2023 SHIITAKE AWARDS NOMINEES
ABOUT THE SHIITAKE AWARDS
We experienced a temporary disruption when Google deleted our blog in Sept 2023 but was restored a month later. We generally have multiple categories I feel are self-explanatory. Descriptions are below. One category, our “Holy Shiitakes Award,” the category for dumbest story of the year, had a single nominee, so it won by default. Worst state is determined by the number of nominations and reputation, and so for 2023, it was FloriDUH, yet again!
WHERE TO VOTE
Just send me an email who you think should be the winner and who should be the runner-up. That’s all you have to do!
My email -- iamthefallen1@yahoo.com
2023 DUMBEST NEW BILL/LAW
1.
Arizona SB 1698: If passed as introduced, AZ SB
1698 would force parents taking their kids to “Drag Shows” to register on the
public sex offense registry. While that direct provision was later removed, the
language could’ve still applied due to the vagueness of the remaining language.
AZ SB 1698 was later vetoed.
2.
Oklahoma Senate Joint Resolution
11: This bill would’ve allowed voters to decide
whether Persons Forced to Register deserve any constitutional rights, “if such
provisions are rationally related to protecting the public from sex-based
crimes.” Given the current climate, it would’ve been a disaster if it passed,
but failed to advance beyond a second reading.
3.
Iowa HF 77: Had it passed, it would’ve forced
Persons NO LONGER Forced to Register to re-register under a new Tier IV
designation. The Tier IV will register for as long as they reside in Iowa (up
to life, essentially); pay the $25 annual penalty fee; register name, DOB,
address, conviction jurisdiction info, and submit photo; and while the info is
not listed on the public registry, a member of the public can still access the
info from the sheriff's office. Tier IVs may still be subject to employment and
residency restrictions, and failure to comply is an aggravated misdemeanor for
the first offense and a felony on subsequent offenses. It failed to advance
beyond committee.
4. Arkansas HB 1125/Act 35: This bill was the only nominee signed into law, and it prohibits Registrants deignated as Level 3 or 4 from buying, owning, or using an “unmanned aircraft” or “drones.”
DUMBEST/WORST NEWS MUTT
1.
Kenny Webster, KPRC 950, Houston
TX: Kenny
Webster tried IN VAIN to derail the NARSOL Conference in June, calling them a
“p*do rights group,” & even heavily implying NARSOL's mission is to make it
legal to abuse children, something no anti-registry group supports. He promoted
a planned (failed) protest of the conference that was created by the “Proud
Boys” extremist group. Webster has also promoted vigilantes on his show.
2.
Holly Hansen, The Texan: Hansen, in an effort to derail
the NARSOL Conference in Houston, wrote a rambling article mixing the old,
tired, erroneous narrative that NARSOL is connected to NAMBLA, that Houston is
a “sex trafficking hub,” misinterpreted recidivism studies, Supreme Court
Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, & the Packingham v NC case which allowed
Registered Persons the right to the Internet.
3.
Christa Lawler, MN Star-Tribune: While the Minnesota Star Tribune
is usually writing articles critical of civil commitment, Lawler’s article
writes a sympathetic article that seemingly praises a vigilante who broke into
someone’s house & beat a Registered Person to death.
4. Debra Soh, Washington Examiner: Wrote a fearmongering article that allowing transgendered persons into “gender self-identification changing rooms” are a “sex offender’s paradise” and “a dream come true for rapists and pedophiles.”
2023 DUMBEST QUOTE
1.
Ryan Bullard, Crestview FL City
Councilman: Said
the quiet part out load when admitting the intent of a proposed residency
restriction expansion was to exile & harass Registered Persons: "And
while we can't boot those 88 men (registrants) out. Nor do we want to, well, we
DO, but ok, but what it will do is prevent any more from ,living documented in
the city. So what we're going to do is we're going to criminalize them from
living in the city, which is a GREAT thing to do. Ok, basically the entire
city. And if they're undocumented, in the woods, then that's failure to
register, that's more county stuff, things like that.... I mean, If I can
prevent just one sex offender from moving into the city, or we can dwindle
those numbers, and have the chief's people go after them, i'm pretty much for
it."
2.
Ron DeSantis, FL Governor: A man who came up short in the
bid for US President even after wearing high heels, DEATHSantis boasted of
signing a controversial death penalty bill, adding, “We are stopping jail break
in the state of Florida today. We're putting pedophiles to death, hopefully
with this today.”
3.
Republican AZ Rep. Alexander
Kolodin: Scottsdale
Republican Rep. Alexander Kolodin said while he understood the concerns about
the children of Registants being bullied, he would not allow his child to play
with the child of a sex offender, because the offender might be present. “Honestly,
it absolutely sucks for the children of those people that they’re going to be
ostracized like that,” Kolodin said. “But my right as a parent comes first.”
