Hastert 'disgusted'; Rep. Foley enters rehab

[Gravitymaster 0]

Quote

>Do you think the reaction would be the same if Foley had sent
>similar emails to a female page?

If it was an underage female page? The reaction would have been just as bad. The sex of the page isn't an issue; it wasn't even stated in the first few news stories I saw about the scandal.

The issue is not that he's gay, it's that he's sending sexually explicit email to miors.

>I think this has more to do with the fact that Foley is a homosexual
>and it's being used indirectly by Democrats as an attack on gays.

What the heck does his sexual orientation have to do with it? You are the first one in this thread to bring it up. Again, no one cares (other than a few right winger anti-gay groups) whether he sends sexually explicit emails to men or women, but they care very much that he sends them to minors.

Perhaps next you will make the claim that a female pediphile who is attracted to 16 year old males is viewed by society, the same as a male pedophile? Or is that only by right wing anti-gay groups too? The fact of the matter is, society views homosexuals who are pedophiles differently than they do hetrosexual pedophiles.

[lawrocket 3]

I'm just making light of it, Darius. I'm a little fed up with people failing to recognize that Reps and Dems are the same.

I guess I'm just in an asshole kinda mood today. I'll admit it.

My wife is hotter than your wife.

[billvon 3,009]

>Perhaps next you will make the claim that a female pediphile who is
> attracted to 16 year old males is viewed by society, the same as a
> male pedophile?

OK. So how do you see them differently?

> The fact of the matter is, society views homosexuals who are
> pedophiles differently than they do hetrosexual pedophiles.

That may be true. However, the crime is the same. Lots of representatives (both democrats and republicans) do things that are sleazy, and things you might find gross. However, that doesn't generally get them booted from office. Committing a crime does.

[idrankwhat 0]

Quote

>Perhaps next you will make the claim that a female pediphile who is
> attracted to 16 year old males is viewed by society, the same as a
> male pedophile?

OK. So how do you see them differently?

One of them is a really hot blond!
Sorry, couldn't resist.

[Gravitymaster 0]

Quote

Quote

>Perhaps next you will make the claim that a female pediphile who is
> attracted to 16 year old males is viewed by society, the same as a
> male pedophile?

OK. So how do you see them differently?

One of them is a really hot blond!
Sorry, couldn't resist.

My point exactly. I'm not defending whether it is right or wrong. Personally, I don't see why it should be viewed differently. But society does see a difference and I will argue that the fact Foley is a homosexual makes this more politically advantageous to the Dems.

[Darius11 12]

Your such an ASS HOLE

Dude I know what you mean, and agree with you.
There isn’t one person Dem, Rep, Satan worshipper that anyone could feel 100% good about. Fuck I would be happy if I could feel 50% happy with any politician.


As for being in an Ass hole mood. I hope nothing bad is going on in your life and it is just a mood. I have a few days like that my self.

Peace Bro.
Have a good night

I'd rather be hated for who I am, than loved for who I am not." - Kurt Cobain

[Amazon 7]

Quote

But society does see a difference and I will argue that the fact Foley is a homosexual makes this more politically advantageous to the Dems.

BUT.. it is usually the repubs who are all over gay issues like stink on shit... its one of your favorite boogeymen to roll out to get THE BASE frothing at the mouth.

[Gravitymaster 0]

Quote

Quote

But society does see a difference and I will argue that the fact Foley is a homosexual makes this more politically advantageous to the Dems.

BUT.. it is usually the repubs who are all over gay issues like stink on shit... its one of your favorite boogeymen to roll out to get THE BASE frothing at the mouth.

Except in this case it may have been the Dems who did this against the parents wishes. The question then becomes whether it's appropriate to put this boy through the media anal examinations for political gain?

[Gravitymaster 0]

Hastert denies GOP leaders saw e-mails By ANDREW TAYLOR, Associated Press Writer



WASHINGTON - House Speaker Dennis Hastert said Monday no Republican leaders saw lurid Internet exchanges from former Rep. Mark Foley (news, bio, voting record) to pages and he would have demanded his ouster if he'd known about them.


"As a parent and speaker of the House, I am disgusted," Hastert, R-Ill., told reporters after holding a meeting at the Capitol in the wake of the disclosure of the e-mails in 2003 to a page, which led to Foley's resignation last Friday. The page's home state was not immediately cited.

The speaker did not mention e-mail exchanges between Foley, a Florida Republican, and another page, from Louisiana, in 2005. Other House Republicans said they told Hastert about those exchanges months ago. Hastert has not disputed those accounts.

"Congressman Foley duped a lot of people," Hastert said. "I've know him for all the years he has worked in this House and he deceived me, too."

Hastert described instant messages that Foley sent to a former page in 2003 as "vile and repulsive."

