that is a shame!! the parents as well as the girl should be help accountable!! Where were the parents when the GIRL was "HOOKING UP!!"  If the parents had enough sense to press charges on these men where were they when she was setting this stuff up!! I AM BILL COSBY ON THIS .........COME ON PEOPLE!!

Yeah man, I teach tenth graders and some of the kids can look 30 when they try. You need to know what your kid puts on their myspace. I think pedophiles are disgusting but often teens are not as innocent as people wish they could pretend. This one is definately not the guys fault. Why not limit your daughters internet access? That probably would have taken care of things.

The state might want to look into why a 13 year old girl was interested in sex with older men. Most 13 yr olds arent interested in that, I would almost think its a symptom of molestation. And she should be punished for luring the older men in, She shouldn't be able to go on myspace and she should only be able to check her email with a responsible adult present. And any online searching she does for school should be done with adult supervision, or on school grounds where security measures are in place to avoid myspace, etc.

oh please, why don't you write about all the GIRLS and WOMEN who have been sucked in by men on myspace .  You're always writing about girls ensnaring men----it was the same crap with your R. Kelly piece. The statistics show that more often it's the MEN who are doing the ensnaring... that's probably what the men thought when they invited her over....another piece of easy ass from myspace..believe me, they only cared about her real age AFTER they got caught!

Men need to ake better decisions about who they are involved with sexually. The girl is wrong! yes, if someone is constantly telling you they're one age you start to believe them, but it's time for men to realize that they are responsible for their own sexual lifestyle and that means slowing down a little. If therse men had slowed down maybe they would have figured out that ol girl was a little kid. That being said this girl has a problem and she needs some serious mental help. she's just screwed up the lives ot two men by lying. What needs to be investigated is whether or not this child has been molested, or raped in her past. Not many 13 year old girls are interested in having sex with a grown man, much less would they go as far as to find them on the internet. something bigger is going on, and the parents need some help too. how do you not know what your 13 yr old is up too? this heifer can't drive! you should know where she is at all time. end of discussion. there is just too much wrong with this situation, way too much wrong.

I would have to disagree with the statement of 13 years olds not interested in having sex with older men! I world with a range of young women in their teenage years and this happens more often that we would like to admit. A lot of the younger girls are happy to be with a "grown" man because it makes them look "older" or special. It all goes back to upbringing. my mother and father would have KILLED ME AND THE GUY for even attempting. What happened to the time when parents were  ALL UP IN YOUR BUSINESS!! Now we are in a culture that wants parents to be "FRIENDS" and allow their CHILDREN to have their own PRIVACY!! I didn't even know what privacy was until I moved into my own apartment!! WE ARE LOSING OUR KIDS AND AS ADULTS WE NEED TO STEP UP TAKE RESPONSIBILITY that we have DROPPED the BALL!!  This girls parents dropped the ball and they want others to pay! WRONG IS WRONG, at the same time SHE lied and they were propelled by their "little heads" now there lives are screwed up.

Sorry Jimi....you are dead wrong here. And in other posts, but let's just deal with this one. First of all, where is your compassion for a 13-year-old child engaging in sexual relationships with adult men? Do you really think that young women are "born ready" or something ridiculous like that? Do you truly believe this is some seduction situation or a little girl's cry for help? I have four nieces, all of them teenagers. And there was a situation with one of them and a MySpace page that was checked before it got out of hand. It was checked because she had adults around her who cared. And instead of punitive measures, her mother took educational ones to help her realize that in her cry for attention what she could have been risking. But what happens in a situation where the child has no advocates? Why do we always come up with this "parental responsibility" reasoning when it is crystal clear that some parents are incapable or unintersted in being either parental or responsible? Should we blame the child for that, too? That's why I'm a firm believer in it takes a village. It's why I'm an auntie who talks to her nieces openly about sex and will answer any question, no matter how hard it is sometimes for me to hear them. I will also say that the men involved clearly needed some educating as well. Picking girls up off of MySpace is both stupid and dangerous, as they found out. And given those photos, I don't see a 19-year-old at all. I think some men believe what they want to believe.

Parent do need to keep their children in line no doubt but as soon as a 13 year old girl opens her mouth, you know she's a thirteen year old girl....I don't care what she looks like.  Adults are suppose to be smarter than children.  The laws are there for those who want to play stupid.

I am a middle-aged white man.  As such, maybe I have absolutely no right to have an opinion on this issue, and if I do, I have absolutely no right to express it, especially in this forum.

