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Today's Poll: What should Congress do to stimulate job growth?

By Howard B. Owens
Chris Charvella

Where are the options for 'Stop wasting time re-defining rape' and 'Quit forcing Republican congressmen to vote for Medicare program replacements.'

May 31, 2011, 11:17am Permalink
Chris Charvella

I'll believe the hacked account story until it's proven otherwise. hacking Twitter and Facebook accounts is fairly simple.

May 31, 2011, 1:32pm Permalink
C. M. Barons

This guy doesn't do Chris Lee!

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May 31, 2011, 3:02pm Permalink
Jeff Allen

From hacked, to pranked, to eh, it'll just go away on its own. I doubt that's passing the wife test at home. COLOSSAL double standard.

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May 31, 2011, 3:26pm Permalink
Chris Charvella

Jeff, hacked and pranked in this instance are the same thing.

Facebook/Twitter account hacking doesn't involve a computer code nerd in his basement writing malicious scripts and attacking your IP address. I'm not going to post a how-to on The Batavian, but seriously it's the opposite of rocket science.

If Weiner got hacked, it's because he, or whoever set up his account, wasn't savvy enough about the internet and the availability of personal information.

Remember when Sarah Palin's email got hacked in 2008? It wasn't done by a guy using technology to attack technology, it was done by a guy with some motivation, a little personal knowledge about Palin and enough time on his hands to crack her recovery info.

May 31, 2011, 3:36pm Permalink
Jeff Allen

Whatever Weiner is calling it now, why is he not demanding that the perp be caught and prosecuted? Palin's email hacker was caught, tried, and convicted. Hacking the accounts of a sitting federal representative, however easy, is a crime that could have serious consequences, yet he is treating it as a high school prank. The media has fallen right into lockstep, painting poor Anthony as a victim, yet when Palin was hacked it was proof of her ineptness, carelessness, etc.
I may be wrong, but it doesn't pass the smell test for me.

May 31, 2011, 5:43pm Permalink
Daniel Jones

Jeff - Maybe because, unlike Palin, he does not want to waste the police's time when they could be catching criminals that are actually a danger to our society. From the sounds of it, he got hacked, got more savvy, changed his password and moved on.

Unlike Lee, there is no conclusive evidence, like, say, the picture with Lee in it that it was actually Weiner in the photograph. The double standard are people who try to turn this into a 'gate' without any sort of smoking gun and say that this equates to proof like the Lee situation did.

May 31, 2011, 9:43pm Permalink
Howard B. Owens

Palin: Ex-vp candidate, media star, public figure, potential 2012 presidential candidate.

Weiner: Who the F is that?

Hence, the difference in coverage and scrutiny.

For added bonus, Palin tries to project a public persona of Miss Righteous and Miss Better (combined with the scorn she heaps on the "lame stream media"), which makes her a legitimate target for derisive laughter. Weiner, again, who the hell is he and why should we care?

Big difference.

May 31, 2011, 9:50pm Permalink
Jeff Allen

Bea, here is what you wrote on Feb. 9 2011 when the Chris Lee story broke:
"It would have been nice if he did resign immediately, but he and his staff sent up a trial balloon trying to explain away the breaking news. It was a weak and ineffective attempt to pull the wool over his constituents' eyes. The let's blame a 'hacker' and see how it flies.

"Lee's office has as yet not come up with a coherent defense, admitting that the GMail account used does in fact belong to Lee,"

And on Feb. 10 2011;
"A philanderer by any other name is still a philanderer.
Regardless of affiliation, if you are in the public eye, then your actions are scrutinized. You are held to a higher standard."

If Weiner indeed ends up on the wrong side of this, will he get the same treatment? I was tough on Lee from the outset as I am on any politician who treats their marriage vows with disdain and if Weiner is guilty, he's gotta go.

May 31, 2011, 10:12pm Permalink
Daniel Jones

Jeff - I am a Christian. I believe in redemption. I do not see why a politician cannot be redeemed of a sin he committed in his private life and continue to lead in government.

