posted on October 1, 2006 09:11:03 AM new
No wonder why he chaired the House Caucus on Missing and Exploited Children.
WASHINGTON -- Republican House leaders, including Speaker Dennis Hastert of Illinois, scrambled Saturday to distance themselves from a scandal involving a Florida lawmaker's conduct with congressional pages, disavowing responsibility for investigating the matter when it came to light months ago.
Aides to the speaker say he was not aware until last week of inappropriate behavior by Rep. Mark Foley (R-Fla.), who resigned on Friday after portions of racy electronic messages between him and current and former underage congressional pages became public. But the aides conceded they could not be conclusive on the timing.
In the chaotic hours after news of the scandal broke, GOP leaders offered confusing versions of events about how much they knew and when. One top House Republican said he relayed to Hastert his sketchy understanding of the situation months ago, and another said he "cannot say with certainty" whether he passed along the information or not.
Meanwhile, an aide to Rep. John Shimkus (R-Ill.)--chairman of the board that oversees the page program--said Shimkus confronted Foley last year after learning of one e-mail message he sent to a former page. Shimkus said the message was not sexually explicit, however, and declined to investigate when Foley assured him there was nothing to it. Shimkus declined to comment Saturday, relying instead on his spokesman.
While House Republicans attempted to avoid blame, Democrats raised questions about why there was not an official investigation after the first internal reports of impropriety.
"A 16-year-old kid was entrusted by his parents to the U.S. House of Representatives, and Congress has a responsibility," said Rep. Rahm Emanuel (D-Ill.), chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. "The most important questions are, `What did the Republican leadership know, when did they know it and, if they knew something, why didn't they do anything to protect the child?'"
Elections near
Foley's resignation brings a new volatility to this fall's midterm election campaigns, in which Republicans are trying to fight off a Democratic push to reclaim the House majority after 12 years of GOP rule. Democrats need to pick up 15 seats to take control of the chamber, and Foley's heavily Republican district is now a surprise new opportunity for Democrats.
Party officials get to name a replacement candidate for Foley's seat. Ballots already have been printed with Foley's name on them, and any votes cast for him will go to his stand-in.
Sure to get high-volume coverage on cable television, the latest revelations could affect the party's appeal to its socially conservative base. Members of Congress left town last week with little to show on hot-button issues such as immigration, and Congress' ratings as an institution have sunk to levels not seen since 1994 when the GOP swamped Democrats to take control of the House.
The Foley story began to unfold Friday when ABC News reported that the congressman had exchanged explicit electronic messages with current and former male pages. Many of the messages were sexually suggestive, with Foley reportedly asking one former page what he was wearing and then urging him to take off his clothing.
But when the first reports of inappropriate electronic messages began to percolate in Republican leadership offices last year, they centered on a milder e-mail to an underage former page from Louisiana, Republican congressional aides say. In an e-mail to the 16-year-old, Foley asked him how he was doing in the wake of Hurricane Katrina and what he wanted for his birthday.
He also asked the boy to send a photo of himself, according to e-mail excerpts now widely available on the Internet. When Shimkus got news of that, he confronted Foley, according to Shimkus spokesman Steve Tomaszewski.
"Foley said he was trying to be a mentor," said Tomaszewski. "The congressman [Shimkus] said, `For everybody's well-being, you need to stop any contact with this former page.'"
Shimkus did not know about the more explicit messages and didn't take further action, Tomaszewski said.
"Obviously, there was more to this," he said. "Foley basically lied to him."
Hastert's office declined requests for an interview with the speaker, but in a two-page narrative it offered an account of what happened. According to the narrative, a staff assistant in Hastert's office got a telephone call in the fall of 2005 from the chief of staff for Rep. Rodney Alexander (R-Louisiana) saying he had an e-mail exchange between Foley and a former House page that had raised concern.
`Proper authorities'
Hastert's deputy chief of staff, Mike Stokke, then called a meeting between Alexander's chief of staff and the clerk of the House.
At that meeting, the clerk asked to see the text of the e-mail, but Alexander's office declined to release it, saying the family wanted to maintain privacy, according to the Hastert staff report.
When the clerk asked whether the e-mail exchange was "of a sexual nature," the report goes on, he was assured it was not. Rather, Alexander's office characterized the e-mail exchange as "over-friendly."
