AIM brought down Foley, imagine what will bring down lawmakers 10-15 years

[NNguyenMD]

from now.

You mix the recklessness of an 18-20 year old kid in college today with AIM, blogs, myspace, online journals, You Tube, and fast forward 15 years, that kid could be the next candidate for congress, or the senate.

Don't get me wrong, I get a very strong inkling that Mark Foley has tons of skeletons in the closet. His abrupt resignation without so much of a fight screams that there is something more going on.

But for every angry fanatical online tirade that goes on between young adults and college kids on the internet, you have to wonder much of that will come back to haunt them should they enter public life?

When I was in college 3 years ago, I sat on the student body disciplinary committee, and we would have students report harassment from other students with transcripts of their AIM exchanges. It is easily conceivable that the candidates of tommorow will face similar charges, and "Myspace-gate" or "AIM-gate" will become very much apart of political culture. Just a thought that crossed my mind as I was reading about the Foley resignation.

[MadMaddie]

1. If they are stupid enough to use the technology for illicit behavior

then they have no business in WA.....

If they are this reckless with their own lives...how reckless are they with Americans lives...

[NNguyenMD]

5. I wouldn't say illicit behavior, but how about an angry conversation that

gets out of hand. Those transcripts are easily saveable online, and could come back to haunt someone who made the simple mistake of losing control at the point in time.

I'm not saying that we're all angels, we know each of us have our embarassing moments. The thing is that today, those embarassing moments are so easily digitally saved on the internet forever and ever. And the leaders of tommorow, who are the college kids today that use these methods to communicate with each other, are going to have a lot of embarrassing things online to explain. Thats all that I am saying.

[rodeodance]

7. lots of young teens 'chatting' about their personal lives and problems.

[bobbolink]

2. What is AIM? I know it as American Indian Movement....

but I don't think that's what you're referring to.

Too many letters, too little meaning.... :)

[catmandu57]

3. Some kind of instant messaging?

American Indian Movement is the first thing I thought of as well.

[NNguyenMD]

4. haha sorry, it stands for AOL Instant Messenger

its a VERY popular program young people use to talk to their friends online. If you're a parent, its probably not a bad idea to know what your kid's AIM screen name is if they have one.

Apparently, it is also what Mark Foley used to communicate with these teenage pages as well.

[rodeodance]

6. and future EmployERS

[OrangeCountyDemocrat]

8. I May Be Guilty Of Many Vicious Posts.....

But I can honestly say that I have never, and will never make overt advances to a 16 yr. old male via e-mail or im's.

I guess that limits my chances of running for Congress, but oh well.

[NNguyenMD]

9. my point exactly

I think its safe to say that most of us get over the top now and then online.

We have a race in Virginia now about whether or not Jim Webb has ever used the "N-word"? Look, I don't care about that, I care more about what Mr. Webb's stance what he thinks is the best way to improve impoverished African American communities. I care about what his stance is on affrimative action, I care about what are his ideas on curbing racial profiling.

I DON'T GIVE A SHIT ABOUT WHAT HE DID OR DIDN'T SAY YEARS AGO!!!!

But the feeling I get is the elections of tommorow are going be "what he thought about gay's or asian when he was an undergraduate at Princeton" or whatever, and the silver bullet will come from the AIM transcript that some candidate had with his drinking buddy in the middle of the night before finals week.

The elections of the future is going to be a blown up version of a gossiping high school cafeteria.

[OrangeCountyDemocrat]

11. I'll Take It Any Way I Can Get It At This Point

If it takes dragging someone down for a racial slur uttered 20 years ago, then that's fine with me.

These SOB's don't play by the rules, so FUCK 'EM.

Besides, anybody who is enough of a scum to do the stuff Allen did, deserves whatever horrible fate may befall them.

[NNguyenMD]

12. Allen left a deer's head at the home of a family he thought was black

that is far and beyond sick to me. His ass gets the boot.

[rzemanfl]

13. As an old heterosexual male, I have found these simple rules

effective: 1) past the age of consent, and 2) older than your youngest daughter. A lot of Repukes violate the latter rule later in life.

[TahitiNut]

10. "Live by the sword. Die by the sword."

:shrug:

Those who eagerly climb into the political food-chain with the presumption of sitting at the top deserve being eaten.