Comments on Advance Indiana™: Hold On, Craig Not Sure About Leaving The Senate

I'm not a legal beagle, but it would be pretty har...

2007-09-06T10:31:00.000-05:00

I'm not a legal beagle, but it would be pretty hard for an appeals court or anyone else to suddenly reject his plea deal wouldn't it? I mean, you can try to set it up while going through the plea proceedings but from what I've seen it's to the point where they absolutely close every loophole possible. Or at least it seems...

He pled guilty to a crime. Even if he was meeting a random woman in that bathroom currying sexual favors from strangers with kids around is horrific, IMHO.

MSP is NorthWorst airline territory. Who was Crai...

2007-09-05T19:19:00.000-05:00

MSP is NorthWorst airline territory. Who was Craig flying on? The other carriers are lumped together and are often estranged in a remote part of the airport terminal together - if I recall the 'other' carriers are even in a different building, but this is all beside the point. If this guy is STUPID enough to plead GUILTY if he didn't do anything he should be kicked out for ignorance.

to Don Sherfick:It would depend upon the airline's...

2007-09-05T09:02:00.000-05:00

to Don Sherfick:

It would depend upon the airline's gate assignment crew up in some office.

I don't know details, but those employees are tasked with facilitating traffic in and out of the available gates based upon some internal criteria set by the airline.

Besides that, I would want to compare the location of the arrest against a MSP airport map.

Minnesota Criminal CodePUBLIC MISCONDUCT OR NUISAN...

2007-09-05T08:43:00.000-05:00

Minnesota Criminal Code
PUBLIC MISCONDUCT OR NUISANCE:

609.72 DISORDERLY CONDUCT.
Subdivision 1. Crime. Whoever does any of the following in a public or private place,
including on a school bus, knowing, or having reasonable grounds to know that it will, or will
tend to, alarm, anger or disturb others or provoke an assault or breach of the peace, is guilty of
disorderly conduct, which is a misdemeanor:
(1) Engages in brawling or fighting; or
(2) Disturbs an assembly or meeting, not unlawful in its character; or
(3) Engages in offensive, obscene, abusive, boisterous, or noisy conduct or in offensive,
obscene, or abusive language tending reasonably to arouse alarm, anger, or resentment in others.
A person does not violate this section if the person's disorderly conduct was caused by
an epileptic seizure.
Subd. 2.[Repealed, 1969 c 226 s 1]
Subd. 3. Caregiver; penalty for disorderly conduct. A caregiver, as defined in section
609.232, who violates the provisions of subdivision 1 against a vulnerable adult, as defined in
section 609.232, may be sentenced to imprisonment for not more than one year or to payment of a
fine of not more than $3,000, or both.

Regardless how it's written on the ticket, ro how ...

2007-09-05T08:34:00.000-05:00

Regardless how it's written on the ticket, ro how it was explained, two thigns are crystal clear:

1. Craig violated Minnesota's law; and

2. He pled guilty, knowing full-well, on tape and in writing, the consequences. (He is many things, ut Sen. Craig is NOT stupid)

A good friend of mine has been in an Indiana court over this very law (Hoosier version). He was entrapped in public park by an extremely handsome cop-bait, who, according to my friend, exposed himself first. Nonetheless, to avoid humiliation, my friend took a plea agreement, also, that involved a diversion class and probation. In 17 years, it will come off his record, barring other legal altercations.

I know nothing of Sen. Craig's sexual orientation. It makes for incendiary headlines to think he might be closeted, and I suspect he is, but nobody knows for sure.

Now, he's got second thoughts. The original case's legal strength doesn't seem to be at question here; if the senator felt intimidated to sign the plea agreement, or was denied access to counsel, that's a different story.

I listened to the tape. I don't hear intimidation.

Carpenter, as usual, hit the nail on the head. The world he hopes for does not noq exist, precisely because of Craig's ilk. The collateral damage these arrests cause, is widespread. Associated shrappnel often falls on families, business associates and for decades, on the accused himself.

