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Get government out of the bathroom
LATimes ^ | August 29, 2007 | Nick Gillespie

Posted on 08/29/2007 8:05:18 AM PDT by bahblahbah

As we all look forward to more sputtering news conference antics from Sen. Larry Craig, here's hoping that the Idaho politician will eventually draw on traditional Republican principles and stand up for his right to engage in consensual sex in toilet stalls with men. Craig, a critic of the Patriot Act who weakened some of its worst provisions during last year's renewal vote, clearly understands the need to keep the government from snooping willy-nilly on its citizens.

At first flush, the news that the 62-year-old senior senator from the Gem State pleaded guilty Aug. 8 to misdemeanor charges of disorderly conduct in a Minnesota airport men's room is not simply embarrassing but humiliating -- especially to the people of Idaho, who returned him to office for the third time in 2002 with 65% of the vote. According to police reports, Craig tapped his foot near and ran his hand alongside his toilet stall divider, which the arresting officer said he recognized as a come-on for sex. After the cop, who was sitting in the adjacent stall, flashed his badge and made the arrest, Craig compounded his poor judgment by trying to invoke senatorial privilege. He handed the police officer his U.S. Senate business card and intoned, "What do you think of that?" Craig paid almost $600 in fines and fees and was sentenced to a year of probation and 10 days in a county jail (the latter was stayed).

(Excerpt) Read more at latimes.com ...


TOPICS: News/Current Events; US: Idaho
KEYWORDS: classicalliberalism; homosexualagenda; larrycraig; libertarianism; nickgillespie; publicnudity; reason; smallgovernment
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To: traditional1
Liberals don't care about moral principle. Libertarians think people should be trusted to police their own behavior. To the latter, government should intervene only when your conduct might harm others. A free society should allow individuals the freedom to be stupid and to offend - as long as what they do doesn't harm others.

"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus

41 posted on 08/29/2007 11:01:29 AM PDT by goldstategop (In Memory Of A Dearly Beloved Friend Who Lives In My Heart Forever)
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Comment #42 Removed by Moderator

To: GraniteStateConservative
Larry Craig can suck off anyone he wants in the privacy of his own bathroom at home. I don’t care.

Exactly. It's hard to defend this type of thing in a PUBLIC restroom. I haven't read this particular section of the penal code, but I was shocked that the fine was $600, that's a pretty stiff penalty. I think the prosecutor was just jerking him around.

43 posted on 08/29/2007 11:25:12 AM PDT by Eric Blair 2084 (Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms shouldn't be a federal agency...it should be a convenience store.)
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To: Eric Blair 2084
It was only a misdemeanor, not a felony. It still raises the question of police being around in a public bathroom. There was no allegation of indecent exposure or gay sex here. Oh which reminds me - where are the gay activists on all this? Yeah, I get it - Sen. Craig is a homophobe and a Republican so that's why they are silent.

"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus

44 posted on 08/29/2007 11:28:34 AM PDT by goldstategop (In Memory Of A Dearly Beloved Friend Who Lives In My Heart Forever)
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To: Eric Blair 2084

I think so too. But it looks like he’s going down.


45 posted on 08/29/2007 11:32:01 AM PDT by Sue Perkick (And I hope that what I’ve done here today doesn’t force you to have a negative opinion of me….)
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Comment #46 Removed by Moderator

To: Eric Blair 2084
I read this in the morning. I am going to e-mail Nick G over at Reason, he’s gotta lotta splainin to do.

I’m all for personal liberty and freedom and all that nice stuff,...BUT GEEZ THIS IS A PUBLIC RESTROOM. To defend that type of behavior? That’s pretty messed up right there.

I think you are misreading his op-ed. He is not saying make bathrooms hookups legal. He is saying de-couple the Republican Party from sexual morality issues as a defining meme. The "Defense of Marraige" and various state anti Gay Marraige initatives are what he suggests we drop.

It's a typcial libertarian perspective, as one would expect from Reason. Unfortunately for Nick and Reason there are MANY, MANY Socially conservative Republican voters who are deeply concerned about cultural rot, of which open acceptance of homosexuality is normal is a bell weather issue. And there are relatively few Libertarian Republicans.

Perhaps a new coalition could be formed: Libertarian Republicans and some subset of current Democratic voters who are mostly concerned about personal liberty (or, as conservatives see it legalized perversion and drugs), but really support small government.

