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.'"

Comments

Hardly qualifies as porn

[gyrogeerloose]

Risque or naughty, maybe. Still, the guy should have been paying more attention to his job.

Re:Hardly qualifies as porn

[d3ac0n]

The fact that it was sent via e-mail can easily be backed up with mail server records, which will be released if needed.

While this senator is obviously not the most technically astute, he does at least grasp the basic concept that all of his internet traffic is running through some kind of web proxy server:

When asked if he ever looks at pornography while on the Senate floor, Bennett responded, "You'd have to be insane to do that. It all goes through a server. I don't think anybody would be doing that."

And then there is the fact that he closes it within seconds of it appearing on his screen, and if you look at the application open immediately behind the image, it's quite obviously an e-mail client.

From the evidence available from the video, I see no reason to not give him the benefit of the doubt.

Sad

[Thanshin]

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.

Re:Missing the Point

[Thanshin]

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.

Not Porn

[Lord Byron II]

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!

Hate to defend the guy. . .

[MagusSlurpy]

. . . 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?

Re:I Don't Think So

[blackraven14250]

There is no porn; the prudish sects of America are showing up for this one.

PORN ?

[dindi]

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.

Give the guy a break...

[MarcQuadra]

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.

Re:Florida

[interkin3tic]

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.

That's NOT Porn

[Philip K Dickhead]

Just breasts.

Bloody puritans.

Re:Bingo

[medcalf]

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.

Defense

[mseeger]

Hi,

It goes against any emotional bone in my body, but i have to vigorously defend a politician.

• First: He has not been caught watching any porn. What he watches does not even approach event the most bigoted defintion of porn. If that should be porn, than i would have spent several vacations in a porn camp without noticing.
• Second: For doing something else during a boring speech, he has my complete understanding. This makes him do his job neither better nor worse. The speeches are no longer part of the political process. It is more important for a politician (in order to get elected) to kiss some babys or his contributors asses than to give eloquent speeches in parliament. The voters are even more desinterested in those speeches than the politicians.

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

Re:Republican

[Shakrai]

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.