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<< Previous   of   Next >>   ADVERTISEMENT   CONTACT THE HERALD Robert Frank, City Editor frank@heraldnet.com   Published: Saturday, August 8, 2009 Republican County Council candidate Greg Stephens' messy past is now in open By Noah Haglund Herald Writer Long before he decided to run for Snohomish County Council, Greg Stephens was involved in a divorce, called a camper home and pleaded guilty to taking indecent liberties with a 9-year-old girl. His ex-wife said that psychiatrists treating him warned her not to leave him alone with children, according to court documents. When Stephens, 60, announced Thursday that he was withdrawing from the race, he made no mention of the charges contained in King County Superior Court documents. He said he wanted to leave the campaign because of a badly broken wrist. The Seattle Times on Friday reported that Stephens dropped out of the race Thursday after it contacted him about the criminal charges. He did not return calls or an e-mail on Friday. Under state election law, Stephens cannot technically withdraw from the race so his name will appear on the Aug. 18 primary ballot. The general election is Nov. 3. Stephens was one of three Republicans challenging incumbent Dave Somers, a Democrat. The Snohomish County Republican Party had not endorsed Stephens, or the other Republicans, Steve Dana and Vern Little. The local party distanced itself from Stephens on Friday. “Most of the Republicans I've talked to don't know him,” party chairman James Kellett said. King County Superior Court documents show that Stephens pleaded guilty in 1983 to indecent liberties, a felony. He was sentenced to five years of community supervision, which he completed in 1988, said Joseph Mitchell, a spokesman for the Washington State Department of Corrections. A judge also ordered Stephens to seek counseling, court documents said. The case involved a 9-year-old girl living in north King County. After Stephens' arrest, King County authorities objected to his release because he was living in a camper on the back of a pickup truck. In divorce papers from the early 1980s, before his arrest, Stephens' ex-wife swore out a statement that he was receiving psychiatric treatment related to sexual abuse of a child. In a response, Stephens said he entered the counseling voluntarily to appease his wife. He said it was for “our marriage and the underlying marital problems.” At one point, he said he “did a self-evaluation and sincerely felt that I did not need any further treatment.” He said he was living out of his pickup for two years because of financial problems. During an interview in early July, Stephens claimed he worked briefly as a sheriff's deputy in Los Angeles County before moving to Washington and working for 30 years as an ambulance driver. At the time of his injury, he said he was working as a hotel security officer. For several years, Stephens has advocated forming a new city in the unincorporated Maltby area and has served on several government advisory boards. He has never held political office, and in 2005 came in last in the County Council race against then-incumbent Jeff Sax. Somers won the race. After that election, complaints that Stephens actually lived in King County prompted an investigation into his residency. He claimed his address was an uninhabitable house in Maltby. The investigation found that he committed no crime. A judge later ruled he was able to run as a candidate in Snohomish County. County elections manager Garth Fell said Friday that officials now are investigation whether Stephens' past felony conviction should have prevented him from running. Noah Haglund: 425-339-3465, nhaglund@heraldnet.com. READER COMMENTS Log in or register to post new comment | Log out You missed the whole point You know as well as I do, Mike, that the list of Democrats caught in these misdeeds is equally long. No one can be intellectually honest and argue that Republicans are inexplicably more likely to be caught in moral scandals than Democrats just because they believe in lower taxes and oppose abortion. I'm certainly not arguing the inverse. My point is how differently the Party's themselves deal with scandal. In the list you provided, which I didn't read fully, I didn't see any Republican who escaped the desctruction of their political career. The Republican rank-and-file force resignations when their "dirty laundry" is aired. Democrats simply don't care. Once again, it's not the scandal