Hrm. There seemed to be a lot more sympathy for the guy I posted about before - a guy that definitely DID molest someone:
http://forum.calgarypuck.com/showthread.php?t=60569
In that thread I tried to keep my personal opinion out of it and just give facts so as to not influence the direction of the thread. But I'll bite here.
I think there is a spectrum of offenses: possessing child pornography, distributing child pornography, non-penetration molestation, raping a child, creating pornography of child sex acts. The first one is usually sentenced with about 4 months house arrest. Yet most people do not recognize that spectrum. One is just as bad as the other. Now as much as I abhor defending people collecting kiddy porn, I just don't think this guy warranted death.
The people I have no sympathy for is those that actually touch a child. I don't buy that "where there is smoke there is fire" argument made in this thread. Unless there is proof that this guy molested children, I don't think it fair to assume that he has.
I think that owning child pornography needs to be punished, and punished severely. I don't think Canada punishes people nearly severely enough. But I don't think they deserve the punishment others have suggest in this thread. Save that for those that actually harm a child. *THAT* I have absolutely *NO* sympathy for.