[SCA-AE] ANNOUNCE: Background Check FAQ

[Lady Deianeira]

I can understand and empathize with the "why's"... and can even see the 
benefits derived from the proposed action - IF and only if - its 
accomplished in a professional manner.. and I'm sorry but an independent 
vendor is not a trusted source ... not to mention, to obtain the type of 
information the SCA is looking for, fingerprinting is an integral part of 
that process - if the information is to be legitimate and trusted.... not to 
mention...

These checks are ONLY going to show convictions (and.. gasp.. "false 
positives" that remain on record - WOW, did we just open up another avenue 
for lawsuits?)... they are NOT going to address suspected individuals or 
those 'under investigation'... and there is another 'benefit' (if you will) 
to the fingerprinting process.. IF someone (who has these tendencies) passes 
the initial checks (highly likely) and then by some chance of fate is 
discovered down the road - say at an event - there is now a way for 
authorities to identify and track the individual.

I believe what everyone is simply trying to say is this process is being 
done hap-hazardly and (as previously stated) is a knee-jerk reaction... 
there are - way to many variables - to just say.. "you need this background 
check"... It doesn't sound like those in control of instituting this process 
[and who are not "in the field where the action is"] .. have stopped to 
really analyze ALL that we, as SCA'dians do - all the vast areas we can (and 
do) become involved in... and simply saying.. "common sense - remember the 
two-deep rule" does not address, nor does it resolve the variables in place. 
Not to mention, to say "use common sense" is scary enough in of itself as I 
too have witnessed at many events a total absence of this on many levels. I 
have seen parents leave their children to their own accord at events or pawn 
them off to someone while they go play ... better yet, take it out of the 
SCA'dian realm - just drive down any road in any state and tell me.. common 
sense is prevalent across society in this day and age.

(deep breath.. ok... this is going to be a difficult so please bear with 
me...)

I personally had a situation involving a "suspected" child molester when my 
daughter was staying with her father in order to finish a school year 
(luckily we blew a breaker last night - or you would be reading that entire 
story) - in a nutshell.. when I learned of what was going on, I immediately 
contacted the authorities to learn they had this man under suspicion but 
could not get any of the parents to submit a statement (fear? probably). 
Would my statement do anything? No! because after putting my daughter 
through all the steps and paces, they determined that she "may have seen 
something" but felt she was older than the girls he would go for not to 
mention vocal (go figure) - that he wouldn't have pushed anything with her - 
and since she wasn't (ahem) a "victim".. no action could be taken against 
the suspect.

After months of dealing with this - not to mention the turmoil and stress.. 
I thought the situation had settled down, then he managed to get hold of my 
'new' phone number and began calling my house asking for my daughter - and 
everything was on the active list again - talking to the authorities, 
talking to her new school, not leaving her unattended for even a microsecond 
and through all this, this man still went on about his daily living like 
nothing was wrong while our lives were in turmoil. But where human justice 
failed... heavenly justice prevailed.. when the 'x' booted out the 
girlfriend (who brought this bast.. umm, man - into their lives) she moved 
in with this man (guess his wife finally left him)- one day - according to 
the account given me - she went home to actually catch him in the act and 
said she had enough and was calling the police. She didn't go to the police, 
she went to my x-husband's house.. however long it was, they finally 
returned to her new domain to find it locked up tight.. they then called the 
police. Having to break into the home, they found this man sprawled upon his 
bed.. handgun in hand - his brains spattered across the room. Justice? 
Nope, not yet... he could not move - BUT! he was conscious - YUP! still 
alive! The paramedics who arrived could not figure out how or why based on 
the scene.. but he was airflighted to a hospital where he there laid on 
life-support for over a month (guess he had plenty of time to think about 
what he had done). I was told his family had to be called in from out of 
state to finally "pull the plug" and even there, it wasn't a quick ending...

Here we have a man who would have come back clear on this background check.. 
because (to my knowledge) he was never convicted on any of the counts. So if 
your wondering why this whole situation tugs on the heart-strings, besides 
the fact I've had both this level of clearance and a Federal clearance - you 
now have a small indication.

(deep breath...)

Dei



----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Andrew Hazen" <adhazen1974 at yahoo.com>
To: <discussion at aethelmearc.org>
Sent: Saturday, January 19, 2008 2:01 PM
Subject: Re: [SCA-AE] ANNOUNCE: Background Check FAQ


  If you do not intent on having a background check done, then what about 
these questions? As stupid as they sound, they have now become very real.