itself that Democrats dislike, it's the percieved hypocrisy. As though they feel better about their own moral shortcomings because someone who claimed to stand for morality fell short. I've heard this same faulty logic from hard-living drug addicts and alcoholics. They point to "Christians" who are hypocrites and use it as a crutch or excuse for their own unwillingness to change their behavior. The Democrat Party does the same thing. They don't have any strong opinions about societal morality, so they jump all over any Republican who falls because it makes them feel justified that they don't even claim to be moral. Once again, the difference is not in which party has more scandals. The difference is in how each responds. Republicans tend to be embarrassed, while Democrats tend to have what the ancient Hebrew prophet Jeremiah called a "prostitute's forehead"...an inability to blush with shame. Chad Minnick | Aug 10, 2009 11:08 am | 0 replies | View all | Post reply | Request removal GOP (just a short list) 2009 Mark Sanford, governor of South Carolina, disappears during Father's Day weekend, returning to confess an extramarital affair in Argentina.[1][2][3] John Ensign, Senator from Nevada, refuses to resign after confessing to an extramarital affair with a married staffer, claiming she was trying to extort him.[4][5] Alan David Berlin in all his gloryAlan David Berlin, He is an aide for Senator Jane Orie of Pennsylvania. He is also a furry who contacted a fifteen year old boy over the internet, and offered to "yiff" the boy in a panda outfit, while his parents weren't home. The parents discovered the graphic emails on the boy's computer and called the attorney general's child predator unit sometime in May. Police raided his home and discovered various furry outfits such as a wolf costume, as well as a cat outfit; all complete with two holes cut out at the undersides of the costumes. He is now arraigned in Dauphin County jail on a $250,000 bail.[6][7][8][9] Possibly Chip Pickering and a number of others. [10] 2008 Bruce Barclay, former Cumberland County commissioner, videotaped hundreds of sexual encounters — many with male escorts — using cameras hidden throughout his Monroe Township home.[11] Matthew Joseph Elliott, former aide to Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney, was convicted of sexual exploitation of a child.[12] Vito Fossella, the only Republican member of Congress from New York City, admitted to police to having a child out-of-wedlock when stopped for drunk driving.[13] Robert McKee, Republican delegate from Western Maryland, announced his resignation after authorities seized two computers, videotapes and printed materials from his Hagerstown home in a child pornography investigation. McKee also resigned his position as executive director of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Washington County.[14] Daniel Dean Thompson, 31, a Utah retailer of "family-friendly" tapes and DVDs (Hollywood films with the "dirty parts" removed), arrested and booked into the Utah County jail on charges of sexual abuse and unlawful sexual activity with a 14-year-old.[15] Derek Walker, former Eagle Scout and candidate seeking the GOP nomination in a race for north-central Pennsylvania district, was charged with felony burglary and criminal trespass stemming from an encounter last year with an ex-girlfriend, during which he allegedly broke into her home and used his cell phone to videotape her engaged in an intimate moment with another man.[16] 2007 Robert "Bob" Allen, Florida state Rep. arrested in the afternoon at a Veteran's Memorial Park for solicitation of prostitution from an undercover male officer inside a restroom. According to the papers, Bob "offer[ed] to perform oral sex for $20". Bob later claimed that his offer had something to do with his being afraid of black people.[17] John David Roy Atchison, Republican prosecutor, was arrested for soliciting sex from a 5-year old girl, then killed himself three weeks later. At the time of his arrest, Atchison was an "assistant U.S. attorney" appointed by President Bush's attorney general.[18] E. Ozwald Balfour, chairman of the Utah Republican Black Assembly and elected to the Republican State Central Committee in 2007, even though he was awaiting trial on four felony counts of forcible sex abuse dating back to his arrest in February, 2005.[19] John Bryan, Republican city councilman, killed himself after police began investigating allegations that he had molested three girls, including two of his adopted daughters, ages 12 and 15.