Subject:
Something smells foul in Prescott, Arizona...,

And I mean more than the dark end of a certain flashlight.

Two men, including the 18-year-old son of Arizona's Senate President Ken Bennett (a Republican, mind you), pleaded guilty Monday to one count of aggravated assault for shoving broomsticks and flashlights up the rectums of 18 young boys while they were counselors at a camp last year.

Clifton Bennett, of Prescott, and Kyle Wheeler, 19, of Glendale, accepted a deal offered by the Yavapai County Attorney's Office to drop all but one of 36 original charges in exchange for the guilty plea.

Wheeler also pleaded guilty to an additional aggravated assault charge for choking three of the boys until they passed out.

Parents of the victims expressed frustration and anger over the plea deal, saying it was too lenient. The pleas describe the assault charge as "a non-dangerous, non-repetitive offense." The outraged parents say their sons were victims of violent sexual attacks. The boys, who were 11 to 14 years old at the time, have had trouble going to the bathroom, sleep with clothes on, are afraid at night, and have undergone sexual-assault counseling. Here are articles from the Arizona Republican (gee, already I know they're unbiased--talking about the son of REPUBLICAN state senate president)
http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/local/articles/0402bennett02.html
http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/0403az-camphazing03-ON.html
http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/0404bennett0404.html
One from (the slightly-less-to-the-Right) Salt Lake Tribune: http://www.sltrib.com/utah/ci_3670346
More comments, including one which vouches for the character of the senate president's "upstanding" family and his twisted f*ck of a son: http://www.desertratdemocrat.com/archives/2006/01/family_values_a.html
======== And now, a phony editorial by Steve ========

Frankly, I don't see what the big deal is. My parents routinely "disciplined" me in the same manner. If I didn't get something rammed up my "Hershey Highway" every day, I was worried that something was wrong.

As a different type of counselor (trained, educated, licensed, and non-molesting) than these young Republicans, I often instruct the parents with whom I work to similarly perform such "broomings" on their own children. There is no better way to lovingly teach a child to improve his behavior and build better character than to plow a nice firm broomstick up his "Fudge Tunnel." Nothing at all wrong with this. And look at me--despite almost daily such punishments, I turned out just fine. My psychiatrist believes that my bed-wetting, night terrors, bouts of crying and screaming, hallucinations, psychotic ramblings and paranoid delusions are more likely caused by my own dysfunctional "self-talk." It was NOT the broomings, okay?!?!?

And for those of you who believe that the plea agreements are too lenient (dropping all but one of the original 36 charges and changing the remaining charge from a felony to a misdemeanor), think again. I'm confident that the next time a defendant, (let's say, a young African-American male, or Hispanic immigrant) is similarly charged with sodomizing 18 underage children, you better believe that the Yavapai County Attorney's Office will also give him a slap on the wrist or, at the most, a police baton up the rectum, as some men in blue are want to do.

Our criminal justice system is structured in a way so as to rehabilitate, and NOT forever ruin, the lives of young offenders--as long as their skin color resembles paste and they have a rich and/or politically-connected member of their immediate families. Apparently Lady Justice is still peeking above that blindfold of hers. And maybe it's finally time to adjust her scales..., they never were quite balanced. This wouldn't happen to be a case of excessive leniency because of who you know, would it, Lady Justice?

And just because these incidents occurred at a place called Chapel Rock Camp, let's not draw any further parallels between men who manage to obtain power at Christian institutions and their seeming affinity for penetrating the sphincters of terrified, helpless boys. It must just be some terrible coincidence.

But as that foul-smelling goo is being wiped from away from broom handles and flashlights in Arizona, a similar substance was just removed today (after a 20-year "Delay") from Texas' 22nd congressional district. So.., hey! Things are looking up! And as I watched that forced smile and trademark plastic Conservative optimism on Tom's mask on TV tonight, all I can wish on Mr. Bennett, Mr. Wheeler and Mr. Delay is that they all similarly experience that "non-dangerous, non-repetitive offense" from their cellmates.

Mr. Delay again touted his "party of family values." But, say, can anyone remember similar behavior by a child of a DEMOCRATIC politician? Makes ya think, don't it? And Republicans always tell us Hillary's book title "It Takes a Village to Raise a Child" was wrong. They argue that it takes a family, not a village. So tell me, Senate President Bennett, Republicans always tell us that children learn their values from..., now who would that be??? Compare Chelsea Clinton's behavior with the Bush twins. This just gets more interesting.

Maybe the next GOP initiative should be called "Leave Behind No Child's Behind." Actually, once Bush hears about this (we have a Leader of the Free World who doesn't bother to read newspapers, remember?), his response is likely to be: "That Brownie end of the flashlight was doing a heck of a job!"