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Show PAGE 9 THE ZEPHYR AUGUST 1995 stood up, with a similar story. More people, more statements. One woman questioned how effective therapy is for people who sexually abuse children. In preparation for the hearing, I had spoken with five or six mental health professionals, social workers, psychologists and a psychiatrist. Men and women, conservative and liberal, aged 25 to 60, and to a person they agreed. Therapy does not work well, if at all, for pedophiles and child molesters. This is not like robbing a convenience store, getting caught, getting jailed, getting scared and going on to lead a respectable, crime-fre- e life after your one youthful mistake. This is an incurable illness. Not like the flu, where with enough liquids and lots of sleep you get better. This is the kind of illness that manifests itself as an uncontrollable urge to hurt small and powerless people. This is the kind of sickness where indefinite exile would be appropriate. If prison is for some reason not an option, then a sign should be welded to the front door warning children away. Does this sound irrational? Perhaps paranoid? I should elaborate. The very morning after I attended the hearing that was "not my issue", I was 's scanning the paper. 1 chanced upon a tiny blurb saying my neighbor had been arrested. He had confessed to having sexual relations with a seven year old girl for the last five months. My son spends an average of 14 hours a week at my 's house. He spends a good portion of that time playing next door with the daughter of the confessed child molester. As do many other little boys and girls in the neighborhood. 1 did what any concerned parent would do. I screamed and yelled and plotted various methods of murdering the bastard. Then I made copies of the newspaper article, highlighting the man's address and the preliminary hearing date, and distributed them to the neighboring houses. Then 1 went home and kept my son inside for three days. In the meantime, one of the recipients of my neighborhood alert received a call from her bishop, condemning the sender of the alert and warning her against taking it too seriously, because it was "really not as bad as it seemed." 1 think of the little girl, her perfect little face still round with baby fat, her deep blue trusting eyes. And I wonder how terrifying her life must become before it can be considered "really bad". I stand at the door of my son's bedroom and watch him sleeping, arms thrown out in happy abandon and I imagine the little girl, clutching her blanket, holding her breath, praying that her father won't come to her room tonight. I imagine her becoming a fly on the wall so she doesn't have to feel the honor of being herself. I try to imagine being seven years old and not being a child anymore. I plot more murder scenarios. I am informed, by people who work in the mental health and legal fields and thus know, that there is a logical reason for this man's bishop becoming so irate over my attempted involvement in the life of a member of his flock. The LDS Church, it seems, was a big lobbying force behind the repeal of the law. At first I am shocked to learn this. The church 1 grew up in had a deep reverence for the family. It was one aspect of Mormonism that I kept respect for, long after I left. I make some inquiries and am told that is precisely the point. The family is the very core of the Church and thus must be kept together at all costs. Sometimes those costs are truly horrifying. But after all, the Church assures us, Families are Former. I think of the little girl and I pray that they arc wrong. Hot in Moab? Come up to 6000 feet and cool mountain trails Pack Creek Ranch A Country Inn & Guest Ranch father-in-law- father-in-law- minimum-mandatory-sentenci- j j j j j FROM THE RANCH Enjoy ng ; i j Lawmakers have agreed to suspend implementation of this misguided repeal while public comment is gathered. There is time for you to make your voice heard. Call your Call Coventor Leavitt. What the hell call Gordon B. Hinckley. representative. - 1 or 2 hour rides in the foothills of the La Sal Mountains 1 hour ride...$15person 2 hour ride$25person 3 hour ride or more$1250pcrson SPECIAL TWILIGHT RIDES JOIN US FOR DINNER NIGHTLY: 6:30 TO 8:30 (Call for a reservation) (801)259-550- 5 BBBH P.O. Box 1270 Moab, UT 84532 r !T0M 'HOME ON THE RANGE ITHILIL ! l j 125 N. i i 259-88- I Main St. I ! i 1 FUN FURNISHINGS: Extraordinary furniture, Blankets, Rugs, Baskets, Lamps, Clocks, Mirrors ... EVERYTHING BUT THE KITCHEN SINK (And we're working on it) OFTEN TAKE PHOTOGRAPHS WHILE 64 i ! Photography 10 DISCOUNT ON YOUR BIRTHDAY SEMI-NU- DE |