THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT 
              Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: Wednesday, May 15, 1996                TAG: 9605150005
SECTION: FRONT                    PAGE: A12  EDITION: FINAL 
TYPE: Letter 
                                             LENGTH: Short :   45 lines

MOLESTER WAS (IS) DANGEROUS

I became infuriated upon reading ``Sentencing delayed for child molester'' (MetroNews, May 9). Maybe part of my emotion was sparked after attending the terrific lecture in Norfolk by Dr. T. Berry Brazelton, world-renown pediatrician and advocate for children and families.

Circuit Judge Jerome Friedman is struggling with sentencing Walter E. Skinner to 18-51 years under new guidelines for child-molestation crimes. A psychiatrist determined that Skinner is not a pedophile, and Judge Friedman isn't sure Skinner is a danger to society.

Pedophile or not, he was a danger to three young boys in Virginia Beach. Skinner pleaded guilty to 19 child-molestation charges. According to Judge Friedman, ``I have to look out for the victims in this case. . . . But I am also concerned about a man who has lived an exemplary life . . . who is well-educated.''

What kind of example is molesting three boys for five years? People use ignorance as an excuse for crimes. That may be somewhat understandable in the case of someone with little education and possibly a background of childhood abuse who then goes on to abuse or molest children as an adult. But never can I conceive of using higher education as an excuse for special consideration. Mr. Skinner's Ivy League education is more reason to condemn the man; he's surely intelligent, he knows better and he chose to violate the law - a law set forth to protect the innocence of our children.

What kind of message is Judge Friedman sending to the people of Virginia by so heavily contemplating the sentence of Walter Skinner? You can be a well-educated, good citizen all your life but happen to have a bad problem like molesting boys. Aren't our laws and punishments in place to protect our precious children?

Get on with it and sentence him! He may not be ``a danger to society,'' but he was, and others will follow him. Let us all take a stand to protect the children.

KIMBERLY M. RAMOS

Virginia Beach, May 10, 1996 by CNB