Wednesday, September 26, 2007

Bathroom Etiquette

Idaho senator Larry Craig is back in the headlines again. I guess he thinks that people are stupid, but that is probably how most in Washington view Flyover Land. To refresh all concerned's memories, Larry Craig was dancing in a bathroom stall in the Minneapolis Airport. He got caught, "panicked" and plead guilty to some sort of solicitation/lewd conduct charge. Then he announced he was resigning. Then he changed his mind about both his resignation and his guilty plea. I don't really care what he was or was not doing in that bathroom. If he's gay or not gay, who cares. I don't, other than the fact that he is quite the hypocrite. He apparently made a career out of bashing gays (according to this month's Cosmo, that could be a warning sign your guy is gay), and I think it would be sweet sweet irony that he in fact is gay.
What concerns me about this case is the fact that this man is an elected official. He is in charge of making laws that affect all Americans. This is his job, his career, his vocation. What he decides affects all of us, even if we don't live in Idaho. The fact that he is now reconsidering how he participated in the judicial system (and if you watch enough Law & Order reruns, you have a clue how it works) and has withdrawn his guilty plea. Since he is a Senator, it is as if he wants preferential treatment.
Do you think that the average American would be able to withdraw a guilty plea the same way? It is another example of how power and influence can corrupt out justice system. Don't get me wrong-I really am not a bleeding heart liberal-but I think that justice should be blind. It shouldn't matter how much money or power or prestige you have. No one put a gun to Sen. Craig's head and told him to plead guilty.
What really disturbs me the most about this foray into bathroom etiquette is the impact that this will have on the younger members of our society. Its bad enough that they are exposed to sex and violence on regular tv and the 6 o'clock news, but now they can start asking questions about what it means to be gay and how to get out of a pleading. I want my son to grow up in an environment where the justice system means something. I want him to have respect for lawmakers. And most of all, I want him to be able to stand by his word. With role models like Senator Craig, its just another sign of the coming apocolypse.

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