Tuesday, June 23, 2009

Being on a Hike

If Governor Sanford (R) of South Carolina was hiking the Appalachian Trail for the last five days unknown to his wife, security detail, lieutenant governor, and staff, even on Father's Day when his four young sons I'm sure would have loved to have seen him, I was both with my family on that day and scaling Kilimanjaro. It's not that I really care about his whereabouts. I just find it incredibly amazing that anyone would think that we are incredibly stupid.

20 comments:

Marion said...

I heard this bizarre tall tale on NPR this afternoon. I'm with you, Judith. There's something rotten in the state of South Carolina, methinks.....As Mama says, "I was born at night---but not LAST night!" LOL! Can't wait to hear....the rest of this story!!

Judith Ellis said...

LOL! Gotta love Mama, Marion!

The Write Girl said...

I guess this guy just wanted to get away from it all...it is pretty bizarre though.

Pamela Cone said...

He checked out for a minute. But there is definately a dead cat on the line.

Judith Ellis said...

The Write Girl - "To the pure all things are pure." I guess I'm not so pure. :-)

Judith Ellis said...

Now, that's too funny, Pamela!!! LOL!

DB said...

The Appalachian Trail is very busy this time of the year.

Judith Ellis said...

LOL, DB!

Pamela Cone said...

Okay, they found the dead cat on the line. But were we really surprised? And the Lt. Gov, was quick to judgement he must have had some idea already. The question now is, does this effect his ability to lead?

Judith Ellis said...

Pamela - I do not engage in the downfall of those with personal failures. BUT it is the hypocrisy and the blatant disregard for others, like his wife and 4 young innocent sons--this guy left to spend time with his lover on FATHER'S DAY-- that bothers me. What about his love for his sons? What about his horrible judgment? Let's not even talk about the horrid stats for his state. Your question about whether he can lead effectively seems clear.

What I did not want to hear from Sanford is his moralizing at the press conference. I did not want to hear HIM talking about "God's law." Let another do this. Go restore yourself with your wife and children, even if you have to ultimately part. I appreciate the dignity of Sanford's wife. Now, he needs to sit down and shut up.

Self-rigtheousness stinks. Both Sanford and Ensign thought that President Clinton should resign. They pressed for it. Yet, neither of these men are resigning. One other thing: Does it matter that Ensign (R) and Sanford (R) have dishonored the wives of two married men, one was the wife of his chief of staff whom was fired( Ensign) while the indiscretions of Clinton (D) and Spitzer (D) were with single women?

All have dishonored their wives.

Pamela Cone said...

I was waiting for your response.

Yes, I agree one definately interfers with the other.

Especially when you are in public service. You have a responsibility to the people who elected you based on the principles you said you stand for.

They among many others were ready to cast stones and did so at Former President Clinton without any consideration of their own short comings.

Marital indiscretions are not uncommon. And I do think we should realize we are flawed individuals and we elect flawed individuals to govern.

His disregard for his family in such an open manner was in such poor taste. One is not rational when they are involved in such affairs; however, he should have dissolved his marriage with some dignity and then moved on.

Guilty of bad choices and poor leadership. And for not being too bright!

DB said...

I agree that Sanford should sit down and shut up, but so should all the media that are prying and probing, and the hypocrits that are pointing fingers at him, and the people who are second guessing what is going on between Sanford and his family. It's none af anybody's damn business.

DB

Judith Ellis said...

Thoughtful comment, Pamela. Thank you.

Judith Ellis said...

DB - On one level I completely understand. On the other level Sanford is a public servant and what he did, leaving the State for five days without no one's knowledge, is bad judgment--especially considering that it was not on state business. There are also some facts coming out that Sanford may have used state funds for his indiscretions. There are also seemingly emails and texts on technology owned by the State of South Carolina that have been released. How can this be between Sanford and his family when he has acted so unwisely, not to mention dishonorably in ways that could have caused harm to the State of South Carolina?

Marion said...

I've said this thousands of times in my life, (and forgive my bluntness) but what the hell is it with men being led around by their peckers? How stupid can a man be in this age of advanced technology to even think he could get away with something like this---especially a man in public office???

My thinking has always been: If you want to fool around, GET A DIVORCE!

Judith Ellis said...

"I've said this thousands of times in my life, (and forgive my bluntness) but what the hell is it with men being led around by their peckers?"

True that, Marion! I was just wondering today about how many wives in public office have gone out and had such affairs. It's pretty rare, eh? I mean, really, what's up with that? It's so foolish on so many levels.

By the way, do you remember when Paula Zahn, the excellent CNN news anchor, had a longstanding affair and how terribly she was maligned? It was really bad. She was fired and she wasn't even in public office. Is there a cultural double standard here?

Marion said...

Oh, yeah, Judith, you are right on about Ms.Zahn. I remember that well. The old double standard.

It's a good thing God made women so much stronger, smarter and more beautiful than men. She's a Wise God, She is!!! LOL!

The Write Girl said...

Wow, I guess it was more shady than was previously reported. I just got a kick wtih the girl behind him laughing through the press conference. That was funny.

Judith Ellis said...

Science indicates that there are definitely differences in the minds of men and women and these differences may have something to do with our motivations, impetuses and actions. But this has nothing to do with accountability and responsibility. We each are required to be accountable and responsible.

Judith Ellis said...

Wasn't that wild, The Write Girl? It was like she just couldn't contain herself. Watching her, I wondered what kind of Governor he was in the office. Was he so self-righteous and portrayed such a holier than thou attitude that some staff members got from his personal failure? Also, I think that some people are pretty ticked at his not taking federal money for schools in South Carolina that haven't had any attention since Reconstruction and Sanford refused to take federal funds, wanting instead to the be President of South Carolina. I think he caved later as the legislature was against him. It seems that he has managed to alienate a lot of people.