There is no reason to be downright mean to someone and to start up a witch hunt against someone because they see things differently than you do. I believe the people on this forum are intelligent enough to make their own decisions.

For anyone thinking Mohawk is behind this master conspiracy...well then, ya might as well include me, as I was the one who found his ad on the intentional community website! I think he is legit and doing what he feels is best for himself and his family. Some people are suited to communal lifestyles...and would find this as a free way of living. Some would hate it, and that is fine too..

I only hope that when people see posts like the ones that have been posted on here...they don't do what majority of society has done to us, as so's...and lump us all into one category. I hear people calling so's monsters....I do not want them to be proven right that all so's are mean, judgemental, and disrespectful.

I agree with Jackie and mtlc.

OneofThem, I agree 100% with all the values and ideas you put forward; I just do not agree with the manner in which you want to implement those ideas. I believe strongly in gay rights, hate the registry, and strongly disapprove of community notification. But I do not immediately go on the attack if someone does not agree with me on those things.

But when you come across with such anger and hostility at times, it makes people lump us all into one pile----a bunch of angry, threatening offenders. This vision of angry, threatening offenders is not a vision that serves this movement against sex offender laws well.

I know, I know, you are going to say, "I am just standing up for my rights---or something to that effect." True, you are. But you can still stand your ground without coming across as so belligerent.

Nobody could ever hate the system and the registry more than I. For crying out loud, I was not even guilty. And as I said, I agree with what you say, it is just the manner in which you say it that is problematic.

I am your friend. As an older guy, I would stand up and never back down for the rights of any person on this board, as I consider every member here like a brother or sister in this fight against the registry and these laws. But I do know diplomacy---and I do understand tact.

On another aspect, OneofThem, you would be better served if you would tone it down a litte because of health reasons. I was in the medical field for over 20 years and I observed the adverse health effects of being so high-strung and angry all the time. First, it affects your emotional state, then your blood pressure, then bad things happen from there. A person---any person---cannot operate at "full-throttle" toward so many people like you do and not have health problems as the years go by.

I know you will dismiss what I have had to say. I say all this because I do care about you as a person and I care about this movement. I want you to stay healthy and I do not want others to see us as a bunch of raving, threatening SO's.

rewdiazepam

i guess i just want to be on the record as letting everyone know, that i do not share the opinions of everyone on this page, and do not condone any display of intolerance, or bullying. there have been times when i feel it is in my interest to disassociate myself from this site because of the intolerant tone it takes. i did not appreciate the way terry was treated, did not speak out, nor did i speak out at other times for what i thought was rude behavior....but this one crossed the line in my opinion...mohawk was a guest here, that is no matter, we should treat everyone that is new, as a guest here, this is not the place to stage a war...you can hit any article with s.o issues and war all you want...why bring it here? it says
"This group is here to help those with loved ones who are convicted of sex offenses. This is a place where we don't judge because we are all in the same boat, regardless of the actual crime. If you don't feel completely comfortable posting freely on the main board because of the nature of your loved one's crime, feel free to post here because we all understand!"
no where does it say we are going to scrutinize everything you say....

for the most part, i have moved on and found people that are getting off their duff and doing something, i come here because of all your stories, knowing all of you, hearing your stories, makes me fight all the harder...we all need each other...i cant understand the bickering...

I have to say, while I sometimes think oneofthem's tone is off-putting, I think he was SPOT ON about this particular idea, and I'm glad he put his opinions out there.

Whether the intentions of Mohawk were pure or not, what he was suggesting sounds incredibly dangerous for everybody involved. Even if a community of SOs might make sense for some people, attempting to create a community of sex offenders and sexual abuse victims in the middle of nowhere, with the idea that it will be as off-limits to law enforcement and government officials as possible, just seems like a recipe for false accusations, genuine assaults, and vigilante justice.

And, many people here feel desperate, and if somebody offers them a way out, a possible utopian community where they can just live peaceably and not be bothered or harassed--which certainly is what most of us want--people might be tempted to jump right in without really looking at both sides. I'm glad oneofthem jumped in and questioned the idea.

