[Phantom Lord]

Just don’t solicit children for sex. No problem.

That is about as intelligent as those who say "Well, if your not doing anything wrong, then you would have nothing to worry about" when discussing civil rights violations and rampant ignoring of the 4th amendment by the Imperial Federal Government.

Hey, if your not harboring any illegal substances or items then surely you wouldnt mind recinding the 4th amendment. Nor the 5th should you be asked to testify. Hey, if you didnt do anything wrong, no problem.

[Restorer]

I guess the part that bugs me is that there are no children actually involved. The "crime" takes place exclusively in the mind of the pervert. He solicited no child, but rather a cop posing as a child.

If a young-looking adult woman claiming to be 15 had sex with an older man, would he be committing statutory rape? He certainly would be intending to, but would it, or should it, qualify as a crime?

What about a young-looking detective who purchases liquor without being carded? The clerk probably believed he was selling liquor to a minor, but he wasn't.

There is a disquieting element of "thought crime" in these situations.

[sinclair]

Didn't say any of that stuff. All i said was; don't solicit children for sex. No problem. I don't see a constituional crisis every time someone gets caught breaking the law.