It can be amusing, and sometimes even instructive, to survey the way criminal justice is presented in old popular entertainment-interrogations in pre-Miranda days, for example, or police pursuits before the “fleeing felon” standards were overturned in the 1980s. In the winter of 1984, the popular television series Dallas presented a storyline involving a government employee named Edgar Randolph, who was being pressured by the series’ arch villain J.R. Ewing to reveal classified information on government oil leases. J.R.-presented then, as always, as the “bad guy”-threatens to disclose a sexual offense against a child for which Randolph had received therapy in his adolescence. It is interesting to note, a little over two decades later, that the storyline would be impossible to broadcast today. Leaving aside the near impossibility of depicting any sexual offender in anything other than a diabolical light, J.R. would be irrelevant, as his role has been filled by our own public leaders, ostensibly acting in the public interest.

The national outpouring of revulsion at lurid sex offenses (especially those gripping child victims) that culminated in the establishment of public sexual offender registries in every state has not abated, and as of this writing the federal government has climbed on the bandwagon by creating a national registration system with conditions that are considerably more severe than those of many states.

It is the main purpose of this work to critically expect the sex offender registration system as it now exists-in some form-in all fifty states. The arguments presented here are those least likely to be heard in most public venues, for they cut against the grain of the national zeitgeist, and challenge what can arguably be called manufactured public view. Nevertheless, it is critically important to consider these arguments, for they call into request the desirability of the continuation of this system. As a reflective and humane society, we owe it to ourselves to consider whether the social experiment on which we are relying to keep us safe has instead become a punitive scarlet letter or worse: an invitation to commence criminality.

This article grew out of the author’s undergraduate thesis as a student at Madonna University. The methodology extinct in creating it eager a survey of online sources concerning Megan’s Law and associated issues–most of which have sprung up in the past five to ten years as the drive for registration and community notification has accelerated–followed by a survey of available professional and popular literature, which is available in copious quantities on the subject of sexual offenses. Because a major effort of this report is the problem of sexual offending as perceived by the public, current media sources are often cited.

I would like to acknowledge and thank Geoff Birky of Ethical Treatment for All Youth for his suggestions and encouragement in producing the article. Geoff’s excellent work in exposing the legal and psychiatric abuse experienced by young people mislabeled as sexual offenders has been filling a badly neglected void for a number of years.

II. Emergence of the registration system.

Child sexual abuse, once ignored or spoken of only in hushed tones, first emerged as a serious criminological and public concern as a result of publicity given to child pornography rings in the late 1970s. The 1980s saw an increase in television coverage given to the problem of molestation by acquaintances or caregivers, and for a time, coverage of allegations of organized child sex abuse became prominent. The famed McMartin and Fells Acres day care cases served as sensational press fodder, though both were investigated in a professionally and ethically suspect manner and resulted in numerous false charges and, in the latter case, dubious convictions. In 1993-1994 this history repeated itself with a sensational city-wide scandal in Wenatchee, Washington in which forty-three adults were arrested on an incredible 29,726 charges of sexual abuse involving sixty children. The overwhelming majority of the charges were later definite to be baseless (Schneider et al., 1998). And, in 1993, U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno faded allegations of ongoing sexual abuse to justify her decision to force the surrender of the armed Branch Davidian cult near Waco, Texas, an action which resulted in some ninety deaths. (Janet Reno has a documented history of shabby opportunism and fanaticism on issues of sexual abuse that deserves its own essay. Alas, time and residence constraints do not allow us to undertake a thorough plumbing of the depths of Reno’s record.)

Emerging from this atmosphere of increasing militancy in confronting the sexual abuse problem, the current era dates from the special revulsion of the public in the early 1990s to the sexually motivated murders of child victims Polly Klaas in California and Megan Kanka in New Jersey. The Kanka murder in particular created feelings of disbelief among the public, as her killer was a convicted sexual offender living in the victim’s neighborhood. Within three months of her murder in 1994, New Jersey responded to public outrage with the first “Megan’s Law”, mandating a system of community notification of the whereabouts of convicted sexual offenders, on the premise that such a system would better protect the state’s children. The Megan Nicole Kanka Foundation, formed to promote Megan’s Law throughout the U.S., avers in its purpose statement that “Every parent should have the right to know if a unsafe sexual predator moves into their neighborhood” (Our Mission, 2005). Few voices were heard at the time suggesting that any unintended consequences might ensue from the original experiment; one notable exception was sexual offense expert Robert Freeman-Longo, who will be mentioned later.

The federal government’s Jacob Wetterling Act of 1994 and a supplementary act in 1996 essentially made Megan’s Law a federal mandate, but this was almost a redundancy; most states were already rapidly following New Jersey’s example in establishing sexual offender registration, including Michigan in 1995.

III. General perceptions of the American population regarding sexual offenders

In order to understand the attraction that community notification laws fill for members of the public, especially parents, we must first consider some of the views about sexual offenders that are commonly held, particularly those that are questionable or inaccurate. The first of these perceptions is that sexual offenders are incorrigible; that neither punishment nor treatment will induce them to avoid re-offending. Fresh York.

Assemblyman Jim Hayes, arguing in favor of across-the-board “civil confinement”, recently claimed that sexual offenders have a re-offense rate of “nearly 100 percent” (Hayes, 2005). In this claim, he follows another residence legislator, Pennsylvania’s Beverly Mackereth, who offered the more modest figure of 98 percent in a 2004 article (Joyce, 2004). Other public figures and politicians, while not always providing such bizarre and unsourced statistics, have contributed to the public’s concept that the recidivism rate among sexual offenders is so powerful higher than that of other categories of criminal offenders that the treatment of sexual offenses as a unusual category of crime is warranted (Lotke, 1997; Levine, 2002). To further shore up this perspective, it is often argued that social science has established that “nothing works” when it comes to therapy for sexual offenses (Lotke, 1997).

Another premise on which the public often bases its fervent support for registration is the frequent conflation of sexual offenses with violent ones. A “bait and switch” technique is employed, in which the most lurid sexual crime in the headlines at the moment-usually a murder-is offered as representative of sexual offenses in general. This identification of sexual offenders with rapist-murderers is often packaged with the implicit or occasionally explicit corollary that sexual offenders are to be seen as proper targets of violence. Doug Giles, a right-wing syndicated columnist, is not the most well known pundit to jump aboard this particular bandwagon, but he is one of the most extravagant. Giles published a column in April 2005 which began by mentioning the modern murders of child victims Jessica Lunsford and Sarah Lunde, and ended by advocating the death penalty for sexual offenders; not rapist-murderers in particular, but sexual offenders. His column, being perhaps the first in recent times to demand a literal return to lynch law, is worth quoting at length:

Let’s execute [registered sex offenders] shake in their boots…Let’s get the local TV news to run dailies of their faces and the places they inhabit. Let’s get the newspapers to have a special sewage part dedicated to showing and keeping tabs on them. Let’s put HazMat signs in the front yards where these creeps live….Let’s force them out of our communities and let them regain their own location where all of them can feel at home and not be judged, and where they can do the dirty deeds to each other. I know a perfect place; it is 666 Lucifer Lane, close to the river Styx on Dante’s second concentric circle. And I’m positive, positive, there would be a lot of people available to help get them there (Giles, 2005a).

What makes this descent into psychopathology by a normally respectable conservative writer explicable, if not justifiable, is the writer’s apparent identification of the categories “sexual offender” and “child rapist-murderer.” In November 2005 Giles offered a less blood-curdling but equally paralogical repeat performance in an attack on the American Civil Liberties Union, identifying the murderers of Jeffrey Curley with the general population of registered sex offenders (Giles, 2005b).

A further common belief held by many in the public-and by those to whom the public looks to interpret events, the news media-is that when a sexual offender is apprehended and convicted, they frequently face a mere ’slap on the wrist’ from the justice system. News commentator Bill O’Reilly recently claimed “You can rape a child [in Current Hampshire] and some loony judge can give you probation” (Kentucky Community and Technical College System, 2005), trading on the violent connotation of the word “rape”, and not troubling to mention, of course, when any such thing has happened in New Hampshire.

IV. Inadequacy of these perceptions

Is the purple prose of these increasingly militant, even hysterical voices to be taken as a sound basis for public criminal justice policy? The Michigan cases of teacher Brian Corbitt and teenager Justin Fawcett may provide a partial answer.

In late 2002, in lame duck session, the Michigan legislature passed a astronomical tightening of the state’s criminal sexual conduct laws. Among the changes enacted was the elevation of the age of consent in relationships involving schoolteachers and their students from sixteen to eighteen years. The act went into effect in 2003 with little fanfare-too little fanfare, it would appear. At the time, Brian K. Corbitt was a high school teacher in Homer, Michigan, in his mid-twenties. He engaged in a sexual relationship with a sixteen-year-old student and thus became the first person prosecuted under the new law.

Despite having no criminal record and having been unaware of the recent alteration in the age of consent, a sentence of six to fifteen years was recommended. Corbitt wrote to Judge Conrad Sindt “I do not assume I can survive a prison sentence.” On the morning he was to be sentenced, Corbitt was found hanging in his mother’s garage, a victim of suicide (Christenson, 2004). While it appears to have been the prospect of incarceration and not that of registration that precipitated Corbitt’s self-destruction, it can be argued that the case does belie the common public perception of what qualifies as a sexual offense.

Justin Fawcett was an eighteen-year-old from Oakland County, Michigan who pled guilty to the crime of seduction based on the revelations in the “teen sex diarist” case of 2002. The diarist was a fourteen-year-old girl who chronicled consensual sexual encounters with twenty-two boys and men. Eventually five young adults were prosecuted for participating in the liaisons, and the cases ended with the county prosecutor sensibly negotiating a plea bargain on the reduced charge of seduction. One reason offered for charging the men under the seduction statute was the general agreement that their offenses did not warrant the additional intrinsic burdens and humiliations of public registration.

In early 2004 it was ruled by the Michigan Supreme Court that Fawcett’s name would be registered, negating his contrary plea agreement. Fawcett’s life began a downward spiral that ended in his death of a drug overdose on March 3, 2004. His untimely end did spur the Michigan legislature to carry out a small but needed reform to the state’s registration system, permitting young registrants in obvious cases to petition for their names to be removed from the registry (Householder, 2004).

What can we learn from these examples? Among the many commonly held assumptions that underlie, and justify, the typical American conception of the sex offender is the facile notion that every sexual offense creates a traumatized victim; and further, that the offender is fully cognizant of this and therefore responsible for the trauma. This notion is easily disproved by even a casual consideration of the headlines. In the Corbitt case cited earlier, there is no reason whatever to allege that Brian Corbitt’s lover was traumatized by their relationship-a relationship that would’ve been legal a year earlier, would’ve been legal in a number of other states, and would’ve been legal had Corbitt been in almost any profession other than education. On the other hand, it would be absurd to believe that she has been unharmed by the consequences of the ruthless enforcement of an ill-advised law. Indeed, in such cases as the increasingly popular use of police decoys in trapping would-be sexual offenders online, no victim, traumatized or otherwise, exists at all. (It is worth noting that Maryland’s highest court has disallowed this latter practice) (Kunkle, 2005).

It is also not widely known that states such as Minnesota and Missouri include in their set “sex offender” registries persons never convicted of any sexual offense even as the term is understood legally. In Gunderson v. Hvass (2003), a registrant who was exonerated of rape but convicted of physical assault was denied relief from Minnesota’s requirement to register. He was required to register because he was convicted of a crime “arising out of the same set of circumstances” as the discredited rape charge, and the U.S. Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that since the registry was a “non-punitive” and “regulatory” action, the presumption of innocence did not attach.

The Missouri registration system has also come under increased scrutiny of late. It has been amended at least four times since originally being enacted in 1994; the ever-changing rules have resulted, among other problems, in many registrants not lustrous they were registrants and even that they’d had arrest warrants issued for failure to register. Many were told, prior to the original enactment of the law, that their criminal record would be expunged with a plea bargain. One source reports a father being listed on the registry for pleading to misdemeanor child abuse for administering a spanking to his own child with a belt, which became a legal issue only as a result of a bitter divorce (KMBC, 2005). (A lawsuit on the constitutionality of the Missouri registration system was settled in 2006, with the Missouri Supreme Court permitting most regulations while striking down some of the law’s “retroactive” provisions.)

