Free Republic

Valerie Richardson of the Washington Times takes us down memory lane to an incident that Alabama voters need to seriously consider. You see, Democrats had no problem at all with one of their own Congressmen who solicited sex from teenagers who worked as congressional pages. Homosexual sex, in point of fact, and if anything, it seems to have shielded him.

DEVELOPING: NEW CASTLE, Del. -- Police on Friday afternoon came to the home of a 17-year-old high school junior to ask her about direct online communications she has had with Rep. Anthony Weiner. Two officers from the New Castle County Police Department arrived at the girl's home around 4:30 p.m. and asked to speak with the girl's mother about the daughter's contact with Weiner. Another officer appeared at the home a short time later. A FoxNews.com reporter was at the home when the police arrived. The girl, whose name is being withheld because she is a minor, told FoxNews.com, "I'm...

Reid to Weiner: 'Call somebody else' mug.cnnpolitics By: CNN Political Unit Washington (CNN) – Senate Majority Leader Sen. Harry Reid gave embattled Rep. Anthony Weiner no love on Capitol Hill Tuesday. "I know Congressman Weiner and I wish there was some way I can defend him, but I can't. OK?" Reid said. And then there was this exchange with reporters: Q: You didn't say whether you thought Congressman Weiner should resign. Reid: I'm not here to defend Weiner. Q: What do you think he should do? Reid: That's all I'm going to say. Q: Senator Reid, what advice would you...

On Monday, August 27, news services broke the story that Sen. Larry Craig, R-Idaho, pleaded guilty in early August to lewd conduct in an airport restroom... Craig is hardly the only member of the Senate with a propensity for dropping his pants at inopportune moments... Sen. Daniel Inouye, D-Hawaii, has allegedly sexually harrased or abused at least 10 women. Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., reportedly engaged in a sexual affair with an engagd lobbyist, Ron Dotzauer,then gave him a personal loan to help him with his subsequent divorce and threw cash his way... Gerry Studds (re-elected six times after having sex...

A rapist who has struck at least five times since April in and around Baytown has not only spread fear in this working-class community but also piqued the interest of those who study the criminal mind. The reason: He preys on other men. That makes him something of a rarity in the world of crime. "It's the least prevalent kind of serial rape, and largely underreported," said Jack Levin, a leading criminologist and director of the Brudnick Center on Violence at Northeastern University in Boston. Levin and other experts say male-on-male rape sometimes stems from sexual encounters gone bad. But...

In the most bizarre twist of a surreal campaign, Republicans could lose control of the House of Representatives due in part to disgraced Congressman Mark Foley's salacious e-mails to under-aged pages. If that happens, the beneficiary will be the party that has uncritically embraced the gay-rights movement -- which in turn embraces other things. Speaking of double standards: In 1983, Massachusetts Congressman Gary Studds (who passed away a few days ago) was found to have had sexual relations with a 16-year-old male page (No cyber-stalking for the Bay State perv.) He was censured by the House, then repeatedly reelected by...

Upon his death Saturday, former Rep. Gerry Studds, D-Mass., got a hero's send-off by The New York Times because he was the first openly homosexual congressman and a champion of homosexual rights. He was beloved by the Times, too, because he refused to resign after his censure by the House for his homosexual affair with a teenage congressional page. But the Times lamented that the resignation of Rep. Mark Foley, R-Fla., "revived interest in Mr. Studds' own dalliance with a teenage page in 1973." Dalliance? As in "playful flirtation"? Here's what the investigative report of the House Committee on Standards...

Dear Friend, I'm writing to ask your help for Tim Mahoney, the Democratic candidate running to replace Mark Foley in Congress. This is a great opportunity to take back a seat from the Republicans, and demonstrate that Americans are fed up with the Republican leadership. Tim Mahoney is a great candidate who believes in responsibility and accountability. Please help us take back Congress by supporting his campaign today. Tim is a successful rancher and businessman who has created jobs in his community. He has pledged to fight for fiscal responsibility and integrity, qualities badly needed in Washington today. http://www.actblue.com/page/hillpac_mahoney He...

After interviewing some 40 former congressional pages, FBI agents have yet to turn up any evidence of direct sexual contact between underage pages and former Congressman Mark Foley. Instead, according to law enforcement officials and several former pages, a pattern is emerging of seduction by Foley that began when the boys were 16 and 17. In cases where actual sex followed, it was not until the boys were at the legal age of 18.

