Minority Report

In Steven Spielberg’s futuristic drama, Minority Report, pre-cogs have visions of crimes that had yet to be committed, and perpetrators are arrested based on those visions.  In essence, people are captured and sentenced before they commit a crime.  This is a world where thoughts are the same as actions in the eyes of the law.  It all seems very Orwellian and impossible, but it could be a reality that is closer than we think.

U.S. Congressman Christopher Lee (no relation to the 1960s B-horror movie leading man by the same name) resigned from the House because he posted a shirtless photo of himself on Craigslist, soliciting dates with desperate women with a keyboard and Fios connectivity.  This is not a crime, although his wife and kids might take a more dim view of this behavior.  His constituents and the media certainly did, and Lee left office in disgrace, sent home early from his term to consider his transgression, wait for Oprah to call, and sift through radio talk show hosting contract offers.  Such is the nature of redemption in America circa 2011.  Can a date on DWTS be far behind?

In years past, you had to have actually fathered a child out of wedlock, or be photographed on the deck of your own yacht with Donna Rice on your lap to be convicted in the court of public opinion.  Now, all you have to do is think about fooling around, dip your toe in the proverbial online waters, and you are tried, convicted and sentenced.  Posting a photo on Craigslist is the modern day equivalent of winking at someone across a crowded room, although now the ‘room’ has millions of people in it, and your wink is now a top rated video on YouTube.  Public service has never been more public, and he should have known this from Day One in politics.  No sympathy here.

I am not condoning the Congressman’s actions by any stretch.  He’s a low life, but since when did being a lowlife disqualify one from public office?  It is practically a prerequisite these days.  While the loss of a GOP House member does not usually bother me, this one feels a bit different.  What if he had a minority report (you have to have seen the movie...)?  What if his intention was only to know if others thought him attractive, and he never planned to move the relationship from cyberspace to his one-bedroom DC rental space?

We’ll never know, and I may be the only one who cares.   As Michelle Cottle wrote, this philanderer was “brought down by a sex scandal before he even comes close to having sex.”  I am sure former Rep. Lee sees that as the real crime.