Rep. Foley Sends Emails to Teenager, Sexually Innapproapriate

 

^{I hope that this will cause people to reconsider that the average child abuser is NOT the "strange looking, old man wandering the playgrounds", but that a child abuser can be anywhere, and anyone.  They can be your neighbor, co-worker, boss, best friend, husband, sibling, college professor, and yes...your state representative.} 

 

^{-- Joanna M. Doane} 

 

 

 

 

GOP Leaders Call for Criminal Probe of Foley

Democrats Raise Questions of Pre-Election 'Cover Up'

By LARRY MARGASAK, AP

 

WASHINGTON (Sept. 30) - Rep. Thomas Reynolds, head of the House Republican election effort, said Saturday he told Speaker Dennis Hastert months ago about concerns that a fellow GOP lawmaker had sent inappropriate messages to a teenage boy. Hastert's office said aides referred the matter to the proper authorities last fall but they were only told the messages were "over-friendly."

 

 

_{Rep. Mark Foley of Florida quit after sexually explicit e-mails and instant messages to young male pages were revealed. He wrote: "Do I make you a little horny?"}

 

 

 

 _{As chairman of the Missing and Exploited Children's Caucus, Foley introduced legislation in July to protect children from exploitation by adults over the Internet.}

Reynolds, R-N.Y., was told about e-mails sent by Rep. Mark Foley and is now defending himself from Democratic accusations that he did too little. Foley, R-Fla., resigned Friday after ABC News questioned him about the e-mails to a former congressional page and about sexually suggestive instant messages to other pages.

"The improper communications between Congressman Mark Foley and former House Congressional pages is unacceptable and abhorrent. It is an obscene breach of trust," Hastert, R-Ill., Majority Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio, and Majority Whip Roy Blunt, R-Mo., said in a written statement Saturday evening. "His immediate resignation must now be followed by the full weight of the criminal justice system."

 

_{Foley's letter of resignation to Florida Gov. Jeb Bush read: "I hereby resign as the representative of the 16th Congressional District of Florida, effective today."}

The House leaders said it is their duty to ensure House pages are safe. They said they are creating a toll-free hot line for pages and their families to call to confidentially report any incidents, and will consider adopting new rules on communications between lawmakers and pages.

The boy who received the e-mails was 16 in the summer of 2005 when he worked in Congress as a page. After the boy returned to his Louisiana home, the congressman e-mailed him. The teenager thought the messages were inappropriate, particularly one in which Foley asked the teen to send a picture of himself.

The teen's family contacted their congressman, Rep. Rodney Alexander, R-La., who then discussed the problem with Reynolds sometime this spring.

 

_{Rep. Rodney Alexander of Louisiana said after he learned of e-mails to his page by Foley 10-11 months ago, he contacted the teen's parents and House leaders.}

"Rodney Alexander brought to my attention the existence of e-mails between Mark Foley and a former page of Mr. Alexander's," Reynolds, chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee, said in a written statement Saturday.

"Despite the fact that I had not seen the e-mails in question, and Mr. Alexander told me that the parents didn't want the matter pursued, I told the speaker of the conversation Mr. Alexander had with me," Reynolds said.

Hastert said he does not remember talking to Reynolds about the Foley e-mails, but did not dispute Reynolds' account.

"While the speaker does not explicitly recall this conversation, he has no reason to dispute Congressman Reynolds' recollection that he reported to him on the problem and its resolution," Hastert's aides said in a preliminary report on the matter issued Saturday.

^{Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert said Friday that Foley had "done the right thing" by resigning and said the safety of the page system would be investigated.}

The report includes a lengthy timeline detailing when they first learned of the worrisome e-mail in the fall of 2005, after a staffer for Alexander told Hastert's office the family wanted Foley to stop contacting their son. Alexander's staffer did not share the contents of the e-mail, saying it was not sexual but "over-friendly," the report says.

Hastert's aides referred the matter to the Clerk of the House, and "mindful of the sensitivity of the parent's wishes to protect their child's privacy and believing that they had promptly reported what they knew to the proper authorities," they did not discuss it with others in Hastert's office - including, apparently, their boss.

