We Need A Better Tallahassee Press Corps

The Sunshine News is the last place you would expect to see a love letter penned to the late Molly Ivins. Columnist Nancy Smith cites Ivins take no prisoners approach to political reporting as what is needed. Smith says members of the Florida legislature have made the Tallahassee press corps their bitches.

Smart legislators in Florida don't fear the press. They take reporters out of their pocket when they feel like it, dance them around on a string for awhile, then stuff them back in.

In the year I've been in Tallahassee, I've seen it close up.

Smart legislators give up the colleagues they don't like or trust. Turn "secret" info about some poor representative or senator over to their favorite reporters, who are happy to jump on the stories. And all of a sudden we're reading some press guy/gal's great "investigative scoop." It's a scoop all right, and it may or may not be great. There just isn't much investigation involved.

I believe it. I remember the lame excuses given by the St. Petersburg Times for sitting on the Mark Foley predator story. The teen told St. Petersburg Times reporters that he felt uncomfortable with Foley emailing him and asking for a picture. Scott Montgomery, St. Petersburg Times Government & Politics Editor, wrote, "We found the Louisiana page and talked with him. He told us Foley's request for a photo made him uncomfortable so he never responded, but both he and his parents made clear we could not use his name if we wrote a story."

Short answer: the St. Petersburg Times blamed the teen's parents for them not covering the story. Did it ever occur to The Times to ask Foley if he sent the emails? That would be investigative reporting. More likely, The Times did not want to anger a Florida Congressman. Montgomery claimed, "There was nothing overtly sexual in the emails." Foley also asked the teen if he worked out. I guess that would be okay if someone on Facebook sent those kind of emails to the children of The Times political reporters. Somehow, I seriously doubt it.

Florida's most powerful newspaper was willing to roll over for Foley. Do you honestly expect the Tallahassee press corps to grill the legislature and Gov. Rick Scott? We need a better press corps.

Update: Peter Schorsch points out that Sunshine News's Lane Wright has been hired to be Gov. Rick Scott's press secretary. Schorsch sees Smith's op-ed as hypocrisy. I think Wright's hiring proves Smith's point that the media is too chummy with the Tallahassee political establishment.

Rachel Maddow v. Politifact

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Rachel Maddow takes on Politifact and her Twitter haters.

Poor Will See Tax Increases Under Obama Tax Cut Deal

The St. Petersburg Times editorial board rules that President Barack Obama got played on the tax cuts deal.

Another example: The president and congressional Republicans agreed to a 2 percent cut in payroll taxes for one year. While every working American would enjoy some benefit, those making $106,800 or more in 2011 would get the maximum $2,136 tax cut. A cut in payroll taxes can stimulate the economy, but it should have been targeted to middle- and lower-income households who are more likely to spend the money. It makes no sense to cut payroll taxes for all and deprive the Social Security system of the money just as the president's deficit commission and fiscal conservatives are focused on shoring up the program's future solvency.

The Tax Policy Center made this chart. Under the "Make Work Pay" tax cuts if you make under $10,000 you receive a $315 tax cut. The payroll holiday tax provides only a $118 tax cut for that bracket.

Obama let his "Make Work Pay" tax cuts sunset. In exchange, Obama got the payroll holiday tax cut. Republicans get to bleed Social Security and Medicare. In return, Obama raised taxes on the three lowest brackets. Those making between $10,000 to $20,000 will see their taxes increase by $173. The St. Petersburg Times is right. Obama got played.



Update: Lawrence Summers admits to Politico that taxes for those making under $20,000 will go up.

St. Pete Times Endorses Sink

Alex Sink has picked up the endorsement of the St. Petersburg Times.

Sink, 62, offers a blend of business experience from her career as a Florida banking executive and familiarity with government as the state's chief financial officer. The Democrat is a thoughtful, pragmatic leader who combines attention to detail with a broader vision for the future.

