Congratulations to House Speaker Dennis Hastert for putting together an independent investigation about what we already know: A member of Congress sent out sexually explicit e-mails to a teenager.
With all due respect to former FBI Director Louis Freeh, what's he going to tell us that we don't already know? Not much.
To put this in perspective, last week, Hewlett-Packard's top officers were summoned to Capitol Hill to testify about nefarious wrongdoings under their watch. They're also being investigated by California's state attorney general, who's filed charges against HP's former chairwoman, Patricia Dunn, and others.
Here's the point: Hewlett-Packard's top leadership is forced to live with the law. Congress, however, goes on as if nothing really happened.
Sure, there's lot of noise and everyone's posturing on the issue involving former Congressman Mark Foley (R-FL), but top Republican leaders, unlike the people who oversaw Hewlett-Packard's corporate governance, aren't resigning -- or even being forced out.
When will Congress live with the laws they make?
Showing posts with label Dennis Hastert. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Dennis Hastert. Show all posts
Thursday, October 05, 2006
Post a Sexual Predator Sign on Capitol Hill
The problem with the revelations involving former Congressman Mark Foley (R-FL), and the Speaker of the House, Dennis Hastert, is that it shows just how far out of touch Washington is with the rest of America.
If the average office worker, teacher, minister, doctor, in other words, anyone, sent sexually oriented and explicit e-mails to a teenager, their careers and lives would come to a crashing halt. First, they’d be convicted by public opinion. Then they’d be convicted in court.
And once they did the time for the crime, they’d be forced to register with the local police force. In addition, they’d be forced to place a sign outside their house or apartment, informing their neighbors about their past conviction.
Maybe it’s time to post such a sign – a damn big one! – on Capitol Hill.
Maybe all of us, especially the parents of these teenage Pages working in the House of Representatives, should know that their children are rubbing shoulders with child sexual predators.
Maybe it takes this kind of drastic action to get Congress to realize it’s not above the law.
And, ultimately, that’s the problem. Members of Congress think, their actions suggest, that because they make the laws, the laws don’t apply to them.
None of this started with Congressman Foley. This kind of behavior has been seen before.
And none of us, the voters, do enough to stop it. We’re upset for a week or two, or maybe the next time we’re at the polls, but, basically, we give these guys a pass. Not, perhaps, the congressman who’s charged with the crime but certainly the rest of them.
It’s time to start demanding accountability from these elected officials. Let’s start by voting out all of those whose hands touched this crime but didn’t do enough to stop Congressman Foley. Then let’s force Congress to unfurl a huge banner on their lawn – something that can be seen for miles – that says the Capitol houses child sexual predators.
Let’s do to Congress what they, through the legislation they’ve passed, would do to us if we were charged and convicted with the very same crime!
If the average office worker, teacher, minister, doctor, in other words, anyone, sent sexually oriented and explicit e-mails to a teenager, their careers and lives would come to a crashing halt. First, they’d be convicted by public opinion. Then they’d be convicted in court.
And once they did the time for the crime, they’d be forced to register with the local police force. In addition, they’d be forced to place a sign outside their house or apartment, informing their neighbors about their past conviction.
Maybe it’s time to post such a sign – a damn big one! – on Capitol Hill.
Maybe all of us, especially the parents of these teenage Pages working in the House of Representatives, should know that their children are rubbing shoulders with child sexual predators.
Maybe it takes this kind of drastic action to get Congress to realize it’s not above the law.
And, ultimately, that’s the problem. Members of Congress think, their actions suggest, that because they make the laws, the laws don’t apply to them.
None of this started with Congressman Foley. This kind of behavior has been seen before.
And none of us, the voters, do enough to stop it. We’re upset for a week or two, or maybe the next time we’re at the polls, but, basically, we give these guys a pass. Not, perhaps, the congressman who’s charged with the crime but certainly the rest of them.
It’s time to start demanding accountability from these elected officials. Let’s start by voting out all of those whose hands touched this crime but didn’t do enough to stop Congressman Foley. Then let’s force Congress to unfurl a huge banner on their lawn – something that can be seen for miles – that says the Capitol houses child sexual predators.
Let’s do to Congress what they, through the legislation they’ve passed, would do to us if we were charged and convicted with the very same crime!
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