It may not be a big deal to some, but it is highly inappropriate and unbelievably contrary to the very thing Foley's career was to focus on. Therefore, immediate removal not only of Foley, but all of his constituents who knew about this and covered it up should be expected.

Foley has admitted that he is gay and that he was molested by a clergy member when he was an adolescent teen. While we know that being gay has nothing to do with sexual abuse and should be made irrelevant to this case, it is making it easier for neo-conservatives to dismiss him.

I do not think that we should dismiss anyone for being gay. However, I do think it is important to look at the fact that he was sexually abused. Abuse is often cyclical so it is of no surprise that because he never properly dealt with his abuse he in turn became a predator. It is also of no surprise that he was abused by a minister of all people because repression breeds dysfunction.

It also important to note that Foly's eMails were evidence of what many sexual predators do... groom their victims. They begin slowly by gaining a level of trust, then proceed with charming or funny comments, which then lead to sexual overtones. This type of grooming is quite typical and is another reason why it should not be dismissed as a minor incident.

Why The Foley Case IS A Big Deal

Are we really okay with the idea of letting someone with pedophile tendencies run a program to protect children from pedophiles and allow his constituents to cover that up? Maybe this country has gotten so apathetic that we are ready to let the foxes guard the hen house. Call me an optimist, but I do not think that is true. I think most Americans are in agreement that we need to make sure that this kind of thing is not going on.

What If It Were Your Child?

Those who have studied pedophilia agree that pedophiles very often blame the victim. This is seen in statements that infer the victim wanted the sexually inappropriate relationship and enjoyed it. The problem with this dysfunctional thinking is that minors are simply not ready for this level of sexuality, regardless of what the abuser wants to believe.

The fact that there are people saying that the IM's seemed receptive makes this okay, need to ask themselves whether they want their son or daughter having these types of interactions with someone like Foley. I dare you as a parent to say you would be fine with a 55 year old man with sexual abuse issues making him a perfect candidate for a predator pursuing your child with inappropriate IM messages. As a parent or sane person you cannot say that this type of behavior is justifiable or not important to discuss.

Wake Up!

Wake up America, your children are being raped, abused, sexually abused, and victimized. The ONLY way we are going to prevent this IS to talk about it, to be proactive and take measures that will focus on the heart of the matter. When we get into political party name calling we do nothing but confuse one another, piss off one another and accomplish nothing.

The Bigger Picture For The Adult Industry

Neo-conservatives spend so much time yelling about how the adult industry is obscene and need to be shut down because they are destroying the community. Yet when someone from their group like Foley, who symbolizes a person who is supposed to be helping minors is actually acting sexually inappropriately with minors... it's no big deal?

What no one is saying is why this is symbolic of a much larger issue. Right now the focus has been the simple reporting of it, and even those that are claiming this to be a smokescreen for a liberal agenda. However, I must say that there is a reason that this is important and affects every American.

Unhealthy & Healthy Sexuality

We are all impacted by some form of sexuality every day. We live in a culture that often vacillates between overly superficial sexuality and repression of sexuality with very little focus on what is healthy.

The reason that Foley's IM's are important is because it is symbolic of a bigger picture. You have ultra conservatives who are enforcing archaic laws against sexuality because they themselves are unhealthy sexually and are ready to throw out what are healthy, educated and empowering forms of sexuality right along with the dysfunctional.

These are the people that repress their healthy sexuality which because of the psychological laws of repression often become problematic. When there is enough repression, it becomes like a steam cooker which is often seen with an explosion of sexual abuse, rape, pedophilia and a lot of hypocrisy.

So Florida Representative Mark Foley sent sexual harassing eMails to minor, teenage males while he was the founder and co-chair of the Congressional Missing and Exploited Children's Caucus and has played key roles in recent legislation to protect kids.

Most people are saying how ironic... but I say how typical. People hate most in others what they hate in themselves. We must look closely at people who are in such positions. Often, those who take a moderate approach are not of concern (regardless of political affiliation), it is those who come down hard on issues in an ultra conservative manner that have the hidden issues. This is because deep down inside they are yelling loudly on the outside to either divert people's attention away from their true intentions and/or to push down what dysfunction is inside them.

We have all seen it in ministers, priests, politicians and activists who are overly obnoxious about sexuality. It is of no surprise when you find out they have been molesting children, raped someone or committed some other atrocity.

Sexual Revolution Starting With Those In The Field Of Sexuality

It is time for a sexual revolution which empowers people to have sexual rights while protecting them. We need to hold people accountable for inappropriate behavior with children and stop demonizing people who have sexual relationships with consenting adults.

We must better study pedophiles and provide counseling to prevent child abuse. We must become more aware of the alarming rate of sexual assault on children. The government needs to work with the adult industry not against them to help prevent child abuse. We must also teach our children about standing up for their sexual rights and the importance of them keeping people from violating them.

The Adult Industry

This means that those in the adult industry need to take a more proactive role, after all we are in the position to model to the world what it means to have a healthy balance of sexuality in our lives.

We need to play a political role where we proactively help to ensure sexual freedoms of adults while protecting the sexual rights of children.

We need a community in which we come together to approach politicians before they approach us via law enforcement. We need our own self regulations in which we create a type of internal certification that allows us to show that we are law abiding, conscientious and a part of the solution to societal problems; not contributors.

It is high time that we demonstrate to the community that it is the adult industry that more often than not caters to the healthy adult sexual nature. From education to entertainment we are meeting the needs that society demands, yet often shoved into the closet like an adulterous lover. As we hide we hope we won't be destroyed by the very "collective majority" that put us into business in the first place because of the blatant hypocrisy that is common place.

Get Involved!

We could complain all day about these issues, but nothing is going to change the world until we get up and do it. Join organizations and get involved. Become a proactive part of changing the world in a proactive way.