Sink is such an easy choice over Scott. The latter has run a disgracefully dirty campaign, refuses to release a deposition and runs when faced with answering questions from voters and journalists. Sink is a serious candidate who actually discusses policy issues in an adult manner. Hopefully, the voters with make the same choice as the St. Petersburg Times.

The St. Petersburg Times Endorses Dan Gelber

The best candidate in all the Florida statewide races has been officially endorsed by the St. Petersburg Times. The editorial board gave Dan Gelber a slam dunk endorsement.

The clear choice in this election is state Sen. Dan Gelber, a Miami Beach Democrat who has demonstrated his commitment to law and order, open government and fairness. He commands bipartisan respect in the Legislature, and he has impeccable legal credentials as a former federal prosecutor, former U.S. Senate investigator and a highly rated attorney.

In a just world we would be talking about Gelber getting an endorsement as a U.S. Senate or Florida gubernatorial candidate. Gelber is by far one of the most outstanding public officials in the state. Gelber does not come off as a blow hard and speaks intelligently about policy issues. Lord knows we can use more people like that in public office.

St. Petersburg Times Endorses Charlie Crist

It isn't that surprising that the St. Petersburg Times has endorsed Charlie Crist.

The final straw came this spring, when Crist vetoed the education bill that would have dramatically changed the way teachers are paid and evaluated. Republicans rammed the bill through the Legislature with no input from teachers or patience for dissent, and they expected the governor to go along. They later complained Crist originally supported the bill and flip-flopped for political gain. But the legislation's general merits were undermined by its flawed specifics. The governor was right to veto it.

That was not the first time Crist refused to join a Republican stampede. As attorney general, he was not among the Republicans in Tallahassee and Washington who tried to trample on the constitutional right to privacy in the Terri Schiavo feeding tube case. In a highly charged national debate, Crist quietly stuck to his convictions that government should stay out of an individual's most private decisions.

The St. Petersburg Times wasn't going to endorse Marco Rubio. What is bad for the Kendrick Meek campaign is they at one time had a legitimate shot at this endorsement. Meek hasn't proved he can beat Rubio in the general election. The St. Petersburg Times endorsement translate into anybody but Rubio.

Kendrick Meek Death Watch: Adam Smith Edition

Political reporter Adam Smith has a post on The Buzz on what Democrats will do if Kendrick Meek loses the primary. Smith even asked Meek would he endorse opponent Jeff Greene if he lost. The answer is no.

There has been considerable speculation that national and state Democratic leaders might actually back Charlie Crist, at least tacitly, rather than Greene. But if Greene writes a big check to the state party and/or DSCC bygones certainly could be bygones.This week we saw DSCC Chairman Robert Menendez say he would support Greene and Harry Reid try to knock down the talk of him cozying up with Crist. Could be fascinating to watch.

The Wall Street Journal reported Crist has had two conversations with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. Alfredo Balsera and Squier Knapp Dunn Communications have signed on to the Crist campaign. Both parties have worked on Barack Obama's 2008 presidential campaign. I have asked Meek camaign New Media Outreach director Kenneth Quinnell for comment on Obama people now working for Crist. I am still waiting for a response. My guess for why Quinnell hasn't responded is the false pretense of Obama supporting Crist can no longer be maintained. Meek is going to lose. The star political reporter of Florida's most powerful newspaper asking Meek if he will endorse Greene isn't a sign that people think Meek is going to catch on fire.

St. Petersburg Times Drops Lawsuit Against St. Pete

Alex Pickett wrote about how the city of St. Petersburg was banning street solicitation. The law was made by the St. Petersburg City Council to crack down on homeless people panhandling on the medium of roads. The St. Petersburg Times's street solicitors was going to be effected by the passage of the law. The St. Peterburg Times decided to sue to city.

The St. Petersburg Times has announced they are dropping the lawsuit.

