The problem is that when legislators and judicial committees finally craft a law, they are usually in a high dudgeon.

An example is Megan's Law. They make the the 19 year old busted for boffing his 17 year old girlfriend the equivalent of the Sandusky.

So effectively it is worthless, or has nothing to do with justice and is just plain revenge.

It also seems the burden of proof in sexual cases is well below reasonable as well.

I would say the allegation against this guy goes beyond being a pig:

http://www.northjersey.com/northbergen/North_Bergen_man_accused_of_mid-air_sex_assault_has_3_passpports.html?page=all

The scene was a plane full of people, and the woman told a flight attendant what happened, which ought to help the truth come out in court. And I still think it's premature to hyperventilate over abusive and unreasonable sentencing when there hasn't even been any sentencing yet.

We are blind when it comes to sexual abuse. There seems to be a one size fits all mentallity while we have different categories for the most heinous crime, murder. For murder, we have capital murder, murder, voluntary manslaughter, reckless homicide, and felony murder.

Of course, he doesn't have to get the maximum sentence. Even for murder, the range of sentencing can be from probation to 99 years. This allows the jury or judge to take all of the circumstances into account and use his or her best judgement and discretion. I can't promise that will happen. I see more and more people taking extreme views and using their position just to fullfill an agenda.

One related problem here is that men are placed in "set up" situation for accusations of sexual harassment or assault by social expectations that they must make first time sexual initiatives, and assume all the personal, social and legal risks that that entails.

As Warren Farrell has said, get it right and you are a stud. Get it wrong, and you are a rapist.

There is so much variability between women in sexual receptivity -- from extreme receptivity (more of a male porno film fantasy scene than actual reality in this situation, but, the point is that there do exist small minority of women who might react positively) to (far more likely) taking extreme offense.

Depending on her receptivity, he could have joined the mile high club, or joined lifers in the federal pen. Males realize that if they don't make first time sexual initiatives, women generally won't.

In addition, imagine if the sexes in this scenario were reversed. A formal complaint or criminal charges would be highly unlikely.

Seems like he missed his true calling in life; if he had been wearing a blue uniform and groping women at a "security" checkpoint, he could have made money doing what he loved . . .

If he "got it right, he could've joined the Mile High Club"?? How is randomly groping some SLEEPING stranger something with the possibility of right? Do you think there are any humans on this planet who would wake up to the hands of someone they've never met on their genitals and a tongue coming at them, and be HAPPY? Not even Ryan Gosling could get away with that, idiot.

I'm betting he thought she might be out on pills (lots of people pop a sleeping pill on planes) and hoped he could rape her. Not crying he's facing jail for life. If I, or one of my kids, did what he did, I wouldn't think differently.

Not so fast (pun intended) ...being taken by a stranger while sleeping is not an uncommon fantasy, even among women.

It's the translation from fantasy to reality that's the tricky part. :-P

...yep, but that makes my point re female variance in receptivity -- in this case the same act, but different actor ( ...oh! another pun!)

Sleeping Beauty is presented as a female fantasy (a beauty is awakened from sleep by the kiss of a prince or king) and they live happily ever after. The actual story (and it various historical variants) is far from a G-rated children's story.

As Rob Kurzban would say, we are all hypocrites.

The translation from fantasy to reality simply doesn't happen, with this. Like I said, not even with a dream guy would a woman be okay with this. It's called fantasy for a reason. No man with half a brain would ever, ever, ever think this was okay. In any situation short of it being a woman you ARE in a relationship with, and you have both agreed in advance to act this out.

It wasn't "groping." Go to the link Martin provided: the man admitted penetration and the woman's clothes, inclduing her bra, were ripped. This was forcible digital penetration, which in some jurisdictions is rape.

The maximum may be too much, but if people keep referring to this as "groping," which sounds like all he did was place a hand where it wasn't wanted, any punishment will sound like too much. If you want some proportion in sentencing, at least start by calling this crime what it was.

Do you think there are any humans on this planet who would wake up to the hands of someone they've never met on their genitals and a tongue coming at them, and be HAPPY?

Well . . . is she hot?

>> Do you think there are any humans on this planet who would wake up to the hands of someone they've never met on their genitals and a tongue coming at them, and be HAPPY?

Yes, yes I do. At least 1 on the planet. But probably more. Though not enough to make it a viable risk.

>>No man with half a brain would ever, ever, ever think this was okay.

Absolutely correct. But there are too many men (and women) who pull off the appearance of having half a brain remarkably well.

I have no idea what was going through this guy's head when he touched this woman, but it ranged from misplaced hope that his attention would be well received, to selfish pleasure groping with reckless disregard for the damage done to her, to intent to cause her harm, which he most likely did regardless of his intent. Do we care why he did it?

Michael Mills - please give reality a call, she misses you. Kissing a woman you've been talking to for half an hour and getting rebuffed is one thing. Sticking a finger inside them while they're asleep is another. Some sort of punishment is in order. Just not necessarily the same punishment as for a violent rapist.