May 31, 2011, 10:17pm Permalink
Bea McManis

Jeff, yes, of course I would...and I like Weiner.
Posting my previous posts doesn't answer the question. Do you feel that Weiner is guilty?
It is a straight up and down answer, either yes or no.
There is no "if" in your book, from what I'm reading. It is almost as if you are praying that he is guilty and you already have him gone.
What if he isn't? Where does that put your predisposed condemnation of him?
If Lee had stayed in office and was able to prove the accusations false, I'd be the first person to say I was wrong. Sadly, he couldn't.

May 31, 2011, 10:24pm Permalink
Jeff Allen

I am a Christian as well, and the Bible clearly teaches that sin has consequences. If a politician sins and asks God for forgiveness, they will receive it. That does not neccessarily mean they get to keep the job that the public entrusted them to do. Redemption is between the sinner and God, if an elected official breaks a solemn vow to their spouse, it is a betrayal of the public trust and I am under no obligation to cut him/her any slack.

May 31, 2011, 10:28pm Permalink
Bea McManis

Howard, these are two of my favorite Weiner speeches:
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May 31, 2011, 10:35pm Permalink
Jeff Allen

Bea, please go back and read my posts and find where I have condemned him already. The simple answer to your question is I don't know, and you don't know, and Chris doesn't know, and Daniel doesn't know. Weiner knows, but he is being completely evasive and by your Chris Lee standard is not a coherent defense. The nature of the Chris Lee story and the Anthony Weiner story are almost identical, but the media response and people's responses on here could not be more different.

May 31, 2011, 10:36pm Permalink
Mark Potwora

I am with Jeff on this one..I just saw him on CNN and he looked like he wanted to avoid answering the questions ..They asked him for a yes or no if he sent it,and also if he was following the girl he sent it to on twitter..Double standards are common..Chris Lee was wrong glad to see him go..If Wiener did the same type of thing he should go..If not than they should go after who did it..I would if i was wronged like that..

May 31, 2011, 10:52pm Permalink
Liz Fuchs

Just a question, quickly but not thoroughly reading all of these posts, How was religion possibly brought into the conversations. This is politics. Absolute nothing religious in politics.

May 31, 2011, 10:56pm Permalink
Howard B. Owens

"Politics, religion and sex....oh my!!"

And to think, this was supposed to be a discussion about job growth.

Some sort of microcosm-type of lesson in this about the state of the country, perhaps? A commentary on the sad state of affairs we find ourselves in?

May 31, 2011, 11:05pm Permalink
Chris Charvella

Anthony Weiner has hired a lawyer and is reportedly investigating the possibility of pressing charges, they have to catch the person first though. If Weiner is lying then I'll be the first person to scream about it. He's one of the heroes of the progressive movement and I'll be very upset if he did something wrong and won't admit it.

Also, I don't care what anyone does with their genitals, as long as they're not forcing them on another person. That goes for Chris Lee as well. Honestly, I wish Lee had had the guts to stand up and say: 'Hey, folks, I'm into some stuff that you probably think is a little different, but that's between me and my wife. My sex life is none of your business.'

That didn't happen though. The morality police's shame machine destroyed Chris Lee's career and that's too bad for him. If he'd had a bit of courage, he could have been a hero.

May 31, 2011, 11:32pm Permalink
Jeremiah Pedro

You know what they could do to stimulate job growth? Stop playing "gotcha"!! Think about this, all the people who are business owners or aspiring business owners, you have hired an individual to manage your business. However, you notice that they are spending a good deal of time to include time on the clock trying to "catch" the other managers doing something wrong. All in an effort to get those other managers fired so they can try to help their friends to get hired on. Me personally I would rather have someone who is dedicated to doing the job I hired them for.

Jun 1, 2011, 12:26am Permalink
Kyle Couchman

LOL Religion and Politics aren't intertwined Liz? Where hsve you been. From the very beginnings and our birth as a nation religion has been involved with politics, almost as much as sex has. Like it or not the reality is that all three have been intertwined like strands on a braid of rope.

Modern life and concerns however have shown that its time to replace the rope with the additions of a few more strands of stonger material to keep it strong.

As for the discussion between Dan and Jeff....imho they are both correct. However Jeff God has said in several places in the bible that judgement is His alone. As we ALL are sinners and thats the way of things. We sin and those who look to Jesus and earnestly ask for forgiveness, are given grace, there are no "except for those who do ________" in any of Christ's teachings.

Love the sinner, hate the sin.

