Idaho-mo

[Damien]

Craig stated “that he has a wide stance when going to the bathroom

See, that's just, like, beyond pathetic.

Olberman showed the stall (or one like it). To be so wide in stance as to stretch under the walls of the stall, you'd have to have legs as agile as Nixon's secretary Rose Mary Woods.

[Damien]

(I'll give him this, he does have a very dignified mug shot.)

Prominently featuring that idiotic American flag pin ("I'm more patriotic than you") favored among all sorts of assholes ranging from Worst President Ever to Jay Leno.

[Damien]

Foley denied he was gay? I thought he had been out for a while. My recollection was that he was in a long-term same sex relationship and this was known among his contituents. And as far as Republicans go, Foley was one of the most gay-friendly, or at least one of the least gay-unfriendly (and I'm talking in a legislative way).

What a contrast that makes with Larry Craig, who was a married man and vociferously anti-gay in his voting record.

I kind of feel sorry for him. I don't like sting operations, and the poor guy spent his entire life living a lie, and married to a woman who lived the same lie.

Foley may not have been such an obvious liar about himself -- though he did show up at fundraisers with woman friends as his "dates" but the fact that he aligned himself with the completely homophobic and loathesome Republican leadership is arguably even worse. Quislings. Jews manning the lookout towers at concentration camps. Jesse Helms's African-American staff members. Criddic. They're all cut from the same cloth.

I had about a second and a half of sympathy for Larry Craig because I also despise sexual sting operations. I mean nobody's being hurt and if you're offended , turn away -- just as I do when I see straight couples French kissing in public.

But then I remembered that Craig was not just another closet case. He was a Person of Power and he used that power to hurt and diminish other people -- and not just other people but HIS people. I know a bunch of gay kids, and their strength and fortitude and self-respect moves me so much and makes me so proud and so happy, but even the strongest among them has some doubts and feelings of worthlessness, and that comes from fucks like Larry Craig getting up and making speeches about how they're inherently inferior and no good and an embarrassment and I just want that fuck to suffer and writhe and anguish for all the pain he's caused to wonderful and worthy and decent people.

[Penelope]

Just what we needed: a re-enactment.

[Sonic Youth]

Craig stated “that he has a wide stance when going to the bathroom

See, that's just, like, beyond pathetic.

And Craig is still denying he is gay.

(I'll give him this, he does have a very dignified mug shot.)

[Sonic Youth]

Foley denied he was gay? I thought he had been out for a while. My recollection was that he was in a long-term same sex relationship and this was known among his contituents. And as far as Republicans go, Foley was one of the most gay-friendly, or at least one of the least gay-unfriendly (and I'm talking in a legislative way).

What a contrast that makes with Larry Craig, who was a married man and vociferously anti-gay in his voting record.

I kind of feel sorry for him. I don't like sting operations, and the poor guy spent his entire life living a lie, and married to a woman who lived the same lie. (I'm not going to say he decieved her; they didn't have any children, so something tells me they reached some agreement between the two of them.) And why do pervs become pervs? A lot of reasons, but one of them being they can't have, or choose not to have, a sexual life and this is the only solution they see to get a release. I'm sure he's a very unhappy man. That he's a nasty, lying, hypocrite makes it exponentially easier for me to not feel THAT sorry for him. But there's a lesson to be learned here: whoever you are, however old you are, whatever your life or career status is, COME OUT OF THE CLOSET! You'll save so much grief down the line.

[flipp525]

And why is it always public restrooms? Ugh.

Because that’s the only place these old pervs can think to get some. No picture exchange beforehand so that ensures complete anonymity and a reduced chance of being rejected face-to-face. And layovers in airports are dead, unaccounted-for time. It’s the perfect opportunity for a faggoty, closeted Senator to get some head. And they can even use per diem!

Gay men have been trolling airport restrooms for years. I worked at a Ben and Jerry’s in Dulles Airport during college one summer and quite a few pilots tried to pick me up doing the same exact thing -- skimming their hands underneath the barrier, tapping their feet, one went so far as to put his entire face underneath the partition and affect a come-hither look. It was just embarrassing.

I’ve already heard a snippet on one of the cable news networks of someone denying similar allegations against Washington’s powerbrokers outed in Mike Roger’s report. Basically, anyone who dismisses Mike Roger’s report out of hand is either totally naïve or has his own agenda. It would do skeptics well (listen up, criddic!) to consider the following facts: When Michael Rogers reported on Foley’s homosexuality over a year ago, Foley denied it, just as Craig has through his spokesman. Of course, we know now that Rogers was right on about Foley.

