2023 SHIITAKE AWARD WINNERS

ABOUT THE SHIITAKE AWARDS

Since 2008, OnceFallen.com has compiled a list of the dumbest news stories, bills/laws, politicians, reporters, cops, & common citizens that exploit Predator Panic and the sex offense registry for personal profit. Throughout the year, nominees are posted on a Google Blog (https://shiitakeweekly.blogspot.com/) and at the end of each year, we give our readers the opportunity to decide which deserves the award for worst/dumbest in their respective categories. 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!

2023 DUMBEST NEW BILL/LAW WINNER!

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.

RUNNERS-UP

2nd place - 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.

3rd place - 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.

4th place - Arkansas HB 1125/Act 35: This bill was the only nominee signed into law, and it prohibits Registrants designated as Level 3 or 4 from buying, owning, or using an “unmanned aircraft” or “drones.”

DUMBEST/WORST NEWS MUTT WINNER!

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.

RUNNERS-UP

2nd place - 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. (NOTE: She lost to the winner by a single runner up vote, it was that close)

3rd place (tie) - 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.

3rd place (tie) - 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 WINNER!

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.”

RUNNERS UP

2nd place - 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."

3rd place - 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.”

4th place - 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.”

5th place - 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.”

2023 WORST/DUMBEST POLITICIAN WINNER!

 

Ron DeSantis, FL Governor: Ol’ Pudding Fingers boasted of passing the law to execute people for sex offenses where no death occurred.

RUNNERS-UP

2nd place - 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.

3rd place - 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.

4th place - 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.

6th place (tie) - 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.

5th place (tie) - 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.”

6th place (tie) - 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

6th place (tie) - PA State Senator Wayne Langerholc: Introduced legislation to chemically castrate some Registered Persons

2023 EVERYDAY ZEROES (WANNABE VIGILANTES & ADVOCACY FAILS) WINNER!

 

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.

RUNNERS-UP

2nd place - 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.

3rd place - 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.

4th place - 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.

5th place - "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.

“HOLY SHIITAKES’ AWARD (DUMBEST NEWS STORY) WINNER!

Passive-Aggressive workers at the Minnesota Sex Offender Program (MSOP) makes phony Facebook group to mock detainee activist group: For years, the workers at the Minnesota Sex Offender Program ShadOw Prison (MSOP) have tried hard to silence the prisoner group "Overcoming Corruption Encouraging All Nations" (OCEAN). MSOP has tried making it a rules violation for prisoners to support OCEAN (aka End MSOP).  Since silencing criticism isn't working, passive-aggressive workers at the MSOP concentration camp has created a closed Facebook group called "The Voices of LAND (Learning About New Dangers)” to mock MSOP prisoners who speak out against the program.

WORST STATE OF THE YEAR 

WINNER! FLORI-DUH

 

Who else would it be? FloriDUH reinstated the death penalty in spite of the 2008 Kennedy v Louisiana SCOTUS ruling which banned execution for civilian crimes that do not involve murder. This, in turn, inspired other states to introduce similar legislation.

2023 SHIITAKE AWARDS NOMINEES: VOTING HAS BEGUN

2023 SHIITAKE AWARDS NOMINEES 

ABOUT THE SHIITAKE AWARDS

Since 2008, OnceFallen.com has compiled a list of the dumbest news stories, bills/laws, politicians, reporters, cops, & common citizens that exploit Predator Panic and the sex offense registry for personal profit. Throughout the year, nominees are posted on a Google Blog (https://shiitakeweekly.blogspot.com/) and at the end of each year, we give our readers the opportunity to decide which deserves the award for worst/dumbest in their respective categories.

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.

WINNERS of the 2022 Shiitake Awards

This year has been extremely busy for me, and the Shiitake Awards blog had been under attack. But with the 2023 Shiitake Awards nominations soon to be completed, it is time to release the winners of the 2022 Shiitake Awards. Better late than never, I suppose. 

For the benefit of those who are unfamiliar with the Shiitake Awards, since 2008, I've been hosting a parody of awards shows in the vein of other such cheesy spoof awards like the Razzies or the Darwin Awards. The focus of these awards centers on insanity caused by Predator Panic and the sex offense laws they inspire. While most nominees are in the US, Predator Panic spans the globe, and so we do too. Throughout the year, I seek the worst and/or dumbest things said and done in the name of exploiting the moral panic over sex offenses and those listed on the public sex offense registry. 