Here's the proposed deal: Times Publishing Co., the parent company of the St. Petersburg Times, will drop its suit if the city agrees not to pursue legal fees.

And it is over. Many poor people that sell the Sunday Times for extra cash will be financially worse off. Apparently, campaign contributions can be free speech (which I agree with), but selling newspapers or panhandling is a public nuisance.

Interview With Dan Gelber

Adam Smith, of the St. Petersburg Times, interviews Senate candidate Dan Gelber. Gelber makes a strong case to implement the class-size amendment. Gelber points to Jeb Bush's and other Republicans efforts to undermine the voter approved amendment. Republicans are using the budget crisis as an excuse to kill class-size reductions. For the life of me, I can never figure out why Republicans are so commited to oversized classrooms.

St. Petersburg Times Endorses Kevin Beckner

Newspaper endorsements don't mean much. It does give Democratic Hillsborough County Commission candidate Kevin Beckner free advertising. All that is left for Beckner is the prestigious Creative Loafing endorsement. The winner of that endorsement reaches the voter demographic of people that read sex and massage parlor ads.

The St. Petersburg Times on Beckner:

His challenger, Democrat Kevin Beckner, would bring vision and sensitivity to this countywide job. A financial planner and former police officer, Beckner, 37, would move away from wedge issues and focus on real challenges — creating jobs, improving the transportation system, building parks and preserving endangered land. Beckner has commonsense ideas for jump-starting the local economy, making government more efficient and using mass transit to lessen the pain of high gas prices.

The underlining theme of the Tampa Tribune and Times endorsement is both newspapers strongly disapprove of Brian Blair. The Trib belittled Blair's intelligence and the Times questioned Blair's "qualifications and judgment." Both publications question if Blair can walk and chew gum at the same time.

The Helmet

The St. Petersburg Times editorial board blasted Hillsborough Couty Supervisor of Elections as "a poor public servant." The Times Jeff Testerman wrote two stories about how Johnson spent 18 days avoiding a subpoena. When it came time to testify, Johnson wore a football helmet in court. Perhaps Johnson is modeling himself after another famous conservative.



Johnson couldn't answer simple questions about voting registration. He protested to the NAACP lawyer, "I don't like these (questions)." Perhaps because he doesn't know the answers. Buddy was the kid in school that didn't study for the test and then complained about his grade.

Buddy used to conservative excuse about why he doesn't know a damn thing about election policy and office management. He is a big picture guy.

"My responsibility is the direction, the vision, and not the absolute minutia" handled by elections staffers, he testified.

It is hard for Buddy to convince people he understands the big picture, when he doesn't know where his office keeps the coffee maker.

Johnson refused to answer where he lives. John Poindexter's Iran-Contra testimony comes off as forthcoming compared to this shit. Ofcourse, Johnson may not want to declare where he lives because of his because of his tax problems. Johnson owns properties in Sarasota and Hillsbough counties. Johnson still owes $1,736.45 for his Thonotosassa Road property.

Not since Alberto Gonzales has a Republican come so unprepared to testify. Johnson's testimony illustrates he has been faking it. Buddy's level of incompetence gives would make Michael Brown cringe.

Johnson did not know how the county's database of registrations was sent to the state. He could not identify the most common registration verification problems at his office. He did not know if letters notifying voters of registration errors were sent in English and Spanish. He could not say whether a nickname, like "Buddy," would result in a failed match on a registration.

Is The Times editorial board serious about Buddy giving Jeb Bush a black eye? Bush appointed Buddy because he was a partisan hack that would disenfranchise voters. Johnson hired the pro-Republican law firm Broad & Cassel to work in the Elections office. Partner C. David Brown II worked on Jeb Bush's campaign. The Governor that made 95 calls to his brother's campaign team, during the recount, loves the work Buddy is during. The Times should not think otherwise.

One More Time

Eric Deggans writes a post about my criticism of him of his defense of the St. Petersburg Times censoring the Jessica Sierra pdf file and sitting on the Mark Foley story.