Former Congressman Ed Schrock also denied the report about his gay sexcapades that Rogers posted about him. Curiously, though, Schrock withdrew from his reelection campaign at the last minute. Why? Because Rogers had incontrovertible proof. Rep. Kolbe, who is now implicated in yet another page scandal being investigated by the FBI, denied for years that he was gay until the Advocate magazine threatened to out him. He chose to come out himself.

Rep. David Dreier’s name is now just beginning to be mentioned in the mainstream press as a member of the Republican “gay cabal.” His homosexuality has been an open secret in Washington for years (one of my older friends actually fucked him back in the early 90's). Why was he passed over as Majority Leader, even after his name was announced as the successor to Tom DeLay? Because the religious right knew he was gay, and they would not tolerate a gay man as a Republican Majority Leader.

Why is Craig not speaking to the allegation directly? Because he doesn’t want to go on the record denying what he fears will ultimately be confirmed. Why does his spokesman say he will not sue? Because truth is an absolute defense to slander. Why is Brian Fischer, the director of the Idaho Values Alliance, so quick to dismiss the report? Because Craig does Fischer’s bidding. Do not be deceived by the “values” in the organization’s name (not that anyone on this board would). Any organization who claims to represent “values,” really represents a very narrow agenda, usually based on repressing gays. As long as Craig promised to be committed to voting against gay rights, organizations like the Idaho Values Alliance were likely to turn a blind eye to his private sexual life. The Republican Party and the religious right have a vested interest in keeping their politicians in the closet, as long as those politicians vote against gay causes. Anyone else, the radical right is happy and eager to smear and accuse of being gay, as witnessed by Secretary of State Blackwell’s accusation against his Democratic opponent in the Ohio gubernatorial race.

Go ahead and watch the videos posted on Roger’s blog, www.blogactive.com. They show a very nervous Larry Craig denying similar charges in 1982. It was immediately after he was tied to a homosexual sex scandal in 1982 (snorting coke and fucking pages, I believe) that he married an employee and adopted her children in order to create a cover. The only other “natural” move to deflect suspicion would've been to become rabidly homophobic, which his voting record proves.

I remember getting very heated in the Foley thread last year when the Page Scandal hit. It does sort of seem like old hat these days, doesn’t it? Another closeted gay Republican, another day. In this case, not only does it seem just downright hateful that Senator Craig would've been opposed to expanding the federal hate crimes law to cover offenses motivated by anti-gay bias but, as I’m sure you’ve read on CNN as I just did, he voted against a bill in 1996 that would’ve outlawed employment discrimination based on sexual orientation, which failed by a single vote in the Senate. Twisted fuck.

And, yes, truly awesome thread title, Damien.



Edited By flipp525 on 1188336907

[Sonic Youth]

This happened in June?

How the hell did no one know about this until just now?

And why is it always public restrooms? Ugh.

[Mister Tee]

I was telling my wife about this last night, and she said, You told me about him a while back. I said, No, this is another Republican...and when I described the details, she said, And he approached an undercover cop, just like the last guy?

You could possibly work up a dime-store psych profile: closeted-and-dying-to-be-caught Republicans. It's almost to the one-a-month stage at this point.

By the way, outstanding thread title, Damien.

[99-1100896887]

The old I-just-leaned-down-to-pick-up-a-piece-of-paper trick! Book 'im Dano!

[Damien]

Is there not even one conservative elected Republican who's not a sexual hypocrite?

And, yes, of course, this clown was a big supporter of the Defense of Marriage Amendment.

IDAHO SENATOR ARRESTED IN AIRPORT MEN'S ROOM
by Steve Karnowski
A.P. Aug 27

Sen. Larry Craig of Idaho pleaded guilty this month to misdemeanor disorderly conduct after being arrested at the Minneapolis airport.

A Hennepin County court docket showed Craig pleading guilty to the disorderly conduct charge Aug. 8, with the court dismissing a charge of gross misdemeanor interference to privacy.

The court docket said the Republican senator paid $575 in fines and fees. He was put on unsupervised probation for a year. A sentence of 10 days in the county workhouse was stayed.

Roll Call, a Capitol Hill newspaper, which first reported the case, said on its Web site Monday that Craig was arrested June 11 by a plainclothes officer investigating complaints of lewd conduct in a men's restroom at the airport.

Craig said in a statement issued by his office that he was not involved in any inappropriate conduct.

"At the time of this incident, I complained to the police that they were misconstruing my actions," he said. "I should have had the advice of counsel in resolving this matter. In hindsight, I should not have pled guilty. I was trying to handle this matter myself quickly and expeditiously."

