LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONNNNG Term Jailtime...period.

First offense (child 12 and under) - 25 years w/no parole.
First arrest, yet multiple offenses (12 and under) - life w/ no parole.
2nd offense (any age under 18) - life.

Wow,
I am very disturbed (although not surprised) by the violent attitudes that the subject of pedophilia brings out in people.
The disturbance I feel is due to the lack of clarification (and the apparent lack of desire for clarification) of the difference between a person who has an innate (natural, inborn) attraction to children and the person who violates a child.
Pedophilia is the love of children (referred to most often in the sexual aspect of love). Child molesters take action against a child (although in some circumstances the child may not be overtly against the sexual act of touching, etc.). Not all pedophiles act out their sexual attractions and many are as harmless as someone who enjoys watching violence on television but manages to restrict themselves from going out and murdering someone (hmmm... I guess it is possible to feel/think one way and act another).
The critical aspect of a pedophile that needs to be considered is of course, is this person a threat to our society and children in general? Since research has been unable to determine which pedophiles are likely to act on their "urges" and which pedophiles are not, should we simply kill them all or lock them all up?
Another thing to think about (go ahead, toss the idea around!) is that we are a combination of our genes and our environment and have NO CONTROL over at least 50% of it and more likely 80-90% as a child. If we are born with a sexual attraction towards anything at all (men, woman, children, animals, etc.), does this make us "sick" or does this make us human? The difference, remember, is what we choose to do in our interaction with the rest of the world.
For example, I am sure from reading many of the posts here that a lot of people think about killing other people a lot. If you go out and kill someone and get caught you are going to be punished for it - this keeps most people from acting on their impulse to kill. That and of course, the feeling that it is wrong to kill. So most of us conclude that killing is a bad idea and we don't do it, right? I guess it all depends on just how angry someone makes you, right?
Anyway, back to my point. What I truly want to get across is that we ALL think about things that we won't talk about with others and that we would NEVER act on but we are not going to be thrown in jail or killed for it (unless of course someone finds out how we think, right?) If we are responsible and do no harm to others we manage to lead generally good lives, don't we?
Think carefully about the labels people are given and the things associated with those labels. Take the word "Christian" or "Atheist" for example. Words carry a lot of power and lumping every pedophile into the child molester category is probably no better than lumping all black people into the gangster or welfare category. Think about this.
Next time you are sitting on the toilet but forget your reading material, ask yourself this question. If a person has a thought does that make them a criminal? If we got punished for our thoughts, I bet we'd all be in a lot of trouble, right? Careful how you lump people in a category.
The last thing I want to say is that the most important thing we have is our freedom. Our freedom from victimization in the case of child molestation. Anyone who forces anyone else to do something that hurts, humiliates or damages them is committing a crime. If someone claims not to be able to "control" themselves maybe we ought to listen and take steps to prevent them from harming someone else but let them maintain as much of a normal life as possible. It only makes sense since we let people get away with abusing each other every single day. Most all of us have been abused in one way or another - sexual, physical, emotional, etc. We commit these crimes against each other every day. We hurt each other and we don't get the death penalty. Some people beat their children and never get in trouble for it. Some people tell their children they are useless and no good but no one gives them the death penalty. Even if it effects the rest of their lives and all of their relationships.
I'm sorry if this seems disorganized - there is a lot to think about here. Murder is not the answer unless you murder EVERYONE including yourself. Now how silly does that sound?

IMO I don't feel there should be laws restricting two consenting people, whether or not one or both are under 16, from having sex. Why is it the business of the government to make "good decisions" for minors?

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If a neocon whines about big government wealth redistribution, just ask him what he thinks about the portion of that big government that sends aid to Israel.

My problem with this reasoning is that if it is a case of an older adult having sex with a young child (say 12 or under for example), the adult is completely taking advantage of the child and this i cannot tolerate. I don't believe there is a way a young child can consent. The child has no idea what it means to be that intimate with a person.

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"A dog barks when his master is attacked. I would be a coward if I saw that God's truth is attacked and yet would remain silent."
-John Calvin

Castration.

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“It's time to admit that public education operates like a planned economy, a bureaucratic system in which everybody's role is spelled out in advance and there are few incentives for innovation and productivity. It's no surprise that our school system doesn't improve; it more resembles the communist economy than our own market economy."
Albert Shanker, former president of the American Federation of Teachers

How so? Why is it your decision that the child is taken advantage of, and not the child's? This is an assumption based on a huge generalization.

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If a neocon whines about big government wealth redistribution, just ask him what he thinks about the portion of that big government that sends aid to Israel.

What is an acceptable punishment?

Execution for the first offense.

Slow, painful execution. Think thousands of paper cuts and alcohol kind of painful....

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In case you were wondering, yes, there really ARE more idiots these days....technology has made natural selection obsolete.

So the punishment for consented sex is torture and death?

__________________
If a neocon whines about big government wealth redistribution, just ask him what he thinks about the portion of that big government that sends aid to Israel.

Exactly! Children are too easily coerced and a skilled pedophile knows exactly how to get a child to accept him or her. If I caught someone messing with one of my grandchildren, no one would need to worry about the justice system breaking down because I'd administer my own brand of justice.

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"Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways - Chardonnay in one hand - chocolate in the other - body thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and screaming "WOO HOO, What a Ride!"

Slon - you should examine your feelings more carefully.
I hope you are very young yourself, which would explain such a disturbing opinion.

What's disturbing is that total strangers feel they should have a say about the sexual conduct of someone else when it does not affect them.

__________________
If a neocon whines about big government wealth redistribution, just ask him what he thinks about the portion of that big government that sends aid to Israel.

Because honestly the child has no idea what is going on. A young child knows nothing about sex. It's the adults decision because they are the adults. They know what intimacy is and at least have a better understanding of it. Do you think children know enough to make that decision? I think saying yes to that would be just as bad an assumption.

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"A dog barks when his master is attacked. I would be a coward if I saw that God's truth is attacked and yet would remain silent."
-John Calvin

Total strangers?
What a sorry look at the world.

We are all people, people should have compassion and goodwill towards their fellow man. And the common sense to do something about it when someone is being hurt and taken advantage of by someone else.
How dreadfully selfish it is to basically say "screw everyone else, I only care what happens to me" - another tell-tale sign of an immature mind.

This is an assumption and a generalization which also implies the generalization that all "adults" do "know what sex is."Sounds like you're someone who thinks everyone under 16/18 is completely retarded, but once they turn 16/18, officially becoming "adults" according to the government imbues them with knowledge.I think that:

1. Saying 'yes' or 'no' would be presumptuous and generalizing.
2. It's none of your business and none of my business.

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If a neocon whines about big government wealth redistribution, just ask him what he thinks about the portion of that big government that sends aid to Israel.

Why? Do you personally know all of the people under 18 in the US?How does this equate to making sexual decisions for them?You are assuming they are being hurt and taken advantage of, or even that "adults" never let that happen to themselves "just because they're adults because the government said so."Where did I say screw everyone else? I don't think the government should make sex-related decisions for us. I also don't think they should choose the best car that we should buy, or not buy, and then force us to go along with it. I don't think the government should decide what type of computer monitor I buy or whether I get ripped off by buying a printer from a firm that charges too much for their product. How does that add up to "screw everyone else?"

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If a neocon whines about big government wealth redistribution, just ask him what he thinks about the portion of that big government that sends aid to Israel.