[20] Larry Craig Republican Senator for Idaho, was arrested on July 11, 2007, by plainclothes police officer investigating complaints of lewd behavior in a Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport airport men's room. On August 8 in Hennepin County Municipal Court in Bloomington, Minnesota, Craig entered a guilty plea and paid a $500 fine.[21]. On September 1st, Craig subsequently announced his retirement from the Senate[22]. Five days later, Craig changed his mind, renounced his retirement and began a battle to have his guilty plea overturned.[23] John R. Curtin, Monroe County state Republican committeeman, was convicted of molesting an underage teenage boy and sentenced to serve six to 18 months in prison.[24] Richard Curtis, Washington State Rep., resigned from the House after reports of his sexual encounter with a male escort became public.[25] Donald Fleischman, Brown County, WI, Republican Party Chairman, resigned his post after he was charged with two counts of child enticement, two counts of contributing to the delinquency of a child and a single charge of exposing himself to a child.[26] Larry Dale Floyd, Republican Constable in Denton County, Texas Precinct Two. Arrested for allegedly crossing state lines to have sex with an 8-year old child and was charged with 7 related offenses. Age 62 at time of arrest.[27] Ted Klaudt, former South Dakota State Rep., found guilty of four counts of second-degree rape of two teenage foster daughters.[28][29] Ronald C. Kline, Republican Judge in Orange County, CA, pleaded guilty to possession of child pornography on his home computer after six years of legal wrangling. In 2002, charged with child molestation and under house arrest on federal charges of possessing child pornography, political analysts still gave him a 50-50 chance of winning the March 5 primary for the Orange County Superior Court seat. He lost the election to a write-in candidate. Joseph M. McDade, 75, was issued a summons on a charge of exposure of sexual organs, a misdemeanor that carries up to a year in jail and a $1,000 fine. The longtime Pennsylvania Republican congressman who served for 36 years in the House and now works for a Washington lobbying firm, has been accused of exposing his private parts to two women at a beach resort on Sanibel Island. [30] Patrick Lee McGuire, former former Flagler County Commissioner, surrendered to police after allegedly molesting girls between the ages of 8 and 13.[31] Jon Matthews, Republican talk show host in Houston, was indicted for indecency with a child, including exposing his genitals to a girl under the age of 17.[32] Joseph Monteleone Jr., Elyria city councilman, was found guilty of fondling underage girls and asking them to have sex with him.[33] Glenn Murphy Jr., chairman of the Clark County Republican Party and president of the Young Republican National Federation, resigned both posts, after the Clark County Sheriff’s Department began investigating Murphy for alleged criminal deviate conduct. A 22-year-old man claimed that Murphy performed an unwanted sex act on him while the man slept in a relative’s Jeffersonville home. During the investigation, a similar accusation from 1998 came to light.[34] Armando Tebano, Schenectady County Republican Chairman, pleaded guilty to fondling a 14-year-old girl.[35] David Vitter, junior Senator from Louisiana, became one of the few high-profile politicians to be implicated as a client of "D.C. Madam" Deborah Jeane Palfrey.[36] 2006 Steve Aiken, campaign manager for a Republican candidate for Congress in Arizona, former Quakertown, PA, police officer and self-proclaimed reverend, was convicted of having sex with two underage girls.[37] Louis Beres, chairman of the Christian Coalition of Oregon. 3 of his family members accuse him of molesting them when they were pre-teens. In August 06, Beres confessed.[38] Howard L. Brooks, Republican legislative aide and adviser to a California assemblyman, was charged with molesting a 12-year old boy and possession of child pornography. [39] Randall Casseday, Washington Times newspaper executive, pleaded guilty to soliciting sex from a 13-year old girl on the internet.[40] Larry Corrigan, Republican operative and Director of Operations and Budget at King County Prosecutor's Office, OR, was arrested for soliciting sex from 13-year old girls.