I feel sorry for Larry Craig. I have watched the last week of his life and, quite frankly, feel an intense amount of pity for him.For those of you who don't know, Senator Larry Craig, Republican senior senator from Idaho, resigned on Saturday because he was caught last June soliciting sex from a male police officer in the men's room at the Minneapolis St. Paul airport. He plead guilty and now is trying to retract (?) it since it become public early last week. Apparently, Senator Craig made several "hand gestures" and "foot taps" in between two stalls in the bathroom-a sign, I guess, that he wanted to have sex.
Rather than feel anger at his hypocrisy, I felt sadness, actually, that is come to this in our culture. Many blame Senator Craig for this illicit behavior but I say that it is a product of our society. A society, that rather than embrace the differences that we all have in regards to sexuality, we force it into hiding-putting layer upon layer of guilt onto generally decent people until they behave in an irresponsible fashion. Why can't he just be gay?
Side Rant- (And why can't we find a new word for gay so when I call someone gay it is
completely NOT derogatory towards homosexuals and is, in fact, a cool term to use to signify that someone is LAME! Let's all try to remember that the original definition of gay was happy and the British definition of fag is a cigarette. Words can mean different things. Can we take the word gay back? Please!!? I could understand if the original definition was homosexual and people were pissed but it wasn't. How about from now on we just call gay guys "dudes" Dudes are cool. )
Anyway, had Larry Craig lived in a culture that was not warped by an outdated, narrow minded, and bigoted belief system-a system that has so perverted the original intent of Jesus Christ-he would've been able to enjoy his feelings with a fellow consenting adult in a more open fashion. He could've been a dude without the bias dudes get in our society. Instead, his mind was at war with what he naturally felt, pummelled incessantly by the rigid structure of what he perceived was the "right" or "moral" way to live.
I mean, what kind of a point do you have to get to....fucking or blowing a dude when, more than likely, less then a foot away someone is taking a smelly, disgusting shit? There are few times when I would NOT desire a woman's ass working on my cock in the from behind position....this would be one of those times!
And, just to play devil's advocate, don't the police at the Minneapolis Airport have better people to monitor than bathroom stall gay sex crowd? Like, um, I don't know....maybe take a look at this picture to the left and GET THEIR FUCKING PRIORITIES STRAIGHT!!!!!Good grief....
Of course, what's good for the goose isn't necessarily good for the gander. Senator David Vitter (R-LA) was recently outed as being one of the biggest clients of the DC Madam. He broke the law by soliciting a prostitute, which, the last time I checked was a worse offense than what Larry Craig plead guilty to doing. Was David Vitter forced to resign in disgrace? No, because he isn't a disgusting fucking homo! Not only was he not forced to resign but he was given encouragement by the national Republicans and told to go to marriage counseling. What lovely hyperbole!Beneath the hypocrisy, however, lies an even bigger reason why Craig was booted and Vitter was told to stay. Idaho, the state that Craig represents, has a Republican governor who will more than likely appoint a Republican choice to replace him, thus keeping the tally in the Senate at 51-49, Dems over Repubs. Vitter, however, is in a state with a Democratic governor who definitely would appoint a Democratic replacement, tipping the balance even further in the Dems favor. So, it's bye bye Larry Craig and hello to someone who hopefully can hold their ground in an already bleak 2008 election for the Republicans.
So, the mantra I have been hearing all week that Republicans "quickly take care of those in their party who break the law as opposed to the Democrats" is completely bullshit. Yeah, they take care of them quickly when they don't meet their unrealistic expectations of what they erroneously believe constitutes morality AND when it is politically convenient for them. Sorry, Larry, but I guess we are going to continue to fuck you up even more.
The Republican Party need to have some very serious introspection and return to the values that started us out. And that is individual liberties and a live and let live policy when it comes to people's private lives.
-Michelle Laxalt, Republican strategist, Larry King Live August 28th, 2007
Can't we just let dudes by dudes?
-Markadelphia, Dean of Minneapolis and co-founder of the Association to Replace the Word "Gay" with the word "Dude," thus enabling myself and others to refer to homosexual men as something mega cool and totally awesome like dude as opposed to the word "gay" which is....well...fucking GAY, dude.
21 comments:
I don't feel sorry for Larry Craig. He persecuted people for doing the things that he tried to do in the bathroom at the airport. That is one screwed up person.
It's a good thing I remembered to bring my diapers, mc, because I just peed them. Hilarious...keep it up!
Geez Dick, so it's "persecution" when you vote against gay marriage?Lovely choice of words.
These people who communicate these signs over the internet, can't they just give the name and room# of the hotel they are staying at instead of doing these things in public restrooms and parks?