Irrespective of the above, I do believe it would be prudent to have social services investigate the conditions in Alisha Dean's home.  However, with that said, as a man, I am offended by the concept of a "booty call".  (Which, rather the readers care to believe or not, is actually a pan-racial phenomenom).  This might be a sexist comment, but I believe "booty calls" predominantly promote the male power paradigim.  (I am willing to accept that there are many females who would also place "booty calls").  By definition, "booty calls" tend to involve a sitution wherein the male's only interaction with the female involves having HIS sexual needs satisfied.  To put it bluntly, in my mind, the mechanics usually involve the male have his "three pumps and a shiver".  In my mind, the male's focus is not on being a considerate participant, doing what he can do to ensure his partner's satisfaction.  

Nonetheless, I do have compassion for Morris Williams.  Based on viewing the video clip of the news story on his case, Morris Williams appears very distraught.  His life will never be the same.  For the remainder of his life, he will be forced to register as a pedophile, justified or not.  

I have to ask, Jimi, did you use the phrase "around the campfire" because you assumed, as a white man, that I was necessarily an outdoorsman?  

The last time I camped was in 1988.  I was under the influence of LSD.  I've never felt so paranoid in my life.  I took acid many times in L.A. and never felt fear.  No thank you, others can "get back to nature".  If I had no other choices, I'd prefer urban blight.

Jimi,

As always, you are not well!!!!  What happened to make you this strange and bitter toward women and now girls?  Hoodrat Lolitas?  Come on, the problem with the internet is children victimizing grown men?  Oh, okay.  Girls are preying on men, right...and a grown men are that confused....

First, Mr Izrael, you are correct, this issue is "not about black men and hip-hop", it is partially a parenting issue that includes all of us and also a personal responsability issue for these men. I made the mistake of sleeping with a much younger girl who I thought was of age (both of us are "white" and she was the one who initiated it). Luckilly for me her parents were cool (she was young, 16, but not 13) and understood we both made a mistake and in fact we're both still good friends six years later. I was stupid for what I did, there were a few flags that I ignored. Second, the 13 yer old girls where I live may look and dress older than years ago when I was that age but you have to be a moron not to tell how young they are after a few minutes of conversation so we may be looking at a situation where both parties are "predators."  The men in jail, yes, sucks, but it is fair, like you wrote. As for the girl it won't work out fair for her. She'll get nothing and maybe at best social sevices in her state might take a look and do nothing. Boot camp followed by foster care will probably do nothing, though that's what should be done. And the parents who knows? They lose their child. It's harsh but people are letting their kis run wild no matter weather their white, black, brown or blue. It's sad any way you cut it and it'll never come out right.

Jimi,

I watched the story and the man met her in person, why couldn't he tell that she was girl? On the myspace page that was broadcast on the news story (what happened to the rape shield law) she looks UNDERAGE.  I think we should hold parents accountable to not raise sons who are blind.

I guess men are just going to have to watch who they share their bodies with, and live like every woman they come in contact with is possibly underage.

get over yourself, jimi, no one is shouting you down. you apparently did not thoroughly read the comments. we are simply saying you are wrong (or at least that's what I said) and that you should have just as muuch compassion for a clearly lost little girl as you do for the GROWN ASS MEN that slept with her. you answer this question - do you think she looks 19 on that myspace page? Do you think that boys/men shouldn't be taught to be careful given statutory rape laws? or do you think that somehow men are just so lustful and out of control they don't have or can't be taught the power of discernment? sounds like you are the one providing the stereotypes. this is a tragedy...for all parties involved.

"The men are in jail: it’s hard, but it’s fair. "

This isn't "fair" under any rational.  The female lied and trapped these two men into commiting an illegal act.

I interested in how this case even got brought to the attention of the authorities in the first place.  Was it the parents?  If so, right after they contacted the police they should have jumped into moving traffic or ate some rat poison.

Hmmm, had to calm down, cuz Jimi, it seems to me you have women issues.  Surely you failed to realize that your reference to Lolita, the novel where an attractive prepubescent girl learns how to use her looks to her advantage only after being preyed upon by a series of men, underscores your whole argument. Yes, a lot of young girls think it's fun/normal/whatever to be a hypersexed living blowup doll.  It's a symptom of our depraved culture, bad parenting, etc.  However, most girls don't initiate contact with older men for "sport." They usually want attention, or, in the worst case scenario, believe the hype in our culture that says a woman's worth is determined by how easily she can get a man to give her material things and sleep with her.  We all know that older guys, be they 24 or 64, are more likely to offer dinners, spending money, gifts in exchange for romps with young girls. They are looking for a good time with someone they consider disposable, and look for the person they can get to agree to being treated as such with the minimal amount of effort.  

