Oh, c’mon. Get off your high horse. What do you expect Forumosans to do about crazy Iranian laws? Your earlier post of “Where is the outrage” sounds like you are accusing Forumosans of tolerating child abuse because no one had written about their disgust of this stupid law. That was a cheap shot on your part so I responded in kind.
Yes, I am disgusted that a man can marry a 9 y/o girl. Happy now?
I did not know that a girl is considered fit for marriage at 9 YO in Iran. That’s disturbing indeed.
Yet, the US spends billions on what some call “freedom fighting.” Go bomb Iran to liberate women from this shit instead, and I’ll support the war full stop.
Look, there’s not much we can do about bizarre laws in Iran, so there’s not much point in expressing outrage, and why should we feel compelled to do so publicly? The outrage is obvious. It’s a given. Ergo the silence.
Now that is more like it.
I don’t know DB. The world is getting smaller… If you look at what 911 sparked in terms of “what we can do,” I sure am more concerned for the hundreds of thousands of young girls in Iran than I am for a mere two thousand American lives lost in a terrorist attack.
There is a lot that can be done… But we’d have to find a way to make a buck in the process… That’s the problem, and silence sure ain’t going to help, IMO. I would agree, however, that expressing outrage on Forumosa will achieve very little.
As mentioned, I did not know about this “bizarre” Iranian law, and this only reinforce my opinion that gravity is there for a reason… The world is up-side-down.
It seems kind of obvious to me that the reason the Neil case elicits significant commentary on Forumosa is because it hits so close to home. Neil is someone that any of us could have shared a beer with had our paths crossed. In fact, the Neil case HAS made me wonder if I’ve ever shared a beer with a psycho like him. Lord knows I have had beers with some real nutjobs in Asia. Also, like many Forumosans, Neil is a western male teaching English in Asia. His acts can affect the image that locals have on all western males living or traveling in Asia.
The Iranian law, on the other hand, is somewhat remote, part of a culture a lot of us don’t understand or have contact with. It’s no less disturbing, maybe even more so since it is state-sanctioned abuse. But, its existence is unlikely to cause a visceral reaction from Forumosans in the same manner as the Neil case since Forumosans, for the most part, are not connected to Iran to the same degree as Asia.
It’s the same reason the Kaohsuing murder case involving the American guy and the Filipino girlfriend is a popular thread on Forumosa. Murders happen in Taiwan everyday, but this one affects a lot of Forumosans more closely so they write about it. I don’t think the interest in the Kaohsuing case over other murders means that Forumosans believe only murders involving westerners should be prosecuted in Taiwan. That would be a silly conclusion to make, wouldn’t it?
Uh oh…maybe they just can’t help themselves…(more bad news for short people)
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/10/071022120203.htm
Are Some Men Predisposed To Pedophilia?
ScienceDaily (Oct. 23, 2007) — Height may point to a biological basis for pedophilia, according to new research released by the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH). The study found that pedophilic males were shorter on average than males without a sexual attraction to children.[/url]…excerpt from article.
Oh, man, that’s a low blow!
You wish… 
I don’t write 'em…I just post 'em.
No, the statute may prohibit traveling in the US with intent to commit illicit sexual acts, but it also prohibits travel in foreign countries for the same purpose, which is apparently what Canada would charge this guy with if they ever get their paws on him. As already discussed, it’s highly controversial for a country to govern behavior outside of its boundaries, for obvious reasons (it seems to be a violation of other countries’ territorial boundaries and of an individual’s right to leave a country and no longer be subject to its laws).
But the intent issue is equally troublesome. I disagree that “there are many crimes that look at intent.” On the contrary, in most cases one has to commit an actual bad act to be guilty and in most cases, I believe, it should stay that way.
Should it be a crime to sit in a girlie bar on Patpong road ogling the girls some of whom may be underage, because one may be thinking “I’d like to ______ that little slut”? I don’t think so. What harm is done in traveling abroad with the mere, un-acted upon intent of having illicit sex? NONE. Fortunately, the authorities don’t have the resources to go chasing after everyone who may be traveling abroad with the mere intent to commit illicit sex, so they only go after the occasional pervert who has actually done the dirty deed repeatedly, posted his pics online, and otherwise dared the authorities to come and get him.
Is the law constitutional? Good question. I believe it probably isn’t. Of course, the only way to find out is for someone to be arrested and prosecuted under the law and have his lawyers argue in court that the law’s unconstitutional and let the judge decide (then the appeals court, etc.). Personally, I’d like to see that happen to the above law and have the courts strike down the law as unconstitutional, so the lawmakers can go back and write a proper law prohibiting the screwing of underage kids, not the intention to do so.
Aiyaaa, get real. Now you want us to bomb Iran because their laws permit young children to wed? Why don’t we bomb the US for sanctioning and conducting the executions of thousands of prisoners, including children and retards, despite near universal condemnation from the developed nations of the world?
Good point. Not only does one encounter lots of nut cases in Asia, but living here on the other side of hte world gives one a freedom from the friends, family and society one grew up with that permits one to disregard laws, social mores, and restraints that previously restricted one. As some forumosan (spook?) famously put it in a classic post, “What I love about Taiwan is I can walk out in the street in nothing but my boxers and flipflops and belch loudly and no one cares or even notices. . .”