The “slap on the wrist” myth must be answered as well. Many public figures, including the above mentioned Bill O’Reilly, appear to have adopted the absorbing idea that sexual offenders are actually favored by the justice system-and occasionally they will point to an outrageously atypical case to illustrate their point. It is never mentioned by the same critics, of course, when an arguably excessive sentence for sexual misconduct is handed down. In 2004 ex-police detective Edwin Mann of Orlando, Florida received a twenty-six year prison sentence for a consensual sexual relationship with a fourteen-year-old girl. Barely one year later, two central Florida residents (John and Linda Dollar) were convicted of physically abusing five of their seven adopted children thus:

The five children were so severely underfed that twin 14-year-old brothers weighed just 36 and 38 pounds each — about 80 pounds below normal. Police compared their conditions to victims of Nazi concentration camps….Prosecutors said the couple also tortured five of the children, ages 12 to 17, with an electric cattle prod and bondage equipment. One of the children told police his toenails were ripped off with pliers (Reed, 2005).

In contrast to Mann, the perpetrators of this (at least apparently) non-sexual crime each received a sentence of fifteen years’ imprisonment, suggesting that the ’slap on the wrist for sexual offenders’ theory is as much an urban legend as the habitation of the New York City sewers by alligators. The number of similarly disparate sentences between crimes of consensual sex and crimes of barbaric violence is unlimited; but it seems sufficient to rest the point on this example, as it is doubtful that commentators like O’Reilly actually believe what they are saying.

(In a development marvelous of the pen of Kafka, it was reported in tedious 2005 that John Dollar had offered “religious guidance” to accused child-killer John Evander Couey while both were incarcerated in Citrus County (Perez, 2005).

V. Reasons for the inadequacy

The origin of the lack of public insight into the problem of sexual offending begins with a serious misunderstanding of the definition of key terms on the part of the public. The language employed by those intent on tightening restrictions on all sexual offenders is often imprecise and emotive (i.e. “predator”) or incorrectly employed (i.e. “pedophile.”) We will consider the latter example for the moment.

The discipline of psychology recognizes pedophilia as a pathological condition involving the persistent sexual attraction of an adult to preadolescents. It is commonly accepted by many mental health and criminology experts that pedophilia is a condition that is extremely difficult, or impossible, to cure-a conclusion which we may stipulate as true for the sake of the reveal analysis. It is apparent from listening to the use of the term by much of the media that the word’s colloquial usage is more politically serviceable than scientifically sound.

In the first region, a medical diagnosis of pedophilia is not interchangeable with the moral category of sexual offenses (or even “sexual offenses keen child victims”); one may exist in the absence of the other. Sexual offenders with child (i.e. underage) victims may offend for reasons other than suffering from a psychopathological condition of pedophilia. For instance, an offender convicted of consensual sexual relations with an adolescent victim would not be diagnosable as a pedophile (or, necessarily, as a member of any other pathological category.) On the other hand, even offenders with preadolescent victims may offend, not due to a pedophilic orientation, but because of opportunity, curiosity, or occasionally even revenge against the victim’s parents (Lanning, 2001). Finally, not all sexual offenses have child victims; forcible rape of an adult and public indecency with an adult are sex crimes, but obviously not evidence of a pedophilic psychosexual condition. Therefore, a proposition that is true with respect to pedophiles as a group will not therefore be upright of the much larger general population of sexual offenders, except by coincidence.

Second, there is a fraudulent unstated premise at work to the effect that a recidivism rate equals the inverse of a cure rate. In reality, there are a variety of reasons a person who is not cured of an underlying condition may not re-offend-whether for reasons of conscience, lack of opportunity, or fear of the consequences. To employ a stop analogy: alcoholism is not considered a curable condition, but it would be patently absurd to claim that no alcoholics remain sober.

The combined effect of these two misconceptions has been to transmute the arguably true proposition “Pedophilia has a very low cure rate” to the demonstrably false proposition “sexual offenders have a very high recidivism rate,” and the corresponding public belief that whatever is done to sexual offenders to protect the public from their incorrigibility is no more than they deserve. Owing to this confusion (and to the human race’s perennial desire for scapegoats) sexual offenders remain, even to a greater degree than terrorists, the single group about which one can say literally anything and be believed.

The number of sources that could be employed to discredit the ‘universal recidivism’ theory could easily overwhelm this article. It is therefore necessary to focus on a few of the most pertinent ones.

In 2003, a major report was issued by the U.S. Department of Justice concerning prisoners released in the United States in 1994. According to this explore, the rate of reconviction of released sex offenders for a new sex crime over a three-year period was 5.3%–with a reconviction rate of 3.5%. (It must be admitted, of course, that a three-year recidivism rate is far from the same as a lifetime recidivism rate.) The overwhelming majority of new sexual offenses committed by the parole prisoners were committed by those in the non-sexual offender category (Bureau of Justice Statistics, 2003).

The records kept by the Michigan parole board from 1990 to 2000 also tell a drastically different tale than the commonly current one. According to its statistics, sexual offenders have the second lowest recidivism rate of any category of crime–the first being homicide. Fewer than seven percent of paroled sexual offenders commit a new crime, and in fewer than half of those instances is the crime another sexual offense. (It may be objected that there is a built-in bias in parole board statistics, since-if the parole board is competent-recidivism of parolees should be less than recidivism of parolees plus inmates whose sentences have expired without parole. But as this bias operates to some extent for all offense types, it is probably of minimal significance.)

In 1997, researcher Eric Lotke identified three discrete studies that placed sexual offender re-offenses over extended periods of time in the teens (i.e. under 20 %.) One would express this conversely by saying that over 80 percent do not re-offend-almost the diametric opposite of what is typically heard in public discourse on the subject. Lotke’s view of the re-offense statistics has been supplemented more recently in a Canadian study (a study on the relationship between age and recidivism) that found average recidivism rates below twenty percent in all offense categories (Hanson, 2001).

In regard to the understanding that no sexual offender therapy works (except “castration”, as the late mental health non-expert Ann Landers helpfully recommended in 1995), this idea is largely traceable to the findings of researcher Lita Furbe and those of the U.S. General Accounting Office (GAO), which found re-offense rates similar for treated and non-treated sex offenders, and concluded on this basis that treatment was ineffective (Lotke, 1997). The GAO study cautioned that “more work was needed before firm conclusions could be reached” (GAO, 1996). Yet in contrast to the fatalism that is heard from public authorities, the Institute for Psychological Therapies has been successfully employing cognitive therapy for many years in treating sexual pathologies; and a study from Vermont documented a three-year re-offense disparity of 8.2 % to 4.6 % for untreated and treated offenders, respectively (Lotke, 1997).

In addition to the above factors, the lack of attention paid to the unique problem of youthful offenders gives the public a false impression of the quandary. “Youthful” offenders does not merely mean young adults such as Justin Fawcett; in many states, including Michigan, Kansas, and Iowa, it may include minors whose crime involved consensual experimentation with age-peers. The psychiatric abuse experienced by many of these children has been well documented (Garfinkle, 2003; Zimring, 2004); and, in an ironic twist, among the other disadvantages of community notification is the inability of persons in many states to “live down” an incident which may have happened when they themselves were legally too young to consent to sexual activity. In Utah, a 13-year-old girl was impregnated by her 12-year-old boyfriend; both were convicted of sexual abuse and both were required to register as sexual offenders (Associated Press, 2005).

VI. Vigilantism

Human Rights Watch, via its U.S. Program, is currently conducting research about state sex offender registries. The research is specifically focused on the broadness of the registries and the effect that widespread community notification has on the ability of registered sex offenders to win a place to live free from harassment and acts of vigilantism. Their concern is not a theoretical exercise in benevolence, but a response to actual conditions that have followed the drive for community notification laws (Carey, 2005).

One of the frauds perpetrated on the public by advocates of community notification laws has been the supposedly non-troubling placidity of the public response to registrants. We have been repeatedly told that vigilantism is a phantom threat, and that the public is mature enough to take revelations of their neighbors’ offenses in stride. Is this the reality in the United States?

Vigilante activity against sexual offenders, whether convicted, accused or merely suspected, did not begin with Megan’s Law. But even many of those favoring the new community notification efforts began to acknowledge an acceleration in such activity by the end of the 1990s. A U.S. Department of Justice survey reported in 2000 that 83 per cent of Wisconsin registrants had reported being excluded from housing due to their registrant status; 77 per cent had experienced threats or harassment, and 3 per cent had experienced an actual vigilante attack (Zevitz, et al., 2000). This consistent with other reports from the same period. According to a British observer:

On May 18, 2001, Consider J. Manuel Bañales of Corpus Christi, Texas, ordered 21 registered sex criminals to post signs on their homes and automobiles warning the public of their crimes, and the results were almost immediate. One of the offenders attempted suicide, two were evicted from their homes, several had their property vandalized and one offender’s father had his life threatened, according to court testimony.

Was Deem Bañales repentant? Not a bit: “They have only themselves to blame,” he contended (Milloy 2001).

One of the more renowned instances of the justice system itself being transmuted into a tool of vigilantes was the case of Kevin Kinder of Tampa, Florida. After release from a total of nine years’ prison and post-release civil commitment, the mother of one of Kinder’s victims organized a movement to shadow Kinder from motel to motel, handing out flyers and drawing attention to his criminal history, even after having effectively expelled Kinder from her own county. Admitting openly that their goal was to maneuver Kinder into violating his parole, it was considered a cause for celebration when, after over a year of harassment, Kinder was sentenced to sixty years in prison for a series of parole violations. One of the violations based on which Kinder received a sentence three times longer than his novel maximum sentence for rape was for disappearing from authorities- while hiding from the mob in his attorney’s office (Goffard 2002; Goffard 2003).

Florida Statute 784.048 provides that “In August 2003 convicted sexual offender and ex-priest John Geoghan was murdered in his prison cell in Massachusetts by neo-Nazi inmate Joseph Druce, who was serving a life sentence for murder. While there were a few shocked comments in the media at the time about the failure of security in the institution, it was shrugged off, in most quarters, as a predictable, if undesirable, instance of “jailhouse justice” in the words of residence representative Demetrius Atsalis. It is noteworthy that Druce (subsequently convicted of murder in the incident) was confident enough in the moral acceptability of his crime to make a play for public sympathy, shouting at his arraignment “Let’s keep the kids great!” and “Possess pedophiles accountable for their actions!” (Associated Press, 2003).

Finally, the manufactured hysteria came to its logical conclusion in a double-murder of two sexual offenders in Bellingham, Washington in August 2005. Previous documented murders of sexual offenders have sometimes been uncertain as to motive-they could plausibly have been revenge killings, underworld killings, etc. The Bellingham murders, however, were committed by a vigilante member of the public who selected their names at random from the publicly accessible sex offender registry, alarming even the local newspaper into a belated warning to avoid acts that might tend to undermine the public registry (Vigilantism threatens community notification, 2005). In the spring of 2006 another double-murder occurred when a mentally unbalanced Canadian murdered two sexual offenders in Maine. And, although it attracted little comment at the time, the short stories and recorded ramblings of mass murderer Cho Seung-Hui revealed an obsession with sexual abuse, and contempt for sexual offenders, only slightly more robust than that of Doug Giles and Bill O’Reilly. Cho raged in particular against John Note Karr-an apparently delusional ne’er-do-well who’d never been convicted of a crime-and Debra Lafave, who’d never harmed a flit, but who gave an underage boy an orgasm. Cho’s belief that homicidal violence was a proper and fitting response to sexual turmoil was not the product of his absorb disordered brain, but a belief in which this country is steeped, owing to the irresponsibility of the guardians of our culture.

These developments were entirely predictable to anyone who has followed the news of the past fifteen years out of the United Kingdom. The violence and irrational barbarism toward sex offenders, whipped up by the tabloid press, reached its apex in 1994 with the burning alive of a young girl by inept vigilantes who torched the home of a sexual offender (Dodd, 2000). In other British instances, pediatricians have been threatened and assaulted by mobs who, unsurprisingly, didn’t know the difference between “pediatrician” and “pedophile.”

To see in all these acts no more than random eruptions of unpredictable hatred is nonsensical. They are, on the contrary, the inevitable end result of a media culture which plays mercurial and loose with the facts, uses the most irresponsible propaganda imaginable, and leaves law enforcement-and the families of victims-to pick up the pieces when the panic they’ve created boils over into violence. But from the witch trials of Salem, to the red scares of the 1920s and 1950s, to the current sexual offender panic–there appears to be a recurring, cyclical need in American life to adopt scapegoats in order to validate the public’s prejudices and fears. The technical term for this phenomenon is “moral panic” and we are now witnessing its bitter fruits.

VII. Further costs to society of community notification laws

The notable therapist and researcher Robert Freeman-Longo has identified a number of additional concerns that call into question the desirability of the community notification system. While acknowledging the reality and magnitude of the sexual abuse plight, and lauding the intentions of that favoring the existing system, Freeman-Longo believes that the goal of a safer society is not well served by the notification system. He has been among its persistent critics since its inception, noting the lack of deliberation in its passage and predicting social dislocations as well as the types of vigilantism documented above as a likely result of the new laws (Freeman-Longo, 1996).

