Bum Rap
I'm definitely taking this weekend off -- at least from blogging. But before pushing aside the mouse, let me take a moment to lament the political demise of Florida Republican Rep. Mark Foley.
Okay, I know. So he had a penchant for teenage boys. Whatcha gonna do?
But lost in the hub-bub over his resignation is the fact that this guy is almost a singular exception among operatives and acolytes of the Bush administration. In a world of GOP incompetents and sycophants, here's the one guy who actually had the real-world expertise to match his political post: Chairman of the House caucus on sexual predators.
What a bum rap.
September 29th, 2006 at 11:02 pm
It gets better at the The Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/09/29/AR2006092901574.html
Where is Dateline when you need them.
September 29th, 2006 at 11:48 pm
Hmm, according to the Post Republican leaders have known about this for months, and so has the St Petersburg Times which did not publish anything until ABC broke the story. Could this be the right scandal at the right time?
September 30th, 2006 at 5:22 am
Yes I agree with you, this scandal is very ugly.
I wonder how such people can make it into congress.
Something must be wrong on our political system.
Thank you for sharing this story with me !
September 30th, 2006 at 5:49 am
BWAHAHAHA!!! As Mark Foley’s erstwhile boy-toy target put it, “sick sick sick sick sick sick sick …..” But funny as hell anyway.
“Could this be the right scandal at the right time?”
On the eve of the signing of the Rough Trade Act of 2006? Yeah, bet on it.
There’s a lot of negative campaigning already this season, but the worst I’ve heard so far about a Dem is that — oh god, I’m not sure this could be printed in a family newspaper — he wrote op-eds for the campus newspaper supporting legalization of marijuana many years ago.
I think the Monica scandal might’ve quenched the ambitions of quite a few Dem-pol wannabees with sexual skeletons in their closets, so maybe there’s been a positive outcome from it after all.
If you need to make a little cash quickly this week, just register http://www.Maf54.com and fire up Google AdSense on it. (Though I’d advise that you choose keywords that bring up liberal .org ads rather than, say, ads for various erectile dysfunction medications. I’m just sayin’, OK?)
September 30th, 2006 at 7:17 am
Well, disenting from the general glee is a dirty job, and nobody has to do it, but what the hell….
“I think the Monica scandel might’ve quenched the ambitions of quite a few Dem-pol wannabees with sexual skeletons in their closets, so maybe there’s been a positive outcome from it after all..”
Pretty sad. The grotesque ramifications produced by a petty, minor sexual indiscretion, the pointless agony and humiliation conferrred on totally innocent parities (not to mention rewards for the malevolent) might have seemed apparent enough during Monica time. The fact that this bullshit was dominating the national dialouge while certain parties were exploring the potentenial damage possible through the application of box cutters might have produced some small measure of humiliity.
Fat chance. I guess it would be folly to suggest to the smirkers that human sexuality is messy and complex, and tends to defy sweeping moralizations. Send a bunch of repressed stright arrows to Washington and you may end up with torture green lighted in Junior High Schools.
These closedted right wing gays live in hell, but it’s not one of their own making. Fantasizing about keeping dirty perverts out of politics by ugly, ruthless, hypocritical witch hunts is it’s own sort of perversion.
How about a sexual loyalty oath? All candidates must declare they have only had heterosexual sex in the confines of marrige. Further, they must state all sexual fantasies must have been augmented by proper moral standards. I.E., if you jerked off over a film star, you have pretened it was your wedding night.
What a fine goverment we could produce! Apply those same standards to journalism, and it’s a Pulitzer every issue!
September 30th, 2006 at 8:04 am
“These closedted right wing gays live in hell, but it’s not one of their own making. Fantasizing about keeping dirty perverts out of politics by ugly, ruthless, hypocritical witch hunts is it’s own sort of perversion.”
Oh, don’t get me wrong, I agree. At least about the “living in hell” part. One must admit, however, that sojourns to the Bad Place come with the territory, given the *ideological* bedfellow choices that rightwing gays are making, which is still a choice for all of us to make of our own free will. Also: there’s a useful distinction between pedophilia and homosexuality that I think you’re not looking at very closely in this case. I.e., to me, and to most of us here, I think, it’s not whether Foley is attracted to other males but rather the fact that he’s attracted to *underage* males–and, much more to the point, apparently acts inappropriately on that attraction. Not to mention the rank hypocrisy. (Have I beaten this horse to death yet? Tell me when.)
Still, I get your point. To the commenter above who said “something must be wrong with our political system” if it makes Mark Foleys possible, I say: no, oddly, it’s something right. It’s the right to privacy.
However, in the face of Monica Blowback, and harsh political realities in a still-too-puritanical America, the whole sorry episode cries out for *something* good to have come of it. Good things come out of bad things, sometimes. Lots of poor guys had parts of their brains shot away in WW II, but diagnosing their resulting disabilities taught us a lot about the human brain that led to better treatments. If a bunch of winger hypermoralists in the electorate scared off a few Dems with a few kinks, but left their own to get overconfident and set themselves up for a fall, well that’s just poetic justice, isn’t it? Maybe this will all hasten the day when most voters push the polling booth buttons without caring a hoot about their choice’s sexual choices, so long as they are between consenting *adults* (which Monica was, after all, by some strict definition.)
OK, this one is too juicy to let pass: Foley takes on the nudists for letting their kids run around naked at summer camp.
http://www.lakeedun.com/bfaug03.htm
—-
“[Foley] fired off a letter to Gov. Jeb Bush demanding that the latter look into the matter. St. Petersburg Times reporter James Thorner quoted him as saying, “‘It’s beyond the pale that this is a normal way to bring up a 14-year-old child.’ Foley suggested the camps force kids to fixate on nudity during their impressionable, formative years. Normal teen sexual urges can become inflamed by the nakedness around them, he said.
“‘It’s putting matches a little too close to gasoline,’”
—-
If I’d been drinking from the gas pump, I’d be a little worried too!
One wonders if he made a field trip to check out the reports. Y’know, one of those fact-finding missions?
September 30th, 2006 at 8:56 am
Some useful (sober) commentary here, across the spectrum, and from his district.
http://www.bradenton.com/mld/bradenton/news/nation/15643524.htm
Especially interesting is one diagnosis that’s tantamount to “the Closet made him do it!” That’s too much of a copout for me, but there’s probably a grain of truth to it. In any case, there’s no question that the GOP is guaranteed to bring this sort of embarrassment on itself by making it virtually impossible to be an openly gay representative in their party.
September 30th, 2006 at 8:57 am
“quenched the ambitions of Dem-pol wannabees with sexual skeletons in their closets”
I’m assuming that we can be confident no necrophiliacs will be running for Congress any time soon.
