# FBI investigates skinny-dipper in foreign country! **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [August 20, 2012, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fbi-investigates-skinny-dipper-in-foreign-country/632079 "2012-08-20T18:02:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![John\_Bredin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/96bed5/32.png) [@John\_Bredin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Bredin)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2012, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fbi-investigates-skinny-dipper-in-foreign-country/632079/1 "2012-08-20T18:02:36Z")
A group of Republican members of Congress, with family and staff members, took a trip to Israel, not at taxpayer expense. Ho-hum. During the trip, several of them went swimming in the Sea of Galilee. Yawn. One of the Congressman did so without a bathing suit. Sound the alarm! Censure by the Republican House leadership! Investigation by the FBI! :eek:😕:rolleyes: [News story.](http://nbcpolitics.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/08/20/13376053-republican-lawmaker-skinny-dipped-on-israel-trip?lite)[Another news account.](http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/us-politics/9488006/FBI-investigated-congressional-skinny-dipping-in-Israel.html) Why the bloody fuck is this news? And why was one moment of one FBI special agent’s time wasted investigating something that (1) may not be a crime at all, (2) if it is one, it’s an exceedingly minor one, (3) “committed” IN A FOREIGN COUNTRY!?! IMHO, the reason this story exists is because the dip was in the Sea of Galilee. Would it be any kind of news if a Congressman went skinny-dipping late at night, even in a gender-mixed group, in some backwoods lake in the States? I seriously doubt it. Isn’t skinny-dipping seen – in red states as well as blue ones – as a common rural pastime, an innocent youthful “good old days” activity?! No, this is news because this guy sullied a “sacred” lake in Israel. Well, I’ve got a newsflash, too: Israel isn’t some frozen-in-time Biblical theme park, nor is it all one big church (or synagogue, mosque, etc.). :rolleyes: It’s a modern country with cars, and trains, and electric lights, and television, and the Internet and all that. People live there, and they work there, and they drink booze there, and they (gasp!) fuck there. More to the point, the Sea of Galilee is a major source of drinking water and a resort area. [Cite.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sea_of_Galilee) It’s no more sacred than Lake Michigan or the Croton Reservoir, and I’m quite certain even without specific evidence 😉 that this Congressman wasn’t the first or last person to go swimming in the Sea of Galilee without bothering to change into a bathing suit. 😛 Is skinny-dipping even a crime is Israel under these circumstances? To clarify that question for the Republican congressional “leadership”, who seem to need the clarification, I mean under Israeli law, the legislatively-adopted legal code of a modern republic, not the Biblical law of the ancient Israelites. :rolleyes: The news stories discuss how congressional leadership is wary of scandal. It seems to me that they’ve **made** any scandal here by blowing a molehill up to Evererst-ian proportions and more specifically by involving the FBI. IMHO, people aren’t shocked by the tale of the skinny-dipping Congressman, they’re alternately laughing at the prudishness and apparent religious fervor of congressional “leadership” and cringing at the waste of public resources on an FBI investigation. ---
**Author:** ![Morgenstern](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Morgenstern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgenstern)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2012, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fbi-investigates-skinny-dipper-in-foreign-country/632079/2 "2012-08-20T18:09:19Z")
When you’re a public figure, all’s fair. Regardless of where this took place, he is judged by the morals of the community he represents. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2012, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fbi-investigates-skinny-dipper-in-foreign-country/632079/3 "2012-08-20T18:18:55Z")
The FBI is the community he represents? Seriously, this is such a non-issue. ---
**Author:** ![Gangster\_Octopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a8b319/32.png) [@Gangster\_Octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gangster_Octopus)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2012, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fbi-investigates-skinny-dipper-in-foreign-country/632079/4 "2012-08-20T18:25:48Z")
I agree, this is stupid. ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2012, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fbi-investigates-skinny-dipper-in-foreign-country/632079/5 "2012-08-20T18:25:58Z")
Rep. Yoder has got to remember while he’s a guest in Israel and other foreign countries that they’re likely not dens of lust and unbridled passion like he’s used to in Kansas. ---
**Author:** ![Sicks\_Ate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/258eb7/32.png) [@Sicks\_Ate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sicks_Ate)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2012, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fbi-investigates-skinny-dipper-in-foreign-country/632079/6 "2012-08-20T18:31:05Z")
> [@John\_Bredin](#): > > People live there, and they work there, and they drink booze there, and they (gasp!) fuck there. Does this mean it’s ok to say ‘fucking Jews?’ 😉 It’s an issue, because conservatives are terrified of sexuality, and nudity _always_ = sexuality. ---
