... because it reinforces what's been said all along: the relationship was legal, between two consenting adults.

Everyone needs to take a deep breath and focus on the real problems our city faces.

bd -

Have you not been reading the news? Adams's kiss to 17 year old Breedlove is ILLEGAL whether Beau wanted it or not.

Seriously, bd, you may still support Sam (I no longer do, after this), but this revelation pretty much wipes away the "consenting adults" meme people like Savage have been peddling. To deny that at this point is pretty unbelievable.

The argument Sam and his attorney are going to posit at his criminal trial is whether making out for "about a minute" in the men's room at City Hall constitutes "sexual activity" whether lips and tongues constitute "intimate" parts of the body, and whether the action was done for the "sexual arousal" of either party. They're going to claim that none of those things are true.

That's so fucking pathetic, it really makes me sad. Sam Adams is an embarrassment, and he needs to go. For the good of the city.

This country is an embarrassment. There is such a thing as a victimless crime and you're looking at it right here. No one involved in this scenario (including Breedlove's parents, who I guess "own" him along with the state until he's 18 and not a day earlier) actually felt hurt by any of this.

If it wasn't for all the emotionalism, hysteria and shame around sex in our culture, this would be about as significant as Adams failing to attach lights to his bike or say running a stop sign.

Plenty of legislators stay in office after DRIVING DRUNK as a good example. That's a crime which could actually KILL SOMEONE.

This was a kiss that someone wanted. That would never, ever ever have come to light unless reporters had made it their business to ferret it out.

Well thanks for nothing reporters that value their story over the public good. And thanks for nothing laws that punish people when there are no victims. And thanks for nothing, especially, a country which would rather keep drunk drivers and people who lie about wars in office than someone who kissed a 17-year-old twice.

"There is such a thing as a victimless crime and you're looking at it right here."

No according to the Oregon Revised Statutes.

"This was a kiss that someone wanted."

Irrelevant. The simple fact is it was illegal for Adams to advance on a minor.

All this crying and bellyaching about our "puritanical society" and "it's no one's business" doesn't change the facts of the case, or make it go away. Adams broke the law, and he's fucked. End of story.

Is Hollie Teal the woman I saw on the Flickr set with the dumb-ass white dreadlocks and the Sam posters? Or some other dumb shit who thinks a makeout session in the City Hall men's room with a 17 year old is ok?

"...a country which would rather keep drunk drivers and people who lie about wars in office than someone who kissed a 17-year-old twice."

interesting perspective. if we'd had a recall vote (and cheney went with him), bush would've been gone years ago. we should have a do-over vote on adams now that we (probably mostly) have the truth. if someone similarly qualified on issues i care about and less full of shit emerges to challenge adams, great. if not, maybe i vote for adams again.

I don't think it changes anything either. Can't wait to see Sam get back to work.

alan, for the record, I'm neither dumbass.