In the Ledger today, there were three somewhat related pieces (at least I feel they can be strung together.  .  .)  First, a proposed measure to put GPS bracelets on released sex offenders, since they’re transient and often don’t register in compliance with Megan’s law.  Can everyone say. . .DUH?  And in the editorial section, a brief history of Terence Lynch, a fellow with a penchant for spanking boys’ bare buttocks, who, despite having a record of this and being easy to track, ended up working job after job where he was supplied with plenty of young boys in need of “discipline”.  Look folks, these guys are not going to stop, they’re not going to reform.  Letting them out and expecting them to do as they’re told and play by the rules is naive and short-sighted.  We don’t need any new rules or equipment or anything to keep track of them after they’re released, we need new laws that keep them in, for good.  The very fact that they can be rated as to the likelihood of re-offending indicates that someone in the penal system is well aware that these sickos are going to do what they do – and not tell the neighbors or let the police know when they move.

Now, down in this neck of the woods, there is a woman who, up until this summer, was a man.  Lilly McBeth, nee’ William McBeth, finally fulfilled his wish to change his gender.  As a man, he was a substitute teacher in Eagleswood for three years, and was, according to the published accounts, a fine teacher.  Suddenly, (s)he reapplies for the same job, just looking different, and the parents are up in arms.  At the BOE meeting, several parents were quite vocal, saying that they didn’t want their children to be exposed to this.  Geez, it’s not like she’s going to be teaching gender transition as a subject.  Probably wouldn’t even mention it unless it came up.  >And<, she’s transgendered, not a pedophile.  If they kept track of the pedophiles the way they did this woman, a lot of problems would be solved.  The kicker is the guy who took out a full-page ad in the Tuckerton local paper urging people to come to this meeting and raise holy heck.  Seems that this guy has a particular objection because gender reassignment goes against his religion.  Well, why are your kids in public school if you want them to have a religious education?  Sheesh.  Get with the program, mister.

Switching directions, but also along the lines of stupid legislation mentioned in the first paragraph, the NJ Senate just approved, 33-0, bill S1218, which is a school junk food ban.  OK, no candy or chips or soda, that makes sense, but check this out – it bans any food product that lists sugar as its first ingredient.  This can make the lawmakers look like crusaders for the good of our children without ticking off the high fructose corn syrup lobby and the lawmakers it supports!  Woohoo!  Get real.  Check the junk food labels in the supermarket – you can count on one hand the ones that even >have< sugar in the ingredients list at all.  And if they do, it often follows the high fructose corn syrup.  But I’ll bet you that the Assembly will be just as quick to pass this as the Senate was, because it’s all about how well it spins.