March 14, 2008
Another One Bites the Dust
For several
reasons I am a little hesitant to write about the recently resigned governor of New York’s problems. Nevertheless, there is much to be said.
First of all;
I can relate to having a sexual addiction that involves the use of prostitutes. I
had a similar problem. Although my use of them wasn’t frequent, I sinned
in this way many times over many years. Why an attractive, young professional
would need the services of paid female companionship is a long, complicated story. I
thank the Lord that I have become a new creature in Christ and have been faithfully celibate for over five years.
Another thing
that I have in common with Spitzer is extreme risk taking. Because of the prominence
of a family member during part of the time I lived with my various addictions it would have been very likely that had I run
afoul of the law it would have become news.
Also, being
a member of the bar I also had a duty to act legally and morally. However, having
said that I note a minor distinction that sets this situation apart: I had not been given a public trust and placed in a position
of authority.
With everyone else piling on and the cameras focused so closely on this breathtaking collapse, saying anything else almost
seems superfluous. I am reminded of the song of Mary in the gospel of Luke. Has the Lord done this?
Mary sang, "He has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts" (Luke 1:51-52).
People often question how the Lord can allow sinners to go unpunished. I am confident in the ultimate judgment
and justice of God. However, we often forget times like these. Jesus says that God will avenge those who cry out
to Him "speedily" ( Luke 18:7-8).
The speed of this downfall was remarkable. Two months from the ordering of the wiretap to the endgame. An
amazing 48 hours from revelation to resignation! Even though he's back on the air, this is reminiscent of Imus.
How can it be that a former prosecutor and a sitting governor
can break the law in this fashion? You just can’t do what he did. His betrayal of his wife is more egregious but unfortunately all too common. What was he thinking?
Before I get
into all that, I must digress. It is all too common amongst people of faith to
discount sexual immorality. This is so despite the fact that sex outside of marriage
was punishable by death under the Law of Moses in the Old Testament. People casually
dismiss their own sin and the sins of others by saying; “Well, everybody does it” or “You can’t expect
people to give that up.”
Actually, everybody
is not doing it and I have given it up until I get married. I am not alone.
Sexual immorality
is a scourge particularly in low income communities. The mental damage that results
from sexual liaisons that go bad and promiscuity generally is beyond the scope of this post.
Suffice it to say that despite the reduced number of teenage pregnancies for most of the last decade or so; the problem
of children raising children is a disaster for both the parent and the child in far too many cases.
This doesn’t
even get into the question of sexually transmitted diseases. Although I will
note that an AP story the other day, “1 in 4 Teen Girls Has Sexual Disease,” brought the problem into full relief in the midst of this “convenient” scandal. The rate of infection is far more prevalent among black girls.
Hmm, could this be some kind of message from God?
I will leave
that for another time except to say that because their manhood is so closely associated with sexual conquest, or because they
just cannot control themselves; many African American men, in particular, who are incarcerated end up engaging in homosexual
sex. Many contract HIV/AIDS and then pass it on to African American women when
they return to their communities because they refuse to wear a condom. These
problems are certainly not confined to the black community.
So anyone who
says, “It’s only sex, who cares?” every time a politician gets busted like this really hasn’t thought
the whole situation through. Is he the only one doing it? No, but so what? If it’s wrong it’s wrong.
Back to Spitzer. A New York Times op-ed piece in the wake
of these events entitled “The Myth of the Victimless Crime” pointed out the fact that prostitutes often come from backgrounds involving child abuse. They left out the negative psychological ramifications that often accompany this lifestyle.
So Spitzer,
like me and many others: took advantage of someone who though an adult was probably not in a position to think and act rationally. He contributed to her problems. In addition,
he also put himself and his wife at risk of contracting an STD.
So, was his
behavior really that bad?
If Spitzer
would betray his wife, not mention God, he would betray anyone. Whether this
comports with your morals or not you have to admit that this is at least the fifth prominent politician in recent memory who
has fallen because of their inability to control their sex drives.
It’s not society being uptight, or some “old fashioned Victorian” values being foisted on an
unwilling public; it’s a personal failing and a character defect. Worse still, they've made it a public failing
that teaches all the wrong lessons if left unaddressed.
Bill Clinton
wasn’t impeached, but he accomplished nothing memorable or worth mentioning in his presidency after the Monica Lewinsky
scandal broke. Sen. Larry Craig…well, enough said. Sen. David Vitter and Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick have been similarly shamed. I’m sure this is just the tip of the iceberg. Now this.
Once again,
I believe that God is showing us to not put our faith in laws, politicians, elections or government.
Only put your
faith in God (see Psalm 146:4).
Spitzer could
have gotten away with it, sadly enough, if it was just an affair. We still have
a long way to go. Part of the backlash is because people considered him to project
a “holier than thou” persona. But, to me it comes down to the unbelievable
lack of judgment; not to mention the fact that he would drag his poor wife in front of the cameras for the obligatory mea culpa press conferences. Because of all of these factors, he
forfeited his right to lead.
I sympathize
with him and I have compassion because I’ve been through similar things myself.
But he made the right decision when he resigned.
Are we learning yet?
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