senate bill 1738

[TEDD]

Another reason Senator Biden is a person I want in the White House -- he is sponsoring Senate Bill 1738--The PROTECT Our Children Act. This issue was highlighted today on the Oprah Winfrey show. Whether you watch this show or not, we can probably all agree that these crimes HAVE. TO. STOP. It is heartbreaking, gut-wrenching, and ugly, but we cannot keep the blinders on any more.

As parents it is our duty to not only keep OUR children safe, but ALL children safe. A person who became closely involved with a member of my family was later discovered to be a child predator who spent hours on the computer every night engaging in the unthinkable -- sometimes when my own child was sleeping a room away. It makes me sick to my stomach to think what could have happened if he had had just a few more months to get closer. Due to the overwhelming number of cases, this person has still gone unprosecuted.

I am asking for everyone here to take a moment and follow the steps below to help get this Bill passed. Then, please forward the information on to everyone you can. Thank you in advance for your support.

* jenna's diary :: ::
*

Oprah's web site has a wonderful description of the bill, and an easy to use form letter:

Hundreds of thousands of children are victims of sexual abuse each year. Due to the sheer lack of resources, law enforcement is unable to follow up on the majority of leads they have.

The PROTECT Our Children Act will:

* Authorize over $320 million over the next five years in desperately needed funding for law enforcement to investigate child exploitation.
* Mandate that child rescue be a top priority for law enforcement receiving federal funding.
* Allocate funds for high-tech computer software that can track down Internet predators.

Act Now!
Your U.S. senators will be voting on the bill soon, so it is crucial you contact them immediately.
Go to

Code:

www.senate.gov

to find contact information for the senators in your state. Search for your senator by name or state by clicking on the arrow from either dropdown menu. Contact information is provided here. To send an e-mail, click on "Web Form" below his or her name, and e-mail your letter to make a difference!

Call Your Senators
If you choose to contact your senators by phone, be sure to tell them, "Vote yes on Senate Bill 1738--The PROTECT Our Children Act."

Write to Your Senators
If you choose to write a letter, fax, telegram or e-mail, you may use the following sample letter--and modify it how you see fit.

Dear Senator:
I know that you believe, like I do, that we must do everything possible to protect children from sexual predators. That is why I am asking for your help.

Last year alone, U.S. law enforcement identified over 300,000 criminals who were trafficking in movies and pictures of young children being raped and tortured. Experts say that one in every three of these criminals has local child victims. Child pornography trafficking over the Internet has given us a trail of evidence that leads straight to their doorsteps, but the vast majority of these children will never be rescued because investigators are overwhelmed, outnumbered and underfunded.

As your constituent, I urge you to do everything in your power to pass the PROTECT Our Children Act (S. 1738, Biden-Hatch). This bipartisan legislation passed the House 415-2, but it is now the victim of petty partisan politics.

Now that we know where these children are and how to protect them, there is no excuse for the Senate to fail to take action this session.