BishopAccountability.org
	U.S. Has It Right Airdrie City View September 28, 2011 http://www.airdriecityview.com/article/20110928/ACV0902/309289991/us-has-it-right Last week we discovered there is a convicted sex offender in our midst. The 77-year-old man volunteered at Airdrie Alliance Church and continues living in the city. Spokesperson Craig Fisher didn't comment on how the convicted sex offender slipped through the church's screening process. The man in question, Richard Kenneth Cooke, is a former Calgary pastor who assaulted a four-year-old girl in 2003 in Lake in the Hills, Ill. Underlining his lack of remorse, a likely sign he will re-offend, Cooke blamed the four-year-old for the sexual abuse, claiming she made sexual advances to him. Apparently, in his mind, pre-schoolers are really developing early, making passes at senior citizens. It's almost unthinkable such a defence could be even ployed. We're glad the judge didn't give him probation and made him sit in jail, despite being released more than one year early. There was, however, no way for Airdronians to know anything about this man's sickly past. Canadians are not privy to sex offender information like our counterparts in the United States. This past week, we constructed a story after visiting the Illinois Department of Corrections online and public sex offender website. Information was easily accessible, featured a photo and pertinent information of the offender. We believe the average Airdrie citizen — and Canadian, for that matter — should have the ability to know where perverts are lurking. However, Canada's stringent privacy laws are so tight it currently makes it just about impossible to facilitate this. It would be prudent if one day the federal government changed its rules and give the general public access to such information. Until then, continue doing what you can to keep your children safe. Parents, be vigilant. There is now a man here who, despite being 77, very well could abduct your child and sexually abuse them.
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