Jackson Free Press

With the shadow of the Republican National Convention fading, there are many stories that were overlooked by press outlets or purposefully ignored. One scandalous story that barely hit the waves is the "outing" of U.S. Rep. Ed Schrock, R-Va.

Ed Schrock? Who is he? First, I feel it is important to give a brief history on Mr. Schrock and why he is an important pawn in this election, a pillar of the party, and perhaps an icon of the double standards that hide within the Republican wing of politics. People like Rep. Schrock are one of a few reasons I predict the Republican Party will implode in the next few years and face the same in-fighting and weakness as seen by the Dems over the last few years.

Ed Schrock represents the Second District of Virginia and is serving his second term as a Republican congressman. According to the bio on his Web site, "he serves on the House Armed Services, Budget, Small Business, and Government Reform Committees." His bio goes on to stress his involvement in military and defense issues as well as important social issues. He was a Navy officer, and his military record is not in question like it is for the two men vying for the White House. In other words, Schrock is a poster-boy for the Republicans based on military service and an extremely conservative voting record.

Recently, Schrock has campaigned to repeal Clinton's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy on gays in the military because he believes sexuality is the military's business. As well, Schrock supports the Federal Marriage Amendment, which would amend the U.S. Constitution to prohibit gay marriage, civil-unions and other forms of legal recognition for gay partnerships by defining marriage as solely being between a man and a woman. He not only supports this; he signed on to be one of a dozen or so co-sponsors during its formation.

Now that we have established Schrock's history, we can move onto the interesting part of this story. The man the Christian Coalition of America gave a 92 percent rating in their voting guide for 2003 (a very good rating in the CCA's eyes) just announced that he will not be seeking a third term in office. Schrock said that unspecified allegations "called into question my ability to represent the citizens of Virginia's 2nd Congressional District."

Actually, the allegations have been specified. Google the keywords "Schrock" and "allegations," and you will find that Rep. Schrock allegedly had a bit of "don't ask, don't tell" going on in his own secret closet. Based on the information floating in cyberspace, fed by activist Michael Rogers of BlogActive.com, it would appear Schrock might like to get together with "a guy from time to time, just to play."

I will leave the specific accusations to your own Internet investigation, but I can tell you the allegations are mighty detrimental—and hypocritical, to say the least—for a man with such a conservative record and position. This information about Schrock is only the beginning, according to BlogActive.com's Michael Rogers—whose blog is aimed at exposing hypocrites in Congress.

Speaking of hidden homosexuals in the Republican Party, did anyone see Dick Cheney's openly lesbian daughter Mary Cheney on stage during the GOP convention with her partner? No, you didn't. Mary and her sisters were hidden from the stage unlike any convention in the past. Ironic: A platform promoting "compassion" and a "big tent" forces a father to choose between his politics and his family because his daughter is a lesbian.

For too long, the right has attacked the left and center for faults and cracks within their systems—while not addressing their own. As an Independent tired of the hypocrisy in the Republican ranks, it is nice to see them being fed their own medicine for once. They are suffering from their own politics and extreme swing to the minority of radical voters on the fringe right.

These issues are not being reported fairly. Few Republicans, other than the gay Log Cabin Republicans, have taken the party to task on their position including but not limited to homosexuality. Why do so few media outlets have the integrity to challenge Schrock? Why have the majority of Republicans and conservative voters not challenged the issue of Cheney and his family? Why do so few question why Mary Cheney won't openly discuss her sexuality in relation to the party's stance? Why is it OK for the Republicans to live double lives without the same exposure and smear applied to their political nemeses?

We need to begin questioning those who promote negativity and those who attack fellow Americans (whether we agree or not). We need to question their motives. We need to question those who have votes and money on their minds more than the well-being of us—all of us—and our country. We need to demand honesty from our leaders and expect them to live the lives they portray—not hide on gay Internet dating sites or force their daughters into a second-class position because it might lose a few fringe-right votes.

After all was said and done, President Clinton was impeached for misleading the country about his extramarital affairs. Why is it OK for the Republicans to lie about who they really are for votes and money?

Knol Aust is a Web designer, writer and photographer who lives in Fondren with his partner, Duane.

Previous Comments

ID

69391

Comment

More hypocrisy from the, er, Right.... According to a transcript of the program, Swaggart said: "I'm trying to find the correct name for it ... this utter absolute, asinine, idiotic stupidity of men marrying men. ... I've never seen a man in my life I wanted to marry. And I'm gonna be blunt and plain; if one ever looks at me like that, I'm gonna kill him and tell God he died." The remarks were met with applause from his congregation. The program was taped at Swaggart's ministry in New Orleans where voters Saturday agreed to amend the Louisiana constitution to bar same-sex marriage. Source All this "holier-than-thou" from a man arrested for soliciting a prostitute! And since when did Christians start promoting hate and violence (wink, wink). Sounds to me like Swaggart has a few tendancies he'd prefer to repress...

Author

kaust

Date

2004-09-20T07:25:17-06:00

ID

69392

Comment

How nice?!? Thought I'd add to the list of GOP (Gay? Oh, Please!) scandals... [quote]In an Internet chat room last New Yearís Eve where he discussed his recent date with an 18-year-old man, Spokane Mayor Jim West criticized the ìsex Nazisî who try to regulate private sexual behavior. For years, thatís exactly what West tried to do in Olympia. Over two decades, West rose to power in the Washington Legislature with a carefully cultivated image as a fiscally conservative Republican opposed to gay rights, abortion rights and teenage sex. His abrasive style and temper were legendary in Olympia. But even his opponents speak highly of his legislative and budgetary skills, which have made him one of the stateís most powerful politicians. Because of his clout as the former Senate majority leader and his reputation for attacking his enemies, no one has publicly confronted West about any discrepancy between his private sexual behavior and his political stances, people in politics and in Spokaneís gay community have said.[/quote] Full Story

Author

kaust

Date

2005-05-06T11:14:27-06:00