Fact and Fiction: The Mark Foley Case

There's a lot of utter bull floating around about the Mark Foley case. I'd like to sort some of it out in a brief listing of the facts and fictions.

FACT:  Mark Foley is accused of having sexually-explicit and suggestive discussions with 16-year old boys.  That is NOT "just a little cyber sex," nor is it harmless, especially when the young man happens to be in your employ.  If the accusations are true, Mark Foley not only qualifies for NAMBLA membership, but it's valid grounds for arrest.  Using your computer to attempt sexual activity with a minor is against the law and, back in April, was the cause of another Republican official (Homeland Security Officer Brian Doyle) going to jail.  He also discussed giving alcohol to minors, which is a crime in and of itself.

FACT:  What Mark Foley did is inexcusable.  Being gay, alcoholic, or molested as a child is no excuse for having sexually explicit conversations with 16-year olds.  The age of consent in Florida is 18 under these circumstances, and he broke that law by most accounts.  Not even if it all was a "prank" is that an excuse for talking to a 16-year old about how his penis size makes you horny.  There are a lot of gay people and lots of recovering alcoholics and a lot of people who have experience being sexually abused, and not many of them wind up suggestively asking a 16-year old how he masturbates while "getting off."  Nor is he absolved by Bill Clinton's infidelities or anything else anyone has done in the history of the planet.  He is a bona fide pedaphile.  Say what you want about Bill Clinton (and yes, what he did was wrong), but at least she was a grown woman.