Ob USElectionCommentary

[firecat]

Yay Democratic House. Impeach, impeach, impeach.

Yay no Republican gains in major races.

Hope for tied Senate (still too close to call, last I checked).

Yay no California Prop 85 (mandatory waiting period and parental notification if minor daughter seeks abortion). Yay South Dakotans for voting down their anti-abortion initiative.

Mad about a bunch of "no gay marriage" amendments passing. (But yay Arizonans for defeating theirs!)

Pretty scared at the 71% yes vote on California's Prop 83 ("Sex offenders released from prison would be monitored with Global Positioning System (GPS) devices...for life. Registered sex offenders would not be allowed to reside within 2,000 feet of a school or park." [i.e., not in any urban areas whatsoever]). It just seems to me that the definition of "sex offender" could change awfully suddenly to include consensual behavior among adults.

Comments

[tiger-spot.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I am not happy about 83. I wonder if people see "sex offender" and assume that means "pedophile" -- I know a number of other things can get people on the list in some states, but I'm not sure what does it here. I'm going to have to look more closely at the actual laws now; maybe write some letters.

[flippac.livejournal.com]

Here (UK) I could be convicted of a sex offence if my housemate and I slept together completely consensually. She could be convicted of the same one. Why? Because we both have mental disorders (legal term - depression, asperger's etc) and act as each other's carer.

The definitions used are wide enough that unless there was some extremely blatant flirting at the start it's actually difficult for me to have an ordinary relationship that doesn't risk one or both of us breaking that law.

[flippac.livejournal.com]

Should read "depression, asperger's etc count".

[firecat]

Agh. So people on antidepressants are considered mentally incompetent?

[firecat]

I'm sure they do assume it means pedophile. And the law might be written so that only pedophiles count now (I haven't read it), but I don't trust that to continue to be the case.