Also, given how damaging community notification is to those on the registry and their families, and the restrictions put on those on the registry, and how those are the primary problem for most of us here, I do think that somebody coming in and supporting community notification and/or restrictions on SOs is a lot like somebody going into a support room for victims of abuse and telling people that they weren't really abused or that they deserved what happened to them.

Just to add, personally, I am for non-violent, peaceful resistance to the registry, and I don't agree with oneofthem about fighting back by any means necessary. But, I think he is right to question Mohawk's idea and I think he's right to question why somebody who supports the registry is here at all.

I will make a couple more statements, then I am washing my hands of this thread.

As I have stated several times before, I have NEVER had a problem with OneofThems ideas, as I believe in the same ideas he does. And I don't have a problem with him disagreeing with Mohawk; Oneofthem had every right in the world to express his displeasure that Mohawk supported the registry and community notification. I don't want to associate with anyone that supports the registry in any way either.

I have never agreed with the methods Oneofthem plans to implement all these changes, as I believe that we have to work within the parameters of the legal system to ever receive any credibility. If we become too radical, we will be seen as a bunch of crazed "sex offenders."

Oneofthem knows that I don't agree with his implementation and we have agreed to disagree.

As far as Mohawk, I was not high on the idea, and while it might be a good idea in theory, I do not think it was feasible or workable in real life. Personally, I would never allow them to run me off my property to live anywhere else. I still have a lot of fight in me, but I fully understand that many are just tired of the fighting and want to live in peace---and that is OK, too. For those, the commune idea might be more appealing.

It is the TONE of the arguments and that fact that Oneofthem's solution to EVERY sex offender problem seems to be radical and sometimes physical---which is counterproductive to our cause---that bothers me.

I just do not want others seeing this group as a bunch of hotheads.

rewdiazepam

Ok – I am going to play devil’s advocate here. I may have missed something or a thread here and there but I did not see any posts by OneOfThem that was over the top out of the norm? Personally I did not see anything he said as disspectful (in fact I thought he tried to be really respectful). I know you invited Mohawk here and I agree that his idea is innovative and can be the solution for many however, to be fair to OneOfThem Mohawk did react insulted that everyone did not just accept his idea with open arms. So really there was posturing on both sides.
I for one usually enjoy OneOfThem’s posts and I know he has alerted us many times to shills, etc. because of his insight to people’s behavior. I personally would be devastated if he stopped posting and I would hate to see him lose the DS part of his support system. Maybe his reaction to things like this is because he has built up a defense system which we can all certainly understand. Mohawk did seem to have a different kind of view about SO’s than what is the norm (such as, supporting the registry etc.). In fact, I have to admit that some of his statements actually made me wonder whether he is really an SO - I am sure he is, for why anyone would label themselves as such if they weren’t.
I also realize that jackiecook feels somewhat responsible because she invited Mohawk and I get that but you also have to realize that having your loved one on the inside (which I believe you have posted before ) is somewhat different than what it will be like when he is released and you start living with the registry too.
So I guess the reason I am writing this post is to support OneOfThem’s right to see the community of Mohawk the way he chooses – I believe in my heart that OneOfThem wanted to raise red flags for any of us that might blindly jump into this community without knowing the details and I for one appreciate that protectiveness. Once I read some of the requirements of living in the community I realized that it was not going to be the type of life that everyone would embrace. I also think that Mohawk could have addressed his position more fully because to me it seemed that he was unwilling to answer many questions and instead just kind of said ‘hey this is good and I am helping so you should accept it.’ So each person is going to see this situation differently.
Finally, I hope this post does not get me run out of the group on a rail – I am pretty new here but it has quickly become a daily part of my support system and I would be devastated to lose it.

Just because we are posting on this beard does not mean we are not doing anything to fight SO laws. I do as much as I can to help my local support groups to move on the laws – but I work 2 jobs just to try to stay above the debt my son being on the registry has incurred.

LOL not posting on the beard but on the board!

