Mark Foley twist

We haven't commented much publicly on the Mark Foley scandal, figuring when the opposition is doing a good job destroying themselves there's really no reason to get involved. But there is an interesting twist to this story that's recently surfaced.

The blogger who first posted the instant messages between Foley and teenage pages, Lane Hudson, was fired from his job at the Human Rights Campaign. Hudson made the mistake of reporting the instant messages on his personal blog using HRC computers while on the job, something forbidden by HRC's personnel policy and, as Hudson admits, something for which they were within their rights to dismiss him.

In the latest issue of The Advocate, Hudson, explaining his actions, writes, "More than a year ago a 16-year-old page from Louisiana had the courage to report Foley's inappropriate behavior. What did that get him? His parents prevented real punitive action. A dozen media organizations ignored the story. The FBI thought the e-mails were perfectly innocent. Louisiana Republican representative Rodney Alexander slapped Foley on the back. We tell our children to report any inappropriate activity from an adult. In this instance the adults did nothing. So, after some savvy computer sleuthing, here I am. I hope gay rights advocates will stand up and say they're proud that it was a gay man who finally took action to stop Mark Foley."

Controversial blogger Mike Rogers, whose mission is to out closeted gay politicians who support discrimination against gays and lesbians, argues gay rights advocates and the progressive community owe Hudson a debt of gratitude for actions that contributed to ending the Republicans stranglehold on power.

Rogers believes it unjust that, while Hudson was fired from his job, the male prostitute and drug dealer responsible for exposing evangelical leader Ted Haggard just prior to the election received a lucrative book deal. Rogers acknowledges Hudson made an error in judgment when he used his employer's resources for a personal project, but that it does not mean his participation in stopping Foley's abuse is any less important. You can read his post here.