>>13551246 (pb) Operation Guardian: Police arrest 8 people in connection with April child solicitation sting in Johnson County Indiana

Breaking from the crowd slightly, perhaps: I think this is wrong. These appear to have been "thought crimes."

They "thought" they were meeting up for a crime, but it was someone impersonating someone else.

It's a crime for you to impersonate an officer.

That demonstrates a two-tier system: it's not a crime for an officer to impersonate, you.

I think there's some importance in that example, more so than just applying it to this instance.

Anyway, to continue the line of thinking: if the police want to make it a crime, then they should "use actual bait"; in other words, hire a child.

But then that's an evenhugercrime – child endangerment.

So best not to dangle any bait in front of them at all?

Then we're back to, can only catch them after they make a victim.

Which, really, is the way it should be.

And I feel, and pray, for the victims! But we shouldn't turn all of us into victims to save some of us. The law should align with "the greatest good" as well as the individual's rights. Which should almost always trample any "greater good" and in fact I'm pretty sure the "almost" is extraneous.

But whose rights were violated in these eight cases?

Eight fictitious teenagers?

"Man goes to jail for not victimizing anybody."

That's no headline.

It should be!