This is part of my ongoing examination of the folly of sexual predator zoning laws in cities.  In Woodbridge Virginia, a 6 year old child has been declared a "sex offender" by the elementary school because he slapped a girl on the butt.  Mark Steyn is correctly wondering how long this will stick on his record.  Who knows, some city ordinance may one day (or already is) broad enough to keep this horrible human being from living next door to you and pulling your daughter's hair on the playground because he likes her.  Rogier van Bakel takes this case to the next logical conclusion, and is waiting to see a story of a newborn being charged as a sex offender.

In Maine on the other hand, you could now be charged as a sex offender simply for looking too long at a child in public.  Seriously:

Those who peer at children in public could find themselves on the wrong side of the law in Maine soon.

A bill that passed the House last month aims to strengthen the crime of visual sexual aggression against children, according to state Rep. Dawn Hill, D-York.
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Under the bill, if someone is arrested for viewing children in a public place, it would be a Class D felony if the child is between 12 to 14 years old and a Class C felony if the child is under 12, according to Alexander.

Dr. Helen asks some very good questions about who would be targeted, and very simple circumstances where its reasonable to be "keeping an eye" on a child that's not yours in a public place.  It's absolutely stupid, and it creates the intention that anything involving a child and a stranger is automatically assumed to be sexual in nature.  How perverse an idea is that?!  How sick are you that you think the majority of society thinks about children that way, that you cast that wide a net?

Which leads back to the title of this post.  These people are all being labeled as some sort of "sex offender".  Will they have to register too?  What cities will they not be allowed to live in because of these stupid laws?  We've absolutely gone crazy in this society with labeling people with things that simply don't apply.  This also once again over blows the danger of stranger attacks on children, when over 90% of all sexual abuse against a child is committed by a family member, or close friend.

Update:  The report of the Maine law on visual sexual aggression appears to be false.  Dr. Helen has the update.