Foley & Friends Should Be Flagged

CNN

"It's quite apparent from some of the reports out there that there are many people that know what we've known, and have known it for a lot longer period of time than we've known it." Rep. Rodney Alexander, R, LA, sponsor of the page who received e-mails from Rep. Mark Foley

Clearly Congressman Mark Foley's dirty little secret wasn't such a secret. Yet elected federal officials and staffers at the highest levels who knew about it did nothing.

This one told that one about Foley and was advised to ignore it. That one told another one about Foley and was promised it "had been taken care of." Everybody seemed to know what Foley was up to and nobody took action.

Worse, they covered it up. And betrayed the most vulnerable among us: our children.

Everyone connected to Foleygate behaved in a gigantically irresponsible and totally unacceptable way. Instead of protecting the children entrusted to their care, they put them at greater risk by allowing their abuser's criminal and morally repugnant behavior to continue unchecked.

What, no one was aware of the out of control epidemic of pedophile predators targeting teens on the Internet? Nobody had heard the horror stories of pedophiles luring unsuspecting teens into face to face meetings with unspeakable consequences?

Teenagers are still children, by the way, as anyone who has one can attest. They may be able to take on the duties of Congressional Pages. But they are nowhere near prepared to handle the sexual advances of their adult Congressional bosses.

Clearly children have less currency in Congress than lobbyists.

Except of course to Mr. Foley.

Foley now admits he's a homosexual. Shouldn't matter. Except. He stepped over the line. Took it to work. And targeted children. I'm sorry, resignation just won't do. Self-serving excuses won't do. Foley needs to be locked up. For a long, long time.

And those who enabled him need to be punished. Severely.