Jun 1, 2011, 4:58am Permalink
John Roach

Just watched the rerun of Weiner's interview with CNN reporters. He not only refused to answer why he has not asked for a criminal investigation of this alleged hacking, but called a reporter a "jackass" for asking questions. He refused to say he did not send the photo. This will be interesting.

Jun 1, 2011, 7:45am Permalink
Howard B. Owens

Chris, if Chris Lee wanted a private sex life that was "just between him and his wife," that is his business. But he took actions that a prudent person would reasonably conclude could lead to an embarrassing public revelation. That's just poor judgment. And that's the real issue. There was really nothing for him to stand up and defend.

It's the kind of poor judgment/character flaw that should have been uncovered in 2008 as part of a thorough vetting process by experienced political operatives like Nick Langworthy and Chris Collins.

Jun 1, 2011, 7:25am Permalink
Jeff Allen

Chris, one does not hire a lawyer to catch criminals, one hires a lawyer to protect their interests. You are correct that they have to catch the person first, but until he engages the authorities, they will never catch him/her. He has been elusive to the point of contention on the whole issue.
Kyle, you said "God has said in several places in the bible that judgement is His alone. As we ALL are sinners and thats the way of things. We sin and those who look to Jesus and earnestly ask for forgiveness, are given grace, there are no "except for those who do ________" in any of Christ's teachings." These are all common misconceptions based on scripture taken out of context. Without taking the time and space on this forum, I'd be happy to provide scripture and verse on each of the themes.

Jun 1, 2011, 7:48am Permalink
Chris Charvella

Jeff, one hires a lawyer if one intends to sue. Speaking from experience, the first thing a lawyer tells you is to stop discussing the particulars. Weiner was fairly open about this over the weekend and even joked about it.

One of the main differences between the Weiner thing and the Lee thing is that about two hours after Lee said he was hacked, he retracted that statement and resigned.

Once again, if it turns out that Weiner is lying, I'm going to be pissed. I gave Chris Lee the benefit of the doubt for the two hours before he admitted to the lie and I'm going to do the same thing for Anthony Weiner.

Jun 1, 2011, 10:44am Permalink
George Richardson

That picture looked a lot like me. I think someone hacked my camera. Those are Hanes briefs right? You can't see the skid mark but it's there. When it itches you have to scratch, that's God's law and you know it Jeff.

Jun 1, 2011, 12:56pm Permalink
Andrew Lathan

Straight from the liberal media:

http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/06/01/6764247-weiner-cant-say…

Can't say with certitude that the picture is not him? So he must have some similar pictures out there, just doesn't know if this particular one is him?

More interesting is the reporting that of less than 200 or so people he follows on Twitter, most of them are college women involved in politics. Is that code for "intern"?

Imagine if Twitter existing during the Clinton presidency?

If he he got hacked, it was only to bring light to the bigger picture. I don't think its all as innocent as he may portray it to be.

Jun 1, 2011, 3:28pm Permalink
George Richardson

It's not him, and he knows it, but it makes his little Oscar Mayer look like a Cubano Supreme so he's thinking: "go with the flow." Eventually everyone will abandon facebook and Twitter for read a book and stop being bitter.
Old school can be good school and often is.

Jun 2, 2011, 12:34pm Permalink
Mark Potwora

Wiener just admitted it was him sending those pics..who will eat there words now..Is he any different that Chris Lee..Are the Democrats going to ask for him to quit..Double standards .....He is a perv.......

Jun 6, 2011, 4:45pm Permalink
Brandon Burger

I didn't think that Chris Lee should have resigned and I don't think Anthony Weiner should. Posting pictures on Craigslist and sexting with other consenting adults on social media networks is not illegal. Let them face the music at re-election time, not in the middle of their terms.

Jun 6, 2011, 5:29pm Permalink
Howard B. Owens

Chris Lee should have stood for re-election when is time came and let voters decide. Same with Weiner. Face the public music.

Can't wait to see what Jon Stewart has to say about this.

Jun 6, 2011, 5:39pm Permalink
John Roach

Brandon, your right, it's not illegal. But we have a right to expect more from elected officials, don't we? If he had said he was into sexting before he was elected, then fine. Same with Lee and Craigslist. But we both know neither would have been elected if we knew they were doing this stuff. And Wiener lied. At least Lee didn't do that.

