I am having an unexpected reaction to Congressman Foley's sex scandal.
—Not surprised that a gay-bashing, flag-waving, "save-the-children" Republican turns out to be a closeted chicken hawk who harasses cute boy pages in the House of Representatives.
—Not taken aback if the entire House leadership knew about it, tolerated it, and for all we know, ordered in the beer.
"Foley gets triple bonus points for hypocrisy. As co-chairman of the House caucus on missing and exploited children, he has been a fierce advocate for tough sanctions against people who sexually exploit children over the Internet..."
I fully expect that men like Foley, who scream about the pornographic dangers of the Web, are likely the most narcissistic predators in town. Foley wouldn't know a moral code if it fell on top of him. He's part of a very select club.
But here's my NEW unexpected reaction:
All things considered, I don't give a shit about this.
I'm rather devastated on another front. Our Congress passed bills this past week that dismantle habeas corpus, that legalize torture and free-for-all wiretapping. The emperor's new edicts target anyone, including citizens, who might have a bad hair day in the President's almighty estimation.
This is that same club— with their teeth bared, instead of their drawers down. As blogger Ian MacLeod puts it, "The Rule of Law is dead in America."
Yet this new regime is apparently a big yawn with the American public. Snooze on, Victoria. Everyone who watches TV knows all about Foley's boxer shorts, but the loss of one's right to privacy, or a jury trial, doesn't seem to make anyone's dick hard.
That odd select few, the voting crew who put this club in office, are so precious that they don't believe that tewworist-related nastiness will ever happen to them. George Bush wouldn't dare waterboard anyone in YOUR family! Terrorists are easy to spot because they incite hysterical racist feelings you can't control!
And I'm supposed to care about Tom, Dick, and Mark-Foolery?
I'm not worried about 16-year-old pages insofar as their age is concerned. It's damaging to infantilize them. They are NOT children. When I was sixteen, and my boss harassed me, I was outraged, but I didn't want to be treated like a child; I had my own personal sex life as I pleased.
These pages deserve respect. Their concerns are a legitimate labor complaint, and they are interns dealing with a hostile work atmosphere, rather than babies without a minder.
Foley is gross, and resignation is too good for him— but the reason he disgusts is his politics, his ethical vacuum. It's not that he's gay, or thinks hard-bodied young athletes are hot. I'd love to Gitmo him and any of his brethren at dawn, but don't give me this pedo- titillation crap like that's what I'm supposed to care about.
Some activists are pressing hard on the "Foley Child Molestor" talking points because they believe this kind of salacious description is what it will take to win points in the next election.
Turning red to blue is going to save the day, right? A slight adjustment will be all it takes, and then all those Dems who voted for the homeland-uber-alles, leave-no-child-unmolested crap are going to get on their knees and beg for forgiveness and democracy, right?
That pinned hope is more self-deluded than Mark Foley ever was.
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Photo of Magna Carta. Read it and weep:
The fifth amendment of the Bill of Rights guarantees: No person shall...be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law.
Written 575 years earlier, in the 13th century, Magna Carta declares: No freeman shall be taken, imprisoned,...or in any other way destroyed...except by the lawful judgment of his peers, or by the law of the land. To no one will we sell, to none will we deny or delay, right or justice.