Brilliant 😂 Thank you Sir.👏 👏 👏

Not to worry — I am always listening.

Jacob – you are right. Sorry, Sarah.

I’m seeing a variety of views here as to whether the journalist would have been open to reason in this area. But only one of those opinions, as best I can tell, is from anyone who managed to elicit a response from him. And that is the assessment I am going to rely upon most. Other assessments about him are welcome but less informed.

Here is the prevailing logic that I am seeing:

This individual did a malicious thing.
An individual who did such a thing cannot change.
Therefore, the individual should suffer.

Sound familiar? If your family has been affected by the registry, you already know how counter-productive such thinking can be. But everyone here is better than that.

Now, understandably, the rules will change when dealing with the likes of Commissioner Tobia or Senator Book— individuals that have shown a consistent determination to pursue an agenda that is contrary to the facts. Such sociopaths can only be influenced through the courts, as Once Fallen has successfully shown. But I’m not hearing from the Media Committee that that’s the type of person we’re dealing with. And I’m not hearing from anyone else who’s elicited any communication from him at all.

Again, people don’t HAVE to read our letters and e-mails if they don’t want to. When we contact journalists, is our goal not to influence them?

If I were the Media Committee chair, having my diligent volunteer work attacked from all sides, I’d consider resigning by now. Fortunately, our Media Committee chair and its members are stronger and more patient than I am. I just want us to be careful not to take our volunteers for granted. They don’t have to do what they do.

Ed C:

Respectfully disagree. I’ve seen way too many journalists exaggerate some facts and ignore others in order to create the most shock they can, this article included. Very seldom do any make an effort to present both sides of any given issue and if they do, the side opposite the one they privately support is merely glossed over and often belittled.

Modern journalism is about mouse clicks, subscriptions, and selling advertising space. Nothing more. There are exceptions (as in, a journalist telling all sides of any given story with complete accuracy and equal time), but they are very few and far between. And certainly NONE of them write for USA Today.

It is easy for people put in a corner to make excuses like a petulent child. This was not a report about fraud. This was a report on why the VA allowedf a Registered Person to work for them. There was no need to publish this man’s past or call him a child predator. There was no need whatsoever to write this article.

SarahF, there are simply some people who are unwilling to be educated, and this reporter is one of them. This whole “someone hurt my feelings” business is a load of crap. He destroyed a man’s life and he got called out for it. Hell, he should have gotten more than a few striongly worded emails and a feature on the Shiitake Awards blog. But pols and reporters are also public figures and harsh criticism goes with the territory.

Do you honestly think many pols are also willing to listen to reason? Your state Senator Lauren Book uses her background to justify her personal animus towards us to the point she was willing to file a SLAPP suit to silence us. Do you honestly think she will ever be open to reason when she went to the very homeless campo she created then STILL talks about how we are all ticking time bombs?

SarahF, don’t be naive here. There are some people who will always make excuses not to listen to us. Pols will claim it is politial suicide but that’s BS. Media will claim fear of cancel culture but the media pyblishes far more controversial stuff that blows over the next day. No, sometimes they need to be called out. If he’s feeling ashamed, GOOD!

Well stated, Jacob. Thank you.

Who do you mean by “one of us”? One of a handful of the people on the F.A.C. board? Or?

With any luck, the author heard from 10,000 people. People living in America are obviously completely crazy and immoral these days, so who knows.

I think it is fine that you are trying to persuade and educate people to communicate in a certain way. But this author, and you, need to realize that not everyone is going to listen or act the way that you want them to. That is no excuse for the author to ignore facts. No excuse to remain uneducated and uninformed. No excuse to refuse to engage with F.A.C. or any of the others who communicate in a way that makes the author happy.

People don’t act how we want them to act. I have to put up with it. I have to put up with idiots who think the Hit Lists are acceptable. This author, and other adults, ought to be smart enough to put up with it also.