Jun 6, 2011, 5:54pm Permalink
Brandon Burger

You have a right to expect anything you want out of a politician; you shouldn't, however, be surprised to find out that they are actually human - or, rather, all-too-human.

Jun 6, 2011, 6:04pm Permalink
Dave Olsen

What we continue to find, Brandon at least in my opinion; is that increasingly too many politicians turn out to be narcissistic jack-asses who are devoid of typical human emotions such as shame, embarrassment, modesty and respect for others. Then when caught, cry like babies. We've placed them on a pedestal, and pay the bill for them to surround themselves with sycophants and toadys, and this is what we get. Wasn't meant to be like this. We get the government we deserve.

Jun 6, 2011, 6:17pm Permalink
Jeremiah Pedro

Well we should be hearing from Bea and Chris soon now. Since both said they would treat Weiner no differently than they treated Lee, if it came out that Weiner was the one who sent the picture.

Jun 6, 2011, 6:42pm Permalink
Mike Weaver

"Well we should be hearing from Bea and Chris soon now. Since both said they would treat Weiner no differently than they treated Lee, if it came out that Weiner was the one who sent the picture."

Hmmm, that means they'll come up with cutesy names to call him, right?

Jun 6, 2011, 6:55pm Permalink
Jeff Allen

Admits to sending the picture, AND innapropriate online relationships with 6 (SIX) other women, lies about it for a week and refuses to resign. And this is a hero of the progressive movement?

Jun 6, 2011, 8:57pm Permalink
Chris Charvella

No crow here, I said I'd blast him if it turned out to be true and I did: Here's a link to my own (penis free)Twitter page from during the press conference:

http://twitter.com/#!/ccharvella

Because making fun of Anthony Weiner can only properly be done using 140ish character one-liners. For those of you who don't know how to correctly use the Twitterz...just click stuff, you'll figure it out.

Jun 6, 2011, 9:36pm Permalink
Lorie Longhany

Mike, no need for "cutesy" with a name like Weiner.

There's no partisanship when it comes to strange and creepy. It comes from the right and it comes from the left. The one variable in the parade of sexcapades is gender. All males.

Jun 6, 2011, 9:38pm Permalink
Mark Potwora

Someone like Wiener should resign...When you do these things you set you self up to be blackmailed..You compermize yourself as a elected official..He can't be trusted..

Jun 6, 2011, 9:51pm Permalink
Jeff Allen

Although I want him to resign immediately, I will absolutely give him this, he held a press conference, faced the press, answered the tough questions and even apologized to Brietbart. Chris Lee skipped town and hasn't been heard from since. And BIG props to Chris Charvella, I just read your tweets and as a man of your word, you pulled no punches, RESPECT.

Jun 6, 2011, 10:05pm Permalink
Brandon Burger

Dave - you are absolutely correct: we get the politicians or government we deserve. America is a giant nation of hypocrites who thrill over sex, violence, and gossip...but gasp like Victorian-era prudes whenever someone in real life ever admits to participating in those activities.

Americans all claim to think poorly of politicians, but when a politician does something shitty, we howl about how politicians are supposed to be some high-minded clone of George Washington who dispassionately conducts the affairs of state when he is not managing his plantation.

Americans sext and Americans troll through Craigslist looking for side-action. Americans of all walks have elements of their life that they keep hidden. Perhaps your doctor is a cross-dresser. Perhaps your plumber is a foot-fetishist. Perhaps the store clerk sends flirty pictures of herself to strangers on the internet. Perhaps an assemblymen or a congressman is just like other Americans. What a shock! Oh my! It looks like we are getting exactly the type of politicians we deserve...people like us. But we don't like to think about that because we are giant hypocrites.

But we always have been. So it's cool.

Jun 6, 2011, 10:12pm Permalink
Chris Charvella

It's not the pictures and it wasn't the Craigslist trolling, it's the lying that gets my blood flowing. I didn't think Lee had to resign, sex isn't a crime, but lying to the people who elected you is wrong, period.

All Lee had to say was: 'Listen folks, I've been stepping out on my wife. That was wrong and I'm either going to stop it or I'm going to be a single man soon. My private life is my own. Please respect that.'

All Weiner had to say was: 'Listen folks, I've been engaiging in some activity on the internet that isn't appropriate. That was wrong and I'm either going to stop it or I'm going to be a single man soon. My private life is my own. Please respect that.'

But they lied about it because they are both such huge egomaniacs that they apparently thought that a little time would buy them wiggle room.

Weiner probably isn't going to resign and he doesn't have to. I maintain that Lee resigned because of the nature of his dalliances. Looking for sex with transsexuals doesn't really fit the Republican mold. If people were more accepting of the diversity of human sexuality, maybe Lee never even gets married. Maybe he's comfortable with himself and maybe he's still a Congressman.

Jun 6, 2011, 10:45pm Permalink
John Roach

Chris, you say Lee should have resigned because his behavior didn't "fit the Republican mold". Then lying and cheating on your wife fits the Democratic mold? You say you don't approve of Weiner's behavior, but it's ok for him to stay in Congress even after lying. He didn't admit anything on his own until the story started to unravel with more pictures coming out. He's a lair and can not be trusted.

Jun 7, 2011, 6:24am Permalink
Jeff Allen

Chris, I agree with John, you clearly indicate that Weiner's behavior somehow fits the Democratic mold. You have an incredibly high tolerance for misbehavior in elected officials. This is far beyond the pictures, this is about admittedly carrying on inappropriate online relationships with SIX other women. This is far beyond lying about it. This is about aggressively going after the media for trying to cover the story calling one guy a jackass for doing his job and calling the police on another, this is about lying to his wife, his closest aides, his constituents, and all of America for a full week before crushing under the pressure. How do we possibly believe anything the guy has to say at this point.
It's time for Pelosi and Boehner to make good on her promise, issue a warning to the remaining House members that if you're cheating, trolling, sexting, etc, come clean now or you are out of here. In all fairness, I've included video's of both House leaders because Boehner has NOT been impressive on this issue either.
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Jun 7, 2011, 7:59am Permalink
Jeff Allen

Excellent blog post by the way, you have been a man of your word on calling out Weiner and I said so about your Twitter posts, props for those too, I'm just curious, what amount of lying, what type of lie, or to whom the lie is told, is the threshold at which an elected official should resign?

Jun 7, 2011, 9:22am Permalink
Howard B. Owens

Members of congress are entrusted with massive amounts of classified data (not that I agree much of it should be classified). The kind of carelessness, lack of self-control and self-discipline along with exceptionally bad judgement should make Weiner unqualified for an office of trust.

Jun 7, 2011, 9:50am Permalink
Phil Ricci

I agree with Howard.

I couldn't care about what anyone does in their bedrooms. If he wants to send out pics of every extremity of his body to willing viewers, then I say have at it. The second though that he dodged and lied is when he lost all bets with me.

On a sidenote, isn't it sad how everything we do now is through social media? I mean...we can't even have affairs in person anymore? I wonder what the next step is in something like that? You "poke" one another?

Sad.

Jun 7, 2011, 10:32am Permalink
Jeff Allen

Phil says "I couldn't care about what anyone does in their bedrooms. If he wants to send out pics of every extremity of his body to willing viewers, then I say have at it."
And that is exactly why we have what we have in Washington on both sides of the aisle. Character no longer counts.

Jun 7, 2011, 10:54am Permalink
Dave Olsen

Well, actually Jeff, it's people like you who like to tsk tsk everyone who doesn't share your morality views that cause these guys to hide their behavior, and then lie to cover themselves.

Jun 7, 2011, 11:05am Permalink
Brandon Burger

Lying about one's sexual preferences, activities, and mores is not the same as lying about political activity. Some people have sexual preferences or appetites that lie outside the spectrum of what society considers normal and they sometimes are ashamed of it. So they lie. They engage in clandestine activities because their lifestyle is not accepted by many.

I felt terrible for Mark Foley and Larry Craig because these were two men, obviously gay, who couldn't live their lives in the open because of social pressures. Then they got caught in the midst of their clandestine activities and they lied in a desperate attempt to avoid being exposed. I was especially pissed at Democrats who ruthlessly exploited this to make political gains. And I was pissed when Democrats used it against Chris Lee. Now Anthony Weiner is facing scrutiny for his predilections and the lies he naturally told to avoid being exposed.

This is none of the media's business and it is none of the public's business. The politicians lied about their sexual activity, yes, but they shouldn't have even had to answer the questions because they shouldn't have been asked. But, like I said before, America is full of hypocrites. We love sex scandals (the more titillating, the better) so we can then turn into Victorian prudes and assert our moral righteousness. It is absurd.

Jun 7, 2011, 11:12am Permalink
Dave Olsen

I guess i better clarify my comment, then i have to get some work done LOL. I do not condone the conduct of Weiner, Lee, Spitzer, Sanford, Ensign on and on and on. What I'm trying to get at is: transparency is best. If people didn't have to hide who they are because of society's mores and prejudices, then we would know who they are. If you don't want to vote for homosexuals or exhibitionists or people who have extra-marital affairs, then don't. Then we will actually start moving toward a more honest brand of politician. Maybe

P.S. here's alittle food for thought for all you "Morality Mongers" out there. The suicide rate for gay teenagers is about triple that of hetero teenagers. Why do you think that is?

Jun 7, 2011, 11:20am Permalink
Jeff Allen

Dave, this is certainly a new twist, now I am at fault for Weiner feeling the need to lie to the country for and entire week, only coming clean when worse pictures were discovered. If that's the case, I'm glad that there are at least a few of us left to make these guys feel some semblance of shame for what they do.
And Brandon "Lying about one's sexual preferences, activities, and mores is not the same as lying about political activity." Lying is lying.

Jun 7, 2011, 11:19am Permalink
Charlie Mallow

Brandon I agree. The hypocrites rule this land. You can always tell those with the most to hide, they are the ones screaming the loudest about other people’s transgressions. Maybe if people were less concerned about what happens in other people’s bedrooms there would be a lot less problems. Our culture is obsessed with other peoples business.

Jun 7, 2011, 11:21am Permalink
Phil Ricci

Brandon, I couldn't agree more!

If people spent less time being concerned with who beds who and more time on issues, we would be far better off.

Jeff says, "Character no longer counts"

When did it start by your terms? It has been documented that our fore fathers had affairs. Hell, they have tunnels in the White House that were not just used for escape, if you know my meaning! Do you honestly believe for a second that everyone on that Hill is or ever was morally just? How could they be, WE as a society aren't.

People, including you and I, have demons. Maybe they're old and buried, or maybe they're new and fresh (But not me honey if you're reading this! I only send pictures of my crotch via text message to girls who work for the Jets!), regardless we're human, not Devine.

What I expect from my representatives is for them to stand their grounds and take ownership for their actions. If Weiner came out and said, "Yep, I did it, and I think I look good too!" I would have said, "Wow what a dick." and moved on with my day.

I find it laughable that we think this kind of stuff doesn't happen in Washington.

Jun 7, 2011, 11:39am Permalink
Howard B. Owens

It's one thing to be some guy with an everyday job trolling Facebook and Twitter for women to talk dirty with. You can fairly argue that's between the guy and his wife (of course, he's not a public figure, so who would care?). If we were to find out about it, we might think it creepy or a little weird or not.

And if those who espouse some sort of moral relativism want to excuse it with, "to each his own," well so bet.

But this isn't some everyday guy trolling FB and Twitter. It's a sitting congressman. It's a person entrusted to take care of the people's business.

What he does in the public space carries with it no reasonable expectation of privacy. If he walked down to the Washington Mall and dropped is drawers, would we say it was just a private matter?

Again, to me, this is about poor judgment. In his private life, he can be any kind of freak he wants, but as a congressman he needs to be prepared for the fallout if it becomes public. There's no hiding behind "it's a private matter" once he takes the oath of office.

To put it another way, if he were the CEO of a big company, the only people he would really need to answer to are the employees and shareholders of his company. Get freaky and get caught, he's got to explain it to that constituency. If you're an elected official, your constituency is the public. The first round of interest are only the people in your district, but there is a second level of public sphere where it becomes the business of all of us because no congressman works in isolation.

Jun 7, 2011, 11:59am Permalink
Jeff Allen

Phil asks "When did it start by your terms? It has been documented that our fore fathers had affairs." The accounts of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and Benjamin Franklin having extra-marital affairs have already been debunked as revisionist history.
And Dave if you are referring to me as one of those "Morality Mongers", the suicide rate for law enforcement officers is 10 times the national average and the suicide rate for Correction Officers is 5 times that of law enforcement...what's your point?

