grants release of Level 1 info to crazy vigilante: It apparently does not matter that Donna Zink is violating state law by disclosing the unlisted Level 1 info publicly, the state Sup Ct feels level ones have no rights. Looks to me like the Court has been hitting the legal weed a bit too much.
3. FBI becomes world’s largest CP distributor: It’s not distribution when the FBI takes over a CP site and runs it for weeks, apparently. Maybe FBI means Feds Bestowing Illegal images?

2016 WORST NEWS MUTT

1. Larry Huss, OR Catalyst: His article begins like this—“ Are you a sexual deviant?  Are you a serial rapist?  A child molester?  A sexual predator?  Well welcome to Oregon, the government has got your back. Have you repeatedly raped a thirteen year old child over a three year period?  Well you could be Oregon’s governor.” 
2. Leo Terrell, HLN: Black Lives Matter attorney and friend of OJ Simpson’s family, who attacked a registrant activist Derek Logue on Dr Drew’s show, claiming we want to abolish the registry to go out and commit more crimes. Logue eventually told Terrell to “stick it” on the air. 
3. Melanie Michael, WFLA: Not only did she write the article about Illuminati “pedo symbols” on Monster truck giveaway toys, she bashed anyone who questioned her approach to the story, claiming her detractors weren’t “patriotic.” 
4. Nancy Grace, HLN: Nancy Grace is a special kind of stupid, but she officially jumped the shark when she covered the Noah Chamberlin (a TN kid who wandered into the woods and died of hypothermia). Grace’s insistence in wasting police resources harassing registrants was so out of line, even Marc no-Klaas rebuked her.

Keystone Kop of the Year

1. David Beth, Sheriff, Kenosha Co WI: Actively joined citizen protesters in trying to deter a registered citizen from living in his community
2. Chris Nocco, Sheriff, Pasco Co. FL: Ordered his department to harass registered citizens suing his department in court then trying to cover it up. 
3. Carlos Ocasio, Detective, Pasco Co FL Sheriff’s office: Admits to the media the intent of his compliance checks are to scare registrants out of his county, they collect information even on registrants’ family members, and even used Orwellian references in his interview (“Big Brother is watching you.”)

Victim Industry Profiteer Civil War: Who is the GREATER of two evils? You decide

1. Lauren Book: Daughter of powerful and corrupt lobbyist Ron Book; law named after her forced registered citizens in Miami into homeless camps including the infamous Julia Tuttle Causeway camp; raised $750k from Ron’s political cronies to run unopposed to win a FL state senate seat; Her father run’s Lauren’s Kids, a victim group named after her; wrote a kid’s book named after herself, “Lauren’s Kingdom”; Had a portion of a major highway in Broward Co named after her
2. Laura Ahearn: Runs “Parents For Megan’s Law” in Suffolk Co. NY; has ties to many powerful and corrupt politicians including disgraced former senator Dean Skelos and disgraced former police chief James “The Porn King” Burke (who may even be a serial killer); runs the ONLY private victim advocacy group in the USA that conducts compliance checks, a function of law enforcement; Routinely sues registered citizens who challenge her regime; is responsible for the persistent “100,000 missing sex offenders” myth

ICBS Nat’l CHUMPIONSHIP PLAYOFFS

1. FloriDUH: FloriDUH just elected Lauren Book to a senate seat, gave us news of Illuminati pedophile symbols on kid’s toys, and the corruption of the Pasco Co sheriff’s office. Plus, FloriDUH has a dynasty. They’re the defending champions. It’s FloriDUH! Need I say more?
2. Virginia is for Losers: Virginia brings SB 666 and Robby’s Rule as weapons to unseat the national champions but is a pair of stupid bills enough to topple the FlorIDIOT dynasty? You decide. 
3. Hog-Washington State: The vigilante scumbag capital of the US gives us two high profile Everyday Zeroes candidates in Donna Zink and Curtis Hart, plus the state’s Supreme Court gave zany Zink the green light to name and shame level 1 registrants. But can this dynamic duo topple the Floridiot legacy? You decide.