Stop everyone why are we fighting each other? That is exactly what they want because,
heaven knows they don't want us RSO's united. Everyone one here has individual
opinions and ideas and while it may be hard we should agree to disagree and be
done with it.

it is to soon to know what Moehawks true intentions are, but aside from that, I hope you guys realize that every time oneofthem has called out a new member for having less then good intentions he has always been spot on. If you dont believe me, go through all the previous posts. I think its a safe bet he is a pretty good judge of character, from the hags from the survivor group who came over just to force the views on us under the guise that they were actually one of us to that one guy was claimed he was on the run and was trying to solicite suggestions from us on which countries dont extradite.

You guys act like he flies off the handle every chance he gets. In my opinion, when the day finally comes that we win this war it will be thanks to people like oneofthem, wisconson and Nakohichi that it happened. They are all well spoken, intelligent and willing to fight for this battle instead of justice talking about it and maybe signing a few petitions.

There should be no fight , just an open frank discussion ... Thats how we learn and grow... No one is getting kicked of this board because of speaking their mind or opinion......!!!!!!!!! When we look at things through different prespectives we safeguard ourselves.. Everyone on this board has the right to express their opinions and views, That is what we are here for. Sometimes I know it is hard because we have people who are convinced of their belief and clash with other people equally convinced of their beliefs.. In such cases after all the arguments are made the decision to respect each others beliefs is important... Discussion of ideas is very important part of what this board is about.

we can not have an open discussion because oneofthem abruptly ends it before it even gets started by creating a hostile atmosphere. this is not about mohawk (he can very well hold his own) as much as it is about one person manipulating the board. i do not need anyone to come to my rescue, and tell me this idea is not suitable for me to explore, i am quite capable of deciding what is a "potentially" bad idea.

i read about all kinds of concepts, ideas and philosophies....the more controversial the better....i have not thrown myself off a cliff yet and i dont think hearing mohawk out is going to put me over the edge. my real friends do not insult my intellect, i think i will be hanging with them more often.. less here, and that is why.

really people, you need to get out there, we have people like mary sue in texas, lynn gilmore in arkasas, rwsmom in indiana, illinious voices, gale in florida, janice belluci in california, shana rowen in n.y. and so many more that are camping out at our states capitals fighting to get our voices heard! they are not active on the boards because they are working their tails off trying to do everything they can for all of you. i have watched them work this legislative session and can only stand back in awe and admiration. and by the way, they really could use your help so when the shock wears off and you feel the need to do more, get more involved, p.m. me and i will try to find a group that can help you do that.

I often, maybe usually, disagree with oneofthem's approach to handling things. However, I don't think he controls the board or shuts down discussion.

Certainly somebody planning to start the kind of community Mohawk wants to start has to be ready to answer really hard questions, and to deal with a lot of suspicion, from both SOs and abuse survivors. If he isn't prepared to answer the hard questions, then he probably needs to step back and develop good answers before he moves forward. If he wants a community of people who won't dissent or ask hard questions or be suspicious of his intentions, then honestly that sounds a bit more like wanting to start a cult than wanting to start an inclusive community.

I just think, the more potentially dangerous a idea is, the more pushback it needs. Mohawk's idea is problematic even if his intentions are totally pure, and if he's indeed trying to set some kind of trap, then it's an incredibly dangerous idea.

Maybe I missed something on the thread, and I very well may have, but from what I'd seen, I don't think oneofthem was silencing Mohawk or shutting him down, just providing a needed warning about the potential pitfalls of the idea, which was being pitched to a bunch of people who frequently post about how difficult it is to find housing.

Anyway, I agree that SOs should be respectful, and that coming across as aggressive and angry isn't the right way to go. But, this is different; this was somebody trying to recruit people to a new commune in the middle of nowhere. I don't think calling that a potentially very dangerous idea is wrong, because it *is* a potentially very dangerous idea. Could it work? Sure. But I agree with all of the red flags oneofthem saw.

Mohawk didn't seem to understand why somebody would take a plea if they weren't guilty. He also seemed surprised to find out that people like my husband are on the registry, rather than it just being made up of people who molested children. He also seemed to equate wanting a degree of privacy about one's history with somebody being unhealthy, in denial, and a danger. All of those things seriously concern me, and I would think that somebody who was interested in registry issues in any way would have a better understanding of all of them.