I had never really thought about checking out the Megan's Law Web site until the recent tragic events that rocked the entire country. Sure, I knew the information was there at my disposal, but I simply never took the time to see what it was all about.
Pretty stupid, now that I think about it. I take the time to lock my doors before I go to bed. I leave my porch light on all night. I lock the car doors. I take measures all day long to protect my family and our belongings, but never had I taken the most important step of all to determine the safety of my immediate surroundings.
I love my neighborhood with its horse trails, various animals and abundance of trees. I'm lucky enough to call Meadowview my home and I have spent many hours walking the dogs up and down the streets, over the many trails and visiting with the folks who live here. Of all the places I've lived ---- besides Europe ---- this place has been my favorite.
And then I looked up sexual predators in Temecula on the Megan's Law Web site. The loud bursting noise you may have heard last Saturday was my bubble. I was floored to find out that three of these guys live right here in my neighborhood. One of them is a convicted rapist. My feathers were definitely ruffled.
As I continued to peruse the site and read what the people had been arrested for, I was surprised at how ordinary some of them looked. Sure, some of them were creepy, but others looked like the guy you may wave to every Saturday as he is out working in his yard.
When I finally decided I was disgusted with looking at these people, I went in and flipped on the TV and immediately got caught up in watching a debate on what we should do with sex offenders once they have been caught. There were eight guests on this show, so the views were all over the board.
The one thing I heard over and over was castration, but because I had just been on the very Web site that explains what their crimes are, I knew that would be fruitless. Castration still leaves them a "tool" to exploit with. And many of these monsters find other objects to use during their crimes.
Read the comments on any Web site regarding these events and the ideas for eradicating these crimes are aplenty. The 10-cent bullet. Rehabilitation. Or my personal favorite: Tattooing their forehead with the words "sex offender."
In a nation so divided on their political views, it will probably take us years to figure out how to keep these monsters at bay. Until then, go to the Megan's Law Web site and educate yourself about who lives in your neighborhood or near your child's school.
Because for now, being aware is our only defense.
Susan Hall writes about ideas, people and events of interest in Southwest County. E-mail her at sdhm565@aol.com.
