The hoopla surrounding the recently publicized fact that Senator Larry Craig (R-ID) pleaded guilty two months ago to disorderly/lewd conduct has many takes. The three-term senator was busted in a Minnesota Airport men's room for soliciting sex with another man--an undercover cop--who was located in an adjacent stall. You can find several of the takes here, here, here and here and most, of course, have a political bent. Craig held a press conference a couple of hours ago during which he claims not to be a homosexual, refuses to resign and says that he will decide later whether to stand for re-election next year. Cue senate ethics probe.
With all of the (admittedly fun) scandal-mongering going on, what I really want to know about is this: when did airport men's rooms become the sex spot for male homosexuals? Perhaps I'm a bit sheltered, but if I had a son between the ages of six and eleven--too old to go into the ladies' room with me but not yet large enough to defend himself against an aggressive adult--I probably wouldn't be.
Perhaps men so inclined wouldn't take the chance on grabbing a boy in such an enclosed space--one from which such a predator would not have an easy avenue of escape--but is that a chance which you would take with your son? And even if there are no child predators present, seeing/hearing two men boinking in the restroom is not something which I would want my son to have to experience.
When did it become dangerous to send older boys into airport bathrooms by themselves? And why isn't something being...never mind. Our airports aren't totally secure from terrorists. Why should the state of affairs be any different with regard to perverts? (And, yes, people who have any kind of sex in public restrooms are perverts.)
Both Democrats and Republicans are calling on Craig to resign. I agree that he should. He pleaded guilty to possibly exposing somebody's child to his very adult sexuality. Would you want someone like this in DC representing your interests?*
*If you live in Barney Frank's (D-MA) district, forget I asked.
UPDATE: Welcome Balloon Juice readers! It's nice to know that John and I still agree on some things. :-)
UPDATE: Looking for Reasons to Complain
