Novel solution for sexual offenders - II

We talked about castration for sex offenders earlier here. Cruel but effective. However, I believe the practice (even if labeled a dastardly act), is essential to police individuals who target young children.

From here: Dr. Martin Holly, a leading sexologist and psychiatrist who is director of the Psychiatric Hospital Bohnice in Prague, said none of the nearly 100 sex offenders who had been physically castrated had committed further offenses. A Danish study of 900 castrated sex offenders in the 1960s suggested the rate of repeat offenses dropped after surgical castration to 2.3 percent from 80 percent.

.. In the Czech Republic, the issue was brought home last month when Antonin Novak, 43, was sentenced to life in prison after raping and killing Jakub Simanek, a 9-year-old boy who disappeared last May. Mr. Novak, who had served four and a half years in prison for sexual offenses in Slovakia, had been ordered to undergo outpatient treatment, but had failed to show up several months before the murder. Advocates of surgical castration argued that had he been castrated, the tragedy could have been prevented. Hynek Blasko, Jakub’s father, expressed indignation that human rights groups were putting the rights of criminals ahead of those of victims. “My personal tragedy is that my son is in heaven and he is never coming back, and all I have left of him is 1.5 kilograms of ashes,” he said in an interview. “No one wants to touch the rights of the pedophiles, but what about the rights of a 9-year-old boy with his life ahead of him?”

Novel solution for sexual offenders

Especially for the ones that harm children. Cruel and dastardly solution, but effective. Of course, getting anything like this rule even remotely near the lawmakers is a non starter here in the United States. The Czechs have better checks on this account...

A doctor makes an incision in a man's scrotal sack and, deftly wielding his scalpel, quickly removes both testicles. In the Czech Republic that simple operation is the punishment for male sex offenders. But to the Council of Europe, the region's leading human rights body, the procedure is "invasive, irreversible and mutilating." In a report issued last week the Council called the punishment "degrading" and demanded it be scrapped immediately. Over the past decade, at least 94 prisoners have undergone the treatment in the Czech Republic, the only country in Europe to continue to surgically castrate sex offenders. The Czech government insists the procedure is a medical issue, permanently reducing testosterone levels to lower an offender's sexual urges. (More here)

Morning thoughts on bailouts and abuse

If the Fed and the government allows Lehman to fail, it might be better for al of us - having a market correction now rather than keep delaying the inevitable is definitely not good for the nations interests at large. Plus the usual argument 'they were too big to fail' put forward by the Fed in the case of Bear, Fannie and Freddie seems more rancid than ever - especially with many other distressed banks in the line after Lehman... (read WaMu, Wachovia etc…)

An interesting line from today's Wall Street Journal (WSJ): "To avoid reckless lending in the future, failure has to be an option.". Never thought I will see this day when ultimate free market cheerleaders like the WSJ opines on an investment bank's failure.

The other thought I was having was that it is time for Obama to act and act decisively. Especially in light of the shameful 'kindergarden sex-education' advert which was clearly a complete bag of lies. If Mr. Obama does not act now, come out forcefully and tell the nation that what is at play is pure partisan politics which erases the lines between the truth and untruth and the public needs to start questioning adverts like these, we as a nation would be the losers. He needs to tell us that as a responsible parent of two young girls he took the right steps in sponsoring legislation that will protect young children from predators and for the McPalin team to distort this record is simply dishonest and dishonorable. In addition, he will need to demand a public apology from the McCain for distorting his vote on protecting young children from sexual predators. If he does not do this soon enough and forcefully enough, he will lose the election.

From here: “I have a 6-year-old daughter and a 3-year-old daughter, and one of the things my wife and I talked to our daughter about is the possibility of somebody touching them inappropriately, and what that might mean,” Mr. Obama said in 2004. “And that was included specifically in the law, so that kindergarteners are able to exercise some possible protection against abuse, because I have family members as well as friends who suffered abuse at that age.”