Truth is stranger than fiction
Is it just me or is the news just getting weirder and weirder all the time? Take the bizarre story coming out of Florida about Republican Congressman Mark Foley. Okay, I realize the phrase "coming out" wasn't the best one to use there. Anyway, Here is a guy who spends a good portion of his energy in Washington trying to toughen legislation on child predators and pedophiles, and yet the whole time he's been secretly mackin' on a bunch of young teenage boys who serve as pages to the House of Representatives. What the hell? The transcripts of his emails and text messages are painful to read, with such poetic romantic overtures as this one: "Are you wearing boxers?" "Well, slip them off and get comfortable." I look at his picture and I see a kind of comical gay drill sergeant in the army or something. What's even more bizarre is that he's gay and a Republican, and that there is at least one other gay Republican Congressman as well! Please don't misconstrue what I'm getting at here - I don't think that homosexuality is a sin or anything like that. Like Jerry Seinfeld says, "Not that there's anything wrong with it!" But why why why why - if you were a gay man who is interested in politics - would you ever run as a Republican candidate?! Your whole party is about as anti-gay as can be, and most of your Republican colleagues believe and openly state that homosexuality is disgusting and should be illegal. I'm just totally baffled.

I'm actually starting to feel a bit sorry for the Republicans, who once had the whole world at their feet, but have somehow seemed to piss it all away in about 6 measly years. Jeez - they had control of the presidency for two terms AND control of both the Senate and the House, and they have succeeded in sitting two conservative judges on the Supreme Court. But what a shambles they've made of everything. They botched protecting our country on 9/11, and then botched the assault on Bin Laden by turning their attention to Iraq before they finished the job in Afghanistan. Iraq has been one debacle after another, and by all appearances seems to be perhaps the first case in US history of our nation attacking and occupying another country without any just cause and without the consent of the world community at large. And, in 6 short years they've managed to rack up the most monumental and staggering, virutally insurmountable national debt in the history of... well, the world. And this is supposed to be the "conservative" party. Hint, hint - "conservative" means playing it safe. You know, NOT going to Vegas and blowing the family's life savings on slot machines, booze and hookers. In short, who are these people and what have they done with and to America?

Mark Foley, it turns out is in a heap of trouble, some deep shit, and what's more his indiscretion will likely cost the Republicans a key seat in the House during next month's midterm elections. Everything crumbles, doesn't it? It's good to remember this lesson - those who rejoiced at the downfall and disgracing of Bill Clinton and the subsequent rise of the neo-cons are now the same ones who are seeing their guys disgraced and displaced. The real question is this - when will Americans finally say "enough" and change the rules so that these sleazy, slimy sophists will not have access to positions of power in our country any longer (and I'm talking about people from both parties). Hopefully that day is coming soon. And that's my political harangue for the season. J$  ¶ 1:19 PM