Posted on 10/03/2006 6:24:06 PM PDT by quidnunc
Mark Foley may be Washington's compensation for suffering through Jack Abramoff. For months, a city redeemed only by its scandals had to feed at the thin scraps of junkets, casinos, and K Street. Into this barren landscape burst Rep. Mark Foley, a cornucopia of awkward sexuality, ready hypocrisy, and adolescent vocabulary. If audiences crave sound-bites, Foley proved he could do one better: a story pre-packaged in instant messages.
But as it turns out, the Mark Foley pedophilia sex scandal lacks two things: pedophilia and sex. The victim of Foley's electronic overfriendliness was not a pre-adolescent, but a 16-year-old; above the age of consent in D.C., and an age at which the average American moves from explicit IM exchanges to the real deal. A 16-year-old is neither a defenseless child nor an adult, but Americans don't have a way to talk about attraction to sexually mature minors — an attraction that anchors the career of your average pop star but is best kept far, far away from an already perverse Washington. That leaves two options: Foley as pathological child abuser at one extreme, as a Clintonian philanderer on the other.
A week after he resigned, the six-term Florida Representative retreated into rehab for an alcoholism problem so secret he may not have known about it — a disease that, tragically, cuts him off from public comment as emails and IM transcripts saturate the ether. He left House Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.), Majority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio), and others to deal with questions about their extended tolerance for overly friendly Rep/page relations, and Washington watchers to wait for body counts.
What makes the Foley affair so explosive is not the age disparity but the power disparity, and, even more so, the written record — Representative Foley as Maf54. The raw quality of time-stamped IM-speak; the "Lol," as Maf54's language becomes increasingly bizarre, and not least of all the "brb … my mom is yelling" as the page known as Xxxxxxxxx negotiates between his "computer dumb" mother and an IM-savvy Congressman. The exchanges labeled "explicit" really aren't, but the tepid searching-ness of "What kind of things do you like to do?" is creepier than any prolix description of what, say, the Congressman would like to do.
If charges are leveled, they'll likely be based on broad legislation inked by the man himself. It's a safe bet that any law with a kid's name in it will overreach, and the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act is no exception. The law, a hodgepodge of a response to MySpace panic, strikes at everything from hawking "date rape drugs" over the tubes to the use of "misleading domain names." It penalizes the solicitation of all minors — everyone under 18 — despite the fact that the age of consent is two years lower in most states. Merely channeling an invitation through the magic of fiberoptic cables is a federal crime.
-snip-
From what I have read so far, I have yet to see any crime, he was just exercising his free-speech and if the 16 year old boy didn't like it all he had to do was hit the "block" button on AOL, takes less than 2 seconds.
My how far we've come. Now ephebophilia is ok and salacious talk with minors is fine and dandy as long as it doesn't proceed to actual contact.
Are we having Internet sex yet?
They weren't minors.
It was after they left D.C., so they would have been at least 17.
Hmm.. I think I would still have a problem if a 54 year old man was going after my 16 year-old son or daughter. But, maybe that's because I'm just out in flyover country and not in swinging DC.
A sexless homosexual sex scandal. This type of scandal would bore Rep. Barney Frank whose used to homosexual sex scandals with plenty of sex !!!
Exercising his free speech? LOL That's one way to put it.
D.C. can have whatever laws they want on the books but Americans don't think 16 year olds are adults. They barely think 18 year olds are adults.
This was immoral. It was sick. And, frankly, I'm not interested in seeing anyone trying to contend otherwise.
None of my three kids would have ever been a page in D.C. because I do not believe that most 16-17 year olds have the maturity to be away from home in D.C. At least not the teenagers I see here in flyover country.
There was a girl at my daughter's high school that ended up dating the father of a girl in the band after he got a divorce. Talk about wierd. She was 17 and still in school but since 16 was the age of consent nothing happened. It was wierd though!
What about this?
FROM US ARMY HOME PAGE
The basic qualifications for enlistment in the U.S. Army include:
• being from 17 to 34 years old
• be a U.S. citizen or resident alien, (must have the I-551)
• have a high school diploma or equivalent (such as a GED)
• be single with no children or married with 2 or less children
• pass the ASVAB test and
• pass the physical
You should also not be undergoing any civil actions; certain law violations will disqualify you.
You are not required to have a High School Diploma.
There are also weight and physical fitness requirements that must be met in order to join the U.S. Army.
Contact an Army Recruiter
I fear I may be an Internet tramp. I freep around..
Republican leadership in Washington has failed miserably. They will pay and the talk about fearing the democrats will fall on deaf ears.
Four republicans have had to resign this year. FOUR. It isn't the fault of democrats, liberals, the clintons, daily kos or sixteen year old adolescent males.
ephebophilia?
" I think I would still have a problem if a 54 year old man was going after my 16 year-old son or daughter"
Read what this child, ( as the Democrats call him) wrote back-often and happily to Foley and see if you agree with me-
if this little perverted page had written the same stuff to my 16 yr old daughter-I'd have his head.
And his parents.
A pox on Foley, the page and the parents.
That seems sort of random. ??
It has something to do with bleeding, I reckon...
