So, do people elected to congress sign a pledge of straightness and marital fidelity?

[undeterred]

Because my congressperson is an openly gay lesbian, and one of my senators is an in the closet gay man and the other one is straight but twice divorced. Maybe nobody gave them the pledge.

[Warpy]

1. They should if they want to legislate it on the rest of us.

Now knock it off. You KNOW it's the hypocrisy.

[More Than A Feeling]

2. I did not know that about Senator Kohl.

I hope he gets to a place where he feels comfortable about being open, if indeed its true that he's in the closet.

[undeterred]

7. Wisconsin is pretty progressive.

People know and they leave it alone. He's from a different generation, in his 70s. He is well liked in this state for the things he has done as a Senator, although the far left gets frustrated with him (mostly because we want him to be more like Feingold).

[More Than A Feeling]

15. I'm glad you added that last part.

When I hear far left, I tend to imagine the speaker is a centrist trying to demean liberals/progressives by verbally pushing them to the fringe. Obviously, inaccurate in this case, and I apologize for jumping to conclusions about you.

[undeterred]

17. Well, I think we have the best Senator in the country in Feingold

By contrast, Kohl looks pretty moderate, and he has taken a lot of criticism for not being against the war soon enough. In a state where the other Senator was a Republican he would have had an easier time of it. But since there is absolutely nothing not to love about Feingold (or the Congresspersons from Madison and Milwaukee, where many of the activists are!) Kohl takes a lot of heat from people. His voting record isn't terribly different than Feingold's except for a few notable things like the bankruptcy bill, and he was much slower to come around on being against the war.

He's not a bad senator, he's just next to the most Progressive Senator in the country. :hi:

[trumad]

3. You do know that Craig censored Barney FranK?

[undeterred]

8. I never heard of Craig before this week

I just knew that Idaho was an extremely conservative state, so it doesn't really surprise me.

[Gman]

4. No but

it kinda goes without saying that you don't be rabidly anti-gay and then get busted for cruising for gay sex in a public bathroom lest you take so flak.

[undeterred]

5. It seems rather odd that the airport is the place for policing such things.

:shrug:

[nashville_brook]

6. it's the hypocrisy and horrible misuse of power

wow -- can't believe this thread is meant to be serious.

[robinlynne]

10. The poster was probably not aware that Craig was a hateful anti-gay christian guy.

[undeterred]

16. I really never heard of him

but I don't think he committed a crime that is worthy of a week of front page attention. I think its very odd to assign police to airport bathrooms, unless thats where the terrorists are hanging out.

[robinlynne]

20. If you read any of the press, it says the police were there because of numbers of

complaints.

[Left Is Write]

21. He's a creep.

He's a hatemonger, period.

[undeterred]

14. hmmmm

I wasn't really being serious, more like ironic/sarcastic. Should have used an icon.

[nashville_brook]

30. sorry -- didn't sense your intention.

peace.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

9. They Should Sign A Pledge Not To Watch People Do Their Business Through The Cracks In Bathroom

Stalls Regardless Of Their Orientation Or Gender...

It means they respect the right to privacy...

Somebody that isn't willing to peer at you after you go in the bathroom and close the door is probably less likely to allow the government to peer at your e-mail or listen to your overseas phonecalls...

[undeterred]

12. Amen.

I really don't care to hear about this stuff and I don't see what it has to do with how somebody votes. It could be a Democrat or a Republican or a Libertarian doing it. I'd be appalled if they started sending undercover female cops into the womens room to spy on me.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

13. Yeah

I don't distinguish between large assaults and small assaults on my privacy and who's doing the assaulting...As Long as I am obeying the laws I have a right to be left alone...

[Orsino]

11. Big shots don't have to sign anything...

...and will duck and weave to avoid explicit promises. They just mouth empty phrases about how great family values are, ignore them privately, then tearfully admit to as little as possible when caught.

[Demeter]

18. That's The Tenet of Marriage Between Man and Woman

as commonly understood by the culture. Whether one runs for Congress, or not.

[undeterred]

22. Never been there,

didn't know it was mandatory for Congress or anything else.

[Demeter]

23. ???? You Lost Me.

[undeterred]

24. Never been married.

I find it really strange that being in public office requires people to be heterosexual and married and show proof of their faithfulness in marriage. What does ones sexual orientation/marital status have to do with political leadership? Why should it even be a factor at all? Why are we even talking about it?

[Demeter]

25. Not So.

What about Barney Frank and Father Drinan? It's the infidelity to one's public vow.

[undeterred]

26. Now you've lost me.

Priests take oaths of celibacy; Congressmen/women and Senators do not. I think the latter should have some privacy. Not to break the law, but they shouldn't be scrutinized or held to a higher standard than anyone else. This is why we can't get good people to run for office- nobody wants the world peering into their bedroom or bathroom stall.

[yurbud]

19. it would be funny if a Democrat proposed this. Send Michael Moore to all the repubs

[Solon]

27. Actually, I think the marital fidelity one would be a good idea...

If I elect someone who is married, whether they are in a heterosexual or homosexual marriage, and they are caught running around, well, they broke ONE vow, to someone they supposedly loved so much that they decided to spend their life with them, why would I trust them with keeping the oath of office? Oaths are apparently meaningless to them.

This is outside of divorce, people can decide to get married, and then later realize its a mistake and get out of the contract, this isn't a moral or ethical issue, its a private issue. My problem would be with those who are oath breakers, regardless of what the oath was.

[BlooInBloo]

28. By that criterion, no one would hold office.

[undeterred]

29. And we all know how strongly chimpy feels about his oath to uphold the constitution

I mean, he writes a signing statement about it every chance he gets... :sarcasm: