Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Path: utzoo!linus!decvax!harpo!gummo!whuxlb!floyd!vax135!ariel!hou5f!hou5g!hou5h!hou5a!hou5d!hogpc!houxm!ihnp4!we13!otuxa!ll1!sb1!burl!duke!unc!tim From: tim@unc.UUCP Newsgroups: net.politics Subject: Re: Sexual Congressmen Message-ID: <5605@unc.UUCP> Date: Sat, 23-Jul-83 15:49:45 EDT Article-I.D.: unc.5605 Posted: Sat Jul 23 15:49:45 1983 Date-Received: Wed, 27-Jul-83 00:54:39 EDT References: ihldt.1804 Lines: 52 >From Tim Maroney's article of 7- 20-83: "How just is it that we condemn a person for having sex with a teenager?" If I had teenage children, I would not object to them having sex. I *would* object to them having sex with a middle-aged member of Congress. I would worry that he/she was using his/her position of power to intimidate the teen into having a sexual relationship. Is there any reason to suspect that a Congressman would not be able to do this with an employee of any age? The pages, as has been shown, are not without recourse to the press and the law, the same as the other employees. Or, the young impressionable (they often are at that age) teen would be so flattered by the attentions of this person in a position of authority that the teen could be easily seduced. I have exactly the same objection to this as to your statement just above. The teenagers are no more or less liable to this than anyone else who works for a Congressman. There is such a thing as taking *advantage* of another person (of any age.) That is what I object to! You have just undermined your entire argument with three simple words: "of any age". The potential for abuse exists in any sexual encounter. Certainly a liason between people of widely differing ages is more suspect, but that is not grounds for automatic condemnation. Anyway, I think we could do better than to re- elect these people. If not, this country is in even worse shape than I had guessed. Why? I don't understand your use of "anyway" here. That implies that there is some deeper reason than the ones you have given. What is it? ______________________________________ The overworked keyboard of Tim Maroney duke!unc!tim (USENET) tim.unc@udel-relay (ARPA) The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill