Pedophiles

There was an interesting contrast of cases played out last weekend. Mary Kay Letourneau, a former school teacher who seduced her 12 year old student and had children with him, married the student, now an adult, in a wedding that garnered a lot of news coverage. Down the coast, Michael Jackson, accused of molesting children, continued his defense in court. Two pedophiles, one vilified the other romanticized.

The TV "news" show Entertainment Tonight devoted a lot of coverage over the last several months to the pending marriage of Letourneau and Villi Fualaau. Apparently her pedophilic (if there is such a word) relationship had become entertainment for the public. CBS News describes their "love story", again in the entertainment section (CBS and Entertainment Tonight are both owned by the same company), in romantic terms ("a relationship that survived seemingly insurmountable obstacles") as introduction to a misty eyed account of their beautiful wedding. ET's Jann Carl observes that "their love lasted" despite the obstacles of things like, you know, jail.

The man here is an adult now, and he can marry whoever he wants. But why are we romanticizing this relationship that began as something not all that different than what Michael Jackson is accused of. (The wedding even took place at a winery.) We're talking about a 34 year old woman seducing and raping a 12 year old boy! This is a love story that has beaten all odds? Oh my. This is just sick, and the entertainment "news" business should be ashamed of itself. Maybe next we'll hear about the beauty of Jackson's relationship with his young accuser. Sick.

Update: Apparently, ET paid $1 million for the right to cover the wedding! That's how much a "star" this pedophile has become.