:::Checks ass for flying monkeys.:::
No.
You are a Wee Bairn, aren’tcha? 
Doing that would destroy them as a political force.
I can only see this making them less tolerant. “Trust a homo? Are you kidding? Look what happened with Foley!”
I’ve always called this particular sensation “Thurmondfreude”, ever since the revelation of Strom’s biracial kid.
Not to mention that no matter what he says now, the only proper thing to do when you become aware of something like this is to pass it on to the proper authorities and document the hell out of the fact that you did so. IIRC, Boehner is a lawyer, so he’d be the first one to tell you that if you didn’t document it, you didn’t do it. If he can’t end the hem-hawing and produce some documentation of just exactly who he told what, that in itself looks horrible.
So the Republicans have seven days to name a replacement candidate but his name will not be on the ballot. Rep. Foley’s name will remain on the ballot and all Foley votes will go to the replacement.
You’re the replacement. How do you campaign? I imagine you don’t want to mention Foley at all. But what do you say? Vote for me [sub]even though my name’s not on the ballot.[/sub] Vote for me [sub]by marking Foley.[/sub]
I was a majority bench page almost 30 years ago, so the story really caught my attention. I was fascinated by the Wikipedia article which was up to date at 9:00 am EST the day after he resigned, and the long entry on “capitol pages” which is linked. The W article on the resignation has a lot more details than what appeared on the AP wire and my local (national) paper.
Here’s an excerpt from a chat he supposedly had with an underage boy:
The website that’s on goes on to say, “The language gets much more graphic, too graphic to be broadcast, and at one point the congressman appears to be describing Internet sex.”
That part makes me giggle. What is “Internet sex?”
But this part is more of what I was looking for:
But I’m still not clear on a couple things. By “internet sex” do they mean cyber-sex? Is that what’s illegal, and is that what Foley did? When they say “adds up to soliciting underage children for sex” are they talking about the cyber-sex, or are they talking about the un-broadcastable portions of their IM & email exchanges which we haven’t seen but in which Foley was clearly asking this kid to have real life sex with him?
Is cyber-sex with a minor a crime? I thought you had to solicit actual real life sex with a minor or transmit pornography to a minor.
Well, you know, since they can’t reproduce, they have to recruit…
The whole question of cyber-sex takes us into a whole new arena for our twisted wants and needs. For instance, I recoil at the very idea of child porn, and would vigorously prosecute anyone who used children for such purposes. But what if the porn is produced by computer graphics without any actual involvement by children? And if you pay someone to talk dirty to you while you strangle Mr. Johnson, is she engaged in prostitution? Does it make any difference if a man is talking dirty to you? Or someone pretending to be a child? It sort of takes a “victimless crime” to another level.
Can’t speak for other states or the federal government, but if someone over the age of 17 in Texas had sent those e-mails or messages to someone under the age of 17, they would be guilty of “Online solicitation of a minor.”
Unfortunately, the state’s website is set up in such a way that I can’t link to the law directly, but it says:
Saying, “Do I make you a little horny” can’t be construed as anything other than intending to arouse sexual desire, so I think that what Foley is accused of doing would be illegal in Texas.
Also, in answer to one of elucidator’s questions, what Foley allegedly did would have been illegal in Texas if he had been communicating with someone of any age that he believed to be under 17.
It’s fascinating to watch all these guys tattling on each other. Apparently, when someone solicits a minor for cybersex, they’ll keep it under their hats. But if another Congressman tries to lay the bad trip on you, well then OPEN THE GATES OF TELL ALL!!!
For those interested in a constantly updated source, Daily Kos is keeping pace with it. At: http://www.dailykos.com/ (Lefty site, tighty rightys advised: Shields up!)
Theres stuff on there currently that I’m pretty sure hasn’t made its way here, like who said what to whom when, and who didn’t.
And nuggest such as these:
(Emphasis added with sombre gravity)
What really happened won’t matter to either side. We are five weeks away from the midterm election and most people who have even a passing interest in politics have long since chosen sides. Both sides will try to make hay and will end up preaching to their respective choirs. The only question is…who has the numbers?
Yeah, and if worse came to worse, they could take it to the Supreme Court. We all know how that works.
Tris
Perhaps members of the committee made enquiries, but not the committee:
GOP Leader Rebuts Hastert on Foley
Reynolds: Speaker Knew of E-Mails in Spring
That link isn’t going where you think it’s going.
Well, beyond the partisan trainwreck, what Really Happened matters to me quite a lot:
-
What else don’t we know about what Rep. Perv (R-FL) was doing? Was he literally screwing pages in the House cloakroom?
-
Why, in 11 months since the someone found out about this stuff, was nobody trying to answer that question?
-
And is anyone trying answer those questions now? Were any other pages hurt/raped ? I don’t see anyone in this thread very interested in that question, and I find that disturbing.
Please let me amend that from “this thread”, which is about repercussions, to “threads I’ve been reading”. I haven’t seem much concern for other kids, if any, who may have been hurt by this guy, and I think that’s a consideration that may be being overlooked.
I couldn’t help thinking of this Onion article.