Posted on 09/04/2007 7:48:46 PM PDT by RightOnTheLeftCoast
Ben Stein: Gestapo Tactics Got Larry Craig
Tuesday, September 4, 2007 7:39 PM
Former Sen. Larry Craig didn't do anything illegal and was railroaded with "Gestapo tactics," says actor and commentator Ben Stein.
Appearing recently on Your World With Neil Cavuto program, Stein remarked: "I don't like the idea that people are sitting in the next stall from you at a public bathroom listening to whether or not you tap your foot. This is, as I said, Gestapo tactics. Gestapo, Gestapo, Gestapo. It's not America."
Stein says Craig, who was arrested June 11 by Minneapolis police and pled guilty to a charge of disorderly conduct, is a victim of "pure police entrapment and thuggery."
"The police have real work to do at the airport," Stein says. "It's an airport, hello. There are security problems at airports. Al-qaida: Are you listening? Our security people are entrapping perfectly honest U.S. senators in lavatory stalls instead of looking for you terrorists."
Stein charges that police intimidated Craig into pleading guilty to disorderly conduct after he was arrested for tapping his foot in a bathroom stall at the Minneapolis-St. Paul airport.
Police say foot tapping is a common overture used to signal interest in a sexual encounter. Minneapolis police had reportedly made several arrests in recent months for lewd conduct in restrooms at the airport.
"A policeman drags him off, or verbally drags him off, starts browbeating him, essentially threatens he's going to ruin his career if the guy doesn't plead guilty right away," Stein tells Cavuto. "This is Gestapo tactics in Minneapolis-St. Paul. It's not nice."
Stein adds that it was wrong for GOP stalwarts to join the drumbeat for Craig's resignation: "This is some way to treat the people who have been loyal members of your party for many years. What did he do wrong? Suppose he was soliciting for gay sex. Gay sex is not illegal in the United States, the Supreme Court has said that. If it were illegal, it would be a different story. It's not illegal. He didn't do anything illegal, they're just bludgeoning him into a confession."
The Craig scandal points out a fundamental question about the balance of political power, according to Stein.
"On trumped up charges, they bring down the legislator and change the balance of power within the United States generally," he says. "This is a really serious case of police overreaching and the victim here is Larry Craig and the Constitution of the United States."
Craig has represented Idaho in Congress for over a quarter of a century and was up for re-election next year.
Ben Stein is ALWAYS right. Period.
conventional women utterly detest these unseemly antics in a nasty public toilet of all places. i don’t care if he was set up. You really want to lose the base, disillusion women about what the party represents. Hopefully Ben Stein will be able to exercise his preference outside the purview of the unassuming public.
Yep. Finally another brave one tells it like it is instead of responding like the mob of sheep did a week ago.
What do you mean by this?
susie
and assuming the governor will appoint a republican to replace Craig, the only change in the balance of power occurs if you have an interest in being duly represented by reststop perverts.
hopefully he’ll learn from craig and mcgreevey and try to find love in all the right places.
As weak and pathetic as cruising public bathrooms is, Ben is right.. Wonder what other questionable "stuff" Craig was "into"..
actually Ben IS RIGHT about the tactics. They are outragious and should allow for a set aside of the plea.
HOWEVER, that said, I think Craig was a KNOWS “toe tapper” and this was just an oportune excuse to prune a foley from our ranks.
KNOWS = KNOWN
sorry about the typo.
Craig made a beeline for that particular rest room. From what I understand that rest room was not even near his gate at the airport. That leads one to believe that Craig had been there before since he knew what to do. That rest room has been a known haven for Gay activity at that airport and that is why undercover police have had it staked out. So Mr. Stein take another look at the facts, Craig got caught end of story!
Gestapo tactics?
HE PLEADED GUILTY!
-—Former Sen. Larry Craig didn’t do anything illegal and was railroaded with “Gestapo tactics,” says actor and commentator Ben Stein.-—
What a load of bull. I guess Craig was just trying to expose himself to broader spectrum of voters.
Imagine someone’s 12 year old in that stall instead of a cop.
Anderson Cooper afraid his dating scene is in danger?
The constitution states: “They shall in all cases, except treason, felony and breach of the peace, be privileged from arrest during their attendance at the session of their respective Houses, and in going to and returning from the same;”
Craig was travelling home from congress during a session. So was trolling for sex a felony? He pled guilty to a misdemeanor — but he should be immune from any misdemeanor charge during his travel.
I am Spartacus?
He's either guilty or stupid, and either way the Senate is better off without him.
Interesting.
So, people you disagree with are gay?
susie
Are you suggesting that all homosexuals are pedophiles?
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