Not content with their hypocrisy on the Mark Foley situation (considering their responses to the Gerry Studds, Barney Frank and Bill Clinton escapades), the Democrats in Florida have launched a campaign to keep voters in the dark on November 7. Since the ballots are already printed with Foley’s name, a vote for Foley goes to the Republican substitute, Joe Negron.

"Disgraced former Congressman Mark Foley will reveal to the Archdiocese of Miami the name of the Roman Catholic clergyman he says abused him as a teenager, Foley's civil attorney said Tuesday." ""It's going to be very clear in the coming days that it is a fact as opposed to any possible allegations that it was a fantasy or something made up for political purposes," attorney Gerald Richman said."

October 17, 2006 -- THE death over the weekend of former Rep. Gerry Studds, the first openly gay member of Congress, is a stark reminder of how much all those howls of Democratic outrage over the Mark Foley scandal ring so hollow. The Massachusetts Democrat is being hailed by national political leaders, including Ted Kennedy and John Kerry, as a "role model" who "gave a lot of people courage" by coming out of the closet. Yet Studds openly declared his homosexuality only after an investigation revealed he'd had a sexual relationship with a male teenage congressional page and propositioned two...

GERRY E. STUDDS, the blazingly articulate, acerbic former congressman representing some of the most beautiful coastline in the country, left a legacy of accomplishment for everyone, but particularly for those of us who are gay. In an age where even rehab for alcoholism is misused by those seeking to avoid responsibility, Studds faced the most personal of charges in an unforgiving spotlight, and he did it in a direct, unflinching way. When Studds was censured by the House of Representatives in 1983 for having a consensual affair with a 17-year-old page some 10 years earlier, he did it according to...

Reaction to the death of former Rep. Gerry Studds, D-Mass.: "Gerry's leadership changed Massachusetts forever and we'll never forget him. His work on behalf of our fishing industry and the protection of our waters has guided the fishing industry into the future and ensured that generations to come will have the opportunity to love and learn from the sea. He was a steward of the oceans." - U.S. Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass.

Gerry E. Studds, who championed environmental, maritime, and fisheries issues during 24 years in the US House of Representatives and lent an eloquent voice to health and human rights matters, died early yesterday. First elected in 1972, Studds entered politics as part of a generation emboldened by its opposition to the Vietnam War and turned his focus in Congress to issues close to the hearts of his constituents. A Democrat, Studds had been reelected five times when in 1983 he became the first member of Congress to openly acknowledge he was gay. [snip] He publicly disclosed his sexual orientation [only]...

Gerry E. Studds, the first openly gay person elected to Congress and a longtime proponent of environmental protection, New England fishermen and human rights, died Oct. 14 at Boston Medical Center, several days after he collapsed while walking his dog. He was 69. Mr. Studds lost consciousness because of a blood clot in his lung Oct. 3. He later regained consciousness and seemed to be improving, but his condition worsened Friday because of a second clot, according to Dean Hara, who married Mr. Studds in 2004 shortly after same-sex marriage was legalized in Massachusetts. A 12-term congressman from Massachusetts, Mr....

Congressman Marty Meehan on Foxnews this morning was asked about Gerry Studds and the difference between Studds and Foley. Meehans response was "I was a sophmore (or Senior I cna't remember which) in High School when that happened." Implying that he couldn't be expected to respond to something that was that old and he was so young when it happened. That made me think. I was a junior in High School when that happened and I remember talking about it in our Social Studies/Current Events class. So that guy is my age?? Or within a year of it?? I looked...

Former Massachsuetts Congressman Gerry Studds has died. The 69-year-old Studds died this morning at Boston Univesrity Medical Center. He'd been hospitalized after sustaining head injuries from an accident while walking his dog. Studds was a ranking member of the House Democratic leadership and advocated for New England fishermen and the ocean environment. studds, who grew up in Cohasset, was the first openly gay person elected to Congress. He served from 1973 to 1997. He is survived by his husband, Dean Hara. the couple was among the first same sex couples to be legally married in Massachusetts.

BOSTON, Massachusetts (AP) -- Former U.S. Rep. Gerry Studds, the first openly gay person elected to Congress, died early Saturday at Boston Medical Center, a hospital official said. He was 69. Christian Kiriakos, central administrator at the hospital, said Studds died between 1 a.m. and 2 a.m. He did not have additional information, and details of Studds' death could not be immediately confirmed. Studds, a liberal Democrat who spent more than 20 years in Congress, was censured by the House in the 1980s for having sex with a 17-year-old male page. He was re-elected for several more terms. Last year...