Pedophelia is a truly horrendous crime.  It robs the innocence from the most trusting and innocent members of society.  There is no level in Dante's Inferno for Pedophiles as the crime itself is too horrofic for even his 7 circles.  Yet it exists.  No one denies that it exists and no one denies that we must prosecute the criminals to the fullest, and hopefully put them away so that they can never practice their perversion again.

But we have gone too far.  To the point of branding people with the scarlet P for being what?  A teenager in love, or a loving father.  And that is as scary as the perpertrators themselves.  In the latest episode of throwing the baby out with the bathwater, a father in England had to call the cops to prevent from being assaulted by a bunch of do-gooder bystanders for simply snapping pictures of his 2 boys.  What parent does not snap thousands of pictures of their children?  In almost every waking moment!  They change sop fast, that it is the only way to capture their joyful innocence and carefree nature.  Yet now every parent is suspect.  Every parent is a pedophile.  For taking pictures of their children.

Before this insanity became an obsession, I took a picture of my daughter taking a bath with her cousin.  It was a cute picture that my ex still has to this day.  2 3 year olds playing in a tub with their rubber duckies.  Today, I would be arrested and branded with a scarlet P.  For what?  For wanting to capture a youthful exuberance of my child.

A teenager in George is arrested and convicted and sent to jail for life.  his crime?  Having Oral sex with his 15 year old girl friend.  A life ruined because of a bit of passion - and it was consensual.

Children are taken from their parents for what?  A picture of their child, without clothes, they had developed at a store.  Their children, not in any sexual pose.  And they lose their children (and one wonders why I have no compassion for the CPS gestapo).

We have gone to far when we are locking up innocent people on the mere suggestion (sometimes made out of spite) of pedophelia.  The days of "innocent until proven guilty" are gone when it comes to this crime.  Many rejoice at this travesty. "It will save one child, that makes it worth it!"

And so another freedom is lost in the jihad to security.  Today pedophiles, tomorrow "Future Crimes Division" will get you before you can spit on the sidewalk - because it looked like you would. 

Many will laugh at this lament. Others will tar and feather the author for the message, and yes, even brand me a Pedophile for daring to speak out against this injustice.  Today.

Tomorrow they will not be able to.  For they will be in jail on a future crime as well.  That one will be less heinous than pedophelia, but the door has been opened.  And it is only a matter of time before it spreads to a lot more areas.  Freedom lost is a lot harder to regain than freedom maintained.  It is safer to outlaw all activity, but not freer.  There was no crime in the old USSR.  There was also no freedom.