I certainly don't. And why should anyone else? I have always found it funny, in an ironic way that the lowest level of scum even among the prison society has been child molesters. I guess the image of small children being taken advantage of physically, while they endure mental injury, and emotional battery, insults even the most violent criminal.…
Article comments
26 - Dawn
It is so. So there.
27 - Ren
Hah. Hehehe... Go Dawn. I posted my response to this on your own blog, so you already know my feelings on the matter. TDavid - your clear and concise comments are great. You put forward exactly what I cannot express.
28 - Natalie Davis
I am so on the record about my antipathy for the Roman Catholic Church and those involved in the child sex abuse scandal (meaning the abusers and the hypocritical so-called leaders who enabled them to terrorize boys, girls, and nuns). But in answer to the titular question: Anyone with a heart and even a soupcon of humanity cares. Any death is a diminishment. Frankly, as I see it, Geoghan got off easy. And I am horrified, though not in the least surprised, to see so much inhumane bloodlust displayed here.
I have a long night of prayers ahead.
29 - JR
Dawn, child molestation is worse than murder? Do you really feel that way?
Think about it. You’re saying you’d rather have a child taken from you completely than survive “scarred”.
I’ve seen interviews with a couple of Geoghan’s victims; there’s no denying they are suffering and have been suffering for years. But some of his other victims have gotten past the abuse and lived healthy, normal lives.
Murder victims don’t get that chance.
If your children were molested, I don’t think you’d just give up on the possibility that they could ever lead happy lives just because some lowlife victimized them. All kids have to put up with injuries and indignities growing up; from falling off bicycles, to being poked and prodded by doctors, to having to change clothes in gym class. Why grant some pervert the special distinction of being able to ruin their lives through no fault of their own? I think if it happened to your kids, you’d tell them they’re not to blame and that they can still grow up and be happy just like everyone else. And wouldn’t you rather have the opportunity to do that than not?
Hate child molesters if you must. But don’t put them on some pedestal of evil when they are perfectly survivable. They just aren’t that important.
30 - anonymous for a reason
Indeed, JR.
To Dawn and those who agree with her: I was molested as a child. Not by a priest, but by the "friendly" handyman who painted our house. I was four years old at the time. Never told my parents about it -- haven't to this day and don't suspect that I ever will, for their sake (it is to protect them that I am doing this incognito, not out of shame). I am talking about it here because, well, it's time, because it wasn't my fault, and because my experience is germane to this sick topic. At the time, I was well aware that what happened to me was horrifying and wrong and sick, and the experience has haunted me quite a lot over the course of my life. But I survived it. I was scarred, most assuredly, and I'll carry these scars until I die. But I survived it. And quite well, on the whole.
Your position is that I would have been better off if Mr. Witherspoon had killed me, that he, a flawed, obviously twisted human who did an unspeakably vile thing to an innocent child, was worse than a murderer. I don't think so. Without doubt, the experience was among the worst things to ever happen to me; it is causing me untold pain right now to recall that afternoon and to put fingers to keyboard to write these words. But it could have been a helluva lot worse; I know that. Just as I know that there is no worthwhile justification for what Druse did to Geoghan.
31 - TDavid
JR - you are twising this around to the victim's point of view which was clearly not what was being discussed above. With all due respect, did you possibly skim the comments above and post without reading through them thoroughly?
The discussion was on the defrocked priest and whether the priest should have suffered the prison form of the death penalty, not whether it was "better" (that word seems very out of place here) to die than be molested as the victim.
Your take is certainly a very valid and important point of view, but once introduced here it's a whole other discussion and dimension and makes the rest of what has been written above appear out of context, which is why I am curious if you read the rest carefully and thoroughly.
Killing a child is every bit as horrific as sexual abuse and those convicts in prison who have been convicted in a court of law of that I'm 99.9% certain are just as marked.
Again, JR (and anonymous too), a lot of these prisoners have families, children of their own and see society along the same lines as those of us on the outside do -- or at least that is my perception. It's a fact that one can be locked up for life in a maximum security prison without being a murderer or a child predator. Not every maximum security prisoner is a bottom feeder.
A child murder is the ultimate form of violation and abuse. I don't see how anybody could claim otherwise.
anonymous - having the courage to share and discuss your story is a good thing, and I hope that continue to stay strong and speak out against abuse and help those who might not be able to be as strong as you are able to be.