Stokke and the other staff members did not discuss the matter with others in the speaker's office, the report says, because they believed they had reported the matter to the "proper authorities." They also were attempting to be mindful of the "parents' wishes to protect their child's privacy."
The Hastert report did not dispute a statement issued Saturday by Rep. Tom Reynolds (R-N.Y.), who said Alexander had also told him about e-mails between Foley and the page. Reynolds, chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee, said he then told the speaker of that conversation.
The report said the speaker "does not explicitly recall this conversation," but that "he has no reason to dispute Congressman Reynolds' recollection that he reported to him on the problem and its resolution."
Still, Hastert spokesman Ron Bonjean said the speaker did not know about Foley's electronic messages until last week.
Also on Saturday, the office of House Majority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) said Boehner is not sure whether he talked to anyone in the Republican leadership about his own brief conversation with Alexander. The Washington Post reported that Boehner told the newspaper Friday that he had informed the speaker, but a Boehner spokesman said later that was not correct.
`Safe environment' vowed
Late in the day, Hastert and Boehner issued a joint statement, along with House Majority Whip Roy Blunt (R-Mo.), condemning Foley's behavior and pledging to "create a safe environment" for House pages. One step will be to set up a toll-free number for pages, family members and staff to report "incidents of concern."
Foley's behavior was "an obscene breach of trust," the statement said. "His immediate resignation must now be followed by the full weight of the criminal justice system."
Officially, the matter is now in the hands of a House ethics panel charged with deciding whether there should be an investigation. But the lurid details already are being heavily parsed on television and the Internet.
In one message reported by ABC, Foley reportedly inquired of one page, "Do I make you a little horny?" In another message, he asked a page if he was wearing boxers and then urged him to "strip down and get relaxed."
Absolute faith has been shown, consistently, to breed intolerance. And intolerance, history teaches us, again and again, begets violence.
---------------------------------- The duty of a patriot in this time and place is to ask questions, to demand answers, to understand where our nation is headed and why. If the answers you get do not suit you, or if they frighten you, or if they anger you, it is your duty as a patriot to dissent. Freedom does not begin with blind acceptance and with a flag. Freedom begins when you say 'No.'
posted on October 1, 2006 10:11:35 AM new
When I saw the news this morning, there weren't any details, although they said inappropriate communication, it was insinuated it was sexual.
If it's true, I'm glad he resigned and would hope he is prosecuted to the fullest extent.
Sexual abuse of minors, (children), is inexcusable.
posted on October 1, 2006 10:38:58 AM new
The GOP leadership had knowledge of this behavior for the better part of the past year. The model they used was that of the Catholic Church, cover it up.
posted on October 1, 2006 12:22:04 PM new
Thanks Maggie for the welcome. How are you doing? Have you gotten back to a sense of normlacy after the past year of dealing with post Hurrican Katrina?
Absolute faith has been shown, consistently, to breed intolerance. And intolerance, history teaches us, again and again, begets violence.
---------------------------------- The duty of a patriot in this time and place is to ask questions, to demand answers, to understand where our nation is headed and why. If the answers you get do not suit you, or if they frighten you, or if they anger you, it is your duty as a patriot to dissent. Freedom does not begin with blind acceptance and with a flag. Freedom begins when you say 'No.'
posted on October 1, 2006 12:24:15 PM newThe GOP leadership had knowledge of this behavior for the better part of the past year. The model they used was that of the Catholic Church, cover it up.
Just like every other scandel during the Bush administration.
At least this guy had some common sense to reign. I would have like to seen him exposed by Chris Hansem on Dateline's "To Catch a Predator".
Absolute faith has been shown, consistently, to breed intolerance. And intolerance, history teaches us, again and again, begets violence.
----------------------------------
The duty of a patriot in this time and place is to ask questions, to demand answers, to understand where our nation is headed and why. If the answers you get do not suit you, or if they frighten you, or if they anger you, it is your duty as a patriot to dissent. Freedom does not begin with blind acceptance and with a flag. Freedom begins when you say 'No.'