Wall has an important point – but the age issue and the fact that it was unwanted attention makes it moot in this case. On top of that is the rampant hypocrisy, which is almost delicious in its particulars, and the fact that Foley’s higher-ups didn’t deal with this when it had been based on a complaint from the kid involved and clearly were trying to suppress it out of partisan motives. (I doubt that Hastert, et. al. did it because they’re in the pocket of the NAMBLA lobby or thought that privacy issues that should apply to any and all humble citizens were of primary importance.) I don’t think this one rises to the level of a witch hunt. Also in the case of closeted gay right-wing politicians, given the present political atmosphere I’d argue that their hell is at least in part of their own making because they’ve chosen to help empower a party that routinely uses gays as a wedge issue and has chosen to demonize them at precisely the moment in history when reason and tolerance regarding sexuality are achievable. Incidentally, Tony Snow, Alberto Gonzales and a whole passle of GOP Beltway notables from Congress recently lent their names, prestige and active participation to an event put on by one of these wingnut “values” groups – I think it was the Family Research Council – that turned into nothing less than a hate rally. Some despicable, bigoted preacher – a black preacher unfortunately, but not too surprisingly – pumped up the crowd with a tirade against “perversion” that was about as ugly as anything you’ll hear. Bad enough that “respectable” conservatives (an oxymoron?) show up on a podium with Ann Coulter, another attendee, but there really is no level of bigotry or hatemongering against gays that puts one beyond the official pale with this crowd or that they won’t pander to.
September 30th, 2006 at 10:32 am
And here is where Howard Dean gets the last laugh. He was widely ridiculed for a “Fifty State Strategy” and contesting every seat. Foley’s seat was considered unassailable but the Dems ran a candidate anyway. Now they get a bonus pickup they had not expected.
September 30th, 2006 at 10:39 am
Just since Marc’s taking a break:
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-immig30sep30,0,3346126.story?coll=la-home-headlines
I’m glad our Republican Congress and Republican administration has stepped up and solved this issue once and for all. No more posts from Marc. Immigration is officially not a problem anymore.
September 30th, 2006 at 11:05 am
One other thing. If the WaPo and ABC News are to be believed the House GOP Leadership knew of Foley’s predelictions a year ago but did nothing about it. Now here is a real test of Democratic abilities. Your opponents show a Roman Catholic Hierarchy – like knack for shielding child predators while preaching “Family Values”. Do you think you might just be able to make an issue of that?
Oh, but that would be so unfair to the others. Right! ! !
September 30th, 2006 at 11:30 am
I’m sorry Wall…I “hate” scandal-driven politics, but I’m loving this. It just seems like more deserved payback to the party of “family values” Christers. Call me a hypocrite. You’ll find me in the picture standing in the 156,732nd row, 20,467th to the left.
September 30th, 2006 at 11:47 am
My only regret about this scandal is that it might draw some attention away from the juicy revelations about Ken Mehlman playing butt boy to Abramoff.
September 30th, 2006 at 12:31 pm
Good Foley catch by Josh Marshall-
“Finally, one detail here isn’t getting enough attention. Rep. Alexander (R-LA), the first member of Congress to be alerted to the problem, says he contacted the NRCC. That’s the House Republicans’ election committee, a political organization entirely separate from the House bureaucracy and the Congress… That is, to put it mildly, not in the disciplinary and administrative chain of command of the House of Representatives. Considering that the issue involved a minor, it seems highly inappropriate to discuss the matter with anyone not charged with policing the House. More to the point, however, you tell the head of the NRCC because you see the matter as a political problem.”
As Marshall notes, the GOPers kept this information from reaching the single Democrat on the Page Committee, which would be a key group involved in overseeing conduct toward pages. Pretty sleazy bunch, this “family values” crowd.
September 30th, 2006 at 2:29 pm
Well.. at least time there’s no extortion rewarded, or looming book sales (so far). I wouldn’t count on a Dem getting Foley’s seat if the district is that republican. Most repubs just laugh off these things, and look for the the next character issue character….
September 30th, 2006 at 3:05 pm
What a bum rap
No, he just wanted to wrap his hands on some bums.
Kind of lends new meaning to the term “getting to the bottom of the page.”
Thank you, thank you. I’m here all week.
September 30th, 2006 at 4:40 pm
The emails ought to be printed and stuffed down his stubby f-ing throat till he stops twitching. What a rotund little justification for late-term abortion.
September 30th, 2006 at 10:11 pm
Whoa there Jim. Thou doth protesteth far too imaginitively. You might consider seeing someone about that.
September 30th, 2006 at 11:05 pm
It’s pretty bad–heading up a caucus on sexual exploitation of children while emailing pages about their masturbatory practices. “I’m shocked, shocked. There’s pederasty going on! Are your shorts off yet, kid?”
And Speaker Hastert and Majority Leader Boehner seemed to have known, and kept it quiet. If so, they should go, too. The prospect of a Speaker Pelosi and a Chairman Conyers sticks in my craw, but dereliction of duty must have consequences. If you can’t protect minor employees from a known creep, you aren’t doing your duty.
That said, after the Dem gloating (see post by Marc and comments above), let us remember Barney Frank, whose apartment was HQ for a homosexual prostitution business (not Barney’s, it appears), and Gary Studds (real name) who had sex with pages, got publicly censured, and then reelected.
Not keeping it zipped when one should knows no party boundaries.
Let us also pause to remember the rhetoric of the gay movement–there’s no connection between homosexuality and pederasty. True in many cases, but not in all.
September 30th, 2006 at 11:15 pm
Grumpy: You may be confused about what people mean by “connection.” The point is that there is no unique connection between pedophilia and homosexuality.
Obviously, there is a connection between sexuality and pedophilia, but it applies equally to homo or hetero. I have read that, as one might expect (outside the FNC/RNC logic bubble) the number of hetero pedophile cases reported is far greater than the number of homo cases.
If you know of a “case” that “connects” homosexuality to pederasty, I’d be curious to hear about it.
October 1st, 2006 at 12:27 am
While this one boils over for the GOP, let’s not get distracted from the big issues, where things are going rather well, I believe.
Bush’s “cut-and-run” rhetoric getting undermined in a way that’s gotta hurt. Meet Tammy Duckworth, his worst nightmare. Henry Hyde’s seat is up for grabs, and on the Dem side, the DNC-hand-picked challenger is Duckworth. On her way to a PhD in international relations, she got called up to Iraq, only to have her legs blown off when the helicopter she was co-piloting was attacked. Her opponent, Peter Roskam, put out flyers claiming an endorsement from an Illinois police association, when in fact that endorsement went to her. Roskam has taken money from lobbyists associated with Abramoff–there’s a lot of slime spattered indirectly on him that won’t rinse off easily. Roskam campaign literature has described Duckworth as “unhinged” for accusing Roskam of lying about her positions on immigration reform. Roskam’s defense against that charge amounts to “I didn’t accuse her of lying — it was the RNCC who did that.” Wow, such a gaping difference, when the RNCC put $200,000 into five direct mailing campaigns on his behalf. At this point, Duckworth has even raised a little more money than he has, despite his Chamber of Commerce endorsements.
She’s not exactly the most stirring speaker, but she doesn’t need to be. All she needs to do is step gingerly across a stage on her artificial legs and say, “I don’t *think* so, Mr. President.”
Some Dem activists are disgruntled about Tammy not taking a solid anti-war position, even though she’s has pretty much summed up Iraq as a waste of lives, time and money. Talk about looking a gift horse in the mouth. It doesn’t get better than this, folks: an historically GOP-owned seat going up for grabs, and a golden candidate available. The Dems should be so lucky elsewhere in the nation.
October 1st, 2006 at 7:13 am
A quick Google search leads to the tentative conclusion that opinions on the question of whether homosexuals are more likely to molest under-age boys than heterosexuals do girls is a function of preexisting views on the subject of homosexuality.
