But….
The Raw Story | Foley IM’s appear to be 3rd degree felony — I find it peculiar that a state that is essentially filled with retirees and strippers with one of the worst school systems in the country figures that this is the way to protect teens — from chat rooms. An unusual law. Apparently we have not yet seen all the raunchy notes as yet.
However, by acknowledging his Pensacola, FL location, Foley may have offered evidence of his violation of Florida state law Statute 847.0135, which says:
“Any person who knowingly utilizes a computer on-line service, Internet service, or local bulletin board service to seduce, solicit, lure, or entice, or attempt to seduce, solicit, lure, or entice, a child or another person believed by the person to be a child…commits a felony of the third degree.”
An article in Monday’s New York Times referred to another Florida law, Statute 847.0137 which prohibits the “transmission of pornography by electronic device or equipment.”
“A Florida law makes it a third-degree felony, punishable by up to five years in prison, to transmit ‘material harmful to minors by electronic device,'” Adam Liptak reported for the Times. “The law defines the material broadly to include descriptions of ‘nudity, sexual conduct, or sexual excitement.'”
related link:
Foley into sexual rehab, whatever that means.
I am waiting for the spin to start that he had sex with those boys to protect us from terrorism. 5…4…3…2…
“Faux Fantasy Fete Fells Foley. Fate? From Florida? Felony!” and finally, Figurative Fudge-packer! Since he, according to Roth his attorney, ” is absolutely, positively not a pedophile”. Where is Ken Starr when you actually need him?
the “poor innocent children who need to be saved” need to sue his ass for harrasment, and this and all other corrupt political officials should be publicly executed right before “monday night football” – like the pregame warmup…
Finally, a conspiracy theory that is turning out to be 100% true. The Republican leadership of the house, in the interest of protecting a strong seat, decided to ignore (actually protect) the utterly disgraceful and immoral behaviour of one of it’s members.
Before anyone mentions “age of consent” or any other crapola justification for this conduct, just remember that these boys were allowed by their parents to participate in the program with the assumption that everyone that the kids worked for would behave as temporary parents. This assault on public trust is definitely a “fireable” offense.
Had this happened to a Democrat, as a Democrat I would be demanding that the offender, and those that ignores/covered-up his transgressions be immediately removed from Congress. Any Republican with any sense of moral behavior should be demanding the same.
FWIW, as a Democrat I believe that Clinton’s behavior in the Lewinsky affair was reprehensible and deserving of public censure, if not outright criminal trial (lying to the American public).
That guy deserves everything that is about to happen to him. I hope they throw the book at him. Heck, he might even like jail where he will see all the “packages” he could ever hope for.
I am just amazed that a seemingly intelligent man in a high profile position could possibly even consider the fact that he wouldn’t get caught or what the consequences would be if he was. What a perverted moron.
I also find it amazing that as soon as someone of notoriety is found to do something shameful, they check themselves into rehab, as if that would explain it away. “I have a disease, see? It’s not my fault!”
However, I am always amazed that these things always come to light just before an election. Someone sat on this story until just this very moment. That should be a crime as well. This should have been reported the moment it was discovered. Withholding information about child endangerment for the sake of swaying an election is just sick and twisted. These reporters have sold their souls for ratings and to further their agenda.
I think it’ll turn out to be more junk…
Not surprisingly, this comes from the same state that forces women to post an ad on the newspaper asking if they are the daddy of their kid(s) if they don’t know who was and want to give their children into adoption.
No idea of the details behind this story and I’m not going to bother to find out but it’s immediately obvious that a major problem affecting life in the US is the denial of sexuality and the hypocrisy in dealing with it. Making it an offence to permit children to see scenes of ‘nudity, sexual conduct or sexual excitement’ is not only naive but sick.
The reality is that children, being humans and thus being, in turn, animals are inevitably sexual beings from a very early age. Of course they need to be protected and guided (and that protection includes protecting them from powerful human predators) but they also need to learn to understand and manage and control their own entirely natural developing feelings. They will only do this, and only thus grow up to become balanced adults, by being treated with respect, exposed naturally to what love and its concomitant, sex, implies (including nudity and sexual behaviour where appropriate) and learning properly to deal with this rather than by being patronised or condemned as nasty by adults who themselves are damaged.
Knowledge is liberating and empowering and it’s no surprise that generations of people denied this in terms of human bodies and human acitivies should respond too often by treating sex as a commodity and others as objects.
M
What is it with people in positions of power? There seem to be a disproportionate number of them, both here in the UK and in the States, who risk everything by their sexual behaviour. Is this power corrupting?
It’s obvous why illegal activity is denied but why deny legal acts? I feel the right answer is ‘none of your business’.
