Cliff Kincaid: Who Protected the Pervert Congressman?

Excerpted from Who Protected the Pervert Congressman?, by Cliff Kincaid, published Oct 1, 2006, by Accuracy in Media:

It’s one of the worst congressional scandals ever. A top House Republican who denounced sex predators as “animals” stands accused of acting like one. Mark Foley had served as a Deputy Majority Whip in the House and co-chair of the House Caucus on Missing and Exploited Children. His forced resignation, after being exposed as a homosexual pervert who talked dirty to young boys, has done more damage to the GOP than George Soros could ever think of doing. But it remains to be seen whether the liberal media and the Democrats can successfully exploit this scandal.

Brian Ross of ABC News broke the story and publicized the “sexually explicit” messages Foley sent to former congressional pages. Curiously, Ross never once used the word “homosexual” in referring to Foley’s conduct. But if Foley acted out his Internet fantasies in real life, he will be exposed as not only a homosexual pedophile but a predator. The messages indicate Foley is extremely sick and demented.

The failure to use the word “homosexual” in describing Foley’s dirty talk is likely due to fear over being labeled “homophobic” or biased by the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD), which exists to make sure that only positive portrayals of homosexuality are permitted in the media. Plus, the National Lesbian & Gay Journalists Association previously warned the media, in connection with sexual abuse by Catholic Priests, to avoid linking homosexuality to pedophilia.

The questionable line we already see emerging in the media is that Foley is guilty of inappropriate behavior toward young people but that it has nothing to do with his “sexual orientation.”

In fact, the entire scandal might have been avoided if Foley’s homosexuality had been exposed and confronted, rather than protected, over the last several years. Top Republicans and the media were part of this cover-up.

Peter LaBarbera, who began his writing career at Accuracy in Media, raised questions about Foley’s secret life back in 2003, after alternative newspapers and columnists began running stories about Foley’s homosexuality, even reporting that he had a “boyfriend.” LaBarbera gave credit to Bob Norman of the Broward-Palm Beach New Times newspaper for exposing Foley. However, LaBarbera found that most non-homosexual newspapers did not pursue the matter and that homosexual Republican groups were protecting him. For example, LaBarbera quoted Patrick Guerriero, executive director of the Log Cabin Republicans, a homosexual activist group, as saying, “I could care less about [Foley’s] sexual orientation.” Guerriero insisted that the congressman had no obligation to discuss it.

At the time, as Foley was said to be considering running for the Republican nomination to the U.S. Senate, LaBarbera noted that “Many homosexual activists assert matter-of-factly that Rep. Foley is ‘gay’ and resent that he is not running for Senate as an open homosexual. Many social conservatives, on the other hand, argue that Florida’s voters have a right to know what lies behind his pro-homosexual voting record in Congress.”

Continue reading at AIM…