Slashdot Mirror
State Senator Caught Looking At Porn On Senate Floor
Everyone knows how boring a debate on a controversial abortion bill can get on the Senate floor. So it's no wonder that Florida State Sen. Mike Bennett took the time to look at a little porn and a video of a dog running out of the water and shaking itself off. From the article: "Ironically, as Bennett is viewing the material, you can hear a Senator Dan Gelber's voice in the background debating a controversial abortion bill. 'I'm against this bill,' said Gelber, 'because it disrespects too many women in the state of Florida.' Bennett defended his actions, telling Sunshine State News it was an email sent to him by a woman 'who happens to be a former court administrator.'"
Risque or naughty, maybe. Still, the guy should have been paying more attention to his job.
This ain't rocket surgery.
The saddest part is that the repercussions of these actions wouldn't be the same if he was browsing any other, not job related, content.
Then why is it important that he pays attention?
Why is it even important that he actually goes to the voting?
He could simply send a memo saying "This year I vote whatever [party leader name] votes" with the exact same result.
Everything else is self delusion.
It doesn't look like porn to me. It looks like art. I know it's hard to believe, but pictures with nudity are not necessary pornographic!
. . . but it looks like he might be telling the truth. The video doesn't let us see how long it was up or how he opened the picture, but when he closes the browser, you can clearly see Firefox's download window open. It certainly looks like he had opened the photo as an email attachment.
Plus, he's using Firefox. Are you guys really going to pick on him after realizing that?
My sister opened a computer store in Hawaii. She sells C shells by the seashore.
Damned skippy. About the least harmful thing a Senator can do on the Senate floor is to look at porn. Given their innate gift of being able to fuck up anything up to and including a wet dream, I'd even rather they be having a full on circle jerk than doing what they've been doing. It wouldn't be near as big of a national embarrassment as the shit they've been passing as law.
Violence is like duct tape. If it doesn't solve the problem, you didn't use enough.
There is no porn; the prudish sects of America are showing up for this one.
Do you call that porn?
Come on, folks. We've got bukakke, DP, water sports and more. That photo isn't more than R-rated.
Have gnu, will travel.
I am sorry, I know I am from Europe, where being topless is just the norm sometimes even in a park, but calling a picture of 5 topless women PORN is a little bit of an overreaction.
I am not saying, that everyone viewing your private crap behind you in congress, and watching this kind of crap on any meeting is right, but it is not PORN.
Besides, he is at work. How many of us looked at this article/video at work? Well, then I guess we cannot throw the 1st stone at him.
He's wrong for viewing pictures of girls in bikinis while on government time
Whereas reading Slashdot on a private employer's time is perfectly acceptable.
It looks like he opened up the mail and then closed it right away. That stuff happens, even at work. People have sent me NSFW things before without warning that I've opened up and -quickly- closed.
Also, since when is a row of girls wearing swimsuits (maybe a few are topless) 'porn'?
Give the dude a break.
"Sometimes, I think Trent just needs a cup of hot chocolate and a blankie." -Tori Amos on Nine Inch Nails
I'm hard pressed to imagine how listening to the senators from other districts is going to help him make a choice that represents his contributors.
FTFY. Really when it comes to abortion most people have their minds already fixed on a position... politicians even more so. This topic galvanizes people based on philosophy, religion, or affiliation lines. Like everyone else in the room he already knows how he will vote on the issue, and nothing short of the new "Mike Bennett Turnpike" will change his mind.
You have the right to remain sentient. If you give up the right to remain sentient, you will be elected to public office
Speaking of Fark, I think this "News story" is somewhat beneath the standards of Fark.
A politician otes to invade our personal privacy? Zzzzz. A politician sides with corporate interests against the public at large? Zzzz. A politician makes a stupid incorrect statement about sciences, history, geography, or technology? Sometimes interesting. A politician is caught with his pants down in some way? ZOMG NEWS!
Leave that line of thinking with cable news and tabloids.
Just breasts.
Bloody puritans.
