1. I personally think it is a mental health problem. I don't see it having a biological component. With our culture both selling sex and saying it is wrong, such strange interpretaions of what everyone is trying to get across are bound to happen. They need to be treated as such.
2. Pedophilia is largely wrong, in action (look at the large acceptance of homosexuality--many people have been able to keep their feelings under control for ages, and likely do in the case of many impulses considered wrong). Growing people generally do not feel comfortable in themselves--nobody wants to go through puberty again, right? They should learn largely with themselves and their peers. Dealing sexually with someone of a vastly different mental age is bound to negatively shape their lives. Also, while I don't know what other disorders commonly go along with pedo, I wouldn't be suprised if many could be abusive, or would do other behaviors that even more clearly shape the child's growth.
3. Many people get this label for ogling girls who have hips and boobs, but aren't of age. Clearly, this is just weird on the part of the name-callers. Sure, you shouldn't act (see #2), but if their figures are filled out, you should feel attracted.
4. I need to get off ATOT and do some physics studying.
Insane3D: 14-17 most are filling out. Debatable, IMO (young, sure, but they got the hormones going), though I don't see anything wrong with it in the whole. They are expected to be seen in 2-piece bikinis by that point (and generally know they are being looked at--and probably exagerate it internally, too), so what's so much different? The ones that make you go WTF are the parents with like 10 year olds wearing low-cut pants with things sticking out and such. I saw that at a concert. Really, aside from WTF, what is there to say?
...oh yeah, I see you mention that in a later post.
There is also the idea of the porn and journals. This is a massive gray area, as well. I think looking for kiddie porn is as bad as doing the act, because, um, see #2 up there. This would just be encouraging more, even if you aren't directly committing the act.
As far as a journal goes...I can see an investigation (more or less under-the-radar, if possible), and would consider that a duty of the cops. But if it looks like he hasn't done anything, leave it be, and keep him on a list of people to watch for (at that point, he has done nothing wrong, and deserves to keep his freedom as much as anyone). Maybe these people are doing bad things and trying to make it look like they aren't. OTOH, they could have these bad impulses and fantasize as an escape--maybe get it out of their systems. Now, if they are in a position of power, like a teacher, these thoughts are probably affecting how they act, whether they break the law doing so or not, but even I would refrain from forming an opinion on that without researching the specific psychological aspects of pedophilia.
JEDI: I doubt laws make a market, but enforcement of those laws will (look at drugs--illegalize them and organized crime helps the market), but social norms definitly do. I think that without the dysfunctional sexual laws of the big churches (Catholic, FI), which mainly arose from a few middle-ages zealots, we'd be a lot better off. I doubt it will happen, because I also would bet you there would be less objectualizing (is that even a frickin' word?) of sexual acts and characteristics with it--and too many corporations use such imagery for marketting to want it to go away. RJP wants you to think "picture of hot babe with cig logo->smoke cigarettes->hot babe", not "picture of hot babe with cig logo->75% chance of forgetting the ad by the next day".