Haha. Well...

...I'll take that as a very kind compliment!

But yeah, damn judge! She was so close to doing the right thing!

It shows what hysterical mindlessness does to people! All or any of us, if we let it. Even people who can think straight and evaluate things rationally still trip over the hysteria at the end of it all.

The judge doesn't consider that even if sending a message that exploitating children is unacceptable is a good thing (and of course it is) she is damning an innocent person to do it! That sends another message: even innocence won't save you when hysteria reigns! Maybe it doesn't matter what you do after all?

Now what happens to the woman in prison? Does she become a worse person perhaps? Does the experience change her personality and judgment in unpredictable ways? Does she become a threat to society and perhaps children because of her experience? Or what if she commits suicide? What if the boy does? How will this effect him? Can the judge be certain that condemning his innocent lover might not screw his head up royally, or even just make him despair quietly? Can she protect the child from her own judgment? Are any or all of these possible effects acceptable in order to send a message while sacrificing an innocent person?

There, I'm going on now...

Grover Ruskin