I ask that you read the following example of why it is important to read all the way to the end of news articles:
Rep. Joe Barton, R-Texas, wrote a letter supporting Hastert, saying it was inappropriate to ask for the speaker's resignation when similar scandals in the 1980s prompted a "dramatically different standard."
Barton was referring to Democratic Reps. Gerry Studds of Massachusetts and Dan Crane of Illinois, both of whom were censured after having sexual relationships with 17-year-old pages. Crane lost his re-election bid, while Studds survived the scandal.
"No Democrat demanded prescience from Speaker Tip O'Neill, and no Democrat shouted for his resignation. Neither did any Republican," Barton wrote. "The focus was on the members who created the problem, as it should have been and as it should be now."
Joe? Hello Joe? I have a question for you: Are you stupid or something?
Studds -- you have to love the name -- had a single sexual relationship with a 17 year-old male page. He and the page (over a decade after the incident) stood side-by-side and told the media that the sex was consensual. Studds came out of the closet, admitted his actions were inappropriate, was censured by the Congress, and then got re-elected 5 more times.
Crane was accused of having a consensual sexual relationship in 1980 with a 17-year-old female congressional page and was censured by the House in 1983. Crane admitted to the charge and issued profuse, tearful apologies. He was defeated in his bid for re-election and returned to dentistry.
Mark Foley is accused of making sexual advances toward, and engaging in cyber sex with, any number of teenage congressional pages over a period of at least eight years. And it is more and more evident that Republican leaders of the House knew about it for as long as three years and chose to do nothing in order to protect their majority position.
To recap: Studds had consensual gay sex with 17 year-old page, got censured, got re-elected five times.
Crane had consensual sex with 17 year-old page, got censured, lost re-election bid.
Foley engages in a nearly decade long predatory string of often unwanted sexual advances and cyber sex activities with male congressional pages and the Republican congressional leadership -- who know there is a problem -- do nothing in order to protect their party's majority in the House of Representatives.
No offense Joe, but just how stupid do you think the voters in your district are? You don't think they see the difference between a Congressman doing something stupid and wrong, getting caught and paying the price and a cover-up that protects a congressional pederast while placing the interests of the Republican party ahead of the children they were charged to protect?
Joe, life might be like a box of chocolates, but the reason Hastert and the others tried to sweep all this under the rug was because they knew what they were going to get once the voters found out about Rep. Foley's years of trolling for sex with congressional pages.
So, do us all a favor Joe, keep your mouth shut and let the investigations decide the fate Hastert and the others. Hopefully, they'll get what they deserve.
CNN: GOP prods Democrats over Foley scandal
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