Amergin: Of course, there has always been a darker layer. I don't think that anyone is suggesting that life in the 40's and 50's was like Leave It To Beaver. I know that where I grew up there were instances of incest, rape and sodomy going on, although I didn't know it until I was an adult. I'm sure it's been going on forever. That accepted, there wasn't a national organization promoting sex between adults and children (as there is now,) and I never thought that Shirley Temple was coming on to adults, as girls her age suggest now in junior beauty contests. I think that now, it's a matter of marketing. The darker layer is on top, and you have to dig underneath to find the majority of kids who aren't on drugs, or having sex at nine. I share C's concern that kids lose their innoncence a lot earlier. If where you grew up, seven year old kids were dancing in the playground, grabbing their crotches and singing I want to have sex with you, Northern Idaho must have been years before its time... We weren't doing that in Wisconsin. :-)

Jerry