If you don’t think that freedom is for everyone, then maybe America is not for you.

Patterico asks, “What can legally be done about this creep?” The creep in question is an admitted pedophile, who’s all-too-willing to discuss his attraction to little girls, but claims (so far) to not yet acting on his perverse desires. Jack……

HOWEVER!

As far as i can see he has committed zero crimes against children, or anyone lse for that matter.

He is creating a diversion. Such could be used by others to actually perpetrate crimes against children. I don’t know.

But hey he probably bears some watching in some manner, out of the cameras eye.

But remember all the time devited to making this “Media hound” into something real is being lost on nailing paco with his rag head friend doing real harm to the country eh?

But the blame for that lies with our congress! 100% of them!

Clean the house in 08!

That’s not a limitation, it’s one of its strengths.

It’s a serious problem where there is the threat of domestic violence, etc. The closest that we can do, officially, is a restraining order that “makes up” a crime, if you will, of getting close enough to be a threat which otherwise would not be a crime. Which is what this situation comes down to. I don’t see how the restraining order as it now is can be allowed, but a modification seems in order (such as not allowed to be in direct interaction with a child without an adult guardian present- so if he ever becomes friendly to an 8 yo at the park without a parent..)

If he has enough self control not to act on his desires then the law really shouldn’t be involved.

- Eric

That’s the concern, though. Will he remain content to watch from afar and take pictures, or will his obsession progress to clearly harmful behavior? How well can that be predicted? How to monitor if the risk is significant?

Yes, it would be nightmarish to “lock people up” for their thoughts, but it is also rational common sense to keep track of someone at high risk to seriously injure others as well as himself. (If he is on thorough eval). I imagine most of us think that if we ourselves had that mental state, we would want someone to keep tabs on us to not act out. To want the same for him is being considerate, not harassment.

Of course, if he wants to be left alone in the hope he gets a chance to act out, that is a criminal intent that I hope is substantial enough to cause action.