Here’s the problem: I am becoming deeply concerned that the Democratic Party is on its way to becoming just like the Republican Party. Oh, there are still some good Democrats in Congress, but there are some very nasty ones too, and since George W. Bush took office, the national Democratic Party has become more and more insistent that Democrats leave their spines at the door.

… and this is with Howard Dean in charge? No. Howard Dean is not in charge of the party. Rahm Emanuel and Charles Schumer are, and those two are willing to do anything to get power and keep it.

When I was abroad with a government agency, the officer in charge of making sure everyone got the monthly subsistence allowance was busy inviting blonde women to lunch. When I made sure his invitation to me included his pregnant wife, the invitation evaporated and I suddenly found myself in a strange country with no money. I found out about two others, both blonde with similar situation. “Of course you’re having problems, you turned him down,” I was told by one of them, as my jaw dropped. “That’s how those Washington types operate.” No one, but absolutely no one within the agency would speak out. The guy was born in Africa with an American wife, and this agency was desperate to recruit minorities. He’s still there. The other thing they would always throw in everyone’s face is that the agency was politically fragile and if any problems became publicly known, the agency would be destroyed. The forms for reporting problems were secretly xeroxed and passed from hand to hand, but those who filled them out would find the forms never got outside the agency to embassy security, and they would suddenly find themselves having problems. One officer going stateside passed out blank forms and solicited anonymous remarks to be hand-carried to Washington, but of course it made no difference, as those at the highest levels wanted no hint of problems breathed in their fragile political air. Oh, yes, these were democrats.

After Clinton and Condit, I’ve got a real hard time believing anybody was actually shocked by this Foley thing. Yet here we are again a few years later, SHOCKED once more that innocent youths to whom people in positions of power have ready access are sexually exploited.

Ya think?

It’s like cockroaches–for every one you see, figure there’s a hundred or so you don’t.

But, extraordinary claims require extraordinary proof – not just idle suspicion.

And Alan, I’m not giving the Republican Party a free pass. I’m giving them a fair break, just like I demanded that Bill Clinton get when he screwed up.

Organizations like the Boy Scouts and the Catholic Church have institutional problems that need to be addressed as such. Besides, I don’t ever advocate that the leaders of the Boy Scouts and the Catholic Church get thrown out of power, as people are suggesting with the Republican Congress. I just express my disapproval, and suggest that people stay away from those organizations.

There is no indication of a political policy issue that makes this a responsible election issue. That’s the main difference, Alan. Dealing with public officials with public responsibilities is not the same as just coping with people that we don’t like.

We don’t really know that yet, do we?

If the boy scouts had a scout leader doing that stuff, you would not be so tolerant. And if the BSA knew there was a boy scout leader doing stuff like that and did nothing about it, you guys would be all over BSA like white on rice. So now the republican party gets a free pass?