Letters to the Editor
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No Spine
Sadly, this piece already confirms what NPR is also reporting: Many Dems (including the Dem running against against Rep. Reynolds) are holding their noses and "staying above it all" rather than taking out their shotguns and going all out against the arrogance and hypocrisy that allowed Foley to prey on children.
This is a clear chance to show some spine -- and it's an easy call. Repubs were happy to allow a pedophile to stalk children. And they deserve to face the wrath of all amenricans for their judgment and arrogance. Aby Dem who can't see that -- or won't use it for political advantage -- doesn't derserve to be elected.
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Wait for it...
The Democrats are right to wait rather than blasting the house leadership
for failure to protect the pages from Mr. Foley's attentions. When the e-mails
come out that show who knew what when, or evidence of a coverup is discovered,
then the Democrats should unleash their full moral outrage. Preferably two weeks
before the election.
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Loose language
The Dems will be as spineless about this 'gift' from Foley as they are about every other issue that would allow them to define themselves. The work 'attack' is gone from their lexicon. All they know how to do is a cowering retreat. I agree that they should pack it in if they don't make serious gains in this election. With every Repug victory we retreat further and further from anything recognizable as democracy.
Having said all that, I continue to cringe at the loose use of language, also used by Shapiro, such as "crime," "children," "young boys," and "pedophile," in connection with the Foley Follies. There is no crime. The boys are over the age-of-consent, which has suddenly, and incorrectly, become 18. It is 16 in Washington, and many other places. The ex-pages are now older than 16.
What Foley did can't even be considered "sexual harrassment" unless the teenager complains and asks Foley to stop what he's doing. Few, if any, of them did.
The use of the word "children" deliberately conjures up images of little 8-year-olds riding tricycles on quiet suburban streetss being offered candy by a raincoat wearing strangers. Only in this benighted country do we consider 16 or 17-year-old, sexually mature (psysiologically), adolescents as "children," much to our peril. We give them 2-ton weapons to drive, expecting them to make many life-and-death decisions everytime they get behind the wheel. And they certainly are considered adults when it comes to committing crimes, including execution. But for anything sexual they are considered "children." Pardon me while I retch.
Much the same can be said for the term, "little boys." If you've ever lived in the same house with a 16-year-old football player the humor in the term might be more obvious. Yes 16-year-olds have a long way to go before they are fully functioning adults, but they are not as innocent as many want them, seemingly, to be. This bunch of pages, by their own admission, were onto Folley and his antics, and I have no problem imagining that one or more them, singly or as a group, egged him on just for the bragging rights of having done so. Something like, "Do you know what that old perv asked me last night? I told him I had 8-inches just waiting for him to..." Also I have no problem believing that some of the teenagers enjoyed Foley's attention, sexual and otherwise, but that's a whole other discussion.
Lastly, Foley is not a "pedophile" unless you extend the definition of "child" to mean adolescents. Pedophiles are sexually attracted to "children, " which I take to mean prepubescents. Puberty hits around 13 or 14 in males, earlier in females. From the onset of puberty it is hard, if not ridiculous, to call these individuals "children" any longer. They are in an inbetween state, and remain there for some time - not helped by the infantilization that is commonplace in suburban America.
Foley is predatory, and would most likely have sex with teenagers, but they aren't "children" and it isn't a "crime" if they're over the age-of-consent, and do, in fact, consent. He shouldn't be in a position of authority over young males. Just as heterosexual males sexually attracted to teenage females (and there are very many) shouldn't be either. All these men so shocked about Foley's attraction and email exchanges with young males wouldn't be nearly so upset about Foley having email exhanges with young females, or having sex with them. They'd pin a medal on him. So much of this is all about homophobia, and pandering to the social conservatives and religious nutcases, of which we have far too many.
There. I've said my piece again.
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End of the line?
The Republican Party has supported a bogus invasion of Iraq, killing tens of thousands of innocent people, disregarded the looting of billions of dollars of tax funds during the so-called reconstruction of Iraq, failed to protect this country on 9.11.2001, neglected US citizens in New Orleans, created staggering US deficits, and so on, but now they have finally crossed the line. The Puritans have been caught with their pants down, and can not put the bung back in the bunghole. They have been associated with the worst of evils, SEX.
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Allow me to point out
It's not a scandal. It's a CRIME. By any standard applied to any other American this is in fact a criminal offence punishable by lenthy prison time and lifelong registration as a felony sex offender.
If Dems want to make hay out of this they have to ensure that Foley is criminally prosecuted, dragged out in an orange jumpsuit and locked up for years. With any luck he'll put a bullet in his head the day before sentencing.
And for Denny Hastert? Conspiracy and obstruction of justice are what they say they are. Unless he's a codefendant in the orginal crimes as well which is possible. At the least, he's involved in a coverup of a felony through the abuse of the power of his office which, unless it really is George Bush alternative universe in the 18th Century, an impeachable offence.
And anyone else who knew about it needs to be paraded around publically as a man (or woman) who knowingly, for personal gain or power, allowed a minor to be sexually abused.
Now let's have an election, bitches.