Hastert and his leadership team have been working through the weekend to contain the fallout from the Foley revelations. He spoke to reporters Monday after meeting with Rep. John Shimkus (news, bio, voting record), R-Ill., who chairs a panel of lawmakers that oversees the House page program.

Asked about the preliminary inquiry under way at the FBI into Foley's actions, Attorney General Alberto Gonzales told reporters Monday afternoon, "We're just beginning to look at it right now. I haven't received a report."

Officials were still trying to decide whether the Washington or Miami offices of the FBI would head the inquiry.

The congressional page program has traditionally been a starting point for young people interested in making a career of politics.

There currently are 72 House pages, 48 selected by Republicans and 24 by Democrats, according to a recent report by the Congressional Research Service. The Senate breakdown is 30 pages, 18 chosen by Republicans and 12 by Democrats.

Hastert, who did not take questions from reporters, called on any person who was aware of the 2003 instant messages to speak to law enforcement authorities. He said no Republican leader in Congress was aware of those exchanges until Friday, when ABC News reported it had questioned Foley about them.

Leadership officials had been aware since last year of the 2005 e-mail exchange, which they described as "overly friendly" but did not include overtly sexual references. They said they did not follow up on them other than to instruct Foley to not communicate with the Louisiana page.

Hastert said the page program has inspired many generations of youths to go into public life and said their safety and protection has been a top priority.

"It is a trust and as a parent and as the speaker of the House I am disgusted that Congressman Foley broke that trust," he said.

Foley, 52, checked himself into an alcohol rehabilitation center over the weekend, his attorney said Monday. In a statement, Foley said: "I strongly believe that I'm an alcoholic and have accepted the need for immediate treatment for alcoholism and other behavioral problems."

Florida Republicans on Monday chose a member of the state legislature, Rep. Joe Negron of Stuart, to replace Foley as the party's candidate for the state's 16th congressional district, which covers an area north and west of Palm Beach.

Hastert and his leadership team have been working through the weekend to contain the fallout from the Foley revelations. In a letter sent Sunday, Hastert asked Gonzales to "conduct an investigation of Mr. Foley's conduct with current and former House pages."

White House spokesman Tony Snow on Monday attempted to deflect the political repercussions of the Foley exchanges with pages, saying, "The House has to clean up the mess, to the extent there is a mess."

"This does not affect every Republican in the United States of America, just as bad behavior on Democrats' part is not a reflection on the entire party," Snow added.

Shimkus, appearing with Hastert, said new measures would be implemented to keep pages safe and said they include a toll-free hotline for pages, former pages and their families to confidentially report any incidents.

Shimkus called Foley's behavior "deplorable."

"The very thought of this behavior made me sick," he said. "Mark Foley should be ashamed."

[Amazon 7]

Quote

"This does not affect every Republican in the United States of America, just as bad behavior on Democrats' part is not a reflection on the entire party," Snow added.

HOLY FUCKING SHIT.....

I cant believe someone on the Right Wing actually said that.....

[dorbie 0]

There is a double irony that if he'd actually had sex with his victim in D.C. it would have been legal, but texting him was illegal thanks to laws he championed.

[nathaniel 0]

Quote

Except in this case it may have been the Dems who did this against the parents wishes.

It takes deep cynicism to fault the Dems for what Foley did against the parents' wishes. A good Republican would have taken one for the team, eh? Sickening.

That's why people are saying Hastert should resign too.

/ no friend of the Dems myself, but your post is way out of line.

My advice is to do what your parents did; get a job, sir. The bums will always lose. Do you hear me, Lebowski?

[kallend 2,034]

Quote

Hastert denies GOP leaders saw e-mails By ANDREW TAYLOR, Associated Press Writer



WASHINGTON - House Speaker Dennis Hastert said Monday no Republican leaders saw lurid Internet exchanges from former Rep. Mark Foley (news, bio, voting record) to pages and he would have demanded his ouster if he'd known about them.

Did he blame Clinton or Kerry yet? Surely they are behind it all.

...

The only sure way to survive a canopy collision is not to have one.

[Lindsey 0]

My point exactly. I'm not defending whether it is right or wrong. Personally, I don't see why it should be viewed differently. But society does see a difference and I will argue that the fact Foley is a homosexual makes this more politically advantageous to the Dems.

I think that the difference is only significant to people who harbor ill-will toward homosexuals. The only reason it would be "advantageous to the Dems" is if Republican voters are so filled with hate towards homosexuals that they would refuse to vote Republican over one of their Republican Representatives soliciting a minor male vs. that same Republican Representative soliciting a minor female.

I think that's a stretch.

linz

--
A conservative is just a liberal who's been mugged. A liberal is just a conservative who's been to jail

[Gravitymaster 0]

Quote

My point exactly. I'm not defending whether it is right or wrong. Personally, I don't see why it should be viewed differently. But society does see a difference and I will argue that the fact Foley is a homosexual makes this more politically advantageous to the Dems.