[ edited by logansdad on Oct 1, 2006 06:47 PM ]
posted on October 1, 2006 12:36:27 PM new
So maybe some of you are shocked by the growing scandal over the cyber-trolling by Representative Mark Foley and the fact that Representative Denny Hastert and NRCC Chair Tom Reynolds, among others, have been fully aware that this man was hitting on high school boys for the past year.
You shouldn't be.
This is, very simply, emblematic of the current state of the GOP, a once proud party of Lincoln and Teddy Roosevelt that has devolved into an elected membership comprised of racists, criminals, self-haters and perverts. Am I exaggerating? I think not.
I'll leave the Neo-Confederates such as George Allen and the Abramoffers such as Bob Ney for another column. Let's just talk about the latter two categories. Former Representative Ed Schrock of Virginia, who sponsored anti-gay legislation in the House, was caught in 2004 making calls to a homosexual phone-sex operation. He then resigned without comment much like Foley. Hate yourself much Ed?
See Mayor Jim West of Spokane for a very similar story to the one currently bedeviling poor Mark Foley, who was still Chairing the House Caucus on Missing and Exploited children as of last week.
You want to find adultery among these miscreant moralizers? Why go no further then Pennsylvania Representative Don Sherwood, who thought it wasn't good enough to just cheat on his wife with a women in her 20s (he's in his 60s), but decided to try and choke her for extra credit. Or Representative Steve LaTourette of Ohio, who didn't only cheat on his wife of 28 years with an aide, but set her up with a nice little shop that lobbied a committe on which he sat (Transportation). The piles of money she made was helpful though, as it most likely helped pay his rent as she was living with him.
Divorce you say. Ok, well here's a math problem for you. What do you get when you add the divorces of Newt Gingrich + Rush Limbaugh + Bob Barr? A hint, you're almost in double digits.
Senate Republican Leader-to-be, Mitch McConnell, has no relationship with his first wife and daughters (he runs a helluva partisan machine in Kentucky and Washington, however). Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist? He dumped his fiancee for another woman on the eve of his marriage.
This is today's GOP. The family values crowd in all their glory. It is the reason I started doing a weekly segment on The Young Turks called "Republican Sexcapades" (you may be familiar with the insightful analysis of Cenk Uygur, one of The Young Tursks' hosts, on this very site). Because somebody had to point out their sexual hypocrisy on a weekly basis.
And I've never lacked for material. Ever.
If you want to catch our discussion of Mr. Foley, by the way, I will be on the show tomorrow at 6:05 AM Eastern Time, to discuss the latest developments in this sickening story (our normal time is 8:00 AM Eastern on Thursdays--but this one was too big to wait). By then, who knows, maybe one more Republican will have cheated on his wife with a circus midget or another will be found to enjoy the company of the bovine.
Absolute faith has been shown, consistently, to breed intolerance. And intolerance, history teaches us, again and again, begets violence.
---------------------------------- The duty of a patriot in this time and place is to ask questions, to demand answers, to understand where our nation is headed and why. If the answers you get do not suit you, or if they frighten you, or if they anger you, it is your duty as a patriot to dissent. Freedom does not begin with blind acceptance and with a flag. Freedom begins when you say 'No.'
posted on October 1, 2006 01:33:13 PM new
Why this just goes to show that the Republicans really are an all inclusive party after all. There's room for all manner of perverts under their umbrella.
____________________________________________
Grow your own Dope. Plant a Republican.
posted on October 1, 2006 04:20:16 PM new
How funny.....logansdad blaming ONLY the republicans for PROTECTING/looking the other way when it came to Foley's sick behavior.
The dems might not be able to use this against the republicans....they have to be VERY careful not to OFFEND their gay and lesbian supporters.
There are other gay republicans AND dems now serving our nation. Don't see the dems going NUTS about them. Nope....they've gotten angry that they haven't 'come out of the closet' and announced to ALL they're GAY.
posted on October 1, 2006 06:51:23 PM new
Maggie, sorry to hear it has been a trying year. Hopefully things are startin to get better and you can build on that.
This year has not been a banner for me either, but I am surviving. I am sure what you have gone through is a lot worse than my struggles. I will keep you in my thoughts and prayers.
Absolute faith has been shown, consistently, to breed intolerance. And intolerance, history teaches us, again and again, begets violence.