There seems to be very little in the way of unbiased studies one way or the other. Given today’s PC climate I would think any academic researcher who came to conclusions the homosexual rights movement didn’t like would hesitate before publishing them.
October 1st, 2006 at 7:41 am
“Homosexual rights movement.” Grumpy seems very uptight, perhaps a very deep closet….
Molestors molest because of POWER, not sexuality. Many pedophiles assault both genders. It has nothing to do with gay and straight because it is not about these normative categories. If this is simply a way to justify homophobia for Grumpy, then, perhaps he’s implying that heterosexuals lust after 14 year old girls? Does he?
October 1st, 2006 at 8:25 am
“Molestors molest because of POWER, not sexuality. ”
Interesting conclusion JC. So just being an undiciplined, selfish, careless, naturally horny human being is not relevant? Most sex criminals who have made the news I see on TV appear rather powerless looking bums to me.
October 1st, 2006 at 8:57 am
I don’t have time to dredge up all the information, but the vast majority of psychologists and empirical researchers believe that nearly all sexual assault and molestation are about power. Yes, these people are “naturally horny,” but – like even in some heterosexual gender relations – their horniness is sublimated by a desire for power over their child/female subordinate victim.
October 1st, 2006 at 11:06 am
ah yes, brings back fond memories of mr. studds. not only did he go trolling for pages as mr. foley did, but he actually had sex with one. if that wasn’t enough he stood on the steps of congress and bragged about it!
the difference between the two–foley had some dignity–if that’s possible–and resigned. studds went on to get re-elected several times.
hastert and the others only knew about the emails not the graphic IM’s–instant messages. when presented with these, foley resigned, the lie was out of the bag.
now the fun part is how did folks get hold of the IM’s and who got them? yes, you guessed it the fabled “crew” bunch.
October 1st, 2006 at 11:09 am
Regarding Foley, hmmm, how did that crass cliche go, “…only way (he) could lose the election was if he were caught with a dead girl or a live boy.”
Gotta love those ‘values’ politicians.
October 1st, 2006 at 11:15 am
And don’t forget to watch the second act of the Foley fiasco, soon to be played out. Watch the Republicans come up with all kinds of pretzel-like logic to get a replacement on the Florida ballot.
October 1st, 2006 at 11:51 am
HOMOSEXUAL CHILD PROSTITUTION RING INVOLVING GEORGE BUSH SR.
http://www.voxfux.com/features/bush_child_sex_coverup/article_archive.htm
What is it with right-wingers a little boys?
October 1st, 2006 at 11:52 am
HOMOSEXUAL CHILD PROSTITUTION RING INVOLVING GEORGE BUSH SR.
http://www.voxfux.com/features/bush_child_sex_coverup/article_archive.htm
What is it with right-wingers and little boys?
October 1st, 2006 at 1:40 pm
Grumps, I would point out that Marc’s post hardly qualifys as “Dem Gloating” (from Marc??), and I, the most harden centralist Dem in the room, have been more or less appealing for fair play.
October 1st, 2006 at 2:23 pm
Grumpy , Barney Frank picked a lover who decided to run a call-boy operation out the house he and Barney were sharing. Kinda like Jeff Gannon at the WH. But everyone was an adult and Frank admitted his poor judgement and the people of his district reelected him. Now if the people in Foley’s district want to reelect him, fine. But lets not hear any more about “Values” voters. And, of course, what Foley did was a CRIME (he helped write the law) and the cover-up by the GOP Leadership could be a crime as well. I bet they would rather talk about Abramoff’s 250 visits to the Bush WH! What do you prefer?
Hanging or the Firing Squad?
October 1st, 2006 at 3:48 pm
http://www.dkosopedia.com/wiki/Examples_of_Republican_hypocrisy_on_moral_values
Adelphia Communications Corp.: Donated large sums of money to some of the most conservative members of Congress. They are also the first cable company to offer hard-core adult movies to subscribers. Daily Kos article
Edison Misla Aldarondo, Republican legislator from Puerto Rico, was sentenced to 13 years in prison for molestation of his daughter and her friend for eight-year period starting when they were 9. Full Article
Randal David Ankeney, Republican activist from Colorado, arrested on suspicion of sexual assault on a child with force. He faces 6 charges related to getting a 13-year-old girl stoned on pot and then having sex with her. Source Also accused of sexually assaulting another girl. Denver ABC Article
Dick Armey (R-Texas), former professor, has been accused by The Dallas Observer of sexually harassing female students.
Jim Bakker, televangelist with Pat Robertson at Robertson’s Christian Broadcasting network. Committed adultery with Jessica Hahn [1] and then used charitable donations to pay her hush money[2]. Fellow televangelists say he’s gay. [3][4]Indicted on 23 federal charges of fraud, tax evasion, and racketeering [5]. Merrill Robert Barter, Republican County Commissioner from Maine, pleaded guilty to unlawful sexual contact and assault on a teenage boy. Booth Bay Register Article
Bob Barr, Republican Congressman from Georgia. Sponsored the anti-gay Defense of Marriage Act, saying “The flames of hedonism, the flames of narcissism, the flames of self-centered morality are licking at the very foundation of our society, the family unit.” Was married three times. Paid for his second wife’s abortion. Failed to pay child support to the children of his first two wives and while married to his third and present wife was photographed licking whipped cream off of strippers at his inaugural party.
Merrill Robert Barter, Republican County Commissioner, pleaded guilty to unlawful sexual contact and assault on a teenage boy. Booth Bay Register Article
Robert Bauman, Republican congressman and anti-gay activist from Maryland, was charged with having sex with a 16-year-old boy he picked up at a gay bar. Source: Washington Blade
Parker J. Bena, Republican activist and Bush Elector from Virginia, pleaded guilty to possession of child pornography (including children as young as 3 years old) on his home computer and was sentenced to 30 months in federal prison and fined $18,000. Conservative Babylon
William Bennett, Drug Czar under George H. W. Bush, compulsive gambler who has had to wire as much as $1.4 million to cover gambling losses in a 2 month period. NY Press Article | Washington Monthly Article
Louis Beres, chairman of the Christian Coalition of Oregon. 3 of his family members accuse him of molesting them when they were pre-teens. Editor and Publisher article
Howard L. Brooks, Republican legislative aide and advisor to a California assemblyman, was charged with molesting a 12-year old boy and possession of child pornography. Sacramento Bee article
John Bolton: George W. Bush’s latest Ambassador to United Nations. Corroborated allegations that Mr. Bolton’s first wife, Christina Bolton, was forced to engage in group sex have not been refuted by the State Department. Raw Story Article
Mike Bowers Former State Attorney General of Georgia, prosecuted the famous “Bowers vs. Hardwick” case, based on Georgia anti-sodomy laws. Admitted to a 10-year adulterous affair Slate article
Andrew Buhr, Republican politician, former committeeman for Hadley Township Missouri, was charged with two counts of first degree sodomy with a 13-year old boy. Source
Jeffrey Buley (http://www.nypost.com/news/regionalnews/36931.htm), New York Republican Party’s top lawyer, and senior political adviser to Gov. Pataki (R), arrested for assaulting his wife in a drunken rage. They have two young children.
