Foley

My own concern with Foley’s alleged crimes were less what he personally did to the young pages (which had to have had a life-changing effect upon them) but with the hierarchy of the American congress. And since this congress is totally controlled by the Republican Party - then the Republican Party must shoulder much of the blame for the attempted cover-up of the problem for perhaps three years, and keeping Foley as Chairman of the House Caucus on Missing and Exploited Children.

This, to my thinking, is almost an exact copy of the pedophilia which was discovered in the Roman Catholic church. Again, in that case, my concern was with the church hierarchy which protected itself while maintaining and spreading traumatic experiences among the young people entrusted to them.

In both cases, massive and intensely powerful hierarchies acted initially to protect themselves rather than their victims. Their easiest escape path was to blame it all on a convenient scapegoat: homosexuals.

Gay and lesbian people are wonderful scapegoats simply because much of what we know about them is wrong, and much of it can be emotionally charged. Many religions discriminate against gay people, and we all have known (or heard about) some homosexuals who were violent and who preyed upon young people. An inconvenient truth is that many, probably most, pedophiles are heterosexual. Another inconvenient truth is that we all have known many gay people in our lifetime, but didn’t even know most of them were gay.

Another inconvenient truth (for some of us) is that about 10% of all human beings on the planet today are homosexual. That includes white people, blacks, Asians and Indians, and Russians, Americans, Iranians, and so on. Other species of animals have a much higher rate.

Much of the discrimination against homosexuals has a religious overtone and direction. Such discrimination often claims that homosexuality is abominable in the sight of God. But Genesis states that man (meaning mankind) was created in the image of God. Could God possibly make so many mistakes? And about His OWN image? No one could possibly keep their job if 10% of their output was dangerously defective.

Pedophiles threaten all of us. They need containment and treatment. Homosexual people do not threaten anyone. THEY are people who are often threatened themselves. To blame pedophilia on gay people is just another form of gay-bashing.

The greatest threat to all of us however is a government that uses its great resources to protect itself at the expense of its own people - and then is willing to let blame for its own crimes settle on a small part of its constituency.

Let’s not lose sight of the real villain who permitted and encouraged Foley’s alleged crimes to take place. Let’s not let a convenient scapegoat shoulder the blame. Let’s make sure the Republican Party and all of congress faces one more inconvenient truth squarely.

© John Womack, 2006. All Rights Reserved.