In subsequent publications, Freeman-Longo enunciated other objections to the community notification system. One is the financial cost to the community of maintaining the database, including the labor-hours required to verify that the public information is suitable. The federal version of Megan’s Law in particular operates as an unfunded mandate, requiring the cooperation of the state governments in return for federal money, but not providing additional funds to defray the cost of its implementation. Another collateral achieve of the laws-and one almost certainly unforeseen by those who enacted them–is an increased unwillingness on the part of many victims and their families, as well as some professionals, to report abuse to the authorities:

I have heard from a variety of professionals and child protection workers that they have been faced with the ethical dilemma of not reporting sex crimes perpetrated by youthful abusers in order to avoid the consequences these young people face from registration and notification laws. Many, in fact, have revealed that they have not reported some cases…. Reports from Current Jersey and Colorado indicate that there is a decrease in the reporting of juvenile sexual offenses and incest offenses by family members and victims who do not want to deal with the impact of public notification on their family (Freeman-Longo, 2002).

Also on the list of Freeman-Longo’s indictments of the notification system is the ostracism faced by family members of sexual offenders; in at least one case, harassment of the offender’s family and victim continued despite the fact that the offender himself was incarcerated at the time (!)

VIII. Conclusion.

It appears that some forces on the social and political scene have either learned little from the proliferation of hatred against those charged with any sex-related offense, or assume such a development beside the point. This should come as no shock, as moral crusaders are not normally given to analyzing their adopted issue in a nuanced manner. In the summer of 2005, Laura Ahearn, executive director of Parents for Megan’s Law, criticized the registration system for its lack of uniformity and insufficient breadth; the classification of offenders into low-risk and high-risk categories is, to her, unsatisfactory. “You could live factual next to a predator and have no draw of finding out,” lamented Ahearn (Kelly, 2005), once again boldly asserting the equivalence of committing any sexual offense with ‘predation’. Ahearn is also notable for her insouciant response to the death of Justin Fawcett, arguing that: “Every single place has an age-buffer law. A minor is a minor, and that’s why you have laws to protect them” (Householder, 2004). Evidently Ms. Ahearn is unaware that Michigan’s “age-buffer law” (assuming that by odd word choice she is referring to what is sometimes called the “Romeo and Juliet” provision, aimed at protecting teens in consensual relationships) is not applicable in offenses moving sexual penetration-or else believes that her audience is unlikely to know that or to bother finding out.

After the Lunsford and Bruschia murders in Florida and the Groene murders in the Northwest, the media pressure on politicians to intensify efforts against all sexual offenders, regardless of offense type, increased. Entertainer Oprah Winfrey, who commands a great degree of credibility with the American public on the issue of sexual abuse despite a lack of any known expertise in either the criminal or psychological fields, has adopted it as a flagship cause, slapping bounties on the heads of fugitives and declaring “We are going to move heaven and earth to stop an substandard that’s been going on far too long.” Oprah Winfrey’s online site includes one of the most bizarre features this author has come across for identifying possible “sex offenders”-a list of traits vague enough to identify anyone or no one, e.g. “Adults your children seem to like for reasons you don’t understand.” It should be mentioned that this list of “sex offender” traits is included as a feature on the “child predator peruse list”, once again improperly identifying the two categories (Harpo Productions, 2005). One might be tempted to argue that this is merely the most recent example of the prudent mean between carelessness and paranoia eluding Winfrey as it has on other issues (mad cow disease, for instance) except that on this drawl it has eluded the rest of the country as well.

The only arguably definite development in recent years is a paradoxical one. The U.S. Department of Justice (2005) has reported that the number of registered sexual offenders in the United States now exceeds 500,000. With so many otherwise productive citizens having been essentially stamped as dangerous predators-and many having been harassed and ostracized, or worse-a number of them and their family members have become sufficiently radicalized by the experience to become politically active (many have little left to lose by doing so, for reasons already noted.) Organizations representing registrants and seeking to reform or ruin Megan’s Law have begun the arduous process of lobbying state legislators. The superb lobbies SO Hopeful, the Sex Offender Help and Education Network (SOSEN) and the Coalition for a Useful Registry (groups originating in Oregon, Florida and Michigan respectively) have had some degree of success in fighting especially draconian measures proposed by the legislature, and have worked toward educating the public as to the unintended negative effects of notification laws and providing community support to registrants and their families. Without efforts like these, our nation is likely to experience more recidivism, more suicides, more homicides, and more needless incarceration.

It’s time to deal frankly with the facts. Paranoid schemes such as public registration have been given their chance and have failed. The need for reform and for a common sense discussion of sex-related crime has never been greater, as the stakes have never been so high for so many Americans. And the only way to achieve reform that counts is to demand an raze to the greatest monument to political demagogy and media fear-mongering in recent memory. Repeal Megan’s Law.

Bibliography

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(New York-NY) It’s amazing what you can find under the “Barter” section of Craigslist, like when I stumbled across a posting allegedly by the Carvel ice cream estate that was looking to trade a failed 1970s radio commercial for a Marilyn Chambers autographed Behind the Green door lobby card. I thought it was a scam until the person also e-mailed me a certificate of authenticity.

What is Carvel? Well, if you grew up in the North East during the 1960s and 70s, you probably remember the Carvel brand ice cream; mostly because the pitchman of their TV ads was none other than the owner, Tom Carvel. Carvel had a unique voice. Add the fact that he never had a script and the Jim Beam, it was pretty memorable stuff.

While many consider Tom Carvel the father of the modern franchise, unless of course you go to the McDonald’s website where they say it’s Ray Kroc or the Kentucky Fried Chicken web site where it’s Colonel Sanders. Regardless of which fast food King put us all on the Lipitor Death March First, not all of Tom’s ideas were successful, like the character he created, Tom Marvel, to hawk an notion Carvel thought couldn’t lose…birth control ice cream.

It seems at the height of the sexual revolution in the mid 1970s, Marvel was concerned that many underage teens were having sex. Concerned because it was an expanding market segment, and he wasn’t getting a part of it. Carvel approached the Brooklyn based Pfizer pharmaceutical company, always on the explore out for a drug has to do with sex, and the line was born. Carvel then turned his marketing genius to creating a totally different character, Tom Marvel, for fear that those valid to the Carvel sign wouldn’t take kindly to the unusual ice cream line. For some reason unknown to Carvel, fans quickly figured out who Tom Marvel was.

Only one radio situation was ever created, and it aired once.

Is it real or did I get scammed out of my Slow the Green Door lobby card? Listen and judge for yourself

Due to a storm in Kentucky, thousands of “877″ and “866″ numbers are no longer working. This has not only led to the inability for companies to receive phone calls, it has created an even larger problems with credit card processing companies.

According to Cynergy Data, the storm in Kentucky knocked out fiber optic lines that process the thousands of “877″ and “866″ phone numbers made every day. Cynergy Data claimed these lines may be down for several days. This may have negative effects on businesses especially small businesses who are already struggling in our lagging economy.

As a small business owner I first noticed my credit card and food stamp machines not working early Wednesday afternoon. Several phone calls to my credit card processing company and to the phone company resulted in both claiming innocence and bewilderment.

Talking to the neighboring business owners I discovered their ability to process credit card transactions had ended as well. The phone company repair man, upon showing up to try to fix the quandary, thinking it was isolated to our store, claimed that many businesses across the area were calling and complaining of the inability to process credit cards.

The phone company repair man, despite saying that many stores were having the same issue still said it had to be the credit card processing company. We knew this was impossible because food stamps and credit cards are processed by different processing companies in our store. We also use a different processing company than our neighboring businesses do.

The inability to process credit cards has already cost our small grocery store hundreds of dollars, especially in food stamp purchases. The outage also affected our low income customers who rely on food stamps to place food on the dinner table. It was hard to watch these customers leave their carts of food unpaid for wondering how they were going to pay for the food they needed to feed their families.

As the economy has worsened I have seen more and more customers paying for their food on credit cards or food stamps. This credit and debit card processing outage could mean that the economy as a whole will suffer.

Consumers who are planning on shopping may want to bring back up cash, as your local store may not be able to take credit or debit cards for the next few days.

Sources:

Numerous phone calls with Cynergy Data and the Embarq phone company.

Who in the world has the time to sit here and go through every single game in the NCAA tournament, giving predictions, trends, styles, heartfelt stories, and bring you the 2007-2008 NCAA Champion? Uh, that would be me. Will I secure every single game right where that $5,000,000 perfect bracket will be out there for everyone to submit so we can all split the winnings? No. Will we have some fun being able to debate who is going to win and who is going lose? Hell Yeah! Let The Debates Begin!

The Play In Game- (March 18th, 7:30 Dayton, Ohio)

Mount St. Mary’s Mountaineers (18-14) vs. Coppin State Eagles (16-20)- You know the winner of this game gets to play the overall #1 seed in the tournament, North Carolina. There was a discussion to whether or not this would even be included because most brackets online don’t even offer this as counting towards your total wins in the pools. So, taking out the handy quarter heads will be Mary’s and tails will be State, ready? …………….. It landed tails so a team that started off 4-19 and went 12-1 over their last thirteen will be the guys we’ll remove to go and lose horribly to UNC. This is why no one counts it anymore, and the fact it starts on Tuesday.

Coppin State 71 Mount St. Mary’s 68

Well, looks like that coin flip didn’t work out so well. Mount St. Mary’s 69 Coppin Area 60 was the end result.

EAST REGION EAST REGION EAST REGION EAST REGION

RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA

#1 North Carolina Tarheels (32-2) vs. #16 Mount St. Mary’s (18-14) (3/21, approx. 7:10p.m.)-Alright, the only people that are ever considered picking either one of these potential #16 seeds probably goes to school or works there, kids relieve or someone was trying to fill the brackets out after a long day of beer pong. We’ll keep this short and sweet, because the game will be long and boring.

UNC 98 Mount St. Mary’s 68

#8 Indiana Hoosiers (25-7) vs. #9 Arkansas Razorbacks (22-11) (3/21, approx. 9:40)- Personally, this game really stinks! I am a lifelong Hoosier fan and my brother is an Arkansas fan. When this posted as the second game we called each other not believing this was happening. Oh well, anyways, it struck me odd that these two teams probably have the best talent to go up against UNC compared to all the other 8 vs. 9 games, and UNC is the overall #1. Even though IU coach Dan Dakich has had issues the last three games, I think getting the Razorbacks into immoral concern will be the mark. IU lives at the line this year, and they will in this game.

Indiana 78 Arkansas 71

#1 North Carolina (33-2) vs. #8 Indiana (26-7) (3/23, TBA)- Of course if this game matches up like I want it too, I’ll be rooting for the Hoosiers, but expecting the Tarheels to take their game to Charlotte in the Sweet 16. There is nothing like the advantage of playing at home in any sport, and usually holds true during March Madness. Michigan State really showed the weaknesses that IU has and expect UNC coach Roy Williams to pick up on that and take care of business in the second half.

Sweet 16 Team: UNC 86 Indiana 74

DENVER, COLORADO

#5 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (24-7) vs. #12 George Mason Patriots (23-10) (3/20, approx. 9:50p.m.)- Anyone who loves college basketball and Cinderella stories know all about George Mason and their 2006 final four hasten. Campbell and Thomas are still on this team as they look to do it again. Before however they were an under the radar team, but with the publicity, the Irish won’t take them lightly. It will be interesting to see if the 3s drop for Dre Smith, because if they are, this might be another #12 over #5 upset of the tourney. However, we don’t think so, it was very down year compared to the last couple in the Colonial Athletic Association, but on the other hand they did beat Kansas State, South Carolina, and Dayton all at the beginning of the year though, catching teams off guard but the Irish know all about being upset in the tourney.

Notre Dame 72 George Mason 63

#4 Washington Spot Cougars (24-8) vs. #13 Winthrop Eagles (22-11) (3/20, approx. 7:20p.m.)- This team reminds me of the 06′ George Mason more than this year’s George Mason team. Four Seniors on this team’s squad revolving around the scoring of Michael Jenkins and providing their NCAA opponents with only 58 points per game, they will be a good test for a streaky Cougars team. The only problem is that the Eagles play a half court style game and with such a small team, their own game may play against them. However, it was Winthrop who went to Miami and beat an undefeated Hurricanes team that was 12-0 at the time. This is our first surprise of the tournament.

Winthrop 70 Washington State 64

#5 Notre Dame (25-7) vs. #13 Winthrop (23-11) (3/22, TBA)- Wow right? Well, there is a reason behind the madness, but if we get this matchup Winthrop is our team again. Teams in bigger conferences seem to have problems with pesky teams like the Eagles. It only takes one missed free throw or turnover that could turn this game in their favor. Titanic East Player of the Year Luke Harangody will have something to say about it though that will change our minds once again.