After the issue was referred to the clerk, it was passed along to the congressman who oversees the page program, Rep. John Shimkus, R-Ill.

Shimkus has said he learned about the e-mail exchange in late 2005 and took immediate action to investigate.

He said Foley told him it was an innocent exchange. Shimkus said he warned Foley not to have any more contact with the teenager and to respect other pages.

Democrats charged Reynolds did far too little and said more digging should be done.

"Congressman Reynolds' inaction in the face of such a serious situation is very troubling, and raises important questions about whether there was an attempt to cover up criminal activity involving a minor to keep it from coming to light before Election Day," said Democratic National Committee spokeswoman Karen Finney.

New York Democrats hoping to unseat Reynolds blasted the congressman, saying they call into question the Republican's values.

"Mr. Reynolds knew about these allegedly inappropriate e-mails from a fellow congressman to a minor for months and didn't lift a finger," said Blake Zeff, a spokesman for the state Democrats.

9/30/2006 19:14:24 EDT

Copyright 2006 The Associated Press. 

Mental Illness Awareness Week and Beyond

September 29, 2006

Mental Illness Awareness Week and Beyond

   

Faith community activities abound in October

Mental Illness Awareness Week kicks off Sunday, October 1. Local NAMI organizations from coast-to-coast, along with other concerned groups, will be tapping into the faith community to hold prayer services and vigils, and educational and awareness-building events.

In addition, one protestant denomination is calling on all of its churches to sponsor a Candle Lighting for Mental Illness in October. And at the end of the month, California hosts a major conference on spirituality and mental health.

Local MIAW Events

Below is a sampling of the many faith-based activities around the country planned for this year’s Mental Illness Awareness Week (and beyond).

Also, as a reminder, Tuesday, October 3 has been designated as National Day of Prayer for Mental Illness Recovery and Understanding.

RAINN Art & Poetry Contest

RAINN Announces Art & Poetry Contest,

Judged by Tori Amos

 

Submitted by darceyw on Wed, 2006-06-28 16:06. News & Events

Express yourself, your creativity, and your passion
for the fight against sexual assault!

In celebration of RAINN’s 12th anniversary, RAINN announces its first ever Art & Poetry Contest. Two winners (one for Art and one for Poetry) will be featured on a special-edition T-Shirt, available in the fall.

Winners will be selected by Tori Amos, a co-founder and long-time supporter of RAINN.

Entrants should submit a completed entry form and their art or poetry, along with a $50 entry fee, by August 22nd.

Download the entry form and guidelines. (pdf, 73KB)

Questions? Email membership@rainn.org.

---

Contest Rules and Regulations

• Two winners will be chosen — one from each category (Art and Poetry).
• The contestant’s full name, address, phone, and email must be included for valid entry.
• All artwork or poems/song lyrics must be original and not attributable to any person or entity other than the contestant. Photographs and computer-generated entries will not be accepted. No entries featuring profanity or lewd content will be eligible.
• All entries must be submitted on an 8 1/2” x 11” piece of paper and should be vertically (portrait) oriented. Poetry/song lyrics should not exceed 50 lines, including signature. A piece may include a signature, but it is not required. Please include name, address, and contact information on the back of the piece.
• By entering the contest, all contestants give RAINN permission to use their images/words and names on t-shirts, the RAINN website, and any other promotional material for the contest.
• The winning entrants will receive as a prize a commemorative t-shirt, featuring their winning entry. Prizes will be sent at the completion of the contest, providing time for the production of t-shirts.
• There is a $50 contest entry fee that is mandatory and non-refundable. Additional pieces may be submitted for $50 per entry. Payment must accompany piece in order for entry to be valid. Checks, money orders, and credit cards (Visa, MasterCard, American Express, or Discover) are accepted.
• All entries will be returned provided that a self-addressed, stamped envelope (of appropriate size and with sufficient postage) is included with the entry.