While our goal is to poke fun at the insanity, there are some serious issues with the stories presented. Many sex offense laws and myths are spread by the media, legislators, and victim advocates. This in turn fuels stricter regulations (punishment), and in turn, fuels MORE moral panic. When someone takes the insanity too far, we feature it here and on our supplemental blog for nominees [CLICK HERE].

Without further ado, here are the winners and runners up of the 2022 Shiitake Awards:

(For the full list of nominees, see https://shiitakeawards.blogspot.com/2023/01/voting-for-2022-shiitake-awards-has.html)

DUMBEST QUOTE 2022

WINNER! Dillon Awes

Pastor at Stedfast Baptist Church, Watauga TX

Dillon Awes told his congregation that gay people are “dangerous to society” and said that “all homosexuals are pedophiles.” “I’m not saying that every single homosexual that’s alive right now has committed that act with a child already because it could be they haven’t had the opportunity yet and they will at some point later in their life. This is why we need to put these people to death through the proper channels of the government. ... These people are not normal. They’re not your average everyday sinners. ... They have no hope of salvation.”

RUNNER-UP: Keeley Olson of STAR Alaska, a victim advocacy group: In response to an article aboutAnti-Registry activism, Olson told Alaska News Source in November 2022, “Regardless of what this group says, they do tend to reoffend. And when they do reoffend, they tend to reoffend against multiple victims.”

2022 WORST/DUMBEST NEWS MUTT (REPORTER)

WINNER! Tucker Carlson, Fox News

From the September 19, 2022, edition of Fox News' Tucker Carlson Tonight: Tucker Carlson accuses schools and hospitals of “sex crimes” and tells viewers they have a moral duty to dole out “instant justice” “no matter what the law says.” “No one should put up with this. No parent should put up with this for one second, no matter what the law says. Your duty – your moral duty – is to defend your children. This is an attack on your children and you should fight back.”

RUNNERS-UP:

Tie 1: Josh Boswell, UK Daily Mail: Wrote an article declaring there were 400 “pedophile dens” in California (i.e., group homes for Registered Persons). Boswell even labeled many houses and featured many Registrants in a derogatory manner (“convicted pedos”), and relied on prosecutors for his talking points.

Tie 2: Joni Auden Land and Dirk VanderHart, Oregon Public Broadcasting: Donald Surrett saved lives by interfering with a mass shooter. He was killed for his efforts and posthumously declared a hero. These two clowns drudged up Surrett’s previous sex offense conviction to detract from his heroics.

                    2022 EVERYDAY ZEROES 

                                                                (DUMBEST VIGILANTES)

                        WINNER! Chase Johnston, Rochester MN

Chase Johnston likes to play vigilante for clocks and likes (and money) on social media, but the leader of the vigilante group “Midwest Predator Catchers” has his own extensive criminal history and has been accused of sexual assault. (Update: He pleaded guilty to a lower, non-sex offense, and is now facing new felony assault charges.)

RUNNERS UP!

Tie 1: Katie Weeks Wymard, Hampton PA: Started an online petition to demand Pennsylvania institute a 2500-foot residency restriction law & told reports it isn’t IF they reoffend but WHEN.

Tie 2: Hayley Wilton, Roxana IL: Harassed owner of a local ice cream stand because a co-owner was on the public registry. 

2022 Holy Shiitakes Award 

(DUMBEST/WORST  News Story)

WINNER! Brevard Co (FL) Commission admits they’re out to cause harm to Registered Persons:

Brevard County Commissioners John Tobia, Kristine Zonka, and Rita Pritchett walked in goosestep... er, "lockstep" with each other in condemning anti-registry activists at a county commission meeting held on May 17th, 2022.

RUNNER-UP!: Ron DeSantis’s Press Secretary Christina Pushaw refers to opponents of Don’t Say Gay” bill as “pedophiles”:  When grilled about it, Pushaw said, “The governor has never referred to the bill as an anti-grooming bill or used that term. It was my personal account and I was tweeting off work hours.”

