Kids Gone Wild

These are dark days for traditional Americans, folks who believe that the Judeo-Christian principles of right and wrong should be considered when making public policy. The other day, former "Focus on the Family" founder James Dobson actually told his crew that the culture war was being lost in America. And it is hard to argue with Dobson's opinion.

All over the USA, secular progressives are on the move promoting gay marriage, legalized drugs and unfettered abortion, and attacking almost all judgments on personal behavior. And nowhere is the movement more intense than in the nation's most liberal state: Vermont.

The legislature in the Green Mountain State recently voted to legalize gay marriage, overriding the veto of Gov. Jim Douglas. Vermont is the first state to actually legislate in favor of homosexual nuptials, as Massachusetts, Connecticut and Iowa all had gay marriage imposed on the citizenry by judges.

It is worth noting that Vermont is one of the few states that voted down "Jessica's Law," the tough mandatory-prison-sentence legislation against child sexual predators. An investigation into Vermont's criminal justice apparatus reveals the state embraces "restorative justice," whereby criminals often receive "holistic" treatment as part of their sentence for even heinous crimes like child rape. The goal is not so much to punish the offender, but to "restore" him or her to their rightful place in society. That is a secular-progressive hallmark.

While Vermont is coddling child predators, it is also sending a message to kids: Hey, you can do pretty much whatever you want.

Somewhat incredibly, the Vermont senate has passed a bill decriminalizing consensual "sexting." That is the process where children send sexual pictures of themselves to other children using cell phones or computers. The proposed Vermont law says that children ages 13 to 18 will be allowed to do that, but not to distribute the photos to more than one person or to an adult.

Supporters of the sexting law say it's necessary so that teenagers will not be prosecuted as sexual offenders and have their lives ruined. There is some validity to that as dopey kids do dopey things. However, the sane solution would be to categorize sexting as a misdemeanor breach of the peace, thus sending a message that it is unacceptable for kids to send other kids sexual images.

But secular progressives are loath to make that judgment. Remember, these are the same people who believe a girl has the right to an abortion without telling her parents. So if a kid can undergo a major life-altering operation (especially for the fetus), why should it be a big deal to do a little sexting?

With a liberal federal government and media, there is little opposition being voiced to what is happening in Vermont and other secular-progressive enclaves. Culture war issues have been forced to the back room by the awful economy, and the S-Ps are taking full advantage. If American children are legally allowed to send explicit pictures of themselves to other kids, then say goodbye to traditional boundaries of behavior.

The slippery slope is here.

Veteran TV news anchor Bill O'Reilly is host of the Fox News show "The O'Reilly Factor" and author of the book "Who's Looking Out For You?" To find out more about Bill O'Reilly, and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate web page at www.creators.com. This column originates on the Web site www.billoreilly.com.

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