Ted Bundy campaigned for the Republican Party. Infamous serial rapist who murdered 16 women. Source: BBC
Jim Bunn Congressman of Oregon: With his success due in great part to support from the Christian Coalition, Bunn won his congressional seat, then immediately ditched his wife (and mother of his five children), married a staffer, and put his new wife on the state payroll for the unheard-of salary of $97,500. Conservative Babylon
John Allen Burt, Republican anti-abortion activist from Pensacola, Florida, convicted of sexually molesting a 15 year old girl at the home for troubled girls that he ran. Source: Pensacola News Journal
Dan Burton, Republican Congressman from Indiana who, while married, fathered a child by another woman. Salon.com Article
George W. Bush, Republican president, accused in a criminal complaint and lawsuit of raping Margie Schoedinger, who was later suicided. Accused by Tammy Phillips, a former stripper quoted in the National Enquirer in 2000 saying she had an affair with Bush that had ended in 1999.
Neil Bush, brother or G. W. Bush, in a March 2003 divorce deposition, admitted repeatedly having sex with strange women who just showed up at his room while on an Asian business trip. (Overshadowing the sex scandal; the business scandal–see link.) Washington Post article.
John Butler, Republican activist, was charged with criminal sexual assault on a teenage girl.
Ken Calvert, Congressman (R-Ca), champion of the Christian Coalition and its “family values.” Sued as an alimony deadbeat by his ex-wife. Said “We can’t forgive what occurred between the President and Lewinsky.” In 1993 he was caught by police receiving oral sex from a prostitute and attempted to flee the scene.
Charles Canady, Congressman (R-Florida), Judiciary Committee member. Lied to his constituents about his adulterous affair with Sharon Becker, which caused her divorce.
Helen Chenoweth, Congresswoman (R-Id.). Admitted to a six-year adulterous affair with a married associate. In 1995, Chenoweth had denied the affair when asked about it by The Spokane Spokesman-Review, but now she claims a pardon from a higher authority: “I’ve asked for God’s forgiveness, and I’ve received it,” she revealed.
Keola Childs, Republican County Councilman from Hawaii, pleaded guilty to sexual assault in the first degree for molesting a male child.Honolulu Star-Bulletin Article
Kevin Coan, Republican St. Louis Election Board official, arrested and charged with trying to buy sex from a 14-year-old girl whom he met on the Internet. Source: Newmax
Roy Cohn, continually condemned gays and gay rights. Was a closet gay who died of AIDS. Wikipedia Article
Carey Lee Cramer Political consultant and anti-Kerry ad producer, tried for molesting two young girls, one of whom lived with him, and was 8 yrs old; the other starred in an anti-Kerry commercial. Diary Diary. The Monitor.
Dan Crane, Republican Congressman from Illinois, married, father of six. Had sex with a minor working as a congressional page. Salon.com article
Paul Crouch Televangelist, Former President of Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN). Paid $425,000 in hush money in an attempt to cover up a gay affair. Christianity Today article
Randy Cunningham: Federal prosecutors are investigating allegations that Congressman and confessed-felon ‘Duke’ Cunningham was periodically supplied with prositutes.[6] Cunningham pled guilty to corruption charges, and is currently serving jail-time.
Richard A. Dasen Sr., Republican benefactor of conservative Christian groups, convicted of sexual abuse of children, promotion of prostitution and several counts of solicitation, enough to add up to a sentence of 126 years in prison. Investigators estimated that he spent up to $5,000,000 on prostitutes. Missoulian Article on the trial | Missoulian Article
Richard A. Delgaudio, Republican fundraiser and Bush pioneer, was found guilty of child porn charges. WBAL Channel article
Peter Dibble, Republican legislator from Connecticut pleaded no contest to having an inappropriate relationship with a 13-year-old girl. News Channel 8 Article
Brian J. Doyle, Deputy Press Secretary for U.S. Department of Homeland Security. On March 12, 2006, Doyle contacted a 14-year-old girl whose profile was posted on the Internet, and initiated a sexually explicit conversation with her. The girl was actually an undercover Polk County Sheriff s Computer Crimes detective. Doyle knew that the girl was 14 years old, and he told her who he was and that he worked for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. During future online chats, Doyle gave the undercover detective posing as a 14-year-old girl his office phone number and his government-issued cell phone number, so that they could have telephone conversations, in addition to their online chatting. Doyle used the Internet to send hard-core pornographic movie clips to the girl and used the AOL Instant Messenger chat service to have explicit sexual conversations with her. [7]
Nicholas Elizondo, Republican director of the “Young Republican Federation” molested his 6-year old daughter and was sentenced to six years in prison. Halfway down this Bakersfield Californian article
Larry Dale Floyd, Republican Constable in Denton County, Texas Precinct Two. Arrested for allegedly crossing state lines to have sex with an 8-year old child and was charged with 7 related offenses. Age 62 at time of arrest. Dallas News Article | Atrios Article
John Fund, of the Wall Street Journal, a prominent anti-abortion columnist and GOP fund raiser. He lost his position after it was revealed that he impregnated the daughter of an old girlfriend and then encouraged her to abort his child. American Politics Journal Article
Jeff Gannon Partisan blogger with no journalism credentials and a fake name who got invited to Bush’s Press conferences. Is also a pimp and a gay prostitute. Truthout Article. See also dKospedia’s page on Jeff Gannon.
Jack W. Gardner, Republican Councilman from Pennsylvania, had been convicted of molesting a 13-year old girl. when the Republican Party, knowing of these crimes, put him on the ballot. Article with documents
Richard Gardner, a Nevada State Representative (R), admitted to molesting his two daughters. Review Journal Article
Newt Gingrich, Republican from Georgia, married three times. Gingrich campaign worker Anne Manning admitted that she gave Newt oral sex while he was still married to his first wife. Informed one wife he was filing for divorce while she was in the hospital recovering from cancer treatments. Salon Article
Philip Giordano, Republican mayor from Connecticut sentenced to 37 years for forcing two 8 and 10 year old girls to perform oral sex on him in his City Hall office. NBC Article | Newsday Article
Matthew Glavin, President and CEO of the Southeastern Legal Foundation, big player in the Clinton Impeachment, and many anti-gay jihads, has been arrested multiple times for public indecency, one time fondling the crotch of the officer who was arresting him. Full Article
Marty Glickman, Republican activist, was taken into custody by Florida police on four counts of unlawful sexual activity with a juvenile and one count of delivering the drug LSD.
Mark A. Grethen, Republican activist from Virginia, convicted on six counts of sex crimes involving children. Orlando Weekly article
Jon Grunseth, Republican businessman and candidate for Minnesota governor, withdrew his candidacy after allegations surfaced that he went swimming in the nude with four underage girls, including his daughter, and tried to grope one. “I’ve made some mistakes” he said. USA Today article
Dr. W. David Hager, Bush appointee from Kentucky, member of Focus on the Family’s Physician Resource Council, player in movement to ban the morning-after-pill. Had an adulterous affair, before divorcing his wife he sexually abused her, including sodomizing her in her sleep. Article
Mark Harris, Republican city councilman from Wisconsin who is described as a “good military man” and “church goer,” was convicted of repeatedly having sex with an 11-year-old girl and sentenced to 12 years in prison.
