Comments on Advance Indiana™: Say It Ain't So, Phil

I should add that I can't even remember the na...

2011-08-13T00:34:25.953-05:00

I should add that I can't even remember the name of the guy who administered my character and fitness exam. He was a retired attorney who asked me to come to his home on the far northside of Indy. We sat on his back porch of his home for about an hour while he told me about his successful career as an attorney. Near the end of the hour-long meeting he told me that he had looked over the list of attorneys who vouched for me and they were all good people so I must be an okay person. Before I got up to leave he asked me, "I just have one question, Gary, Do you have the moral fitness and character to be a good lawyer?" I answered, "Yes." He responded, "That's all I need to know. You have a good day and good luck."

Don Jackson conducted my morals and fitness interv...

2011-08-12T23:41:44.745-05:00

Don Jackson conducted my morals and fitness interview which was (still is?) a prerequisite for sitting for the bar exam.

Hinkle should consider himself lucky. Back in the ...

2011-08-12T18:45:05.645-05:00

Hinkle should consider himself lucky. Back in the late 1980s, the president of the Bar Association, Don Jackson, had a thing for young male hustlers. He picked the wrong kid up, took him to a sleazy motel on the west side and wound up stabbed to death. The hustler ran off with his keys, wallet and car. The Star had to run a sketch of him in the newspaper before someone from his family was able to figure out it was Jackson. When the kid was tried, the jury let him off on a manslaughter charge because he claimed he got scared when Jackson insisted on having real rough sex with him and stabbed him in self defense. Jackson was quite familiar to Indianapolis Police, who had caught him on numerous occasions cruising for sex from male hustlers down by the Indianapolis Central Library.

Yeah, Hinkle is not so bad - particularly in compa...

2011-08-12T18:28:23.823-05:00

Yeah, Hinkle is not so bad - particularly in comparison to others, he appears pretty independent; but he doesn't really try to fight the establishment - I mean really fight!

But having said that, nothing about this surprises me - when I have personal knowledge of the crap that people do, who are in government "service," and get away with. What surprises me is that it was exposed relatively soon after the event.

Ogden's right. This was a straight-up shakedow...

2011-08-12T17:38:18.095-05:00

Ogden's right. This was a straight-up shakedown.

Like Gary, i am also stunned by this story. Just ...

2011-08-12T16:19:27.779-05:00

Like Gary, i am also stunned by this story. Just what we need; another sex scandal to take up news time. Not.

An alleged solicitor of a prostitute, trying to pr...

2011-08-12T15:53:39.557-05:00

An alleged solicitor of a prostitute, trying to press charges against an alleged black-mailer. (pun not intended)

That's a great defense.

No one blackmailed him to troll craigslist. No one blackmailed him into communicating with the kid and lamenting the fact that he couldnt be a "full-time" sugar-daddy, etc, etc.

He needs to resign. The position is not larger than him, he doesn't own it-his constituents do.

When you put yourself high up on a pedestal, ala public service, the more visible you are, and subject to criticism, like it or not.

He better hope this kid doesnt decide to become a victim and have a prosecutor from the opposition party (Curry) file charges of patronizing, battery, or attempt confinement.

Indy man - I hope you are correct. If you are, th...

2011-08-12T15:31:41.746-05:00

Indy man - I hope you are correct. If you are, there is no way that Phil should resign.

Septly: Rep. Hinkle obviously did something wrong,...

2011-08-12T14:47:43.197-05:00

Septly:
Rep. Hinkle obviously did something wrong, but I interpreted the story differently.

The "victim" was a prostitute; the "sister" was a pimp; and Rep. Hinkle was a john. When they realized that Hinkle was a public figure, they decided it would be more profitable to switch their racket to blackmail.
Rep. Hinkle decided not to go any deeper into the quicksand, and he refused to submit to blackmail. The pimp followed through on her threats and proceeded to embarrass Hinkle. Rep. Hinkle is in the difficult position of trying to charge the other parties with blackmail without admitting that he did a criminal act himself.

Concerned Taxpayer: Nope, don't think so... T...

2011-08-12T13:07:48.616-05:00

Concerned Taxpayer:

Nope, don't think so...
The Left isn't coming unglued about this, it's the Righteous Right.
Good try with the straw man though.

The Left will call them out when they talk about family values and are picking up guys in the bathroom.

For the most part, I don't want to know about their sex life, what god they pray to, etc. I just want them to do a job and show real leadership

CT, President Clinton was having sex with a subor...

2011-08-12T13:02:29.763-05:00

CT,

President Clinton was having sex with a subordinate in the workplace. Saying it was a "private" matter is a stretch. Nonethless, that's not what he got in trouble for. Clinton got impeached for lying under oath repeatedly.

I'm so sorry to hear of all of this. Phil was...

2011-08-12T11:46:34.376-05:00

I'm so sorry to hear of all of this.

Phil was the only one to come to Decatur Township's aid a few years ago when Gordon Hendry and Bart Peterson were throwing us under the bus. I have always found him to be approachable and down to earth. He never seemed keen on towing the party line just to please the powers that be. There are many reasons to think he has done a good job as a legislator. And, yes, this report does suggest hypocrisy on his part. But that cannot be viewed as the entire picture.

I certainly hope that some of the details of this encounter as reported are not true.

Well, I find it odd that when it was Bill Clinton,...

2011-08-12T10:55:24.453-05:00

Well, I find it odd that when it was Bill Clinton, it was "private," and "didn't matter."
Then, there's Barney Frank. And many others on the left.
But when it's a republican, the left comes unglued. Why is that?

Cato, as I recall, Phil Hinkle has not been one of...

