I've been asked more times than I'd cared to be whether I work in that infamous airport, and whether I know about that infamous Men's Room. I've become sufficently annoyed to finally answer.
Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport employees have been directed by The Powers That Be to never comment about Senator Craig and what he's accused of doing in that restroom, or even to point out which restroom it is where it alledgedly happened. But here I'm not an airport employee. I am an Essayist and a Blogger. I have no restrictions.
Not long after I began working at the MSP airport, almost two years ago and almost a year before the police sting that netted Sen. Craig, two airport "rampers" filled me in about that Men's Room, because the gift shop where I then worked was only two doors down from it.
Since the "activities" in the restroom were known to seemingly all the airport employees except newbies like me, I wondered why the hell the police hadn't cracked down on it?
I don't care what a person's sexual preference is. As long as whatever occurs occurs between fully informed, consenting adults, it's none of my business.
But sex in public places, public places where unsuspecting people, especially children, may witness it, pisses me off to no end.
Sex is private. I do not want to walk into a restroom and hear or see two people of any gender doing whatever their exhibitionist hearts desire. How dare a person impose that on others! Beyond that fact that Craig was a Republican hypocrite (redundant), that he was promoting in the general public's mind the destructive stereotype of gay men as uncontrollable and irresponsible, Craig's sick little trysts might have been seen by any of the hundreds of children whose fathers take them to the restroom. That would make for a nice Learning Experience for Timmy, wouldn't it?
"Daddy, what were those men do--"
"Never mind."
"But Daddy, it was really weird--"
"Never mind."
In my opinion, Daddy would have been completely justified in kicking Senator Craig where it would hurt, and then calling 911. If the possibility of being caught gives one a thrill, one shouldn't whine about the consequences of being caught. "Free Expression," my Feminist Liberal Ass.
Almost as disturbing as the events which took place in that Men's Room is the twisted fascination tourists took in it. They barraged airport employees with questions. Along with interefering in our work, for which we're paid crap anyway, this was irritating, and convinced us that, as an Ethipoian co-worker of mine said, "Americans are sick." (No non-American ever asked myself or anyone I know about Senator Craig. People from other countries are often mature. Or at least polite.)
Familes wearing shirts that read I Luv DisneyWorld! would pose in the Men's Room doorway for snapshots. What a slideshow that'd make for the family website. "Here's Mom with Goofy, here's little Sarah with Cinderella, and here's the whole family where that politician got his c*** sucked."
(note: I'm not a prude. I just want this blog to be able to be read at libraries and workplaces which censor access to certain "bad" words. This is assuming hell, crap and ass are no longer "bad" words....I miss George Carlin.)
Grow up, America. Young people are dying in a war that should never have happened, people are lining up at food banks while their houses are being foreclosed, the majority of us can't afford decent health care, and you're taking purient glee in the location of a disturbed senator's downfall. Why don't you instead focus on Republican hypocrisy and the homophobia, Conservative and sometimes Liberal, which makes many citizens conclude that coming out as who they truly are would ruin them?
By the by, do you think all the Republicans who'll be in the Twin Cities for their National Convention are going to be Good, Faithful, Monogamous little Boys and Girls? Would people be as upset if a heterosexual politican were caught doing something in the restroom of the Xcell Center that he ought not to be?
Moving on...
My commentary at Marketplace's website is accompanied by an illustration of myself. 
Why a cartoon rather than a photo? ask the two of you who might actually wonder.
I am not photogenic. The camera not only doesn't like me, at times it downright resents me. While I try not to be self-conscious, I have just enough vainity to misrepresent myself with "artistic license."
In the interest of accuracy, I confess that my real appearance is much closer to the picture on the right.