My response to Deggans in the comments.

I love the post title.

Actually, the past two days have been the fastest news days in my blog's history. 6,000 visitors today and still going.

So, much as it bothers Pushing Rope, I was standing up for the idea that journalists need to make sure they have a fair and accurate story before they publish something that, if it turns out to be untrue, could still wreck a Congressman's career."

The Foley story was true and Ross received emails from pages from all over the country.

What Hussey doesn't point out, for some reason, is that the Times was among a host of Florida and national media outlets which got the same tip...

I am writing about your defense of The Times mishandling of the story. What are you implying? If Fox News disregarded the page's story then that is good enough for The Times. Hardly a compelling argument.

I linked to your comment and quoted part of it in a blog post. I thought my audience should read your side of the story. I'm not waging a personal war against you, Eric. Your defense of the Foley events strike me as weak. One can hardly call it The Times finest moment.

I agree with Deggans that the media shouldn't print rumors. What bothered me was that The Times blew off the story after they interviewed the page.

By the way Eric: Howard Kurtz is a Republican and a very bad media critic.

PoHo On My Deggans Post

Wayne Garcia takes issue with "one point" in my post on St. Petersburg Times Eric Deggans.

Deggans is not an ombudsman in any sense of the word; he is a media reporter, mostly writing about other media forms and companies. Both dailies in town generally leave the other alone and out of their news columns.

Garcia is correct. As I said in the Political Whore comments: the ombudsman remark was snark. My point was Deggans has a hard time finding fault in the publication he works for. Deggans is a good media critic, with the exception when it comes to his own newspaper. Deggans responsibilities at The St. Petersburg Times is not the same as the Washington Post's Deborah Howell.

Garcia's post brings up an unsaid truth. The Tampa Tribune and St. Petersburg Times have an unspoken agreement to not critique each other's journalism standards. The losers are readers that aren't aware if they are misinformed. Bloggers are happy to point out inaccuracies in news articles. With the exception of huge blogs such as Huffington Post and Daily Kos, weblogs do not reach the same audience as newspapers. Readers will never know if they read sloppy journalism. The hands-off attitude between the Tampa Tribune and St. Petersburg Times hurts citizens attempting to make informed choices.

Update: Eric Deggans takes exception with my previous post.

The fact is, I have found fault with many things my employer has done, most notably, the April TBT headline "He Died of Shame," which accompanied a story on WFLA weatherman John winter's suicide.

I wrote a direct criticism of that headline on my blog which was picked up by many national media blogs, including Poynter's Romenesko site and Mediabistro.com. I did it with little or no discussion with superiors and no idea what the professional consequences would be.

I also criticized TBT's pattern of running in-your face headlines to go with stories written for our main paper which are more fairly balanced.

When the New York Times ran a blindingly complimentary article about our business model, I wrote a blog post which pointed out that it was a mistaken hypothesis, given all the reductions we're going through these days.

I haven't read the articles Deggans mentioned. I have no oppinion pro or con. Deggans has the right to defend himself. Go read his comment.

Eric Deggans: Media Critic That Won't Criticize His Employer

I'm a fan of Eric's work, but he always defends the St. Petersburg Times. Deggans defends The St. Petersburg Times blacking out vulgar language in the transcript of Jessica Sierra's arrest.

Maybe i’m old fashioned. But I think the word censored should be reserved for omissions of higher importance than this one.

Sigh. Given that we already said in news stories that she offered oral sex to the office and hurled racial slurs at him after the arrest, I’m not all that worked up over the blackouts. I do wish we had given readers the choice to click through to an uncensored report, with knowledge that they would see some baldfaced language…

Political Whore blogger Wayne Garcia made the point that the internet is not the same as the family print edition of the Times. How many kids are going to read a pdf dirty words of a Z list celebrity? It makes little sense to treat online readers as if they were children.