---------------------------------- The duty of a patriot in this time and place is to ask questions, to demand answers, to understand where our nation is headed and why. If the answers you get do not suit you, or if they frighten you, or if they anger you, it is your duty as a patriot to dissent. Freedom does not begin with blind acceptance and with a flag. Freedom begins when you say 'No.'
posted on October 1, 2006 07:09:16 PM newNo responsible Gay, Lesbian or Heterosexual supports Foley's behavior. No responsible Republican should either but they have in this case.
Exactly Helen. Since when is protecting children or impressionable young adults a matter of sexual orientation? I guess someone is trying to make this into a gay/straight issue instead of what it really is - a matter of an adult sexual predator preying on children at tax payer expense.
It is nice to see where someone's priorites are. This coming from the party that made moral values a major issue in the last election. I wonder what the Religious Right has to say about this now? I have not heard one group on the right speak out about this. Instead those in the Republican party were trying to play cover up.
I just hope this child predator did not doing anything with one of his aides. God forbid he brought some sort of disease home to his wife.
For the past two years, all we have seen from the party of Lincoln is lies and cover ups. If you want more slogans and cheerleading, vote Republican in November. If you want change and results vote Democratic.
Absolute faith has been shown, consistently, to breed intolerance. And intolerance, history teaches us, again and again, begets violence.
---------------------------------- The duty of a patriot in this time and place is to ask questions, to demand answers, to understand where our nation is headed and why. If the answers you get do not suit you, or if they frighten you, or if they anger you, it is your duty as a patriot to dissent. Freedom does not begin with blind acceptance and with a flag. Freedom begins when you say 'No.'
This male whore with PHONEY NAME & PHONEY CREDENTIALS was insinuated into the WHITE HOUSE PRESS CORPS by Turd Blossom in order to lob puff questions that even Dumbo could answer with words of under three syllables!
This male whore's real name is a matter of some dispute, but there is NO dispute that "Jeff Gannon" is NOT it & that Turd Blossom knew this...
Amongst some of the more interesting theories is that he's really Johnny Gosch a 12yo boy abducted in the 80's by (possibly) a ring of sex-slavers... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johnny_Gosch
Regardless, there's little doubt that the GOP is just CHOCK-FULL of PREVERTS...
posted on October 1, 2006 07:54:51 PM new
The Republican party is imploding. Time is on our side.
____________________________________________
Grow your own Dope. Plant a Republican.
posted on October 1, 2006 08:39:31 PM new
Well, well. Logansdad shows his face. If that's all you have, a pervert who types on his computer, blah blah blah.
You still have, "I didn't have sex with that woman" in the Demomoron party.
Not defending Foley, what he did was wrong, but you better speak carefully. The demomorons are walking on egg shells as well.
.
.
.
"Unfortunately there are levels of Stupid that just can't be cured!!" The new Demomoron motto.
posted on October 2, 2006 06:56:33 AM new
Stone you should talk about morals. Aren't you the person posting using Rustygumbo's ID on other boards
Now getting back to the issue. There is a difference between what Clinton did and what Foley did.
The answer lies in your statement: You still have, "I didn't have sex with that woman" in the Demomoron party.
The important word here is woman. ML was of legal age and both parties were consentiting adults.
I guess you do not understand the different between having sex with consenting adults and having sex with minor.
If Foley did nothing wrong why was this covered up for months by the Republican and why did he ultimately choose to resign after this was made public.
What I find more disturbing is the fact that he was the chairman on the House Cacus on Missing and Exploited Children. That is like leaving the wolf to guard the hen house.
Now why don't you run back to the "Outhouse" where you will not get any dissenting opinions about this issue and you can continue to defend your Republican law breakers.
Absolute faith has been shown, consistently, to breed intolerance. And intolerance, history teaches us, again and again, begets violence.
---------------------------------- The duty of a patriot in this time and place is to ask questions, to demand answers, to understand where our nation is headed and why. If the answers you get do not suit you, or if they frighten you, or if they anger you, it is your duty as a patriot to dissent. Freedom does not begin with blind acceptance and with a flag. Freedom begins when you say 'No.'
posted on October 2, 2006 07:30:33 AM new
I just saw that link Tomwiii. You know this is exactly how some of the people on Dateline's "To Catch a Predator" started out - simple online chats using IM's.
I wonder how long before Foley would have waited before he followed through on his desires.
