I received an e-mail today from the "Land Rights Network for the American Land Rights Association" calling for the support of Senator Larry Craig. Judging by the title of the group it should come as no shock that this is a conservative advocacy group. At issue is the behavior of Larry Craig and what the consequences should be. The group is clearly locked in a dilemma; they like Senator Craig and the gay-bashing, gun-toting conservatism that he advocates, but they can't defend his actions. What to do? I'm not sure they recognize it, but they end up advocating liberal positions on the criminalization of GLBT behaviors. How deliciously ironic! Details below.
The generally conservative position of the "Land Rights Network" should be obvious from the following statement in their e-mail blast.
Senator Craig has done more for rural America, gun ownership, access to Federal lands, grazing, mining, forestry, oil and gas and private property rights than any Senator in Congress over the past 15 years. He needs and deserves our support, period.
OK. Western conservatives. But then come the arguments.
...the police at the airport were over zealous in arresting him using profiling...The police violated the Constitution and Larry Craig's civil rights... It was the policeman's perception that Senator Craig was trying to do something. In other words, he was following a profile.
So profiling is bad? Yesss! Now if they can just commit themselves to saying that again when it comes to dark-skinned people, Muslims, GLBTs and all those others who are the targets of profiling, that would be great. Of course, since they're conservatives, it won't happen. It's just the conservative mind at work, adopting liberal positions when it suits their purposes. Just one more example of the flaming hypocrisy of conservatism. But it's fun to point out the philosophical inconsistencies and truly delightful when they move directly on to stage center for liberal positions. If only we could persuade the Democratic party to drive this point home (Republican/Conservative hypocrisy) over and over and over again. Sigh.
But there is some good news. This is tearing the monolithic conservative Republican block apart.
If McConnell is successful in removing Craig, he is guaranteeing a controversy. If Larry Craig leaves the Senate, American Land Rights will carry the controversy and the Boycott (of the Minneapolis Airport) through the National Republican Convention (in Minneapolis) for sure and on for the next two years.
The info in quotes is my addition.
It's music to my ears. Let them fight. Let them keep Larry Craig as a poster boy for all that is wrong with the Republican Party. I couldn't have received better news than this.