United States Senate Supports RAINN

    109th CONGRESS ~ 2d Session
Sponsored by Senators Arlen Specter (R-PA) and Joseph Biden (D-DE)

RESOLUTION Passed Unanimously by the United States Senate

Supporting the National Sexual Assault Hotline (the `Hotline’) and commending the Hotline for counseling and supporting 1,000,000 callers

Whereas it is estimated that a sexual assault occurs every 2.5 minutes in the United States and more than 200,000 Americans each year are victims of sexual assault;

Whereas one of every six women and one of every 33 men in America have been victims of completed or attempted rape, according to the United States Department of Justice;

Whereas the Federal Bureau of Investigation, in its Uniform Crime Reports, ranks rape second only to murder in the hierarchy of violent crimes;

Whereas research suggests that sexual assault victims who receive counseling are more likely to report the assault to the police and to participate in the prosecution of the offender;

Whereas in June 2006 the National Sexual Assault Hotline (the `Hotline’) helped its one millionth caller;

Whereas the Hotline operates 24 hours per day, 365 days per year, offering important free and confidential crisis intervention, support, information, and referrals for victims of sexual assault and their friends and families;

Whereas the Hotline was created by the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (`RAINN’), a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation whose headquarters are located in Washington, D.C.;

Whereas the Hotline answered its first call on July 27, 1994, and operated solely with private funds for the first 10 years of its existence;

Whereas RAINN continues to operate the Hotline today, in partnership with 1,100 local rape crisis centers in the 50 States and the District of Columbia and with over 10,000 trained volunteers and staff, and in collaboration with coalitions against sexual assault in each of the 50 States ;

Whereas the Hotline helps an average of 11,000 people each month and in 2005 helped 137,039 women, men, and children across the Nation;

Whereas the public education and outreach undertaken by RAINN and local rape crisis centers have increased public awareness of sexual violence and contributed to a 58 percent decline in crimes of sexual violence since 1993;

Whereas the Hotline has experienced a significant increase in call volume as public awareness of sexual violence has grown, with calls to the Hotline increasing by 43 percent since 2003;

Whereas millions of Americans have learned of the services available through the Hotline, thanks to the public service promotion contributed by every national broadcast television network, a dozen cable networks, and more than 1,000 radio stations, newspapers, and magazines; and

Whereas the Hotline serves as an outstanding example of a successful partnership between the Federal Government, the private sector, and
individuals:

Now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the Senate—

(1) supports the National Sexual Assault Hotline; and

(2) commends the Hotline for counseling and supporting 1,000,000 callers.

Child Advocacy Centers

I would love to push for this type of center where I live, such as the one described in the article below.   But, I don’t trust anyone beyond the average citizen living here would join me?  I contacted children services a few times throughout my teenage years for a boyfriend who was being abused, and for a a little boy who I circumstantially found out who was.  Nothing ever came of either case.  My boyfriend continued to be beaten my his mother, and the little boy suffered the same abuse from his mother.  Our city has seriously deteriorated since the economy has been going steadily down hill for several years now. 

I know there’s already little state funding as it is.  I think though that I’ll at least try and write a letter to our county representative.  I know his main office is right down town.  I’ve e-mailed him for other things.  But, I’ll have to look further for more information on the advocacy centers that already exist.  Maybe if you’re reading this, you could write your own state or county representative about it?  I’m actually somewhat surprised that there’s already 600 centers, nationally, scattered across the U.S..  I wouldn’t be shocked, however, if each of them are struggling on some level due to the cuts in our countries state funding.  But still yet, “where there’s a will, there’s a way”.

— Joanna Doane

“The Journey Within”
http://www.help4did.com
fallenstar@help4did.com

Co-Author of “The Survivor Archives”
http://survivor-archives.squarespace.com
trauma.survivors@gmail.com
 

________________________________________

Center Would Benefit Abused Children: Possible Child Advocacy Center in Sedgwick County, Kansas to Investigate Child Abuse Reports.

The Wichita Eagle (Wichita, Kan.)

 Sep. 2—Although there is wide agreement that child advocacy centers are an ideal way to investigate child abuse reports, Sedgwick County, KA has none. That could be changing. A task force is working to establish such a center in Sedgwick County.

In the discussion of a recent Wichita, KA child abuse case — where investigators say two girls were starved and beaten over a 10-month period — child advocacy centers have been touted as a better way to investigate reported abuse or neglect.

