As morally right as it may be, encouraging it is against basic human rights and more fundamental morals.

Why not adjust the pedophile sentences to the level that popular support permits?

As long as we're getting sadistic, why limit the pleasures of murder and torture to prisoners. Let's bring back the KKK so that the people who deviate from social norms can be hung from the nearest tree or lamp post with screaming crowds to enjoy the cruelty. Why let people in Guantanomo have all the fun? There's only so much pleasure to be gotten out of simulated violence in computer games. It's time we started into the real thing where the real excitement and pleasure lies.

"Why not adjust the pedophile sentences to the level that popular support permits?"

That will prove very difficult to administer in real life. If you are a male teacher and an underage female student, the social norms is that this is very heinous. However, if a female teacher and a male student, a very light sentence is generally given. Per social norms.

If a Muslim, underage is somewhere below 9 years old, per Mohammad's example. A couple of groups in Texas indicate that underage abuse is there as well. So, should there be religious exceptions?

Incest is more acceptable (apparently) in some ethnic groups than others, as there are higher percentages than across the general population. And much higher percentages of unwed young mothers in ghettos and lower class groups of people.

All told, there are a lot of sick people out there.

Taking the innocence of a child is indeed wrong. I support much stronger punishments for those that abuse children.

Pederasts, of course, are rather sick people. It probably is as difficult to determine the proper length of prison time to cure a pederast as it is to cure a schizophrenic or a manic depressive. Obviously society has determined that sequestering neurotics and psychotics with large mental problems in with violent criminals with strong antisocial patterns does them a world of good. It remains only for some authoritative legal group to determine what periods of imprisonment are medically proper to bring these unfortunates in line with the rest of our sane society so that their viewpoints return to normal.

dumb idea. just because someone did something wrong, doesnt mean that someone else should get rewarded for shanking them

As a rule, I think we have to go with democratic decisions. There will always be problems, but I rarely want some ruling class to be assumed to be smarter than the voters.