The scandal surrounding the 9/27/06 resignation of Florida Congressman Mark Foley over pedophilism is different and more serious than previous sex scandals in Washington. In making family values the key election issue for 06, the GOP leadership has undertaken an effort to uplift and improve the moral climate of America.
The GOP failure to properly investigate, control or punish Mark Foley for his actions indicates a lack of seriousness in their attitude. Their elevation of Foley of the chairmanship of the premiere policy group on pedophilism in the Congress is a demonstration of incompetence. Their attempts to whitewash and ignore Foley's sexual predation is cynical partisanship at its worst.
In order to express my outrage and disgust with the GOP I telephoned Congressman Reynolds' district office this morning (10/3/06). Reynolds is the chair of the National Republican Campaign Committee, (NRCC).
I called to demand Reynolds' resignation as a result of his support for and acceptance of funds from Mark Foley.
I was informed by Reynolds' staffer that I am not in possession of the facts of this case.
I had gone on line before calling to research Foley's record, and found that the scrubbing of the official sites is well underway. Foley's official congressional web page has been deleted and his name has been removed from the masthead of the Congressional Missing and Exploited Children's Caucus, which he chaired until his resignation on 9/27/06. The news of his resignation is on page 5 of an eight-page document tucked in between a five-page list of the members and contact information.
The GOP deletion of key information on Foley is troubling enough. But the GOP strategy to intimidate members of the public and claim insider knowledge of the scandal and its workings is a tactic from Stalin's Soviet Union.
Joe Negron, the new GOP candidate for the seat in Florida that Foley vacated, was on NPR this morning and stated that Foley is not an issue and that the voters should move on.
Several GOP leaning blogs are already out reminding the voters of Clinton, Frank and Studds.
The Swiftboat GOP tactics of cover-up denial and finger pointing have already appeared.
Fortunately, we have other sources of information and are able to record and analyze the story.
Mark Foley was the co-Chair of the Congressional Missing and Exploited Children's Coalition, that is to say the GOP maven on pedophilia. It is indefensible that the GOP leadership allowed a sexual predator to serve as their public face and voice on pedophilia.
Nevertheless, House Speaker Dennis Hastert claims that he was deceived by Foley regarding his history as a sexual predator, but it is unlikely he or his staff checked Foley very closely. Their actions demonstrate they believe in "don't ask, don't tell."
In explaining his ignorance of Florida Congressman Mark Foley's history as a sexual predator, Speaker Hastert claims that he may have been distracted from a report on Foley's sexual predation by other priorities.
The GOP is running ads nationally to tout their proposal for a national registry of sexual predators as an effective tool in preventing child molestation, yet the leadership was unable to prioritize investigation of sexual predator among their own ranks. Worse yet, the molester is their key person in devising policy to combat pedophilism.
Mark Foley is prominent solely as the GOP spokesman on pedophilism. This role derives from his chairmanship of the Congressional Missing and Exploited Children's Caucus. He was elevated to that position with the active support of the GOP leadership in the House of Representatives. The only response that the GOP leadership has been able to muster is that after several years of predation, they didn't know Mark Foley was a pedophile.
Robert Chapman has been a political activist supporting progressive causes for many years.
Mr. Chapman developed a sceptical attitude toward authority while serving in the US Army.
He found that authority to order him and his friends to action that could result in their maiming or death did not automatically lead to trust or respect for authority.
He has also found that authority to order him and his friends to inflict injury or death upon others requires a sceptical attitude toward the authorities.
