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Hastert Case Is Said to Be Linked to Decades-Old Sexual Abuse



He sort of could, you know. With Hillary, you get a 2 for 1 deal. :2razz:
 

We're apparently talking about two different things. I understood you were referring to "preying" - clearly you're not. That's fine, carry on.
 

A few years ago, I was at my local grocery store waiting to pay for my stuff through the cash. I usually take this time to laugh at the displayed tabloid headlines, but couldn't help take notice of the cashier talking to the lady in front of me in French. The cashier asked "Avez-vous passe des bonnes vacances, Aline ?" As soon as I heard the name, I looked over and there was Aline Chretien, doing some groceries on a Saturday afternoon. Imagine Laura Bush or Michelle Obama doing that???
 
We're apparently talking about two different things. I understood you were referring to "preying" - clearly you're not. That's fine, carry on.

Hm?

Teachers who exploit their students, no matter their gender or sexual orientation, are "preying." I just doubt the claim there are more homosexual incidents than there are heterosexual ones.
 
An oldie that is never not current:

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Maybe conservatives shouldn't set the bar that high. After all, they're human... no?

My favourite is thinking that abstinence education is a perfectly viable way to curb unwanted pregnancies and the spread of disease. History has taught us otherwise. Yet the moralistic drumming from the Conservtive side still beats.
 
Another wonderful family values politician....

if he had a relationship with a consenting adult, then he did no wrong ... even tho it was obviously important to him to hide the matter

but if he was a teacher/wrestling coach and took advantage of a student, as cheech & chong would say "whack his peepee"
 
They are ridiculous laws and to enforce them with such fervor on what amounts to technicalities is a hatchet job. It's got legs as a story since it involves the formerly piwerful and money with hints of sex or at least the implication. But the bottom line is it was his money, he can spend it any way he wants, and it isn't anybody else's business.
 
Maybe conservatives shouldn't set the bar that high. After all, they're human... no?

..... Uh, yes. Being human and making mistakes, however, doesn't obviate the fact that they were mistakes. If it turns out Hastert did, in fact, sexually molest some kid, then it's not like we should collectively shrug our shoulders and say "well, everyone get's one screwup" or "well, we don't want to pretend like we haven't screwed up ourselves", the wrongness of the act is independent of the fact that he (and others) are tempted to it.

Conservative Christians set the bar high recognizing that we are going to fail to meet it. That's sort of central to the belief system, in fact, the acceptance that we are sinners in need of a savior.

My favourite is thinking that abstinence education is a perfectly viable way to curb unwanted pregnancies and the spread of disease. History has taught us otherwise. Yet the moralistic drumming from the Conservtive side still beats.

There is evidence for both arguments of that one, and I've seen competing studies, both by groups with intended results. From the conservative/Christian perspective, however, the question of whether or not a certain percentage of teenagers are going to have sex is immaterial to the question of whether or not you should tell them not to. It would be like changing the "Don't Text and Drive" campaign to the "Hey, while texting and driving, try to make sure to glance at the road every few seconds" crusade.
 

Do you think "liberal" Christians set their bars low? But I understand your point and agree with it, just don't believe that setting high standards is a uniquely conservative or a Christian thing. What is a bit unique is conservatives often mix politics and religion and I have a low tolerance for that. I don't look to politicians wallowing around in the sewer of D.C. or my state house for moral guidance, and when people wallowing in the sewer start lecturing about morals or religion, I tend to ignore them.

There is evidence for both arguments of that one, and I've seen competing studies, both by groups with intended results.

But the overwhelming bulk of the evidence is that abstinence only programs don't work.


It's not that we shouldn't tell teens to not have sex. It's whether to inform them about ways to protect themselves and prevent pregnancy WHEN they do eventually have sex, which in 2015 means just about all of them before they are married. At the end of the day, sex education is about information, and in my view more and better and comprehensive, reliable information is better than ignorance on something so critical as sex.

Besides, it's not like teens need a message to have sex (which sex education doens't do) - they are bombarded every hour of the day by our free market system - movies, TV, ads, Facebook, instagram, Youtube, etc............

So in that context, it's more like changing the "don't text and drive" campaign to one that pleads with "Don't Text!!" period, when we know that nearly all teenagers have or will have smart phones and will text.
 
THere are different kinds of conservatives in the U.S. The social conservatives want to enforce their morality by force of law.

Bingo! By the way, while we are at it, when the government mandates you giving a reason for a large cash withdrawal, that proves the over criminalization of this country.
 

He certainly can. All he had to do was report it as the amount might be subject to gift tax not to mention money laundering.
 
He certainly can. All he had to do was report it as the amount might be subject to gift tax not to mention money laundering.
So, we have to prove we're not breaking laws when we spend our money? How is that not prior restraint?
 
So, we have to prove we're not breaking laws when we spend our money? How is that not prior restraint?

Like it or not, we have an estate and gift tax in the U.S., and if you give any individual more than $14,000 per year, you have to report the gift and potentially pay tax on the gift. Alternatively, it's income to the recipient - gift or income, both have to be reported to IRS. The disclosure rules are part of the laws this idiot took part in drafting, and strengthening after 9/11 with the Patriot Act, passed while he was Speaker. If he'd complied with the reporting requirements, he'd have been fine.

Bottom line is he knew better. He has no one to blame but his idiot self who 1) apparently had sex with an underage person, 2) agreed to an extortion scheme, 3) didn't report the gifts, and 4) lied to the FBI about it.
 
Certainly not by presuming guilt and requiring the accussed to prove they are not breaking any laws.

That is not an answer, merely a deflection. We have money laundering laws, estate & gift tax laws. How would you enforce those laws among others like sending money to terrorists and other regimes under sanction? Hastert did nothing wrong by removing his own money from the banks, all he had to do was report it. He then compounded the situation by lying to the FBI.
 
The reporting requirement is absurd, law or not. The way to enforce anti-terrorism or anti-mafia laws is to get warrants for bank records when they are warranted, just like the way to get evidence of misdoings via internet/telephony is to get specific warrants for specific cases rather than collect everything.
 
Isn't this provision of the Patriot Act that Hastert is being charged under what he supervised the passage of to begin with?

Yes, I believe that's in the article: hoisted by his own petard
 

What is ironic is he signed the act himself that got him caught.
 
Was there ever any doubt? Nobody, and I mean NOBODY, pays $3.5M to somebody they didn't ass rape.

But why wait 40 years to blackmail the man?
 

That depends on who you date, or who her husband is.
 
I don't remember any Dems being child molesters...

Look for the story of Bill Clinton going off to the island.

It was implied.
 
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