Regardless of whether any blame attaches to the parents, where would you find a society that applauds and revels in the sight of a six-year-old kid being turned into a precocious brat? Outside of the US, Big Mick, nowhere.

Strolling Johnny's raised a legitimate concern, and political correctness should not blind us to it. Surely it's beyond argument that provocative clothing will increase the risk of unwanted attention. It is possible to acknowledge this simple fact without in any way excusing the rapist or the paedophile. It is just a matter or recognising that different people have different thresholds.

If it's an adult woman making decisions about the way she presents herself, no problem. She can assess any risks and make her own choices. But a child is in no place to make such judgement calls. Sure if a kid is raped or killed, someone's committed an offense and should be accountable. But surely there's a case for minimising any risk of the crime in the first place.

Having said all that, I have no idea why Jon Benet was murdered. Maybe she just got up someone's nose, as she did mine, and was unlucky in that the guy (male or female) had a lower threshold than I have. For my part, I would gladly wring the neck of such a child, but only metaphorically.

By the way, Jeri, your Hallowe'en activities are not remotely what I had in mind when I referred to behaviour likely to invite unwanted attention.