I agree Clinton shouldn’t have lied, but c’mon powerful charismatic clever men are going to get laid a lot more easily than me, and as far as I’m concerned what grown-ups do in private is none of my business.
Foley is sick. SICK.
Who can defend wanting to have sex with kids? This isn’t some case of sexual mores gone wild. THIS IS A MAN WHO WANTS TO HAVE SEX WITH BOYS.
This is not homosexuality, it is pederasty. Did any of those who defend this mutt read the freaking messages? Would you let your son work in his office? Meet him somewhere?
The people that defended this on office should be kicked out as well.
Then why not shut up and leave us in ignorance of your stupidity? To weigh in on an issue you don’t know the details of is beyond idiocy.
As other posters stated I’m sick of public people making tearful apologies, blaming their behaviors on drug/alcohol abuse, and checking into an exclusive rehab for a few weeks to wash away all sins. Intoxication is not a legal defense, nor is habitual substance abuse. Alcoholism doesn’t cause pedophilia, bigotry, or low morality.
Still, the only real concern Republikans [as opposed to traditional Republicans] have — is denying the complicity of Jabba the Hastert. The neocon slugs knew about Foley’s behavior for months; but, wanted to assure re-election before letting him step down.
These corrupt thugs have always made the continuance of power over this nation a higher priority than ethics, law, the needs or right of citizens. Just another cautionary tale — to be ignored by family-values America.
Federally Fuedal for finding file freedom fibulator.
Is there some sort of GOP pedophile ring?
This guy hasn’t even been sentenced yet and now Foley got caught doing about the same think to boys.
BARTOW, Fla. (AP) — A former press aide for the federal Homeland Security Department pleaded no contest Tuesday to charges that he had sexually explicit online conversations with someone he thought was a 14-year-old girl.
Brian Doyle, 56, who resigned from the department shortly after his April 4 arrest, faces up to five years in prison under the plea agreement. The deal calls for 10 years of probation and requires him to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2006-09-19-press-aide_x.htm?csp=34
Greg, apparently these people are not involved in the GOP sex ring conspiracy that John DeCamp described in his book. Or at least they didn’t keep their perversity confined to the group. I used to think John DeCamp was a total wacko conspiracy theorist, but there are a lot of these sickos getting busted lately. We may be hearing about them because they are getting caught with newer technology like IMs.
This guy should thank his lucky stars it wasn’t my kid he was hitting on or he’d have trouble walking after I ripped his head off and shoved it up his butt.
Ok, the problem I have with all of this is if Foley had not been a member of Congress we would have seen him being taken away by the Police (FBI or whoever). Because he’s a politician he gets to resign, say he’s sorry, blame alcohol, get therapy and he gets to walk away.
It’s is time the politicians have to be held to the same rules and laws they impose on the rest of us. They are NOT superior to anyone. Watch the elections, they do and say anything to get elected/re-elected and once they are in office we (the voting public) don’t exist until the next election.
Look at how many people and companies have ‘donated’ a few thousand dollars to the politicians and received millions/billions because of special favors and laws. This is NOT a Republican problem, both parties do it!
Personally, I’m not voting for any incumbents (Federal and State) for the next few elections until the rules are changed. This may sound harsh but remember the politicians that are keeping quiet about the corruption are condoning this type of action.
4. Clinton’s sex life was never anyone’s business, and the Arkansas Project a-holes lied to the judge about the relevance of Lewinsky to get it into the line of questioning. Lewinsky and Clinton were engaging in private sexual conduct, LEGAL conduct, not pedophilia, and Clinton outmaneuvered them by asking the judge to rule on what constituted sex: the judge said missionary, and Clinton therefore *did not lie*. Vicious bastards tried to ruin him, and he beat them at their own game.
It’s not “private” when it’s in an office and it’s between a manager and a young subordinate.
It’s not “private” when said manager to get the subordinate another job in an effort to get the subordinate to keep quiet about it.
It’s not “private” when said manager commits perjury in denying it.
It’s not “private” when either party suborns perjury in other parties in an attempt to cover it up.
So Frank, Foley and everyone who covered up for him in the GOP should be thrown out of office?
I used to hate the word pedophile. I didn’t like saying it because it such a distasteful word…
But now that the words Republican, Congressman, and Florida are connected to it, pedophile is a much more pleasant word to use in conversation.
Smartalix –
I’m glad Foley is out.
Anyone who covered for him should be thrown out, too.
And any Democrat who sat on the news, who cared more about using the scandal for political ends, than actually helping the pages, should be thrown out, too.
I also find the knee-jerk use of the word “pedophile” to be disturbing.