Well, if that’s true in Taiwan, it’s even more true in SE Asia. In some places one can spend the day smoking dope in a public cafe and spend the nights choosing from swarms of horny girls who want to ride back to your place with you, drunk on your motorbike with no helmet, to get fucked all night for not much more than the price of a bien dang. Lots of guys enjoy that freedom and that lifestyle, some for a few days, some for a few weeks or months, some for years, not just because the lifestyle can be so intoxicating, but also because it’s so cheap. Not surprisingly, some who fall prey to that lifestyle completely lose touch with reality, as apparently happened to this Canadian pervert who, even as the authorities were breathing down his neck about to lock him up for life, was still chasing after little boys. Most guys feel all the sinful temptations in that part of the world (maybe not to diddle kiddies, but all the many other temptations), but most of us are able to maintain some control. Others lose it.
Great post and highly accurate I think. One of the best posts made on this topic.
Pedophillia is sometimes thought of as a western disease, but in no way is that true. In fact it is almost common in Asia among Asians. For example in some areas of Afghanistan old men having sex with boys is almost the norm. Unfortunately child exploitation has been going on for centuries. It is at the moment easier for rich western kiddy fiddlers to get away with it and do it far more often than in Asia than in the West. As it is much more common among the locals in many parts of Asia than it is in the west. Anyone that went to snake alley 15 years ago will remember the hundreds of young teenage girls locked up in cages for exploitation by local Taiwanese men. It is rampant in Asia. Is it part of their culture ? Well look at Japan ? School girl porn is a multi million dolar industry.
So the west is now doing a lot to try and prevent child exploitation in Asia by westerners, but what are Asian countries themselves doing to prevent it by westerners and local men ? They also have to play a role. It they cleaned up their own backyards better then we probably wouldn’t need these draconian laws. There are obviously a lot of underage girls working in porn shows in famous bars in Thailand. So what do the Thai authorities do about that ? Not much. Perhaps they are worried about losing the sex tourist dollar ?
Thanks, I’ve spent some time in Thailand back when I had no wife, kids, job or anything else to force me to leave, so I speak of the temptations first-hand. Here’s just one example of what I’m talking about. Pick a number, easy as that. Or, what the heck, pick two if you want. Don’t like what you see, go next door and see what they’ve got on offer.
Congratulations! You have just won the Twisted Sense of Moral Equivalency Award! Jaboney was the previous title holder, but now that honor falls with you. Compariing institutionalized child rape to the execution of murderers? Classic!
And the US no longer executes mentally retarded people (Atkins v. Virginia, 2002), nor children (Roper v. Simmons, 2005).
And what award do you get for labeling Iran’s laws institutionalized child rape?
Does it bother you that most states in the US permit marriage of children younger than 16?
Does it bother you that the wacko who confessed to killing Jon Benet Ramsay married a 13 year old and a 16 year old in the US?
Does it bother you that a US court recently approved of the marriage between a 14 year old boy and a 12 year old girl?
Does it bother you that the US has the highest teen pregnancy rate in the developed world, with 52 out of 1000 girls age 15 to 19 giving birth?
Does it bother you that in the US, 61% of rape victims are under age 18, 29% are younger than 11, and 1 out of 4 women was sexually molested by an adult before she was 18?
Or does non of that matter, because at least we’re not a bunch of brown-skinned savages?
Ah…the race card. I was wondering when you’d play that one.
Just clicking on your first link, I see that 6 states allow for marriage younger than 16. I wasn’t aware that 6 out of 50 accounts for “most.” 
Should I bother checking out the others, or did you misrepresent those as well?
Edit: I realize the marriagable age starts at 16 in most states, but that’s a far cry from 9, no? How could a 9 year old possibly have the mental capacity to consent to marriage? Absolutely ridiculous. It’s institutionalized abuse, pure and simple.
Look in the mirror. I’m not the one accusing a whole nation of law abiding citizens of being a bunch of rapists.
Maybe you should check twice before accusing others of being liars. According to my link children may get married in the following states before age 16:
I won’t go through the rest, but I think you get the point. Well, maybe not, but if you read it really slowly you might. 
Abiding an unjust law is not a noble act.
From your link:
I won’t go through the rest, but I think you get the point. Well, maybe not, but if you read it really slowly you might.
:upyours:
By the way, I appreciate you answering my question, albeit indirectly. I had asked whether child abuse is acceptable if clothed in a different culture, and you seem to believe it is (given your reference to “law-abiding citizens”). I could care less if their civil code or religious beliefs or culture says it’s acceptable for a little girl to get married. It’s not. There is no way a 9 year old could given competent consent. It’s rape. It’s legally sanctioned, yes, but it’s rape nonetheless.
So what age is acceptable for you then ? 12 ? 15 ? 17 ? 19 ? 21 ? 25 ? 39 ?
So some people on here believe that there should be an international law for the age of marriage or consent ? What about abortion ? smoking ? cannabis smoking ? drinking alcohol ? oral sex ? prostitution ?
Where does it stop ? Surely it is not possible that the loonies harking on about a coming world government are right ? Well I’m starting to think they maybe onto something. Big brother ordering other countries as to what the age of consent should be for every country on earth !