I think that the difference is only significant to people who harbor ill-will toward homosexuals. The only reason it would be "advantageous to the Dems" is if Republican voters are so filled with hate towards homosexuals that they would refuse to vote Republican over one of their Republican Representatives soliciting a minor male vs. that same Republican Representative soliciting a minor female.

I think that's a stretch.

linz

I don't. Anymore than I think your characterization of Rep. being anti-homosexual is exclusive to the party. I've travelled all through the US and I've seen anti-gay mentalities everywhere. I just think most liberal elites don't want to admit that racism and other forms of discrimination exist within their own parties.

Florida is a very good example of what I mean. Many retired people who vote Democrat that hate blacks, hispanics and gays.

[Lindsey 0]

I don't. Anymore than I think your characterization of Rep. being anti-homosexual is exclusive to the party. I've travelled all through the US and I've seen anti-gay mentalities everywhere. I just think most liberal elites don't want to admit that racism and other forms of discrimination exist within their own parties.

But it's not going to "be advantageous to the Dems" for people who would vote Democratic anyway to be swayed by the Representative's sexual orientation. It would be advantageous to the Dems for people who would vote Republican otherwise to change their votes based on this situation.

linz

--
A conservative is just a liberal who's been mugged. A liberal is just a conservative who's been to jail

[Gravitymaster 0]

Quote

I don't. Anymore than I think your characterization of Rep. being anti-homosexual is exclusive to the party. I've travelled all through the US and I've seen anti-gay mentalities everywhere. I just think most liberal elites don't want to admit that racism and other forms of discrimination exist within their own parties.

But it's not going to "be advantageous to the Dems" for people who would vote Democratic anyway to be swayed by the Representative's sexual orientation. It would be advantageous to the Dems for people who would vote Republican otherwise to change their votes based on this situation.

linz

Exactly. Remember how closely Bush won Florida? Florida is a state that sometimes votes Dem and sometime Rep. Foley was a shoe-in to win it again unless Rep and Dems were given a reason not to vote for him. I think the Dem swing voters were the target here.

BTW, I'm in no way defending Foley or what he did or blaming Dems for it. I'm only discussing the timing. Unlike many on here who have trouble discerning the difference, I know you understand what I'm saying.

[billvon 3,009]

The next phase has begun. (That's the 'blame the victim' phase.) From Matt Drudge:

---------
And if anything, these kids are less innocent, these 16 and 17 year-old beasts. And I've seen what they're doing on youTube and I've seen what they're doing all over the internet, oh yeah. You just have to tune into any part of their pop culture. You're not going to tell me these are innocent babies. Have you read the transcripts that ABC posted going into the weekend of these instant messages, back and forth? The kids are egging the Congressman on!
-------

[Michele 1]

Curious, Bill, as to who wrote that. It would be significantly horrific if it came from a republican or democrat elected leader...however, I don't think it has. Can you identify who wrote it?

Ciels-
Michele

~Do Angels keep the dreams we seek
While our hearts lie bleeding?~

[Lindsey 0]

I don't think you'll have many people who might vote Democratic (the swing voters) even though Democrats tend to support things like Choice, sometimes gay marriage, things like that....but would NOT vote for one Republican because some other Republican was gay. Seems like a stretch.

--
A conservative is just a liberal who's been mugged. A liberal is just a conservative who's been to jail

[billvon 3,009]

>Curious, Bill, as to who wrote that.

Matt Drudge.

http://www.drudgereport.com/

[Michele 1]

Quote

Matt Drudge.

I have to leave for school in a few minutes, so didn't have time to read the articles on the page you linked over (the Drudge Report). Can you link over the article? I'd like to see that, and can't seem to find it quickly.

Thanks.

Ciels-
Michele

~Do Angels keep the dreams we seek
While our hearts lie bleeding?~

[billvon 3,009]

>Can you link over the article?

It was his radio show, not an article. I have an .mp3 audio clip I can send you (or anyone) if you PM me an address. (It's too large to attach here.)

[Michele 1]

Ah, well. See, I don't give his radio show (or, frankly, his writings) too much credit - I place him on a par with Limbaugh...so no thanks, I don't want to hear it. Not interested, and fits his persona perfectly.

Ciels-
Michele

~Do Angels keep the dreams we seek
While our hearts lie bleeding?~

[billvon 3,009]

>See, I don't give his radio show (or, frankly, his writings) too
>much credit - I place him on a par with Limbaugh.

It's odd how much credibility he has gained after his 'brush with fame' (being the first with the Lewinsky story.) Traditionally he's the first out with GOP news pushes (like the Swift Boat story) so it wouldn't suprise me to see this theme start appearing elsewhere. Hope I'm wrong.