"Protect the Pages." You're F'n Kidding - Right?

The one thing that seems to be left out of the Foley pedophile scandal is the fact that our teenage Pages require PROTECTION from sitting Congressman AT ALL.

I was watching Olbermann tonight, and one of his reporters reminded us of the Page scandal back in the 1980's, when Congress had to "fix" the Page program in order to further protect them from the sexual predations of the Legislative Branch. The reporter (I can't remember his name) blithely ended his segment suggesting that Congress is going to have to go back and "re-vamp" the Page Protection Program.

What the FUCK is going on here?

These are "respected" men and women "serving" our country. They sell themselves to us as the cleanest of the clean, as pure as freesh fallen snow, as innocent as a field of daisies. They sit upon their Congressional thrones pontificating morals, values, patriotism, and America.

Yet in reality, they are so VILE, so AMORAL, so FUCKING SICK, that our brightest teenage political aspirants must be PROTECTED. From them. These good Christian men and women.

What the FUCK is going on here? What happened to us that we accept such shit as our LEADERSHIP? Are we Americans so naive, so lazy, so complacent, that we accept pretty words and promises in place of character and integrity?

HOW COULD WE LET THIS HAPPEN?

This isn't ancient fucking Rome. This is America! We are supposed to be above this. As a "Christian" nation, how can it be that we allow this thing not only to happen repeatedly, but we IGNORE the systemic indications that the PEOPLE we are sending to Washington over and over and over and over again - are, in actuality, scumbags!!

Yes, yes, there are some good ones, and I understand that not every politician in Washington is a sleazebag waste of flesh. But the good ones, instead of bringing this sort of thing to the forefront, are cowed into submission, into acceptance, and ultimately into stagnation.

I mean, come on! We, the People, have a Protection Program for our Pages. Not to protect them from the "mean streets" of Washington - but to protect them from our LEGISLATORS!!!!!!!!! That we accept this, is disgusting.

If America really, really wants to fix this problem, WE WILL START VETTING OUR POLITICAL ASPIRANTS. And I mean doing much more than the wink and nod we pass off as vetting now. Otherwise, we share the same responsibility as Hastert and the rest.

was a http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1983_Congressional_page_sex_scandal">Democratic one...

put in my post, "Democratic as well." I was merely attempting to demonstrate this problem has little to do with Party, at it's root.

I was just thinking along these lines today. I know a lot of people with various shades of
non-stellar past activities in their background - and the Congress of the United States makes them all look like saints. How can this be? Is there something about the desire for political power that insures that the person seeking it will be a pervert or a creep? None of the terrible bosses I've complained about in 30 years in the workforce has held a candle to - apparently - the average politician as far as corruption is concerned.

Atheists in Power.

:thumbsup:

protects the incumbents.

How do you propose vetting the political aspirants? I don't think the problem is the political aspirants but rather those politicos who think they are too powerful to be caught abusing their power. I think the old adage that "absolute power corrupts absolutely" applies here. We have no ability to check the powerful. They are the problem.

Background checks, of course, which I understand they do right now.

Psychological tests. Personality tests. IQ tests. Social skills tests. Lie detector tests.

ALL PART OF THEIR PUBLIC APPLICATION TO RUN FOR OFFICE.

Have you ever worked on a campaign? A better question, is have you considered running?

The reason I'm asking is that our solutions are very different. I would never trust any governmental test to determine who I vote for. Never. That is too open to manipulation. Instead we all have to be active. It's not up to some test taker who gets elected but up to all of us. We need to engage all in politics and that means the drudge work. It's not inetellectual, it doesn't seem important, but we all need to work to get folks to vote.

I have worked on a couple of campaigns, though never national ones (city mayor, and a public issue). I have never run for office, though I would consider it.

Government tests, while open to manipulation, are still good enough for the job required. I remember when I was about 22-23 years old, I went to work for Radio Shack. I had to take a 300 question "personality" test to determine if my temperment would make me open to thieving from the Shack. I've taken other such tests, and they have pretty well nailed me.

Such tests are difficult to fool, and even if they can be fooled, having a battery of tests open to the public, along with a lie detector test - again, with results open to the public - is better than doing NOTHING - which is where we are today. Just because a guy has never been arrested, doesn't mean he's not a pedophile. But throw a bunch of tests at him, and at least we're TRYING to determine who these people actually are. And make them standard tests already proven, already used - those are much harder to cheat, and there are a ton of respectable ones out there.

Plus, the idea of having these test results a matter of public record will work to discourage some of these scumbags to forego their pursuit of public office, which is also a step in the right direction.

Look, we need to do a better job from the GROUND UP. We too often attack the symptoms of the problem, instead of the root. So let's at least TRY to attack the root of the problem and start shining some light on the souls of these public "servants."

Our country has a LOT in common with ancient Rome.....however, most excellent rant.

Welcome to DU :toast:

Love this place. :bounce: