[geeks] Major League Oh Shit!!!

[Chris Byrne]

All,

By now I think you all know my feelings about rape. I mean if my last post
on firearms safety didnt make it clear I dont know what would right. And I
think most of you know my feelings on personal responsibility as well.

Anyway something very very bad has happened in the last few days.

Last wednesday I had a small party at my new house, not really a
housewarming, jsut a celebration that I finally had a real nice place to
live. There were 8 people there age 20 - 30, and the legal drinking age in
Ireland is 18.

This was a normal, 'adult' dinner party not a wild drinking binge party. I
fed my guests (rather well actually, they were all so stuffed they could
barely move) and a LARGE quantity of alcohol was consumed by most.

Several of my guests decided to stay over, which I was fine with, and had in
fact prepared for that eventuality.

Two of them, who once had a relationship decided to have sex that night. As
it happens they started having sex right in front of me so I can testify to
the fact that it was consensual in every way. They were both drinking, and
they were both intoxicated, however not to the point where competent and
informed consent could not be made. As further confirmation she requested
condom use before they continued, and after condoms were procured she was
quite happy to do so. They had sex for several hours and went through all of
my condoms. Twice during intercourse the condoms broke. The young woman was
VERY upset by this fact but this did not prevent her from continuing to have
intercourse, however afterwards she seemed very concerned about the
possibility of pregnancy.

Both individuals are 20 years old, both are college students who live with
their parents.

The next day she and I discussed what occurred, speciafically we discussed
personal responsibility. While we were talking she admited that she had made
a choice to have sex, and that it was stupid, and she was absolutely
terrified of being pregnant.

She then stayed at my home, along with the yong man in question, and several
new guests who are friends of both of them and myself through another dinner
party, and went home with them all at 3am. She had great fun at this second
dinner party and her state of mind was fine.

A bit about me, I was a rape and abuse peer counselor during high school and
college. I have helped counsel many rape victims, including my own aunt who
lived with my family while I was growing up. I was also a drug counselor as
well. I have medical training from the USAFR in preperation for becoming a
pararescueman, and I was a certified nurses assistant and licensed practical
nurse in the state of Arizona. I am trained to recognize the physical and
psychological indications of rape, and the indications of drug use.

On Saturday evening the young ladies mother found a used  pregnancy test.

Abortion is illegal in Ireland however the high court has decided that they
will not legally prevent someone who has been raped from traveling to
england to get an abortion.

Later that evening a rape charge was filed against the young man in
question. As the young woman admitted to consent, a charge of drugging was
also made.

Yesterday (Monday morning)  I was woken up by Gardai walking into my
bedroom. No knock, they jsut walked in my door (I had left it unlocked
because I live in a guarded community and I hate having to use a key to get
out of my own house) up into my bedroom and I woke up with a strange man
walking towards me. Had this been the states there would have been a gun
pointed at the man before he took another step, however as it is illegal to
own the proper self protection measures in Ireland all I could do was wait
to see what happened.

 They searched my house, completely tearing it apart for several hours. They
then questioned me for several hours. All told they were in my home for
about seven hours.

After they questioned me they siezed all of my photographic equipment
including several rolls of exposed film, my webcam, all of my computers
including my primary laptop, two DEC servers running tru64, my intergraph,
my Amiga, three lowend plain PC's my really high end gaming system, and
assorted other computing equipment, as well as the botle of vodka that I
keep in the freezer, but not any of the other alcohol, nor any of the empty
bottles from the party which were still in the house. They also seized all
of my data backups, my external CD-RW, every DVD and video cassette I had in
the house, and several adult magazines.

They were so clueless about computers they actually asked me to show them
how to log in to the systems, and to show them any adult materials I might
have on the systems. I did so, knowing that by allowing me to touch the
systems they had destroyed any evidentiary value they may have had. I mean I
could have had an autowipe setup on there and they wouldnt have known the
diference. I wonder what they are going to do when they investigate the
Tru64 systems and cant find anyone who knows what they are.

My friend was arrested this morning.

The Gardai will not of course say when of if I will recieve my systems, or
more importantly my data back.


Situations like this are why I have two of my main life rules

1. Never have sex with drunk people
2. Always keep an offsite backup, preferably that only you know about.

Unfortunately I wasnt following rule #2 and so I'm fairly screwed for that
data.

Chris Byrne