We've been withholding comment regarding the Mark Foley case, as we're not involved in the exposure of that specific internet predator. However, the case has taken on such a life of its own and requests from readers and media for comment so extensive that we might as well wade into what is, right now, little more than a political circus. It is actually somewhat surprising to us to see so much attention on this case, as we figured that by this point... nobody should really be surprised.
People being shocked by Foley's actions have simply not been paying attention for the last few years, or even last few decades. Foley is the same type of internet sexual predator that we see everyday, from professions ranging from janitors to teachers to law enforcement to the military and to the religious. Perhaps we're just jaded from being elbow-deep in dealing with internet sex predators for the last few years, but the last thing the Mark Foley case is... is surprising. Congressmen are just that, men. Internet predators are, by more than a 98% ratio... male. The idea that a congressman soliciting a kid is not surprising, hell for us, it's expected.
Especially when you contrast Foley's actions with other congressmen in regards to Pages. As reported by CapitolHillBlue, there's a long history of inappropriate relationships with congressional pages. Which is again, not surprising considering that we are entrusting men obsessed with political power over impressionable teenagers.
Here's just a partial list of infamous congressional cases with pages:
Congress has a long and sordid history of protecting sexual predators and other wrongdoers in its midst. In the early 1980s, Republicans knew Rep. Daniel Crane (R-IL) had a fondness for young women and talk circulated on Capitol Hill that he was bedding a female page. Over on the Democratic side of the aisle, Rep. Gerry Studds (D-MA) preferred boys and his party tried to suppress stories about his affair with a 17-year-old male page.
Both scandals hit the fan in 1983, resulting in censure of both members on the floor of the House and reforms of the page system to provide more security. Crane, who cried and asked for forgiveness from the House colleagues, lost his re-election bid in 1984. Studds, however, refused to apologize and declared his homosexuality in a speech before the House. He won re-election easily and served several more terms before retiring.
House Republican Leader Robert Michel also failed to act on complaints about Crane. It was not the first time he failed to act on warnings about members of his own party.
In 1980, Michel ignored requests to do something Mississippi Republican Rep. Jon Hinson who admitted during his campaign that year that he had been caught exposing himself on the grounds of the Iwo Jima Memorial in Arlington, a popular gathering spot for gays on the prowl. In 1981, Capitol Hill police caught Hinson performing oral sex on a male employee of the Library of Congress in a House office building bathroom. Like Foley, Hinson resigned in disgrace.
Congressional leaders learned nothing from the scandals. Michel would later be told of problems with Ohio Congressman Donald "Buzz" Lukens and dismissed the complaints until Ohio courts convicted the Republican lawmaker on charges of sexually molesting a 15-year-old girl. Capitol Hill Police also launched an investigation of charges that Lukens fondled a female elevator operator in the Capitol. He resigned from office in 1990.
Both scandals hit the fan in 1983, resulting in censure of both members on the floor of the House and reforms of the page system to provide more security. Crane, who cried and asked for forgiveness from the House colleagues, lost his re-election bid in 1984. Studds, however, refused to apologize and declared his homosexuality in a speech before the House. He won re-election easily and served several more terms before retiring.
House Republican Leader Robert Michel also failed to act on complaints about Crane. It was not the first time he failed to act on warnings about members of his own party.
In 1980, Michel ignored requests to do something Mississippi Republican Rep. Jon Hinson who admitted during his campaign that year that he had been caught exposing himself on the grounds of the Iwo Jima Memorial in Arlington, a popular gathering spot for gays on the prowl. In 1981, Capitol Hill police caught Hinson performing oral sex on a male employee of the Library of Congress in a House office building bathroom. Like Foley, Hinson resigned in disgrace.
Congressional leaders learned nothing from the scandals. Michel would later be told of problems with Ohio Congressman Donald "Buzz" Lukens and dismissed the complaints until Ohio courts convicted the Republican lawmaker on charges of sexually molesting a 15-year-old girl. Capitol Hill Police also launched an investigation of charges that Lukens fondled a female elevator operator in the Capitol. He resigned from office in 1990.
