"Sir, nobody cares about that stuff."

I don't mean to be a one-trick pony today, but Pam has a guest-post up by Democratic Congressional candidate Ashwin Madia, who is running for retiring Rep. Jim Ramsted's Minnesota seat. Madia is a veteran and former lawyer in the Marine Corps, and he talks about his experience defending a marine who was caught downloading gay pornography. While one his fellows who had been downloading straight porn was merely given a verbal reprimand, this soldier received "a demotion in rank, loss of pay, restricted in his movements on base, and most severe of all, an administrative separation from the Marine Corps with an Other-Than-Honorable (OTH) discharge, just one step below a court martial."

Madia managed to get this result overturned, and the man was returned to his unit. But he was worried the marine might face harassment after what had happened. So Madia called his former client on the phone a few weeks later to check up on him. The marine told him calmly, "Sir, nobody cares about that stuff."

Madia has done a stellar job fundraising, which he'll need against his well-funded opponent in a swing district. But he's worth the effort, and would make a strong and progressive voice in the next Congress.