Monday, February 06, 2006

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!"




14 Comments:

Blogger Michael K. Althouse said...

Hey! You found it. Well my thoughts haven't changed since my comment on this post (second comment) when I couldn't post to this one due to gremlins. To reiterate - that's not entrapment.

~Mike

5:40 PM  
Blogger Ellen said...

Mike- Actually I had to redo the whole thing over. (re-type, re-read, re-think, etc...)
I remembered a few key points.... luckily the gremlins didn't get my brain, and shot from the hip from there.
Thanks for stopping by!

6:37 PM  
Blogger Milk Brain said...

oh yeah.. i was gonna comment, that we watched part of it too... the things that get me are the ones who have the most trust worthy day jobs.... teachers, rabbi's, etc... THEY should know better to even think of doing anything like that... ruin their lives.. makes ya wonder how many other times they got away with it...

the funniest thing i thought were the ones that arrived when someone was being arrested outside, and just kept on driving waiting for it to quiet down before they went in... i woulda been outta there.! not that i would've been there in the first place, but you think these perv's would've gotten the clue....

6:45 AM  
Blogger Ellen said...

MB- My thoughts exactly! The bogeyman comes in nice packages these days, doesn't he? And common sense is not an attribute that any of them share.

What appalls me the most is the vast numbers of conversations in the first place. It's too bad they have to use the guise of the internet which was never set up for those purposes in the first place.

7:13 AM  
Blogger Scott said...

I don't really believe in entrapment so much, if you are going to engage in that kind of behaviour tough... you deserve to have your rights suspended. Sorry... it is like a court case being thrown out because the cop hit the suspect when they arrested him, the cop should be punished, but it does not diminish the act of the individual...

Scott

9:37 AM  
Blogger Ellen said...

Scott- Exactly! It's the fault of the lawyers out there that try to find any and all loopholes in order to send their clients back on the streets. In this case "entrapment" does not apply.... if anything it would be "enticement", which is another matter altogether.

12:13 PM  
Blogger Deb said...

You know, I always watch the Dateline shows with the sickos that go to a 13 yr old's house for sex. They're all of 'good status' too---officials, school teachers and other 'people to look up to'... Sad, huh?

I'm so glad someone posted about this. Nicely done!

12:29 PM  
Blogger Lee Ann said...

I did a post on this same thing in November:
They are exposed!

It is so freaky to learn what and who is out there!

1:16 PM  
Blogger Neo said...

Ellen - Good post. I think they need to take people like that outside the courthouse after they're convicted and chop off their you know what's!

Totally disgusting. But I do think it's a worldwide problem, and not just here in the states.

It's horrible no matter where it happens.

Peace & Hugs,

- Neo

1:28 PM  
Blogger Ellen said...

Deb- Thanks for stopping by, and thanks for the compliment!
It's so sad to think we live in a world where that type of activity exists, and I agree... they are "sickos". If you go over to Lee Ann's link, she did a wonderful post on this as well.


Lee Ann- That's right, now I remember that post! You did such an excellant job with it too. We do indeed think a lot alike!


Neo- Yeah, my thoughts as well.
A friend of mine had her thoughts about that same idea. She said, "If you can't play with your twinkie right, you shouldn't have one at all". I really can't see where castration would be a bad idea. I'm not sure how well that works on it's own though.... perhaps meds for life as well?

2:25 PM  
Blogger Saur♥Kraut said...

Ditto, ditto, ditto! But not being a TV-watcher, I was unaware of the program. I won't watch it, cuz it would make my blood boil.

The other day we were in a restaurant and this REALLY CREEPY, NASTY LOOKING GUY was staring at my son. When my son, SaurKid, pointed it out to me, I stared right back at the guy. He tried looking one more time and saw I caught him at it, and it was over. One more time and I would've gone over there and punched him, and been willing to live with the charges (if he would've dared press any).

4:51 PM  
Blogger Ellen said...

Woohoo, Saurkraut! You are one sassy woman..... I think that's why I admire you!

Good for you to stare the pervert down. I think you probably could have gotten everyone in the restaurant to join in on your side if you did punch him out.... and no charges to boot!

6:01 PM  
Blogger Lee Ann said...

Ellen, you have a completely different angle. I really like this take on the story!

8:37 AM  
Blogger Ellen said...

Lee Ann- Many thanks!

12:25 PM  

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