My meds ran out and won’t be ready for a few hours, so don’t read this unless you want pure, uncut ADHD.

That’s definitely the biggest reason. One of the other reasons I’ve seen tossed around (not with mega church pastors, but with the ultra wealthy in general… however I think it applies here) is that a lot of these folks can get any sort of pleasure a person could want, so they start turning more and more towards shit that they aren’t supposed to do in order to keep getting that thrill.

So for these folks who think every sort of sex outside of married people face to face is wrong they’ll start with adultery (which is only wrong because you made a monogamous commitment in the real world, but it’s a huge deal in their world), perhaps a few threesomes (nothing wrong with that, but they like the taboo nature of it), then move on to some light homosexual liaisons (again, nothing actually wrong here), then orgies (still nothing wrong unless you’re puritanical). Then pretty soon they’re banging kids and shoving cocaine up their pee holes. They’re not doing it because they’re attracted to kids, they’re doing it because it feels like power.

It’s a different path than the ultra wealthy that ends in the same place a lot of times. Look at the number of people who rode the Lolita Express. If you told me they found an island where the “elite” were hunting people for sport then eating them I wouldn’t be surprised. Because that power feeling is just like a really good drug.

Add to that your very well thought out reasons and that kids are small and can’t really put up a good fight and you’ve got a recipe for kiddy diddling.

This also applies to a lot of people who seek power over whatever sad little fiefdom they can. HOA presidents don’t have the access to children that mega churches and the rich have, so they wield the power they have to show the folks in the neighborhood who the boss is.

In the end the why doesn’t matter. Raping children is wrong and those found guilty should be hung in the town square.

That’s why they have financing at 29.9%

I successfully used the Barenaked Ladies Snacktime! album to move one of my friend’s kids from kids music to folk rock to hard rock. She now occasionally drags me to big concerts and we got tattoos (not matching) at the same time for her very first tattoo. I’m her favorite uncle, even though she has two that are actually related and pretty good guys.

Sunrise, sunset.

Since at some level we’re all dying, I feel like I can safely tell you that with great power there must also come – great responsibility!

Or were you looking for “Remember, with great power comes great responsibility” from the movie?

Or possibly “All power corrupts, absolute power…” “… is even more fun” if you prefer old school BOFH to Spider-Man.

I agree with the great majority of what you’re saying except:

have likely never known poverty

I grew up in poverty along with almost everyone else in my hometown. The whole area is super red. That’s exactly the kind of thing they believe.

Not to say there aren’t those kinds of people who haven’t known poverty, it just doesn’t seem to factor in.