Dennis Hastert died this morning.
For 16 years, while he was a coach and government teacher at Yorkville High School in Yorkville, Illinois, Hastert sexually abused at least four boys (and likely more).
He was still sexually abusing students when he began his political career and ran for the Illinois State House.
He was elected to the U.S. House in 1986 and became Speaker of the House in 1999. He would become the longest-serving Republican Speaker.
Despite his long background of molesting children, Hastert positioned himself as a "family values" social conservative.
His downfall came when the FBI discovered structured "hush money" payments he was making to one of his victims to keep them quiet.
Incredibly, Hastert had publicly called for life sentences for child molestors.
He retired from Congress after making a fortune and joined a lobbying firm.
He would eventually be convicted of a charge related to his "hush money" structured payments to the victim he molested but not charges for the molestation because the statute of limitation had passed.
Interesting note on his plea deal that landed him only 15 months in prison: 60 people submitted character statements on his behalf, but 19 were withdrawn when it was ruled the statements would be made public.
Nineteen people--whom we'll never know--were going to defend a serial child molester until they realized it would be public knowledge.
Anyway, the bastard got to live the rest of his life in relative comfort after serving only 13 months in prison.
He died today. Rest in piss.
I can't help but laugh at these Republican ads here in Texas attacking James Talarico and Gina Hinojosa for everything from how much land China owns in the state to higher property taxes — when Republicans have completely run the state for nearly three decades.
And that's not an exaggeration.
A Democrat hasn't won a statewide race in Texas since 1994, and the last time Democrats had any power in the state legislature was 2002.
Which means that everything they're trying to attack these two Democrats for is literally the result of what Republicans have passed or allowed to happen in Texas, considering they've been in full control of this state for nearly 30 years.
All the while, as Ken Paxton tries to slander Talarico, with Republicans trying to question his "masculinity," and Greg Abbott keeps pushing lies about Hinojosa, neither Republican has the courage to get on a stage and debate either of their Democratic opponents.
Because nothing says "we're proud of our record as Republicans" quite like trying to blame the party that hasn't had any power in the state for nearly three decades for issues your party voted to approve, while being too big of cowards to debate the Democrats they claim are "dangerous" for Americans.
How anyone can vote for these Republican frauds is absolutely mind-boggling.
Why does homosexuality seem to be the only "sin" Christians are concerned with? The Bible has plenty to say about adultery, greed, hatred, lying, stealing, hypocrisy, judgment, and how we treat others.
Every other rich country has figured out that investing in young kids pays off.
The first five years shape everything that comes after.
Universal child care is how we give every child a fair shot and invest in our entire nation’s future.
@Houstorian Before my time. But absent context, I’d’ve guessed that “The Hot Bagel” 🥯 was an unconventional thing done between two individuals behind a closed bedroom door.
Trained To Be A 🔨 Everything Looks Like A Nail
💡 This cartoon nails the systemic rot: when police conditioning blurs the line between threat and inconvenience, every citizen becomes a silhouette.
The wildest part about poverty is how much time it steals. Waiting for buses. Calling assistance offices. Comparing grocery prices. Fighting insurance. Sitting at laundromats. Being poor is a second job nobody pays you for.
As governor, I will demand results for every taxpayer dollar, work across state and local government to get things done, and measure public safety by whether people are actually safer.
I take a moment to salute, as I regularly do, one of the best signs in America — found at the Milwaukee airport, after security screening (with the discombobulation such screening entails). At the same time, I salute the boundless ingenuity of the English language.
Today was a good reminder that Angela Paxton, while certainly the undeserving butt of her ex-husband's shenanigans, is not exactly a sympathetic figure nor a good person. -OS
If you are on a group text with 57 people, and you get a message that you can come over and rape an unconscious girl, how the fuck is your instinct to not call the police?
In this era of artificial intelligence, it is becoming urgent to distinguish human art from what machines produce. There is an ontological difference, even before an aesthetic one, between art and what a machine can generate through statistical calculation based on millions of images created by others. Algorithms lack the spark of humanity. For this reason, the Church wishes to renew an alliance with artists and cultural institutions to safeguard our humanity.