“I got a raise!” (Although probably not with your co-workers, in case they didn’t get one.)
“Look, we’re engaged.”
“It’s a boy!” “It’s a girl!”
“I’ve just invented a cure for cancer.”
“I got an A on my last test.”
You get the picture.
Other things should only be shared with those very close to you, your spouse, life partner or significant other, your best friend, your doctor, your parent. (I say parent, because there are things that I would NEVER tell my dad that I tell my mom. Others are just the opposite.)
“Last night my poop was….” (Yes, I say poop)
“There seems to be a strange discharge…”
“I have this weird spot…”******
Then there are things that are private. They are called private, because they should be kept private.
Private (according to dictionary.com) is
1. belonging to some particular person: private property.
2. pertaining to or affecting a particular person or a small group of persons;
individual; personal: for your private satisfaction.
3. confined to or intended only for the persons immediately concerned; confidential: a private meeting.
4. personal and not publicly expressed: one's private feelings.
5. not holding public office or employment: private citizens.
6. not of an official or public character: private life.
7. removed from or out of public view or knowledge; secret: private papers.
8. not open or accessible to the general public: a private beach.
9. undertaken individually or personally: private research.
10. without the presence of others; alone.
11. solitary; secluded.
12. preferring privacy; retiring: a very private person.
13. intimate; most personal: private behavior.
14. of, having, or receiving special hospital facilities, privileges, and services, esp. a room of one's own and liberal visiting hours: a private room; a private patient.
15. of lowest military rank.
16. of, pertaining to, or coming from nongovernmental sources: private funding.
–noun
17. a soldier of one of the three lowest enlisted ranks.
18. privates. private parts. —Idiom
19. in private, not publicly; secretly: The hearing will be conducted in private
The only example I can give of things private (because they are private) is sex. Sex should be between 2 consenting adults and it should be private, personal, and confidential. Between ONLY those two people. If you like to take a little risk now and then and have sex in a public place where you may be caught, that is your business. But take your punishment like an adult if you get caught. So, I was profoundly shocked when I saw this article on MSNBC.
In a legal effort to help a U.S. senator, the American Civil Liberties Union is
arguing that people who have sex in public bathrooms have an expectation of
privacy. The ACLU filed a brief Tuesday supporting Craig. It cited a Minnesota
Supreme Court ruling 38 years ago that found that people who have sex in closed
stalls in public restrooms "have a reasonable expectation of privacy." Even if
Craig was inviting the officer to have sex, the ACLU argued, his actions would
not be illegal.
I do not know how you can “have a reasonable expectation of privacy” in a PUBLIC place. Plus, if Craig had NOT been inviting the officer to have sex, WHY did he plead guilty. Why didn’t he immediately take his story of “persecution” to the media? I would have and I am not a member of Congress.
Craig is not a private citizen (see #5 above) and he was not in a private place (#8). And I am, frankly, sick of this story, but I couldn’t stop this post.
Can anyone explain to me WHY the ACLU has gotten involved in this? I can not see how Craig’s civil liberties were taken, injured or even threatened. Shouldn’t they be on the side of the cop? Or just people in public restrooms? This is not about homosexuals and it is not going to help them.
This is just another embarrassing mess.
******NOT that I have ever had any of the above-mentioned issues, I think I read about them in a medical journal.
5 comments:
I don't agree with the ACLU on this one either - though I would say that the invitation may not have necessarily been for sex in the bathroom but sex elsewhere in a (genuinely) private setting.
If he wanted to make that distinction, I suppose he could - but to do so, it would be admitting he actually WANTED anonymous sex with a male. That's political suicide for him, so I don't think he would argue that one.
Sounds like the ACLU is counting angels on a pin head to me, but I'm no lawyer - I only would like to play one on the teevee.
Be glad you don't live in MN and have to read, listen, or see this stuff in your local media. It's annoying--especially when there are so many more important issues that could be reported (like health care, balancing the budget, education, reducing poverty, genocide in Darfur, etc.)
About Mr. Craig: I believe it was Shakespeare who wrote, "methinks thou doest protest too much." Perhaps he should cease making comments about this instead of keeping it in front of the public so much. It only adds fuel to the speculation about his sexuality.
andante,
But the ACLU is saying that people have "the expectation of privacy" in a public restroom, that is their entire fight. Makes no sense to me.
But if you get that TV show, let me know, I want to watch!
shel,
I can only imagine what it is like for you. And I agree there are more important issues, I actually TRIED not to write this post because I am sick of it. I didn't win the fight!
restrooms are semi-private... inside a stall, you should expect some privacy... that doesn't mean inter/intra-stall sex, however...
Pete, Maybe it doesn't happen in the men's room, but I have been in a stall in the ladies room before and had little kids peep through the crack in the door, under the door, under the divider, etc. There is no privacy in a public restroom. Not in the Ladies' anyway.
Post a Comment