Daily Dingleberry 08-22-2012 Raising the Age of Consent to 18

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School is supposed to be safe. Make it so.

I feel for the mother of the minor 16 year old girl accusing Baptist Pastor, Norman Willacey, of having an inappropriate sexual relationship with her child, a student under his tutelage and guidance for years at the Belmopan Baptist High School. She has appealed to all the people in authority she believes can help her seek justice but sadly, it’s been slow in coming. As of right now, the Baptist Church still hasn’t made a decision despite the mountain of evidence piled against him, including his own strange confession.

What I have an issue with is the proposal to raise the age of consent from 16 to 18. I believe that this is not the issue which needs to be confronted, not now, not ever. This is a knee jerk action designed to put a mother’s feelings of frustration and helplessness to rest. It is a move that, if pursued, will only create a false sense of security for parents because the truth is, predators don’t give a damn about laws. They will do the do no matter what. What will happen is you are going to criminalize the normal behaviour of young girls and boys who are experimenting with their sexuality all the while ignoring the real problem we face: abuse of power by people in authority.

This case is not about the sexual relationship between the pastor and the young girl. That is actually the symptom of a much larger, more entrenched societal attitude towards women and others deemed “less than”. It is about the power differential that exists between anyone who has any sort of authority over another: employer vs employee; minister vs voter; pastor vs believer; parent vs child; teacher vs student; adult vs minor. When circumstances create an imbalance of power, it is imperative that the person with perceived power exercise extreme caution NOT to abuse it. In other words, he/she must behave in an ethical manner so as to not exploit someone perceived to be the more vulnerable in the relationship.

How would changing the age of consent do anything about any of that? We need to understand that this is not about sex at all. It is about an adult abusing trust that was placed in his authority and position in the community. He didn’t only hurt this girl and her family, he hurt everyone who ever sought his guidance and revered his intentions. What we need are better sexual harassment laws period.

Please don’t jump on this bandwagon. I apologize to mom in advance but I firmly stand by this assertion.

HEY GUYS!!!! FOLLOW MY NEW BLOG!!!!!!

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I finally got my blog as a mom and wife living with ADHD started. I share my crazy day to day challenges and mishaps with the world- all  for your benefit. Truly! If not for the commiseration, at least for the laughs!   Do your kids run around like monkeys on the lose? Does your husband start projects and never finish them? Do you forget what you were doing and so you burn dinner more often than not????? Take a peek! You might find yourself in there or maybe someone you know who might be going through something similar!

http://www.addledbrainmom.com/

Daily Dingleberry 08-18-12 Vile Wiles: Pastor Willacey Accused of Having Sex With a Minor Student At His School

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Norman Willacey

Taken from a transcript of the news as reported by Channel 5:

 

Voice of Mother of Belmopan Baptist High School Student

“He is a preacher, he is a principal, he comes to my house and he does counsel about the bible with my children and my daughter—my boys as well as my daughter. I trusted this man to the tip because I said he was a preacher. There were signs but I ignored this because I trusted this man with my child okay. And she and I were having a lot of difficulty. So different times, I was telling this man different things that she was doing and saying and how she was acting out. And he was using these same things come to find out against me with her and turning her more against me. When I was putting her on punishment about something, he was telling her how jealous I was of her because she has this fine body and I’m an old lady and I don’t. He’s telling her things as a councilor, as a man. I trusted him. So many times, she stayed back at school making up grades because she was behind with grades. I let him be there with her because I trusted this man.”

 

These are the words of a mother betrayed by a man in authority- a man of the cloth, a man in charge of an entire school filled vulnerable minds and bodies. Norman Willacey, a married man, pastor and principal of Belmopan Baptist High School is accused of having an inappropriate relationship with a minor female student for the past year. Several things are immediately, glaringly wrong-  oh like:  older man in authority, minor student, preacher…but it gets worse. When the mother presented the complaint, complete with proof in the form of hard copies of emails detailing sexually explicit conversations between her daughter and Willacey, nothing was done. She presented all this to Child Protective Services and after getting no response, felt compelled to take her allegations to the media. It seems to have had the desired effect and she has been informed that an investigation has now begun.

 

Wondering what preacher man had to say? In a text to Channel 5, he said the following:

“She priduced a facebook conversation from about easter break while we were messing arond. I Deleted my copy and repented an told her to do d same immediately. she didnot an that is what will be published tonight and that is what jules said is damaging me as a public and authority figure.” 

Sounds like a confession doesn’t it? It also sounds like he seems to think that repenting should do the trick. I am just stunned at the casual way he has chosen to handle this but grateful too because it seems that he will make it easy for prosecutors. I hope that this poor mother and child recover from this gross injustice and that the church does the right thing and kick this wolf in sheep’s clothing from its flock.

 

For full transcripts, click the links:

http://edition.channel5belize.com/archives/74738

http://edition.channel5belize.com/archives/74735

 

 

Vote for Chantae Guy!!!!!!!!

