Foley Back From Rehab; Florida Considering Charges

[Sequoia]

Florida law enforcement officials are building a possible criminal case against disgraced former Congressman Mark Foley, R-Fla., based on sexually explicit instant messages that were sent from Pensacola, Fla., to an underage high school student, thereby falling under the state's tough law on Internet sexual predators, ABC News has learned.

"It's a broad statute, and it encompasses a lot of activity," said Maureen Horkan, the director of the Child Predator CyberCrime Unit in the Florida Attorney General's office.

Foley has begun to re-emerge publicly in Palm Beach, Fla., after spending weeks at an Arizona rehabilitation center for what his lawyer described as issues involving substance and his own alleged sexual abuse as a minor.

He was seen last week bicycling along South Ocean Boulevard wearing a helmet and bike racing outfit. Unlike federal law, the Florida statute makes it a crime simply to use lewd or explicit language "that is harmful to minors."

http://blogs.abcnews.com/theblotter/2007/03/foley_back_from.html

[Richard Steele]

1. A Repub prosecuted in Florida? Yeah, I'll bet he's really worried.

Nothing will come of this.

[The Backlash Cometh]

10. Somos los condenados.

We're condemned, here in Florida, to tolerate the abuses of a privileged class.

[Dirty Hippie]

11. I think you're wrong

Charlie Crist was formally the Attorney General. Repub or not, he is serious about crime and seems not to care very much about the politics of an issue. He just recommended that the FL legislature settle with the family on Martin Anderson (Killed in youth boot camp) to the tune of 5 million..

I have to say, I think Crist is a different kind of Republican.

[Richard Steele]

13. I hope I am. I really do. I hope I'm wrong, and Foley gets a maximum sentence.

And you're right about Crist...so far, he's seemed
like a decent fellow to me. Putting Foley behind bars
where he belongs isn't necessarily out of the question
anymore..I'm just not gonna get my hopes up this soon.

[jobycom]

2. I thought rehab was supposed to purge past sins

Kind of like Purgatory? Hm, guess law enforcement doesn't think the way Republicans do.

[meldroc]

3. Think Congress will investigate?

Congressional pages were sexually harassed for years by this douchebag, and the GOP spend most of its time doing nothing but CYA.

I imagine a full investigation by the House Ethics Committee would probably stir things up, probably get Hastert to resign from the House completely, maybe even force Boehner out.

[DearAbby]

4. I can understand, in Foley's Case

why he didn't elect to take the "TED HAGGARD" crash course of rehab.

[badgerpup]

7. Ted Haggard kept his peccadilloes (lovely word!) to adults.

Whole 'nother story...his 'partner' was certainly of legal age so that changes things...in the eye of the law and as to what gets prosecuted, anyway.
Still doesn't change the fact that he's spending his life as one very unhappy man.

His hypocrisy is kinda like 'self-medicating'...it may dull or numb the discomfort of cognitive dissonance, but it doesn't help in the long run.

[NNN0LHI]

5. I thought he got religion and is all better now? Maybe that was someone else? n/t

[meldroc]

6. Yep!

I don't know why Foley didn't take the Ted Haggart approach. Haggart's still straight to this day!!!

[w4rma]

8. The Florida GOP leadership "considering" charges on a Republican insider? Only for PR gain. (nt)

[Mend]

9. what...you didn't like the way Florida treated rush limpballs?

I mean anyone else would have been sent up for minimum 30 years but rush and mark are very special...no consequences for them.

[helderheid]

12. FINALLY! Is he cured?