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There is no doubt about it. Orange County Register sports columnist Mark Whicker crossed any lines of decency or good taste with his recent column that delighted in telling the long held kidnap victim Jaycee Dugard all of the things in sports she has missed in the past 18 years.

I am sure that Whicker is a nice guy. That does not mean that the criticism he has received over this column is well deserved. There are two very good summaries of the vile column and his late response/apology over on Sports by Brooks and the Sports Media Watch.

But I have one question that I have yet to see asked in this embarrassing and sad story. Where was the editor? Where was the copy editor? Were they also standing behind the door when the gods of common sense visited during the review process?

He has apologized in his column, but is that enough? Maybe he should go and personally apologize to the Dugard family? Perhaps he should donate one week of his salary to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC).

When all is said and done, there is only one award/recognition that can be given in this story.

Since the picture of that sign was taken not too far away from OC in Las Vegas, he and the editor(s) need not travel far to get the real thing. So while they are out there, perhaps someone can take their keys, their water, their phones and whatever. Then they can think about what it MIGHT be like to be isolated and alone so long.