Garn's confession

A few years ago, after I wrote an editorial supporting the state’s sex-offender registry, I got an e-mail from the father of a young man whose name would forever be on that list because of an indiscretion with a girl who was 17. His complaint was that young people make mistakes and shouldn’t have to go on suffering for them forever.
I don’t remember the nature of the young man’s offense, but the man claimed it was consensual, although, of course, a girl that age can’t legally consent. I do remember that their ages weren’t more than two years apart.
I’m wondering what that dad thought when he heard about state Rep. Kevin Garn, who told Utah lawmakers last night he had been nude in a hot tub with a 15-year-old girl back when he was 28 (and already married). (If you missed it, read the story here.)

The sex-offender registry didn’t exist in 1985, but the man who e-mailed me probably isn’t the only one who sees hypocrisy here.
That word, “hypocrisy,” is the biggest obstacle for Garn now, if he wants to stay in the Legislature.
Back in 1991, this newspaper did a feature on Garn and his successful video stores. He said he wouldn’t deal in NC-17 films but preferred to rent out clean Disney pictures instead. That’s the image he wanted.
But even if you give him the benefit of the doubt for having made a mistake and feeling truly sorry, he still has to get past that $150,000 payment to the victim, which came with an agreement that she wouldn’t say anything about the hot-tub incident. Garn was running for Congress at the time. He calls it a payment to help her heal. He may truly have believed that, but it sure looks to the world like hush money.
You don’t have to be a political genius here to see that Garn is in real trouble. Even if he resigns, the FEC might come after him.
Of course, the man who e-mailed me a few years ago would say that at least he won’t have to register on a list forever, unlike his son.