Why do we put up with this BS

[Ironmen77]

CAREFUL IF YOU ABUSE A CHILD IN DELAWARE ... UNLESS ..................

You do know what a statute of limitations is, don't you? Let's say you commit a crime. If there is a four-year statute of limitations on that crime then the state has four years in which to prosecute you. Once four years pass, you're home free. There is also a statute of limitations in civil cases. Doctors are particularly good in coaxing their state legislatures to set a rather limited statute on instances of medical malpractice. Governments like to set very short statutes of limitation where they may face liability ... often one year or less. Different states have differing statutes of limitation on different crimes and civil wrongs. On some crimes in some states you'll find none at all.
Now ... onward to Delaware. The Delaware House of Representatives approved a bill on Tuesday that eliminates the two-year statute of limitations for child abuse for suits for damages due to personal injuries caused by the sexual abuse of a child by an adult. Now, in Delaware, the victim of sexual abuse will have more time to sue for civil damages. The statute was two years. Under the new legislation it will be 25 years, the second longest statute of limitations in the country.
But wait! Does this new statute of limitations apply to everyone?
Durn ... I'm sure glad you asked. Turns out it doesn't! It seems that there are some very powerful private interests in Delaware that worked very hard with some state legislators to make sure that they --- or, I should say, their members --- would not be subject to the new lengthened statute of limitations. Hmmmmmm. Now just who would that be? Who would be powerful enough in a strongly Democrat state such as Delaware to get their members a pass when it comes to increasing their exposure for lawsuits that might be brought about as a result of sexually molesting a child?
Well; to be that strong in a Democrat state you might have to be a union, right? And right you are! It was a union, all right, but not just any union. It was the nation's most powerful union! Yup, you got it .... the teacher's unions!
Would any of you care to guess just what group of people out there has the highest rate of sexual abuse of children in the nation? Dr. Charol Shakesshaft of Hofstra University studied that very question.
OK ... calm down. I want to hear that giggling stop out there right this minute! You hear! This is a respected academic we're talking about here ... and a woman. So knock off the "Shakesshaft" jokes. This is a serious matter.
Are you ready to move on here? Good.
The research done by Dr. Shakesshaft disclosed that government school employees -- and that would include teachers -- have the highest rate of child sexual abuse in the nation. We assume that those statistics would have some validity in Delaware, but the Delaware legislature, bowing undoubtedly to the power of the teacher's unions, has actually exempted government school teachers from this new lengthened statute of limitations!
In other words ... if your son's karate instructor sexually abuses your little boy one day after karate class, you will have 25 years to get that lawsuit filed. But, if your child's government school teacher tries to clean your son's eraser after school one day, you had better get that lawsuit filed in two years.
Bill Donohue, the president of the Catholic League, makes a good point here. He says that if the Delaware legislature were to pass a law that gave teachers in Catholic schools a pass on the new statute of limitations on child abuse, all unholy hell would break loose. Government school teachers? An entirely different matter.
Donohue said: ""The degree of corruption in the Delaware legislature is matched only by the selective indignation its lawmakers have for child rape. The legislators are owned—lock, stock and barrel—by the teachers unions. Teachers can grope all they want. They can rape little kids. And now they will be protected by making it harder to prosecute them."
Nice going, Delaware. You're doing a real good job of protecting government school teachers; and you're certainly paying your dues to the teacher's unions; but what about the people you represent?

 

[bjoehandley]

You'd think that it should be the other way around in cases like this with the amount of time teachers spend with kids, unless they're trying to get good with all the hot female teachers that have been getting caught lately:kissyou:

So knock off the "Shakesshaft" jokes. This is a serious matter.
Are you ready to move on here? Good.

You know, I didn't notice that little jem untill you brought that up Ironmen. That being said.................
Now that's funny right there, I don't care who you are:jester:

 

[5-90]

We put up with it mainly because we don't know about it until it has come to pass (since there is little to no transparency in government actions.)

Let's see - great power, no real oversight, and the people who write the laws get to write the rules about how they're made. Why does "sending the lamb after the lion" come to mind? Or "the fox guarding the chicken coop?"

 

[yardape]

You're right on target. Sexual predators of children are known for positioning themselves around kids. That is why many of them choose professions as teachers, the clergy and elsewhere where they have access. That's part of the profile.

Coincidentally,... and I heard this from a parole officer who specializes in this area,... those online lists that provide the whereabouts of sex offenders are mostly bogus. While they may make parents feel comfortable as to knowing the whereabouts of some of these people, there are just as many if not more predators that have been charged with the same crime numerous times and never convicted.

Pretty sick stuff. As a father of a 12 year old boy I keep my eyes open.

 

[XJ Dreamin']

Is it documented that the teachers' union 'bought' this exemption, or are you and Donnahue only assuming since it's teachers, that it must have been the union? As stated in your own post, the government routinely exempts itself from exposure. Hell, in the capital building in DC you can't even charge a senator or representative with harassment - the sexual harassment law does not apply there. This exemption is on government teachers specifically, not just teachers in general. It seems to me that in this case the state is more concerned about shielding itself. I don't see where they would have needed any influence from the union.

And, in any case, does the state actually hire teachers? Every teacher that I've ever known was contracted, not employed. Why would you need legislation to protect contract labor? Why even care - if you're government, I mean.

 

[XJ Dreamin']

Both 'shake' and 'shaft' are from Old English. Shaft is a synonym for 'spear' as in Shakespeare. In both cases, it denotes one of a war-like nature, i.e. one who uses a spear in warfare.

In this context, however, it is pretty funny - even more so her being a woman and all.

I have no doubt that her data is true. It's just that, logically I don't see where a government needs any outside influence to arrange protection for its own employees.

edit: Damn You All To Hell!!! Now I've got this tune running through my head. It's the tune to "Rock the Boat, Don't rock the boat baby" except the lyrics are "Shake the shake, yeah, shake the shaft, baby." Ooooh, man. I may just have to shoot myself in the head before this day it over.