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RedditSex scandals, at least in societies dominated by guilt-sodden Protestants, fulfill the therapeutic function usually attributed to pleasant or exciting sex: exploration of intimate areas of political life, surfacing "issues" normally repressed. America can't talk about Iraq, where American boys are raping 14-year-old girls and shooting families at close range, can't talk about torture, so instead we focus on what former Republican Representative Mark Foley wrote to a page about boxer shorts and their contents. What's the other option? Pack a tube of sex lubricant, holster up, grab a box of ammo and head for the Amish schoolhouse.
Here's Foley (code-named Maf54) in instant-message mode in April 2003:
Maf54: I miss you
Teen: ya me too
Maf54: we are still voting
Maf54: you miss me too
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