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Several commenters have been speculating on why I hadn’t yet blogged about Indiana Rep. Mark Souder adultery-resignation news, among other stories. Rest assured, there’s no editorial conspiracy here — I just don’t have time (especially having just returned from a major trip) to blog about everything, and sometimes I make a judgment call to hold off for a day or two so that I can put a breaking story into an appropriate religion beat context.
Having said that, here’s my $.02 on the Souder situation: yet another moralizing public figure caught with his pants down? You would think that politicians and prominent pastors would realize by now that, especially in this media-saturated day and age, they’re going to get caught. (I’m rolling my eyes at you, Ted Haggard, John Edwards, Mark Sanford, Eliot Spitzer, John Ensign, etc., etc., etc.) What’s particularly ironic here is that Souder, an evangelical Christian, has been active in promoting abstinence — including recording a video in which his mistress, staffer Tracy Jackson, interviews him on the subject. (Yeesh.)
Check out these links for more on the Indiana senator’s politics and beliefs:
- GOP’s Mark Souder latest politician with sex troubles (AP)
- In praise of conservative Christian adulterer Mark Souder (Rod Dreher, for Beliefnet)
- Representative Mark Souder: The Hypocrisy of the Hypocrite (Diana Butler Bass, for Beliefnet)
- Mark Souder: Would he have resigned if he were a Democrat? (Christian Science Monitor)
- Why do politicians like Rep. Mark Souder stray? (Indianapolis Star)
What do you think? Share your thoughts in the Comments section below.
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posted May 19, 2010 at 2:55 pm
It’s called: “Abstinence for thee but not for me.”
His lieying, cheating, infidelity, hypocrisy wouldn’t be so bad in and of itself, but this man has done very serious damage with his “expert witness” which has destroyed actual gay lives and actual gay families.
You may want to do some investigation and report on George Rekers’ adoption of a 16 year old boy four years ago. Nowhere on the net is it even clear if the man is married or not. Yet his ‘expertise’ caused Florid to pass one of the most draconian laws in the country – all based on lies and deceit. Hateful. Just hateful.
posted May 19, 2010 at 4:06 pm
Mark Souder apparently didn’t follow his “advice” to other folks.
posted May 19, 2010 at 8:50 pm
He also has never passed a Human Rights bill since 1995. He won’t be missed, but someone else will just pop right into his place.
posted May 20, 2010 at 12:25 pm
One candidate who is stepping up to the plate of hate is Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty, who has just vetoed a bill that would have given surviving members of same-sex couples the right to make decisions about the remains of their partners and the right to sue in wrongful death for negligent acts that resulted in their partners’ demise.
Not only do they not want us to love one another in life, the ‘right’ won’t even allow us to love one another in death. They want to negate the worth of our relationships back to zero.
Can recriminalization of consenting adult same-sex relationships be far behind?
For more info, see: http://www.365gay.com/opinion/culhane-pawlenty-throws-gays-under-the-bus/
CAPTCHA: “only democrat” – perspicacious, no?
posted May 20, 2010 at 12:29 pm
I had the misfortune of seeing not only the faux-”interview” tape (how he got through it without breaking out into a smirk is beyond me), but also the puke-inducing “confession” yesterday.
Believe it or not, the “conservative” “right” is actually heaping praise on this (and I quote) “adulterous Christian” for his “honesty”.
Hypocrisy knows no bounds in their world, I guess.