Some of the creepiest stories we've had in the newspaper recently concern Jack McClellan, 45, a self-proclaimed pedophile who is obsessed with little girls and takes their photos in public places.

He's never been arrested for a sex crime. He's from Washington State, now living out of his car in California and there is a statewide restraining order against him. He must remain 30 feet away from any child. According to a brief we ran today he "was charged Tuesday with violating an order to stay away from children after he was arrested twice in a day at a university."

For years, he maintained a Web site in Washington on which he posted photos of children he had taken in public places. He also discussed how he liked to stake out parks, public libraries, fast-food restaurants and other areas where little girls, or "LGs," congregate.

Yuk. Anyway, reading about McClellan reminded me of a debate that still goes on in academic circles on whether Lewis Carroll, author of "Alice in Wonderland" was a pedophile. He took photos of little girls and seemed obsessed with them. Personally, I believe in the pedophile spin, though there's no evidence Carroll ever acted inappropriate in a sexual way with the girls he photographed. (McClellan supposedly hasn't either, but ick just the same.)

So you have to wonder, would there be a restraining order against Lewis Carroll in today's society?

Your thoughts?

---

---