Here we are in spring 2011 and dinosaurs still roam the Earth. For the time being, however, one of them is now behind bars on Riker's Island where he should be able to do no harm to anyone but himself.

Dominique Strauss-Kahn's particular brand of dinosaur resembles the dreaded Tyrannosaurus Rex, or "Tyrant Lizard King," from the Cretaceous period of more than 60 million years ago.

Though small in stature, this bipedal carnivore was highly effective at hunting, attacking and consuming. It felt no shame, of course, and apologized to no one while satisfying its destructive needs and impulses with impunity. No docile brontosaurus would dare fight back.

I'm one of those people who will not even pretend to give DSK, despite his once lofty position as head of the International Monetary Fund, the benefit of the doubt -- it is up to his attorneys, not I, to defend him against his accuser. 

It is hard not to argue that this prehistoric creature with a small brain (he apparently saved his thoughts for solving the world's economic problems or at least pretending to do so) took advantage of a poor and defenseless woman, treating her like a rabbit that happened to hop across his path.

There are many such predators wandering the globe and seeking new prey, their eyes darting in all directions, their nose sniffing out the most vulnerable and tasty.

In the case of women, this usually means the youngest and most disadvantaged, those who would hardly be believed if they should protest. Or, if they tried to speak up, could be paid off or convinced that further pointing a finger would get them nothing but more grief.

I once worked for a much older, richer and more powerful man who spoke to me in a way that was clearly fishing for interest, to see if I might bite. I told him I wasn't interested and we never spoke of it again.

But even with that relatively harmless come-on, I was no longer comfortable during our interactions and eventually left the job. I still feel disgust when I recall the encounter, and can only imagine the feelings of the many women who've experienced far worse.

Men such as Strauss-Kahn, who fly first-class, stay in the best hotels, pay no income tax and enjoy the admiration of an indulgent wife and peers, cannot be counted on to monitor themselves or suppress their desires.

Why bother to keep their pants zipped? In fact, they're encouraged not to. Extramarital sex -- whether consensual or not -- is one of the many perks that come with being accomplished and famous. Just another benefit of winning the game, n'est-ce pas?

Such men see women less as individuals than a collection of body parts to be pawed, stroked, squeezed and penetrated. These men are toddlers (apologies to children everywhere) reaching for every new toy to put in their mouth.

Big kids who never learn self-control because no one along the way told them "No!" loudly and often enough. Or gave them the good spanking Strauss-Kahn recently experienced during the perp walk in New York. Their charm, they come to believe, gives them license while the admiration of others spurs them on.

This is perhaps most especially true in France, where "le séducteur" is admired above all other kinds of men. And ordinary males emulate them whenever possible.

Having spent six years in France, I was able to observe that culture's tolerance for adultery and especially the virile male.

We Americans so admire French women for appearing slim, young and chic long after the rest of us have given up but, truth is, many French women, especially Parisians, are forced to remain as attractive as possible for as long as possible. They have little choice.

If les françaises should relax and let themselves go, their husbands and lovers will waste little time before wandering off. And even if they spend enormous amounts of time and money at the spa, hair salon and dress shop -- while eschewing rice, potatoes, pasta and bread -- their men may still pounce on the next bunny in sight. Which means they must remain seductive enough to find a lover themselves, and so the wheel continues to turn and no one can get off.

In response to past allegations of DSK's infidelity, Anne Sinclair, Strauss-Kahn's attractive and successful wife, said "it's important for a politician to be able to seduce."

Ouch! To my ears, that comment sounds foolish and all-permissive, like a mother defending her cute but bratty child. One can't help but wonder if Sinclair's tolerance and indulgence didn't turn her husband into a bigger monster than he might have been if she had reigned him and imparted some manners.

In any event, last Saturday afternoon, a T. Rex named DSK robbed a young African widow and single mother -- a woman described as "dignified" and a "good Muslim" by her friends -- of so much that is good in this world. She apparently escaped her native Guinea in search of a better life in America; instead, she went to work one morning and found herself on the bathroom floor with a rapacious white guy tearing off her clothes. 

While real dinosaurs pose no threat in this 21st century, the human version is still armed, dangerous and on the prowl. May Dominique Strauss-Kahn, whose profession was to help the poor and needy, be prosecuted to the full extent of the law and, when found guilty, made a clear and powerful example for other dirty old dinosaurs, er, men.