CROSSVILLE —
There is nothing like a good sex scandal to take our minds off a political campaign that lasted far too long, cost way too much money, and left no lie behind. Plus, General Petraeus’ sexual escapade is guaranteed to divert our attention away from things our lawmakers really don’t want us to know. We will be spared no details. What I find appalling is that the general has been given a pass for years on matters of much more significance than his romp in the hay with Paula. I am no Petraeus admirer for reasons too numerous to list here, so the unveiling of his clay feet and the public humiliation he is about to get causes me sorrow only for his wife and family.
If this country is going to continue a pretense of Puritanism, we need a manual for men in public positions. Do not tweet pictures of your body parts. Never, ever short-change a hooker. Avoid cheating on your wife, especially while spouting the old “family values” line. It is like playing the Coliseum, you might be putting on a great show, but sooner or later the lions will eat you. This is a high-tech age of communication; there are no secrets. Hard to say whether indulging in risky fun and games by men in powerful positions is caused by hubris or stupidity. I lean toward stupid. It is not that there has never been a political sex scandal involving women. Cleopatra and Catherine the Great spring to mind. But the uproar over their indiscretions has pretty much died down.
The Petraeus misadventure conjures up memories of the nonsense that was bandied about during the recent political campaign. Tell me again, Mr. Republican, how men are the superior gender and women are so stupid they don’t even know when they’ve been raped. Tell me again why men should control women’s reproductive rights. And be sure to explain to me how women are incapable of exercising and controlling power, because I thought that silly notion was put to rest when Delilah clipped Samson.
The 2012 election was a historic one for women, both in the voting booth and on the ballot. Knowing what was at stake, women showed up at the polls in great numbers. Joined in long lines by Latinos, African-Americans, gays, Muslims, those who didn’t take kindly to being called “moochers,” etc., they brought down corporate warrior Mitt Romney. To cap the stack, the election increased the number of women in both the House and Senate. Still not enough, but a start.
To these women I say good on you, but when you are ushered into the Halls of Testosterone in January, don’t become one of the boys. Remember, it was the white man’s way of doing things that brought us to the brink of financial collapse, destroyed our manufacturing base, and gave us ten-plus years of unnecessary war. Not to mention all the extracurricular peccadilloes. You can do better than that.
We can’t let the campaign go on forever. So Mr. Romney, with sincere goodwill, I say go in peace, back to whatever century you live in. And to President Obama, we have your back, but we will also be holding your feet to the fire.
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This column represents alternative thoughts to other published columns in the Crossville Chronicle. “We the People” is published each Wednesday. Opinions expressed in “We the People” columns are not necessarily those of the Crossville Chronicle publisher, editor or staff. For more information, contact John Wund, editor, at jwund@frontiernet.net.
Opinion
We the People: Warriors, clay feet and misadventures
- Opinion
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LION AND THE LAMB: More than meets the eye
It was a quiet Saturday afternoon, and my wife Sheral suggested I join her on a shopping trip. In Crossville Sheral went inside a store and I stayed outside looking at the bargain specials. My mind was in neutral, so I almost missed the little boy’s question. He was about seven or eight, evidently had just seen his first Amish family, and they had seemed very strange to him.
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WE THE PEOPLE: No time to govern
Bob Dole’s tribute to George McGovern at the time of his death last year was both beautiful and touching. Speaking of the friendship they shared and the work they did together during their time in the Senate and later in retirement, Dole said McGovern “was one of the finest public servants I ever had the privilege to know.” He went on to say that they knew what they had in common was far more important than their different political philosophies.
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TIDBITS: Be wary of home improvement shows
Sometimes I think home improvement stores need a screening tool of some sort, perhaps some kind of licensing or reference check. For example, before one can walk in and buy that handy dandy table saw, they need three people to vouch that they aren’t likely to cut off a bodily appendage.
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STUMPTALK: Obama’s Benghazi betrayal
“Betrayal” is an ugly word. “To fail or desert especially in a time of need.” Those who pay attention to the actions of Obama are justified in saying we have been betrayed. Think about the IRS and DOJ debacles. Clearly our ambassador and his staff at the Benghazi consulate were betrayed, deserted in their time of mortal need. Obama allowed them to be murdered.
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Lion and the Lamb: When schools go beyond the three Rs
The three Rs, reading, ‘riting and ‘rithmetic, have always been at the foundation of education in Cumberland County. Recently, however, a fourth R has been added — religion. In permission was granted representatives of The Gideons International to distribute Bibles to fifth-graders in the Brown Elementary School in Crossville, and this took place April 11.
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We the People: Your vote — use it or lose it
A powerful faction within the Republican Party is determined to downsize our federal government. They want to reshape programs that originated to protect common folks like us.
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Stumptalk: The elephant in the room
I recently saw video footage of the president surrounded by the heads of all the services; they had assembled to address the continuing and scandalous problem of sexual harassment in the armed forces. The elephant in the room, of course, was young women in the military serving in close quarters with young men.
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We the People: Reality check, anyone?
Harry Truman had a birthday anniversary in early May. Harry was proud of being from the “show me” state. Republicans who aspire to stop all progress and set the clock back should take a lesson from Truman. He did something besides complain and obstruct progress.
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The Lion and the Lamb: The devil and the IRS
National news these past several weeks has focused on a scandal in the Internal Revenue Service. IRS agents have been targeting Tea Party and other conservative groups for additional scrutiny when they applied for tax-exempt status. As this story developed over the past several weeks, however, it has become apparent that the IRS problem is much greater than the complaints raised by the Tea Party.
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Tidbits: What's in a name?
Being born in the time before routine ultrasounds, my parents thought I was going to be a boy. I'm not sure if mom was carrying high or low, or if the wedding ring on a string went one way or the other, or what other old wives tale was used to determine I would be a he rather than a she, but that's what they thought and that's how they prepared.
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LION AND THE LAMB: More than meets the eye
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