Most people probably know by now the story of Mark Berndt, the veteran teacher who was arrested on January 31, 2012. He was charged with 23 counts of lewd conduct based on the allegation that he fed his semen to children on cookies and as part of a taste-testing game. The evidence supporting this contention includes pictures of blind-folded children apparently tasting a white substance and a cup retrieved from Mr. Berndt's classroom that had an undisclosed amount of semen on it or in it. DNA analysis proved that the semen on the cup was produced by Mr. Berndt. While the link between semen residue on the cup and the white stuff in the photographs is tenuous at best, law enforcement authorities are convinced that Mr. Berndt fed his semen to children and, as a result, Mr. Berndt is currently being held in custody with bail set at $23 million.

Mr. Berndt was removed from his position at Miramonte Elementary in Los Angeles, where he taught third grade, early in 2011 and was forced to retire. At that time there was not enough evidence to arrest him and so he remained free for most of a year before being arrested. The investigation was initiated when a film processor noticed some odd photographs of blind-folded children with cockroaches on their faces. These pictures have been characterized in media reports as "images of sadistic bondage," but that seems to be a bit of an exaggeration. In fact, Mr. Berndt gave these photographs to children and their parents and so it seems quite unlikely that he considered them to be erotic in nature. However, media reports strongly insinuate that Mr. Berndt derived some kind of sexual thrill from the various acts he is accused of having committed.

A bit of a moral panic ensued after Mr. Berndt's arrest with another teacher being arrested on charges that he fondled a couple female students. Additionally, other teachers were accused of aiding and abetting Mr. Berndt by sending students to his classroom to participate in the inappropriate activities. The Los Angeles Unified School District subsequently took the outrageous step of replacing the entire staff at Miramonte Elementary at a cost estimated to be well over a million dollars.

The United States has been in moral panic mode regarding the topic of child abuse since at least the early 1980s. Seldom are sane and rational discussions on the topic presented in the media. Instead we see supposed experts who share misinformation designed to heighten fears and hysteria. The ridiculous actions taken by the Los Angeles Unified School District earlier this month could only occur in the midst of a moral panic. However, due to the long term nature of the current moral panic, laws have developed which force organizations and individuals to protect themselves from the crazies in the general public and in positions of power. Let's face it, we've been in moral panic mode close to forty years now and it looks like obsessive fantasies of bad people doing bad things to kids aren't likely to end anytime soon!

When all the hype and misinformation is stripped away from the story presented by the media regarding the incidents at Miramonte Elementary School, it is highly likely that we will find that a couple teachers have been falsely accused of committing crimes against children. The legal system will most likely try to save face by offering plea bargains so that it will appear that these two individuals were at least guilty of something, but the truth is likely that these unfortunate men are guilty of nothing. In fact, it is highly likely that they were gifted, talented, and dedicated teachers. However, a system is currently in place that encourages false accusations and even enables, protects, and rewards false accusers. Ultimately, the children supposedly protected by the legal system are more likely to be harmed by the legal system than by any bad people lurking in the shadows waiting to prey on them.

The most upsetting aspect of the situation involving Miramonte Elementary is that it seems to be following a pattern that has been repeated dozens, if not hundreds of times, across this country over the past several decades. It seems that after awhile we would learn from past mistakes, but we keep on repeating them as if we have some severe form of amnesia. The true tragedy is that the children involved in these events will be traumatized more by the reaction to the allegations than any actual actions that the allegations are based on. While crusaders are intent on purging society of bad people, they completely overlook that they harm far more children than the bad people they are attempting to hunt down. The dysfunctional nature of the situation should be obvious to any rational and intelligent person, but far more people approve of the handling of the Miramonte situation than disapprove of it. At least, that's the impression one would get based on the one-sided treatment of the situation by the media. While complaining about this sorry situation may draw criticism from fake experts, true-believers, and those in positions of power, the only way to bring about positive change is to speak up and to not accept the status quo.