John Hathaway, Republican Senate candidate from Maine, was accused of having sex with his 12-year old baby sitter and withdrew his candidacy after the allegations were reported in the media. Source: Casco Bay weekly
Howard Scott Heldreth, anti-abortion activist who gained fame during the Schiavo media-circus, was convicted of two charges of raping a child in 2002. page at Florida Department of Law Enforcement’s Sexual Offender/Predator Unit
Mike Hintz, a First Assembly of God youth pastor from Des Moines, Iowa, introduced by Bush on the campaign trail, and promoted his policies. Says he supports Bush’s values. Two months later, this married father of four turned himself into police, charged with the sexual exploitation of a child. Article | Commentary Also signed an ad (that called for criminally prosecuting business that sell porn), together with another pastor who was repeatedly busted for public masturbation.
Neal Horsley, anti-abortion activist from Georgia. Has called for the arrest of all homosexuals. Admitted on the Fox News Radio’s The Alan Colmes Show, that he’s had sex with mules. Put photographs on his Web site of naked men engaging in homosexual acts and a nude woman engaging in bestiality amid shots of grotesquely maimed fetuses. Drug dealer convicted of possession of hashish with intent to sell. He calls for “the establishment of a new government, one that can obey God’s plan for government.”
Henry Hyde, Republican Congressman from Illinois, Judge who oversaw Clinton’s impeachment proceedings, prominent opponent of reproductive rights, who had an extramarital affair with a woman who was married and had three children, during the course of which she and her husband were divorced. Salon.com article
Don Haidl, Assistant Sheriff of Orange Country, in violation of California’s rape shield law, led a smear campaign against the child his son poisoned and then violently gang-raped on videotape, adding up to 24 felony counts. He said that his son “acted accordingly” because the child was a “slut”. The full gruesome story, with many newspaper articles.
Tim Hutchinson, divorced his wife of 29 years to marry a congressional aide he was having an affair with.
Paul Ingram, Republican Party leader of Thurston County, Washington, pleaded guilty to six counts of raping his daughters and served 14 years in federal prison. Source: The Olympian Article
Bill Janklow, former S. Dakota Governor and Congressman, arrested for drunk driving, disorderly conduct, assaulting an officer, and indecent exposure in 1974. Pardoned his son-in-law for multiple drunk driving convictions in 2002. Resigned congressional seat due to a felony manslaughter conviction in a reckless driving incident (running a stop sign at 70 mph)in 2003 that resulted in the death of farmer, Vietnam veteran, and motorcyclist Randy Scott, 55, of Hardwick, Minnesota. Janklow served 100 days of a possible 11-year sentence. Janklow sought and received immunity from civil damages on the grounds that he was traveling on business related to his role as a congressman when the killing of Scott occurred. Janklow also petitioned to get back (and was granted) his license to practice law in the state of South Dakota. Link from American Motorcyclist Association webpage – [8]
Bernard Kerik, had two simultaneous adulterous affairs.
Earl Kimmerling, from Indiana, sentenced to 40 years in prison after he confessed to molesting an 8-year old girl after he attempted to stop a gay couple from adopting her. Anderson, IN, Mayor Mark Lawler and Republican State Reps. Jack Lutz of Anderson, IN, and Woody Burton of Greenwood, IN, supported him.Source
Randy Steven Kraft Republican serial killer convicted of 16 murders and suspected of at least 51 others. [9]
I. Lewis Libby, former Assistant to the President and Chief of Staff to Vice President Dick Cheney. In 1996 published a novel containing bizarre sexual content, including bestiality and pedophilia.Full Details (Oh yeah, and he’s also been indicted on obstruction of justice, perjury and making false statements, charges adding up to 10 years in prison.)
Rush Limbaugh, triple-divorcee[10], 30-pill a day drug addict. Goodies from The Smoking Gun.com
Bob Livingston, former Congressman (R-La.), Speaker of the House; resigned from the House in the wake of revelations about his past adultery — at the same time he was leading calls for impeachment of President Clinton.
Donald Lukens, Former Ohio Republican Congressman, was found guilty of having sex with a minor – a girl he was accused of sleeping with since she was 13. Also convicted of taking $15,000 in bribes from the operators of a trade school while he was a congressman. A U.S. District Court jury in Washington deliberated for just one hour before reaching the verdict. Time Article
Pat McPherson, Douglas County, Nebraska Election Commissioner. Arrested for fondling a 17-year-old girl. Article
Jon Matthews, Republican talk show host in Houston, was indicted for indecency with a child, including exposing his genitals to a girl under the age of 17. Source: ABC News
Jeff Miller, (R-Cleveland), Senate Republican Caucus Chairman in Tennessee and the sponsor of Tennessee’s Marriage Protection act, getting divorced (as of April 2005) because of an affair he was having with an office aid. Miller described the Tennessee Marriage Protection Act as a means of preserving the sanctity of marriage. He opposed an amendment, however, which stated that “Adultery is deemed to be a threat to the institution of marriage and contrary to public policy in Tennessee.†[11] [12]
Nicholas Morency, Republican anti-abortion activist from Cape May County, NJ, pleaded guilty to possessing child pornography on his computer and offering a bounty to anybody who murders an abortion doctor The Dallas Morning News article.
Sue Myrick, Congresswoman (R-NC), describes herself as a “devout Christian.” Committed adultery with a married man.
Bill O’Reilly Right-wing conservative talk show host on Fox News, sued for sexual harrassment by his producer. The suit included graphic details, including tape-recordings. O’Reilly’s wife was pregnant at the time. O’Reilly settled and paid millions of dollars rather than have the details become public.
Bob Packwood, Senator (R-Ore.), resigned in 1995 under a threat of public senate hearings related to 10 female ex-staffers accusing him of sexual harassment.
Jeffrey Patti, Republican Committee Chairman from Sparta, NJ, was arrested for distributing what experts call “some of the most offensive material in the child pornography world” – a video clip of a 5-year-old girl being raped. Daily Record News Article
Brent Parker Utah State Representative. Arrested for soliciting sex from an undercover officer posing as a male prostitute. KSL News Article |Deseret News Article
John Paulk, lied about prowling for gay sex while running a fundamentalist group to cure gays.
Mark Pazuhanich, Republican judge from Monroe County, PA, pleaded no contest to fondling a 10-year old girl and was sentenced to 10 years probation. Pocono Record article
John Peterson, Congressman (R-Pa), accused of sexual harassment and creation of a hostile work environment by six women. Peterson has refused to admit a crime, saying only “I may have been an excessive hugger.”
Harvey Pitt, SEC Chief under George W. Bush until he was forced to resign in 2002. Worked for New Frontier Media, a firm which distributed teen sex videos.
Ronald Reagan First president to be divorced (from a woman who had been married two or three times before him – the record is unclear, none of which seems to bother the religious right).
George Roche III, carried on a 19 year affair with his son’s wife, while serving as president of Hillsdale College in Michigan, which “emphasizes the importance of the common moral truths that bind all Americans, while recognizing the importance of religion for the maintenance of a free society.”
