Denny Hastert's Blind Eye & The Boys: No Surprise To Me

I have one last thing to say about Speaker of the House, Dennis Hastert (R- IL Wrestling Coach).

Once upon a time... in one of central Illinois' many rural high schools, the wrestling coach ruled the roost and no administrator ever dared question his comings, goings, non-teaching, or abysmal disregard for safety where his students were concerned.

This "coach" was always able to arrange his PE teaching schedule so that he was free between noon and 4:00 pm... during which time he would either nap on the sofa in his office or leave school to sell real estate... and miraculously show up just in time for after-school wrestling practice roll call.

As for his "teaching" and "coaching," let's just say that there was no actual teaching or coaching going on, other than yelling "Wuss!" and "Pussy!" at the boys. He always had a student check the roll, pass out the balls, and take down the names of those artsy types who didn't like being dodgeballed into unconsciousness. "Coach" might waltz in and out during class, but not every day. And when he did, he made sure at least one administrator saw him. Clever guy. Plus, he got to wear shorts and a T-Shirt every day of the year... no expensive professional wardrobe requirement like the rest of us. (Note: if you had to find a kid for some reason during your planning period, you witnessed these circumstances when you ventured into the gym.)

When the Great Wrestling Program Scandal broke, I stupidly assumed that "Coach" might get fired. There were lots of investigations and accusations floating around that year, mainly centering around several frosh wrestlers who had been duct-taped to locker room benches and repeatedly urinated on. There were other sordid accusations... something about spanking and feces flinging, but time has erased my memory of the nasty details. Anyway, the coach, who was AWOL during these "hazing incidents" on his watch, somehow managed to escape even a simple reprimand.

So, when I see Bush troweling praise onto Denny "Coach" Hastert, I get a bad taste in my mouth.

By the way, Hastert was top dog on the IHSA wrestling circuit when the "coach" I knew was neglecting his legally-mandated in loco parentis duty to his students.

So Hastert turning a blind eye to Foley's trolling for boy toys doesn't surprise me at all. Sad.

Best bar bet in the world: Delilah didn't do it.
Judges 16:19-- And she made him (Samson) sleep upon her knees; and she called for a man, and she caused him to shave off the seven locks of his head.