Sweet 16 Team: Notre Dame 74 Winthrop 68

BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA

#6 Oklahoma Sooners (22-11) vs. #11 St. Joseph’s Hawks (21-12) (3/21, approx. 7:10p.m.)- Thanks to their wins over Xavier two times in 8 days, the Hawks found their way into the field of 65 even after losing in the finals of the A10 tourney. Its just the up and down type of team that Oklahoma doesn’t want to play after getting blown out in the semis of the Grand 12 tourney and only beating Colorado by 5 the game prior. The Hawks are a 73% free throw shooting team overall, and with Calathes and Ferguson shooting both over 40% and Darrin Govens knocking them down well over a third of the time, its always a way for upsets to happen and it most likely will here. Plus the Sooners are one of the most overrated teams in the tournament receiving a #6 seed with 11 losses and no big wins the last two thirds of the season.

St. Joseph’s 76 Oklahoma 70

#3 Louisville Cardinals (24-8) vs. #14 Boise Situation (25-8) (3/21, approx. 9:40p.m.)- Eventually I will probably get in anguish for just skipping over some teams I don’t think have a chance, but is there anybody out there picking Boise State to win over a Astronomical East powerhouse? I’m sure someone out there likes the Broncos and is thinking with their heart and not their head, but playing BYU in the middle of the year and Washington State the second game of the season is not the same as going up against G’town, Notre Dame, UConn, Pitt, W.Virginia, Nova’, Marquette, and the rest of the Titanic East all year long.

Louisville 88 Boise Spot 70

#3 Louisville (25-8) vs. #11 St. Joseph’s (22-12) (3/23, TBA)- The Hawks may be able to hit the 3s in the first game against Oklahoma, but Louisville and Rick Pitino won’t let that happen again. Look for this to be another run through for the Cardinals to get out of Alabama and on to Charlotte.

Sweet 16 Team: Louisville 78 St. Joseph’s 64

#7 Butler Bulldogs (29-3) vs. #10 South Alabama Jaguars (26-6) (3/21, approx. 2:45)- This year’s #7 vs. #10 matchups are very intriguing and this game is no different. Its the first time in 14 years that 2 teams from the Sun Belt have gone to the tourney, and analysts have been talking up South Alabama like crazy. Butler is more of a well known participant in the Big Dance, having controlled the Horizon League for awhile now. I really want to flip a coin on this game too, but when Butler plays a stretch of @ Virginia Tech, @ Texas Tech, Ohio State, and two weeks later Florida State winning them all they are going to be a tough team to play.

Butler 69 South Alabama 64

#2 Tennessee Volunteers (29-4) vs. #15 American University Eagles (21-11) (3/21, approx. 12:15)- Keeping this game short, any team that has the least amount of overall losses in the Patriot League at eleven and their the best is a small off. Not to mention they did play G’Town the only other team besides Mt. Saint Mary’s they played that are in the tourney and lost to the Hoyas by 27. Oh wait, I forgot about UMBC who they lost to by 15. This game will be a blowout.

Tennessee 99 American 72

#2 Tennessee (30-4) vs. #7 Butler (30-3) (3/23, TBA)- The Bulldogs are going to have to bring their game if they want to glean past the only team to beat the Memphis Tigers this year @ Memphis. Seniors Chris Lofton and JaJuan Smith leads a high flyin’ offense that the only way a team has any chance of beating them better be able to score, which was evident in the SEC tourney when Arkansas had to drop 92 on the Vols just to derive by a point. Butler won’t be able to keep up with this team even though they’ll try to insensible the game down. Good Luck!

Sweet 16 Team: Tennessee 82 Butler 71

EAST Area SWEET 16 EAST REGION SWEET 16 EAST Status SWEET 16

#1 North Carolina (34-2) vs. #5 Notre Dame (26-7)- Here is where anyone is bound to win any game and the Fighting Irish will have just as good a shot as any when they face the Tarheels. Luke Harangody will be the equivalent of Tyler Hansborough, but this game will advance down to the play of Ty Lawson and if he is still healthy when UNC takes the court. The Tarheels are a different team with him, and the road to the final four definitely runs through North Carolina. Look for this game to be stop until about 4 or 5 minutes left in the game as UNC pulls away for good.

Elite Eight Team: North Carolina 93 Notre Dame 82

#2 Tennessee (31-4) vs. #3 Louisville (26-8)- Can’t wait for this game to happen. Probably one of the most exciting matchups of the Sweet 16, Louisville has the ability to hasten n’ gun with the Vols and slow the game down to get Tennessee out of their rhythm. Only problem is when the Cardinals accept into base trouble a team can pounce on them quickly. Oh, the defense may be the difference in this game and the ability of the fan defective for both teams. Tennessee did well on the road this year, but all games were close that they one except the 10 point win against the Zags. This might be where Chris Lofton and JaJuan Smith end their collegiate careers.

Elite Eight Team: Louisville 71 Tennessee 69

EAST Position ELITE 8 EAST REGION ELITE 8 EAST REGION ELITE 8

#1 North Carolina (35-2) vs. #3 Louisville (27-8)- To be quite just it would have been nice to behold the Tennessee/North Carolina matchup as opposed to this one. Hansborough will be unstoppable, meaning if he doesn’t make his shots he’ll most likely be fouled. I mediate the foul anguish will be the worst thing that can happen for the Cardinals, unfortunately it will.

East State Final Four Team: North Carolina 79 Louisville 69

MIDWEST REGION MIDWEST REGION MIDWEST REGION

#1 Kansas Jayhawks (31-3) vs. #16 Portland Plot Vikings (23-9) (3/20, approx. 12:25p.m.)- ZZZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz. I feel sorry for those who will have to watch this game on TV first. However, the blowout in the first half will allow you to watch some of the other games if you don’t have cable. You might want to get your CBS Sportsline VIP March Madness Pass for the computer.

Kansas 104 Portland State 73

#8 UNLV Runnin’ Rebels (26-7) vs. #9 Kent Status Golden Flashes (28-6) (3/20, approx. 2:55p.m.)- UNLV head coach Lon Kruger has his boyz back in the tournament again even after losing five seniors from last year’s team. This matchup will be interesting considering that Kent State went 13-3 out of their conference this year and two of the losses were at the hands of Duke and North Carolina. If there are two names to remember in this game it will be UNLV’s junior guard Wink Adams and Kent State’s Haminn Quaintance. Quaintance is the only player ever to have over 1300 point, 850 rebounds, 250 blocks, 250 assists, and 200 steals during the course of his career. We like the Rebs, but this inexperienced team is going to cost them, but just barely.

Kent State 74 UNLV 70

#1 Kansas (32-3) vs. #9 Kent State (29-6) (3/22, TBA)- Kansas is primed for a National Championship run and while the Golden Flashes had a minor upset against UNLV, they aren’t near the caliber of the Jayhawks. This will be a slight more fun to watch with all kinds of points being scored, but it will be Kansas who punches their ticket to the Sweet 16.

Sweet 16 Team: Kansas 89 Kent State 75

TAMPA, FLORIDA

#5 Clemson Tigers (24-9) vs. #12 Villanova Wildcats (20-12) (3/21, approx. 9:50p.m.)- This is my favorite #5 vs. #12 matchup that always turns up an upset somewhere in the tournament. While Clemson beat Duke in the ACC tourney and had a great year, but their losses are the tall quiz mark here. While they can play UNC and Duke tough, its the games against Charlotte in January that they lost, the lost to FSU and Georgia Tech the last month of the season that lets us know they are good at playing to the level of their competition. Villanova had two questionable calls that possibly cost them both games, and went through a five game losing streak thanks to internal issues with injuries, etc. Look for the Cats to sneak by with more hot shooting.

Villanova 74 Clemson 69

#4 Vanderbilt Commodores (26-7) vs. #13 Siena Saints (22-10) (3/21, approx. 7:20p.m.)- Another team we feel is little less deserving of a #4 seed then many other teams in this tournament, Vanderbilt has to try to play over and above their opponents. Between the 26 games they won, 14 were by 9 points or less, six of those by 3 points or less. Siena is a team that can plays with the gigantic boys with a win over the highly ranked Stanford Cardinals early in the year. The Commodores have had defensive issues all year and with the Saints ranking 4th in the nation in offensive turnover percentage, its safe to say Vanderbilt isn’t in this game.

Siena 75 Vanderbilt 74

#12 Villanova (21-12) vs. #13Siena (23-10) (3/23, TBA)- Now, thinking statistically here, the main reason I like this little foursome tournament to work in Sienna’s favor is because the other three teams are up and down when they play mediocre underrated teams. Objective as hot as Villanova can be shooting, Jack Frost can arrive in and send chills through the Wildcats shooting strokes. The turnovers are also an issue which the Mighty Saints will capitalize on.

Sweet 16 Team: Siena 69 Villanova 66

OMAHA, NEBRASKA

#6 USC Trojans (21-11) vs. #11 Kansas State Wildcats (20-11) (3/20, approx. 7:20p.m.)- How exciting is this game going to be? O.J. Mayo vs. Michael Beasley, Mayo against Walker, Floyd up against the Big 12 again, I can survey all the headlines now. As for the game the game will be won from the bench here and the Trojans are strong in that area. Even though Beasley is probably one and done, it was a joy to scrutinize him play, but the NBA is echoing his name in the background.

USC 86 Kansas State 79

#3 Wisconsin (29-4) vs. #14 Cal State Fullerton Titans (24-8) (3/20, approx. 9:40p.m.)- Don’t inquire too much out of this game. Wisconsin plays a stupid styled game that makes everyone play to their tune. CSF will have no thought whats going on and the Badgers will breeze by with ease. Sustain an explore on Michael Flowers in this tournament, he’ll be showing off his skills.

Wisconsin 72 Cal State Fullerton 57

#3 Wisconsin (30-4) vs. USC (22-11) (3/22, TBA)- Definitely an intriguing matchup it won’t be so much the style of play in this game, but the experience that proves to be the deciding factor. Its possible the Trojans can start out hot, but Wisconsin is very poised and will do everything to change the pace of the game. Expect it to be a little closer then the Badgers like, but the last 5 minutes of the game will prove to be the inequity.

Sweet 16 Team: Wisconsin 68 USC 62

RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA

#7 Gonzaga Bulldogs (25-7) vs. #10 Davidson Wildcats (26-6) (3/21, approx. 12:25p.m.)- If this isn’t the new Cinderella vs. the old we don’t know what is exactly. Gonzaga had another good year, a little off the radar thanks to other teams like Drake and Butler proving to be just as good if not better throughout the year. They went 6-4 against teams that made the tournament taking on teams like Oklahoma, Tennessee and Memphis, winning @ UConn, leaving the other three as losses but all good games. Mix in a team that has won 23 in a row played UNC, Duke, and UCLA tough, you are in for one of the best games of the tournament. Flip a coin in this one, but whoever wins I think will get past the turnover plagued Hoyas.

Davidson 79 Gonzaga 77

#2 Georgetown Hoyas (27-5) vs. #15 UMBC Retrievers (24-8) (3/21, approx. 2:55p.m.)- The Retrievers will probably get picked by their faithful fans, but outside of that no one has probably even heard of UMBC. It stands for University of Maryland Baltimore County for those that want to learn something unusual. They didn’t play anyone of the Hoyas caliber, but took on another Big East foe in Bob Huggins West Virginia squad losing by 24. Perceive for much of the same in this game, but they may stick around for the first 20 minutes if they can cause turnovers. UMBC ranks second in offensive turnover percentage in the country.

Georgetown 87 UMBC 68

#2 Georgetown (28-5) vs. # 10 Davidson (27-6) (3/23, TBA)- Here it is, the game we’ve all been waiting for, well, the game I’ve been waiting to see. Here’s what I don’t like about Georgetown; they turn the ball over way too much, and they like to unsuitable a lot down uncouth. During the year teams get away with this night in and night out, but during tourney time it doesn’t work, ask Pitt they’ll to you all about the Hoyas woes. Don’t get me detestable, they’re a strong team, but Davidson have three guys that will repeatedly rob it to the basket, those fouls will be a coming. That means their overall 72% free throw shooting as a team will be the incompatibility in this game.

Sweet 16 Team: Davidson 74 Georgetown 68

MIDWEST Status SWEET 16 MIDWEST Set SWEET 16 MIDWEST REGION SWEET 16

#1 Kansas (33-3) vs. #13 Siena (24-10)- Okay, so it was fun getting to this point which I’m sure maybe 1% of the population if that even has this matchup, but don’t worry. Another plain game for the boys in blue who will breeze past the Saints to the Elite Eight.

