Sometimes, It Must Be Done

If you're a parent, how far will you go to protect your children?  Would you purchase a firearm?  Would you invest in a security system for your home?  Would you enroll your children in self-defense classes?  How far would you go to ensure they are protected as much as humanly possible?

Now, think about the kids in your neighborhood.  Would you be willing to do as much for those kids?  Heaven would hope so.

I read a story about a group calling themselves the "Punisher Squad" in the state of Washington who had set up an Internet sting of their own and lured a potential child predator right into their hands.  They masqueraded as a 13 year-old girl and had a drawn out and intensely explicit dialog with one predator jackass and when he agreed to meet what he thought was a 13 year-old, he got something else altogether.

Stop right there for a moment.  What do you think happened to the potential child predator?  What would you do were you in that situation; would you turn him over to law enforcement or would you handle it yourself.  Here's an excerpt from the story:

A local vigilante group in Kelso, WA, calling themselves the “Punisher Squad,” forced a man, who they accuse of being a child predator, to call 911 on himself. The confrontation was caught on video via a cellphone.

The suspect, 36-year-old Adam Olson, now faces charges of attempted child rape and communicating with a minor for immoral purposes in Cowlitz County. 

Yes, they made the dude call 911 on himself and the predator is going to be facing some pretty rough prison time; as well he should.  They shot video of the whole apprehension of the criminal and the Prosecuting Attorney had this to say:

Prosecuting attorney for Cowlitz County, Ryan Jurvakainen, told KATU there’s no indication the video is false but said he’s still reviewing police reports. He is set to make a charging decision Tuesday and Olson is due to be arraigned in court on March 15.

Jurvakainen wouldn’t say anything more about the case.

Police elsewhere have encouraged people not to engage in similar vigilante activities, saying they can be dangerous and that the cases are often tough to prosecute.

The raw cellphone video, posted to YouTube by Hart, contains graphic language and has removed from YouTube because it violates “YouTube’s policy on harassment and bullying”.

The idiocy of YouTube deleting the video is about as asinine as one can get, but the point here is that the police have encouraged people NOT to engage in these "vigilante activities" because they can be "dangerous and tough to prosecute."  I don't know about you, but it is my opinion that we don't have enough convictions as it is even when "vigilante citizens" aren't involved.  One child molested or preyed upon via the Internet (or anywhere else) is one too many. 

Defense attorneys are paid to work hard to ensure that their clients receive the best legal representation possible and even when their client is guilty, they have to help them.  In my opinion, the lawyers are part of the problem with the prosecution and effectiveness for jail time as a deterrent.  While I would never, ever condone vigilante violence, I would certainly understand it in cases such as this.

Maybe Oklahoma needs a "Punisher Squad" or two.

Sometimes, it must be done.  It is highly doubtful that a jury would convict in the state of Oklahoma; and that may be a good thing.

Of course, that's just my opinion and I could be wrong, but I seriously doubt it.  

"Gorilla"