Deggans is a media critic that never sees fault with his employer. Case in point is the Times handling of sitting on the Mark Foley story.

It's enough of a judgment call that I don't blame our reporters for deciding not to run the story -- though I wish we had gotten to the bottom of this before other media outlets did.

The email scandal which forced West Palm Beach Congressman Mark Foley to resign keeps getting weirder and weirder -- especially for the media.

The Times' government and politics editor filed a long-ish blog post Saturday explaining why we never wrote a story on Foley's milder emails to a page last year, even though we learned of them back then. Of course, it's easy to second-guess such judgments in hindsight, but if a similar flap earlier this year involving allegations against Charlie Crist proves anything, it's that we move carefully when it comes to explosive allegations which might be a disguised political attack, especially close to an election.

Foley's seat was safe. It wasn't a secret that CREW gave the FBI the original emails. The emails came from pages, not Democratic political operatives. The Times questioned one Louisiana page and blew him off. If a teenager went to the Times about a teacher sending these kind of emails, the Times would run with it and question the teacher. The Times never asked Foley if the email came from his office.

Eric Deggans makes a poor ombudsman for the Times. He ran a Times talking point.

Of course, it's easy to second-guess such judgments in hindsight, but if a similar flap earlier this year involving allegations against Charlie Crist proves anything, it's that we move carefully when it comes to explosive allegations which might be a disguised political attack, especially close to an election.

NEIL BROWN, Executive Editor:

In the days before the September primary, this newspaper was tipped to allegations about the personal life of Republican gubernatorial front-runner Charlie Crist, including a charge that he was involved in a paternity dispute over the birth of a girl 17 years ago.

If the Times truly believed this was a political attack than it would have been a major news story to expose the perpetrator. Politico exposed the anti-Muslim smear email on Barack Obama by the Hillary Clinton campaign. The Times thought it might be a smear, but didn't investigate further. That excuse doesn't make sense.

It was common knowledge that Foley was gay. That can hardly be called a rumor. That is why Foley didn't run for the Senate in 2006. Pages were warned to avoid Foley. Foley believed his political clout shielded him from repercussions. The Times justified Foley's mightier-than-God attitude.

Charlie Crist is a totally different subject than Foley. The Times compares rumors of a gay man having sex with other adults to a sexual predator. That is insulting to the gay community. Did the Times even hand the emails to law enforcement? That would have been the responsible thing to do. The best Deggans can do is say is the Times did nothing wrong. Actually, the Times did nothing. That is why people were upset with the newspaper.

Update: PoHo on My Deggans Post

Mark Foley Saga Continues

The Blotter reports Mark Foley will not be prosecuted because the three-year statute of limitations have expired. The law Foley would have been prosecuted under is Florida Statute 847.0135.

(3) CERTAIN USES OF COMPUTER SERVICES PROHIBITED.--Any person who knowingly utilizes a computer on-line service, Internet service, or local bulletin board service to seduce, solicit, lure, or entice, or attempt to seduce, solicit, lure, or entice, a child or another person believed by the person to be a child, to commit any illegal act described in chapter 794, relating to sexual battery; chapter 800, relating to lewdness and indecent exposure; or chapter 827, relating to child abuse, commits a felony of the third degree, punishable as provided in s. 775.082, s. 775.083, or s. 775.084.

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement was attempting to prosecute Foley for a 2003 online chat. he corresponded with a 17 year-old male. Foley was in a Pensecola, Florida hotel room during the exchange. The transcript is graphic.

Maf54: did any girl give you a haand job this weekend

Xxxxxxxxx: lol no

Xxxxxxxxx: im single right now

Xxxxxxxxx: my last gf and i broke up a few weeks agi

Maf54: are you

Maf54: good so your getting horny

Xxxxxxxxx: lol…a bit

Maf54: did you spank it this weekend yourself

Xxxxxxxxx: no

Xxxxxxxxx: been too tired and too busy

Maf54: wow…

Maf54: i am never to busy haha

The St. Petersburg Times continues to defend sitting on the Foley story.