In Pennsylvania, while the age of consent is 16, you can still be charged with corrupting the morals of a minor (misdemeanor) for inappropriate talk or sexual contact. So, yes, these pages were minors.
Are you wearing boxers?
Well you voice a controversal opinion there lol. I actually think it has some merit. At the end of the day I am more upset at the abuse of trust and authority than the im thing in and of itself.
But I agree. There is some kinda of silly that Foley could have verbally asked a 16 year old male for sex and that is ok but if he text messaged it its illegal. It doesnt make much sense if you ask me and if indeed that is the law its pretty stupid. I know there is also a issue of State lines that make it all the more complicated.
Good one.
ping
I think we need to raise the age of consent to 18, everywhere.
Why the Repub led Congress didn't raise it is beyond me.
Uh..we're supposed to wear clothes??..
Also if your 17 in many states if you committ a crime you have to go to adult Court and maybe even do adult jail time
We need to fight back hard on this.
DISTANCE the Repub Party from Foley, and put this whole thing BACK onto the GAY AGENDA.
It is a FACT that percentage wise, there are more gays that are pedophiles and ebebephiles (sp?) than in the hetero population.
Let's NOT let the DEMS set the agneda on this one. Let's throw this BACK into their faces with stats and info about what is happening due to the Homosexual Agenda.
Part of me says that I don't care if Foley had sex or didn't. He sounds like a problem we don't want to keep.
Another part of me says that he deserves due process and he either broke the law or didn't; had sex or didn't. In that case, the evidence will tell the story, and he's innocent until proven guilty.
I guess all of the dirty old men who liked Britney Spears back in 1999 are going to jail.
One of the points of the author is that Foley is not guilty of pedophilia, since pedophilia is adult attraction to children under the age of puberty. It's a distinction without much difference. The correct term is ephebophilia which is adult attraction to post-pubescent children. If the person in question is under 16 (or the particular age of consent in their state), then interaction of a sexual nature with an adult usually carries felony charges, i.e. statutory rape, assualt on a minor, etc., while sexual chats would probably only garner misdemeanor charges, i.e. corrupting the morals of a minor. The reasoning is that even if it is with the permission of the child, they are not of legal age to grant consent to the act. For minors over the age of consent, generally only the misdemeanor charges apply, since they can legally consent to the act. The adult, however, can still be charged because he/she should have known better than to engage in such conduct with a minor child.
So, I take it you're PRO THE HOMO AGENDA.
Problem? Indeed. I'd be in jail for beating the living crap out of him, at the very least.
I think it's a big distinction - being attracted to post-pubescent youths is probably a fairly normal physiologic reaction*; however being attracted to pre-sexual, pre-pubescent children is a whole different thing.
*Not that it makes it right, ethical or healthy. I agree it is and should be illegal.
Thank you for the word - I had never run across it before.
I think hastert had to know. Boehner is now throwqing Hsaty under the bus and distancung huimself from them.I also think we will learn more about Foley's activities. I suspect the IM's are not the worst of his actions with adolescent males
It IS about ethics and morality, and Democrats are displaying NEITHER....
If Foley had been a Creepy Dem, instead of a REPUBLICAN, this wouldn't even make the news, as this is accepted behavior for a Democrat....
In FACT, Child Porkers in the Democrat Party get celebrated, and elevated, (Or at the very least-Pardoned)..
We KNOW Foley was wrong, and he's GONE...
The same cannot be said for Democrat deviants...
Memo to Dems and media: It's The Hypocrasy, STUPID!!
Actually the IM I saw showed he was bumped off and choose to click back on and continue the sex talk. I think what happened was disgusting but the boy certainly shares a part in this imo.
His resignation says he is not innocent. And the attempt to claim the democrats are worse are,to me, irrational. I don't vote for democrats.
"If"? What planet have you been on the last two days?
"But as it turns out, the Mark Foley pedophilia sex scandal lacks two things: pedophilia and sex."
Makes you wonder why he resigned if he didn't have any physical relationship with any Pages. Perhaps we haven't yet got to "the rest of the story" as Paul Harvey would say.
Well I agree with you. Notice in my post I said I was more upset with the breach of authority and trust. Similar to your teacher situation. For that reason he should resign and of course he did.
I was mainly addressing the side item that this article sort of touches on in a interesting way.
Ewww, Bob Dole flashback.
"I suspect the IM's are not the worst of his actions with adolescent males"
He is not hiding out in a treatment center over what we have been told, I believe it is about the stuff still to come.
"The same cannot be said for Democrat deviants"
I am not responsible for them. I am responsible for myself and what I believe in and what I choose to be associated with. This is my problem and I and other conservatives are responsible to fix it. If you waste your time blaming Democrats you are not doing your share.
"The Democrats have been playing politics about this matter from Day 1, without waiting for the facts to come out."
If they are they will pay a price. It is time for us to fix what is ours. This is about morality and ethics. Repair the wound and conservatives will be so much stronger because of it.
"If you waste your time blaming Democrats you are not doing your share."
I'm not blaming Democrats for this mess, but I am pointing out thier absolute hypocrasy on the issue...
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