Wednesday, August 29, 2007

Judgement Call

Should Larry Craig run for re-election? No. Should he resign his seat in the Senate? Yes. It has nothing to do with whether he is gay or not. It has nothing to do with his being a hypocrite. If we used that as a basis for ousting legislators we'd have none.

It has to do with judgement. I am quite tired of the "Oh woe is me, I've shamed myself, my family, my state. Please, please forgive me though I've really done nothing wrong. It's just a huge misunderstanding!" Please.

If you truly were not soliciting sex yet accepted a fine and a suspended jail sentence without advice from counsel and don't consider that poor judgement, it's just plain stupid.

If the police report is accurate, it appears to me you're sorry because you had a lapse in judgement and got caught. Pure and simple. Otherwise you'd not have been engaging in the activity in the first place. Because of that you have no business legislating how others should live their lives. Actually, you've no longer that right.

Have you ever really looked at the expressions on the faces of the wives who stand, trying to maintain some sense of dignity, by their side? Those faces tell it all.

We have three openly gay members of Congress. Two Democrats and one Republican. They cover a cross section of states with varying attitudes: Massachusetts, Wisconsin and Arizona.

They were placed in office by an informed electorate. They didn't have to lie or obfuscate. Those who do ought to keep their arrogance and egos in check; keep their personal lives just that - personal. And behind closed doors. Not in public venues. We shouldn't have to explain it to them! If they were savvy enough to get elected, they should be savvy enough to handle their personal behavior!

There is a line from La Cage aux Folles,"Life's not worth a dam till you can shout out I am what I am." Will we see the day when a man or a woman can shout that line without fear or repercussion? That their lust for power or fame or whatever drives them isn't determined by their personal preferences or inclinations? Or indeed, how they were born?

Perhaps. But to reap the rewards of position they bear the responsibility of maintaining their own dignity and privacy and decency. Then, perhaps, we'll be more inclined judge them on their abilities alone.

We deserve no less.

3 comments:

Word Tosser said...

If he is innocent as he says he is... why didn't he tell his wife until after the media got ahold of it?

Anonymous said...

Hello !
I'm not here to comment this article, I'm sorry.
I'm a french student, and in my english class we study a press article wich is talking about You and your famous blog, You and others seniors who have got a blog.
It's very strange for me to found in reality your blog, because I wasn't sure if it's exist or not.
sorry if my english is so bad, I'm just a student in high school.

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Mari Meehan said...

Delphine,

Welcome. My French isn't very good either but I'm glad you stopped by.

Bienvenue. Mon Francais n'est pas tres bon non plus, mais je suis heureux vous me suis airete pres.