Judge Who Told Accused Sex Offender to Write to His 13-Year-Old Victim Wasn't Totally Wrong

dinsdag 24 september 2013

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AppId is over the quota
by Ericka Sóuter 2 hours ago

Judge Shari Michels caused quite a controversy recently by telling a cop accused of sexting and groping a 13-year-old girl that he could write a letter to his victim. Sounds crazy, right. Understandably, people freaked out. How could this officer of the court encourage and allow such a thing? But as horrific as it sounds, Judge Michels is not totally off her rocker.

At the hearing for former New York City police officer Modesto Alamo after his arrest for forcible touching and endangering the welfare of a minor, Judge Michels seemed to take pity on the man. Though she ordered him to stay away from the young girl, she also said, "If you feel that there is a need for communication, write it down, put it in the envelope, and put a date on it, and in the future, if you want to give them that information, you can do that then."

Not surprisingly, her words have enraged the girl's family and I am sure countless others. But while this judge may not be best equipped to provide counseling or therapy to this alleged criminal, her actions do highlight an important issue that is often ignored. Sexual predators have an illness and they need to be helped in addition to being punished. Why help him, you may ask? Because one day he will be back on the street.

If they do not learn how to deal with their illegal sexual proclivities, they are doomed to repeat them. I have no idea what the best approach is to helping someone with this problem. Michels also ordered him to have a psychological evaluation and get treatment after he reportedly talked of suicide. I imagine different sex offenders may need different things to eradicate or suppress those despicable urges. But I am 100 percent sure that they need some kind of intervention beyond just being locked up.

With all the furor her advice has caused, Judge Michels has since issued an apology through a spokesman. She regrets what her decision may have made the victim feel and did not intend to offend anyone. I buy that. The important thing to remember is that she was trying to make sure Alamo found a way to deal with his demons and not become a repeat offender. Can we really blame her for that?

What do you think of Judge Michel's advice to this defendant? Do you think sexual predators should get counseling?

Image via Hey Paul Stuidos/Flickr

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Ericka Sóuter

is a veteran pop culture and celeb news writer. That experience boils down to two things: she knows way too much about the Kardashians and she dominates on Trivial Pursuit's arts and entertainment questions.

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'Tamra's OC Wedding' Finale Recap: Tamra Barney and Eddie Judge FINALLY Make it To The Altar and No One Can Stop Crying

dinsdag 17 september 2013

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AppId is over the quota
by Rebecca Stokes 11 hours ago

Two things worth noting happened during this, the culmination of 'Tamra's OC Wedding'. The first, Tamra finally got her vagina and butt-hole waxed. It was like a horror movie...for the two male friends she forced into the waxing stall with her. No, but seriously. One of her dudes walked in and actually started screaming and clawing at his eyes while bellowing, "I SAW YOUR MUSSEL!" Classy.

The second and perhaps more pertinent event of this week's episode? Tamra and Eddie Judge got married! It happened! There was even a bike artfully dangling upside down from the ceiling and everything! Because of how Eddie loves bikes! Frankly, I'll admit -- I was pretty sure when we learned that Tamra's dresses weren't going to arrive until the morning of the ceremony that the whole deal was going to devolve into tears and stabbing.

That was not the case. It was fine. All three dresses (THREE DRESSES, Y'ALL) arrived and fit her to perfection. If anything, the whole wedding weekend was so uneventful that it was almost as dull as watching a non-reality star's wedding video. Remember how Tamra was fighting with her brother last week? Well this week they made up and hugged while crying. To be fair, that could have been because they were both drinking moonshine.

One of my favorite parts of the evening was Heather Dubrow and Vicki Gunvalson wearing matching towels to get their wedding makeup done. This excited Heather so much that she trotted out of the room to get hers when she spotted Vicki. The woman literally pranced off while singing, "Then we can be Twinkies!" Pretty sure she meant twins, but hey, maybe she also really, really, likes Hostess baked goods. 

