Sex Offenders Forced To Live Under Miami Bridge

Sex Offenders Forced To Live Under Miami Bridge : NPR

In Miami, a causeway in the middle of Biscayne Bay has become home to one of the county's least desirable populations: sex offenders.

What began a few years ago as a stopgap solution has become de facto public policy. For sex offenders with few resources who want to stay in Miami, there's just one option: an encampment of tents and shacks on the Julia Tuttle Causeway.

The encampment got started a few years ago, when Miami-Dade County, like other communities across the country, adopted an ordinance banning sex offenders from living within 2,500 feet of anywhere that children gather.

It's a law that applies not just to sex offenders on probation but also to felons who have served their time — people like 31-year-old Juan Martin. He served an eight-year sentence for exposing himself to a teenaged girl.

After Martin got out of prison in 2006, his probation officer brought him to what at that time was just a small camp of several men and a few tents under the bridge on the causeway. After three years of living here, he's angry. He says, "The state is forcing you to live like an animal."

Right now, 67 people live here. And nearly every week, probation officers drop off sex offenders, recently released, who have nowhere else to go.

Voncel Johnson recently became the first woman who was told she'd have to live under the bridge. She says when her probation officer dropped her off at the camp, it was unexpected and frightening.

"I'm thinking she's bringing me to a three-quarter-way house," Johnson recalls. "But when I got here it was … pitch dark. The first thing I saw was men, and I'm the only lady here. … I broke down.

The fact is, about half the counties in Florida now have an ordinance similar to the one in Miami. There are fewer and fewer places sex offenders can legally live in the state after they are released from prison.

Jayden - Nightmares

So, for the past few days, Jayden has been waking up between 10pm and 1am with screaming terrors. Won't say anything except "scary!", throwing his arms out, growling, crying... lasts about 10-15 minutes usually till he gets calmed down. Never remembers the dreams of course!

Tonight, he came out at 1:30am, comes over, and says, "Daddy, it started out good, but then it was bad, and ellie went to the no-bridge." Poking and prodding, he tells me his dream was about a gate with 2 fences, but the gate had a no-bridge, and when ellie (Eliana) went on the no-bridge, she fell into off the cliff. That's when he woke up.

He says this is the same dream he has been having... no wonder he's waking up! I can't tell you how many times I've woken near screaming from watching him fall off a cliff in a dream!

Eliana: Counting

Mommy: Ellie, if you fall off the couch there you're going to break my arm.
Daddy: Ellie, if you break her arm she won't be able to wipe your butt.

Eliana: Daddy, Mommy has two arms.

Jayden: Grandmas Age

Today Jayden talked to my mom on the phone for her birthday.

"Happy birthday gramma"
"How old are you, anyway?"
"WOW that's a big number!"

:)

Jayden: New Wii Boxing highscore

"My brain must have gotten wii smartness"

Jayden: 3am cuteness

It's 3am, I hear several bangs that mean Jayden just woke up and is on his way out.
He steps out of his room, looks over at me, and says, quite indignantly: "Why aren't you sleeping! I was coming to cuddle with you!"

A Billion

It's very old.. from multiple sources, I cleaned it up a bit, removed some of the more extreme items, etc.. the 250b New Orleans bit is from 2006, so it's dated. In fact, you can probably ignore the whole damn thing, it's only for my amusement anyway. I updated the "a billion xxx ago it was..." to 2009 because I was curious.

The next time you hear a politician use the word "billion" in a casual manner, think about whether you want that politician spending YOUR tax money.

• A billion seconds ago it was 1977
• A billion minutes ago it was the year 106ad
  
• A billion hours ago it was 112,146bc - the middle of the paleolithic era (stone age)
  
• A billion days ago 2,737,717bc, the Homo genus had not yet evolved
  
• A billion dollars ago was 2 hours and 49 minutes, at the rate our government is spending it

While this thought is still fresh in our brains, let's take a look at New Orleans.

Louisiana Senator Mary Landrieu (D), is presently(2006) asking the Congress for $250 BILLION to rebuild New Orleans.

Interesting number. What does it mean ?

• Well, if you are one of the 484,674 residents of New Orleans (everyman, woman, child), you each get $516,528.
• Or, if you have one of the 188,251 homes in New Orleans, your home gets $1,329,787 for repairs.
• Or, if you are a family of four, your family gets $2,066,012.

Washington, D.C...... HELLO!!! ... Are all your calculators broken??

Tax his land, Tax his wage,
Tax the bed in which he lays.
Tax his tractor, Tax his mule,
Teach him taxes is the rule.
Tax his cow, Tax his goat,
Tax his pants, Tax his coat.
Tax his ties, Tax his shirts,
Tax his work, Tax his dirt.
Tax his tobacco, Tax his drink,
Tax him if he tries to think.
Tax his booze, Tax his beers,
If he cries, Tax his tears.
Tax his bills, Tax his gas,
Tax his notes, Tax his cash.
Tax him good and let him know
That after taxes, he has no dough.
If he hollers, Tax him more,
Tax him until he's good and sore.
Tax his coffin, Tax his grave,
Tax the sod in which he lays.
Put these words upon his tomb,
'Taxes drove me to my doom!'
And when he's gone, we won't relax,
We'll still be after the Inheritance TAX!!

1. Building Permit Tax
2. CDL Tax
3. Cigarette Tax
4. Corporate Income Tax
5. Dog License Tax
6. Federal Income Tax
7. Federal Unemployment Tax
8. Fishing License Tax
9. Food License Tax
10. Fuel Permit Tax
11. Gasoline Tax
12. Hunting License Tax
13. Inheritance Tax
14. Inventory Tax
15. Liquor Tax
16. Luxury Tax
17. Marriage License Tax
18. Medicare Tax
19. Property Tax
20. Real Estate Tax
21. Service Charge Tax
22. Social Security Tax
23. Road Usage Tax
24. Sales Tax
25. Recreational Vehicle Tax
26. School Tax, State Income Tax
27. State Unemployment Tax
28. Telephone Federal Excise Tax
29. Telephone Federal Universal Service Fee Tax
30. Telephone Federal
31. State and Local Surcharge Tax
32. Telephone Minimum Usage Surcharge Tax
33. Telephone Recurring and Non-recurring Charges Tax
34. Telephone State and Local Tax
35. Telephone Usage Charge Tax
36. Utility Tax
37. Vehicle License Registration Tax
38. Vehicle Sales Tax
39. Watercraft Registration Tax
40. Well Permit Tax
41. Workers Compensation Tax

Martin, the greatest president

Tried to get Jayden to tell me what he learned at school today... He told me he learned about the greatest president we had, president martin, who was also a king...I'm thinking something got lost in the trip from school to home!

Three minutes later he signaled that he was quite done learning about Martin Luther King by tag-teaming my head with with a combination Jayden/Eliana bodyslam.

We're up to him remembering that "martin luther king said everyone should be the same.. i mean equal". I guess that's an improvement from king/president martin!

Quote: Cynicism

A cynic is not merely one who reads bitter lessons from the past, he is one who is prematurely disappointed in the future.
- Sidney J. Harris

Worms

Worms crawl in,
Worms crawl out.
Worms play pinochle on your snout.
They use your tongue,
As a diving board.
They dive right into,
Your vocal cords.
Your stomach turns,
An icky green.
Pus comes out,
Like a Dairy Queen.
Your eyes fall out,
Your teeth decay.
And that's the end,
Of a perfect day!