Congressional Candidate Mails Naked Pictures of Kids!?

Click here to see the shocker (I used blue to bleep this out).

This is totally unacceptable.  I don't care if these kids are in a foreign country or not.

By the way, since Gerry Connolly is highlighting his trips to 76 countries while he worked for the Foreign Relations Committee- does he want to disclose how many of those trips were paid for by lobbyists?  Why is no reporter asking?

(Part 54)

Comments

Who lobbies the Foreign Relations committee? It's a rule in Washington that no one wants to be on the F.R. committee because there's no money, campaign or otherwise, in it. More likely those trips were fact-finding trips at taxpayer expense. Try again, Ben.

[Not Larry Sabato]

Actually foreign trips are paid for by interest groups all the time. AIPAC for example spent a lot of money flying staffers and members to Israel in the 80s and 90s. Gerry should tell us which ones were paid for by lobbyists- and what lobbyists paid.

[Neal]

When I read this headline, I assumed it was something like a baby picture on a bear-skin rug. But that's just terrible.

Not only is that in bad taste, it's just wrong.

[Timothy Watson]

Ben,

Is the following "totally unacceptable" and "porn" (as reflected in the file name?:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:TrangBang.jpg

How many sharks can one blogger jump in a single campaign? Ben is apparently going for the world record.

You're a fool.

I'm guessing that the "sponsor a child" commercials are just as unacceptable for the same reason.

[dems4dem]

Thank God Gerry never worked for National Geographic!

[Not Larry Sabato]

There's a huge difference between a publication where you know that could be in there for purposes of illustrating the conditions at present- versus someone taking a 30 year old pic of naked kids and mailing it out to unsuspecting households randomly.

Ben, you really have to get out of Burke and Arlington a little bit. It is very usual for young children in very warm climates (like AFRICA you fool) to run around unclothed. Only a perv like you would see something in this picture other than a very typical village where someone is doing something good. Unlike you who seems to get pleasure only from being cruel. You are such an ass.

[Not Larry Sabato]

I understand that- I am saying Gerry could show the PERSON some respect and cut them out of the picture or bleep out their genitals.

If there was a naked white kid running around, you think Gerry would mail it out and act like it was ok?

Why would someone be shocked by this and need Gerry to think of them? In fact, in most countries, it's common practice for young children to not wear clothing until a certain age. Clearly Gerry understands that (have a seemingly more nuanced and deeper understanding of the world than you) and you don't.

Also, no, a majority of Foreign Relations Committee trips are committee-funded fact finding trips. I understand that occasionally some trips are lobbyist funded, but I doubt were more than a few of Gerry's were.

Is Leslie willing to talk about any perks she may have received from lobbyists in her short congressional tenure?

Jim Webb wrote about a cultural instance of a father kissing his son's privates yet it was not an issue then. Ben, do you take issue with National Geographic, too?

[Timothy Watson]

"There's a huge difference between a publication where you know that could be in there for purposes of illustrating the conditions at present- versus someone taking a 30 year old pic of naked kids and mailing it out to unsuspecting households randomly."

Have any of the conditions improved where the picture was taken Ben?

[PWConservative]

Doesn't this just ask for a sex tourism investigation?

Thanks for making me laugh.

By the way...why do you call it "bleep out?" You're using an auditory term to describe something visual. Do you have synaesthesia?

As for assuming that there are no "white kids" living in such cultural settings, all I can do is shake my head.

[Not Larry Sabato]

I didn't say there are no white kids running around in similar settings. I said Gerry wouldn't dare mail them out and dehuninize them. He apparently saves that for the black kids he takes pictures of unclothed.

Hey Ben, I got this idea: Why don't you and Joey reserve some web domain with Connolly's name and link it to your favorite organization (you know, the one that just LOVES little boys)? Or maybe you love those pictures so much yoruself?

[novamiddleman]

7:12 thats even low for you

"Dehuninize"? Is that a word?

And what you don't seem to understand, Ben, having not traveled yourself (apparently) is that running around naked is NORMAL, everyday life for millions of kids around the world. In less prudish countries than the U.S., it's expected. So publishing such an image (just as in National Geographic) is hardly dehumanizing or in any way insulting. It's a picture of Gerry with two kids. That's all. Only you are worried about their unclothed state.

[LibbyGrove]

That is in very bad taste. I've lived in Africa, worked in Africa, and seen many conditions like that, and to exploit it for political gain is definitely in bad taste.

I don't find the picture offensive, I find using it on a piece of direct mail offensive and cringeworthy.

Just my opinion -- maybe people would be drawn to that, but I can't imagine why.

11:42, you make a good point. Maybe Ben learned his spelling from Brian Wishneff down in Roanoke. It would also explain the love of cheap shots.

ben, you need to relas. continuing to criticize everyone is no good for your health. Much of what you write is small time.

Here is a different way - look for the good in people. You might find it. You might also find it in yourself.

Libby Grove:
The photo is part of a 10 page "booklet" noting various stages of Gerry's life. The one that Ben has zero in on is during his time with American Freedom from Hunger Foundation. It is a simple photo of Gerry with two kids in the distance. One child is wearing what appears to be a dress. The other minus clothes. As to the sex of the child without clothes,
one would need a very powerful magnifier to figure that out...
What next Ben..the family dog isn't up to date on his shots?
Not a babe

very bad to exploit young kid, very bad form. So Ben why did you do it?