There was no family drama at the ceremony. I wouldn't have been well-behaved. I would have been cackling at the officiant who I'm pretty sure had a fake British accent. I bet she has a second career as a sex therapist. She probably hosts all her sessions in a hot tub in her backyard. 

Everyone cried either at the ceremony or at the reception. Somewhere a tissue mogul is twirling his mustache and cackling. All the Housewives wept too -- but out of happiness! Yes, in spite of all of Eddie's concerns, the wives were present, and they mostly behaved themselves. Did Gretchen Rossi talk during the entire ceremony? Yes. Was Lydia McLaughlin inexplicably wearing a child's floral crown purchased from Claire's? Maybe. But it was as though Tamra and Eddie's love had healing properties. Even Vicki was happy, all smoochin' up on Gretchen and what have you as Eddie and Tamra cha-cha'ed the night away.

What did you think of the big event?

Image via Bravo.com

Click the "Like" button below if you're a fan of Real Housewives. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Rebecca Stokes

Rebecca is a writer who lives in Brooklyn with her cats. She is probably even at this moment spilling food on herself.

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13-Year-Old Girl Called a ‘Predator’ in Sex Abuse Case and Judge Agrees!

dinsdag 13 augustus 2013

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AppId is over the quota
by Jeanne Sager 13 hours ago

What could possibly be worse for a 13-year-old girl than being molested by a sexual predator, a grown man? How about having her name dragged through the mud in open court ... by the prosecutor? And then having the judge letting her molester off with a slap on the wrist, not even sending him to jail?

As if it isn't bad enough that people in regular society latch on to victim blaming and rape apologies? Now we have the people of the courts doing it too?

The story goes that Neil Wilson was given an eight-month suspended sentence after admitting he had engaged in sexual activity with a 13-year-old girl and created "indecent" images.

Eight months. SUSPENDED. That's like no punishment at all.

And let's remember, this was for sexually molesting a mere child.

Thanks to the public outcry over the lame lowball sentence, Judge Nigel Peters QC (this was in England) is now under investigation, as is Prosecutor Robert Colover, who apparently called the child "predatory" and brought up her "sexual experience" in court, blaming the victim for her own assault. Peters has adjusted Wilson's sentence overall to 12 months in prison, with two suspended, although that's for the other charges against him -- the eight months suspended remains in effect for hurting the girl.

Geez, with "friends" like this working for her in the court system, who needs enemies?

Kids don't cause their own sexual assault. Period. They can't consent; therefore, they can't cause a molestation.

And if you believe differently, you need to remember what it was like to be a kid, to know that you were at the whims of an adult. And, quite frankly, you shouldn't be around kids!

Wilson needs to spend a heckuva lot more time in jail, this girl deserves an apology for being re-victimized, and both Peters and Colover need to be taken off the job.

If they can't recognize who a victim is in a case of molestation of a child, I can't imagine what kind of compassion they summon for adults!

What do you make of this awful case?

Image via rochelle hartman/Flickr

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Jeanne Sager

writes articles for The Stir by day, slays closet monsters and bounds through bedtime stories with her elementary schooler by night. The Phineas and Ferb soundtrack reverberates through her brain.

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Simon Cowell Expecting Baby With His Friend's Wife ... Can We Judge HIM Now?

woensdag 31 juli 2013

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AppId is over the quota
by Kiri Blakeley 3 hours ago

Eternally critical and grumpy Simon Cowell is going to become ... a Daddy! Yes, believe it or not, stalwart bachelor Simon, a guy who said he never wanted kids because they might "draw on [his] walls," has a bun in the oven of a beautiful brunette socialite named Lauren Silverman. Small catch? Lauren is married ... to Simon's good friend. I'm trying to think what snarky thing Simon could say to himself right now. Maybe something like, "That was corny and desperate ... knocking up your friend's wife ... really, keep your day job ... zip it, please ... that's two minutes of my life I will never get back ... pack your suitcase ... utterly atrocious!"