[41] Carey Lee Cramer Political consultant and anti-Kerry ad producer, tried for molesting two young girls, one of whom lived with him, and was 8 yrs old; the other starred in an anti-Kerry commercial. Diary [42] Mark Foley, Republican Representative, Florida Sixteenth Congressional District. Resigned after trying to solicit sex from male congressional pages via an instant messenger program. The conversations included his asking a sixteen-year-old "stud" whether his penis was erect and requesting that he take out and measure his penis. The cover-up involved Republican House Majority Leader John Boehner, Ohio Eighth Congressional District and Republican House Speaker Dennis Hastert, Illinois Fourteenth District.[43] Jim Gibbons, then US Rep. and Republican candidate for governor, was accused by a Las Vegas casino cocktail waitress of grabbing her, shoving her against a wall and threatening her after she rebuffed his advances.[44][45] Since elected Governor, Gibbons is under investigation by the FBI on corruption charges and is embroiled in what looks set to become a very messy divorce.[46] Ted Haggard, was fired as pastor of the New Life Church and resigned from his position as president of the National Association of Evangelicals in November 2006 after a former male prostitute alleged they had a cash-for-sex relationship. The man also said he saw Haggard use methamphetamine. Haggard confessed to undisclosed “sexual immorality” and said he bought meth but didn’t use it.[47] Don Haidl, Assistant Sheriff of Orange Country, in violation of California's rape shield law, led a smear campaign against the child his son poisoned and then violently gang-raped on videotape, adding up to 24 felony counts. He said that his son "acted accordingly" because the child was a "****".[48][49] Jeffrey Ray Nielsen, Christian conservative activist and lawyer with close ties to Republican Congressman Dana Rohrabacher and Scott Baugh, head of the Orange County Republican Party, was arrested for having sex with a 14-year old boy.[50] Jeffrey Patti, local Republican Committee chairman from Sparta, NJ, was arrested for distributing what experts call "some of the most offensive material in the child pornography world" - a video clip of a 5-year-old girl being raped.[51] Brent Schepp, Republican County Board Candidate was charged with molesting a 14-year old girl and killed himself three days later.[52] 2005 Adelphia Communications Corp.: Donated large sums of money to some of the most conservative members of Congress. They are also the first cable company to offer hard-core adult movies to subscribers.[53] John Collins, of Eatontown, NJ, former music teacher and city councilman, pleaded guilty to sexually molesting 13 and 14 year old girls.[54] John Gosek Republican Mayor of Oswego, N.Y.was arrested after paying a confidential informant $250 to introduce him to two 15-year-old girls at a hotel.[55] Dr. W. David Hager Bush appointee, member of Focus on the Family's Physician Resource Council, player in movement to ban the morning-after-pill. Had an adulterous affair, before divorcing his wife he sexually abused her, including sodomizing her in her sleep.[56] Russell Harding, president of the New York City Housing Development Corp. under then-mayor Rudolph Giuliani, pleaded guilty to stealing more than $400,000 for his personal use and possessing child pornography.[57] Neal Horsley has called for the arrest of all homosexuals. During an interview with Alan Colmes on the Fox News Radio's The Alan Colmes Show, he admitted to having engaged in sex with a mule at age 11. "When you grow up on a farm in Georgia, your first girlfriend is a mule," he said. He then credited Jesus with forgiving and cleansing him of his "sin." Horsley put photographs on his Web site of naked men engaging in homosexual acts and a nude woman engaging in bestiality amid shots of grotesquely maimed fetuses{{#if:||{{#if:Category:Articles with unsourced statements|[[Category:Articles with unsourced statements {{#if:|{{#if:|from|since}} }}]]}}}}{{#if:citation needed|[citation needed]|}}{{#switch:||Template|Talk={{#if:|{{#ifexist:Category:Articles with unsourced statements since {{{date}}}||}}|}}}}. Drug dealer convicted of possession of hashish with intent to sell{{#if:||{{#if:Category:Articles with unsourced statements|[[Category:Articles with unsourced statements {{#if:|{{#if:|from|since}} }}]]}}}}{{#if:citation needed|[citation needed]|}}{{#switch:||Template|Talk={{#if:|{{#ifexist:Category:Articles with unsourced statements since {{{date}}}||}}|}}}}. He calls for "the establishment of a new government, one that can obey God's plan for government."