Absolute faith has been shown, consistently, to breed intolerance. And intolerance, history teaches us, again and again, begets violence.
---------------------------------- The duty of a patriot in this time and place is to ask questions, to demand answers, to understand where our nation is headed and why. If the answers you get do not suit you, or if they frighten you, or if they anger you, it is your duty as a patriot to dissent. Freedom does not begin with blind acceptance and with a flag. Freedom begins when you say 'No.'
posted on October 2, 2006 08:56:49 AM new
Stonecold....I don't know about you, but I find it EXTREMELY funny that logansdad is bashing his OWN.
He actually called foley a 'pervert'. Now that's the pot calling the kettle black, imo.
These 'interns' are NOT children. They are old enough to work in our Capitol. And they are GAY....as is logansdad.
So to 'slam' one of his own....to me...shows ME what a hypocrite he really is.
But....it was good for a laugh.
edited to add: This morning, Fox News, informed their viewers that foley has checked himself into an alcohol rehab center.
Think if he stops drinking that's going to change his sexual preferences????
I don't. He's gay...and wants young men to play with. Just like all those who defend NAMBLA.....no different.
[ edited by Linda_k on Oct 2, 2006 09:00 AM ]
posted on October 2, 2006 02:01:46 PM newThese 'interns' are NOT children.
When does a child become an adult then in your opinion. These interns were teenagers. I suppose you would feel right at home if a member of Congress started having sexually suggestive IM's or emails with your grand daughter. Hey but I guess that would be OK with you since a lot of people in the South like to have sex with family members.
So to 'slam' one of his own....to me...shows ME what a hypocrite he really is.
How am I being hypocritical? It is obvious you do not know the meaning of a hypocrit.
I would be a hyrocrit if I had called Foley a pervert for having sex with a minor and then did not call you a pervert if you had sex with a minor.
Just because I am gay does not mean I approve of what Foley did. What he did is criminal in my book.
It seems like you can not get past the idea of making this into an issue of sexual orientation. If Foley had sex with a 16 year old female intern he would still be a pervert in my eyes. Why don't you open your eyes and stop living in your little fantasy world.
Absolute faith has been shown, consistently, to breed intolerance. And intolerance, history teaches us, again and again, begets violence.
----------------------------------
The duty of a patriot in this time and place is to ask questions, to demand answers, to understand where our nation is headed and why. If the answers you get do not suit you, or if they frighten you, or if they anger you, it is your duty as a patriot to dissent. Freedom does not begin with blind acceptance and with a flag. Freedom begins when you say 'No.'
[ edited by logansdad on Oct 2, 2006 02:17 PM ]
posted on October 2, 2006 02:05:40 PM new
Continue to vote for the party that campaigns on family values and morals:
* Republican mayor Thomas Adams of Illinois charged with 11 counts of disseminating child pornography and two counts of possession of child pornography.
* Republican campaign worker and self proclaimed reverend Steve Aiken convicted of having sex with two underage girls.
* Republican legislator Edison Misla Aldarondo was sentenced to 10 years in prison for raping his daughter between the ages of 9 and 17.
Republican activist and rising Colorado Republican star Randal David Ankeney, who named his dogs Nixon aned Reagan, pleaded guilty to attempted sexual assault on a child. Later he was rearrested for 5 counts of sexual assault on a child, 3 counts of sexual enticement of a child, and one count of sexual exploitation of a child.
* Republican County Commissioner Merrill Robert Barter pleaded guilty to unlawful sexual contact and assault on a teenage boy.
* Republican congressman and anti-gay activist Robert Bauman was charged with having sex with a 16-year-old boy he picked up at a gay bar.
* Republican activist Parker J. Bena pleaded guilty to possession of child pornography on his home computer and was sentenced to 30 months in federal prison and fined $18,000.
* Republican preacher Hewart Lee Bennett arrested for soliciting sex from 16 year old boys while claiming that he did so to gain their trust and then teach them the love of Jesus.
* Republican Christian Coalition chair Louis Beres investigated for molesting three female family members as teens.
* Clifton Bennett, 18, son of Arizona republican state senator Ken Bennett plead guilty to assaulting 3 boys, aged 11-15 with broomsticks up their rectal areas.
