The 52-Year-Old Virgin?

Jacob Sullum | July 12, 2006

Bob Goodlatte, the Republican congressman from Virginia who spearheaded the online gambling ban approved by the House yesterday, might want to have someone redesign the header at the top of his online statements, which features his smirking face next to his name and a Virginia state flag superimposed over a pastoral scene. Because the flag is flapping, the header seems to read, "Congressman Bob Goodlatte, Virgin."

I'm not saying it's a plausible description of the 52-year-old legislator, who is married and has two children. But it surely cannot help the image of an anti-gambling crusader who hangs out with Clifford the Big Red Dog.

Comments

Thomas Paine's Goiter|7.12.06 @ 3:15PM|#

Gee, horseracing is exempted from the ban...I wonder why that would be?

http://www.opensecrets.org/politicians/contrib.asp?CID=N00009154&cycle=2004

2 National Thoroughbred Racing Assn $10,000

|7.12.06 @ 4:17PM|#

Please Jacob, Clifford the Big Red Dog is dead, ok. Bringing him up in a snide remark like that does a disservice to this establishment, as well as to the family of the late, great, John Ritter.

You should be ashamed of yourself..............heartless monster.

|7.12.06 @ 4:19PM|#

Please Jacob, Clifford the Big Red Dog is dead, ok. Bringing him up in a snide remark like that does a disservice to this establishment, as well as to the family of the late, great, John Ritter.

You should be ashamed of yourself..............heartless monster.

|7.12.06 @ 4:20PM|#

Please Jacob, Clifford the Big Red Dog is dead, ok. Bringing him up in a snide remark like that does a disservice to this establishment, as well as to the family of the late, great, John Ritter.

You should be ashamed of yourself..............heartless monster.

|7.12.06 @ 4:40PM|#

Clifford the Big Red Dog is dead

Still?

|7.12.06 @ 4:59PM|#

"My big red karma just ran over your big red dogma!"

|7.12.06 @ 6:15PM|#

Goodlatte: The congressman who missed his calling as a Starbucks Exec.

|7.12.06 @ 7:03PM|#

Normally, legislation like this would upset me. However, when it comes to the Net, there's *nothing* that the gov't can do to stop anything online, really. They can't keep their own networks secure, and even if they could handle that minor task, they'd then have to somehow stop the flow of traffic to/from these websites which is impossible, as China has found out the hard way.

|7.12.06 @ 9:07PM|#

TPG-

National Thoroughbred Racing Assn $10,000

As both a 'staunch libertarian' and a 'dedicated handicapper'- may I happily say, "Well, at least the d@mn whores were cheap!"?

Ronald Bailey|7.12.06 @ 10:45PM|#

Uh, that's not even a Virginia flag...

http://www.50states.com/flag/vaflag.htm

brian423|7.12.06 @ 10:54PM|#

Uh, that's not even a Virginia flag...

No, it's an endorsement by Richard Branson. He wants people to spend money in his megastores instead of gambling at home.

brian423|7.12.06 @ 10:58PM|#

Maybe it's Wilson Bryan Key's subliminal seduction in reverse. The social conservatives seeing the image will unconsciously associate him with purity.

brian423|7.12.06 @ 11:04PM|#

What part of the body are you talking about, Congressman?