2022 KEYSTONE KOP OF THE YEAR

WINNER! Bill Leeper, Nassau Co FL Sheriff

Sheriff Leeper continued posting blatantly unconstitutional signs in the yards of Registered Persons ahead of Halloween, even after the 11th Circuit struck down similar signs. 

RUNNER-UP! Peter Bilardello, Cobb Co GA Registry Officer: I say "Former” officer now, because he committed a sex offense and must register himself.

2022 DUMBEST NEW BILL/LAW

WINNER! Missouri HB 1603

So, you want to move to a new location, and you are a Missouri registrants convicted of a certain registerable offense? Well, if this idiotic law passes, you'll have to find someone else to drive you around since Missouri wants you to give them your Driver's License first, which they'll hold as collateral until you finish moving. Well, if don't have friends with Driver's Licenses and you can't afford professional movers, what do you do? It seems to me those Missouri "My Governor is an Idiot" masks people in Missouri sell need to add a remark their legislators are, too. -- Update: Good news, this bill died in committee. 

There are no runners-up in this category. Oddly enough, there were not any other nominations, a rare feat in the Shiitake Awards. 

2022 DUMBEST/WORST POLITICIAN

Kelly Lynn, Norman (OK) Ward 3 Councillor: 

After assaulting a 66-year old woman, Lynn started attacking a homeless shelter that would be open to Registered Persons & called the homeless charity a “radical” group that will increase homelessness. He also wanted the Sheriff to incarcerate al homeless Registrants & the homeless groups helping them. He also told anti-registry activists they deserve the “death penalty.”

RUNNER-UP! Debra Jones, AL Supreme Court Candidate: The living argument against elections for state Supreme Court candidates, Jones, who co-founded the Calhoun-Cleburne Children’s Advocacy Center, ran an ad boasting that she sentenced a person convicted of child molestation to more than 1,000 years in prison. The spot shows her firing a handgun and saying the only reason she didn't put the person “under the jail” was “the liberals" wouldn't let her. Good thing she lost. 

WORST STATE 2022

WINNER! Take a wild guess....

It is FloriDUH. The answer is ALWAYS FLORIDUH. 

OK, honestly, I need to do a category for "Worst State Not Named FloriDUH." Give the other states a fighting chance. I mean, there are 49 OTHER states any most of them suck, too. But FloriDUH sets the bar high. Hell, in the entire history of the Shiitake Awards, going all the way back to 2008, another state won maybe three years out of 15. Those who are long-time followers of the Shiitake Awards have turned it into a running joke during the voting. 

And for the sake of simplicity, here are the nominees that did not win or were runners-up:

THE REST OF THE NOMINEES:

2022 DUMBEST QUOTE

 Steve McClure, Illinois State Senator: When asked about IL’s practice of keeping Registrants beyond their end of sentence date for lack of housing, McClure said, “I think they have to expand their search to other parts of the state, you know, I mean, if there's a region that they want to live that doesn't meet these requirements, there are plenty of other places in this state--a lot of rural places where they could live if they wanted to.” McClure denied it was a problem, and worth it even if it costs taxpayers millions, and when the reporter asked if he’s “basically saying you think that people who are looking for housing who aren't finding it need to try harder?” McClure said Yes. 

Bob Johnson, Santa Rosa Co FL Sheriff: After conducting a sting operation, Johnson told the media, “You should monitor what websites (your kids) go to and stay on them. They don’t have privacy in your home, they belong to you and if you don’t keep track of what they’re doing, this is what’s coming for them. Scumbags like this. This is all they do. They are looking for little girls and little boys to have sex with and they will travel to do it. You can incarcerate them forever, they can die, or you can cut off a certain appendage. That’s the only way it’s going to get fixed. These guys are predators, and they are coming for your children.”

Mike McDonnell, SNAP Communication Director: Angry at the term Minor Attracted Person (MAP), McDonnell stated, “When I hear the term pedophilia I get a punch in the gut and I have to pay attention because I want to know more about that individual. I want to know if the community is going to be safe where he or she is going to be allowed to return to after serving time. Minor attracted individual absolutely is a slap in the face to sexual abuse victims globally. We were victimized. We were targeted by predators who had groomed us and who had used us as their bait and as their play. That is the crime and it needs to remain named a crime.”

