Daniel Crane (1983: "...sexual misconduct involving a 17-year-old congressional page."
Gerry Studds (1983): "...engaging in sexual relations with a male congressional page."
Charles Wilson (1980): "...personal use of $25,000 in campaign funds and accepting $10,500 from an individual with direct interest in legislation."
Charles Diggs: (1979): "...indicted by a grand jury in 1978 on multiple charges, including taking kickbacks from his congressional staff."
Thomas Blanton (1921): "...abused the privilege granted to lawmakers of submitting items for the Congressional Record." (colleagues found something he had placed in the Congressional Record to be “unspeakable, vile, foul, filthy, profane, blasphemous and obscene)".
Yesterday Charles Rangel was censured by the House for tax evasion and a bunch of other stuff that probably would have landed us mere mortals in the hoosegow. Instead he gets the equivalent of a finger wag, thus becoming the twenty-third Congressman in American history to be so honored. Those listed above are the five most recent cases, courtesy the Christian Science Monitor. Blanton may be the only person in American history to be censured for blasphemy. Don't we have an Amendment to prevent charges of blasphemy?
Jesus freaking Christ!* You really want to know what's unspeakable, vile, foul, filthy, profane, blasphemous and obscene? Congress, that's what. And the new majority in the House seems intent on keeping it that way.
Rangel takes his medicine.
*Editor's note: We know we probably should have said fucking instead of freaking, but this is a family publication and we try to eschew such vulgarity in case there are any adults who might be reading—even though they probably encounter that word half-a-dozen times a day. But we bet they won't run into the word eschew again any time soon.
You're welcome.
Joel Pett,