08:54 – I see that Sandusky has been convicted of raping children and is awaiting sentencing. He may spend the rest of his life in prison, which isn’t enough.
Meanwhile, I saw an article on CNN the other day that argued that pedophiles can’t help being pedophiles. They’re born that way. And I agree, just as heterosexuals can’t help being heterosexual and homosexuals can’t help being homosexual. Pedophiles are hard-wired from birth to be sexually attracted to pre-pubescent children. There’s no way to change that. But we as a society can demand that pedophiles not act on their attractions, and penalize them if they do so. Hanging, drawing, and quartering seems about right to me. Having sex with children–and by “children” I mean people who have not yet reached puberty–is beyond the pale. Children cannot consent, and having sex with someone who does not consent is by definition rape.
One thing we could do to help prevent pedophiles from having sex with children is relax the ridiculous restrictions on “child porn”. Ban actual child porn, that which involves actual children having actual sex, fine. But right now, fake child porn is penalized just as heavily as real child porn. Drawings of children engaging in sex acts or CGI simulations are just as illegal as actual images or video. Legalize “child porn” that doesn’t involve actual children and you give pedophiles an opportunity for a fantasy sex life that in most cases would substitute for the real thing.