The American Spectator

Reader Mail

La Cage Aux Foley

10.3.06 @ 12:01AM

STUDDS SUCCESSION
Re: Ben Stein's Hypocrisy, Democrat Style:

Ben forgot to mention Rep. Gerry Studds, who was involved in a sexual relationship with a page (male), and refused to apologize. But, then, he was from Massachusetts.

Ben Stein has perfect pitch on Mark Foley. But now the Democrats are asking what did Dennis Hastert know and when did he know it -- I want to know when the Democrats first knew about this! This whole unfortunate episode has a certain smell about it. I am wondering about the timing.

We know Democrats hold their best smears to the last month before an election; could this be just that? First, George Allen; last week Mark Foley; this week Dennis Hastert and John Boehner -- who's next?

Remember, the Democrats promised us a scandal a week until the election. More to come, folks, more to come!
-- Judy Beumler
Louisville, Kentucky

Re: Ben Stein's homophobic garbage: Gays and lesbians believe in legal protections for people in adult, consensual relationships. To link us with Rep. Foley, who was coming onto adolescent boys (even worse, with whom he was in a position of power), is despicable.
-- Jay Weiser
Associate Professor of Law & Real Estate
Zicklin School of Business
New York, New York

Ben Stein's comments on Mark Foley bring to mind this quote from a news article:

"I don't know anything he could do that would allow him to come back to politics as an elected official," said David Johnson, former executive director of the Florida Republican Party and a political consultant who has worked with Foley.

Well, not so fast Mr. Johnson. As Ben Stein reminds us, Mark Foley could simply change parties (and maybe move to Massachusetts).

If Foley were a Democrat, we wouldn't be focused on his crimes, we'd be hearing about his "personal truth" on the nightly news.

If Foley were a Democrat, we'd be getting lectures about "tolerance."

If Foley were a Democrat, he'd be a role model of the GLBT community -- one who actively encourages our youth to "explore" their sexuality.

If Foley were a Democrat, we'd have a "teaching moment," and we would be asked to keep an open mind to changes in our age of consent laws.

If Foley were a Democrat, he would not have resigned.

If Foley were a Democrat, he would have been re-elected.
-- Dan Martin
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Is this post real? Did Ben Stein really write: "an entire party, the Democrats, whose primary constituency, besides the teachers' unions, is homosexual men and lesbian women. I hope it won't come as a surprise to anyone that a big part of male homosexual behavior is interest in young boys." I am not homosexual, and I may sometimes have a similar thought cross my mind, but I cannot believe a known personality put this thought into print.
-- Chris Wyser-Pratte
New York, New York

I enjoyed Mr. Stein's article very much, but unfortunately, I think this issue is seen in reverse terms. It is a matter of group identification. Democrats as a group, ostensibly support homosexuality and promiscuity without reservation, and Republicans are seen to tend otherwise. Despite all obvious violations done to women and homosexuals by individual Democrats (you left out the worst criminal violator of all time -- Mr. Kennedy), their party pays lip service to this view. Thus Mr. Foley's destruction.
-- John Doherty
San Francisco, California

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