Rights Group Fires Publisher of Foley E-Mail

[Oilwellian]

WASHINGTON, Oct. 25 — A liberal gay rights group said Wednesday that one of its employees, acting anonymously, had created the Web site that first published copies of unusually solicitous e-mail messages to teenagers from former Representative Mark Foley, which led to his resignation.

A spokesman for the group, the Human Rights Campaign, said it first learned of its employee’s role this week and immediately fired him for misusing the group’s resources. The scandal surrounding Mr. Foley, a Florida Republican, has been a burdensome distraction for members of his party in the month before the midterm elections, and some Republicans have speculated that the e-mail messages were planted by a Democrat.

The rights campaign’s spokesman, David Smith, said the employee, whose name he declined to disclose, was a junior staff member hired last month to help mobilize the organization’s members in Michigan. “The minute we learned about it we took decisive action,” Mr. Smith said.

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/26/us/politics/26foley.html?ex=1319515200&en=bc6d3e30e59debc9&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss

Why did they fire him?

[Norquist Nemesis]

1. I think Karl and Ken shopped this story around

and the NYT took the bait. The second word of the first sentence is going to have Denny Hastert and the rest of the GOP out there screaming at the top of their lungs "See? See? I told you it was the Democrats!"

[Oilwellian]

3. Well let's hope it backfires

Whether it was a Democrat or Republican, Foley needed to be exposed. The human rights group that fired this guy should be asked why they fired someone who exposed a child predator in Congress.

[whistle]

2. Scapegoat!

[keepCAblue]

4. Ah, the good ol' HRC...

Once again the HRC both mystifies and alienates. The HRC is a sorry excuse for a "gay rights" advocacy group. I stopped supporting or respecting them years ago. They seem to be more devoted to throwing ritzy, glitzy black-tie events so to hob-nob with celebs and politicians than they are in effecting real change. I was shocked and disgusted to read recently that during Elizabeth Birch's entire tenure as head of the HRC (1995 to 2004), the HRC failed to get even ONE major LGBT piece of legislation passed, in spite of the extensive lobbying they claim to do AND with all the money poor working-class folk like me were continually donating. I don't donate to them anymore. I send my gay money now to the Victory Fund. They, at least, have real results to show for their efforts.

[Oilwellian]

5. Thanks for the insight

I had no idea who they were.