1 Boring Old Man

It appears impossible not to bring up the Clinton/Monica episode in talking about Mark Foley and his sexual advances on the Congressional Page Boys. I’ll not document them. They’re "TNTC" [medicalese for "too numerous to count"]. Conservatives bring up the comparison to say, "See Democrats do it too." Democrats say, "Foley was worse because …"

Truth is, both were bad. In the world of psychotherapy where I spent my career, the criteria were different than those for sexual harassment. Sexual involvement between a mental health professional and a client is an offense even if the sexual advances are wanted, well received, or even if they are initiated by the client. The assumption is that the therapist is capitalizing on a position of authority. Seems like the same standard ought to apply in politics.

But the comparison with Clinton isn’t pertinent. Mark Foley was presenting himself to the Pages as a Mentor. And he was preying on them from his position of power. Mark Foley is a sexual predator. That’s not good for children or teenagers. In fact, it’s against the law.

We’ve all wondered how the Religious Right was going to weigh in on this scandal. Focus on the Family says [from The TPM Cafe]:

Colorado Springs, Colo. – Focus on the Family Action Senior Vice President of Government and Public Policy Tom Minnery issued the following statement today about the scandal involving ex-Rep. Mark Foley, R-Fla:

"This is not a time to be talking about politics, but about the well-being of those boys who appear to have been victimized by Rep. Foley. If he is indeed guilty of what he is accused of, it is right that he resigned and that authorities are looking into whether criminal charges are warranted.

"This is yet another sad example of our society’s oversexualization, especially as it affects the Internet, and the damage it does to all who get caught in its grasp."

This is what’s wrong with Dobson. He is "politicizing" the issue himself. First, he chides others for talking about politics. Then he blames the Internet, getting in a dig about the evils of modern life. First, it’s hard not to talk about politics when the offender is the Congressman in charge of programs to deal with sexual predators who is himself a sexual predator – and his target is a Congressional Page. What else is there to talk about? And then he suggests that it has something to do with the Evil Internet or society. I expect that like most pedophiles, the Internet just added a tool to Foley’s already overfilled toolbox. And it’s hardly likely that "society" had anything to do with it. Foley’s "society" is being a Rich Catholic Republican. How about something like, "What a shame. Why didn’t someone do something about this man a long time ago?"

To: Friends of Family Research Council
From: Tony Perkins, President
October 2, 2006 – Monday

Pro-Homosexual Political Correctness Sowed Seeds for Foley Scandal

Democrats seeking to exploit the resignation of Rep. Mark Foley (R-FL) are right to criticize the slow response of Republican congressional leaders to his communications with male pages. But neither party seems likely to address the real issue, which is the link between homosexuality and child sexual abuse. Foley, an unmarried 52-year-old representative, had always refused to answer questions about his sexual orientation. Now that his emails and messages to teenage male pages have been revealed, it appears clear that Foley is a homosexual with a particular attraction to underage boys. While pro-homosexual activists like to claim that pedophilia is a completely distinct orientation from homosexuality, evidence shows a disproportionate overlap between the two. Although almost all child molesters are male and less than 3% of men are homosexual, about a third of all child sex abuse cases involve men molesting boys–and in one study, 86% of such men identified themselves as homosexual or bisexual. Ignoring this reality got the Catholic Church into trouble over abusive priests, and now it is doing the same to the House GOP leadership. They discounted or downplayed earlier reports concerning Foley’s behavior–probably because they did not want to appear "homophobic." The Foley scandal shows what happens when political correctness is put ahead of protecting children.