I've been visiting this blog for awhile now. I find most of the articles interesting and engaging. However, I noticed not much thought is given to current events. Thus, I felt it’s my duty to make sure we stay in touch.
This should at least make Selam LeHulachen happy.
Seriously though, I was listening to talk radio two days ago and the topic at hand was Foley. For those of you who are not up to date with the events of Congress, Foley is a congressman who was recently found exchanging emails/IMs of a sexual nature with a sixteen year old boy. The kicker is Foley is part of lobby to congress that deals with bills that protect children from child molesters. In addition, he was one of the spearheads in the Clinton condemnation for his acts towards Monica Lewinsky. It is now also being said that Foley is gay, an alcoholic, and molested as a child. There has been no evidence of the latter two.
As a result many issues have surfaced since this news broke. One of the issues brought up in this radio talk show was, “should it be mandatory for public office candidates to disclose their sexual orientation?” I would like to hear what some of you have to say.
Published by October 5th, 2006 in Current Issues.
2 cents; nice to have you on board! I am glad a congress man is caught soliciting with a minor.. a rebulican no less…
They are saying that this will affect the upcoming numbers for the bablance of congress… I’ll be happy since we git rid on another conservative republican for a liberal…. if it does indeed become so…
nolawi,
so ?should it be mandatory for public office candidates to disclose their sexual orientation??
I personally don’t see how a person’s sexual orientation affects their ability to make political decisions. As long as they disclose their views and opinions on certain ‘hot’ topics such as gay gabecha, they don’t need to tell us which sex they find hot. A great leader might be the victim of bias.
I don?t’ think the issues is his sexual orientation but his braking the law by molesting these kids. His crime would not have been any different if he had molested a girl, right?
Let me tell you what I am sick and tired of: I am sick and tired of people not taking responsibility for their actions. What a sorry ASS to blame this and that for his actions instead of saying he is a sick bastard for doing what he did and deceiving the people who put him in the office. Democrat, Republican or Independent, I don’t care, we did not put laws into place for them to be broken, and certainly for individually to come up with excuses as to why they broke the law.
ENOUGH….in my book, if it has been proven that you touched an innocent child, your ASS should go to the elec chiar..no reason why we should spend our tax dollars feeding and taking care of them in prison. My mom always used to say, “to live is not to breath, there are many dead soles walking among us” (love you emaye)…this man has killed these kids spirit, and therefore he shall pay his dues to society.
Now, unfortunately, history tells me, he will be sitting in some rehab center sipping champagne in no time. sighhhh
2 cents, i dont think sexual orientations has anything to do with this, pedophilic maniacs come in both orientations..
This is a frightening issue these days and I am thankful to Dateline NBC for allowing us to see the seriousness of this crime, week after week.
As far as sexual orientation disclosure I?m definitely not in support of it. The main reason being then where does it stop…what else would they need to disclose…do we really care whose in their bed at night?
A pedophile will find a way to get to his prey and most of them travel outside of the US to satisfy their sick and satanic fantasies. So he discloses his sexual orientation and you also find out he?s married with a wife and 2.3 kids living in a two-story colonial home with a white picket fence. Do you follow him on his annual trip “for relaxation” to Thailand or the Philippines?
If we can kill a murderer and lock up a thief after three strikes why can?t we castrate these bastards after one strike? That?s what we need to work on getting passed.
Initially I thought, ?HELL NO?no one has the right to know!!? However, as I thought more about it I began to change my mind. The purpose of an elected official is to represent me. When I vote for a candidate, I vote for someone that has the same moral standards, the same views, and someone who is most like me. So, if I am a religious fanatic who is against a homosexual lifestyle I have a right to know if the person I?m voting for is one who condones or supports that lifestyle. In addition if I don?t want a homosexual representing me, I think I have a right to know that. I might not be right in thoughts or decisions but I am entitled to them.
I would also want someone who is confident enough with themselves that if they are a homosexual that they are not hiding it. In office he/she will be faced with many intimidating decisions and I want someone who is willing to take the high road. Since this person is going to congress to vote for what I want or lead my district/congress/country in a direction I want, it is absolutely relevant I know how much they are like me.
2 cents, your right to vote for who ever you want… and you have the right not to vote for homosexuals.. but elected officials shouldnt be required to make private matters public…
where is it going to stop? personally I like to be on the bottom with a woman. but how is that going to affecting my job perfomance….
but i do see where u are coming from… you dont want someone you voted for to vote pro gay in current issues… but that is usually public already… in the campaigns and websites of this electoral candidates eko…
my four cents!
a) What? How did Foley ‘molest’ these kids? He just sent them text messages. At best that’s harassment. This story is getting blown out of proportions, much like Clinton’s famous blow job, and much like the way Clinton’s personal affair ended up serving as another political pawn in the game of Democrats Vs. Republicans.
Yes, there should be laws that protect children, but I’m not impressed by this hogwash talk of ‘passing a bill to protect children’. Surely there?re already laws for harassment and unwanted solicitation of sexual favors in the work place. I?m sure they can throw in something there for the fact that the receivers of Forley?s messages were underage. Otherwise, how tight does the verbiage have to be, and how much time (that could otherwise have been spent discussing say, the war in Iraq, or healthcare, or education) has to be spent to close fit the law to Foley’s exact case for the bill to band-aid & pacify the crowd?
Hey, while the media is at it, maybe they can Lweinskify these boys ? then they boys can go off to Europe, write books, appear on talk shows, be scandalous, and make lotsa money. (Now there should be a bill against that!)
b) re: yenehuletsantim saying, “The purpose of an elected official is to represent me. When I vote for a candidate, I vote for someone that has the same moral standards, the same views, and someone who is most like me.”
how does the gender of an elected official’s partner make a difference in the quality of his or her representation? That’s like saying straight women can only best be represented by those who prefer men, i.e. by straight women and gay men, and straight men by lesbians and straight men.
c) Celebratelife : woha! Castrate?
Tobian,
I don’t want to get off subject but, chemical castration is currently being administed for repeat offenders, in some states, as a condition of their release. All I was trying to say was lets make it on the 1st offense why wait before our future hopefuls are traumatized and a trail of victims are left behind.