St. Petersburg Times Executive Editor Neil Brown defended his decision not to run the Foley story after they received "creepy" messages from a Louisiana page in which Foley was seeking a photograph.

"I led deliberations with our top editors, and we concluded that we did not have enough substantiated information to reach beyond innuendo," Brown wrote in an October 2006 editorial. "We couldn't come up with a strong enough case to explain to a teenager's parents why, over their vehement pleas to drop the matter, we needed to make their son the subject of a story - and the incredible scrutiny that would surely follow.

"It added up to this conclusion," Brown added. "To print what we had seemed to be a shortcut to taint a member of Congress without actually having the goods."

Scott Montgomery of The Times gave me this reason for not running the Foley.

Michael,
Adam sent me a copy of your email seeking comment. Here's what I can tell you. As a matter of policy, the St. Petersburg Times doesn't publish stories that make accusations based upon sources we can't name. At the time that we first looked into this, the information we had simply didn't meet our standard. But when Tim Mahoney went on the record on the matter, we felt we should tell readers what we knew.

The Times didn't seen concerned about how the press attention would affect the teenage boy who had sex with Debra Lafave. The email exchange between Foley and the Louisiana teen was the worst kept secret in Washington. The teen told Rep. Rodney Alexander about the online exchange. He told the Congressman, "I still haven’t emailed him back, and I don’t think I will for a while, if ever. What do you think about it all?" The Times could have tried another novel idea. Ask Foley if he sent the email.

The Times did not review their editorial process and publish the findings. That is what the New York Times did after the Jayson Blair and Judith Miller scandals. Instead, they decided to use plausible deniability as a defense. Journalism at it's best is a search for the truth. A Pulitzer Prize-winning newspaper shouldn't be making statements that would make White House Press Sec. Tony Snow cringe.

Susan Stanton For Congress?

Now this is interesting. The St Petersburg Times is implying Susan Stanton may challenge Vern Buchanan for his seat.

A career change also might be in her future. Stanton said she's not sure what her next step will be, but her recent experiences have led her to think about going into educational administration or maybe even running for Congress.

"I actually enjoy getting out meeting folks and connecting with people in ways I never thought I would," she said.

Stanton is a registered Republican. In the unlikely chance that she beat Buchanan in the primary; he would most likely face Christine Jennings as his challenger. It would be interesting to see which candidate progressives root for.

The St. Petersburg Times failed to mention that Stanton took a shot of the media's superficial coverage.

``Not a single person has focused on what I wear, the type of shoes I have on or the type of necklace I am wearing. It's just not an issue,'' Stanton said before the vote.

I wonder if Stanton is talking about The Times?

Later in the morning, she had her first professional blow dry and manicure.

For the day's events, her hair was styled fluffy on top with wispy bangs in front. She chose a soft rose color to accent her sporty nails. She admired herself in the mirror.

"I could get used to this, " she said, as the manicurist massaged her hands.

That is some hard-hitting journalism.

St Petersburg Times Horrible Stanton Coverage Continues

The St. Petersburg Times coverage of Susan Stanton has been horrible. Now it has morphed into an episode of Oprah.

A blow dry, manicure

Monday night's reception capped a busy day for Stanton, who awoke about 2:50 a.m. She couldn't sleep, so she wrote in her journal for an hour and a half.

About 5 a.m., she went on a run to the Washington Monument, Lincoln Memorial and Capitol. Later that morning, she changed hotels after a scheduling conflict, checking in for the first time as Susan Stanton. She had to travel to Washington as Steve Stanton.

Later in the morning, she had her first professional blow dry and manicure.

For the day's events, her hair was styled fluffy on top with wispy bangs in front. She chose a soft rose color to accent her sporty nails. She admired herself in the mirror.

