November 19, 2011
Saturday

I respect Ms. Johnson's dismay at hearing about the horrible things that have alleged to have been done by Ketchikan resident, Mr. Shay. I have been struggling for days with a way to put into words my own point of view without somehow disrespecting hers. So, please, Ms. Johnson, please know that I respect what you're saying and I see what you mean, but at the same time I would like to express my own.

One of my closest friends was molested as a child. I have watched her, for over thirty years, struggle with the psychological damage that was inflicted upon her by that abuse. It has affected every single relationship in her life. Every Single One.

Yes, the details of what Mr. Shay is purported to have done turns our stomachs. No decent person anywhere wants to hear the horrible, devastating details.

The press is reporting the facts. Mr. Shay has been charged with NINETY COUNTS. And more may be forthcoming.

From what I understand, a count stems from facts which an officer of the law has reason to believe illustrate that an accused person has committed a crime relating to the particular crime in which the accused is charged with. Mr. Shay has been charged, so far; with NINETY counts of possession of child pornography.

A CHILD.

Am I so alone in thinking that Even One Count, well, any reader can finish this sentence .

But NINETY. NINETY reasons to believe that he has inflicted life-long, psychological harm on one or more of the most precious members of our society.

The reason child molesters are able to perpetrate their crimes against children is other people's unwillingness to see the crime. It's too horrific to believe. The accused seems like such a nice person.

Mr. Shay, as we all know, is an ACTOR (and, sorry for this: a politician as well). Such a nice guy. He played Scrabble with my own sweet mother-in law, but I don't think that makes him immune from the law, but apparently he did. He thought, from what I can tell, that he was very immune. He took that computer to the computer store. He allegedly kept this horrific material in his house. He bailed out of jail and went to a public SCHOOL and ACTED after knowing that law enforcement had possession of his sordid materials.

So. No one wants to believe he's committed these crimes.

I HOPE that the victims of these crimes, if they can, are able to read about this and know that we FINALLY know what he IS.

And not all of us think that he deserves protection, or respect, or visitors to the jailhouse. Compassion, maybe, as Ms. Johnson is so very right in pointing out, but I myself am struggling with even that.

If you are a victim of MR Shay, and you've gotten yourself together enough to be able to go online and read this, know this: I THINK HE'S RIGHT WHERE HE NEEDS TO BE AND I DON'T THINK HE'S SUCH A NICE GUY AND I'M TRULY SORRY THAT WE ALL THOUGHT HE WAS SO DAMN PERSONABLE AND WE DIDN'T KNOW WHAT HE WAS DOING AND OH MY LORD I'M SO VERY, VERY SORRY THAT THIS HAPPENED TO YOU.

I don't think that I m alone, at least I pray that I'm not, in feeling a very deep, deep, profound sadness that he wasn't caught earlier. The only thing that the press can do for the victims, I believe, is to tell the TRUTH about this man, finally. Reporting the facts about him is what they SHOULD do. I'm so sorry that the friend whom everyone thought that they knew is not what they thought he was. I truly am.

Renee Tacker
Ketchikan, AK