The Scarlet Letter
"What can thy silence do for him, except it tempt him—yea, compel him, as it were—to add hypocrisy to sin?" —Nathaniel Hawthorne, The Scarlet Letter.
If the GOP keeps going at this pace, there may not be enough scarlet letters in the alphabet. Of course, Mark Sanford can account for a good part of the alphabet on his own. "A" for adultery, "I" for idiot, and "H" for hypocrisy.
When will the Republican's learn? If you're going to talk the talk on family values, you've also got to walk the walk. Is there anything more off-putting than the "do as I say" guy who doesn't? Let's face it; power corrupts. Only the very special can avoid the temptation. What sounded good when there was little or no opportunity, suddenly is an afterthought when opportunity abounds. If you believe that a faithful husband is one without prospects, don't put your money on a politician, let alone one of such high profile.
It's okay, noble even, to be for traditional values, but why not be for the most traditional value of all—freedom. Republicans have always advocated freedom in political and economic contexts. How about extending it to a social/civil rights context? Shouldn't our lifestyle choices, to the extent they don't intrude on others rights, be outside of the purview of sanctimonious and hypocritical legislators? I think so. The GOP would be on much firmer footing if they would adopt this philosophy. And, their message would be abundantly more consistent.
Mark Sanford should resign the governorship post-haste—not because of his personal failing, but because of an egregious dereliction of duty. To have left the state in such a clandestine fashion is an inexcusable offense.
If the GOP keeps going at this pace, there may not be enough scarlet letters in the alphabet. Of course, Mark Sanford can account for a good part of the alphabet on his own. "A" for adultery, "I" for idiot, and "H" for hypocrisy.
When will the Republican's learn? If you're going to talk the talk on family values, you've also got to walk the walk. Is there anything more off-putting than the "do as I say" guy who doesn't? Let's face it; power corrupts. Only the very special can avoid the temptation. What sounded good when there was little or no opportunity, suddenly is an afterthought when opportunity abounds. If you believe that a faithful husband is one without prospects, don't put your money on a politician, let alone one of such high profile.
It's okay, noble even, to be for traditional values, but why not be for the most traditional value of all—freedom. Republicans have always advocated freedom in political and economic contexts. How about extending it to a social/civil rights context? Shouldn't our lifestyle choices, to the extent they don't intrude on others rights, be outside of the purview of sanctimonious and hypocritical legislators? I think so. The GOP would be on much firmer footing if they would adopt this philosophy. And, their message would be abundantly more consistent.
Mark Sanford should resign the governorship post-haste—not because of his personal failing, but because of an egregious dereliction of duty. To have left the state in such a clandestine fashion is an inexcusable offense.
At least Hester had the good sense to keep the sordid details of her indiscretions to herself. And although Sanford shared Dimmesdale's proclivity to expose his clandestine "A" to the people, his rambling press conference shared no commonalities with Dimmesdale's eloquent, tortured confession. Instead, Sanford's narcissistic meander through an admission was an embarrassment to himself and his party, but I agree that the fact of his affair alone is no reason for resignation. If he did indeed leave his post unmanned or if he lied to his constituency, then he should certainly step down.
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