You have a strange reality distortion field you've created for yourself. There was no "Tug at peoples heart strings with "Romeo and Juliet" scenarios of Innocent Passion Cruelly Punished by an Unfeeling World" in this story. This report is about two children who were neither taught nor supervised properly and a prosecutor who wants to make a name for himself.
catholic | 10.31.05 - 5:54 am | #

"This is a law that criminalizes what is essentially normal behavior,"

...the scariest line in the piece. Sure, six year-old girls having sex is essentially normal behavior!
Michael | Homepage | 10.31.05 - 11:36 am | #

"Catholic," your "two children" makes a 9-year-old morally and socially equivalent to a 6-year old. This is NOT the case; the former will dominate the latter every time.

Remember the case in England a while back where two 9-year-olds beat a 6-year-old to death? The crime is different; the principle is the same.

The older boy was emphatically molesting the younger girl. He was old enough to know better, even if not old enough to be legally culpable.
Dan Berger | Homepage | 10.31.05 - 1:56 pm | #

Dan, I agree a 9 year old will dominate. Your assertion that he was old enough to know better may even be correct. The question is whether he knew enough at the time to be morally and legally culpable.

These children should be the concern of child protective services, not a prosecutor. They both likely require long-term counseling. The prosecutor might want to turn his attention toward the parents, who should be investigated to see if they were legally culpable for creating an unsafe environment which would permit this behavior. Any adult who may have aid or encouraged this behavior should have the book thrown at them.
catholic | 10.31.05 - 5:59 pm | #

"This is a law that criminalizes what is essentially normal behavior,"

... Sure, six year-old girls having sex is essentially normal behavior!

Normal does not necessarily mean right. Normal does not necessarily mean typical. Normal may mean expected.

It is normal for a child to stick a hairpin in an electrical outlet. The number of children who do it is small. But, it is still normal. It is behavior that one can expect will happen if the child is not taught and supervised.

I don't think the article intended to imply it is right or acceptable for six year old to have intercourse. In the context of the article (especially since it talks specifically of behavior modification), I would read "normal" to mean "expected in the absense of moral and behavioral instruction and supervision".
catholic | 10.31.05 - 6:13 pm | #

There are plenty of child rapists out there; I've worked with one when I worked at a day camp. Children like that have almost always been raped or otherwise molested themselves, or seen it happen to someone in the family. They need serious mental health help, they need constant supervision, and sometimes they need to be totally kept away from other children for their own and those children's safety. I am very sorry for them; I liked the kid I knew, in his non-creepy moments. But they are deeply creepy and dangerous kids, and they very often turn into creepier and more dangerous adult rapists and serial killers if nobody intervenes well enough.
Maureen | 11.01.05 - 9:30 am | #

Maureen. Not all turn into psychos. I managed to grow up and have kids and be relativly sane. And yes your right it happens after its done to you or you see it else where. And add your parent being bisexual into the mix and you have a real situation.
Josephine | 11.01.05 - 2:19 pm | #

What catholic said. This is a prosecutor run amok. These kids - both of them - need counseling, and perhaps their parents should lose custodial rights. But this boy does not belong in jail. Sheesh.
Joel | 11.01.05 - 4:18 pm | #