Context.

I admit to being mildly concerned that many people are reading my Foley post and yet only a couple have gone to read Sarada's post, which pretty accurately captures my feelings on the issue. The last thing I want is for anyone to think that I condone Foley's behavior so I'm reprinting Sarada's post. I agree with her 100% but I didn't write what she wrote because, well, she already had. (FYI, everyone should read this woman's thoughts because she really is one of the most thoughtful and intelligent people on earth.) I hope that my attempt at originality didn't lead anyone to think I support Foley's actions in any way (the headline was a joke). Sarada's original post can be found here. Enjoy:

sex and politics

Alessandro was in town this weekend and we had an interesting conversation about the Mark Foley scandal. Undoubtedly, Alessandro himself will blog about the topic, but I feel it necessary to throw down my two cents.

Mark Foley was abhorrent and what he did was abhorrent. While it wasn't exactly molesting or raping a child, playing sexual power dynamics with minors in our nation's hallowed governmental halls is pretty despicable and should be prosecuted accordingly.

But this isn't about Foley's homosexuality. I'm reminded of former Governor McGreevey who, after lying, stealing, cheating and using a minimal amount of brain functionality to complete aforementioned tasks, stood up at a press conference and began with, "I am a gay American." Sure you are! You're also a complete idiot who gave his boyfriend a public sector job he wasn't qualified for! We're getting rid of you because you're a moron, not because you're gay! But all anti-gay America heard was that gays are not fit to be governors, those deviants.

Similarly, everybody's getting their panties up in a bunch about the Foley incident, which they should. But I rarely see people call in the National Guard when a female page or intern or hell, law professor named Anita Hill, is sexually harassed or molested or cajoled into sexual relations by a male member of government. Can you imagine how many Congressmen are chasing skirts on the Hill? Falling back on classic gendered norms, we'll never get that upset about the way men play sexual power dynamics with women at the upper echelons of government because that's just the way men are and women are supposed to take it. How many women did sexual criminal and ex-Senator Bob Packwood have to harass and assault before we socked him? Naturally this situation is different because it involved minors. Believe you me, I'm as pedophile-hating as anybody. But if we're going to call the FBI out for this one (since the House Ethics Committee is the equivalent of the Sudan sitting on the UN Human Rights Commission), let's also bring them out to investigate other Congressmen and sitting Supreme Court Justices who treat women like their property.

Moreover, this comes back to the gaping hole in congressional leadership that seems to be widening with every passing hour on their Rolexes. If these people (read: Hastert and his fellow overfed windbag buddies) can cover up something this unbelievably screwed up can you imagine what other skeletons are smoking cigars and throwing back Johnnie Walker in the closet?

Speaking of which, I love Foley blaming his issues on alcohol, attempting to do whatever it takes to separate the words "sex," "boys," "IM," and "Mark Foley" in a Google search.

Cry me a river, dude.