I’m far from a "morals" voter as I don’t even go to church but I don’t think it is a "mantra" as described in the original posting, it’s fact. Just look at the record. Republicans voters tend to get rid of their Republican leaders for individual behavior Democratic voters would just wink at so long as the pork keeps flowing to the democrats district. This is why his GOP colleagues immediately stripped Sen. Craig of his committee assignments and supported his resignation, while Democratic senators are comfortable having among them a man who left to drown in his automobile a young woman with whom he was having an extramarital affair. I shouldn’t even need to bring up Gerry Studds, a congressman from Massachusetts who, unlike Rep. Foley who just emailed young pages, actually HAD relations with an underage male page, had a press conference stating that it was noones business but his, and got reelected 5 times after that scandal. Barney Frank had a young congressional aide running a male prostitution ring out of Re. Franks home. Said male page was also arrested for masturbating on Republican lawmakers lockers.
It’s just funny to see the left criticize the right for not living up to the standards that the left abhors in the first place. I happen to think that Democratic lawmakers are judged on the basis of how many goodies from the federal treasury they can shower on their constituents and the typical Democratic voter doesn't mind terribly if their senator or congressman takes something for himself along the way. (Time Magazine's story on Rep. [Alan] Mollohan's re-election was headlined, "Pork Trumps Scandal."). The typical Republican voter wants his senator or congressman to keep his taxes low and government small. He doesn’t like it when GOP lawmakers stick their fingers in the cookie jar or give lip service to values they do not practice.
So while GOP constituents can be hypocrites in individual cases, collectively the Republican constituencies are far less likely to tolerate personal scandal among their leaders. This may explain why a Gingrich, a Livingston, a Packwood, a Craig and even a Nixon will step aside whereas a Clinton, a Studds, a Kennedy, or a Frank will hang tough.
And a Vitter?
I have no doubt in my mind that politics played a role in the Vitter case you described and you are dead on with your assessment that the Republican machine knows that the Democratic Governor would appoint a Democrat to replace him.
That being said, he hasn't been officially convicted of anything in a court of law (even though he has admitted he solicited the services of that madam and I don't buy his claims that is was just for the massage only), he has just been outed. I'm guessing that when his term is up I'm sure he won't be the republican running in that district.
My other comparisons still stand.
Well, the statue of limitations has expired so that's why he hasn't been convicted.
As for you comparison (and going solely on the information you present here without looking anything up)
Clinton lied under oath and was impeached, I believe. And the circumstances of his case...well, that was really a witch hunt in so many ways.
Studds should've been removed immediately.
Kennedy-got drunk and got into an accident in 1970. What was the law back then? I don't know..if it happened today, then, yes, he should resign because the law is very clear.
Frank-Was he running the ring or was the page? What law did he break?
Anyway, I think it can be safely said that both sides break laws and both sides get away with it. Do you think George W. Bush has broken any laws, now or in the past?
Another thought for you.
When is looking for sex illegal? No money changed hands, no tapes I heard mentioned sex for cash and no actual sex happened. In fact no body parts were exposed.
So what was illegal? Don't we all ask for sex someplace?
Sure most people don't use men's rooms stalls but instead go to bars but hey...most men at some point in their lives have walked up to a woman and asked if they wanted to have sex...was it illegal?
I agree with you that the Mpls Airport police should have better things to do with there time.
He is married for christ's sake! Doesn't fidelity mean anything anymore and just because the law wasn't broken doesn't make it right. We can split hairs all day and night and in the end, whatever truth there was has been relegated to the relativistic trashcan where all debates between conservatives and liberals have ended up lately. There is no right or wrong, just politics and finger pointing to further politics. Net result...waste, further decay of American society and increased polarization of the citizens of this great country. People need to grow up and sort out the difference between right and wrong and quit trying to find good twists to bad policy or decisions. Call a spade a spade and move on...whoever made said policy or decision. I have no problem frying a democrat for crappy behavior or a republican. Bad is bad. End of story. Politics in this country should not be equatable to some high school football game where you root for the home team simply because they are the home team. Set up terms for backing a candidate and make sure those terms are met. Someone mentioned small government and lower taxes. Small government...what a laugh, our government isn't getting smaller, it is getting larger and still we see a push for privatization, that costs us billions of untraceable dollars (as in the Iraq debacle) with nearly inconceivable quantities of money being lost or paid out for jobs not completed. Lower taxes...sure...for some people. The society we have all known in our lifetimes is crumbling around us, roads are falling apart, bridges are collapsing, schools and education is a mess...for what, a couple hundred or even thousands less in taxes? It's time for people to start asking themselves and others what our world is worth, an pony up like adults to pay for it. Their ain't no free lunch and whoever is telling you there is...is probably a politician selling you the equivalent of the Brooklyn Bridge.
Larry Craig is a hypocrite who fell into a trap of his own making. However heinous that trap, and yes i agree, you'd think cops would have a LOT better public service things to do than devise humiliating stings for high-level figures. How can somebody who lives a lie (i.e. lies for a living..) be in public office? stupid question i know, since at least half (if not 75%+) in public office lie for their living or supper -- it's the new norm. The point is, if he's gay, he should be PROUD OF IT and incorporate that somehow into his public life identity, not as John Waxey points out, married and living a lie as well as, much worse in my opinion, if ever being intimate with his wife making her unknowingly or knowingly sleep with all his one night stand partners too (that goes for 'sex-addicts' on the heterosexual side too and extends to the 'loyalty' factor jw mentioned.) Craig should not be searching for those partners in loos KNOWING THAT he's a public figure and whether he likes it or not, a rolemodel, in the limelight, get honest, get a divorce, find a partner, settle down and be loyal to everybody he cares for, which should include himself his wife and his voters.