But onto the question at hand, Dean should be put in a responsible foster home, and undergo counseling.  She should also be forced to do some kind of community service to give a her a proper perspective on what is really important in life.

And really, did you have to go there with the hoodrat reference? Yeah, I know they exist, but seriously, more teenagers of ALL colors are engaging in increasing sexual behavior (don't even get me started on the kids in the suburbs who throw oral/anal sex parties before they leave middle school).  Calling this fast-tail lil girl, who needs a serious butt-whooping, a name like a hoodrat just reinforces a negative stereotype that all women of a certain social-economic demographic are whorish, beyond redemption, and should be treated like the h@es they are.  It's a vicious cycle that produces these ignorant children, and the men that prey upon them (and want to cry wolf when they get caught).

Nowadays, some "parents" want to be their children's friend instead of a true you-play-by-my-rules-while-you're-living-under-my-roof parent.  Therefore the child feels that they can do whatever they please with no consequences.  

One thing that parents need to do is have the computer out in the open, meaning do not allow the child to have the computer in the privacy of his/her room.  That way you can easily monitor what your child is doing.  That simple.  I'm not trying to blame all parents for their child(ren)'s actions, but they need to be vigilant when it comes to their kids, like when they instruct their kids what and what not to do when talking to strangers on the streets, or if some kind of offer is made to the kid by a stranger.  

Because remember the wolves are out there in full force, and you have to go to great lengths to protect your prey as much as you can.  You can't be there 24/7 for them, but do your best anyhow.

Bylinediva wrote:

you should have just as muuch compassion for a clearly lost little girl as you do for the GROWN ASS MEN that slept with her.

She would be more deserving of our compassion, if:

a) she committed her deceitful acts without realizing what the dire consequences would be,

b) she showed remorse, and

c) she was traumatized by the encounter.

But ...

a) she knew just what would happen to the guy she deceived.  She already sent one guy to jail,

b) No remorse -- she was ready to keep going after incarceration # 2, and

c) far from being traumatized, she's trying to have more of the same.

So in this case, my compassion extends to the prey, not the internet predator.  I'll define an internet predator as someone who uses deception and internet anonymity to trick another person into committing an act harmful to himself.  She fits the profile.

As for how old she looks: I don't do myspace, but in the picture I saw: http://www.wftv.com/news/16348047/detail.html

she could easily pass for nineteen.

That said, if she were to be taken away from her family, I would feel compassion for her.  Not saying her family life is good, only that removing her would be worse.  Jimi's question was: what do we do about a girl like this?  We don't do anything about her family situation, unless things were a lot worse.  I'd rather have a society with a few out of control thirteen year olds on the internet than a society where the goverment can take away children because they told lies on myspace.  Other than that, we vote into office DA's who use their prosecutorial discretion with sanity, and we vote out those that don't.  In this case, the DA who prosecuted the case should be voted out of office.  The man going to jail was a 22 year old romancing an alleged 19 year old.  He's not a danger to society.

I think be on it best expressed by feelings about this, so I appreciate it. Jimi, you really do have a chip on your shoulder, brotha. If you don't want to be "engaged" then you have the wrong gig.

This isn't "fair" under any rational.  The female lied and trapped these two men into commiting an illegal act. a quote from the Spaniard....

Are you for real??? I am a mother of 2 teen girls and 1 teen boy that have myspace and I and their father monitor it closely, they are only allowed to have people on their pages that they go to school with or who they have played sports with, and the majority of these people we know, if they violate this, their is no myspace, email or anything else. That  was the first mistake of the parents.

Secondly, I do believe that something much deeper has happen here for this young 13 year old girl to be interested in older men, somewhere there has been some molestation in this child's history. I work in foster care and the majority of the girls/boys that come through our agency, who act out in this way have a history of molestation, usually by a family member.

