A Farewell to Sanity

As a rule, our representatives in government aren’t supposed to tell the truth. They’re supposed to lie, logroll, back scratch and generally cheat to make a good appearance to their constituents. Sometimes, we, the constituency, turn our heads if we see an increase in jobs, economic growth or tax relief. You know, things that we like. But most of the time we simply want that unattainable thing we dare not mention to politicians – truth.

Well, by God, we got it now.

Just earlier this week it was revealed that former Rep. congressman Mark Foley (Fla.) had been sending sexually explicit e-mails to congressional pages – 15 and 16-year-old boys. Foley resigned immediately, and the FBI picked up an investigation. Yesterday, there was a report that Foley had been checked into detox to kick an alcohol problem.

Then tonight, Tuesday Oct. 3, Foley said through his attorney David Roth that between the ages of 13 and 15 he was sexually abused by a clergyman. Foley is indeed a Roman Catholic.

Above: Mark Foley at Red Cross meeting

A drunk congressman who sends lurid messages to young boys who himself was assailed sexually by a man of the church when he was just a boy. It doesn’t get any worse than that. To his credit, Foley didn’t try (publicly) to pass the responsibility off of himself.

To be honest, I’m starting to get a little weary of the truth.

And to top it all off, Roth also said that Foley wanted it to be known that he is a gay man. Yes, thank you for that Mr. Roth.

The Foley story is one of two horrible trends of the week that came to a head with the sickening story of the milkman who shot up an Amish schoolhouse in Penn.

Charles Carl Roberts IV, 32, entered the one room school carrying three guns, yes three guns, and sent all of the boys and adults outside. He secured the doors. He lined all of the girls up and opened fire. He killed three immediately, two more died in the hospital. Then he killed himself. Seven others were wounded.

The little girls in that school were between the ages of 6 and 12. He picked that school because it was close and an easy target. I’m sorry Mr. Foley, but it doesn’t get much worse than this.

Left: A group of men speak to police (AP Photo/Mel Evans) Below: Two men read the paper (AFP/Getty Images/Mark Wilson)

Roberts told his wife during the holdup that he had molested two relatives 20 years before and was “tormented by dreams of doing it again.” To lend this statement even more appalling credence was the evidence found at the scene – plastic ties, eyebolts and lubricating jelly.

Keep in mind that Roberts was a husband and a father of three. He said in a suicide note that he was haunted by the death of his baby in 1997. So he decided to turn his back on his other children. I’m not crazy enough to begin understand that.

This was the third deadly school attack of the week, and very similar to the one in a Bailey, Colo. high school. There a man singled out girls once again, trapped them all in a classroom, molested some of them, killed a girl, then killed himself.

On Friday, a 15-year-old student in Wis. was upset about a chastising administered by the hands of the principal, so he did what any sane person would do – he shot and killed him.

Earlier this fall, a man opened fire randomly on a Montreal college campus.

Bush and his administration have begun to discuss ways to make our schools more safe, but wasn’t that the impulse after Columbine in 1999? School security, much more than at the airports, has become more lax even after a few shootings here and there. But this latest rash of attacks makes the situation critical. Unfortunately, it seems the only way to totally ensure the health and safety of students is to refurbish every school into a maximum security prison.

The fact that this latest catastrophe was the only one really heavily covered by all media outlets is a little distressing as well. Perhaps, stations like CNN and Fox News were worried about copycats (which investigators don’t believe the Amish shooting was), but it also reveals that there is a certain complacency prevailing here, or a desensitizing, if you will. Even the term “school shooting” doesn’t jar us the way it used to. It is almost in that category “well, it happens.” That is the saddest news of all.

Be easy my friends. I’m out.