I would gently and very politely suggest that it's a leading question to pose to a parent to make a choice between the two evils presented. Any (decent, loving) parent, given the horrible choice (and who is ever given that choice?) is going to choose abuse over murder for their child.
32 - TDavid
Oh, and Rodney - the only court TV I've watched is Perry Mason, some of the OJ trial, the Clinton Impeachment hearings and most recently the mock Pete Rose Hall of Fame trial on ESPN so you are wrong. Again.
33 - Cheryl
I am in need of help. I hope that I am in the right place.
My husband Roger was in prison for molesting a child he did not touch. I have all files in hand and can show where he was not doing anything to a child.
I can and would be more then happy to talk with anyone that can help me to prove that he was innocent and to help me to clear his name. You see my husband died from cancer and that could have been prevented if the prison would have taken better care of the inmates which they do not do.
I hope to hear from you soon.
I have been working on this for a very long time and cant do this with out help.
Thank you for your time.
Cheryl
34 - Aaron, Duke De Mondo
Well, i see The Punisher found its fans after all. All that vigilante law-into-own-hands-regardless-of-moral,spiritual or social consequences must be the thing to do after all. I'm off to beat up some vagrant. I think maybe he once looked at someone in an indecent manner. the person is 33 now, but hey, they were a kid once, so this motherfucker has to die.
Or maybe i'll read that old "he without sin" speech again.
35 - jack e. jett
The real issue is so much bigger. It is the hypocrisy of the Catholic Church that condemns abortion, birth control, and homosexuality, and pay for sex with young kids. It has been going on for years and by many. If you looking for someone to point your finger at.....well he lives in Rome, wears a dress and a pointed hat. That is where the buck stops. I think that people who kill senior citizens are hideous and should be killed in prison. My partner thinks the same of gangs. Where do we draw a line in vigilante action?
Jack e. Jett
36 - Kaliko Kat
Child molesters anger me very much too. They give us who are true child lovers a bad name, in their not being able to control themselves. I for one think that the violent molesters, at least, should get a taste of what it's like from some big dude named Bubba.
Children are beautiful divine creatures, after all, and harming them is a crime worse than murder.
Kat
37 - JAN
Hi ya,
well take it from a person that knows ha
my husband molested my son who was 8 years old at the time..we pressed charges on him and he received a 26 year prison term...well why he was in jail , he escaped came after me..he sent death treats to me..any way, he was found and put back into prison , well not long ago, someone came to see him, they brought a little boy age 8 in with them, while seeing my ex in prison, he decided to molest the little boy...two weeks later he was found dead in prison, he took his own life..hung himself with a T.shirt...so be it...
You see if he didnt take his own life, someone in the prison would have killed him, they dont like child molesters, or baby killers etc...sence he molested that little boy, law passed in prison that, there would be knowing seeing their own children on visits,until they were 18 years of age...especially if they were there on child molestation charges..so believe me inmates didnt like him, so if he had not of taken his life, they would have..justified...no, even I didntwant to see him dead..there was a time I did though, i hated him so after what he did to my child..but after 15 years, I finally learned how to forgive...wasnt easy, but I found away to do it..do I believe that they system in prison works, no..but dont the know before going to prison that, if they kill a child, or molest one, they are going to have death threats made on their life, its a given thing in prison, its what emates do, to those that hurt children...did my ex make a choice to hurt a child , yes, did he do it freely...yes,...he choose death, it was probably alot easier on him that way, then to live with himself, for the things he has done to children..inmates have low tollerence on people like that..and so do others not in prison..
its a give thing, and it happens all the time..prison, takes care of their own, if it happenened in prison,and it was out what he did to that child of 8 years old, you can bet,he feared for his life...prison justice, big time..
38 - JAN
sorry one more thing if I may...
my ex I just told you about...well when he was young, he was molested by a priest...sad but true...some say a guard killed him, some say he took his own life, all I know is he got a death sentence in deed, whats easier, death , or life in prison, ..I have no answers,
not sure there are any...JAN
39 - Reviewer of Time
Male / 17 / Florida
I was doing a study on the Michael Jackson child molestation case when I came across this blog. I'll be happy to contribute my thoughts.
Let's think about the American justice system for a moment. I studied in high school (I recently graduated! :]) that it involves a fair trial with a jury of peers, and a fair punishment for the crime, if a conviction happens. Since the judiciary system is in this democracy, created by the people and for the people, the laws that are created are to be strictly enforced without bias.
As another source I was reading put it, jail is not FOR a convict's punishment; it IS the punishment. The punishment is solely to be that which is prescribed by the courts. What kind of system are we running if we condone changing this system on the fly for crimes we feel are particularly bad? Many people agree that child molestation is bad, but, as was described earlier, there are plenty of other people that feel that other crimes are just as worthy of death. Once we start allowing people to act in the name of justice for a moral cause, what kind of other acts will also happen with the same reasoning? I'm sure that the maniacs that blew up abortion clinics and killed all the visitors and doctors felt that those performing the abortions were worthy of death. Of course, it was an ESPECIALLY bad crime, so those performing the abortions deserved death, right? The bombers involved killed the unborn babies, anyway. There's irony for you.
And what about the falsely accused or those that get wrongly convicted? Wrongful convictions happen a lot -- especially in death penalty cases. If you want to go on a moral crusade in your own defined justice, go to one of the countries of the Middle East.
Once we allow people to go outside of the bounds of the law they agreed to create and abide by, anything can happen. As one person mentioned earlier, we would just as well be handing guns to people and allowing them to shoot at each other. This is not the way the American justice system is supposed to work. It is an insult to the democracy we, the people, established.
40 - Joe Nacirema
WE have a justice system, laws we all agree to work within, and when we step outside of it, we are punished. Applauding a crime, and murder is a crime, sets you in the shoes of the murderer.
How sad it is to see that many people have a murderous nature, and are living their hate through another.People sent to prison for hurting kids should have to stay there for their entire life. Live each day of misery, feel the loss of freedom. Punishment over years is what they deserve. Murder is never okay. Was that priest a threat to the deathrow inmate? Do you think he feared for his life from a sex offender?
You peole may not be molesting children, or murdering people, but your attitudes are right along side of theirs. You don't have to feel sad that a molester was killed, but you should be asking yourselves why it was allowed. How did a deathrow inmate get a hold of him? They are always kept separate from the regular population. The prison officials had to let it happen, the guards all played a part. This is the system of justice you are applauding. That man loke all the rest in prison should be punished by loss of freedom. For a prison system to set a man up to kill another man is wrong. If you allow it to happen to anyone, then it could happen to anyone. Your voices are heard, your thoughts and feelings are felt, by us all. Please ask yourselves why you feel that his murder was okay. What part of your humanity allows for murder? Also wishing that a molester gets raped, wow. Advocating rape and murder, is no place to come from and cry justice. You either believe in our justice system or don't. Those that don't can always leave. It is a free country.
41 - Anthony Grande
I am Anti-Death penalty and extremely anti-murder but it gives me a guilty pleasure to read that a child molester priest got justice served to him.
That priest got his ass sent to Hell.
Does anyone know if it was a stabbing, Italian rope trick, chocking or what???
42 - MazeBorn
He was chocked, definitely!
(snicker)
43 - Cassidy
i really dont agree. Yes he commited a horrible crime and he most definately does deserve to be in prison his entire life and live a miserable life but for him to die that is a very sad thing. No one deserves death. what if that was your dad or uncle or dear friend. yes he did a horrible disgusting wrong thing but that doesnt mean he should die for it. Who cares? I do
44 - child molestor
Don't forget JESUS cares
and do alot of those people
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/roar_4_freedom
and
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/sosen/
resource for child molestor and sex offenders and get the facts stright
http://www.geocities.com/eadvocate/issues/
45 - chuck c.
If one has done the crime, no matter what it is needs to accept reponsibility for what he has done,and do his time. Being killed by another inmate is not their choice to make. They are not his creator. God forgives for whosoever comes to Him. None of us can be forgiven unless we are willing to forgive. Love is the answer, not murder.
46 - Mason
If you condone murder in any form, do not hide behind morals. If you examine it from a Christian PoV, God is the giver of life, so to violate that is to violate God. Period. Murdering anyone is akin to attacking God.
If you condone murder, do not claim morality. If you examine this in light of morality with no religion, the basis of all morality must be life. This means that all morality can be reduced to do not kill. All morals are derivations. Therefore, when you accept (in apathy or with applause) murder, you reject all morality.
Do not hide behind morality. Murder is immoral in any situation.
47 - Donnie Marler
Or, as they say in my part of the country, "he just needed killin'."