2011-08-12T10:52:32.760-05:00

Cato, as I recall, Phil Hinkle has not been one of those many Republicans constantly talking about being a christian or supporting "family values."

Rep. Hinkle should resign and he should be prosecu...

2011-08-12T10:28:57.602-05:00

Rep. Hinkle should resign and he should be prosecuted, assuming the allegations are true. Also, my main concern is not that he solicited prostitution.

I do not personally object to people hiring prostitutes, though I would note we have a law against prostitution, and elected officials are sworn to uphold the law. However, I DO object to sexual assault. Also, I object to hypocrites who campaign against gay rights when they are themselves engaging in closeted homosexual behavior.

Contrary to what Cato posted, once the young man said he did not want to go through with the sex act and said he wanted to leave and Phil Hinkle tried to prevent him from doing so, then the incident stopped being consensual. Grabbing someone in the buttocks without their permission is criminal sexual battery. Confining someone to an area against their will is criminal confinement.

Phil Hinkle should be ashamed of himself.

It's possible to be gay and be against gay mar...

2011-08-12T10:24:35.036-05:00

It's possible to be gay and be against gay marriage.

Perhaps Hinkle represents a constituency that is opposed to gay marriage and votes accordingly.

But Hinkle should not have gotten into behavior that would become embarrassing for him if it became public. By trying to force himself onto somebody, that just makes him look even more creepy.

The Viagra comment is in jest. Lighten up, Cato.

2011-08-12T10:07:47.463-05:00

The Viagra comment is in jest. Lighten up, Cato.

Now of course we will see the usual stuff from the...

2011-08-12T10:06:49.442-05:00

Now of course we will see the usual stuff from the likes of Micah Clark of the Indiana American Family Association, Curt Smith of the Indiana Family Institute, not to mention Eric Miller of Advance America. They'll get all in a snit about accusations that the kind of self-righteous homophobic hypocrisy that the Republican Party has let itself become captured by is the kind of thing that causes all too many gay men to marry, raise children, become respected members of their churches and communities, yet hide who they are. One would only wish that if the stories are true, Representative Hinkle would call them out and expose the pious do-gooders for what they are.

So far as I know, Hinkle generally mouthed the party line on the marriage amendment and other related social issues, but not glaringly so like some of his more self-righteous legislative colleagues.

Wouldn't it be great if someone like Hinkle just stood up in the legislative chamber and said "Enough of this! Had there been the availability of same-sex marriage, civil unions, or at least some kind of domestic partnership recognition, I might have felt more accepted by my fellow Hoosiers and not have felt the need to hide my sexual orientation."

It will likely happen again, because nobody in the sane part of the Indiana GOP seems to have the courage to tell it like it really is. From Governor Daniels on down.

Well, women have always known that there's no ...

2011-08-12T08:36:13.718-05:00

Well, women have always known that there's no such thing as an adult male.

"This is another reason why doctors should st...

2011-08-12T08:04:16.801-05:00

"This is another reason why doctors should stop prescribing Viagra to their aging male patients."

So because we have a law that keeps people from being able to exercise occasional sexual urges consensually, we need another restriction that keeps all aging men from obtaining a product that enhances their lives?

Another entry in my journal of Why I Am Not a Republican.

1. It's none of our business what Hinkle's tastes are.

2. This episode is merely another lesson that prohibitions always fail.

I think it's unfortunate that a person can'...

2011-08-12T07:58:46.551-05:00

I think it's unfortunate that a person can't be a public servant and be openly gay.

This is why we need gay marriage - so that there's a legitimate and healthy expression of sexuality instead of this type of thing where it ruins a marriage and a person's life - not to mention the 18yo kid.

I will be honest, my view of this is that his personal life is his - being a public figure doesn't change that... until it gets into an area that's illegal or grossly hypocritical.

...And how did he vote on enshrining discrimination into the state constitution?

I don't care that Phil likes 18 year old boys....

2011-08-12T07:55:26.180-05:00

I don't care that Phil likes 18 year old boys. Lots of women and some men do. The fact that 18 year old boys are widely desired is proof that it's normal to be attracted to 18 year old boys. Mores follow science, not the other way 'round.

What troubles me is Hinkle's intolerant legislative positions regarding homosexuality. As I said a while back, there is a lot of hiding behaviour in the Republican opposition to homosexuality. This hiding is cowardice.

If you're occasionally attracted to boys, have the guts to admit that it's somewhere in human, and your own, nature and was put there long before you were ever born. Quit demonizing consensual and instinctive conduct.

Is it the case that when you hit your 60's, you think younger men are attractive? The Greeks and Romans did. Perhaps this is human nature. In any event, this attraction frequently occurs, so whatever frequently occurs is not deviance, but a norm.

Republicans would be well served to admit that humans have desires, and they should admit that it's not the state's place to interfere in consensual conduct. Isn't this supposed to be the party of "limited government?"

Phil, you can have your boys; I don't care, and I won't judge. If your mind causes you to have certain appetites, who am I to speak on what appetites you should have? In exchange for my tolerance, you must now find the courage to admit the same on gambling, Sunday liquor sales and prostitution. It doesn't hurt you if I bet on the Raiders' game, and you should not use state power to interfere in what I want.

Wouldn't it be a great world if we let people do what they wanted and we admitted that humans operate on innate desires and not those unnatural and destructive demands proffered by opportunistic religious leaders?

Don't resign, Phil. That would be more cowardice. You will retain all your credibility, and more, if you admit you were wrong on homosexuality, that you recant your position, and the only reason you hold that position is because the Republicans exert so much conformist pressure on their membership.