Mark Foley’s Moral Relativism
Since when is the “party of personal responsibility” so quick to find excuses for sexual misconduct? Mark Foley revealed that he was molested by a priest and that he’s an alcoholic, but does that absolve him of responsibility for his horrible behavior? No. It may explain why he did what he did, but it in no way excuses the exploitation of impressionable teenagers. Nor does it answer the overarching question of why the Republican leadership in the House did nothing to follow up on the reports that one of their peers was sexually harassing minors.
Whenever liberals point out such facts as “poverty increases the risk of crime” and “failure to understand terrorists breeds more terrorism”, we’re accused of coddling criminals and being deeply unserious about the threats that we face. Even the slightest hint of trying to understand the root causes of a problem is often greeted with the sight of conservatives decrying the left’s “moral relativism”. For their failure to see the world beyond “good & evil” or “right & wrong”, the right pats itself on the back for its “strong values”, but that moral strength quickly disappears when it’s time to protect one of their own.
I’m sorry to hear that Rep. Foley has gone through such hardship. For that he deserves as much pity as anyone in his situation (like the young men he’s been harassing). But let’s not forget that Rep. Foley has done some horrible things and should be punished for them. Likewise, the House leaders who through their inaction have acted as enablers for his sexual deviancy deserve to be punished as well. If you don’t agree, then maybe you lack the moral clarity to realize that fifty-two year old men shouldn’t be trying to fuck teenagers.
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If you can’t take responsibility for your actions, you will not be able change the damaging behavior.
I’ve been in those kinds of trenches. I know what it is to be guilty. Guilt sucks and it should. If it didn’t suck you’d just keep repeating the same mistakes.
Comment by Stephen — October 4, 2006 @ 7:38 am
My favorite thing is that he was a co-chair on the Congressional Caucus for Missing and Exploited Children and helped push through the Stopping Adults From Exploiting Today’s Youth (or SAFETY) Act.
I bet he also worked on the Helping Youth Produce Original, Creative Registration Initiatives for Tomorrow’s Electorate (HYPOCRITE) Act…
The Drastic Ongoing Utilization of Children’s Heritage for the Enrichment and Betterment of America’s Greatness (DOUCHEBAG) Act…
And of course, the reading campaign called the New American Movement for Better Literary Awareness (NAMBLA).
Comment by The Idiot — October 4, 2006 @ 9:12 am
I’m not buying it. Admitting to being gay and sexually disturbed because he was molested by a clergy member sounds like Conservative-acceptable spin to me.
Comment by Nasaka — October 4, 2006 @ 9:59 am
Wow, greg, you really nailed it! It’s the Hypocrisy, Stupid!! Why can’t they see how transparently obvious they are, whenever one of their own does something morally reprehensible. It is 100% crystal clear that the Republican Party cares not one bit about anything other than their own power, their precious tax cuts and their corporate profits, oh yeah, and whatever the Conservative Coalition wants as their favor of the week. Their interest in the well being of either the country, its people, its army or its economy is and always has been exactly zero!
Comment by Euthydemos in Athens, GA — October 4, 2006 @ 1:42 pm