Elite Eight Team: Kansas 88 Siena 72

#3 Wisconsin (31-4) vs. #10 Davidson (27-6)- Its so funny to listen about how all the big boys have a great shot of winning it all, but no one talks about Wisconsin. They lost to Duke, Marquette, and Purdue twice this year who are all seeded #6 or better in the field of 65. Their stingy defense and poised play with few turnovers and two of the best in seniors Michael Flowers and Brian Butch to make this team a serious contender. Definitely would like to see a smaller school win it all one year, so if this matchup holds true to produce I’ll be rooting for Davidson, but taking the Badgers here.

Elite Eight Team: Wisconsin 67 Davidson 66

MIDWEST REGION ELITE 8 MIDWEST REGION ELITE 8 MIDWEST Set ELITE 8

#1 Kansas (34-3) vs. #3 Wisconsin (32-4)- How exciting is this matchup with Kansas being the #1 ranked team in offensive efficiency going up against the Wisconsin trees and their #1 nationally ranked defensive efficiency. I think the fact that so many people frowned upon the Astronomical 10 this year including the selection committee who very well could have given the Badgers a #2 seed over any of the other #2s out there they have something to prove. Kansas struggles against defenses and if I can gather this game in hand, my brackets will be lookin’ pretty good in this region. Then again it could all blow up in my face!

Midwest Situation Final Four Team: Wisconsin 67 Kansas 63

SOUTH REGION SOUTH REGION SOUTH REGION

LITTLE ROCK, ARKANSAS

#1 Memphis Tigers (33-1) vs. #16 Texas Arlington Mavericks (21-11) (3/21, approx. 9:55p.m.)- Anyone that overlooks Memphis in this tournament because they played in Conference USA better wake up or your brackets will be dumb quick. They’re for real and this game will be quite a blowout.

Memphis 104 Texas Arlington 77

#8 Mississippi Position Bulldogs (22-10) vs. #9 Oregon Ducks (18-13) (3/21, approx. 7:25p.m.)- Honestly, I think Mississippi State have showed that they can play like their on a roller coaster just as much as Oregon has this year. Injuries, fatigue, inexperience, whatever the reason may be it just hasn’t worked out that either one of them can do any better then playing each other. Neither one of them will win their next game, so I might as well flip a coin in this one. However, the last seven games the Ducks had to play were fierce. This game might feel a little easier for them then the Pac-10.

Oregon 77 Mississippi State 67

#1 Memphis (34-1) vs. #9 Oregon (19-13) (3/23, TBA)- Okay for those that recall teams based on who is closer to the regional status this is one to skip over. Actually I’m kind of curious if they are about even mileage. I’ll have to witness into that later. Anyways, Memphis doesn’t really have the strongest road schedule in the land like we talked about earlier, but they aren’t going to go down anytime soon so don’t look for an upset here.

Sweet 16 Team: Memphis 84Oregon 70

DENVER, COLORADO

#5 Michigan State Spartans (25-8) vs. #12 Temple Owls (21-12) (3/20, approx. 12:30p.m.)- Normally I would talk about how time and time again Tom Izzo has his Spartans primed for the NCAA tournament, but this time around its different. Here we’ll be talking about how stopping Dionte Christmas will be Izzo’s main goal because once that happens the rest of the team will fall apart. The Owls are playing hard and winning seven in a row, eight out of their last nine they may be out of gas now that they’re here. Thats our retract, it happens a lot.

Michigan State 71 Temple 62

#4 Pittsburgh Panthers (26-9) vs. #13 Oral Roberts Golden Eagles (24-8) (3/20, approx. 3:00p.m.)- If you don’t know anything about Pittsburgh, just remember the name Levance Fields, their point guard. Ever since his return they have become a force in the Big East. Check this out, there conference tourney they beat Louisville, Marquette, and Georgetown three days in a row to win after the opening round win against the UC Bearcats. I’m not even going to talk about Oral Roberts except that their defense is stingy, just not stingy enough.

Pittsburgh 77 Oral Roberts 68

#4 Pittsburgh (27-9) vs. #5 Michigan State (26-8) (3/22, TBA)- Its hard to go against the Spartans in any tournament, but the Panthers are playing so well and Michigan State ranking 166th in offensive turnover efficiency will be this empire’s downfall. State will probably maintain things stop, but we will all enjoy the last game of Drew Neitzel’s collegiate career nonetheless. Good luck in the NBA draft.

Sweet 16 Team: Pittsburgh 69 Michigan State 64

ANAHEIM, CALIFORNIA

#6 Marquette Golden Eagles (24-9) vs. #11 Kentucky Wildcats (18-12) (3/20, approx. 2:30p.m.)- Some people are calling this the most exciting game of the tournament, however I don’t think so mostly because I don’t like Kentucky. Keeping it real though, the Wildcats will have to prove they can play without turning the ball over because Marquette is an excellent team at causing them and producing points in the process. Gillespie needs Patterson for this game, maybe next year.

Marquette 78 Kentucky 69

#3 Stanford Cardinals (26-7) vs. #14 Cornell Tall Red (22-5) (3/20, approx. 5:00p.m.)- This is an interesting 3/14 matchup since the roller coaster Cardinals are playing. The new Twin Towers in the 7 foot Lopez brothers have the 7th ranked defense in the land. It will be fun to watch Cornell big man Jeff Foote who is also 7 foot go up against these two Cardinals. That being said Cornell better be lights out behind the perimeter because anyone driving the lane will honest get it swatted away. They shoot close to 40% between their three 3-point shooters. Might be asking too much in this game, but they had a immense year.

Stanford 75 Cornell 61

#3 Stanford (27-7) vs. #6 Marquette (25-9) (3/22, TBA)- This will be a immense matchup because Marquette has nothing to combat their trees inside the paint. However, they do make up for it along the perimeter and if they’re raining threes all day long running up and down the court it could be the difference in the game. Stanford must be able to defend the Golden Eagles perimeter play without getting into foul misfortune or bringing the big men out farther to give Marquette more offensive rebounds. Guess this will be one of the signs of which conference was stronger throughout the year between the Big East and Pac-10.

Sweet 16 Team: Marquette 72 Stanford 71

LITTLE ROCK, ARKANSAS

#7 Miami Hurricanes (22-10) vs. #10 St. Mary’s Gaels (25-6) (3/21, approx. 12:30p.m.)- Oh the Gaels, how about wins over Drake, Florida State, Oregon, and Gonzaga this year to note they can play with these tournament teams. Miami isn’t too shabby themselves, but the loss to Winthrop at home while 12-0 is something to say where an upset can happen. Not to mention they lost most of their games to lackluster teams in the conference like Florida State twice, Wake Forest, and Boston College. Hook us up with the Gaels in this one. Miami is one of those teams no matter if we pick them to win or lose they prove us wrong either way.

St. Mary’s 69 Miami 67

#2 Texas Longhorns (28-6) vs. #15 Austin Peay Governors (24-10) (3/21, approx. 3:00p.m.)- Hellooooooooooo Govna! Goodbye Governors…………

Texas 92 Austin Peay 69

#2 Texas (29-6) vs. #10 St. Mary’s (26-6) (3/23)- Texas couldn’t of come out better in this tournament being placed in the South Region. Once they make the Sweet 16 they can stay at home the rest of the tourney. This game won’t be close in the second half.

Sweet 16 Team: Texas 82 St. Mary’s 70

SOUTH REGION SWEET 16 SOUTH REGION SWEET 16 SOUTH REGION SWEET 16

#1 Memphis (35-1) vs. # 4 Pittsburgh (28-9)- This is where it starts getting a small sketchy in terms of whether or not Memphis can originate it to the final four from the South State. Seriously, if you look at both their teams stats they are pretty even in all areas especially fouls, turnovers, free throw percentage, and 3 point %. The first true test of the tourney for the Tigers, and it might be the last. Well, this will probably be the first #1 team out this year.

Elite Eight Team: Pittsburgh 84 Memphis 81

#2 Texas (29-6) vs. #6 Marquette (26-9)- Another up and down the floor type of game with tons of turnovers and scoring staring both teams straight in the eye. Large advantage for the Longhorns now, playing in Houston, Texas then San Antonio, Texas in the Final Four. D.J. Augustin and company will definitely be up to the occasion and send the Golden Eagles packin’.

Elite Eight Team: Texas 79 Marquette 68

SOUTH REGION ELITE 8 SOUTH REGION ELITE 8 SOUTH Station ELITE 8

#2 Texas (30-6) vs. #4 Pittsburgh (29-9)- Yes! This will be a great game, I can play it out in my mind already, Both teams are in foul trouble, tie ball game, about 10 seconds left on the clock the Longhorns with the ball when Augustin drives the lane with about 6 seconds left, kicks it out to a wide open Abrahams in the left corner who drains it with 1.2 seconds left! Yea Baby, Longhorns to the final four.

South Region Final Four Team: Texas 87 Pittsburgh 84

WEST REGION WEST REGION WEST REGION WEST REGION

ANAHEIM, CALIFORNIA

#1 UCLA Bruins (31-3) vs. #16 Mississippi Valley State Delta Devils (17-15) (3/20, approx. 9:55p.m.)- Alright, who’s going to pick the Delta Devils because of their nickname? Positive they’ve won nine in a row 3 games by one point, but this next stat has to be the best one of the tournament. Between all 65 teams, MVST is the only one I’ve found to give up more points on average then they score. Football, thats normal. Basketball? Not so much, in the tournament anyways. Okay, enough of this, they’ll get smoked.

UCLA 84 MVST 61

#8 BYU Cougars (27-7) vs. #9 Texas A & M Aggies (24-10) (3/20, approx. 7:25p.m.)- Besides the faltering on Jan. 15 with a 29 point loss to UNLV, the Cougars have reeled off a plethora of wins going 15-2 over the rest of the season including the conference tournament where they lost again to the Runnin’ Rebels. The Aggies on the other hand are playing horrible losing 6 of their last 10 and now they have to go up against the tenth ranked defense in the country? Where’s Acie Law when you need him!

BYU 71 Texas A & M 58

#1 UCLA (32-3) vs. #8 BYU (28-7) (3/22, TBA)- You know if this game was not being played so conclude to UCLA I would seriously ogle this game, but a home game for the Bruins is aesthetic much like saying this game has already been decided. Collins and Westbrook speeding things up a bit will be the difference in this game, but look for the Cougs to keep it close for 3/4ths of the game.

Sweet 16 Team: UCLA 67 BYU 59

TAMPA, FLORIDA

#5 Drake Bulldogs (28-4) vs. #12 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers (27-6) (3/21, approx. 12:30p.m.)- Alright, so you’ve heard that Drake’s a good team, all the analysts are talking them up, but did you know their guard Adam Emmenecker was the Player of the Year in the Missouri Valley Conference only scoring 8.5 points per game? Yea well don’t be fooled and judge their conference must be scandalous, its his 6 assists a game, 5 rebounds per game, 83% free throw shooting, almost 50% field goal percentage, and two steals a game that helps fuel this team to where they are today. Don’t overlook the Hilltoppers, with NBA prospect Courtney Lee. Flip a coin here, Drake beat Butler this year and WKU lost twice to South Alabama who play each other in the East Region. IDK

Western Kentucky 76 Drake 75

#4 Connecticut Huskies (24-8) vs. #13 San Diego Toreros (21-13) (3/21, approx. 3:00p.m.)- We don’t really care who wins the last game because UCONN should handle either one, which is why we impartial picked one. We’ll take a 1 piece loss that goes no where else. The Toreros, what a team, got past St. Mary’s and Gonzaga to get here, otherwise they wouldn’t be. UCONN may screw around for a little while in the first half, but don’t expect it to last long.

UCONN 87 San Diego 68

#4 Connecticut (25-8) vs. #12 Western Kentucky (28-6) (3/23, TBA)- The Huskies looked tired towards the waste of the season and it showed on the defensive end of the ball even though Thabeet helped keep it from getting out of control. The early exit in the Big East tournament might have been a blessing in disguise giving them the rest they need for the Big Dance. Look for them to be very upbeat as they move to the Sweet 16 once again.

Sweet 16 Team: UCONN 77 Western Kentucky 69

WASHINGTON, DC

#6 Purdue Boilermakers (24-8) vs. #11 Baylor Bears (21-10) (3/20, approx. 2:50)- Another disappointment when the committee let the Baylor Bears into the tournament after going 5-8 in their last 13 which included an early exit in the Big 12 tournament thanks to the 12-20 Colorado Buffalos, but whatever, they’re here now. Their woes have been due to the shooting slump of Curtis Jerrells who is hitting them only about 32% of the time (19m/60a). However, I like the Bears in this game, because they run 5 guards consistently and will cause the young Boilers to have problems.

Baylor 78 Purdue 74

#3 Xavier Musketeers (27-6) vs. #14 Georgia Bulldogs (17-16) (3/20, approx. 12:20p.m.)- The Musketeers bit the dust in the A10 tournament thanks to St. Joseph’s beating them, and for the second time in only 8 days. This game however will bring out a Bulldogs team we’re all used to seeing after having to go 4 games in 4 days with a mess thanks to tornadoes and storm injure in Georgia during the SEC tournament. Probably close for half the game, but the first five minutes into the second half will spell doom for the powerhouse conference Cinderella. Heavy legs are always a exertion.