Now as far as Spaniards idiotic comment.....How could these men NOT know this was a 13 year old girl?? There is no amount of make-up in the world that is going to make a 13 year old girl look 21 let alone 18. I agree with everyone that says as soon as she opened her mouth to talk, he should have known, hell the minute he saw her, he should have known!! There is nothing or no one that can convince me that these 2 men didn't have a clue that this girl was underage, they may not have known she was 13, but they damn sure had to know she was not over 18. So do I feel sorry for them? HELL NO!! But I do believe someone better get some help for this girl and get it soon, she is headed down a destructive path otherwise.

Parents please wake up and start PARENTING again, My mother knew my every move when I was growing up, and as much as my kids hate it, I do the same with them, as you can see their are some seriously perverted people in this world and they are just waiting for us to let our guard down and take advantage of our children. Get more involved with you children, it's our job to protect them and right now we are failing miserably!!

The law should continue to protect Dean individually, and all 13 year olds generally, regardless of their behavior. She could lay naked on the sidewalk, begging, and the law should stand between her and any adult not wise or controlled or empathetic enough to avoid having sex with her. 13 year olds can not consent. Period. Always. The law is there to keep the predator away not to offer opportunity in the event the minor fails to act as she (or he) "should". The law, the burden of the people, is to keep the Morris Williams' at bay when they can't keep themselves at bay. 22 year olds are expected by civilized society to be able to control themselves, use necessary judgement, and not have sex with children. In the absence of that ability they must be separated from civilized society. The 13 years olds, even those overtly precocious, are to be protected.

Yes, the girl was wrong.  But she is NOT a consenting adult.  And her parents are heinous because "[their daughter] still stays out late at night and has not deleted her myspace account."  She's 13, the parents NEED to take control.

With that said, the men are guilty.  I don't care what she told you, check her age.  I'm sorry, if you choose to have sex with anyone, either someone you met on the street or online, it's your responsibility to ensure they are of legal age.  Why don't these guys ask for some ID?  Meet at a bar and see if they can get in?  Oh, that's right, they don't care.  They actually prefer children...

To answer the question at the end of the blog: child protective services needs to step in.  This is the 2nd time, her parents are endangering their daughter's health and safety.  They are failing to provide a safe environment, period.

I actually think this girl needs rehab.  She's a rape victim, and I am not sure that 13 yo's engaging in sex are engaging in sex for their personal pleasure or because they have been trained to please others.    In the case of this "lolita" I believe it is the latter.  Society sends her signals that her 13 mind cannot properly intercept or interpret, and yes, her parents are to blame for that.

I do not object to the 2nd pedophile's jail sentence.  His sex acts speak to the age old arrogance and stupidity of (SOME) men.  A man who dates a young looking supposed 18-year-old is no different than a 50 year old who dates a 20 year old because he believes the 20 year old is more his speed and more in his league than a 50 year old.

It's arrogance exploited, and the 13 yo, in some way, is seeking revenge and justice when her rapists are jailed.  

I can't imagine the number of women out there whose self esteem would be returned if only they could have their rapists jailed after the fact and without long and embarrassing court trials.  

One should figure out if Dean has any emotional and psychological issues.  In addition, the only thing parents can do is to take and hide the computer prior to going to bed.  One of commenters alluded to that the girl may have been sexually abuse, and it's a good possibility that could be the case.  Foster care is not a great idea because it only means another black youth in the system and the state is not in the business of parenting.

I am not quick to call anyone hoodrat Lolitas  and Coeds Gone Wild.  Although, you may not be a moralist, I think your statement is very judgmental and hypocritical.  The guy should have known that she was lying upon meeting her because you are paying attention to someone, you can tell if someone is an adult or pretending to be an adult.  It's called strict liability and does not matter if she lied because under the law he should have known, but the guy was thinking with the wrong head or may not even cared at all.

"Are you for real???"

Yes.

"I am a mother of 2 teen girls and 1 teen boy that have myspace and I and their father monitor it closely, they are only allowed to have people on their pages that they go to school with or who they have played sports with, and the majority of these people we know, if they violate this, their is no myspace, email or anything else. That  was the first mistake of the parents."

What does ANy of this have to do with what happened in this case ?  Nothing.

"Secondly, I do believe that something much deeper has happen here for this young 13 year old girl to be interested in older men, somewhere there has been some molestation in this child's history."

Oh yeah?  I see Hollywood Upstairs Medical College is handing out Psychology degrees.

"I work in foster care and the majority of the girls/boys that come through our agency, who act out in this way have a history of molestation, usually by a family member."

...or they just like having sex.

"Now as far as Spaniards idiotic comment.....How could these men NOT know this was a 13 year old girl??"