"Speaking the Truth in times of universal deceit is a revolutionary act." -- George Orwell
What happens on the floor is not debate. It is a series of speeches for the consumption of voters. The actual debates happen in committee rooms as the bills are marked up (not written; that happens sans debate) and in the halls as favors and votes are traded. This seems to be true of every legislative body in the US above the town hall level.
-- Two men say they're Jesus. One of them must be wrong. - Dire Straits
Hi,
It goes against any emotional bone in my body, but i have to vigorously defend a politician.
By borrowing the headline unchallenged, /. is participating in a witch hunt. Even on this site i suspect several readers not to look at the material and to remember just the headlines. I hereby petition Slashdot to change the headline to "State Senator falsely accused of Looking At Porn On Senate Floor".
CU, Martin
Um, they're only "nude" if you consider a bikini nude.. in which case you are delusional.
The picture CLEARLY shows bikinis (even the ones that were partially black-boxed are obviously bikinis).
Point #1: There is no porn here. The women depicted, even with a blackout bar, are obviously wearing bikini tops. The blackout bar is an obvious attempt at misleading.
Point #2: The senator obviously opened something which he immediately closed. This has happened to everyone who has ever used a computer. You are sent something, you open it, and it turns out to be something not-safe-for-work.
Point #3: For those saying he should be doing his job, you are all guilty. Everyone, admittedly or not, has read email on their mobile device in a meeting or has, at one time or another, thought about something other than work while on the clock. To suggest that because this guy is a senator that he should be super-human to something of which we are all guilty is complete flamebait.
Good grief, cut the guy some slack.
I am Jack's smirking revenge.
No, you're just wasting our time with the usual false equivalence between Democrats and Republicans
What false equivalence? Democrats can't stay out of your wallet and Republicans can't stay out of your bedroom. I fail to see how accepting governmental intrusion into one part of my life offsets the removal of government intrusion from another.
Republicans have indeed been working on a theocracy [google.com] for years.
The Republican Party is America's Taliban [google.com].
That's real cute, linking to Google searches like that. Did you know that Barack Obama kicks puppies? It's true.
I want peace on earth and goodwill toward man.
We are the United States Government! We don't do that sort of thing.
That false equivalence. Republicans have spent much more of your money, and committed you to spend way more (in debt payments, in unfunded mandates, in catastrophic misadventures like wars and deregulation) than Democrats ever have.
You mean wars like Vietnam and deregulation like the Telecommunications Act of 1996 or the repeal of Glass–Steagall? Oh wait, those happened under Democratic administrations.....
And they invade your bedroom, too.
And Democrats invade my wallet, gun cabinet, phone records, radio stations, etc.
Democrats are not at all equivalent, even if they do also waste your money - but not nearly the vast, crippling magnitude of Republicans.
Careful, your bias is showing.
You Republicans have wallowed in false equivalencies for so long
"You Republicans"? That's interesting, I start out by pointing out that both parties suck and you leap to the conclusion that I'm a Republican. From my vantage point you have more in common with partisan Republicans than you probably realize.
I want peace on earth and goodwill toward man.
We are the United States Government! We don't do that sort of thing.
You do realize that decrying homosexual marriage restrictions and claiming theocracy in the same post is hypocritical right? You realize that if it wasn't for a theocracy (Christian/Rome) the state would have no interest in a ... wait for it ... SACRED institution like Marriage.
MY view is that the state should have no laws either establishing or punishing people for their "marital status". It should not care one way or another.
But that would break all sorts of "social programs" (like the new Health Care Bill) liberal love so much and depend on.
Liberals, on the one hand, oppose the new Arizona law against illegal immigrants (no race specified in the law itself) because it is "racist", but on the other hand, they love to have all sorts of other laws that specifically account for race (Affirmative Action).
Liberals are just a bunch of hypocritical twits. Just like Conservatives.
Agent K: A *person* is smart. People are dumb, stupid, panicky animals, and you know it.
It should also probably be noted that most of the money we spent on TARP has already been payed back or is expected to be payed back in the near future. Also, we didn't end up spending even half of the $700 billion originally allocated to the program.
We hope your rules and wisdom choke you / Now we are one in everlasting peace