4.
Kevin Metcalf, "National Child
Protection Task Force" (a private for-profit business out of Fayetteville,
AR): Exploiting
Predator Panic to raise money: “As the founder and CEO of the National Child
Protection Task Force, I know firsthand the importance of information in the
hands of those responsible for investigating and stopping violent crime. It
enables authorities to quickly identify, track and locate suspects. Our
children go missing every day. They get trafficked every day and get physically
and emotionally abused, groomed, sexually exploited and sold every day. The
community that works on child protection is a disparate one. It includes people
who have willingly dedicated themselves to seeing the worst of humanity to keep
the most vulnerable among us safe.”
5. King County WA Council Vice-Chair Reagan Dunn: In trying to prevent Registrants released from cicil commitment, Dunn said, “When you put criminals rights before the rights of victims, you get that backward approach. Look at the crime statistics. Look at the recidivism, look at the drug dealing, look at the overdoses, look at the homeless problem. All of it is related to these failed policies that don’t work. If you want to lower crime in your community, you put them behind bars where they can’t reoffend. It’s real simple. It isn’t about rehabilitating them. I don’t care about that. I care about keeping the people off the streets so our neighborhoods are safer.”
2023 WORST/DUMBEST POLITICIAN
1.
Democrat NJ Gov. Phil Murphy: He sided with Republicans in
vetoing bill for mental health diversion programs because it may help a Person
Forced to Register
2.
Republican CA Congressman Darrell
Issa: Wants to
eliminate health benefits for some registrants and expand the AWA; he introduced
“The Stopping Sexually Violent Predators Act” in Congress to prevent some
Registrants from being released at all.
3.
PA State Senator Wayne Langerholc: Introduced legislation to
chemically castrate some Registered Persons
4.
Lakeside CA Union School Board
President Andrew Hayes:
Hayes says he plans to build a coalition of other school boards, educators,
community leaders and parents to push for change. He would like to seek
legislation banning s*x offenders from living closer than 5 miles from schools,
bus stops and day care centers.
5.
Louisiana AG Jeff Landry: Exploits Predator Panic to push
anti-trans and pro-Nanny State bill. He wants info on out-of-state abortions,
gender-affirming care, his spokesman says it’s needed to “investigate the
sexual abuse of children.”
6.
Eric Deters, KY Gubernatorial
Candidate: Disgraced
attorney exploits Predator Panic in KY gubernatorial bid, stated I his campaign
that he’d call for death penalty for Registered Persons.
7.
Speaker of the Pennsylvania State
House Mark Rozzi:
Promotes dope-boy turned vigilante thug Musa Harris by honoring him with a
public meeting & promoting his vigilante activity.
8. Ron DeSantis, FL Governor: Boasted of passing the law to execute people for sex offenses where no death occurred.
2023 EVERYDAY ZEROES (WANNABE
VIGILANTES & ADVOCACY FAILS)
1.
Bill Warner, Sarasota FL: When Charlotte Sena went missing
in NY last September, Warner Warner took to Reddit (the subreddit
"r/CharlotteSena") to push the theory that a person listed on the sex
offense registry was responsible, without any evidence to the contrary. The alleged
kidnapper was not listed on the sex offense registry.
2.
Ross Swirling, Denver CO: Swirling, a political activist
and onetime prominent member of the local punk music scene, has spent years
using the internet to call out alleged perpetrators of sexual assault — and
anyone who associates with them. But Swirling himself was convicted of
attempted sexual assault on a minor, and a condition of his probation sentence
had him kicked off the internet.
3.
"The" Kayleigh Kozak, AZ: Professional victim who claims
that AZ Gov is silencing her because she wasn't invited to cry at a speaking
event after the Gov vetoed a registry expansion bill she supported. Also, that
whole THE nonsense is just as annoying as when Ohio State University does it.
4.
Michael Dolce, FL: In 2017, Michael Dolce was
nominated for a Shiitake Award for writing a nasty Op-Ed claiming restorative
justice encourages those on the registry to reoffend. He was also FL State
Senator Lauren Book's attorney and is prominently featured on Lauren's Kids!
But he got arrested for a sex offense himself.
5.
Kinte Hassan Franklin, FL: Was charged after allegedly
trying to run over a man he thought was a convicted s*x offender as he walked
out of a liquor store. Franklin is a career criminal who was already a
convicted felon when he was busted for guns, meth, and cocaine. And he was
released on a mere $10k bond for what should've been attempted murder.
