Foley

I’m disturbed by a lot of things in the scandal about Mark Foley, but not necessarily all the things the MSM would like.

• First of all, it’s disturbing to the core that any adult would proposition a child. The homosexual slant, the location (Congress) and specific person (chair of a committee for child protection) only compound this main problem.
• Foley’s excuse is that he was drunk, and he says he resigned in order to enter an alcohol rehab center. This is nothing short of a thinly veiled plea-bargain with the public. Propositioning a minor is a crime, elected official or not.
• Besides the plea-bargain, I’m also concerned that this escape will further reinforce the idea that homosexuals “just can’t help it” and that somehow their urges are beyond their control. When heterosexual people don’t control their sexual urges, it’s called rape, adultery, child abuse, and many other things.
• The page (the youth who Foley propositioned) was obviously baiting the Congressman in the conversations. As a minor he is entitled to some protections, and the adult in this situation is obviously far more culpable, but I think the page should also face some investigation and possible charges.
• I’m bothered by the appearance that several news agencies had this story for some months and sat on it. There’s some suggestions they did so to avoid appearing like they attacked him because he was gay. Crime is crime, even if you’re gay.
• The ABC reporter said he didn’t report it until now because he was too busy covering the anniversaries of Hurricane Katrina and 9/11. Yet for any Republican who knew about this even a day before the story was broken, it’s all about “the safety of children”.
• I’m bothered that the Washington Post has already started calling for Speaker Denis Hastert’s resignation before all the facts are out.
• I’m concerned at how willing the Republican party seems to be to throw each other off the island in order to appease the left and the media.
• Biased reporting is a concern, as always. Remember Barney Frank, who used his Congressional influence to get his homosexual-boyfriend-prostitute out of 30-odd parking tickets? Not many in the press seems to remember. Frank neither resigned nor checked into any kind of rehab. Today he’s one of the most influential members of the House.
• I’m highly disturbed that someone like Foley could be elected in the first place, regardless of party affiliation. By that, I mean someone whose character allows them to proposition children over an extended period of time, lie repeatedly when confronted, and then bails out on an excuse. Representatives need to be accountable and honest.
• As an extension of that last thought, I’m bothered to think how many other skeletons are in the closet. Foley’s emails (known for several months) were perhaps over-friendly, but not criminal, but even at that they were a big waving red flag. If Foley had been censured or asked to step down at that point, the damage (to the kids, to the GOP, to his reputation, to the people of Florida) could have been much less. What kind of culture in Congress allows someone with these habits to be given more time to cause damage?

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