Thoughts on "To Catch A Predator", Florida

I watched that episode, or at least most of it, last night, and I was shocked and disgusted. The actress who played the female decoy was 19 years old, but from the look, sound, and mannerisms, I had no problem believing she was much younger. She will definitely be carded long after she's 21, but that's irrelevant. The point is that she was necessary, and I find that more than sad and infuriating. Plenty of pervs came to do their worst, and to a person, they were arrested and put before a judge. The one I found the most disgusting was the man who came with his very young son. It's bad enough that he was there to do that sort of thing, but to bring his son who was all of 5 years old... I hope he's a very old man when he gets out.

I've known people who were victims of child molestation, and seen how they were as they were adults, and the damage is as severe as it is permanent. Some overcome it, but others don't. In any case, it's sad, and whenever there's a chance to put one of the bastards responsible behind bars, it's a good thing. In the case of the Dateline specials, well, it was a lot more than one of the bastards responsible, and this was done in coordination with local and state law enforcement and the Florida state attorney general's office, so there's a very solid chance that those caught in this sting will be behind bars for a good while. For those out there who are yet to be caught, I sincerely hope you join these bastards behind bars.

For those who encourage this behaviour under the guise of a number of different flavors of bullshit, such as "Child Love", I wish the same to you. As a side-note, until recently, I was blissfully unaware of that particular euphemism for child molestation. Many people truly love children, and as a demonstration of that love, they strive to protect them from harm, such as the predators caught in this sting, and such as those who preach this disease under the cynical guise of "child love". Those who truly care about children are out there, taking care of their families, encouraging our children to be better than they are and to learn from the mistakes of our past, and for a special few, culling the wolves from the herd. They certainly don't ruin childrens' lives to satisfy their own perverse desires, and those who hunt this type of criminal have my undying respect, support, and gratitude. Oh, and for those who have made it their life's work to capture this type of criminal, I wish you happy and productive hunting.