Silver Lining on Brents Story

David Harsanyi asks in this morning's DP column:

"...can anything positive possibly be wheedled out of a psychopathic rape spree?"

The answer is yes!

The horror of this incident has focused the lens on sexual offenders and their post-incarceration activities. While Harsanyi focuses on the shortcomings of sexual offender registry lists, Diane Carman railed against the lack of police action here and here.

All of this criticism assures one thing: greater scrutiny and suspicion of all sexual offenders for the foreseeable future.

The next time a sexual offender claims he or she was discriminated against by his or her neighbors, we will all say, "Remember Brent J. Brents. Remember the rallies of support for the victims and the police who helped them. Remember that you couldn't find a columnist in the paper saying that Brents' rights superceded the victims' rights."

For now, this will be the mindset, and our children will be safer for it.