I'm pretty sceptical. And of course it begs the question: where would all the cultural conservatives go if you stop catering to them in the GOP? In our system the obvious answer is the Dems, strange as that might seem.

I think his suggestion is likely to be ignored, just like most everything else on the cultural side is from Reason.

47 posted on 08/29/2007 11:46:51 AM PDT by Jack Black
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To: GraniteStateConservative

Well, okay, if you want, we’ll send the foot tapping inspectors to your house, next.


48 posted on 08/29/2007 12:03:35 PM PDT by ClaireSolt (Have you have gotten mixed up in a mish-masher?)
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To: Eric Blair 2084

He wasn’t looking to get shafted by the police, and didn’t believe his mistaken gestures would get him screwed in this way.


49 posted on 08/29/2007 12:07:54 PM PDT by TheKidster (you can only trust government to grow, consolidate power and infringe upon your liberties.)
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To: bahblahbah

Kirk Cameron is married with 6 kids!
http://www.kirkcameron.com/

Cameron is currently a partner in the evangelical Christian ministry: http://www.wayofthemaster.com/


50 posted on 08/29/2007 1:43:45 PM PDT by dcnd9
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To: dcnd9

I’m just kidding and I like Kirk. I’m comparing what david deangelo gimmicky way of picking up girls in the seduction community to kirk cameron way of picking up converts during “personal evangelism”.

“Hi there, you like romance novels. Well I know the greatest romance novel of all times. I’m in it, you can be too. If you’re in it you can be in the greatest wedding of all times...”

“Hi there, you say kids need role models. Well, I know the greatest role model of all time...”

“Hi there couple having sex. Is that a condom, well I have something else you can wrap yourself in...”

“Hi drug dealers, do you like to get high. Well, I’ve got the greatest high of them all...”

I know that’s not even close to what kirk does but he has his own gimmicks.


51 posted on 08/29/2007 2:08:02 PM PDT by bahblahbah
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To: traditional1
Democratic Rep. Barney Frank of Massachusetts, one of two openly gay members of Congress, chided Craig for hypocrisy but said there was no need for him to resign now.

“It’s not an abuse of his office in the sense that he was taking money for corrupt votes,” said Frank, D-Mass. “I think people should resign when they have clearly done the job in a way that is dishonest.”

On the other hand, the Log Cabin Republicans and GayPatriot.net want him to resign.

A lot of the groups that think homosexuality is acceptable still think that picking up someone in a public restroom is disgusting.

52 posted on 08/29/2007 9:02:33 PM PDT by amchugh (large and largely disgruntled)
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To: Sue Perkick; TheKidster
I think so too. But it looks like he’s going down.

Let's face it, he really blew it. The only chance he has to resurrect his career is to swallow his pride, suck it up, get on his knees and beg for forgiveness. Instead, he keeps putzing around with these press conferences saying he is not gay. Nobody cares if he is gay or not.

53 posted on 08/30/2007 10:33:43 AM PDT by Eric Blair 2084 (Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms shouldn't be a federal agency...it should be a convenience store.)
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To: Eric Blair 2084

I hear you. Right now it sucks to be him. But it’s his own fault. He should have seen it coming.


54 posted on 08/30/2007 10:39:51 AM PDT by Sue Perkick (And I hope that what I’ve done here today doesn’t force you to have a negative opinion of me….)
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To: Eric Blair 2084; Sue Perkick

True. He’s bobbing up and down and hoping that he won’t get hit in the eye with the truth of the situation. The problem is that he exposed himself to conservatives and has lost all credibility even as he spits out excuses.


55 posted on 08/30/2007 10:42:49 AM PDT by TheKidster (you can only trust government to grow, consolidate power and infringe upon your liberties.)
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To: TheKidster; Sue Perkick

He just let his head get too big. Now his career is flushed down the toilet. Happens to too many public serpents.


56 posted on 08/30/2007 11:32:29 AM PDT by Eric Blair 2084 (Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms shouldn't be a federal agency...it should be a convenience store.)
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To: Eric Blair 2084; TheKidster

I bet next time he will think long & hard before he gets himself in a situation like that again.


57 posted on 08/30/2007 12:36:08 PM PDT by Sue Perkick (And I hope that what I’ve done here today doesn’t force you to have a negative opinion of me….)
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