Easy, she LIED about it.

"There is no amount of make-up in the world that is going to make a 13 year old girl look 21 let alone 18."

Sure there is.  I'm sure this broad statement of yours covers every girl on the  globe.  Get the hell out of here.

"I agree with everyone that says as soon as she opened her mouth to talk, he should have known, hell the minute he saw her, he should have known!!"

And how would you know this?  Have you talked to her?

"There is nothing or no one that can convince me that these 2 men didn't have a clue that this girl was underage, they may not have known she was 13, but they damn sure had to know she was not over 18."

That because you are hyper emotional and reactionary over a hot button issue.  None of your previous statement are grounded in anything other than your illinformed assumptions.

"So do I feel sorry for them? HELL NO!!"

That's because you are a moron.

"But I do believe someone better get some help for this girl and get it soon, she is headed down a destructive path otherwise."

That's right.  She is a proven liar and she is out of control of her parents.  This is the one of the two correct thing you stated in the otherwise inane post.

"Parents please wake up and start PARENTING again, My mother knew my every move when I was growing up, and as much as my kids hate it, I do the same with them, as you can see their are some seriously perverted people in this world and they are just waiting for us to let our guard down and take advantage of our children."

Taking advantage of someone who has committed fraud.  You must have missed the part when the guy went to talk to the girls father after he found out she was 13.

"Get more involved with you children, it's our job to protect them and right now we are failing miserably!!"

Get someone else involved with your children because even though you have good intentions, your critical thinking skills are highly suspects and you seem prone to making irrational inferences and drawing silly conclusions.

"...should have known she was lying."

You people are silly.  I would like to get a hold to the "fraud detection" device that you idiots seem to possess.

If your judgement skills are so precise and in order how is it that you aren't at the apex of human civilization?

You claim never to have seen a 13 year old look as if she was 18?  All that means is your circle of experience is quite small.

This young man was railroaded and all of your arm chair pseudo psychiatric internet diagnoses are worth my daily deposits to the toliet.

Thirteen year olds like having sex...SHOCKING!  What has the world come to?

I was having sex at 13?  I wonder if I should have a hyponsis session to see if I was abused and I am represing the memories?  Maybe I abused myself?  

Officer please, lock me up!

On second thought...those are some great memories.  I think I'll keep them.

Sometimes I read your blogs and I wonder if you are a little crazy. From child support to child abuse, you seem to be a little bitter about anything that relates to men and their responsibilities.  Yes, this child was wrong. Yes, her parents need to do better.  And YES, this man should be punished.  If we would all be a little more cautious about sexual relations we could all avoid this type of mess.  It is not a suprise that people on the internet lie about everything from looks to age.  When you are involved in this realm of communication you should be responsible enough to do what you need to do to protect yourself.  If you meet someone on the internet and have sex with them without knowing their true credentials, knowing how people are these days, you deserve to be punished for just being stupid.  Stop being so horny where you don't think about what you might be getting yourself into!!!!

What should happen to Dean and her parents?

The facts as given seem to indicate that Morris and Mills are guilty of statutory rape, not sexual assault.  They are paying the price for not being diligent in checking out her ID.  Could she be 18?  From the picture, sure.  It wouldn't immediately pop into my head that this was a middle schooler.  But that's not the issue.

Jimi wants us to know what should be done with the girl and her family.

Is state intervention the answer?  Maybe.  Criminal charges, no.  While the posters seem to have a consensus that Dean is acting out some abuse issues, that's just speculation, so the parents ought not be charged for committing or being complicit in any abuse.

What seems clearer is that they have no control over their daughter's relationships with much older men.  I think there is an argument to be made that it is child neglect.  So I am thinking that some family counselling is in order.  

did it ever occur to anyone that perhaps her parents AREN'T worried about her....which would play a big part in her mental health...self-worth/self-esteem?

