BC,

Was going through an old issue of George Magazine and came across a very interesting article about
Mary Kay Letourneau. Readers may remember her as the woman that fell in love with one of her
13 year old students, and then proceeded to have two children with him, even breaking the terms of her first,
lighter sentence to continue seeing him (and having sex with him), and thus earning herself a nice fat prison sentence.

Normally, she’d be just another case of a truly twisted and sexually aberrant individual that couldn’t restrain themselves.

But what’s the first thing you look for when you hear of these cases?
That’s right, there’s a right-wing Republican somewhere in the area.

This case is no different. Turns out, Mary Kay’s dear old Daddy, John Schmitz, was not only a Republican,
he was a far-right congressman from Orange County, California.

According to "It's A Family Affair" by Elizabeth Kaye (George Magazine, August 1998) Mary Kay Letourneau
was very close to her Dad. Her father was a "former United States congressman from Orange County, California,
and a gentleman of such extreme right-wing views that they led to his expulsion from the national council of the
John Birch Society."

“He idolized Senator Joseph McCarthy, who was, as he was, wildly outspoken, fervidly anti-communist, and a
marine from Wisconsin. In 1984, Schmitz would purchase McCarthy’s home in the southeastern section of
Washington, D.C., where he displayed the senator’s photograph above the mantelpiece.”

But it gets better. As the article states:

“But no one could weaken Schmitz’s hold on a large following of Orange County Republicans---except, it appears,
Schmitz himself. After failing to be re-elected to Congress in 1972, he returned to Santa Ana College, where he was
a popular teacher of philosophy and political science. Six years later, he regained his onetime seat in the state senate.
A church-going Catholic with an apparently devoted wife and seven children, he was pegged as a family-values man,
known for his consistency. But his allies were stunned to discover that he had been having a nine-year affair with
a former student, with whom he fathered two out-of-wedlock children. When news of this alternative domestic
arrangement surfaced, during yet another campaign---this time for U.S. Senate---John Schmitz’s unstoppable
career was obliterated.”

Well what do you know?
Turns out Mary Kay was just following family tradition of having kids with your students established
by her sainted, family-values trumpeting, bible thumping, extreme right politician Daddy!

The article continues, “’Can’t you understand that this is not a story about me?” Mary Kay asks,
a few days after it was confirmed that she was pregnant with (her 13 year old student’s) second child.
“It’s a story of two remarkable men.’ (Her Dad and her 13 year old lover.)

Uhhh. OK.

Her mom was a devout Catholic and worked with Phyllis Schlafly, speaking out against the Equal Rights Amendment
on TV and political events around the country. She once told a friend, “You always have to wear lipstick, and you have
to polish your toes, if you really want to be put together.” She was said to be cold and distant with her children and
rarely, if ever, showed them any affection.

Schmitz’s infidelity was discovered after his mistress of nine years was charged with child neglect after she brought
their 13 month-old son to a doctor for a check up. It was discovered that the boy had a hair wound around his
penis so tightly that it was almost severed. The bizarre incident was never explained, but the charges were dropped.

When the court ordered the child’s father to appear, Schmitz came forward. After this revelation, he still campaigned
for U.S. Congress in 1984. He lost. The election was won by Bob Dornan.

What was Schmitz’s reaction when Mary Kay told him about the affair she was having with a 14 year old?
He asked her if she loved him. She said yes. He asked if he loved her. She said yes. His reply was,
“Well then, after you’re married, we’ll just take this to the governor and ask for a pardon.”

Since her under-age lover was Samoan, Schmitz also said he’d go to the Library of Congress and
research Samoan treaties in case there was something there that might work in their favor.

One of John Schmitz’s sons is now a lawyer working for the huuuuuge D.C. law firm of Patton, Boggs
(as in Cokie Boggs Roberts). Mary Kay’s other brother married Jeb Bush’s sister-in-law, making him
Jeb’s brother-in-law, and was a White House council to Bush the elder, advising the administration
during the Iran-contra hearings.

No doubt about it. When you’re talking about sexually warped people who compensate for it by loudly
and hotly blasting everyone else for being “immoral”, you’re likely to find a huge mess of family dysfunction
and perversion, and a dedicated Republican telling us all how we should live our lives.

CBix