Anger is a gift (Happy 3rd Anniversary!)

[innerSpaceman]

OMG, wait ... I'm confusing this with the other pedophile story in the news today. Wow, heavy newsday for sexual depravity.


Heh, here's an idea for ya ... howzabout we make it legal for kids to have sex, oh, i dunno, when they hit puberty??? Ya know, kind of in agreement with God and nature and all??

[€uroMeinke]

I read this article on the pedophile and was surpirsed by this quote:

The Homeland Security department is one of the federal agencies responsible for investigating child pornography and online exploitation of children, through its immigration and customs unit and the Secret Service

I didn't realize this was a tasks of Homeland Security - is there an expectation that terroristist are also pedophiles or pornographers?

[Alex]

I have no problem with kids having sex with other kids at puberty (or even before). I do have a problem with adults having sex with kids since almost by definition it is an unequal power relationship in which even if consent is given the emotionally maturity is not in place to give that consent.

Yes, this creates a blurry line (is a 20-year-old with a 16-year-old bad?) but I think it is a line that needs to exist. If biological ability is the sole basis on determining what we think appropriate for children then we have a whole lot of reorganization we need to begin.

[wendybeth]

Originally Posted by innerSpaceman

OMG, wait ... I'm confusing this with the other pedophile story in the news today. Wow, heavy newsday for sexual depravity.


Heh, here's an idea for ya ... howzabout we make it legal for kids to have sex, oh, i dunno, when they hit puberty??? Ya know, kind of in agreement with God and nature and all??

My kid hit puberty this year- she's ten. If any adult thinks it's okay to go after her, then they needn't worry about getting arrested. I'll ****ing kill them long before the cops catch them.

[Alex]

The four major federal agencies involved in child pornography investigation have always been U.S. Immigration and Customs (to keep it from being shipped to the country and more specifically to prevent children from being brought into the country specifically for sexual exploitation), Department of Justice (obviously), U.S. Postal Inspection Service (the mail police), and the Secret Service.

Customs and Secret Service used to be part of the Department of Treasury (Customs did the investigative work and Secret Service provided forensic and technical services) and when both agencies were moved to DHS these roles went with them. There are a lot of functions under DHS now that have nothing to do with terrorism (which is a big part of the problem with DHS and helped contribute to the FEMA fiasco).

[Nephythys]

Originally Posted by wendybeth

My kid hit puberty this year- she's ten. If any adult thinks it's okay to go after her, then they needn't worry about getting arrested. I'll ****ing kill them long before the cops catch them.

There is not a loud enough AMEN and ME TOO for that one. No snaps could agree more...but in the interest of showing my wholehearted agreement (yes, mark the date I fully agreed with WB )

[innerSpaceman]

The most recent science concludes that the essential judgment centers of the brain, necessary for making rational decisions, is not fully developed in humans until age 25.

My personal experience with people in the younger 20's, and AS a person in the younger 20's, only confirms this.

So, do we make sexual decision-making illegal until then? What makes 16 or 18 or 21 the magic number, when decision-making ability does not mature until 25?

I'm very sorry and understanding that parents may bemoan the acts of Mother Nature, which is having girls (especially) hit puberty younger and younger. But who can argue with Nature? (Argue and win, that is)


And why is it that kids were married at 12 or 13 when the life-expectancy age was 40, but that is somehow considered too young now? What has changed, besides society? Nothing about the children themselves, though perhaps society once molded them to be a bit more mature at that age than it does today. But they were children biologically nonetheless.

Have we simply realized our mistake? Or is the mistake being made now by puny humans pitting themselves against indomitable nature and evolving biology?

[Nephythys]

Anyone can argue with nature and win. It's called self-control and personal responsibility, and it can be instilled into children as well.

[innerSpaceman]

Then instill it in the children. It's pretty much naturally instilled in most adults as well, not to find young children attractive (ick!). But "instill" is a far cry from criminally punish.

[Ghoulish Delight]

Accepting sexual activity with children who are physically "mature" is no more or less "natural" than a someone murdering someone to protect their territory or property. By your "laws shouldn't go against nature" theory, we really ought to repeal laws agains murder as a simple look into the animal kingdom shows that it's an entirely natural instinct.