Defining Deviancy Down

It was a great story in yesterday's Post-Dispatch about the bump in pay to which Peter Kinder's official staff are treated to when a member of the staff leaves the payroll to work on politics.  

But one piece of phrasing just begs to be pointed out.  Here's how the piece describes the departure of former Kinder chief of staff Eric Feltner:

Neither Feltner nor Bennett work for Kinder anymore. Feltner resigned in June after news broke about his indictment on misdemeanor pornography charges. He has since pleaded guilty of displaying sexually explicit materials and is on probation.

Sadly, I guess this is how the permanent record will remember Eric Feltner... as someone guilty of "pornography" charges.  Others of us may remember Feltner quite differently, as a man arrested for having sent perverted emails to someone he believed to be a 13 year old girl. 

I guess the effort to rehabilitate Feltner's image and pave the way for his return to GOP politics and state government has already begun.