Elizabeth Smart, the 15 year old kidnapped last year from her home in Utah, was returned safely to her family recently.

A couple involved in the kidnapping had kept the teenager for eight months prior to their being spotted walking down a street 15 miles from Smart's home. Smart was disguised with a wig and a veil.

The man, Brian David Mitchell, was charged last week with kidnapping and sexual assault.

Mitchell thinks of the kidnapping as a relationship with his new "wife" [Smart] and their mutual adventure. He maintains that he loves her and knows she loves him, according to an interview on television station KUTV.

In a separate incident, a 9 year old from Nicaragua became pregnant after being raped. Her family is in trouble because it did not wait for the government's approval for an abortion. Apparently, it takes an entire government to decide whether a 9 year old, who does not want to share her toys, is ready to have a baby.

Pete Townsend, guitarist for the rock band The Who, was arrested after authorities found child pornography on his home computer. Michael Jackson, mostly absent from the media in past years, has returned creepier than ever, admitting he thinks it's okay to share a bed with young boys who are not his own children.

Pedophilia is a problem that has not been adequately addressed.

The success rate of curing pedophiles is lower than that of curing heroin addicts. With the Internet in most people's homes, it is easier for sexual predators to access child pornography than before.

Families with a creepy uncle or in-law who is considered touchy-feely warn their children not to get too close. But, the behavior continues with no one really doing or saying anything about it.

This behavior outside of family is called sexual molestation. If a stranger came up to you, grabbed your behind and squeezed it, you would be appalled. It would be unacceptable. In turn, a family member behaving the same way should be treated as a criminal.

The more we can identify sexual predators in our society, the more we can protect the children.

As far as improving the cure rate, all pedophiles should get shipped off to Pedophile Island, where the only other creatures who inhabit the island are one-ton great apes on Viagra.

Who's the sexual predator now?