Ron Book’s opinion piece in USA Today
Nobody doubt’s the pain Ron Book must feel. His daughter was sexually abused by the family nanny under his own roof. The pain must be compounded by guilt over the fact that it was committed by someone who he and his wife brought into their home to care for their children. The pain must also be compounded by anger and fear – that this was taking place for years while he was oblivious to it.
The desire to “do something” to prevent the same from happening to another family is a noble one. One that all of us who are parents can understand. But Book’s mission took a very misguided turn. Instead of focusing on prevention, his desire to “do something” was to forever torture everyone charged with any sexual offense as a way of punishing, by proxy, the woman who harmed his daughter.
Whether it’s to deflect his own culpability or assuage the guilt – he deemed all persons required to register as sex offenders as “monsters” and lobbied for measures like residency restrictions to prevent people from sleeping 2500 feet from a school (ironically, when schools are closed), He publicly called registrants “monsters” and spewed false recidivism statistics (100% will re-offend, it’s not a matter of if, but when).
Which is why I was surprised to read his opinion piece in USA Today last week, which actually showed some insight. He wrote, “The person who destroyed my daughter’s childhood was not a stranger, not a man loitering around the playground or someone claiming a lost puppy…. in 91 percent of sex offenses against juveniles, the perpetrator is someone the child knows and often trusts.” and “rigorous vetting, references and a background check couldn’t protect Lauren.”
Book seems to acknowledge that the overwhelming majority of perpetrators are not strangers hiding behind bushes or names on a sex offender background check, but people known to their victims. While sexual abuse will never be completely stopped, the only real way to help prevent it is by focusing on prevention instead of punishment – and that involves educating children and parents on what to look out for and fostering open communication where children know they should not be ashamed or afraid to tell.
Another message contained in Book’s piece is healing. There needs to come a time where the anger and hurt is replaced with healing. That certainly needs to come for the victims of sexual abuse, but it also needs to come for Ron Book and whether anyone likes it or not, also to those on the registry who have paid their debts.
We all want to end the cycle of abuse. Hopefully 2019 can be a year we find some common ground with the Books.
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What bullshit, his daughter’s life was not ruined. In fact without that event she might have been forced to get a real job instead of becoming a professional victim.
Seems that it actually is working out quite well for BOTH Ronny and Lauren Book.
There is a special place in hell for both of the Books. Hope they enjoy an eternity of pain as they both caused untold misery for families in Florida and robbed so many of their lives.
I’ve always felt there was a hole in this story. I like the comment about “deflecting”. That happened over a long period of time. I feel like Ron Book talks out both sides of his mouth
I sent Laura Book my message on The evils of the sex offender registry directed at Christians, churches and their double-standard on grace. Perhaps it hit a nerve. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nK6O5-3pfKc&t=1s
Good video. Shame on that church. Seems a lot of Christians put more faith in their lying politicians and lying news media than they do in God’s Word. (FYI, I am a Christian, so I can make that observation without bias)
As for the adulterous woman, ever wonder what happened to the adulterous man she was caught with??? Probably related to one of the Sanhedrin, lol!
Once in awhile we see evidence that both Books “get it.” So I just don’t understand what motivates them to do what they do. Is it just greed or what?
Given the choice, I would much prefer to find common ground with someone, than to destroy their reputation.
I’ll believe it when I see it. remember he and Lauren are financially invested in their ongoing polemics and agenda.
He can say all he wants, but he’s purposely harmed registered people over and over, making them homeless and helping push bad laws into place and stir up and fuel public panic for profit.
He’s one of the worst losers of all time and nothing he does will ever convince me otherwise.
When all of this is done with, that the registry is gone and finally everybody sees what the registry and SO laws really are and do, then future generations will look back at this period the same way they look back at the Jim Crow laws and other historical atrocities, and they will look at the Books in the same way as some of histories worst monsters. They will be known in the future for the actions they are doing in the present time. Future generations will be disgusted by them.