Is this Foley scandal surprising? Only to those who are falsely feigning surprise or those who have absolutely no experience in dealing with sexual predators.
The common nature to this crime is what strikes us. Foley's emails and IM logs are really no different than dozens of others who have solicited our decoys. In his exchanges, Foley plays the role of a predatory male groomer. A groomer is an adult who "butters up" his target with compliments and small talk attempting to gain trust before launching into sexual innuendo and then outright sexual solicitation. Reading his logs is a sense of deja vu, since these are the logs we read everyday.
Foley's excuses after the matter has been brought to public is also the classic reaction of a typical sexual predator. Attempting to blame anything and everything other than his own sick and twisted desires, Foley has blamed alcohol... and when that stupid excuse didn't gain him the sympathy he sought, he has now concocted a story about being a victim of molestation himself.
The excuse of past molestation is little more than a libel upon the survivors of sexual abuse. There is no correlation between being abused and becoming an abuser. Do some people end up becoming a predator who were abused? Sure. However, the vast majority do not. Foley is surely scum for soliciting underage kids for sex, but he has now doubled his sickening actions by trying to blame a supposed previous molestation for his actions trying to molest others. This, coupled with his outspoken anti-gay attitude and oversight on laws directed at sexual predators makes Foley one of the most disgusting men in the country.
As well, anyone aiding and abetting his sexual advances by not reporting him should be removed from congress. There is no excuse, whether Democrat or Republican to tolerate such acts for any reason. Each member who knew of Foley's advances without making it an issue should be censured and removed from congress. This of course, will not happen just as it did not happen during the scandals of the eighties, now a long and distant memory to the American public. Perhaps the most maddening aspect to the Foley case is that he likely won't be charged with... well, anything.
For example, the age of consent in Florida is graduated. 16 years of age if you're 21 or under, 18 years of age if the adult is over the age of 21. Foley is obviously over the age of 21. He could be charged then, of internet solicitation of a minor. Will he be? No, of course not. Despite having no crucial differences between he and those you see on our Dateline NBC "To Catch a Predator" specials, Foley will skate without charges. In our view, he should have already been arrested and charged under Floridian law, his computer should have been seized and inspected. A large number of internet predators also dabble in child porn. Has anyone acted to even investigate Foley's personal computers? No. Will they? Likely not.
While Democrats and Republicans trade boorish partisan charges against each other, neither will really push for Foley to be dealt with. Foley, even after being told to stop by House Leader Dennis Hastert, continued to solicit. After this scandal blows off without Foley being charged, he will again continue to solicit. People like Mark Foley, even when faced with what he knew would happen if this story leaked... continue their activities. As we've found, even internet predators that are charged with crimes and are awaiting trial will often-times solicit again.
What can parents learn from this?
Parents once again need to be warned regarding the internet and their teen's usage of it. Online internet predators are an epidemic. In our experience, you cannot go online as a minor and not be solicited if you use social networking websites, blogs, have message board accounts or use internet chat-rooms. Your child will at some point be solicited if they engage in any of those activities. It's not hyperbole, it's a certainty. Predators come in all shapes and sizes, parents need to beware of any adult male who has immediate oversight of a minor. No, not all males are pedophiles, but pedophiles in general are drawn to positions of power over the young. Like Mark Foley, they will not be able to help themselves when they have direct and unfettered access to minors.
We hope that the Foley case provides an added impetus to push forward crucial anti-predator legislation through not only the federal government, but through individual states as well. While we have dim hopes of politicians actually using such a scandal to progress the laws of the United States against internet predators rather than simply using it to score political points, it would be nice if each state in the nation had a coherent anti-internet predator law on the books.
Though the idea of this scandal being used in a productive way is likely already lost now that the national media debate over this issue is led by frothing hacks like Ann Coulter and Al Franken regarding "what impact this will have on the elections" rather than anything relating to productive measures to deal with this epidemic. In the meantime, thousands of other internet predators will be combing websites and chats, looking for more potential victims to molest.