...why in the world would any "normal" and "healthy" 13 year old child:

a) want to engage in sexual activity

b) feel the need to lie about their age

c) seek out sexual encounters via the internet

d) combine all the above factors on a regular basis and seem to think that it's ok

...its quite clear to me, without even talking too or knowing anything about this child, that she's troubled

not to say she shouldn't be held accountable for her actions, because she should, but i have an issue when she's referred too as a "Hoodrat Lolita"

last time I heard/checked....prim little suburban dwellers can be undercover harlots as well

...why in the world would any "normal" and "healthy" 13 year old child:

a) want to engage in sexual activity

Because part of entering puberty is about become active sexually.  This is a fact of nature.

b) feel the need to lie about their age

Easier to have sex with someone who is more experienced if you appear to be of their peer group.

c) seek out sexual encounters via the internet

I don't know what this backlash against talking to people on the internet is all about.  This is weird.  the internet provides a centralized database of possible useful information in order to pick a mate, of any sort.  Should people in general use better discretion in choosing their mates?  Absolutely.  Should a lack of discretion be illegal, especially in a case of obvious fraud?  Absolutely not.

d) combine all the above factors on a regular basis and seem to think that it's ok

I glad you put normal and healthy in quotes because I'm 100% certain that, despite all of the hyperbole, their are countless cases in human history of 13 year olds having sex and not being "tramatized" in the least bit.

The real issue is her parents obvious lack of control of their child and her reliance and acceptance of deceit and predatory behavior.

You are not a moralist?  Or you just find it acceptable for men to intiate booty calls with people they hardly know and found through MySpace?

If you are not a moralist, how can you say that this thirteen year old did something wrong?  After all, just like the booty-callers, she's out to get some.  And if you are not a moralist, how can you say the parents are wrong?  Like the self-serving booty-callers, they are "doing them," they don't have time to watch after their little hoodrat.  What's wrong with the men involved going to jail?  Like the booty-callers, the prison industry is just out for itself, mo' inmates = mo' money!!!  Is that wrong?  Oh, it is?  But you are not a moralist.

In most societies around the world, women were eligible to be married as soon as they began to menstruate, aka, became sexually mature.  This man is not a "sicko" because he found a person with developed breasts and hips attractive.  (Maybe not very smart, but not a "sicko."  But being a damnfool idiot with no people-reading skills, or having a low IQ, is still not a crime.)

Her parents should be punished.  Fined, made to attend some classes, temporarily relieved of custody, something. Their living situation needs to be CAREFULLY scrutinized.

Unless this guy has a pattern of this behavior (or has been predatory--I don't think he was, in this case), he should have a suspended sentence and some community service, possibly also some mandatory classes.

The little girl should have counseling.  Lots.  For a long time.  (Or as MY parents would have done, a good whipping.  Eh, times are a-changing.)

Considering I still get regularly carded at age 34, I'm willing to believe people can pass for all kinds of ages.  (I was five-foot-seven at age 14, and my face still looks pretty much the same now, hence the carding -- the way people could tell my age back then was my school uniform and ponytails, not my body.)

Here2Talk,

Are you here to listen, too?  Your reasoning is interesting but flawed.  A moralist seeks to impose his or her own morals on others.  A non-moralist won't, but that doesn't mean he or she has no moral code.  The difference lies in how you treat others.  A person exercising moral judgment may feel that other people shouldn't drink alcohol, but accept the fact that he has no authority to make their decisions for them.  A moralist, on the other hand, will support a law like prohibition that jails and criminalizes alcohol drinkers.

Since J. Izrael doesn't support laws that punish consensual internet hook-ups, he's not a moralist.  But that doesn't prevent him from seeing the immorality of sending a victim of deceit to jail, or from seeing the immorality of the prison-industrial complex in general.

Do you see the difference between believing "self serving booty callers" are immoral and believing "self serving booty callers" should be imprisoned for their immorality?  It's the difference between being  a moralist (seeking to impose a moral vision on others) vs. being a moral person (simply have a moral vision of one's own).  In a country where imprisonment carries heavy and long-lasting penalies (not just the pain and suffering of jail, but the lifetime stigma of a prison record, loss of voting rights, right to carry a firearm, far-decreased future earning capability, etc.) it's an important distinction.

You know what we need to do to control all those young girls? Burqas.  It totally keeps other cultures' slutty lotitas from luring men into sin.  We should do more to protect our adult men from young girls.

Because teenage girls are 100% culpable in their actions.  Their brains are fully formed and are not influenced by hormones at all. They are ALL morally mature beings with impecable decision-making skills from caring, supportive families with both parents present.  Any teenage girl expressing an interest in sex in a way that isn't completely channeled and guided by socially excepted norms should be prosecuted under the law.  After all, we frequently dole out hefty prison sentences when teenage boys consciously and logically decide to participate in an act of crime and/or violence. Better to lock up and punish all the children. Just in case.

