Even here, life isn't always sunshine and roses

No place on planet Earth is immune from evil. When evil appears, it usually seems to be somewhere else.

But not always.

Allegations in two recent local cases serve as awful reminders that we're not immune from the darker aspects of human behavior.

In both cases, men in positions of trust allegedly took advantage of children barely into their teens, adolescents who may have been robbed of their innocence.

Until they're convicted in a courtroom, we must assume the suspects are also innocent.

A 29-year-old from Agoura Hills who worked as a summer camp instructor in Thousand Oaks faces felony charges over an alleged sexual relationship with a 13yearold girl. The two apparently met last summer and the conduct in question began in November. The man is also suspected of sending the girl sexually explicit videos of himself over the Internet.

The second case involves a 39-year-old Moorpark school bus driver who served as a mentor with the Big Brothers program. The suspect, who works in Thousand Oaks, allegedly committed lewd acts against a 14yearold autistic boy.

There's a theory that many child molesters were once themselves the victims of sexual predators, but that's no excuse for perpetuating evil.

In fact, a strong case could be made that adults who were once victimized should be the first to join the fight to protect children from sexual abuse.

And maybe our fears are misdirected, our priorities wrong.

While children learn early in life that they shouldn't talk to strangers, sometimes it's not a stranger who poses the greatest danger.

On the contrary, all too often it's a trusted relative or friend of the family who's the agent of evil.