It's an insane system. But Craig's allies hoisted their political futures on this mantle, and pardon me if my conscience or soul cannot find much sympathy for those who live and the sword, but refuse to die by it.

It is all so very, very unnecessary.

This may be slightly off point in this thread, but...

2007-09-05T08:25:00.000-05:00

This may be slightly off point in this thread, but I am under the impression that anyone connecting through Minneapolis from Idaho to DC would not ordinarily be using a restroom in the more remote area that the one in which Craig was arrested. Does anyone have any more specific information on this?

Thanks for the correction. Listen to the audio tap...

2007-09-05T06:45:00.000-05:00

Thanks for the correction. Listen to the audio taped-interview between the officer and Craig. I don't think he explained it to Craig the same way as it is written on the ticket.

According to two documents at The Smoking Gun, Cra...

2007-09-05T06:29:00.000-05:00

According to two documents at The Smoking Gun, Craig claimed he did contact a lawyer. He returned to the Airport PD for information that he claimed was needed for his lawyer. Both charges Craig was charged with happened. The disorderly conduct law in Minn. seemed pretty broad, much more so than our own law here in Indiana. His actions did violate the disorderly conduct law. As far as the voyeurism/peeping charge, he was guilty as charged. His only way out of that was to basically act like an old man with no common sense who peeps through the cracks to see if someone is in the stall. Craig, and others, are lucky that some folks don't kick those doors right into their face.

Gary,Look at items four and twelve in the plea agr...

2007-09-05T05:43:00.000-05:00

Gary,

Look at items four and twelve in the plea agreement that Craig signed:

4. I understand that the court will not accept a plea of guilty from anyone who claims to be innocent.

12. I understand if the court does not accept any agreement stated in number 11 above, I have the right to withdraw my plea of guilty and have a trial.

http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/years/2007/0828071craig8.html

The court obviously had to accept the plea agreement.

You call Senator Specter "King of the RINOs." Wel...

2007-09-04T22:14:00.000-05:00

You call Senator Specter "King of the RINOs." Well, let me just say that Senator Specter is, frankly, much more of a Republican than many of today's self-annointed guardians to the gates of heaven. The Republican party of today is *nothing* like it used to be, and certainly not the great party it once was. You can call me a RINO too, if you'd like - that's a badge I'd clearly wear with honor, particularly if you lump people like Senators Lugar and Specter into that group. The part used to stand for less government and getting out of people's lives. Where has that party gone to?

As for Senator Craig, it's really sad. After hearing the tape, I can't imagine in 100 years they'd ever get a conviction for that. But, his guilty plea has since muddied the water, and I think he faces an insurmountable task ahead. But, if he truly is not guilty, then I say he should fight it - and if he has to give up his Senate seat, he should.

Remember this: the moral majority is neither.

AR

As the police officer explained to Craig during th...

2007-09-04T22:13:00.000-05:00

As the police officer explained to Craig during the recorded interview, he could simply pay the ticket and avoid appearing in court just like a speeding ticket. A judge didn't have to decide whether to accept the plea.

How does even a municipal court judge ever get a ...

2007-09-04T22:11:00.000-05:00

How does even a municipal court judge ever get a factual basis
for accepting a disorderly conduct
plea, even assuming that everything
the cop said happened did happen?
Either Craig was not truthful with the Judge or at best misled the
Judge, regarding the facts.

Craig may not have been guilty
of disorderly conduct whatever
that requires in Minnesota courts, but was either not 100% truthful with the judge or at best is incredibly dumb/lacks common ense.

Watching Washington DC news over Labor Day weekend...

2007-09-04T21:41:00.000-05:00

Watching Washington DC news over Labor Day weekend while vacationing in Maryland, I saw Sen. Spector's comments. I was not surprised by the comments, I never would have imagined Sen. Craig taking those comments seriously. It's well known Spector is considered the king of "RINOs" in the Senate. And Sen. Craig was supposedly one of the more conservative senators.

This can only serve as a drag on the GOP in the coming year, even though he is apparently not running for re-election.