Jun 7, 2011, 12:06pm Permalink
Phil Ricci

Howard,

I agree his actions lack judgement, but not beacuse of the sex, because of sending it through FB and Twitter. That was plain stupid.

The bigger issue is that he made poor judgement AND then denied and lied. If he came out and admitted to it from the start, then what?

I'm not saying his judgement was sound, but would we all so against him still? Maybe, but I doubt it.

Jun 7, 2011, 12:10pm Permalink
Howard B. Owens

Phil, I would have a problem with him if he had said initially, "yeah, I've been getting freaky with strange women on Facebook and Twitter. What of it?"

That's just not appropriate behavior for an elected official, especially a congressman, and not because of the sexual nature, but because of the poor judgement.

Jun 7, 2011, 12:14pm Permalink
Phil Ricci

Because he did on a public network? Yeah I can't argue with that. I mean when will people learn that social networks are not private?

I don't even get why you do that through Twitter...

Jun 7, 2011, 12:24pm Permalink
Jeff Allen

Dave, blaming my beliefs on the suicide rate among gay teens is completely unfounded and confusing the issue. It is baseless, inflammatory, and without merit.
The suicide rate among food batchmakers is disproportionately higher than the average, is that because "Morality Mongers" have waged hatred against those who mix and blend our ingredients?
The suicide rate among whites is disproportionately higher than other races, is there a moral hatred of whites to blame?
Don't bring the notion of certain groups and or beliefs being responsible for people killing themselves. It brings nothing to a debate.

Jun 7, 2011, 1:58pm Permalink
Charlie Mallow

Corrections officers have a very tough life. They are under constant harassment and fear of attack. That puts a lot of stress on them. They are truly unsung heros.

Gay teens are under simular stress from other kids who refuse to accept them. It’s not a reach to assume that is supported by an anti-gay interpretation of the bible. Kids need to feel accepted and being told by their church that they are deviant can't help.

Jun 7, 2011, 2:00pm Permalink
Jeff Allen

Charlie, have you looked into the percentages of teens attending church lately? If there is a problem with harassment of gay teens which there no doubt is and shouldn't be, the lions share is not coming from church going kids. Blaming Christians for all this hatred is really getting old.
And thank you for the recognition of Corrections Officers.

Jun 7, 2011, 2:08pm Permalink
Charlie Mallow

Jeff, I’m not blaming Christians. For too long our society has chosen to abuse gay people. None of us are without blame. The same thing has happened to anyone who was different, Irish, Italians, blacks and now Mexicans. Anything that contributes to that discrimination is wrong and needs to be changed.

Jun 7, 2011, 2:24pm Permalink
Phil Ricci

I find any person that claims to be a Christian, piously quotes scripture, but then acts contrary to those words to be pretty easy to ignore.

I am a Christian. Lord knows that I am not perfect. I'm not even in the same time zone as perfect.

When I was a boy, I was raised a Roman Catholic. For years I listened to people tell me that gays are an abomination, that anyone who didn't believe would burn in hell.

They would show up on Sunday and preach scripture and shake their heads at the way people lived. Then they would leave and spend the other six days a week being who they really were.

By the age of 15 I left the church. During that time, I became friends with every different type of person there was. I became friends with them and I accepted them. I didn't always agree with their choices, but it wasn't my place to rule their lives. I wasn't their Messiah. I was however, there if they ever needed me.

I came back to God when I was 24. It was His time for my return, but he kept in me my ability to accept people for who they were, to build them up and to not judge them down. His teachings.

I was able to see that the hypocracies were not in God's techings, but in man's ability to distort it to fit their own predjudice. They use the bible as a banner for their cause, when they should be using it as a beacon of hope.

Christians are not to blame for gay teens committing suicide, small minded bigots are. And yes, sometimes those people claim to be Christians.

Jun 7, 2011, 2:46pm Permalink
Dave Olsen

Yes, Phil very well said, Charlie and Chris too. Jeff, I didn't blame Christianity or Christians for anyone's suicide. You barfed that up. I blame self- righteous & "small-minded bigots", if Phil would be so kind as to let me borrow the phrase.

Jun 7, 2011, 3:39pm Permalink

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