Kristine Zonka, Brevard Co FL Commission: Angry that anti-registry activists testified at a commission meeting, Zonka said, “I think I have spoken pretty passionately on this it. I just wish people would stop calling themselves registered citizens and call themselves registered sex offenders or registered predators, which is really what they are. They are so proud to be here and demand rights.”

Gary Long, Butts Co GA Sheriff: In response to one sex crime conviction, Long stated, “I am a firm believer in rehabilitation, but a person convicted of committing the act of child molestation, in my opinion, cannot, and will not be rehabilitated.”

Marjorie Taylor-Green, Senator (R-GA): Claimed that those who voted to confirm Katanji Brown-Jackson to SCOTUS were “pro-pedophile.” MTG Tweeted, “Murkowski, Collins, and Romney are pro-pedophile. They just voted for #KBJ.”

Greg Hembree, South Carolina State Senator: Angry at efforts to reform the registry, Hembree stated, ““The thing that is so dangerous about this — and we are kind of playing with live rounds — is the court says, ‘If you don’t have a law in place at this point, then everybody is going to get put off the sex offender registry…The clock is ticking against law and order, and in favor of those who would do away with this.”

Tom Jones, American Accountability Foundation: In opposing Ketanji Brown-Jackson’s nomination to SCOTUS, Jones stated, “Once again, Joe Biden’s White House has failed in the vetting process by nominating a radical Leftist like Judge Brown Jackson to the highest court in the land… Americans want our judicial system to protect children and citizens from sexual predators. Judge Brown Jackson’s radical position raises questions on her suitability to serve on the court. Is she more interested in social justice engineering or administering justice?”

Roxanne Hammond, Pennington Co SD Prosecutor: Lied during her testimony to the SD legislature when she stated, “And what we know of sex offenders, what we know of sex crimes, is they are one of the most difficult individuals to rehabilitate…And so that’s largely why we have the sex offender registry, to keep tabs essentially on people that are more likely to re-offend.”

Randy Fine, FL State Senator: Boasting of denying housing to Registrants, Fine stated, “I own an apartment complex, and I do a background check, and I do a criminal check, and I go, ‘this isn’t the sort of person I want to live here,’(I) guess it’s a good reason not to be a sex offender.”

 DUMBEST NEWS MUTT

 

Josh Boswell, UK Daily Mail: Wrote an article declaring there were 400 “pedophile dens” in California (i.e., group homes for Registered Persons). Boswell even labeled many houses and featured many Registrants in a derogatory manner (“convicted pedos”), and relied on prosecutors for his talking points.

AJ Javanel, Fox 13 Seattle: Wrote a fearmongering fluff piece that tries hard to imply the Registrants living near the campus of the University of Washington are involved in the "crime wave," yet there has been no link between any of the crimes this idiotic reporter mentions and those being targeted by this reporter just for having a place to live.

Daniel Murnin, Ohio University Newspaper: Wrote an OpEd arguing that Registered Persons should be forced to have identifying marks on their driver’s licenses.

Charlie Specht, The Buffalo News: Wrote a hit piece on a Registered Person working as assistant treasurer for a political candidate, ever drudging up the Registrant’s campaign contributions. 

 2022 EVERYDAY ZEROES AWARD

Phil Godlewski, QAnon Influencer: While promoting the insane QAnon conspiracy & accusing others of “grooming,” it was discovered that Phil had a sex offense against a minor in his own past. 

Kim Neubauer, Columbia Station OH: Started a harassment campaign against a haunted house that employed a Registered Person. 

Ali Abdulrab, Atlanta GA: Is pushing for a “Miriam’s Law” to stamps the ID Cards of Registered Persons

Ciearria Cookson & Carissa Kohne, Nashville TN: Is pushing for a law to force Registrants to show ID for all medical services; they cited an arrest for an alleged sex offense that was dismissed. 

Mark Glaeser, Gainesville FL: Began a campaign to get 2000 Registered Persons arrested in FL for “illegally voting” when the law was not clear that Registrants could not vote. 

Richard & Evelyn Creighton, Fairfield CA: Engaged in targeted harassment against a transitional home for Registered Persons, including a website that illegally posted registry info. 