When ideally designed, a child advocacy center puts all the main professionals needed to investigate reported abuse or neglect — law enforcement, social services and medical and mental health personnel — under one roof, operating around the clock. It enhances coordination among agencies, streamlines the process and makes it easier to determine whether allegations are false, said Ron Paschal, a Sedgwick County deputy district attorney who is taking a lead role to establish a center within the county.

District Attorney Nola Foulston, who chose Paschal to work on the task force, has been a vocal supporter of the advocacy center concept.

“At the present time, there are too many ways that a child may get lost in the system, or in the worst case, never found,” she said in an e-mail responding to questions from The Eagle.

Interview process is key

Most importantly, many say, a center reduces the amount of stress children encounter because it relies on focused interviews designed so a child has to tell his story to authorities only once.

Many of the children who come through centers can be victims of sexual abuse or extreme physical abuse. Interviewing them over and over adds to their trauma, officials say.

Sedgwick County District Judge Timothy Henderson, who hears child abuse cases, said this is why he supports a center.

“Think about what it might be to a 10-year-old child… the most emotional, draining, traumatic thing in their lives, and they’re having to tell it to one stranger after another,” Henderson said.

At an advocacy center, the interview room has only two people — an expertly trained interviewer and the child. The interviewer has a thorough knowledge of child development, so the approach is tailored to the age of the child.

Others watch the recorded interview from an observation room, out of the child’s sight. They provide advice and consult one another.

The interviewer and the others at the center not only determine what criminal action might be required, they also “cohesively plan” for the child based on the child’s specific needs, Foulston said.

Effectively helping children who suffer protects society in countless ways, Foulston said. Otherwise, she said, “children who are subjected to abuse and neglect in turn become adults who perpetrate the same crimes over and over again.”

No easy goal

Paschal, a veteran prosecutor who oversees child abuse cases, said the work to set up a center in Sedgwick County is “by far the most important thing I’ve ever worked on.”

But it’s no easy goal, officials say, because it forces agencies to set aside egos and turf battles.

Money is another main challenge. A Kansas law passed in 2004 allowed a $100 fee to be assessed against people convicted of crimes against children so the money could go to child advocacy centers. But in the first year after it became law, it generated only about $1,100, said Kathleen Inwood, president of the Kansas Chapter of Children’s Advocacy Centers.

Paschal said the law is raising little money in part because it is fairly new and prosecutors are still learning about it.

Also, the law gives judges discretion to waive the fee if it would cause a financial hardship on the person convicted. Many people convicted of such crimes are indigent, Paschal said.

State Rep. Brenda Landwehr, who is on the center task force with Paschal, said another state law — increasing the fine for violating the booster seat law — will eventually raise more money for advocacy centers.

Still, centers can’t rely too much on state money without losing their “neutrality,” Landwehr said.

Landwehr, a Wichita Republican, has at times been critical of the Kansas Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services, saying it has tended to be too quick to recommend that children be removed from their homes. She is an active supporter of advocacy centers.

The task force also has included input from the district attorney’s office, SRS, law enforcement, the Exploited and Missing Children Unit, a medical component, mental health component and the Wichita, KA Children’s Home. Others who could become involved are the Wichita Area Sexual Assault Center and Court Appointed Special Advocates, which looks after children’s interests in court hearings. But the list is in no way final, Paschal said.

The task force is still trying to determine the center’s precise needs, so it’s too early to estimate a cost, or say what all agencies would be involved or settle on a location or opening date, Paschal said.

Financing would include contributions from the agencies involved, state money and possibly grants and private money, he said.

Centers in Kansas

According to Inwood, Kansas has nine child advocacy centers — operating in Dodge City, Emporia, Hutchinson, Newton, Pittsburg, Salina, Scott City, Shawnee and Topeka. Others are under development.

Oklahoma has 21 centers; Missouri has 18. Both states provide significant money for their centers, said Nancy Chandler, executive director of the National Children’s Alliance, the centers’ membership and accrediting organization.

Nationwide, there are more than 600 advocacy centers. The first opened in 1985.

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Copyright (c) 2006, The Wichita Eagle, Kan.