Oh, Those Morality Police
The Christian Right, and others in the Grand Old Party, love to spend quality time on their soapboxes telling us how to live. They point out for us who the sinners are and are sure to put the fear of God in us if we listen to, emulate or even think about those horrible people.
Yep, you just have to love the morality police.
My first experience with the morality police took place as I was but a budding teenager. As a "child of the 80's" I recall the headlines about Jim Bakker, Tammy Bakker and future Playboy model Jessica Hahn.
Shortly after, there was another, far more important scandal.
In the 1980's Ozzy Osbourne was not considered the addled and funny character his is today. He was considered a menace to society and representative of all the evils of rock and roll. He was often fodder for the Christian Right, particularly Jimmy Swaggart. Then, it was discovered that the good Reverand was meeting regularly with prostitutes.
"Do as I say, not as I do" is apparently the motto of this group.
When Bill Clinton ran for President, the charges began immediately. The extra-marital affairs were front page news. Almost immediately, his presidency took a back seat to the attacks on his morality -- from the very people who had been doing the same things themselves.
Now, when we look back on the Clinton presidency, the years are marred by scandal. Yet Clinton, unlike Bakker, Swaggart and the many Republicans in Congress who resigned when it was discovered they too were guilty of the same adulterous behavior, didn't preach about how to live. He didn't sell us a book of lies about the only way to live morally.
Flash forward to today. We have Ted Haggard, preaching about the evils of homosexuality and at the forefront of the ban on gay marriages. Meanwhile, he was engaged in an extra-marital affair with a male prostitute and trying to score methamphetamines.
We have Bill Frist and a list of scandals involving him that is as long as the list of names of alleged Clinton mistresses.
There is good ol' boy Trent Lott longing for the days of the KKK.
Tom DeLay was known as "The Hammer" for his enforcement of party discipline. Yet he couldn't keep himself out of scandal.
The Jack Abramoff scandal is only just beginning.
And, perhaps sickest of all, Rep. Mark Foley -- chairman of the House Caucus on Missing and Exploited Children -- sent sexually-oriented emails to young adult male pages. And House Speaker Dennis Hastert may have known all along that it was happening and did nothing.
This morning, it was announced that Mary Cheney, the Vice President's daughter, is pregnant. And while I am truly happy for Ms. Cheney and her partner, I am even happier that this is happening to the family of a right winger.
"So, Mr. Vice President, where do you stand on having children outside of marriage?"
"Mr. Vice President, do you support gay marriage now, Sir?"
"Mr. Vice President, will you be attending the ceremonies in New Jersey?"
It's a wonderful world after all.
Yep, you just have to love the morality police.
My first experience with the morality police took place as I was but a budding teenager. As a "child of the 80's" I recall the headlines about Jim Bakker, Tammy Bakker and future Playboy model Jessica Hahn.
Shortly after, there was another, far more important scandal.
In the 1980's Ozzy Osbourne was not considered the addled and funny character his is today. He was considered a menace to society and representative of all the evils of rock and roll. He was often fodder for the Christian Right, particularly Jimmy Swaggart. Then, it was discovered that the good Reverand was meeting regularly with prostitutes.
"Do as I say, not as I do" is apparently the motto of this group.
When Bill Clinton ran for President, the charges began immediately. The extra-marital affairs were front page news. Almost immediately, his presidency took a back seat to the attacks on his morality -- from the very people who had been doing the same things themselves.
Now, when we look back on the Clinton presidency, the years are marred by scandal. Yet Clinton, unlike Bakker, Swaggart and the many Republicans in Congress who resigned when it was discovered they too were guilty of the same adulterous behavior, didn't preach about how to live. He didn't sell us a book of lies about the only way to live morally.
Flash forward to today. We have Ted Haggard, preaching about the evils of homosexuality and at the forefront of the ban on gay marriages. Meanwhile, he was engaged in an extra-marital affair with a male prostitute and trying to score methamphetamines.
We have Bill Frist and a list of scandals involving him that is as long as the list of names of alleged Clinton mistresses.
There is good ol' boy Trent Lott longing for the days of the KKK.
Tom DeLay was known as "The Hammer" for his enforcement of party discipline. Yet he couldn't keep himself out of scandal.
The Jack Abramoff scandal is only just beginning.
And, perhaps sickest of all, Rep. Mark Foley -- chairman of the House Caucus on Missing and Exploited Children -- sent sexually-oriented emails to young adult male pages. And House Speaker Dennis Hastert may have known all along that it was happening and did nothing.
This morning, it was announced that Mary Cheney, the Vice President's daughter, is pregnant. And while I am truly happy for Ms. Cheney and her partner, I am even happier that this is happening to the family of a right winger.
"So, Mr. Vice President, where do you stand on having children outside of marriage?"
"Mr. Vice President, do you support gay marriage now, Sir?"
"Mr. Vice President, will you be attending the ceremonies in New Jersey?"
It's a wonderful world after all.
posted by E-Luv at 8:46 AM
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