Mark Foley Scandal

Most people who watch the news, read newspapers, or listen to the radio have heard about the Mark Foley scandal. In a Political Science class I am taking, one of my fellow classmates continues to argue that Mark Foley should suffer no consequences for his actions because the pages probably tried to seduce the senator and because they were not actually involved in any sexual activity. He argues that by the time a child is 15-16, advancements by adults should not be considered such an abhoring deed.

Here are my arguments against my classmate...

1. This is not just a moral issue, but a legal one. With Mr. Foley being a senator, he should know better than most the laws governing our nation. He should be aware that it is illegal in the U.S. to engage in sexual activities with a minor, whether or not the minor consents.

2. A major issue is not just that these were minors, but that sexually harassing anyone is a crime. Not only because he is a senator, but because he is an adult, he should know better than to make sexual remarks to another when it is clear that they have a strictly professional relationship.

3. Another huge problem with this is that he was sending these text messages to males teenagers. As I have demonstrated in my previous posts, I am strongly against homosexuality. This type of behavior with teenagers can be very damaging to their development.

4. Mr. Foley held a position of authority. I am sure many of these young pages he was sending sexually explicit texts to were highly intimidated by him. No American should be considered above the law.

5. "The people" elect senators to represent our states. How can we trust our representatives when they are as deceitful and untrustworthy as Mr. Foley. We believe our representatives should at least be truthful with those who gave them that position in the first place.

These are the strongest arguments I am able to think of at the moment. It should be mentioned that it is believed that other members of Congress were aware of Mark Foley's appalling behavior. It is sad when we have a government that is supposed to represent our views and ways of life, yet we do not even know whether they are honest, genuine people.