Lauren is still "technically" married to Simon's friend Andrew Silverman, but reportedly when their marriage began to fail, she turned to good pal Simon for comfort ... and, well, you know how these things go.

Simon had been a long-time fixture in Lauren and her husband's life -- attending their holiday parties and vacationing with them -- so I wonder how hubster feels knowing Simon swooped in and signed his lady to an 18-year baby contract.

A source told US Weekly:

Lauren and Andrew have been unhappy in their marriage for some time, and their divorce has been in the works for a while. As their marriage deteriorated, she and Simon became close.

There is nothing like having your friend comfort your wife while your marriage hits the skids, amiright?

Anyway, it will be interesting to see how Simon does with fatherhood, considering he's said he never wants kids. He once reportedly said in an interview:

God, no. I couldn't have children. If I had them here drawing on the walls I'd go nuts. With kids, you've got a routine you can't escape from. You've got to be up at a certain time. Got to listen. When all you want to do is sit in a corner thinking.

Ah, who knows. I bet in eight months time we'll be hearing how much fatherhood has changed him, and how he never knew the meaning of life until now, blah blah blah. I just hope he doesn't stand around lobbing snarky remarks at his kid's poopy performances. Something like, "That ... is ... disgusting! Good-bye!"

Do you think Simon will be a good dad?

Image via WLNtube/YouTube

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7 Things I Judge Parents For When They're Vacationing With Their Kids

zaterdag 13 juli 2013

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AppId is over the quota
by Kristen Chase 17 hours ago

I realize that actually enjoying a family vacation can be a challenge, and so some parents are inclined to do things they wouldn't normally do just to get a moment's peace.

But then I wonder if that's really the case or if they're just that annoying all the time. Thankfully, I only have to deal with those parents and their kids for a short amount of time, because some of the stuff they do, or worse, let their kids do, wow, what a nightmare.

1. Junk food. So I'm all for sweets and treats because hey, it's vacation and all, but when you're giving your kids cokes in the morning and spray cheese for lunch every single day, something is very wrong. How about some fruit and vegetables every now and then?

2. Shopping frenzy. Vacations are expensive enough, so I don't really get the rationale of buying your kids whatever they want in every single store, especially if they are misbehaving or whining. I suppose it wouldn't be so bad except my kids see it happening and then wonder why I'm not dropping hundreds of dollars on them.

3. Waiting in line. My kids love rides like the next kid, but when the lines are long, my husband and I split up or just skip them altogether because it's tough for a kid to stand there for an hour (if not more) in the heat. I never quite understood why people would do that to themselves and their kids. Sorry, no roller coaster or ropes course is worth it.

4. Safety, anyone? I'm always surprised when parents just let their kids roam freely at the pool and the beach, especially when there are no lifeguards. I'm all for letting kids be kids, but when there's water involved, I turn into the helicopter parent for very good reason.

5. Staying up too late. I can't tell you how many times I see kids up waaaaay past a reasonable bedtime. Maybe your kids sleep until 10am if they stay up until midnight (or beyond), but mine certainly don't. And if I'm out on an adults-only date late in the evening, the last thing I want is for kids to be running around me.

6. Ignoring them. I thought the whole idea behind a family vacation was that you spend time with your family, so when I see parents completely ignoring their kids, particularly those who are trying to get their attention (and then annoying the other people around them in the process), I get pretty frustrated.

7. Fighting. Maybe it's the lack of sleep, the poor diet, or the ridiculous amount of booze they're drinking, but I see way too many parents duking it out in public. Seriously people, go somewhere private to have your fights.

What have you seen parents do when they're on vacation with their kids that annoys you?

Image via PrayitnoPhotography/Flickr

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Kristen Chase

is a writer, sex book author, and mom of four. She has absolutely no hobbies, unless you count obsessing over Ryan Reynolds, cleaning Sharpie off the walls, and Twitter. 

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