{{#if:||{{#if:Category:Articles with unsourced statements|[[Category:Articles with unsourced statements {{#if:|{{#if:|from|since}} }}]]}}}}{{#if:citation needed|[citation needed]|}}{{#switch:||Template|Talk={{#if:|{{#ifexist:Category:Articles with unsourced statements since {{{date}}}||}}|}}}} Jeff Miller, (R-Cleveland), Senate Republican Caucus Chairman in Tennessee and the sponsor of Tennessee’s Marriage Protection act, getting divorced (as of April 2005) because of an affair he was having with an office aid. Miller described the Tennessee Marriage Protection Act as a means of preserving the sanctity of marriage. He opposed an amendment, however, which stated that “Adultery is deemed to be a threat to the institution of marriage and contrary to public policy in Tennessee.” Dennis L. Rader, AKA, The BTK Killer, Republican zoning supervisor, Boy Scout leader and Lutheran church president, pleaded guilty to performing a sexual act on an 11-year old girl he murdered.[58] Jeffrey Kyle Randall, Republican Mayor of Clarkfield, Minnesota, was sentenced to 275 days in jail for molesting two boys--ages ten and 12--during a six-year period.[59] Jean Schmidt, OH-2, though not herself implicated, employed a campaign manager (Joe Braun) in her 2005 election who once wrote an article condemning gay men for running sex ad profiles, and who was then accused of running his own sex profile on Collarme, an S&M sex site. The profile called for "submissives" to wear only a collar and handcuffs and to have hot wax dripped on them.[60] Mark Seidensticker, Republican campaign worker, is a convicted child molester.[61] Don Sherwood, Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives. Eventually admitted to an affair with a woman 30 years younger than him, after she accused him of physical abuse and attempting to choke her. [62] Fred C. Smeltzer, Jr., Republican City Councilman, pleaded no contest to raping a 15 year-old girl and served 6-months in prison.[63] Jim Stelling, Seminole County Republican Party chairman who believes in "family values", as he told a judge. Filed a defamation lawsuit against Nancy Goettman, a former county GOP executive committee member, for falsely claiming he had been married six times. Stelling has been married 5 times. [64] Bobby Stumbo, former Floyd County, KY, Republican Party leader, was arrested for having sex with a 5-year old boy.[65] Jim West, Spokane Mayor. Supported a bill, which failed, would have barred gays and lesbians from working in schools, day-care centers and some state agencies. Voted to bar the state from distributing pamphlets telling people how to protect themselves from AIDS. Proposed that “any touching of the sexual or other intimate parts of a person” among teens be criminalized. Had a sexual affair with an 18 year old boy.[66] 2004 Edison Misla Aldarondo, Republican former speaker of Puerto Rico's house of representatives, was sentenced to 13 years in prison after pleading guilty to charges of intoxicating his stepdaughter and her 17-year-old friend and attempting to rape the friend.[67] Paul Crouch Televangelist, Former President of Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN). Paid $425,000 in hush money in an attempt to cover up a gay affair.[68] Richard A. Dasen Sr., Republican benefactor of conservative Christian groups, convicted of sexual abuse of children, promotion of prostitution and several counts of solicitation, enough to add up to a sentence of 126 years in prison. Investigators estimated that he spent at least $5 million.[69][70][71] Peter Dibble, Republican legislator pleaded no contest to having an inappropriate relationship with a 13-year-old girl. [72] Jeff Gannon, partisan blogger with no journalism credentials and a fake name who got invited to Bush's Press conferences. Is also a pimp and a gay prostitute.[73] Mike Hintz, a First Assembly of God youth pastor, introduced by Bush on the campaign trail, and promoted his policies. Says he supports Bush's values. Two months later, this married father of four turned himself into police, charged with the sexual exploitation of a child.[74][75] Also signed an ad (that called for criminally prosecuting business that sell porn), along with another pastor who was repeatedly busted for public masturbation. Mark Pazuhanich, Republican judge, pleaded no contest to fondling his 10-year old daughter and was sentenced to 10 years probation.