[Hattie]

The children are not safe, even in their own back yards. The predators have more rights.

[Paine in the Neck]

The children are not safe, even in their own back yards. The predators have more rights.

You are exactly right. This trend corresponds completely to the ACLU'ing of American society.

[Alberta's Child]

True, but I would make the case that a large group of kids is a very powerful deterrent to a sexual predator.

Reminds me of a story from my own childhood, when we would venture out into the New Jersey meadowlands and try to make our way across the swamps along an active railroad bed. It was a "Stand by Me" adventure on a much smaller scale, since the hike across the meadowlands didn't take more than a couple of hours.

The biggest challenge was getting past the bridge over the Hackensack River, which was a swing bridge left in the "closed" position except when barges and other boats came up and down the river. There was a watchman on duty at all times, and he was called "The Troll" (from the story about the three billy goats) because he would chase away any kids who came along trying to cross the bridge.

One day, when we were about 12 years old, it all changed. A group of us made our way out along the tracks on a hot summer day. When we got to the bridge, the "troll" simply looked out of his office in the small building next to the bridge, gave us a big smile and a wave, and didn't say anything as we crossed the bridge.

It wasn't until years later that I finally figured out what happened. By the time we were 12 years old, a group of 8-10 kids our age wandering across the swamps probably scared him.

[I am Richard Brandon]

"The predators have more rights.

Let's change that. How about a 'One strike and you're out' policy? First offence and they are offered a choice of:

Chemical 'castration' (must not forget women offenders) and incarceration for life.
Assisted suicide.
Repatriation to their birth country.

Let's clear the decks and make our country safe for children again.

[Vigilanteman]

Back in the 1950's, even organized crime had enough decency not to sell drugs to our kids. An occasional gangsta wanna be who crossed that line might be discovered early on some random morning dangling from a lamp post in the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood as a warning to others.

My grandfather-in-law, a former NYC cop, said that once they identified the corpse and his long criminal record, little further effort was devoted to finding whomever put him there. It was an unwritten code of decency respected by organized crime and police alike. And, for the most part, it worked.

[discostu]

Actually the kids ARE safe but the way the press plays things up we think they aren’t. The truth is a kid is more likely to be hit by lightning than attacked by a predator, and if they are a victim of a predator it’s almost always going to be someone known to the family. But 2 generations have had “stranger danger” drilled into their heads and every time there is an abduction it’s massive national news so that just reinforces it.