303girl I am not sure that I agree that these girls are fullly grown.  NOone is fully grown until they can completey understand that to every action there is a reaction.  Now most girls "know" the perils but they havn't seen it yet so they have the feeling that they are untouchable.  

But I agree compeletly with the fact that both sexes should be punished.  Now I wasn't thinking about sex at 13 but it was only a couple of years before I was thinking about it.  Not to mention that there were girls getting pregnant around me at the ages of 13.  These girls know what they are doing.  They also know they can get away with it. . . We need to stop that.  I say punish the parents with a nice fine, like $1,000 or more with the addition of probation or house arrest for the girl.  That will get them to pay attention to these girls and what they are up to.  Then they will really be invovled in the girls life, every little part of it.  Hell after $1,000 fine I would take all computers out the house and beat her fast azz.  

A47percenter,

Thank you for your response.  I don't accept that your definition of moralist is the only correct definition.  Even using the definition you posted, my reasoning is not flawed, based on Jimi's own words.

He states that "something drastic has to happen to send a message to young girls and their parents."  In that statment, he apparently advocates that the Deans should be punished because, in his view, they have done something wrong.  If his stance had been only that Mrs. Williams and Mills should not be punished for their actions, his argument would be valid under your definition of moralist.  But that is not his view; his view is that the girl and her parents did something wrong and should be punished or in your words he is "seeking to impose his moral vision on others."

I amm not saying that I don't agree with some of his opinions on the failures of this girls parents.  I just don't agree that he is not a "moralist."

It's pretty shortsighted to think that parents are able to control MySpace-related activities when they have very little knowledge of what it even is.  The case has to viewed outside of the tech lens.  The parenting was abysmal...but men should have some inkling of who is and is not 13 years old!  My feeling is that they did...yet ignored it.  Why is the burden placed on the parents and the girl, BUT NOT THE MEN?

There is plenty of blame to go around here-bad parenting, low morals, oversexed teens, low self-esteem, whatever, you pick.  But I would strongly encourage young men to take responsiblity for their actions and exercisre some restraint and discretion by not trolling the internet for sex and sleeping around.  i say the same thing to women.  All men and women should get to know whoever they meet before they drop the drawers and jump in the sack.  Too many young men "hit it" first and ask the questions later.  If you have ever worked with pregnant teenagers, you would know that many of them are impregnated by older men (when i say older men, I mean 20-25 year old guys).  And these girls are just as eager to hook up with them, so don't be fooled by the numerical age or innocence.  Many of these girls are overdeveloped and look to sex with men as a status symbol.  Look at the R. Kelly case.  There are many similarities.  But there are laws that protect minors from being exploited.  Grown men and women should know better.

Mr. Izrael,

I am not psychic, but I am able to read and understand the English language.  For you to imply that your words did not carry their normal meaning is disingenuous.  If you don't want to, in the words of a47percenter,  "impose your view of morality on others," what do you mean by "something drastic has to happen to send a message to young girls and their parents?"  Why should anything at all happen to them unless they've done something wrong or immoral?  

I really don't disagree with that point.  As I've stated before, I just don't buy that you are not a "moralist," and by that I  mean I believe you do wish to impose your views of morality on others.  It's just that your views of morality condone MySpace hookups but not out of control teenagers.  It's ok to just say that you think one is worse than the other.  I do:  I think the grown men who take advantage of teenagers, even teenagers who are behaving badly, are the more morally wrong group.  I also think the teenager and her parents have done wrong.  I morally condemn them all.  

Her parents have to be some of the dumbest folks in the world. They need their butts kicked just like their daughter. After the first infraction there'd extremely limited or no use of the computer for her. We'd also be in counseling as a family to figure out why little Alisha wants to have anonymous sex with grown men she meets on the internet. And when all else fails I'd knock her ass into next week!

Aja Nicole-

SARCASM, Sister- sarcasm. Man, I didn't think anyone would actually agree with that. Guess that's the dangers of text...

Something that seems to be missing here is the point of these statutory rape laws, which to the best of my knowledge indicates that by the nature of the young age, thirteen year olds are not allowed to give consent because they are considered psychologically/emotionally/developmentally unable to understand the consequences....this is the state attempting to protect these girls who THINK they are making a rational i.e. consensual choice but we as a society have decided that is not the case. Yes parents need to parent, but by definition we have decided that a thriteen year old can not be blamed or held accountable, hence the laws!!! And to use the word "snared" ---by a child?!? Lolita is literature--this is just men getting away with the sameold sameold blame the victim--akin to she was wearing a short skirt therefore she wanted it...she had a sexy myspace page so she wanted it....who was I to know? YOU WERE THE ADULT--keep it in your pants if you can't develop a relationship and  be certain your partner isn't a child.

