A case out of Cincinnati, Ohio has many of us scratching our heads at the judgment of some parents. Ben Hawkins scammed parents into believing that he was a researcher who needed to measure the underwear of their children — alone. He was just arrested for sexual assault of the children.
Hawkins, 44, took out ads in a Cincinnati weekly alternative newspaper and sometimes responded to parents’ ads for in-home child care. He asked the parents to meet him in a public place, like a high school, and the stated that he needed to measure the underwear of their children in private — and then allegedly proceeded to molest them.
Police allege that, even when he was under investigation and cooperating with authorities, Hawkins continued to contact parents and children to continue the abuse. After bond was set at $150,000, his lawyer asked for home confinement because Hawkins needs special feeding conditions because, at 16, half of his intestines were removed due to an illness.
I am still stuck on the parents, however. All of us know that there are child molesters out there. I cannot imagine arranging this meeting, let alone sending one of my children off with a perfect stranger to have his or her underwear measured.
Hawkins was previously convicted of using minors for sexually explicit pictures in 1998 and asking a minor to pose for such pictures in 2004. However, he was not listed as a sex offender.
For the full story, click here.
There is no reason for Israel to want peace as long as the “conflict” gets them over $3 000 000 000 in US welfare, not to mention “loans” and weapons. As I mentioned before, because of US welfare, Israel’s per capita income is in line with Greece, without that welfare, it would be in line with Botswana.
If both sides were on a more equal footing, there would be an incentive for peace, but when Israel has the latest US jets, helicopters, tanks, missiles, bombs and automatic rifles and the Palestinians have homemade rockets and Russian surplus AK-47s, Israel will continue to try and dictate the unacceptable to the Palestinians.
The US claims to be a mediator, but the “mediator” gives more than $15 000 to every Israeli per year, and less than $100 to every Palestinian (again, that is before “loans and weapons to Israel).
The Arabs are going to wait until the US goes the way of the British Empire and the USSR, and then they’ll “negotiate” terms with the Israelis. It may be a long wait, but in the end, the majority ALWAYS wins.
Zakimar,
You are right that it will be hard to change the mind of the Israeli people when it comes to the Palestinians. However, I believe that the Israeli/Palestinian problem is much like the Catholic/Protestant problem in Northern Ireland. So much killing and destruction by both sides over so many years makes it difficult to say who is at fault. Hamas attacks Israel, Israel attacks Hamas. Israel builds where it shouldn’t build and rockets rain down on Israel. Israel bombs and Israel is attacked with suicide bombers. The only way this will ever be settled is if both sides decide that they don’t care how it all started. Then both sides can come to the table with a broker and get it done. The neocons in Israel and the neocons among the Palestinians must not win the day. Ego’s must be put aside for the good of both communities. If they can put aside the past on both sides and can keep the neocons and egos out of it, Peace is possible.
If you read the story on this site about how Israel wants to restrict the education of Palestinians, you’ll see why I’m less optimistic that they’ll ever do the right thing. The story was from August 4th. The following was my response:
I did some research first because I find most US media suspect when discussing treatment of Palestinians, but the above article was accurate. The fact that only about 1% of Israeli Professors oppose the occupation shows that Israel will NEVER voluntarily make a peace settlement with Palestinians.
I would think that in Israel as in most countries, University Professors are among the most educated, intelligent and rather affluent people and if 99% don’t oppose the occupation, what hope is there for the less educated, average Israeli Jew having a conscience and enough courage to oppose an illegal occupation?
Remember the movie ’12 Angry Men’? I think it will be harder to change the minds of 99% of Israel.
zakimar,
Many of us agree that Palestine is treated badly, some of us who know this are Jews. I feel like you won’t acknowledge the many times we have all spoken up. You are by no means, “the only one to do so”. Using one form of prejudice to counter another doesn’t work. Either you reject prejudice when you see it (even in yourself) or you don’t. There are people who work together for the good of both societies. They live in Israel and Palestine. They had to work through a great deal of distrust and hatred to do so, but they have made a deep commitment to each other’s well being. There is another way.
I wish more people would rant, boycott, petition, march, vote against the evils of Zionism, Apartheid, genocide etc. but most people think it doesn’t pertains to them and many others don’t think at all.
I remember when President Jimmy Carter came out with his great book, Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid, the reaction he received from Zionists Jews and Christians was such that you would think he was the only President not to have brought peace to the region. I don’t know if most Americans don’t care about the evils of Zionism and Apartheid because of their treatment of the Natives and Blacks or because the biased media keeps it from the public. Either way, ignorance is a poor excuse and I’ll be doing whatever I can even if I’m the only one to do so.
“Nobody ever went broke underestimating the intelligence of the American people.”
–H.L. Mencken
zakimar,
I’m with you. I know there are Zionist, Israeli Jews who are all of the above. Surely you don’t believe they are the only group that has criminals, conmen and pedophiles? You are going to dissapoint a lot of other religious leaders if you won’t give them some of the glory too.
Please don’t take my teasing as trying to get you off the blog. I hope you stay on. You’ve made many good points. It’s just that when you get on your Zionist, Israeli, Jew rants, it is kind of funny.
Jill
If the problem is how to become a criminal, conman and pedophile, your right.
So, all we need to do to make everyone rich is convert to being Zionist, Israeli Jews? Cool! We should all just convert, problem solved. Zakimar, you are a hoot sometimes.
Jill,
Working from the idea that opposites attract I taped my credit card bill to my ceiling. So far all I’ve gotten is more vividly colored credit card bills. So maybe you will be getting some Monopoly money soon.
Now look Gyges,
I don’t see why you have to go about ruining my worldview with your facts. I have a 100 dollar bill taped to my ceiling which I use for my money meditation. I’m sure the law of attraction will work for me unless I didn’t consult the correct feng shui article for its proper placement. Keep your crappy science to yourself.
A Zionist, Israeli Jew trying to “pull the wool” over American eyes for money? I wonder from where he got that idea.
I’ll let you guess what else Benjamin Hawkins and Uri Gellar have in common.
Jill,
My favorite quote about Mr. Geller is something along the lines of “If he really does use paranormal powers to bend a spoon, he’s working way to hard.”
That was a trick?
H&R,
A high I.Q. doesn’t mean you’re immune from being tricked. Look at the PhDs who were fooled by Uri Geller’s cheap parlor trick.
Hugh,
You are right about the IQ test requirement. It is amazing what people will do to put their own kids into harms way!
What kind of complete nincompoop would let their child have their underwear measured in private, by a stranger? My god! There should be an IQ test for parenting, I guess.
Too bad this guy didn’t try that with Mary Winkler’s children.
This guy could sell ice cubes to the eskimos. What an amazing strory. Disgusting, but amazing. If convicted, this guy should never see the light of day again. What were those parents thinking??