So, like dick nixon, i don't feel sorry for larry craig -- he knew the score (& made a good living, i feel a hundred times sorrier for Katrina victims who still don't have a roof over their heads.) and like john waxey, i think it's another sign of the times, that we're being distracted by headline news of who larry craig wants to pick up or sleep with, when he pretends he's something else, and the implications of spreading national hypocrisy far & wide and TRUTH versus bs, which has been spreading like the wildfires in greece, especially the last few years ('i am not gay' 'we do not render suspects to third parties for torture' 'we will win' 'we believe in small government' 'no welfare (except for billionaires)' 'the enemy is...' 'you're helping the enemy (by questioning policies or debating them)') The implications of BS ruling or the MIRAGE taking over, are an attempt to make the truth utterly confusing and bury it. And this deliberate process starts at the top.
Larry Craig should resign for being a hypocrite -- not for being gay -- as should every single compulsive liar in public office be held to account for being the opposite of a good citizen or rolemodel.
People should resign for being liars and hypocrites? Get ready for a lot of resignations.
Impeachment proceedings were carried out against an ex-President for being just that. President Clinton cheated on his wife and lied under oath about it -- wasn't that the case..? no one resigns over anything anymore, noone's accountable for anything, because we live in this non-accountable culture (engendered by the political) where no one in power (or very few -- mainly lower down scapegoats) is held up to any laws or standards.
I am and have been waiting for that very day.
joannet..chaos would rein! The earth would stop spinning and the moon would refuse to rise! People taking responsibility for their actions rather than passing the buck. Whatever happened to the buck stopping here?
Magna carta anyone?
Ah, it's so wonderful to have both of you good people back.
"lied under oath about it" - aka perjury.
good clarification, but what's the (underlying) point?
Telling the American people time and time again, statements known to be at the very least 'untrue' strongly contested WITHIN the Admin or unproven, but presented as definitive truth about life and death and billion dollar profit issues not sexual issues (no-bids corporate contracts, okayed by former company heads now in political power, in countries on the imminent target list.)
Whether lying to build a case for war in media interviews, in the United Nations or in State of the Union speeches before Congress and the nation -- that's not perjury? That's not lying while having taken an oath to serve and protect the American people and the Constitution?
Highest ranking individuals have perjured themselves (forget what party they belong to) a million times over, from the Justice Department, to the VP's office, to the Pres's office, to the NSAdvisor, one former leader perjured himself about having sex (tied to truth and loyalty issues) –while the others perjured themselves before the nation about sending Americans and 'unfree' others (now refugees in the millions destabilising the region) to their deaths, unecessarily and for years to come, while making multi-millions out of it (VP held 440,000 shares in Halliburton, who paid him $44million in 5 years before becoming VP, and those hundreds of thousands of stocks skyrocketed in value post-2003 invasion when Halliburton got all or 80% of the Iraq contracts without competition.)
In Israel the Chief of Staff Dan Halutz had to RESIGN last year, 2006, for amongst other things, selling his stocks just before his Air force started carpet bombing Lebanon, because he knew those stocks would dive during a war. i.e. he was thinking about PROFIT before his soldiers' well-being and sending them to unecessary deaths, as the official Israeli commission ruled.
...gosh, SW, looks like you touched a tender nerve there...
I'm no lawyer but I'm guessing that it is lying when done in media interviews but I'm guessing that it isn't perjury unless you take an oath, right? Did some reporter read them an official oath first? If lying to the media is perjury you're going to have to start building a lot of jails because lots of people will be sent away including lots of people not involved in politics.
I don't think that oath to Serve and Protect holds up against perjury charges in a court of law. If they commit perjury while testifying in front of congress or in a court of law then send them away, doesn't matter which party they belong to.
that's very partisan, although sw's last point isn't at all, to deduce that it's 'okay' or not equivalent to the concept and reality of perjury to lie as the holder of a high public office, when making statements and repeatedly asserting those statements are facts, not mere conjecture or guesses, in interviews or national public addresses.
It should (in my view) actually bother ANYbody, whose loyalty to a person or party isn't merely tribal, but based on universal criteria of the very principles this country stands for and is presumably, putting lives in harm's way to defend.
I think that when I president takes an oath of office-if he breaks that oath-it is something beyond perjury if they fail to protect and serve.
Rather than impeachment, they should just be fired by Congress, who is essentially supposed to be us.
I agree that it's not okay to lie. I still don't think it's perjury if someone lies to some reporter.
Dishonest, yes. Perjury, no.
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