Beverly Russell, County Chairman of the Christian Coalition as well as a member of the South Carolina Republican Party’s executive committee, sexually molested his step-daughter, Susan Smith, who later drowned her two children. Herald-Journal Article |Commentary on Newsweek Article
Jack Ryan, 2004 Republican nominee for US Senate from Illinois, pressured his wife, actress Jeri Ryan, to have sex with other men. Tricked her into visiting sex clubs, where he asked her to have sex with him while others watched.[13]
Rick Santorum, used $100,000 of PA state funds earmarked for that state’s school children to educate his own children, who were not residents of Pennsylvania. source (http://www.postgazette.com/pg/04323/413787.stm)
Joe Scarborough, former Republican Congressman from Pensacola, Florida, currently a conservative talk show host. Resigned his congressional seat abruptly to spend more time with his family, amidst allegations of an affair. His intern, Lori Klausutis, was soon after found dead in his office. The medical examiner, who had his license revoked in Missouri for falsifying information in an autopsy report, and suspended in Florida for six years, ruled the case an accident, after giving conflicting information about her injuries. He said he lied about them because “The last thing we wanted was 40 questions about a head injury.”
Ed Schrock, two-term Republican Congressman from Virginia, with a 92% approval rating from the Christian Coalition. Cosponsor of the Federal Marriage Amendment, consistently opposed gay rights. Married, with wife and kids. Withdrew his candidacy for a third term after tapes of him soliciting for gay sex were circulated.
Dr. Laura Schlessinger, right wing conservative radio host. Promotes family values, but estranged from her mother; opposes birth control, but has had her tubes tied; espouses saving oneself for marriage, but admits to having had sex before she was married; opposes adultery, but has committed adultery while she was married, and has slept with a married man; opposes divorce, but is divorced and remarried, has posed for nude photos which are available online.
Larry Jack Schwarz, Republican parole board officer and former Colorado State Representative, fired after child pornography was found in his possession. Rocky Mountain News article With his political career over, he went to work in the hard-core pornography industry for Platinum X Pictures, owned by his daughter, porn starlet Jewel De’Nyle (Stephany Schwarz). Wikipedia article
Arnold Schwarzenegger, Republican governor, had sex with a 16 year old when he was 28. Numerous allegations of gropings, harassment, in California.
John Scmitz, right-wing republican congressman, who had had his committee chairship taken away from him in the California State Senate after issuing a press release attacking Jews, feminists and gays. Forced out of office in 1982 for having an adulterous affair and fathering two children out of wedlock with one of his students. He was caught because his baby was admitted to hospital for having hair tied so tightly around his penis that it was almost severed. His daughter, Mary Kay LeTourneau, was convicted of having an adulterous affair with one of her students, and giving birth to two of his children. Wikipedia article
Don Sherwood, Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives representing the 10th Congressional District of Pennsylvania. Eventually admitted to an affair with a woman 30 years younger than him, after she accused him of physical abuse and attempting to choke her. Post-Gazette Article
Tom Shortridge. Republican campaign consultant and former head of the South Bay, CA, Republican Club, was sentenced to three years probation for taking nude photographs of a 15-year old girl. Los Angeles Times Article
Fred C. Smeltzer, Jr., Republican City Councilman from Wrightsville, PA, pleaded no contest to raping a 15 year-old girl and served 6-months in prison. Sex Offender Registry page | Article
Craig J. Spence, Republican lobbyist, organized orgies with child prostitutes in the White House during the 1980s. Full page including Washington Times article Discovery Channel documentary
Jim Stelling, Seminole County Republican Party chairman who believes in “family values”, as he told a judge. Filed a defamation lawsuit against Nancy Goettman, a former county GOP executive committee member, for falsely claiming he had been married six times. Stelling has been married 5 times. Article
Roger Stone, Republican dirty-tricks operative, led the mob that shut down the Miami-Dade County recount; advisor for Bob Dole and Arlen Specter’s Presidential campaigns, owner of Washington, D.C.-based Ikon Public Affairs. Place X-rated ads for group sex with his wife, Nydia. Claimed he was framed, even though the ads were placed with his credit card and used his P.O. Box. [14]
Jimmy Swaggart, televangelist, said during a sermon “I’m trying to find the correct name for it … this utter absolute, asinine, idiotic stupidity of men marrying men. … I’ve never seen a man in my life I wanted to marry. And I’m gonna be blunt and plain; if one ever looks at me like that, I’m gonna kill him and tell God he died.” Had an affair with a prostitute.
David Swartz, Republican County Commissioner from Ohio, pleaded guilty to molesting two girls under the age of 11 and was sentenced to 8 years in prison. Rocky Mountain News Article
Randall Terry, Right to Life activist, founder of Operation Rescue, involved in the Terri Schiavo protests. Once imprisoned for sending former President Bill Clinton an aborted fetus. His son Jamiel is gay; his daughter Tila had sex outside of marriage, became pregnant, had a miscarriage – she is no longer welcome in his home; his daughter Ebony had 2 children outside of wedlock and became Muslim. He has campaigned against infidelity and birth control, gays and unwed mothers. Terry himself was censured by his church after committing adultery.
Bill Thomas Republican congressman, had an affair with Deborah Steelman, a health care lobbyist who steered huge campaign gifts to Thomas’ war chest.
Strom Thurmond, Republican Senator from South Carolina and racist, impregnated a 15-year old African American maid. (BBC Article)
Robin Vanderwall, Republican strategist and Citadel Military College graduate, convicted in Virginia on five counts of soliciting sex from boys and girls over the internet. Virginian-Pilot Article
Robert Waltrip, Bush campaign contributor. Runs a funeral company which had to settle a lawsuit because bodies were being dug up and dumped in the woods. According to Fox News, Waltrip’s company, a cemetery company called Service Corporation International (also known as Dignity Memorial) was “recycling” graves, removing the bodies that were there originally and throwing them in the woods to use the space to house new customers at two Jewish cemeteries in Florida. George W. Bush, who had met with Waltrip, was subpoenaed but refused to testify in the case.
J.C. Watts, Representative (R-Oklahoma), loud champion of “moral values.” Has out-of-wedlock children.
Jim West, Spokane Mayor. Supported a bill, which failed, would have barred gays and lesbians from working in schools, day-care centers and some state agencies. Voted to bar the state from distributing pamphlets telling people how to protect themselves from AIDS. Proposed that “any touching of the sexual or other intimate parts of a person†among teens be criminalized. Had a sexual affair with an 18 year old boy.Source: Spokesman Review
Keith Westmoreland, a Tennessee state representative (R), was arrested on seven felony counts of lewd and lascivious exhibition to minors under 16 (i.e. exposing himself to children). Tennessean Article
Stephen White, Republican preacher. Was arrested after allegedly offering $20 to a 14-year-old boy in West Chester, PA, for permission to perform oral sex on him. Daily Pennsylvanian article | Daily Yale News Article
Includes content from Demopedia
LINKS:
T. Rex’s Guide to Republican Family Values
Myth: Republicans values sexual morality Includes an experiment you can try at home: use file-sharing software to spy on conservative VS liberal porn habits.
Lavender Liberal: Conservative Babylon
Messageboard debate of a list which is similar to this one, but unlike this was has no attributions
[edit]Sex Slavery
[edit]Bush Waives Saudi Trafficking Sanctions
WASHINGTON — President Bush decided Wednesday to waive any financial sanctions on Saudi Arabia, Washington’s closest Arab ally in the war on terrorism, for failing to do enough to stop the modern-day slave trade in prostitutes, child sex workers and forced laborers.” – The Associated Press
Full article
[edit]Anti-Sex-Slave Trafficking Program Underfunded
A new report issued by Coalition Against Trafficking in Women, “Sex Trafficking of Women in the United States: International and Domestic Trends,” shows the 50,000 women and children trafficked each year into the United States, as estimated by the US government, is not based on systematic research into contemporary trafficking. The Coalition’s investigation went into both international and domestic trafficking of women for sex in the United States based on primary research with victims.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services program Rescue & Restore Victims of Human Trafficking, is underfunded:
“We’ve just begun to scratch the surface,” said Steve Wagner, director of the Health and Human Services human trafficking program, which is spearheading the Rescue & Restore effort. “Every minute, a human being is bought, sold or forced into human slavery.” (Source: Newsday.com)
October 1st, 2006 at 3:51 pm
Marc’s post was in fact a bit of a gloat. Hard to resist, I’ll admit. Rather like the choirboy in the limerick “with buttocks like jelly on springs,” if you swing that way.