Xavier 82 Georgia 67

#3 Xavier (28-6) vs. Baylor (22-10) (3/22, TBA)- Xavier’s ability to have six players average 10 points per game or more will be the difference in this game with their overall make up. I think the Bears will be a cramped too excited after beating Purdue and everyone not expecting them to be in the tournament. We’ll just have to wait and behold if they make it to this point in the first place.

Sweet 16 Team: Xavier 73 Baylor 63

WASHINGTON, DC

#7 West Virginia Mountaineers (24-10) vs. #10 Arizona Wildcats (19-14) (3/20, approx. 9:40p.m.)- Some say they should be in, others say not. That goes for both teams, but a lot of controversy over the Arizona squad who have lost 8 of their last 12 games. This included loses to Washington, got swept by Arizona State, swept by Oregon, and took a position which should have been filled by Arizona Situation. The Sun Devils went 5-5 in their last 10 which included wins over Arizona, Stanford, and USC. So, we’ll just be rooting for Bob Huggins and his West Virginia Mountaineers, because there is nothing worse in sports then politics.

West Virginia 76 Arizona 69

#2 Duke Blue Devils (27-5) vs. #15 Belmont Bruins (25-8) (3/20, approx. 7:10p.m.)- Now here is a game that will surprise a lot of people, but this ought to be a pretty good game. If the Bruins are drainin’ threes look out Blue Devils because a 15 seed could fetch again in 2008 if you’re not careful. They rank 1st in the country with 3 pointers made (349) and are on a nice 13 game winning streak averaging 80 points per game. Coach K will near out with some 3-2 zone defense to keep the barrage under control, but withhold in mind there are 5 players on this team that made at least 40 three pointers. The Dukies have lost 5 of their last nine leaving this game looking like an upset in the making. We’ll have to wait and see.

Belmont 78 Duke 76

#7 West Virginia (25-10) vs. #15 Belmont (26-8) (3/22, TBA)- I mediate if this matchup comes up there will be all kinds of people rooting for the Bruins. With so many players able to bomb the threes it will be interesting to see how Hugs tries to take care of business. Okay, we all know Bob Huggins coached squads can’t get out of the second round, or haven’t in forever. Remember the last time UC was down in the bottom right hand corner of the bracket and had a second round matchup against, huh uhm, West Virginia before getting knocked out. Throw some more Bruins my way!

Sweet 16 Team: Belmont 72 West Virginia 66

WEST Station SWEET 16 WEST Site SWEET 16 WEST REGION SWEET 16

#1 UCLA (33-3) vs. #4 UCONN (26-8)- If the Huskies team that can play with anyone shows up in this game, look out Bruins! UCLA is a hard team to size up because most of the year they have relied on Kevin Love and with back spasms who knows how nagging that will be during the tourney. Thabeet can cause all kinds of frontcourt problems and may just be too great for the trio of men looking to net him into foul trouble. This could be the device the game changes and UCLA head coach Ben Howland will definitely be trying to get Thabeet into sinful distress. Which is why we still like the Bruins.

Elite Eight Team: UCLA 64 UCONN 62

#3 Xavier (29-6) vs. #15 Belmont (27-8)- Alright, we’re here and I seriously think if something like this could happen Belmont could cause the Musketeers all sorts of problems like St. Joe’s did twice in 8 days in the A10. However, Xavier losing twice to the Hawks may have woke them up enough to change their game belief against three point shooting teams. Will it work? We judge so, fair because of the stage that will be set and the pressure of reaching the Elite Eight.

Elite Eight Team: Xavier 76 Belmont 69

WEST REGION ELITE 8 WEST Space ELITE 8 WEST Space ELITE 8

#1 UCLA (34-3) vs. #3 Xavier (29-6)- Wow, I know the Cincy fans will be goin’ nuts around here if Xavier gets a chance to go to the Final Four. They have the same kind of team that UCLA does just on not as strong a level comparing the A10 to the Pac 10. This is where it will cost them as the Bruins inside game will take over and that will be it. Maybe a late foul or some controversial call will help them out, but UCLA will get the win and punch their ticket to San Antonio.

West Region Final Four Team: UCLA 74 Xavier 68

FINAL FOUR FINAL FOUR FINAL FOUR FINAL FOUR FINAL FOUR

SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS

#1 North Carolina (36-2) vs. #3 Wisconsin (33-4)- Another matchup that will be fun to watch if we derive this two teams on the left side of the Final Four bracket. By this point the pressure will be on the Badgers, and it will end up costing them the game. The only procedure I behold the Tarheels playing Badger-Ball is by already leading the game up by 14-20 points with about 8 minutes left in the indicate. It will be a good game, but the Tarheels hitting all cylinders and will be primed for the National Title.

NCAA National Championship Team: North Carolina 76 Wisconsin 68

#1 UCLA (35-3) vs. #2 Texas (31-6)- This is going to be a fantastic matchup with Collins vs. Augustin running the prove for each team. If the Longhorns can keep up the pace and not start slowing down like they usually do in losses, they will be there. No UCLA calls in San Antonio, the home court advantage will be the difference here.

NCAA National Championship Team: Texas 88 UCLA 80

National Championship Game National Championship Game National Championship Game

#1 North Carolina Tarheels (37-2) vs. #2 Texas Longhorns (32-6)- How fun is this going to be! Obviously UNC has really been the best team in the land from wire to wire, only faltering against Maryland and Duke. Their 24th ranked defense has some cause for concern with D.J. Augustin, A.J. Abrams, and Damion James waiting on the other side of the ball ready to ram it down their throats. Good thing the Tarheels have Tyler Hansborough, Ty Lawson, and Wayne Ellington to hopefully earn for one of the most memorable games in the history of the sport.

NCAA National Champions: Texas Longhorns 88 North Carolina 87

Will this raze up being how it happens? I highly doubt it, but if it is I’ll be five million dollars richer!

The Kentucky Bar Exam is a difficult exam that takes months of preparation. During these months of preparation it will be important for candidates to not only become familiar with Kentucky Situation laws and Federal laws, but it will also be very important for candidates to practice basic suitable procedures. However, before this preparation even begins it will be notable for the Kentucky Bar Candidate to ensure that they meet all of the requirements to sit for the Bar Exam.

QUALIFICATIONS

Like most other states, Kentucky requires that their Bar Candidates have a Juris Doctorate degree from an American Bar Association accepted law school. While checking the ABA status of your law school may seem like a waste of time, it is an important step to take to ensure that you don’t demolish your time preparing for the Kentucky Bar Exam when you don’t even qualify to sit for it. The ABA set of a law school, even one that is a traditional college, may not be favorable because of several factors. Some of these factors include not meeting current curriculum requirements, not adhering to specific ABA requirements, or they simply may be in the process of acquiring ABA approval. A list of ABA approved law schools can be found online at the following link: http://www.abanet.org/.

The next step in qualifying to sit for the Kentucky Bar Exam is to meet moral and character qualifications. To qualify under this requirement you will need to submit yourself to a background check. This check will not only review your criminal history, but it will also probably involve an evaluation of your financial background as well. This process is intended to establish whether you are responsible and ethical enough to withstand the pressures and demands of a factual career.

The final requirement to sit for the Kentucky Bar Exam is to take the Multistate Professional Responsibilities Exam. This exam is made up of fifty multiple choice questions that camouflage the American Bar Associations Model Rules of Professional Conducted 1983 version, the American Bar Association’s Model Code of Judicial Conduct 1990 version, and any constitutional rulings that apply to the topic of professional responsibilities of a lawyer. After these fifty questions you will also need to complete ten questions that relate to your testing experience. You will have two hours and five minutes to complete this exam. The state of Kentucky requires that you pass this exam with a score of at least 75 points. This is a fairly moderate score requirement, as most of the other states require a score of at least 80 points to sit for their bar exams. This exam is not given by the Kentucky Bar Association, instead you will need to accumulate a testsite in your area that administers this exam. The MPRE needs to be taken before you apply to sit for the Kentucky Bar Exam.

If you are already an attorney in another district you can visit the following link for information on how to become a Kentucky attorney without taking the Kentucky Bar Exam: http://www.kyoba.org/rules/scr/2010.html.

If you meet all of the above requirements then you are ready to register for the Kentucky Bar Exam. To find registration information and materials you should visit the Kentucky Board of Bar Examiners’ website, or contact them for more information.

Board of Bar Examiners
1510 Newtown Pike, Suite X
Lexington, Kentucky 40511-1255
(859) 246-2381 Telephone Number
info@kyoba.org
http://www.kyoba.org

THE EXAM’S FORMAT

The Kentucky Bar Exam lasts for two days and it is given in Lexington during the last week of February, and in Louisville during the last week of July. On the first day of the exam you will be given six Kentucky Law Essay Exam questions as well as six Multistate Essay Exam questions. On the second day of the exam you will take the Multistate Bar Exam, which consists of 200 multiple choice questions that cover general lawful topics and issues. To pass this exam you will need 132 points on the Multistate Bar Exam and a score of at least 75% on the essay exam section of the Kentucky Bar Exam. If you have taken the Kentucky Bar Exam in the past three years and have already passed the MBE with a score of 132 points, then you can apply that find to your newest attempt and only take the essay part of the exam.

WHAT TO STUDY

On the first day of the exam you will be given twelve essay questions. You do not need to know Kentucky law verbatim to pass this section of the Kentucky Bar Exam. However, you should know how Kentucky law is different from those of the national majority. You can earn extra points by identifying these differences in your essays. On the other hand the Kentucky Board of Bar Examiners suggests that this be a secondary objective, and that candidates should reply the questions first with the views of the national majority, and then if they still have time add how Kentucky law differs from this thought.

To fully prepare for the Kentucky Bar Exam study the following topics:

1. Administrative Law and Procedures
2. Conflicts of Laws
3. Contracts
4. Constitutional Law
5. Business Ethics
6. Criminal Law and Procedures
7. Uniform Commercial Code (focusing on sales, secured transactions and negotiable instruments)
8. Civil Procedures
9. Domestic Relations
10. Real Property and Personal Property
11. Federal Taxation
12. Torts
13. Estates, Wills, and Trusts
14. Evidence

For a study materials please check out the following links:

1. Kentucky Rules of Civil Procedures located at http://www.louisvillelaw.com/civil_rules/index.htm
2. Kentucky Rules of Criminal Procedures located at http://kyrules.west.thomson.com/toc/default.wl? db=KY%2DTOC%2DWEB%3BSTAKYTOC&rs=KYR1%2E0&ofindtype=V&odocname=KY011226780&findtype=X&odb=KY%2DRULES%2DWEB%3BSTAKY&vr=1%2E0&docname=KY011226780
3. Uniform Commercial Code located at http://www.law.cornell.edu/ucc/ucc.table.html
4. Kentucky Rules of Evidence located at http://kyrules.west.thomson.com/toc/default.wl? oFindType=V&oDocName=KY011227026&oDB=KY%2DRULES%2DWEB%3BSTAKY&DocName=KY011227026&FindType=X&DB=KY-TOC-WEB%3BSTAKYTOC&RS=KYR1.0&VR=1.0
5. Kentucky Rules of Administrative Procedures located at http://kyrules.west.thomson.com/toc/default.wl? oFindType=V&oDocName=KY011227459&oDB=KY%2DRULES%2DWEB%3BSTAKY&DocName=KY011227459&FindType=X&DB=KY-TOC-WEB%3BSTAKYTOC&RS=KYR1.0&VR=1.0
6. For copies of past essay exam questions visit http://www.kyoba.org

On the second day of the Kentucky Bar Exam you will seize the Multistate Bar Exam. This exam will be made up of 200 multiple choice questions that cover the following topics as they are generally applied throughout the United States of America:

1. Constitutional Law
2. Contracts and Sales
3. Criminal Law and Procedures
4. Evidence
5. Real Property
6. Torts

If you would like a study guide for this section you can visit the NCBE website at http://www.ncbex.org/.

I turned on my radio today, and I could not believe my ears as I listened to my local Lexington, Kentucky, AM radio station. Tubby Smith had officially accepted an offer to coach basketball for the University of Minnesota’s Golden Gophers. I was stunned and panicked to hear the news. The rumors were now confirmed true – Tubby Smith was finally leaving Kentucky basketball. Well, it was a long time coming. I for one am sad to see him leave Kentucky; I ran into him on a daily basis when I attended the University of Kentucky, and he was a first-rate good guy. However, I think the community and Elephantine were both ready for a clean slate.

