On the heels of the recent sex scandals involving GOP heavyweights, Nevada Senator
John Ensign and South Carolina Governor
Mark Sanford, it comes as no surprise (at least to this interested observer anyhow) that an enterprising reporter somewhere would do a little background research on the subject of "moral values" and uncover that which those of us who've been paying attention to matters like this have known for some time -- namely that the more conservative areas of the country appear also to be the more "sinful" ones.
Separate studies have found that:* States that went Republican in November accounted for 8 of the 10 states with the highest divorce rates in 2006.
* States that went Republican in November accounted for 8 of the 10 states with the highest teenage birthrates.
* Subscriptions to online pornography sites were “more prevalent in states where surveys indicate conservative positions on religion, gender roles, and sexuality” and in states where “more people agree that ‘I have old-fashioned values about family and marriage.’ ”
Now -- personally, I don't give a flying shit what people do in their private lives as it relates to personal relationships, sex or porn. Simply ain't none of my bidness (I've actually looked up the definition of the word 'private').
However, since there is one political party (GOP) and political persuasion (religious conservatives) who have presented themselves to all of humanity as being the self-appointed arbiters of all issues regarding morality and spiritual purity and are constantly saturating the media with their holier-than-thou pronouncements warning us heathens of certain damnation of hellfire and brimstone if we don't ascribe to their beliefs and teachings -- one thing is certain. It absolutely is not only fair, but urgently necessary, that when any one of their pious mouthpieces commits sins for which they and their followers incessantly harangue the rest of us about, they are ripe pickings for the most savage pillorying of all.
I have a very, very good memory about what went down with the Bill Clinton impeachment. That farcical political witchhunt was presided over by a couple of philandering Republican pigs named
Henry Hyde and
Bob Livingston. Pseudo Republican moralizers like John Ensign, Mark Sanford, Larry Craig, Mark Foley, David Vitter, Newt Gingrich, etc... (
the list is too long to cite here) actually had the fucking nerve to cast votes and/or sit in pontifical judgement of Clinton. While Clinton's personal peccadilloes certainly was not behavior to be applauded or entirely ignored, it in no way, shape or form met the established criteria for high crimes and misdemeanors which the founding fathers had in mind for events requiring the forced removal of the nation's top elected leader. Nevertheless, one result of the GOP's sex obsession has become clear -- they set the Gold standard for what must be done when one of their own is caught with their pants down -- and by god they better be ready to meet the saintly obligations of that standard when it occurs.
As for the rest of conservative America --- clean up the fucking messes in your own back yards before you wag your sanctimonious fingers about the untidiness in other people's yards. Adopt that as the new golden rule and maybe we can all start getting along just a little better.
----k