The inability of Washington folks, among others, to keep it zipped is legendary and goes back to the earliest days of the Republic. And it cuts across parties.
Who gets a bye (Barney Frank, Gary Studds) and who doesn’t (Foley, Gov. McGreevy, Wilbur Mills) is kind of interesting, too.
October 1st, 2006 at 4:15 pm
Does this mean that we deserve(to paraphrase Whoopi Goldberg)a Democrat prez in 2008 who doesn’t f**k, as opposed to a Republican one that does? Just asking…
October 1st, 2006 at 7:32 pm
Grumpy, it’s the “dem” part of Marc’s “Dem Gloating” that doesn’t wash. Geeze.. I hope he appreciates me standing up for him this way….
As to the rest, sure… no big deal made about Clinton, or the Kennedys fooling around….. On WHAT planet?
October 1st, 2006 at 7:56 pm
Grumpy Old Man:
Just curious: when did Barney Frank not ‘keep it zipped’?
Also:
I think what’s most interesting about Washington scandals is that the past 3 Repub administrations were involved in major constitutional-class scandals. The only scandals (according to MSM) from the 3 recent Dem administrations, Billy Carter, WhiteWater and Monica Lewinsky, were really minor league compared to the Repub’s.
MSM overlooked what I thought were even more scandalous Repub behaviors (The murder of the Chicago Black panther by the FBI, COINTELPRO etc.) yet bludgeoned the Dems for a BJ, a drunk in the family and an overblown land development deal.
And MSM hasn’t even treated Iraqi war justification lies, massive Florida and Ohio presidential voter fraud and the assault on our civil liberties as the scandalous transgressions that they are.
Why is our opposition party so impotent in its ability to get a fair shake in MSM?
October 1st, 2006 at 8:19 pm
Sigh, the ol’ moral equivalence, already at work. Frank= Foley? Why the scurrying attempts to distract with incongruent comparisons? Take your medicine like a man. Foley is not just a sex criminal, but the most absolutely hypocritical one at that. Very simple.
October 1st, 2006 at 9:48 pm
OK, fair enough. Marc’s no Dem, to his credit. “Anti-GOP” gloating” would have been more precise.
The pattern of when politicos’ sexual transgressions were publicized, when kept quiet when they were in office, and when led to their demise is pretty varied. Much was made of Alexander Hamilton’s affairs. Grover Cleveland’s by-blow gave rise to a famous ditty, but he got reelected (after a four-year hiatus) anyway. Read The Strange Death of President Harding. Roosevelt, Eisenhower, Johnson and Kennedy’s affairs were widely known after their deaths, but largely hushed up while they were in office.
When Adlai Stevenson was running for President, the fact that he was divorced counted against him. No problem for Reagan 30-some years later.
Wilbur Mills was forced to retire; of course, his car did end up in the Tidal Basin. Gary Hart had to withdraw from his campaign when his dalliance with Donna Rice on the “Monkey Business” became public.
Slick Willie, with Hillary’s help, faced down the Gennifer Flowers business, but notwithstanding the inevitable scrutiny . . . well, we all know what happened. Willie didn’t benefit from the press’s earlier respect for Presidential privacy.
Sexual scandal doesn’t seem to affect Dems in Massachusetts. You can let a girl drown, have it off with an underage page, and have a live-in who runs a ring of whores, and get reelected.
In New Jersey, on the other hand, where financial corruption is rife, Gov. McGreevy’s attempt to play the gay rights card failed.
Sexual scandal in American politics turns out to be a complex story with a complex history.
Of course, as some posters have noted, there’s a particular stench when “family values” Republicans give in to sexual temptation, although some have managed to live it down.
None of this, as I said in the first place, excuses Foley’s sordid little missives or the people who apparently covered for him. Out with them. And if we are saddled with Speaker Pelosi and Chairmen Rangel and Conyers, may God (and the veto) save the Republic.
October 1st, 2006 at 10:40 pm
Grumps,
This is not about tit for tat, how dare you gloat, rationalizing about the evils of homosexuality or the PC wars (which both sides play). It’s wong, period and the people who knew put others at risk in order to preserve power. There is no place for whining.
As for Jim R, the majority of sexual crimes are not reported on television and molestation/rape is the most under reported major crime. Ted Bundy was a good looking guy, so is Alex Kelly and a whole list of rapists and pedophiles and the vast majority of sexual victims (especially children) are molested by people they know, a relative, a friend, a neighbor, a co-worker, a date, a neighbor, or in this case a well repsected Congressman.
October 2nd, 2006 at 12:32 am
Gee, Josh, that all ya got?
RcerX: “…or in this case a well repsected Congressman.”
To be fair, RcerX, it’s not at all clear that Foley actually molested anybody. Or even that he intended to. If somebody engages in an IM chat with somebody who *claims* to be underage, that doesn’t mean they *are* underage, or even of the gender they claim.
And that’s a final line of defense: Foley might be able to say that there was no way he could really know for sure that his IM correspondents were underage or not, so how can he be charged (under laws he helped draft) with *knowingly* engaging in sex chat with someone underage? That leaves the e-mails, and the ones I’ve seen so far appear rather tame, though slightly redolent of lechery if you read them a certain way. Foley may yet get off. Um, as it were.
I’m on the fence about whether this kind of IM should be regarded as “protected speech” under the 1st Amendment, but I lean toward “OK” if consenting adults are engaged in it, or if one consenting adult has no way to be certain that he or she is not in conversation with another consenting adult, or if both are minors. I’m reminded of a comment by Suzie Bright. This was at a hilarious and brilliant public conversation about sexuality with Paul Krassner in SF (and in a church at that!) some years ago. She reported once getting the guilts while reading pornography featuring a trailer-trash family all getting one another off. Then, she said, she realized: “This isn’t *my* family–it’s someone *else’s* family” (and a fictional one at that). So it was OK!
As Rolling Stone said about her, she cannot be accused of shutting up. Here she is exulting over The Lost Girls, an exploration of the possibility that the stories of Peter Pan’s Wendy, Dorothy Gail of Oz fame, and Alice of the Wonderland were all some kind of sublimated narrative about their adolescent sexuality–narratives that they have to get together and talk about, because that’s what girls do.
http://susiebright.blogs.com/susie_brights_journal_/comics/index.html
Sick, sick, sick, sick, sick. But also funny as hell. Oh, and did I mention redeeming social value? That’s gotta be in there somewhere. If not, well–it’s just a *story*, OK?
October 2nd, 2006 at 11:16 am
Josh you forgot one. Susan Smith, daughter of a South Carolina GOP leader and “Moral Majority” honcho drowned her three kids then tried to blame a black man.