Chloe Carr, United Kingdom: Ex-Hull City council worker turned over private registry data about Registrants to a vigilante group for purposes of harassment. (In the UK the registry data is not public.)

2022 HOLY SHIITAKES AWARD

Vuntut Gwitchin (Native Tribe) gov’t in Yukon CA uses COVID-19 Law to ban a Registrant from their community: Claimed it was not personal but it really was. 

New Mexico GOP combines Predator Panic with fears of White Replacement in campaign ad: An altered image of darkened hands cutting a white child’s hair added “Do you want a sex offender cutting your child’s hair?” The original stock image had shown white hands but the GOP colored it black.

Ocala-News.com (FL) posts registrant hurricane shelter info in their “pets” section: It is unclear if it was the news outlet or the Sheriff’s office that decided place registrant shelter info in the “pets” section of the article giving hurricane shelter info. 

 2022 KEYSTONE KOP OF THE YEAR

Kerry Forestal, Marion Co IN Sheriff: Admitted to conducing compliance checks to compel Registrants to move out of his county. When asked about his message to Registrants, Kerry’s response was, “We don’t want you here.”

Ennis Wright, Cumberland Co (AR) Sheriff: Spat on a positive story about the homeless into a fearmongering article by turning it into fear by writing a Facebook post denouncing the homeless man featured in the story as a Registrant and pointing out many homeless are on the registry

Sabrina Mellerson, Clarendon Co (SC) Sheriff’s Deputy: Arrested for misconduct in office and embezzlement; she embezzled money from Registrants who made cash payments to pay registry fees.

Jeff Dodd, Anaheim (CA) PD Sergeant, “Retired”: Altered registry data in an attempt to discredit a female co-worker, which could’ve led to a false arrest on FTR.

Raymond Schultz, Memorial Village Police (TX) Police Chief: Left the Albuquerque (NM) PD amid scandal and landed a cushy job elsewhere, Schultz admitted to using red light camera to track Registrants entering his town. 

 2022 DUMBEST/WORST POLITICIAN

Hershel Walker, GA Congressional Candidate: In a Hail Mary attempt to win his election, Walker falsely claimed his political opponent was “responsible” for “sexually abused kids” at a summer camp. 

Ted Budd, US Senator (R-NC): Successfully claimed his political opponent was “soft’ on Registered Persons” and “helped free child rapists.

Dave Catalfamo, Republican NY Assemblyman Candidate: Pushed a petition to kick out of college a student forced to register. He went on TV claiming everyone on the registry were “dangerous” and “pedophiles”

Tudor Dixon (R), Michigan Gubernatorial Candidate: Campaigned to reinstate residency restriction laws that were declared unconstitutional by federal courts. 

Ron DeSantis (R), FloriDUH Governor: Misled Registrants into thinking they were allowed to vote only to have those who voted arrested for voter fraud. Many cases were quickly tossed. 

Bob O’DeKirk, Joliet (IL) Mayor: A man who settled a civil suit for bodyslamming a peaceful protester, O’DeJerk has pushed to open a pocket Park to prevent the opening of a halfway house for Registered Persons.

Pauline Hanson, Australia’s extremist “One Nation” Party: Promoted chemical castration and public registries in Australia, which was thankfully struck down

Josh Hawley, US Senator (R-MO): Desperate to turn attention away from his role in the January 6th Insurrection, HeeHaw-ley focused on SCOTUS nominee Katanji Brown-Jackson, claiming she didn’t sentence CP offenses harshly enough

Saud Anwar (D), CT State Senator: Bullied an anti-registry activist that spoke out against his proposed bill to force nursing homes to conduct background checks for admitting new patients.

Chad Christensen, Idaho State Rep.: Went on insane Facebook rant after his Mandatory Minimums bill, which included penalties for FTRs, failed to pass. “My current bill to give convicted sex offenders 5 years mandatory prison time might not be very popular with some. I have a feeling it wouldn't be popular with this individual that called me.”

David Love, NH State Rep: Falsely claimed a drag queen was groping kids at a local library and implied the drag queen was on the public registry.

Vyacheslav Volodin, Russia Parliament: Just days before Russia invaded Ukraine, Volodin appealed to American extremists by stating he wanted to send persons convicted of sex offenses to the arctic.