a pervasive problem......

I'd like to think that I am a fair person, and listen to all sides before coming to a judgment in my mind, or speak it as taking a stand. There is one area that I show no mercy for, and there is only one side I will stand on. It would be against stalkers who use the internet to seduce and manipulate meetings with children. There is nothing good about that at all.

Dateline on NBC has aired several shows where they set up a sting using the Perverted Justice Program as decoys to pinpoint some of the 60,000 conversations that go on at any given moment on-line. In the first program of the series, we as viewers were allowed into the dark world of these pedophiles actually salivating over their meetings with what they thought were 13 and 14 year old children. In order to state their intent more blatantly, they actually posted pictures of their private parts over the internet chat room, with descriptions of what they planned to do if a meeting occurred.

This by itself is pretty disgusting and slimy, but they felt a personal need to take it a step farther and actually set up a "play date" with the decoys. In order to prove intent, the decoys asked that presents such as beer and cigarettes be brought, as they were too young to purchase said items themselves. The pedophiles went one step further and also brought condoms in many cases. Once inside the "safe-house", the pedophiles were confronted by Chris Hansen of NBC. Thinking that they were in some sort of trouble, but not handcuffed, most stuck around to be interviewed by Mr. Hansen.... and most professed to an excuse that "this is my first time.... I've never done anything like this before". (Excuse me a moment while I throw up right now.)

As Mr. Hansen had no authority to arrest these people, they were let go. It seems like that didn't stop them, as most got back on-line within hours or days, and set up another chat using the same screen names. Perverted Justice can only issue a warning for them to cease and desist; they also have no other authority than that. Does it surprise anybody that their 15 minutes of fame on TV didn't stop their personal agenda?

I watched last Friday night as the series aired it's third segment. This time Dateline and Perverted Justice worked in conjunction with the Riverside County Sheriffs Department in California. The sheriffs department was only too glad to get in on weeding out these individuals, and perhaps put a dent into the epidemic. The decoy and Chris Hansen went through the same process of enticement, baiting the pedophiles into a meeting, and sat back to wait the arrival of their first customers. It didn't take long, and there were many. The big difference was that the sheriffs department was waiting outside in a concealed van. They were there to specifically do arrests.

What was truly scary had to be the professions of the people that walked up the ally into the safe-house, laden with the presents they were asked to bring. One was a Rabbi, several teachers, an actor, and one a Homeland Security Agent. There were even a few that were registered pedophiles already. (I'll give you a moment to throw up now.)

Although they still professed the same excuse of "first time, yadda, yadda, yadda" it was all something we've heard before. Most of them did admit that they had made a mistake, or they were sick and needed help. One even went as far to say that he was there to teach the "kid" a lesson that you should not be putting your personal information out there for everybody to see.... all this while emptying the bag of presents, including a few packs of condoms. If you are there to teach them a lesson, why would you need condoms?.... a question Chris Hansen asked.

Upon leaving the house, they were arrested. Since the traffic into the house exceeded their expectations, the sheriffs department ran out of officers, and had to call in more troops to cart off the pedophiles. What is odd about the whole thing is that some of the people who had planned to enter the house saw people getting arrested out front first. Instead of using common sense, or being scared straight, they just circled the block and waited for a quieter moment to enter. This was all caught on tape. Because their desires and weaknesses were too strong, and common sense too dull, their personal agendas landed them with a record that day.

A lot of people might consider this entrapment. I don't, and I don't care! As far as I'm concerned, you put yourself in that position in more ways than one. If you plan to stalk the internet, post pictures of your huge private parts (although that is debatable whether they were their own in the first place), and try to set up meetings with children, you deserve every rotten thing that can happen to you. If you want to set up meetings with consenting adults (although many professed that that's what they thought they were doing, even though the decoys age was specifically mentioned on the chat log), then that's your business. Consenting adults is an entirely different issue. Teenagers are just dealing with the grips of their hormones when they are 13, why would any decent adult feel it necessary to confuse the matter further?

My nephew posted a story about a man he worked with a few years back, that was caught in a similar sting operation. This was a man who was a boy scout leader, knowingly had a positive HIV status and continually stalked the internet for personal purposes. It made me sick to realize that the bogeyman was a scout leader. Of all people to be leary of.....

How can we as a nation profess to the world that our life is better here in the United States when we have our own citizens taking advantage of our young? If we want to improve the quality of our lives and become examples, we will need to start in our own backyards. It becomes a rally for all decent people to not just say "just say no", but rather "not on my watch!"