Posted on 10/01/2006 7:45:10 AM PDT by Dane
Former page: We knew about Foley 'for years' By M.E. SPRENGELMEYER AND AMIE PARNES Scripps Howard News Service October 1, 2006 WASHINGTON — Sexually explicit messages from former Rep. Mark Foley to one former congressional page might be just the tip of the iceberg, the leader of an alumni association for former congressional pages told Scripps Howard News Service on Saturday.
While Foley resigned this week after published reports of "friendly" e-mails to one 16-year-old male page and the pending broadcast of more sexually explicit instant messages, similar graphic messages from him were received by at least three other teenage boys who once worked in the page program, said Matthew Loraditch, a Maryland college senior who runs the U.S. House Page Alumni Association's Internet message board.
Advertisement "I've known about them (messages) for several years now," he said Saturday.
"It was more like, 'Hey, look at this,' " said Loraditch, 21, who served in the page program in the 2001-02 session. "I don't think the people in question felt that uncomfortable. It was more, 'Ooh, look at that creepy guy.'
"It was definitely crossing-the-line stuff. The instant message stuff, and stuff I've seen and heard about, definitely couldn't be misconstrued" as merely "friendly" or innocent, Loraditch said.
Loraditch said during his time on Capitol Hill, Foley was one of the members of Congress who expressed what appeared to be a sincere interest in the young pages, often visiting the areas where they congregate in the corner of the House of Representatives chamber to chat or offer stories and advice.
Loraditch said he and other pages viewed Foley as gregarious and "flaky" at the time, and that he offered several of them, not including Loraditch, his personal e-mail when they were graduating from the program and saying goodbyes.
After Loraditch returned to Maryland and began attending college at Towson University, several male former pages told him they had received Internet messages that were similar to the graphic messages first reported by ABC News last week.
"At the age we were when those things happened, 16 or 17, when you see that kind of stuff, most people our ages know what's going on and know what's happening," Loraditch said. "You're not like a little kid who can be roped into that."
Loraditch said his friends all thought the messages were disturbing, but they did not report them, either because they did not think the messages posed a serious threat or because they might have worried about career consequences.
He added all his friends received the questionable messages only after they had graduated and left the program, when, theoretically, that would not raise the same in-house sexual harassment issues as if they had been sent when the former pages still worked for Congress.
"This all happened after we were outside the protective umbrella of all our supervisors, not when we were there," Loraditch said. "To me, that indicates some sort of thought process going on in Foley's mind."
The case has prompted many congressional leaders to talk about stepped-up vigilance to protect the young men and women who serve as congressional pages, who get an up-close look at Congress while doing messenger-like duties for lawmakers.
Loraditch is a big backer of the program for its one-of-a-kind educational benefits, and he believes none of the supervisors who run the program were aware of any inappropriate messages at the time.
"The supervisors I worked with, if any of them had been told, it would have been dealt with at the time promptly," he said. "All of our supervisors were great people. They love pages. Half of them were former pages, and they've got kids of their own. If they had known about it, it would have been dealt with."
In the wake of the Foley scandal, many pages worry the program could be altered drastically or eliminated in an overreaction intended to protect teenagers.
"The page program is a good program. I firmly believe that the program could not have done anything more to protect the pages," Loraditch said. "It all happened after we left and had done our service."
OK, just thought folks would know, everyone keeps commenting on it.
There's only so much one can forgive.
Yes, YaYa, this is the same person.
Yeah, because Foley didn't seem creepy enough...
Steve Gobie
In 1990, the House voted to reprimand Frank when it was revealed that Steve Gobie, a household employee he had hired in 1985, was running a prostitution business from Frank's apartment. Frank had dismissed Gobie earlier that year after learning of Gobie's activities.[5]
The Boston Globe, among others, called on Frank to resign, but he refused. The House Ethics Committee recommended Frank be reprimanded because he "reflected discredit upon the House" by using his congressional office to fix 33 of Gobie's parking tickets. Attempts to expel or censure Frank failed; instead the House voted 408-18 to reprimand him. [6]
"Outing": The Frank Rule
During an anti-gay GOP campaign, Frank threatened to out a number of gay-baiting Republican fellow congressmen. He stated that it is unacceptable to out a closeted gay person, unless that person uses their power or notoriety to hurt gay people [7]
Many members of the LGBT community adhere to this rule in their own relationships with prominent individuals.
LOL!
MonroeDNA said Foley is a Scientologist.
Oh never mind then. Scientologists are a bunch of scandalous pervs.
;)
Foley belongs OUT and he is. Why would a young man respond to the so called solicitations??
But we want to know, don't we?
Much prefer him a Scientologist...lol.
I wonder what jurisdiction the state of Louisiana might have in this matter. The age of consent in Louisiana is 17. I wonder if they will they attempt some kind of prosecution of Foley for "reaching into Louisiana" to contact the minor.
Maybe Foley should have studied for the priesthood... maybe that's not such a good idea.
United States Congressman Mark Foley of Palm Beach was photographed receiving his very own leather bound copy of Dianetics and The Way to Happiness, with Republican State Committee member Nancy Riley.
The book by Scientology's founder Hubbard is a basic primer for beginners on the path to becoming true believers.
The Church of Scientology ran a photo of Foley and Riley on its website smiling with their hosts.
This was quite a shindig that included 150 handpicked quests from Clearwater to meet with Foley. And it was staged within the opulent ballroom at the Scientology-owned Fort Harrison Hotel.
Are you a cheapshot artist, or is this just a random cheap shot?
WOO-HOO!
Maybe he thought the lib MSM would leave him alone.
WOO-HOO!
Looks like he's a Scientologist.
It's absolutely amazing that Barney Frank is still in Congress. Amazing, absolutely amazing.
"Outing": The Frank Rule
During an anti-gay GOP campaign, Frank threatened to out a number of gay-baiting Republican fellow congressmen. He stated that it is unacceptable to out a closeted gay person, unless that person uses their power or notoriety to hurt gay people [7]
Many members of the LGBT community adhere to this rule in their own relationships with prominent individuals.
146 posted on 10/01/2006 11:53:45 AM CDT by kcvl
We have not been told how old the intern was who recieved the sexual im's.
ABC won't tell us.
Its not the same guy who recieved the emails asking for pictures.
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