I've got three children, you'll get no tears from me over this. If that means I'm amoral or going to hell, fine.
I despise any low life sonofabitch that would harm a child. You can cry for him, my heart pumps piss for him.
48 - harry
anyone that is so sick to take advantage of a child should be shot in the head with a .357MAG
Harry from kansas
49 - Mojo
"If you condone murder in any form, do not hide behind morals. If you examine it from a Christian PoV, God is the giver of life, so to violate that is to violate God. Period. Murdering anyone is akin to attacking God.
If you condone murder, do not claim morality. If you examine this in light of morality with no religion, the basis of all morality must be life. This means that all morality can be reduced to do not kill. All morals are derivations. Therefore, when you accept (in apathy or with applause) murder, you reject all morality.
Do not hide behind morality. Murder is immoral in any situation."-Mason
How about this, then, Mason:
Taking all the pedos out to their very own island. Since they cannot be rehabilitated, they need to be kept away from society. This would save taxpayers the cost of housing and feeding them. They would have to find a way to maintain themselves on this island. No, we won't murder them. But just keep them THE HELL AWAY FROM ME AND MY CHILDREN!!! And yes there are people who have no qualms about paying back in extreme measure who violate the souls of their loved ones. To hell with morals. Morals is religious-based concept. "Religion is the opiate of the masses" per Karl Marx. In terms of legality, yes to murder is a bad choice. But inwardly, you will find most of the normal people applauding it.
50 - Phyakrut
Visit this channel to see how reporters stampede a suspect pedophile and then bring him under flashing lights (3 videos)
51 - tony
i hate child molesters burn in hell
52 - Jada
I have to say this. NO sin is greater than another. As someone else said he WAS someone's child. What child molesters do is bad. However why is it worse than someone killing another in cold blood or selling drugs to adults & Children? What about those who physically abuse their families? Or how about those who lie, cheat and steal. None of them know how what they did affects other people or since they love them so much, kids. Child molesters are no worse than any other criminal and the criminals who think that are stupid, self righteous pigs. And so are the people who think they should be dead. You are but a stones throw away from being molesters. Many kids look older than what they are. How do you know you haven't done it already? People are such hypocrites. As long as it's them and not me. You know something people should never judge others saying they wouldn't have sex with a child. Why? Because they haven't met every child in the world. One may come along one day that you are attracted to and poof! Now you're a child molester. Like someone said you have no power, or hell or heaven to put anyone in and you're filthy with sin so who are you to judge?
53 - Melissa
Good I am glad he died!! I didn't really hear much about this, nor do I care! I hope they tortured his and sexually assulted him with a pipe. Bastard!!! I hate molesters and anyone who hurts a child, they ALL need to die!! Hell let me kill em' My child is a victim, he's only 5 so If I sound outraged, you can damn well bet I am!!!!!!!!
54 - demon
I would love to chop up some little kid, find you, and make you eat the giblets. There is no justice, only revenge. Criminals like to think of themselves
better than sex offenders; a pitiful attempt at being the hero. One day I would like release allt he sex offenders from prison and allow them to torture
all their old prison mates.
55 - shaun
you always get what you deserve in the end
56 - shaun
lets start a union
chi mo killers 'R' us
ahh that just rolles of the toung
57 - JC
Hi Dawn
I agree that child predators are among the 'worst of the worst', but to condone murder is completely abhorrent. You should remember the man who killed Geoghan is a violent and dangerous thug - he might not molest your children, but he wouldn't think twice about killing them. Why do people feel some crimes are more honourable than others?
58 - dgeorge
i cant say i agree with our judicicial system. nor can i say i fully back prison justice. but in a society where a child molester gets a slap on the wrist. at least soemone is serving out the justice these children deserve. and let it stand as a message to other would be chi-mo's. touch a child meet your maker. and as far as the debate over murder and child molestation.... you kill someone theyre dead. end of story. you molest a young child, you leave deep emotional scars. that will haunt them their whole lives, right down to relationships. so if you sympathise with that over a murderer. you need to get yourself to a counciler. and get on some serious meds. how can we have a death penalty and a minimum sentence of 15 years for murder. but a max of 10 years for a child rapist?! our system needs a change. anyone who has experienced this, or been the father of a victim, will stand and back me up. when i say there has to be a stiffer sentence. and yes i'm saying death. you molest a child and you are scum. the funny thing about scum is it tends to come back to violate again. no second chances. period!