I have to agree with you, where were the parents while this lil' hoochie mama was hookin' up with guys on the net?  I'm a parent of a 16 year old boy and EVEN I have a myspace and see how these guys come in and start choppin' it up with ya.  I have my son's user name and password for other reasons for a boy who lives in East San Jose, CA, I've got to be able to see some of the gangstas that come through his myspace because he doesn't need that influence in his life to stir him the wrong way.  THAT IS MY RESPONSIBILITY!!!!  So come on parents, get with the program with your lil' sweet innocent girls.  I wasn't an angel as a teenager and neither are your girls.

Ok, I'm looking at this issue from several different angles.  First off, as a relatively young woman myself I remember being 13 fairly well.  I was not having sex at that age and had no interest in having sex at that age, but I knew plenty of girls that were.  My parents were open with me about sex from a young age and I made a decision very early on that I wasn't going to have sex until I was at least out of highschool.  The important point here being that by age 13 I was mature enough to make those kind of decisions based on what I had been taught and what was important to me in my life.  I'm not saying that all 13 year old girls are that mature, but plenty of them are.

Now that was over ten years ago.  Another big problem I see here is the law itself has a bad habit of not keeping up with the times.  Several comments here have alluded to the fact that the laws exist because these girls are not capable of making these decisions for themselves.  Well, wether we like it or not, many of these girls are capable.  I'm not saying it's a good thing that we've turned our 13 year olds in to adults, but we have.  I teach 8th grade science in LAUSD.  Hate to be the bearer of bad news, but those kids know more about, and are having more sex than any adults I know, including myself!

For the moms on here that are doing a good job, keep it up!  But please quit fooling yourselves, you are in the minority on this one.  The biggest problem I see with my students is an MTV attittude.  To them, being a grown up means having sex and being completely self centered.  Consequences do not exist for them.  If they don't like teachers, they know how to get them fired.  I've heard kids threaten their parents with children services if the parents try to punish them for misbehavior.  There are too many problems here to count, parents, schools, society, government, administrators, you name it and there are examples of people abusing the system, and believe me the kids have learned well from their examples.

Now for this particular situation.  Should the guys be punished for being complete idiots, honestly I don't think so.  There are plenty of scummy guys out there, and I'm not saying that these two are angels, but I really think the laws are outdated on this one.  I know that from an administration viewpoint its not possible, but I personally think that cases of statutory rape need to be considered on a case by case basis.  

I also think the ages need to be reconsidered.  I don't know of any 16 year old that doesn't know exactly what they're doing, and I think it's disgusting that the girls can act however they want without consequence, but the 22 year old guys they meet at the club using a fake ID can get saddled with registering as a SEXUAL PREDATOR for the rest of their lives.  I mean, who's really the sexual predator here.

As far as the girl goes, given that she's 13 I do think there's a good chance that she's been abused in some way, but that's not certain, and quiet frankly her behavior sounds more like the result of bad parenting and neglect.  If there's abuse then it needs to be delt with, but being a bad parent isn't illegal, and I don't think there would be much support for making it illegal.  Unfortunately it sounds like this girl is well on the way to ruining her young life, but the law should not help her to ruin other peoples lives just because she doesn't care about the consequences her actions have for herself or other people.

This is just one of those things where both sides are right: Where are the parents? If my child were prone to getting into myspace liasons and sending dumbass and perhaps naive men to jail I would have some sort of childlock on my internet OR a lock on the computer untill designated family hours. Or no computer at home- i know it sounds extreme but if you truly care for your child and you KNOW they are apt to endangering themselves through the computer take it away untill they grow up! DO SOMETHING! The parents have NO excuse. The young man should not be the only one going to jail!

I hope mr. stick-my-***-in-anything learns some lessons in jail. Like being discrimanatory with sex or simply not using myspace and other internet sites for randomass hookups. Truthfully (and I know I am being extremely biased) his old ass  should not be on myspace for hookups anway. As  much as the media is obsessed with internet predators and masquerading young girls (Hello Catch A Predator) he should know better!

Many young females entering puberty want to pretend they are grown up because their bodies look the part but their brains are far from it,  the end result can be different for all, some have to prove they are who they say, others realize (like i did