Craig, 62, is married and in his third term in the Senate. He is up for re-election next year. He was a member of the House for 10 years before winning election to the Senate in 1990.

He has been one of Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney's top Senate supporters, serving as a Senate liaison for the campaign since February. As word spread of Craig's guilty plea, a Romney campaign spokesman, Matt Rhoades, said in a statement: "Senator Craig has stepped down from his role with the campaign. He did not want to be a distraction and we accept his decision."

Sidney Smith, a Craig aide in Boise, said Monday afternoon that the senator was "in the (Boise) area" but was declining to give interviews.

Minneapolis airport police declined to provide a copy of the arrest report after business hours Monday.

Roll Call, citing the report, said Sgt. Dave Karsnia made the arrest after an encounter in which he was seated in a stall next to a stall occupied by Craig. Karsnia described Craig tapping his foot, which Karsnia said he "recognized as a signal used by persons wishing to engage in lewd conduct."

Roll Call quoted the Aug. 8 police report as saying that Craig had handed the arresting officer a business card that identified him as a member of the Senate.

"What do you think about that?" Craig is alleged to have said, according to the report.

Last fall, Craig called allegations from a gay-rights activist that he's had homosexual relationships "completely ridiculous."

Mike Rogers, who bills himself as a gay activist blogger, published the allegations on his Web site, [url=http://www.blogactive.com,]http://www.blogactive.com,[/url] in October 2006.

Craig hasn't said if he plans to run for a fourth term in 2008. An announcement was expected this fall. His spokesman, Smith, was uncertain if Craig's guilty plea would affect his re-election plans.

"It's too early to talk about anything about that," Smith told The Associated Press.

J. Kirk Sullivan, chairman of the Idaho Republican Party, declined to comment on the situation, saying he was unaware of the nature of the charges against Craig.
========================

And from Roll Call, details of the arrest report:

According to the incident report, Sgt. Dave Karsnia was working as a plainclothes officer on June 11 investigating civilian complaints regarding sexual activity in the men’s public restroom in which Craig was arrested.

Airport police previously had made numerous arrests in the men’s restroom of the Northstar Crossing in the Lindbergh Terminal in connection with sexual activity.

Karsnia entered the bathroom at noon that day and about 13 minutes after taking a seat in a stall, he stated he could see “an older white male with grey hair standing outside my stall.”

The man, who lingered in front of the stall for two minutes, was later identified as Craig.

“I could see Craig look through the crack in the door from his position. Craig would look down at his hands, ‘fidget’ with his fingers, and then look through the crack into my stall again. Craig would repeat this cycle for about two minutes,” the report states.

Craig then entered the stall next to Karsnia’s and placed his roller bag against the front of the stall door.

“My experience has shown that individuals engaging in lewd conduct use their bags to block the view from the front of their stall,” Karsnia stated in his report. “From my seated position, I could observe the shoes and ankles of Craig seated to the left of me.”

Craig was wearing dress pants with black dress shoes.

“At 1216 hours, Craig tapped his right foot. I recognized this as a signal used by persons wishing to engage in lewd conduct. Craig tapped his toes several times and moves his foot closer to my foot.

I moved my foot up and down slowly. While this was occurring, the male in the stall to my right was still present. I could hear several unknown persons in the restroom that appeared to use the restroom for its intended use. The presence of others did not seem to deter Craig as he moved his right foot so that it touched the side of my left foot which was within my stall area,” the report states.

Craig then proceeded to swipe his hand under the stall divider several times, and Karsnia noted in his report that “I could ... see Craig had a gold ring on his ring finger as his hand was on my side of the stall divider.”

Karsnia then held his police identification down by the floor so that Craig could see it.

“With my left hand near the floor, I pointed towards the exit. Craig responded, ‘No!’ I again pointed towards the exit. Craig exited the stall with his roller bags without flushing the toilet. ... Craig said he would not go. I told Craig that he was under arrest, he had to go, and that I didn’t want to make a scene. Craig then left the restroom.”

In a recorded interview after his arrest, Craig “either disagreed with me or ‘didn’t recall’ the events as they happened,” the report states.

Craig stated “that he has a wide stance when going to the bathroom and that his foot may have touched mine,” the report states. Craig also told the arresting officer that he reached down with his right hand to pick up a piece of paper that was on the floor.

“It should be noted that there was not a piece of paper on the bathroom floor, nor did Craig pick up a piece of paper,” the arresting officer said in the report.