In Shakespeare’s "Romeo and Juliet," Juliet expresses the way she feels with the famous line, “What's in a name? That which we call a rose, by any other word would smell as sweet.” Her point is that a name is only a label, and if a rose was called by a totally different name, the aroma of the rose would not change.
In most instances, what something is called isn’t consequential until it becomes recognized by its label or name. Then the recognition factor becomes very important. For instance, everyone knows what an apple is, but if people suddenly started referring to them as aplazes, which is the Proto-Germanic noun the word descended from, no one would know what they were.
Recently, Jason Rantz of KTTH 770 in Seattle reported on a new bill that was snaking its way through the Washington State legislature that would require “person first” terminology to address how people address sex offenders. The idea is to “destigmatize” the way these criminals are referred to.
The legislation, HB-2177, also alters the name of the Sex Offender Policy Board to the Sex Offense Policy Board. The name change strives to remove the focus from the “offender” to the “offense,” a subtle but substantial change in how sexual deviants are referred to.
The name change undeniably shows the intent of those who are pushing the legislation. It’s clearly an attempt to begin softening the way the public views those who commit these types of crimes. Efforts by the left to initiate changes like this demonstrate how morally bankrupt these people are. That said, the name change isn’t the most damaging part of the bill.
If passed, the legislation would expand the board to include a victim of a sex crime, which is logical from a perspective standpoint. However, it would also add a convicted level three sex offender, considered the most dangerous type, to sit alongside a victim. If enacted, the left will have successfully changed the purpose of the board. Instead of searching for ways to protect the public, it appears that the new agenda will be to advocate for leniency and acceptance of the offenders.
Actually, if the bill is passed the offender that sits on the board will be known as (I’m not making this up) a “representative with lived experience with incarceration for a sex offense.”
Leading this disturbing campaign is Rep. Tarra Simmons (D-23rd district), who just happens to be a three-time felon herself, having been convicted of retail theft and possession of controlled substances in 2011. At a House Community Safety, Justice, & Reentry hearing on the bill, Simmons said this:
I think that we all do better when we have a diverse legislature. That’s why I’m here, and I’m proud to be here. And while some people may have a stigma for people who have committed a sex offense, I think they have invaluable information to share that can really guide this board.
NEW: Democrats change name ‘sex offender’ to protect rapists’ feelings.
— Jason Rantz on KTTH Radio (@jasonrantz) January 22, 2024
Click 👇🏼 https://t.co/SHUx75QpJB
In another bizarre twist, the bill would not only expand the board by four members from 13 to 17, but it would also include a member of a sex offender advocacy group and a member of a Native American tribe. The reason for the inclusion of a Native American tribe member isn’t clear.
Whitney Hunt is a staffer for the board. She offered an explanation for the “person-first language” in the bill.
This bill incorporates recommendations the board has previously indicated its support for regarding the use of person-first language. This change aligns with best practices and research and encompasses all the individuals involved and impacted by the sex offense management system, including victims.
Rantz noted that “person-first language” is traditionally used to describe disabled people so as not to stigmatize them and define them by their disability. The National Institutes of Health says it is a more “respectful” way to define people with disabilities.
Showing additional respect for those who are disabled is one thing, but the left’s morally decrepit agenda couldn’t possibly end there. For instance, they refer to criminals as “justice-involved persons,” homeless people as “unhoused,” pedophiles are now “minor-attracted persons,” and for a drug addict, the preferred progressive term is a “person who is in recovery from a substance abuse disorder.”
Rantz went on to say that an article in "Psychology Today" explains the use of person-first language for sex offenders, as described by Dr. Elizabeth Letourneau.
She says such “person-first language” makes it so sex offenders aren’t identified “by a single attribute,” nor should they be labeled “based on the worst thing they’ve ever done.” Letourneau states that person-first language allows someone to “communicate more clearly and respectfully” without ignoring the underlying crimes.
Sugarcoating the language for perverse criminals is only one layer of the Democrats' plan. Rantz warned that they are also trying to release dangerous pedophiles into the community.
In 2021, Democrats passed a bill that would more easily distribute conditionally released sexually violent predators across Washington State. The bill also encourages predators to pursue Less Restrictive Alternative (LRA) means of incarceration, which are outpatient programs in a community setting.
That bill's primary sponsor was Sen. Christine Rolfes (D-23rd district), who defended the bill by saying that it is intended to bring “people who are potentially dangerous but not necessarily dangerous back into communities where they can live safely and with their constitutional liberties protected.” Sex offenders at the McNeil Island facility are now referred to as “residents” instead of inmates.
Rantz also reminded everyone about the failed attempt that Democrats made last year when they tried to put a child rapist in an unsecured house in an area where young children congregate in the city of Tenino, Wash. In that instance, it wasn’t until after the person was found out and pressure was applied that the state backed down.
The Sex Offender Policy Board has also made a recommendation that the state end a rule prohibiting LRAs within 500 feet of a childcare facility. The board foolishly stated, “There is no particular increase in risk associated with proximity to the location where individuals who have committed sexual offenses are housed.”
That statement reminded me of a line from one of my favorite movies, “The Silence of The Lambs.” In one scene, Hannibal Lecter (Anthony Hopkins) explains to Clarice Starling (Jodie Foster) how she could locate a serial killer. Hopkins explains that the killer “covets.” He then tells her that a person “begins to covet what they see.” So the idea of placing pedophiles in a location where they can see children, something they covet, is placing those children in danger.
For obvious reasons, law enforcement opposes the bill. James McMahan of the Washington Associations of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs said this:
We think that the value and the original vision of the policy board still is good, that’s what we’d like it to do. We don’t support expansion; we don’t support training and conferences because it loses the intimate, productive, and dispassionate group of experts that the legislature was seeking when they created it in the first place.
The left loves to manipulate. Based on their history with matters like this, Washington Democrats won’t stop with name games or additional board members. This is level one of their agenda, and it can only get worse. The bill is scheduled for an executive session in the House Committee on Community Safety, Justice, & Reentry at 1:30 p.m. on Monday. Let’s hope that rational minds prevail and this idea never sees the light of day.
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