While I have lots to share about my non-stop travels speaking every week for the past month, that will come in a later post this week with photos and video. I am going to tell you about something that happened 9 years ago when I was working on my first speech for my high school speech team.
I was on my high school speech team my junior year of high school. I was trying to come up with a good speech for the upcoming competition. So I did some research and then e-mailed the teacher at my high school that was our speech coach. Read what unfolded from our email exchanges. Let me remind you I am teen at this time. When I came across this email today I could not believe what I said in my email to my teacher. I found myself laughing at how I came back when she shot down my speech idea. To protect the identity of this teacher for the sake of the neighbor she talks about in her email to me I will just call her Ms. Smith
Oct. 7, 2002
Ms. Smith,
I think I have come up with an idea for my speech. How about the right for people to know where sex offenders live? Agreeing or disagreeing with having signs posted in a sex offenders yard or front doors warning people sex offenders live here. I have a lot to back it up with. A lot of ideas I wrote down.
Oct 8, 2002
Erin,
Could be a good idea. But, I have a little story about that!
Here’s the story:
My friend John lives in a new subdivision. Some parents checked the sex offender list when they moved in and found a guy in a townhouse -very close to their homes. One guy (we’ll call him idiot) got some kids together and told them to stay away from that townhouse. Idiot then took the kids to the guy’s place and rang the bell. He told the kids, “Take a good look at him and remember his face.” Then he turned to the man and said, “We know who you are and what you have done. Stay away from our children.”
Sooooooooooooooooooooo, (I was not happy that someone so boldly interrupted this man’s life-no matter what his crime was….maybe he was reformed…maybe he wanted to start a new life….maybe ….) So, we looked further into the matter…….Turns out that the man, when he was 18 years old, had sex with his 16 year old girlfriend and they were caught by her parents who pressed charges.
Now, would you put a child sex offender sign in HIS front yard??? – Ms. Smith
Oct. 8, 2002
Ms. Smith,
He is an adult. He should have known better not to have sex with a minor. He knows the law. Sex with a minor is a crime. When you are 18 you are an adult. He knew the law and what would happen if he was caught. He could be charged and he took the risk and look what happened. He should have kept his zipper up two more years and it would have never been an issue. Now he is paying for it. Oh well! It is called think before you act! His mind was in the gutter (wasn’t thinking). Great morals…not!
Let me ask you this Ms. Smith you have two young children and in a few weeks they will be going trick or treating. Now if you saw a sign on the front door of a sex offender that read “Danger sex offender lives here” would you let your children ring the door bell. My exact point. You would keep your kids the hell away. But if there was no sign you would have no idea and let your kids go up there and get candy from Mr. friendly. The case of your neighbor is rare. Really rare! And the saying goes once a child molester almost always a child molester. Most strike more then once. Believe me, I KNOW!
But if you don’t want me to do that topic I won’t. I just felt I had a lot of evidence to back it up with. Erin
Oct. 9, 2002
Erin,
You’ve made an excellent point! Go for it 🙂 Ms. Smith
I ended up doing the speech which I discuss in my first book Stolen Innocence. I scored really well on the speech. It was just the start of my career and I was still in high school. 8 years later I would be discussing my own law being passed on Oprah Oct. 6, 2010.
