I actually said a prayer for Milo Yiannopoulos today.

It’s obvious the guy needs it. He’s got some deep wounds in his past, apparently, and they have directed his life, leading him into the murkiest, dankest parts of the human spirit-swamp.

Sure, the persona he puts out on the public stage is rather carefree, bold, flamboyant, and unapologetic.

He almost seems like he’d be a fun guy… if not for all the racist stuff.

And the ephebophilia (sex between adults and teens, starting at about 13 years old)

stuff. That’s just vile.

For those who are just coming out of a deep hyper-sleep, or who may have tuned out of social media for the last couple of days, news of Yiannopoulos’ inclusion as a speaker at this year’s CPAC gathering was quickly followed by video of him promoting the benefits of sexual relationships between grown men and young boys.

It has been covered here, with the included video, so you can hear (and be sickened) for yourself, by our Patterico.

The emergence of the video has caused a social media firestorm, with Yiannopoulos defending himself by saying he didn’t say what the audio portion of the video very clearly maps out.

Let’s be clear: Even if 95% of Yiannopoulos’ shtick is for the shock effect, there are certain things that are not ok.

Some on social media are defending this as a “free speech” issue.

Some on social media probably shouldn’t be allowed in public without supervision and chemical castration.

One who consistently gets the issues right, these days, is CNN’s Jake Tapper.

After the vile filth of Yiannopoulos’ comments spread, Tapper set about a tweet storm, speaking on behalf of a friend who had survived the sex trafficking industry.

Friend of mine, conservative, could not be more distraught by this Milo tape. Was molested as a child. Horrified.

— Jake Tapper (@jaketapper) February 20, 2017

My friend, a survivor of sex trafficking: "Milo straight up defended abusing 13 yr old boys…Please don't let that be normalized"

— Jake Tapper (@jaketapper) February 20, 2017

More from survivor of sex trafficking: "Please please please don't let that mess he said go away."

How on earth can CPAC defend this?

— Jake Tapper (@jaketapper) February 20, 2017

Was planning on ignoring for the most part, for those saying "stop publicizing him." But friend reached out & pled w me to say something

— Jake Tapper (@jaketapper) February 20, 2017

And sometimes that's what journalists do – give voice to the voiceless. In this case, a survivor of sex trafficking HORRIFIED by Milo.

— Jake Tapper (@jaketapper) February 20, 2017

Preying on children is the definition of evil. Justifying it in any way is sick and disturbing.

Has everyone lost their minds?

— Jake Tapper (@jaketapper) February 20, 2017

The actual video was shot back in January 2016, as part of a podcast called “Drunken Peasants.”

To get the gist of it:

“We get hung up on this sort of child abuse stuff to the point where we are heavily policing consensual adults,” Yiannopoulos says in the video.

“In the homosexual world, particularly, some of those relationships between younger boys and older men – the sort of ‘coming of age’ relationship – those relationships in which those older men help those young boys discover who they are and give them security and safety and provide them with love and a reliable, sort of rock, where they can’t speak to their parents,” he continues.

One of the podcast’s hosts then tells Yiannopoulos that his comment “sounds like Catholic priest molestation.”

“I’m grateful for Father Michael,” Yiannopoulos says in response. “I wouldn’t give nearly such good head if it wasn’t for him.”

These are not the comments of a well man.

Nor is this something that should be featured at a conference that was meant to be a gathering of conservatism. For true conservatives, this is something we don’t ever want to be associated with, on any level.

CPAC needs to remedy this. They need to distance themselves from Yiannopoulos, immediately (*UPDATE* They did.).

And no, this isn’t about censorship. This is about decency.

Maybe without a spotlight, Yiannopoulos will look at his life and get help.