Oct 19, 2006 By Commentary Jane Sheehan 3 min read

Some points may be worth considering in the Mark Foley scandal. The U.S. Representative from Florida resigned from Congress and ran to rehab, further misusing the system that protected and enabled him in his obscene behavior, and joining a non-illustrious list of politicians, celebrities and professional sports players who “cut and run” (President Bush’s insult to patriots who oppose his war) when caught red-handed. Rehab, whether for alcoholism or other conditions, is not a place to hide out from the law or impending consequences; it is about a good faith effort to work on recovering from addictions with honesty and responsibility.

One basic goal of recovery is to work through denial – that condition which allowed Foley to operate and his cohorts to cover up his transgressions. The very fact that Foley was able to sprint into rehab for an unspecified amount of time – 30 days or more – is an insult to regular people living in the real world to which a month of treatment is unaffordable.

Rehabs have criteria for admission, limited space and dwindling funding, thanks in part to the political party of which Foley is a member. Ordinary people needing drug and alcohol treatment have to clear it through their health insurance company, if they are fortunate enough to have health insurance and coverage for addiction treatment.

Inpatient treatment is usually limited to a few days, if it’s covered and a spot is available. The person then is referred to outpatient therapy and they return to take their chances in the community; they are not insulated in some cushy resort where they avoid reality – thanks to the excellent health insurance provided by overburdened taxpayers to the chosen few “public servants,” such as Foley.

Misconceptions abound, it would seem. Homosexual does not mean that a person is a same-sex pedophile, any more than heterosexual means that a person preys on opposite-sex children.

Pedophilia is an aberrant behavior of some homosexuals and some heterosexuals. And studies show that a person is not coerced by sexual abuse to become a homosexual.

Foley is now citing past abuse as a factor in his condition. Having been abused as a child, while tragic, and being drunk are not a green light for abusing others, and thus are not an excuse. Foley egregiously abused the public trust.

He is a predator, with House Speaker Dennis Hastert, et al, as likely accomplices, as they were loath to expose this abuse of power by one of their own – while preaching family values and lecturing people on how they should live.

Columnist Ann Coulter’s slanted opinion notwithstanding, it was not laudable that Foley resigned; it was self-serving, as he is now beyond being disciplined by Congress.

The hypocritical, sanctimonious right wing extremists have too much influence on the present administration. Their time should be up.

Jane Sheehan of Brownsville is the community member of the Herald-Standard editorial board.