**Author:** ![TokyoBayer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tokyobayer/32/13989_2.png) [@TokyoBayer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TokyoBayer)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2012, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fbi-investigates-skinny-dipper-in-foreign-country/632079/7 "2012-08-20T18:54:01Z")
I think that they were just checking to make sure that the Republican party remains the party of family values. From the linked articles: > [@](#): > > Another swimmer was Steve Southerland, a Florida Republican. Mr Southerland, who is understood to have been partially clothed, is said to have been accompanied by one of his daughters. > [@](#): > > Other participants, including the daughter of another congressman, swam fully clothed, while some lawmakers partially disrobed, Politico reported. So they all get drunk together, and everyone jumps in the lake. A really quick google of Southerland shows what seem adult daughters, so chances are they’ve seen a penis before. This is so no news, other than just reminding everyone that family values means something different in some states. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2012, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fbi-investigates-skinny-dipper-in-foreign-country/632079/8 "2012-08-20T19:56:46Z")
> [@John\_Bredin](#): > > It’s a modern country with cars, and trains, and electric lights, and television, and the Internet and all that. People live there, and they work there, and they drink booze there, and they (gasp!) fuck there. But not in the Sea of Galilee! Or if they do, I hope no one drinks the (desalinated) water. And if there are fish, won’t someone think of them? :eek: ---
**Author:** ![BlankSlate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blankslate/32/80_2.png) [@BlankSlate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlankSlate)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2012, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fbi-investigates-skinny-dipper-in-foreign-country/632079/9 "2012-08-20T20:15:47Z")
Thanks to some crappy journalism, neither of the linked articles explain why the FBI conducted interviews. Anyone care to take a stab at what possible “crime” might have been committed? ---
**Author:** ![John\_Bredin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/96bed5/32.png) [@John\_Bredin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Bredin)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2012, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fbi-investigates-skinny-dipper-in-foreign-country/632079/10 "2012-08-20T20:19:05Z")
> [@BlankSlate](#): > > Thanks to some crappy journalism, neither of the linked articles explain why the FBI conducted interviews. Anyone care to take a stab at what possible “crime” might have been committed? Hooliganism motivated by religious hatred? 😛 ---
**Author:** ![zoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zoid/32/336_2.png) [@zoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zoid)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2012, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fbi-investigates-skinny-dipper-in-foreign-country/632079/11 "2012-08-20T20:27:37Z")
I have to say I don’t get the outrage. The guy’s got a penis - BFD. If I were him I’d tell the FBI to run along outside and play a nice long game of _hide-and-go-fuck-yourself_. ---
**Author:** ![Rune](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e68b1a/32.png) [@Rune](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rune)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2012, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fbi-investigates-skinny-dipper-in-foreign-country/632079/12 "2012-08-20T20:32:09Z")
> [@](#): > > The week-long congressional trip to Israel involved more than 60 people, and was funded by the American Israel Educational Foundation, which is believed to have paid more than $10,000 (£6,369) per person. The foundation is linked to AIPAC, the influential pro-Israeli lobbying group. Never mind the skinny dipping, I wouldn’t trust a politician who had gladly accepted a $10,000 bribe. They’re all more dirty that a quick dip can cure. ---
**Author:** ![Cheesesteak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheesesteak/32/3694_2.png) [@Cheesesteak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheesesteak)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2012, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fbi-investigates-skinny-dipper-in-foreign-country/632079/13 "2012-08-20T20:33:13Z")
> [@BlankSlate](#): > > Anyone care to take a stab at what possible “crime” might have been committed? Apparently it’s a violation of Israeli law to [be nude in the Sea of Galilee](http://www.southcoasttoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20120820/NEWS02/120829995/-1/ARCHIVE) He gets to be bitten by this because it’s the business he’s chosen. He’s hitched his wagon to the “holier than thou” party, he better fucking well be holier than me. ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2012, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fbi-investigates-skinny-dipper-in-foreign-country/632079/14 "2012-08-20T20:35:45Z")
