Setting the record straight

By Andrew Vachss

PLEASE TAKE NOTICE, that, during the campaign in support of The CARE Act of 1999, PROTECT did not exist. This "bill" was, at the time, our best hope of getting people to focus attention on a horrific example of legislative kiddie porn.

If you read the interviews conducted at the time, you will see it is all about the "incest loophole." If you've ever read a newspaper, you'll know that the CARE Act's "sponsor" was then-Congressman Robert Ney, a bribe-taker from the King of Political Corruption himself, one Jack Abramoff. There is no Federal Incest Law — unless intended for Indian Reservations, certainly the last group Ney or Abramoff would ever offend. These are not accusations, they are facts, the result of guilty pleas (which is why they call those "plea-bargains").

Even as Ney and Abramoff were still doing time and has not ceased to this very day. But wait, there's more:

(1) Ney knew that his home state (Ohio) did not have an "incest loophole", so he risked nothing while grabbing TV/radio time;

(2) I refused to ever appear with Ney on any program, because it quickly became apparent that he had no interest in getting "his" bill out of Committee ... and he NEVER ATTACHED "HIS" BILL TO CAPTA, that same lovely piece of legislation that controls FEDERAL money given to individual states ... and, by its intentional inclusion of an abused/neglected child's right to "representation," opened the door to warm, caring NON-ATTORNEY "representation."

The relevance of all my comments that politicians will do behind closed doors what they never would in public is a proven fact. So considerable political muscle was used trying to keep the New York bill in Committee (!), followed by this: "A Long Time Coming: Closing New York's Incest Loophole." And its chief "bottler," Sheldon Silver, doesn't happen to mention this on his Assemblyman-for-Life website. For good reason, especially considering the current "situation" of some of his trusted colleagues and staffers:

"Ex-Vito Lopez staffers accuse Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver of coverup"
New York Post, August 21, 2013

"Latest sex scandal on Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver's watch: Assemblyman Micah Kellner made life 'horrible' for young staffer, says source"
Daily News, July 24, 2013

But, just as I said, once it got to the floor, NOT ONE POLITICIAN voted against it.

(3) The Care Act was "mirrored" (in its entirety, right down to the logo) by others, who we did not want to be associated with.

(4) We can kill this "loophole." State-by-state will take longer, sure ... but once enacted, it will stay in place. And once it is tied to CAPTA funding, we can hammer home the right of children in "dependency" matters to be represented by actual lawyers, not some hobbyist, and not via some "program" which gets lots of Federal money.

So anytime you see my name associated IN ANY WAY with the "CARE Act," you'll understand why it HAS NOT BEEN SO FOR 15 YEARS, for all the reasons given above.