A 16-year-old is not an adult. But a 16-year-old is not a child, either. It’s a serious crime, and a serious sin. But it doesn’t “cry to heaven for vengeance” in the same way as the sexual abuse of a child does. Carelessly comparing the former to the latter BLANK the latter.
And mere attraction to a teen is not “abnormal” in the sense that attraction to a child is (unless one is attracted EXCLUSIVELY to teens) – but it is abnormal to ACT on that attraction.
And there is the element of compulsion, given the power of the Congressman.
I’m not excusing it in anyway, I just everyone would be more careful with their terminology.
As I said previously, I’m glad he’s out, I hope he gets the book thrown at him, and I want the same done to anyone who does the same, or covers up for it, regardless of party affiliation.
Sorry, posted the last one too fast, the last sentence of the second paragraph should read:
“Carelessly comparing the former to the latter trivializes the latter.”
I agree with Frank. Pedophilia is a sexual attraction to pre-pubescent children. This page was far from pre-pubescent….therefore the label does not apply.
This isn’t the first sex scandal that applies to pages. Look up Gerry Studds in 1983. Not only did he have sexual conversations with a male page…..he flew the teenager to Monoco and had sex with him. Beyond that, where was the liberal “outrage” then? Studds was censured and then re-elected 5 more times until his retirement in the late ’90s.
I wanna know how he’s getting a free pass because he’s a politician. Where is the crime? Sure, he should be drummed out of office for a breach in ethics (just like a boss diddling someone in the mail room). But criminal? It still hasn’t been shown that he actually had sex with the teen. And even if he did, the guy is over the age of consent.
WHAT!?!?!?!
You mean we get handed this delightful story on a silver platter and all of the sudden the Republican Party has developed a conscience about the nature of homosexuality and pedophilia? The right wants us to exorsize restraint and practice respect in this delicate time?
After the Clinton witch hunts? After the 2000 election? After all the hateful tirades against gay marriage? After all the attacks on the Democrats and their ability to deal with national security? After a culture of jingoism that calls anyone a traitor for not being in lockstep with Bush…
BWAHAHAHAHA…
To hell with that….
Former U.S. Representative Mark Foley, a Republican of Florida, and newly outed pedophile, resigned from Congress. House Speaker and Republican Denis Hastert was complicit in a conspiracy with other other key Republicans to cover up the pedophilia of former U.S. Representative Mark Foley, a Republican of Florida, and newly outed pedophile.
Man… I just love how that sounds.
Calin –
Actually, there are several different ages of consent involved here, given that this happened in Washington DC, Florida, and Louisiana. And also federal law. The lowest age of consent among these jurisdictions is 16, the highest is 18.
I haven’t read all the lurid IMs, but I recall that there was mention of an incident back in 2003 – if it was the same teen involved, he would definitely be under 16.
But even if he was “of age” and there was no actual sex act, the law(s) involved explicitly say that it is illegal to contact a minor for sexual purposes using the internet, or to trasmit pornography to him/her over the internet. And these particular laws define “minor” as someone under the age of 18.
Translation: “I care only about the political damage that this will do. I can’t be bothered to care about what happened to the actual victim.”
Note that I’m not saying that this was “pedophilia”.
But apparently, OFTLO thinks it is “pedophila” but he is perfectly OK with it as long as it is used for political purposes.
The definition of pedophilia is “sexual feelings directed toward children.” It can apply to anyone defined as a child. In the U.S. definitions of childhood usually mean anyone under 18.
There does seem to be a bias going on here to protect Foley from the dreaded word because he is a conservative.
The scandal reminds me of last year’s involving the extreme Rightwing Republican mayor of Spokane, WA., Jim West. He also sought out young males on the Internet.
http://www.spokesmanreview.com/jimwest/
West denied he was gay until he needed a defense of his behavior. Foley has also run from acknowledging his sexuality lest he offend that mainstay of the GOP, the Christian Right. I wonder if Foley will now ‘become’ gay.
#27 and #28
Bla bla bla bla
Don’t act so indignant… Your muckraking friends in the GOP have wallowed in filth for years, never once missing a chance to hurt someone regardless of who else got hurt, as long as it was the opposition.
Suddenly the rules are different. I’m calling the GOP liars and hypocrites and I’m doing it right here, right now. If this had been a Democrat the GOP would waste no time turning it into a smear campaign agaist that Dem and every Dem that ever had lunch with him, and you know it.
As for who gets hurt… More Republicans get hurt, so I’m not very inclined to stand on the high ground as I usually do. I’m taking the day off from ethics. If what I’m doing looks familiar, its because its what the right does every day.