"I could get used to this, " she said, as the manicurist massaged her hands.

Stanton is in Washington to lobby Congress to back hate crimes legislation. You won't find out much about that from the article. You do learn Stanton ate a salad.

Giving the St. Petersburg Times Credit For Their Exclusive

Litbrit wrote about the debut of Susan Stanton. Both Litbrit and I have written about the City of Largo firing Steve Stanton because of his plans to become Susan. I was troubled by tho paragraphs in the St. Petersburg Times article.

He had been Largo's city manager for 14 years. He had rappeled with the firefighters and broken his nose with the SWAT team. When he decided to become a woman, he told only a few people. His wife knew, his son did not. But in February someone told the newspaper.

Then came the speedy firing, and then CNN, the Daily Show and Larry King. Then came the pack of lesbian lawyers telling him whom to talk to, what to say.

The "newspaper" that broke the story was the St. Petersburg Times. They didn't even have the heart to take credit for their scoop. They called the article a "Times exclusive." They failed to mention that Stanton asked them to hold on the story until he could tell his son. The Times went forward.

In February, the Stanton story was an exclusive. In May, the article was published by a unnamed newspaper. How things change in the matter of months.

Side note: is anyone else troubled by Lane DeGregory refering to Stanton's legal council as a "pack of lesbian lawyers." What the hell does he mean by that?

Mark Foley's Emails To Former Teen Intern

Now I don't know if this is overblown or not. This has the potential to be a major controversy for Mark Foley.

In the exchange, Foley asked the boy about weathering Hurricane Katrina and wrote, “send me an email pic of you.” In another email, Foley told the boy he was on a break from Congress and was in Florida. He asked the boy “how old are you now?”

The boy forwarded excerpts from the emails to congressional staffers and said, “Maybe it is just me being paranoid, but seriously. This freaked me out.”

The boy, who is not being identified because of his age, told the St. Petersburg Times in an interview last November, when the Times first learned of the emails, that he cut off correspondence with Foley.

“I thought it was very inappropriate,” the boy told the Times. “After the one about the picture, I decided to stop emailing him back.”

Foley has had an email exchange with another teen office page. The page was surprised that the Congressman contacted him. Foley's people told ABC News that they often asked for photos of interns. That doesn't explain why Foley would need a photo of a former-intern. The St. Petersburg Times reports that thety asked Foley's office about intern hiring practices, a year ago, and photos were never mentioned.

Some excerpts from the email.

glad your home safe and sound...we dont go back into sessionuntil Sept 5,,,,si its a nice long break...I am back in Florida now...its nice here..been raining today...it sounds like you will have some fun over the next few weeks...how old are you now?...

I am in North Carolina..and its over 100 degrees in New Orleans...wow that's really hot...well do you miss DC...Its raining here but 68 degrees so you can argue..did you have fun at your conference....what do you want for your birthday coming up...what stuff do you like to do

how are you weathering the hurricane...are you safe...send me an email pic of you as well....

The teen boy is 16 years-old.

Update: Journalist Bob Norman comes out and states Mark Foley is gay. I asked Norman, in the comments of his blog, what's his sourcing. I'm also concerned that gays will be bashed for Foley's actions. We don't see attractive blonds ridiculed because of Debra Lafave. And they shouldn't be. Whatever Foley's actions are do not represent the gay community.

Update: Here are other posts on the Mark Foley story.

Mark Foley Resigns
St. Petersburg Times Sat On Mark Foley Story
St. Petersburg Times Blows It On Mark Foley
The Tom Reynolds, Dennis Hastert & Mark Foley Connection
FBI Investigating Mark Foley
White House Opposes independent investigation into Foley
Mark Foley in Rehab
More Pages Talk About Foley Emails
Matt Drudge Blames Kids For Foley Troubles
Jeb Bush Letter to Dennis Hastert
Hastert Made Same Mistakes With Foley As He Did With Delay