How does swimming nude in the water sully the sacred lake whereas swimming clothed doesn’t? I mean, his penis is still attached either way, isn’t it? ---
**Author:** ![Cheesesteak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheesesteak/32/3694_2.png) [@Cheesesteak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheesesteak)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2012, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fbi-investigates-skinny-dipper-in-foreign-country/632079/15 "2012-08-20T20:42:28Z")
> [@Anaamika](#): > > How does swimming nude in the water sully the sacred lake whereas swimming clothed doesn’t? I mean, his penis is still attached either way, isn’t it? Would you mind speaking to the manager of my local K-Mart? He’s got this No Shirt, No Pants, We Call The Cops attitude. ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2012, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fbi-investigates-skinny-dipper-in-foreign-country/632079/16 "2012-08-20T20:45:20Z")
> [@Cheesesteak](#): > > Would you mind speaking to the manager of my local K-Mart? He’s got this No Shirt, No Pants, We Call The Cops attitude. Ok, fair enough, but are you actually _sullying_ Kmart by going there naked? I mean, I would think either the lake is sullied by anyone swimming in it at all, or not. And honestly, if people think a lake is sullied by a naked man, they’ve clearly never been to a real lake. News flash: _Fish make love in lakes._ :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Sicks\_Ate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/258eb7/32.png) [@Sicks\_Ate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sicks_Ate)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2012, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fbi-investigates-skinny-dipper-in-foreign-country/632079/17 "2012-08-20T20:47:08Z")
> [@Cheesesteak](#): > > Would you mind speaking to the manager of my local K-Mart? He’s got this No Shirt, No Pants, We Call The Cops attitude. Pretty fancy, for a K-Mart. > [@Anaamika](#): > > Ok, fair enough, but are you actually _sullying_ Kmart by going there naked? I mean, I would think either the lake is sullied by anyone swimming in it at all, or not. > > And honestly, if people think a lake is sullied by a naked man, they’ve clearly never been to a real lake. News flash: _Fish make love in lakes._ :eek: Just say ‘fish fuck.’ The alliteration is much more satisfying. ---
**Author:** ![sevenwood](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6de8d8/32.png) [@sevenwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sevenwood)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2012, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fbi-investigates-skinny-dipper-in-foreign-country/632079/18 "2012-08-20T20:47:23Z")
According to the second article referenced in the OP, the FBI got involved because of “concerns among American law enforcement officials that compromising behaviour might have occurred” and have decided not to proceed beyond their initial investigation. As far as I can tell the outrage isn’t (yet) coming from the Democrats. It’s coming from his fellow Republicans because of the potential embarrassment to their party. In fact, the first I heard of this episode was a report on a local news radio station that Cantor had called in everyone who had gone on that junket to essentially rip them a new one for letting this incident happen (Cantor himself was on that trip but apparently did not attend that side dip in the Galilee). Let’s see now, the trip was funded by the American Israeli Education Foundation (no problem there)… “Alcohol was involved” - OK, a bit of a problem there… And a freshman Congressman goes skinny-dipping in what many Israelis consider a holy site, violating Israeli law while on a junket in Israel paid for by an Israeli group. OK, Major Problems there, and an embarrassing episode for both the United States and the Republican Party. In retrospect, I can see why Cantor chewed out his fellow Republicans for not stopping that idiot. Far better to be the first one to beat up on the participants than have someone else do it and be put in the embarrassing position of trying to explain how it happened. ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2012, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fbi-investigates-skinny-dipper-in-foreign-country/632079/19 "2012-08-20T20:49:33Z")
> [@Sicks\_Ate](#): > > Just say ‘fish fuck.’ The alliteration is much more satisfying. I took mine from Marcus Brody in _The Last Crusade._ I’ll not be changing it any time soon. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Cheesesteak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheesesteak/32/3694_2.png) [@Cheesesteak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheesesteak)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2012, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fbi-investigates-skinny-dipper-in-foreign-country/632079/20 "2012-08-20T20:55:28Z")
> [@Anaamika](#): > > Ok, fair enough, but are you actually _sullying_ Kmart by going there naked? No, but then again, my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ didn’t perform some incredible miracle at my local K Mart’s shoe aisle. If he did, it would be pretty crass of me to stroll down it with my dong hanging out. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fbi-investigates-skinny-dipper-in-foreign-country/632079.md?page=2)