October 2nd, 2006 at 3:15 pm
Most commenters on this blog are probably not admirers of Michelle Malkin. But she’s pretty fierce here on Foley and on the Barney Frank comparison.
Nothing like having kids to change attitudes . . .
October 2nd, 2006 at 3:48 pm
Thanks for the link, Grumpy–I don’t know much about Ms. Malkin, but her words about the Foley story struck me as sincere and non-partisan (and not just non-partisan for the sake of being non-partisan, if that makes sense), which I respect.
October 2nd, 2006 at 4:00 pm
“Nothing like kids to change attitudes…”
I would be assuming Grumps that you have some or at least one and that you would be OK with them engaging in the following on line conversation with an unknown adult.
Maf54 (7:53:45 PM): in your shorts and polo shirt?
Xxxxxxxxxx (7:54:06 PM): no athletic shorts and t shirt…had soccer practice today
Maf54 (7:54:15 PM): ummm nice
Maf54 (7:54:30 PM): jock strap too
Xxxxxxxxxx (7:54:41 PM): not iin soccer
Xxxxxxxxxx (7:54:42 PM): lol
Maf54 (7:55:09 PM): what do you wear then
Xxxxxxxxxx (7:55:20 PM): just our boxers and shorts
Maf54 (7:55:34 PM): good
Xxxxxxxxxx (7:55:37 PM): lol
Maf54 (7:55:42 PM): shows your package then
Xxxxxxxxxx (8:33:29 PM): ya slow things down a little im still young…like under 18 dont want to do anything illegal…im not 18 till feb 23
Maf54 (8:33:43 PM): i know..
Maf54 (8:33:50 PM): nothing will happen
Maf54 (8:34:04 PM): just dreaming
Get the F… outtta here, you’re making me laugh now. Dude had a MySpace page – and everyone knows that the most popular teenage social networking site. He even uses teen lingo. As someone who grew up around the Beltway everyone knows that Congressional Pages are teenagers who attend a special boarding school while serving on the Hill, which would make them particularly vulnerable to some nefarious adult looking to indulge in a little “dreaming.” Pedophiles knows it takes time to “groom” a kid. You can’t just say “I’d like to do blanketdy – blank” to any ole 16 year old. They befriend them, show them how cool they are and these folks are patient, often working on multiple children simueltaneously (to pick out the weaker ones) and to wear down any moral resistance.
And yes Foley was well respected, until he got cold busted like a mark on Dateline. If he did molest anyone, there’s a strong probability that we will never know since there is so much shame and secrecy (especially when the victims are men or boys) around the issue. As far perverts and their 1st Ammendment rights, the e-mails that have been released haven’t demonstrated that he has broken any law. However, now that the FBI has stepped in are investigating all of his e-mails the verdict is still out a to he has attempted to solicit a minor. Whatever the legal outsome it’s good for the public to know not to trust him around their kids.
What does porn and your dislike of feminists have to do with the fact there have been pedophiles since the beginning of time? Are you apologizing for this guy?
October 2nd, 2006 at 4:09 pm
My apologies to Grumps – that would be Michael Turner to whom I’m breathing fire at.
October 2nd, 2006 at 5:58 pm
“As for Jim R, the majority of sexual crimes are not reported on television and molestation/rape is the most under reported major crime. Ted Bundy was a good looking guy, so is Alex Kelly and a whole list of rapists and pedophiles and the vast majority of sexual victims (especially children) are molested by people they know, a relative, a friend, a neighbor, a co-worker, a date, a neighbor, or in this case a well repsected Congressmam.”
Thanks for making my point Rcerx. Sex crimes are about ‘peckerheads’, not ‘power’, and they come in all sizes, shapes, and positions. Pardon the unintended puns.
October 2nd, 2006 at 6:10 pm
I will thow JC a bone and admit power can make peckerheads out of otherwise deciplined, unselfish, and careful horny human beings. But, it ain’t the main motivator.
October 2nd, 2006 at 8:22 pm
My “dislike of feminists”? Where did *that* come from. If it’s not obvious: I like Susie Bright, and she’s a feminist (of a sort.) “Apologizing” for Foley? I don’t know where you get that either. Breathe fire at somebody else, please.
October 2nd, 2006 at 9:04 pm
“Nothing like having kids to change attitudes . . .”
Too bad having kids hasn’t changed Malkin’s attitudes on incarceration of American citizens, with their children, based solely on their ethnicity (1942-1945). I can imagine that even Joseph Goebbels might have frowned on pedophiles.
October 2nd, 2006 at 9:12 pm
Malkin’s outraged…but Matt Drudge, biggest bottom-feeder on the far-right web, blames the kids – calling them beasts. This is really mind-blowing. Of course, I doubt it will put Drudge beyond the pale.
http://www.firedoglake.com/2006/10/02/the-eggman-says-kids-are-egging-the-congressman-on/
October 2nd, 2006 at 9:13 pm
The Washington Times has called for Hastert’s resignation…
October 3rd, 2006 at 2:21 am
Jim R what does that prove about power they prey on the weak. Ted Bundy could have gotten laid six ways to Sunday and so could Alex Kelly that’s the point there are 500,000 to a 1,000,000 sex workers in the US some who come as cheap as 20 bucks why go through the effort of stalking someone or waiting months to wear someone down and risk jail or even death just because your horny. These people don’t want sex – they want humilation and power and the use of force or coersion. It’s not that hard to get laid – it’s just that people are picky which evey law abiding citizen has the right to be.
And Michael Turner that last feminist comment was mean for Grumps, Sorry dude. I was flipping through the posts too fast.
October 3rd, 2006 at 7:56 am
Just to veer off subject for a bit…but no, sex is NOT easy to come by, especially in the US. You say with the sheer number of sex workers in the US getting laid is not the problem. That’s not true – especially when you have an allliance of feminists and religious right figures who work day and night to criminalize sex in all forms. These folks HATE the very idea of men actually enjoying heterosexual sex.
No, I disagree – it IS harder to get laid than you imply (at least for a good number of people). After all, why do you think porn sites are so popular??? If everyone was getting laid, these site would not exist.
But back to the original subject. Yes, for the guys you mentioned, it WAS about power rather than sex.
October 3rd, 2006 at 7:20 pm
Thanks for recognizing the power aspect.
Sex is very is easy to get, Pamela Anderson is not. It’s the basis for biology and is rooted in competition. Most men and women don’t just want to have sex with anyone and that’s what makes it hard. Depending upon certain criteria (looks, income, location) we limit access. Health is the only criteria where one would truly have no control over access. Again with so many sex workers it’s very easy, it’s a matter of taste or morals.
Just because you’re a feminist doesn’t mean your anti-sex. A sexual revolution forty in the making cannot overturn thousands of years shame based sex which still limits women to Madonna’s or whores. Notice there is viagra for men, not women.
The porn web site proliferation are about all access. You used to have to get your porn at some scuzzy store. Now you can get it in the privacy of your home so of course people are going to take advantage of that. Porn is more mainstream than ever before i.e. Jenna Jamieson is best seller, Girls Gone Wild and Mary Carey gets invited to a Republican fundraising dinner in DC because it’s more acceptable. Go on line and there are thousands of swingers clubs, BDSM and web sites including Craig’s List where one can set up a casual encounter.
Being picky is one thing, access is another.
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