Admittedly, I was more negatively upset when Rick Pitino left Kentucky basketball. When Pitino eventually returned to college and became Coach McTraitor for Louisville (of all places), my blood boiled. My blood isn’t boiling now though with the advent of Tubby’s exodus. As of late, so many people just have not been showing the support they should have, and I for one certainly can’t blame Tubby for finding a more welcoming spot to exist. It’s easy to complain about what’s happening now and forget about all the edifying things that Tubby has done for Kentucky basketball. Best wishes to you and your family, Tubby.

Now, I’m all furiously worried about who the heck is going to be our new coach? The Herald-Leader reports there will be no search committee, only Kentucky Athletics Director, Mitch Barnhart, will be solely responsible for choosing our new intrepid leader. Of course he will have to lean on the learned opinions of others. Will he attempt to woo Gator Coach Billy Donovan or try to convince Pitino to approach home already??? What about John Calipari or Travis Ford? I can’t choose the suspense! Who do you think it’s going to be??

Whoever it is must possess an enormous amount of clear energy to handle the also enormous amount of nervous twitching energy that is swirling around Lexington. Um, yeah another championship sometime soon would be nice, thanks (before ALL my hair turns gray).

The fate of Kentucky basketball — to be continued…

Despite DNA testing that has cleared Wright of evidence found on a pair of jeans, and a polygraph test that Wright has passed which shows he has been telling the truth all along, as well as a written confession from codefendant John Wade Adams, the state of Texas has issued an execution date of September 9, 2008 for Gregory Wright.

Executions have resumed in Texas after The Supreme Court ruled that lethal injection is not cruel and unusual, and Texas has over 14 executions lined up for the summer months. After a 7 month hold on executions, Texas is wasting no time in executing their inmates, and it doesn’t seem to matter to them if they are innocent or not.

However, anyone who has read about the case of Greg Wright has to admit that Wright is an innocent man, and should be removed from the death row unit and freed of all charges, or at least be given a new and beautiful trial. What more proof of innocence does Texas need to admit that Wright did no obnoxious doing in the murder of Donna Vick. Wright’s codefendant has admitted that he murdered her, and he also sits on death row, waiting his turn to die.

Wright’s wife Connie has been by his side throughout his imprisonment since 1997 and has created a website with facts about his case, and a petition for people to sign. She hopes to win as many signatures as possible to present to the Texas board of parole and pardons. The facts about his case and the petition can be read here. She urges everyone to point to their relieve for an innocent man and impress the petition.

This is not the first time an innocent man has been on Texas death row. In August of 2007, Texas Parole and Pardons voted to commute the sentence of then death row inmate Kenneth Foster. Governor Perry commuted his sentence to life without parole. Foster was sentenced under “The Law of Parties” which states that someone point to at a murder scene can also be charged with Capital punishment. Foster was the get away driver, and never left the car. Noteworthy publicity was given to this case, as Foster’s family and friends protested the execution.

It seems the death penalty is no longer reserved for those who commit heinous crimes. Others that were sentenced under the “Law of Parties” in Texas have already been executed, and more sit on death row. Although Wright was not sentenced under The Law of Parties statue, he was sentenced and railroaded to Texas death row, an innocent man. He has proof of his innocence, and the fact that he has got an execution date doesn’t make any sense. More than 122 inmates have been exonerated from death row, and that fact alone should be reason enough for Texas to agree that this man is clearly innocent.

Will they proceed with the execution of Greg Wright, vivid he is an innocent man? Please help the Wright family regain the justice they deserve. Because if they proceed with this execution, it will be nothing less than cold blooded murder.

Sources:
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/126989/still_on_texas_death_row_despite_confession.html

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/719771/supreme_court_gives_the_ok_to_proceed.html

http://www.freegregwright.com/

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/364111/texas_governor_rick_perry_grants_clemency.html

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/364111/texas_governor_rick_perry_grants_clemency.html

The order by Judge Gregory Frost, a U.S. District Court Think, brings the number of inmates to 15 who are claiming that lethal injection may cause a prisoner to suffer during an execution. The inmates claim that this would be violating the constitution’s ban on cruel and unusual punishment.

California and Missouri have put all executions on contain due to similar lawsuits. In Delaware, an injection lawsuit was extended to all 18 inmates on death row.

The 2004 Ohio lawsuit was brought by Richard Cooey who was sentenced to die for raping and murdering two female University of Akron students in 1986. Richard Cooey of Summit County, age 40, was incarcerated 12/10/86 and is in the Ohio Status Penitentiary, Youngstown, Ohio. Richard Cooey was charged with the kidnapping, rape, robbery, assault, and destroy of Wendy Offredo and Dawn McCreery.

The remaining inmates who are claiming lethal injection is cruel and original punishment and why they are on death row.
Johnnie Baston; 33, of Lucas County was incarcerated 3/21/1995. Baston is in the Ohio State Penitentiary on robbery and cancel charges. Baston was sent to death row for the 1994 abolish of a Korean shopkeeper, Chong Mah, in Toledo.

Kenneth Biros; 49, of Trumbull County was incarcerated 10/30/1991. Biros is in the Ohio State Penitentiary on attempted rape, robbery, and murder charges. Biros was convicted of murdering 22-year-old Tami Engstrom of Hubbard. Biros spread her dismembered remains through parts of Ohio and Pennsylvania.

Romell Broom of Cuyahoga County has an October 18, 2007 execution date. Romell Broom is 51 and was incarcerated 10/24/85. He is in the Ohio State Penitentiary on kidnapping, rape, robbery, assault, and kill charges. Broom abducted 14 year old Tryna Middleton in Cleveland at knifepoint. Tryna was walking home with friends from a Shaw High School football game on Sept. 21, 1984. Broom raped Tryna and stabbed her seven times.

Clarence Carter; 45, of Hamilton County was incarcerated 8/02/1989. Carter is in the Ohio Position Penitentiary on robbery, assault, and cancel charges. Carter was convicted of beating Johnny Allen at the jail annex of the Hamilton County Courthouse on Dec. 28, 1988. Authorities said the two men had argued over a TV area. Carter was in the jail waiting to be sentenced on prior charges of aggravated destroy.

Nicole Diar; 31, of Lorain County was incarcerated 11/08/2005. Diar is in the Ohio Reformatory for Women in Marysville, Ohio. Diar was charged with assault, arson, and abolish. Nicole Diar was convicted of murdering Jacob, her 4 year feeble son. Diar poured gasoline on her 4 year former son’s body and region the house on fire to get rid of the evidence.

Jason Getsy; 32, of Trumbull County was incarcerated 9/13/1996. Getsy is now in the Ohio State Penitentiary on burglary and destroy charges. Getsy was 19 years old when he was hired by John Santine to murder a business rival. They wound up killing the rival’s wife instead.

Jerome Henderson; 48, of Hamilton County was incarcerated 8/12/1985. Henderson is in the Ohio Dwelling Penitentiary on attempted rape, burglary, and murder charges. Henderson’s murder victim was Mary Acoff of Cincinnati.

Jeffrey Hill; 43, of Hamilton County was incarcerated 7/17/1992. Hill is in the Ohio State Penitentiary on robbery, burglary and murder charges. Hill stabbed to death his 61-year-old paralyzed mother, Emma Hill, in her Cincinnati apartment in 1991.

Kevin Keith; 44, of Crawford County was incarcerated 6/01/1994. Keith is in the Ohio State Penitentiary on murder charges. Kevin Keith was convicted of murdering Marichell Chatman, her 4-year-old daughter, Marchae Chatman, and her aunt, Linda Chatman. Keith shot them execution style.

Jonathan Monroe; 34, of Franklin County was incarcerated 12/03/1999. Monroe is in the Ohio State Penitentiary on kidnapping, robbery, assault, burglary, and murder charges. Jonathan Monroe was convicted of torturing and murdering 2 women; Travinna Simmons and Deccarla Quincy. This took place in Columbus in April 1996.

Billy Slagle; 39, of Cuyahoga County was incarcerated 5/13/1988. Slagle is in the Ohio State Penitentiary on robbery, burglary and murder charges. Slagle killed Mari Anne Pope by stabbing her 17 times with scissors. Slagle was arrested on the scene covered in her blood. Mari Anne Pope died a few hours later.

John Spirko; 61, of Van Wert County was incarcerated 12/21/1982. Spirko is in the Ohio State Penitentiary on assault, kidnapping, and murder charges. Spirko was convicted of murdering Ohio postmaster Betty Jane Mottinger; she was stabbed more than a dozen times.

Arthur Tyler; 48, of Cuyahoga County was incarcerated 9/23/1983. Tyler is in the Ohio State Penitentiary on murder charges. Arthur Tyler was convicted in 1983 in the fatal shooting of a Cleveland produce vendor.

Mark Wiles; 44, of Portage and Summit Counties was incarcerated 2/14/1986. Wiles is in the Ohio State Penitentiary on burglary and murder charges. Wiles was convicted January 9, 1986 in the stabbing death of 15 year-old Mark Klima in his Rootstown home.

The Victims
Wendy Offredo, Dawn McCreery, Tami Engstrom, Tryna Middleton, and Mary Acoff were raped or it was attempted.
Tami Engstrom, Tryna Middleton, Emma Hill, Mari Anne Pope, Betty Jane Mottinger, and Mark Klima were stabbed.
Marichell Chatman, Marchae Chatman, Linda Chatman, and the Cleveland produce vendor were shot.
Travinna Simmons and Deccarla Quincy were tortured before they were murdered.

The Summary
Nineteen people are now dead because of the actions of these 15 convicted murderers. From 4 year old Jacob whose mother, Nicole Diar, burned his body to the paralyzed 61 year old mother of Jeffrey Hill, Emma Hill, whom he stabbed to death, not one of them had the chance to claim cruel and unusual punishment. This is not about whether you support or oppose the death penalty. This is about the absurdity that these 15 convicted murderers actually believe that they deserve to have their voices heard. These 15 convicted murderers knew the definition of cruel and unusual punishment when they committed the cruel and unusual crimes that landed them on death row in the first place. Not one of those cruel and unusual murders had anything to do with a needle.

Universal Musician, Michael Barber’s solo indie release, Motion Picture Mayhem 1 and 2 both became internet famous albums in the past two years. The first landed Michael his distribution deal with Universal and the second, a featured torrent download on Frostwire.com became a commercial success now selling over 12,000 copies online.

Michael Barber, who one industry rep at Warner Music Group referenced as a “musical enigma, who doesn’t care about numbers but rather creating good music, and doing what he wants.” That seems like quite the complement coming from a source who wanted to be left unnamed, but he was also rather quick to state, “Michael has the gifts, he has the talent, he has the fans, but he won’t crossover to do mainstream pop albums, he should, he needs to, he won’t, and it is costing him dearly as far as “us” or any other label signing him long term”. Barber does have a distribution deal with Hoopla Media Group via Universal Records.

Michael is one of the rather arresting people that I have interviewed over the past two years, as I contacted his rep at Universal to line up an interview for my blog and some of the magazines I write for online. At first all I heard online was that he was in a rehab in Boca Raton recovering from a drug pickle. This was in November, his album had just released and his Universal project was getting a buzz online. By December of 2009, I finally made contact with Mr. Barber and he told me he was not in a rehab but rather in a home studio he had built in Cocoa Beach, Florida. He said he was avoiding any and all interviews, and if I wanted to hear his music to type Michael Barber Music into google. He then wished me a good day, said he was leaving for a walk on the beach, and hung up.

Now as some of you know, I have interviewed for some of the bigger publications in the world, I always gather my interviews, people email me, EVERYDAY, asking me to leer at their music, to check them out, to please listen to my single, and this kid just hung up and went for a drag on the beach. It bruised my ego a little, but I moved on.

The internet then hit with a story on Michael dating Style Network TV show host, Danielle Fishel, and again I was asked by a magazine to accumulate an interview. I blew them off, and I moved on to covering a titanic story on Gucci Mane.

As the new year hit, Michael released an onslaught of music on a mix tape with DJ Fade, titled “The Truth”. Danielle Fishel was on the cover as well as white rapper Asher Roth in a headlock. The music was a “mix tape” but it was more of a 50 Cent’s “How To Rob” song as a whole album. I guess Michael didn’t learn from 50 getting shot 9 times due to that song. I listened to the entire project, which I might add wasn’t as good as either of the Motion Picture Mayhem albums. Michael took shots at people you just don’t take shots at. He questioned how Asher Roth could fail with a song with Keri Hilson on the hook, he called Asher a gimmick, he went after the very loved, even by me, Drake, saying, “Drake’s new album, is called Nickelodeon made me” and “Could Drake really pass me, if he wasn’t on Degrassi? come on, I am nasty”. He didn’t stop there, he questioned the death of his friend, Static Major, writer of Lil Wayne’s hit record “Lollipop”. He called Lil Wayne out for using ghost-writers, he called Kanye West out for using ghost writers and producers. He laughed at Joe Budden for crying on youtube over his girlfriends. It was 15 songs of Michael attacking the industry.