[76] Donald Rumsfeld, Republican Defense Secretary, may have authorized the rape of children in Iraqi prisons in order to humiliate their parents into providing information about the anti-American insurgency. See excerpt of one prisoner's report here and his full report here.[77] Jack Ryan, 2004 Republican nominee for US Senate from Illinois, pressured his wive, actress Jeri Ryan, to have sex with other men. Tricked her into visiting sex clubs, where he asked her to have sex with him while others watched.[78] Ed Schrock, two-term republican congressman, with a 92% approval rating from the Christian Coalition. Cosponsor of the Federal Marriage Amendment, consistently opposed gay rights. Married, with wife and kids. Withdrew his candidacy for a third term after tapes of him soliciting for gay sex were circulated.[79] David Swartz, Republican Commissioner, of Richland County, Ohio pleaded guilty to molesting two girls under the age of 11 and was sentenced to 8 years in prison.[80] Robin Vanderwall, Republican strategist and director of Faith & Family Alliance, (a Christian Coalition spin off), was convicted in April 2004 on five counts of computer solicitation of a minor and one count of attempted indecent liberties with a child.[81] 2003 John Allen Burt, Republican anti-abortion activist, convicted of sexually molesting a 15 year old girl at the home for troubled girls that he ran. [82] Neil Bush, brother or G. W. Bush, in a March 2003 divorce deposition, admitted repeatedly having sex with strange women who just showed up at his room while on an Asian business trip. (Overshadowing the sex scandal; the business scandal--see link.) [83] Richard A. Delgaudio, Republican fund-raiser and Bush pioneer, was found guilty of child porn charges. [84] Jack W. Gardner, Republican Councilman, had been convicted of molesting a 13-year old girl. when the Republican Party, knowing of these crimes, put him on the ballot.[85] Philip Giordano, Republican mayor sentenced to 37 years for forcing two 8 and 10 year old girls to perform oral sex on him in his City Hall office.[86][87] Rush Limbaugh, triple-divorcee[88], 30-pill a day drug addict.[89]. In 2006, returning from a trip to the Dominican Republic, Limbaugh was detained by customs agents for several hours after they found a bottle of Viagra prescribed to someone else in his luggage.[90] Pat McPherson, Douglas County Election Commissioner, resigned a day after being ticketed on suspicion of fondling a 17-year-old girl who was dressed as a restaurant mascot.[91] Brent Parker Utah State Representative. Arrested for soliciting sex from an undercover officer posing as a male prostitute.[92] Stephen White, infamous for preaching against homosexuality and sexual promiscuity at Yale and other college campuses, was arrested after allegedly offering $20 to a 14-year-old boy for permission to perform oral sex on him.[93] 2002 Andrew Buhr, Republican politician, former committeeman for Hadley Township Missouri, was charged with two counts of first degree sodomy with a 13-year old boy.[94] Richard Gardner, a Nevada State Representative (R), admitted to molesting his two daughters. 34% of those who voted in Assembly District 34 preferred Gardner to the Democratic candidate.[95] Howard Scott Heldreth, anti-abortion activist who gained fame during the Shiavo media-circus, was convicted of two charges of raping a child in 2002.[96] Tom Randall, Republican petition drive manager of Orange County, CA, pleaded guilty to molesting two girls under the age of 14, one of them the daughter of an associate in the petition business.[97] Keith Westmoreland, a Tennessee state representative (R), was arrested on seven felony counts of lewd and lascivious exhibition to minors under 16 (i.e. exposing himself to children).[98] Not long afterwards, Westmoreland committed suicide.[99] 2001 Randal David Ankeney, Republican activist, arrested on suspicion of sexual assault on a child with force. He faces 6 charges related to getting a 13-year-old girl stoned on pot and then having sex with her. [100] Also accused of sexually assaulting another girl. [101] Parker J. Bena, Republican activist and Bush Elector, pleaded guilty to possession of child pornography (including children as young as 3 years old) on his home computer and was sentenced to 30 months in federal prison and fined $18,000. [102] Kevin Coan, Republican St. Louis Election Board official, arrested and charged with trying to buy sex from a 14-year-old girl whom he met on the Internet. [103] John Fund, of the Wall Street Journal, a prominent anti-abortion columnist and GOP fund raiser. He lost his position after it was revealed that he impregnated the daughter of an old girlfriend and then encouraged her to abort his child.