Daily archives: October 9th, 2006

Lawmakers Saw Foley Messages in 2000

October 9, 2006
CongressRepublicans
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The Washington Post reports today that Rep. Jim Kolbe (R-Ariz.) knew of inappropriate Internet exchanges between former Rep. Mark Foley (R-Fla.) as far back as 2000 and confronted Foley personally about them. The Post reports:

A spokeswoman for Rep. Jim Kolbe (R-Ariz.) confirmed yesterday that a former page showed the congressman Internet messages that had made the youth feel uncomfortable with the direction Foley (R-Fla.) was taking their e-mail relationship. Last week, when the Foley matter erupted, a Kolbe staff member suggested to the former page that he take the matter to the clerk of the House, Karen Haas, said Kolbe’s press secretary, Korenna Cline.

So the timeline goes back 5 more years than House Republicans first claimed they had knowledge of Foley’s inappropriate conduct. Dennis Hastert had asserted that lawmakers only became aware of Foley’s behavior last fall. Apparently many more were in the know.

What else are they hiding?

Marriage Equality

October 9, 2006
GLBT
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The Human Rights Campaign reports that a California court has ruled against marriage equality. The court ruled that California’s ban on gay marriage does not violate the constitutional rights of gays and lesbians. The case began in 2004 when San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom began allowing marriage licenses to be issued to same-sex couples. KCBS News in San Francisco reports that city officials plan to continue the battle. According to KCBS:

KCBS reporter Tim Ryan spoke with City Attorney Dennis Herrera who said an appeal is going to be made to the State Supreme Court. Herrera said if the High Court upholds the ban it would be “one of California’s darkest hours for civil rights.”

San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom said simply the court “got it wrong. (The ruling ) is on the wrong side of history and it’s offensive to me.”

So the battle continues.

In a related story, in New York, the frontrunner in the governor’s race has declared his support for full marriage equality for GLBT people. State Attorney General Elliot Spitzer has vowed to push to legalize gay marriage if elected. New York passed a Sexual Orientation Non-Discrimination Act (SONDA) in 2003.