I decided I should try an interview again. I still had the original number, and I figured Michael might be interested now. So I gave him a call, he seemed in another world as he answered the phone. Maybe he was back on drugs, (heck something to go after all those people). He said he would call me back in one month, he asked me for my number and name, and who I worked for. I explained who I was, and he said that he promised to give me an interview, he just wasn’t feeling the media right now.

I was again upset, but hey life goes on right?

One month passed and about a week after that Michael called me and we set up a time for the interview. His buzz was building as Universal had released a few songs on a few websites, and maybe Universal made him call me.

The next day at around 3, I got my interview. At first he seemed timid and disturbed, but he did open up, here is some of the first interview questions that I got until he said he had to go and would call me back.

Interview One

Hello Michael, how is life treating you with music and everything?

I am blessed right now, I have some strong people around me, I live on the beach, I am currently sober, despite removing stems from smoke, and doing great, how are you?

I am good Michael, so can we talk about your new “mix tape” with DJ Fade, The Truth, you seem to attack the whole industry on this with 15 songs, it is almost like a whole tape of 50 Cent’s “How to Rob” song?

Yes, I am very upset at what a lot of people just don’t peep. I want to always tell the truth, whether it be in legend telling or in honest music. I put out Motion Picture Mayhem 2, and people loved it, but it didn’t get the mainstream success, because, well because I didn’t try for it to. I think I was really honest on that whole record, and I think a lot of people didn’t earn it. I say people, I understand that a 14 year old girl isn’t going to get it, but I was wondering how major labels couldn’t accumulate it. Of course I always have the backing of Jonathan Hay, my guy at Universal, but radio didn’t grasp it up, cause I won’t pay to get you to play my music, yet they will play this bullsh*t that they do for money? Come on DJ’s where is your pride? I have questioned that. The beef’s I have, I have real and true honest beef with people. Asher Roth is a gimmick, he admits he his a gimmick, and for him to put on a college shirt and try and fool that crown, manipulate those kids to buying his music, that is corny. He keeps going around saying ’see me’, yet I did, and I feel I have ended his career, yet he doesn’t want to attack me benefit because he is scared. That is fine.

Ok Michael let me stop you true there, Asher Roth is one thing, he is a one hit wonder type of kid, but you are talking about Joe Budden, Drake, and Lil Wayne!

Yes. Drake, I understand him. He is a rich kid, that is fine, he can embrace that, I came from a middle class family I embrace that, but he is an act. I catch a lot and I mean a lot of hate for saying things about Drake. His music to me isn’t that bad, but he is an actor, he is a trained actor, acting like a hip hop artist. If you arrive from a super wealthy family, you aren’t hard, don’t try to be. Just be you. Perceive his scene in the video for song with Eminem, that Forever song, with Kanye, he is acting. I mean again, a 14 year extinct girl isn’t going to seek, but watch him, always looking away from the camera with a tough look on his face. It is an act. He is a 2010 version of MC Hammer, despite how good his music is. As for Lil Wayne, again I respect his grind, but having ghost writers, and not producer your own music, not a fan of. I saw him in an interview on youtube, the guy says, “how do you feel about the Carter song with Jay-Z, and Wayne replies, “how do you know about that song”. The guy says, “it is on your album”. So Lil Wayne didn’t even know the songs on his Carter 3 album? Crazy to me, he seems like a puppet. You can watch the video on youtube, under Lil Wayne disses Eminem europe interview or something.

Well those are tantalizing things Mr. Barber, let us change directions real snappily and talk about a girl….

{He cut me off laughing and saying “Oh here we go”}

Well can we talk about this situation with Danielle Fishel?

Yes, I guess, I mean I am in the music industry to make hot records, who I have sex with shouldn’t be that interesting, and that is why I hate the media and the press, I just want to make hot music.

It seems like an interesting story Michael can you elaborate on it at all?

Ok, Ok, Ok, well, when the story hit, this was old news. I use to live in Orlando and party a lot at Paris Hilton’s Club when it was up and running. She was in Orlando trying to accumulate her TV show popping off, we met at Club Paris, we became friends, things happened, and like a lot of people in my life they come and party on the Michael train, then they exit and move forward. From what I have heard she is doing great about to be engaged to a really pleasurable kid, and she really doesn’t want anybody talking about her ex drug addict boyfriend. She is a super bright girl, she is drug free, drama free, and she is probably going to be huge, I heard she was doing great. That is all you are getting from me.

Thank you Michael, now let us talk about your deal with Universal Records?

Ok, well, Jonathan Hay, he is a genius. Pure marketing genius, and one of the most sought after people in the industry. With Jonathan Hay, he only puts out sure fire hits, his track list is crazy, he doesn’t have any blemishes on his name, and he signed me to his umbrella group at Universal. He is from Louisville, Kentucky, where I extinct to live, and I think he saw my followers. I think he saw my fans, the people that assist me. He and I are on the same page, apt now we are building up the buzz together. I am putting out some more free music, and my release on his label will come when the timing is accurate. He is like Kobe Bryant, he just knows it is all about timing and then going in for the kill, and with artists like Drake, and Wayne, and J. Cole putting out so much free music, we just can’t rush and drop an album. He knows that, and is unhurried me. So I am working on a project of material all produced by me, “The Purple Aces Project”, it will be put out by me and DJ Fade for free. It is done, it is hot, and it should be packaged up this summer. It is a real fun project, some of the tracks are from when I was partying, doing drugs, written back then, before the dark stuff, so it is a fun project. As for my status with Universal, they have the lead single, it features Nappy Roots, and Jonathan loves it, but we are waiting. I mediate we are coming out, Oct. 10th with the Universal album, “Shotguns and Canned Goods”. It is gonna be mountainous, but between now and then, I have the Purple Aces Project coming with DJ Fade, and a ton of other singles for the summer. I want to keep my fan base happy, and build on it.

Ok all of that sounds immense now let us talk about a few tracks you have now…..

I was interrupted, a dog was barking in the background, and Michael said in a rushed but polite manor that he had to go, and asked if we could finish the interview in a week. I was upset, yes again, but I agreed.

I waited a week, and the buzz from Michael’s Motion Picture Mayhem 2 album hit a website I work for. I guess they are a little bit unhurried I thought in my head, but I was wrong. It seems that the free album torrent download had been downloaded over 50,000 times, but the surprise to everybody was that it was bought stop to 8,800 times on Itunes. Why would a free album, given away, be bought on Itunes and Amazon at that rate? Puzzling, but I guess Michael did have a substantial fan base, a cult following, and they were supporting his project. I saw his song, “Small Town on a River” and “Being a Kid” featured on Myspace. This was with zero radio, only a video for another song that was comely much only on youtube, and poorly promoted. I scratched my head. Why did the brand spokesman I talked with at Warner feel so sure that Michael wasn’t somebody to sign? Was that because he didn’t have Lady Gaga appeal? To me he had more of a Jim Morrison appeal, something that was missing in today’s music world.

I didn’t get to speak with Michael as I ventured to Europe for a month trip. As I returned I had only one email from his PR lady unbiased asking about the interview. She was more concerned about it than he was.

I got in touch with Michael on a slow Monday afternoon, and he seemed like he was just getting up at 3 PM, hello Michael how is everything?

It is going ok, I am living at the beach in a studio I made, really blessed. I remember you Rachel, and thanks for taking the time to give me another chance to talk with you.

Thank you Michael, now it seems your Motion Picture Mayhem 2 album is doing huge online as far as downloads and sales, shriek me about that?

Yes, It is. I really, well, I was desirable proud with that finished product, I mean it featured the first ever vocal recordings of Akon, the production was just all me, it was written by me, and I knew when the downloads advance in so strong that it was ok, I knew it was good when people started asking for interviews, and I think it unbiased shows you that being true to your fans, they will embrace you, and support you, and go back and hold a hot song from something they already know and have. I didn’t remix it at all, a lot of people had it, they just showed attend when I asked them to, and they bought it.

That shows a lot of support Michael, how do you current label situation, and how is your album coming along?

Well I think before July 4th, DJ Proceed and I are releasing, The Purple Aces Project, so I think that should be great, something fun, I will call it beach music, as it was created here at the beach, and my Universal label status is good. I am calm with Universal through Hoopla Media Group, and they have my single with Nappy Roots and I think we should come out this Fall. Hoopla Media Group has a ton of artists right now, so I really want to showcase what I can do, I know I am doing apt with the MPM series on Itunes and Amazon, but they need bigger numbers before they can release a project. I think we are shooting for an October 10th release with “Shotguns and Canned Goods” and I think the third installment of my Motion Picture Mayhem series will be out on Halloween again, I like to release those on Halloween each year.

Can you talk about the Motion Picture Mayhem series, it says online that you are doing 5 of them?

Yes, I actually got the idea from a kid, Sean Finn, that I ran around with and after high school. He was the most talented rapper I have ever met. He could have been great if he pursued it 100%, but hey life happens, he had a kid, and he got away from music. He really taught me lot about hip hop, and then I really took it to the next level, using the movie samples, making the songs have double and triple meanings. Every song is based on or about a movie, or pays homage or uses a movie line. Motion Relate Mayhem really got me my fans, and I am thankful for that. Part three is really gonna be good.

Ok well I am also reading online that Nas liked some of your songs, you two worked together back at your days at Sony interning, how did that come about?

Well Nas is that guy. Nobody is better. Yes, we put out the remix of Kick in the Door, and when we did it, he didn’t know who I was, and I think he didn’t care. That song was released on vinyl only in 2008. Recently, I got to link back up with him and he heard a few songs on the Purple Aces Project, and he loved it. He was impressed, this was after a Reggae Fest in UCLA. He was really impressed with the quality of the production, and mentioned online that he was interested in getting some production from me.

That is really frigid, it also says online that you have sold some screen plays or are going to be in some movies?

Yes, I am working with some people at Lions Gate, I have a short that wlll be produced next year, 2011, that I will star in and I wrote the the screen play for it called, Counterfeit. I also have three other screen plays I am writing, and I hope they arrive to light. We shall see. I am a writer, music, poetry, and now screen plays, I love to write.

Well it seems like you are doing it all, so who are you working with music wise right now?

I have just sold some hot beats to OJ da Juiceman, I want to link up with some other people from the past, of course Kia Shine and Nappy Roots, I am also working with some reggae artists including about to do some tracks with Peewee Dread and I will be in the studio with Nas when he returns from Europe.

Anything else you want to add Michael?

Well thanks, and I hope and wish that all the media was as nice as you are. People can write some awful stuff about you as an artist. I hope people see me for somebody that tells the truth in my music, for not biting my tongue. For burying me upside down when I die, and the critics, they can kiss my a**.

Michael hung up the phone, and that seemed like a very common and normal interview. Maybe Universal was coaching him, maybe he was sober, or maybe he was just tired of being misunderstood.

As we gear up for Michael Barber’s free album, The Purple Aces Project, and his Universal debut, I can only say that I hope that he stays true to himself, and I think he will. He seems to create music that he feels like creating. Maybe the rep at Warner Music Group was wrong, this kid just might be the future.

If you want to know more about your family tree then what you already know, take these steps to start finding all that you would like to know about your family history.

To inaugurate gather all that you have together such as photos, documents, papers, and family heirlooms. To find all this stuff that you’ll need check in the basement, attic, closets, filing cabinets, anywhere that there might be any information that will benefit you. Also check with all your relatives to see if they have any information that will help you with your search. If they have information or documents that they are not comfortable with lending to you, make copies.

Interview your relatives. It is best to initiate with your parents and then move on from there. Don’t just obtain names and dates also accept stories. This is probably the most important step to price your family’s history. Be clear that you don’t place this off, even if it makes you nervous and you may feel uncomfortable, you need to do it.

Write down everything that you have found out. Put all of your information into a family tree chart, or a pedigree. If you do not know how to do this, there are sites that will befriend you do so.

To relieve you originate, you should select on single individual or surname, this will help you to make sure that you don’t miss any important details. Remember that you cannot do this all at once, in needs to be done step by step.

Search the Internet for leads and information on your ancestors. Use message boards, pedigree databases, and resources that are specified to certain locations of your ancestors. You will not find your family tree in one place, you will have to do all kinds of searches on the Internet. At Family History Center you can access the world’s largest collection of genealogical information. Look for records such as birth, death, marriage records, wills, immigration records, land deeds. Be sure that any new information you have found is organized. Date and save everything, make photocopies of any certificates, and take all kinds of notes.

Also, visit places that your family has lived and been to, in those towns be sure to visit cemeteries, churches, and courthouses to find any information that you can about your ancestors.

Once you are done, go back to and start a new surname or individual and do it all again.