* Republican legislative aide Howard L. Brooks was charged with molesting a 12-year old boy and possession of child pornography.
* Republican golden boy and GOP employee Theodore Bundy executed for murdering over two dozen women.
* Republican politician Andrew Buhr was charged with two counts of first degree sodomy with a 13-year old boy.
* Republican anti-abortion activist John Allen Burt was charged with sexual misconduct involving a 15-year old girl.
* Republican activist John Butler was charged with criminal sexual assault on a teenage girl.
* Republican judge and Nixon Supreme Court nominee Harrold Carswell charged with making a pass at an undercover male cop in a public bathroom.
* Republican Randall Casseday, human resource chair of the Washington Times, arrested for soliciting sex from a 13 year old.
* Republican County Councilman Keola Childs pleaded guilty to molesting a male child.
* Republican election board official Kevin Coan was sentenced to two years probation for soliciting sex over the internet from a 14-year old girl.
* Republican councilman John Collins pleads guilty to sexually molesting a 13 + 14 year old girls.
* Republican advertising consultant Carey Lee Cramer, who appeared in an ad blasting Al gore, convicted of molesting 9 yr old girl stepdaughter
* Republican Congressman Dan Crane had sex with a female minor working as a congressional page.
* Republican Committeeman John Curtain charged with molesting a teenage boy.
* Republican benefactor of conservative Christian groups, Richard A.Dasen Sr., was charged with rape for allegedly paying a 15-year old girl for sex. Dasen, 62, who is married with grown children and several grandchildren, has allegedly told police that over the past decade he paid more than $1 million to have sex with a large number of young women.
* Republican fundraiser Richard A. Delgaudio was found guilty of child porn charges and paying two teenage girls to pose for sexual photos
* Republican legislator Peter Dibble pleaded no contest to having an inappropriate relationship with a 13-yr-old girl.
* Republican activist and Focus on the Family Founder Pat Dobson advocates that fathers should show their penises to their sons while in the shower with them.
* Republican spokesman Brian Doyle arrested for trying to seduce a 14 year old girl over the Internet.
* Republican director of the "Young Republican Federation" Nicholas Elizondo molested his 6-year old daughter and was sentenced to six years in prison.
* Republican congressman Mark Foley resigned from Congress after sending sexually explicit emails to former male pages under the age of 18.
* Republican constable Larry Dale Floyd of Denton arrested on suspicion of soliciting sex from an 8 yr old girl.
* Republican Councilman and former Marine Jack W. Gardner was convicted of molesting a 13-year old girl.
* Republican candidate Richard Gardner admitted to molesting his two daughters.
* Republican Mayor Philip Giordano of Waterbury Connecticut is serving a 37-year sentence in federal prison for sexually abusing 8- and 10-year old girls
* Republican activist Matthew Glavin was caught masturbating in public and fondling an undercover park ranger.
* Republican activist Marty Glickman (a.k.a. "Republican Marty", convicted in Florida on four counts of unlawful sexual activity with an underage girl and one count of delivering the drug LSD.
* Republican Mayor John Gosek sentenced to jail for soliciting sex from two 15 year old girls.
* Republican activist Mark A. Grethen convicted on six counts of sex crimes involving children.
* Republican businessman Jon Grunseth withdrew his candidacy for Minnesota governor after allegations surfaced that he went swimming in the nude with four underage girls, including his daughter.
* Republican President of NYC Housing Development Russell Harding pleads guilty to possession of child pornography on his computer.
* Republican city councilman Mark Harris, who is described as a "good military man" and "church goer," was convicted of repeatedly having sex with an 11-year-old girl and sentenced to 12 years in prison.
* Republican Senate candidate John Hathaway was accused of having sex with his 12-year old baby sitter and withdrew his candidacy after the allegations were reported in the media.
* Republican anti-abortion activist Howard Scott Heldreth is a convicted child rapist in Florida.
* Republican pastor Mike Hintz, whom George W. Bush commended during the 2004 presidential campaign, surrendered to police after admitting to a sexual affair with a female juvenile.
* Republican activist Neal Horsley admits to having had sex with a mule.
* Republican Party leader Paul Ingram pleaded guilty to six counts of raping his daughters and served 14 years in federal prison.
