The Congressman Foley/congressional page scandal no sooner hit the newspapers when hate mongers on the ultraright began their usual litany. "This is what happens when you give credence to the homosexual movement. Homosexuals are a threat to our children," and so forth.

There is no connection whatsoever between sexual orientation and sexually abhorrent behavior.

A 2000 Justice Department study found that 97 percent of the adults who sexually assault 12-17-year-olds are male, and 90 percent of their victims are female.

One could just as well state that because polygamist Mormon groups force young teenage girls into church-sanctioned marriages with men old enough to be their fathers, this is proof positive that Christian heterosexual males are predators.

The Log Cabin Republicans, the Gay Alliance, and other homosexual organizations have authorized me to speak on this subject, not because I am a member (I am not), but because I have great credibility. I am a hyperactive, well-credentialed, heterosexual male with numerous outstanding performance appraisals and letters of appreciation.

H. Adrian Osborne

Pinehurst