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Chantae Guy – Ms. World Belize

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

PLEASE Click on the link below and vote for CHANTAE GUY to win the People’s Choice Award for North and Central America and then share the link with your friends and ask them to do the same!

http://poll.pollcode.com/efr1

 

Children who have lived in the Shadows…The US is providing a light…read more

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Consideration of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals Process

Over the past three years, this Administration has undertaken an unprecedented effort to transform the immigration enforcement system into one that focuses on public safety, border security and the integrity of the immigration system. As the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) continues to focus its enforcement resources on the removal of individuals who pose a danger to national security or a risk to public safety, including individuals convicted of crimes with particular emphasis on violent criminals, felons, and repeat offenders, DHS will exercise prosecutorial discretion as appropriate to ensure that enforcement resources are not expended on low priority cases, such as individuals who came to the United States as children and meet other key guidelines.

Individuals who demonstrate that they meet the guidelines below may request consideration of deferred action for childhood arrivals for a period of two years, subject to renewal, and may be eligible for employment authorization.   You may request consideration of deferred action for childhood arrivals if you:

1. Were under the age of 31 as of June 15, 2012;

2. Came to the United States before reaching your 16th birthday;

3. Have continuously resided in the United States since June 15, 2007, up to the present time;

4. Were physically present in the United States on June 15, 2012, and at the time of making your request for consideration of deferred action with USCIS;

5. Entered without inspection before June 15, 2012, or your lawful immigration status expired as of June 15, 2012;

6. Are currently in school, have graduated or obtained a certificate of completion from high school, have obtained a general education development (GED) certificate, or are an honorably discharged veteran of the Coast Guard or Armed Forces of the United States; and

7. Have not been convicted of a felony, significant misdemeanor, three or more other misdemeanors, and do not otherwise pose a threat to national security or public safety.   Individuals may begin to request consideration of deferred action for childhood arrivals on August 15, 2012.  Please do not file before August 15.  If you file early, your request will be rejected.  Individuals can call USCIS at     1-800-375-5283       with questions or to request more information on the deferred action for childhood arrivals process or visit www.uscis.gov.

Find this page and read more at www.uscis.gov/childhoodarrivals

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Last updated: 08/14/2012

What Could Happen To Belize As We Become Official Malpagos According to FiWeBelize

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ImageMonths before the just now released declaration of non-payment of the super bond, fellow blogger Cayo Buay wrote an article outlining what could happen based on what has already happened in Greece. It’s a quick read. What do you think?

http://fiwebelize.com/2012/02/21/what-happens-when-a-country-defaults-on-their-foreign-debt-or-gets-a-bailout-to-avoid-foreclosure/

Daily Dingleberry 08-13-12 Is Anything Really Going to Happen to the Banana Industry?

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Now that the news is sinking in about John Zabaneh and the potential negative consequences of being blacklisted by OFAC, people are coming to his defense saying that he has done so much for his community and Belize as a whole by creating jobs and providing community support. It is a consideration…maybe. What is the cost of these jobs and money generated by his portion of the banana industry? Can we honestly say it’s worth it to be a part of a world wide drug war to have a couple hundred jobs? Do we care that many families are affected by drug trafficking in ways we can’t begin to fathom just so we can have a few jobs that people are saying is mostly worked by illegal aliens anyway? What are the real life consequences we can expect or is it much ado about nothing and we will see business as usual in a hotttt minute?

Big Up Aria!!!!

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ImageJoin in me in congratulating my partner against crime and mayhem, Aria Lightfoot. She got straight A’s this summer  despite some really trying circumstances 🙂 Keep up the hard work and way to focus! Wishing you continued success in everything you do!

School’s IN! Pull Di Dallahs OUT!!!! by Fayemarie Anderson Carter

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Adopt A Student!!!!!!

Last month Aria brought a wonderful project to our attention and so now as the new school year approaches, I want to reiterate. Did you realize that just about 50% of all Belizean children are NOT getting an education? Half of our boys and girls are being prepared for a very difficult future ahead of them. Lack of education makes our children extremely vulnerable to crime and victimization.

In response to this alarming reality, Restore Belize has launched a program “Adopt A Student”. Restore Belize is appealing specifically to Belizeans abroad to provide the funding for this endeavor. There are different levels of sponsorship starting at $250 US per student per year. There are about 15,000 students in need so we have got a ways to go BUT I know we can do it! You can sponsor individually OR you can get together with your friends and family to sponsor a child. Americans are always asking if there are programs like this in Belize when they find out where I am from and before, I really couldn’t give a good answer. Now I can and you can too.

Right now, it seems the schools that have been identified are high schools focused in the city. Hopefully, with our help, Restore Belize will be able to extend this project to include the districts as well as elementary schools. Join Aria and myself in literally changing the future of a child in need. We have decided to sponsor a girl at Sarteneja High School. Please read more by clicking on the link: https://twocanview.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/restorebelizeadoptastudent.pdf