* Republican anti-gay activist Earl "Butch" Kimmerling was sentenced to 40 years in prison for molesting an 8-year old girl after he attempted to stop a gay couple from adopting her.
* Republican activist Lawrence E. King, Jr. organized child sex parties at the White House during the 1980s.
* Republican judge Ronald Kline was placed under house arrest for child molestation.
* Republican Congressman Donald "Buz" Lukens was found guilty of having sex with a female minor and sentenced to one month in jail
* Republican talk show host Jon Matthews pleaded guilty to exposing his genitals to an 11 year old girl.
* Republican Douglas County election official Pat McPherson arrested for fondling a 17 yr old girl.
* Republican party supporter Timothy McVeigh blew up dozens of innocent children in Oklahoma City.
* Republican anti-abortion activist Nicholas Morency pleaded guilty to possessing child pornography on his computer and offering a bounty to anybody who murders an abortion doctor..
* Republican state rep Brent Parker arrested for soliciting sex from undercover officer posing as male prostitute.
* Republican Committee Chairman Jeffrey Patti was arrested for distributing a video clip of a 5-year-old girl being raped.
* Republican judge Mark Pazuhanich pleaded no contest to fondling a 10-year old girl and was sentenced to 10 years probation.
* Republican boy scout leader and zoning supervisor Dennis L Rader pleaded guilty for performing a sexual act on an 11 year old girl he murdered.
* Republican petition leader Tom Randall pleads guilty to molesting two girls under the age of 14.
* Republican activist and Christian Coalition leader Beverly Russell admitted to an incestuous relationship with his step daughter Susan Smith.
* Republican senator Rick Man on Dog Santorum and his wife forced their three children, all under the age of six, to play with a dead fetus in the crib of their home.
* Republican ex congressman Peter Schmitt of Orange County, California’s Republican daughter Mary Kay Lotorneau convicted of raping a 6th grader and bearing his two children.
* Republican congressman Ed Shrock resigned from Congress after found seeking sex on hotlines for homosexuals.
* Republican parole board officer and former Colorado state representative, Larry Jack Schwarz, was fired after child pornography was found in his possession.
* Republican governor Arnold Schwarzenegger allegedly had sex with a 16 year old girl when he was 28.
* Republican campaign worker Mark Seidensticker is a convicted child molester.
* Republican campaign consultant Tom Shortridge was sentenced to three years probation for taking nude photographs of a 15-year old girl.
* Republican City Councilman Fred C. Smeltzer, Jr. pleaded no contest to raping a 15 year-old girl and served 6-months in prison.
* Republican lobbyist Craig J. Spence organized child sex parties at the White House during the 1980s.
Republican party leader Bobby Stumbo arrested for having sex with a five year old boy.
* Republican County Commissioner David Swartz pleaded guilty to molesting two girls under the age of 11 and was sentenced to 8 years in prison.
* Republican County Chairman Armando Tebano arrested for sexually molesting a 14 yr old girl.
* Republican racist pedophile and United States Senator Strom Thurmond raped a 15-year old black girl which produced a child.
* Republican strategist and Citadel Military College graduate Robin Vanderwall was convicted in Virginia on five counts of soliciting sex from boys and girls over the internet.
* Republican consultant Lawrence Scott Ward arrested at Dulles airport after authorities found child pornography and videotapes of him having sex with children.
* Spokane Republican homophobic mayor Jim West recalled after evidence surfaced that he molested little boys.
* Republican politician Keith Westmoreland was arrested on seven felony counts of lewd and lascivious exhibition to girls under the age of 16 (i.e. exposing himself to children).
* Republican preacher Stephen White, who demanded a return to traditional values, was sentenced to jail after offering $20 to a 14-year-old boy for permission to perform oral sex on him.
* Republican activist and James Dobson protege Steve Wilsey convicted of sexual assault after being charged with molesting an 8 year old boy.
Absolute faith has been shown, consistently, to breed intolerance. And intolerance, history teaches us, again and again, begets violence.
---------------------------------- The duty of a patriot in this time and place is to ask questions, to demand answers, to understand where our nation is headed and why. If the answers you get do not suit you, or if they frighten you, or if they anger you, it is your duty as a patriot to dissent. Freedom does not begin with blind acceptance and with a flag. Freedom begins when you say 'No.'
