FIRST THEY CAME FOR THE BEAUTY QUEENS....

With all due apologies to Martin Niemller, I have the nagging feeling that, in light of the JonBenet Ramsey news, as the media begins to beat down child beauty pageants, figure skating won't be far behind.

Personally, I think the sight of little girls in sexy outfits and full make up, whether on stage or on ice, is creepy. But it is not a cause of death.

The fact is, grown men who are turned on by little girls would be turned on by little girls no matter what those little girls were wearing. The fault is on them, not on the children.

And parents who push their kids into make-up or skates to fulfill their own sense of inadequacy (or whatever need is fulfilled by being a stage parent), would switch over to a tennis racket or a violin if the pageantt/skating option were removed.

Finally, except for the fact that it's bad for your skin, some kids actually genuinelyy enjoy putting on make-up and strutting on stage. Neither they, nor the activity they engage in, is to blame for the sick people who are attracted to it.