[104] Donald "Buzz" Lukens, Republican Congressman from Ohio, was found guilty of having sex with a minor - a girl he was accused of sleeping with since she was 13.[105] Lukens was convicted in March, 1996, on five counts of bribery and conspiracy related to actions he took while in Congress.[106] Nicholas Morency, Republican anti-abortion activist, pleaded guilty to possessing child pornography on his computer and offering a bounty to anybody who murders an abortion doctor [107]. Larry Jack Schwarz, Republican parole board officer and former Colorado state representative, fired after child pornography was found in his possession. [108] With his political career over, he went to work in the hard-core pornography industry for Platinum X Pictures, owned by his daughter, porn starlet Jewel De'Nyle (Stephany Schwarz). [109] Tom Shortridge. Republican campaign consultant, was sentenced to three years probation for taking nude photographs of a 15-year old girl. [110] 2000 Keola Childs, Republican County Councilman, pleaded guilty to sexual assault in the first degree for molesting a male child.[111] Matthew Glavin, president and CEO of the Southeastern Legal Foundation, big player in the Clinton Impeachment, and many anti-gay jihads, has been arrested multiple times for public indecency, one time fondling the crotch of the officer who was arresting him.[112] Earl Kimmerling, sentenced to 40 years in prison after he confessed to molesting an 8-year old girl after he attempted to stop a gay couple from adopting her.[113] 1999 George Roche III president of conservative Hillsdale College, MI, divorced his wife of 44 years (who had cancer) and remarried five months later. Apparently shocked and upset by the presence of a new woman in her father-in-law's life, Roche's daughter-in-law Lissa revealed that she and her father-in-law had been off-and-on lovers for 19 of the 21 years she and her husband had been married. Shortly thereafter, Lissa took her own life.[114] Mike Flavin | Aug 8, 2009 11:09 pm | 0 replies | View all | Post reply | Request removal Well Chad You make a good point. Can you compile a list of the last 10 years of Democrat misdeeds?? Im sure I can come up with a list ( I read it a couple months ago) as long as your arm of Republicans misdeeds. In the Northwest alone, we have A mayor of Spokane, A state Rep from Vancouver Wa., A mayor in Oregon, A US Senator from Idaho on a short list of GOP busted. I ask you Chad, please compile a short list of lets say 30 names of Dems caught in Gay/Pedophile/Cheating Scandals, and with very little effort I will find two times that amount of Republicans caught with their hand in the cookie jar of sin. Mike Flavin | Aug 8, 2009 7:39 pm | 0 replies | View all | Post reply | Request removal Democrats: the party of moral turpitude? So let me get this right. Liberals are saying that it's okay to take indecent liberties with 9 year olds as long as you're a Democrat and don't claim to stand for any shred of moral principles? But if you're a Republican it's bad...but only because of the hypocricy. Why give Democrats a pass when they misbehave? Why does the press ALWAYS report the party of a politician who fails morally as long as they are Republican, but almost NEVER reports the party when it's a Democrat. Go back and count the number of times his party was mentioned when it was Spitzer vs. how often REPUBLICAN Gov. Sanford recieved a partisan appellation. The only possible reason Democrats get a free pass on their moral failings is because as a party they don't even pretend to place societal value on personal morality. Republicans are embarrassed by their representatives who have extramarital affairs or have oral sex in the Oval Office (oh wait, that was a Democrat). Democrats promote theirs to Chairmen of important committees in Congress. So if you are a Democrat, gentle reader, ask yourself if you feel comfortable with your party's direction. Are you prepared to embrace the Democratic Party as the party of moral turpitude? Given his history, perhaps Mr. Greg Stephens would feel more comfortable as a Democrat the next time he runs for office. Then, at least, his moral failings would not be a political liability. Chad Minnick | Aug 8, 2009 7:32 pm | 0 replies | View all | Post reply | Request removal

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