Regarding Eliot Spitzer, and a reply to jwallace.
As some of you may have heard, New York's esteemed governor, Eliot Spitzer, was arrested on charges of soliciting prostitution after being caught on a federal wire tap hiring an "escort." He's being publicly shamed, his wife doesn't look like she's taking it all that well, and he's likely to be forced into retirement from media and political pressure.
However, I don't have an issue with him hiring a prostitute. Hey, government types do that, I'm not that concerned. At least not by itself. However, the problem for me is that this goes against a very public morality platform. See, jwallice replied to the writer of this blog (which itself is a very entertaining and funny read) that he thinks the media coverage is unwarranted. He says the following:
I was laying in bed sick with the flu and found the story on several channels. My question is this: WHO SHOULD GIVE A FLYING FRICK!? Honestly, is it the least bit justifiable that the Governor of New York's private activities are publicly scrutinized by the media when our own former president (Clinton) was somehow allowed to stay in office after his affair with Lewinsky was disclosed?
And before everyone starts with the "but, but he's a politician elected by the people" I'll point out what was previously stated on this page namely that "spending days at a time away from his family will eventually cause him to cave". While I'm not okay with the fact that Spitzer was carrying on without his wife's knowledge I at least understand why he did it. His deeds are punishable by marriage laws of the state of New York and common street laws of his municipality but as another poster has written the media circus isn't needed.
Homeless are lying on the streets in freezing temperatures, gun crime statistics are skyrocketing and the U. S. economy is bracing itself for the biggest recession yet but NO, it's so important that the media displays Spitzer's affairs to the world instead. God help us all...
First off, President Clinton was impeached, which I can only imagine is a huge embarrasment, especially as he's only the second president to be impeached (Nixon resigned before Congress had the chance). He narrowly escaped conviction with a vote that was damn near along party lines and short of the constitutional requirement for conviction.
However, let's get back to Spitzer. While he did a lot of good things for New York, he was also one of those morality people that acts holier than thou about anyone else's sins. He was also a very vocal critic of violent media, including games such as Grand Theft Auto. Kotaku lifted a very nice quote from his 2006 campaign, for example:
Like all parents, I know it is increasingly difficult to protect our children from negative influences... We have learned that when self-regulation fails, government must step in... We must do more to protect our children from excessive sex and violence in the media... Media content has gotten more graphic, more violent and more sex-based...
Currently, nothing under New York State law prohibits a fourteen-year old from walking into a video store and buying... a game like Grand Theft Auto, which rewards a player for stealing cars and beating people up. Children can even simulate having sex with a prostitute...
I find it funny that he's against media that depicts sex with prostitutes, but has no problem hiring a whore of his own.
That is my problem, and that's why this matters. Much like Larry Craig, this guy presented himself as a sort of moral champion, only to be exposed as the same sort of deviant he claimed to be against. He used morality to get into office, but doesn't believe in what he's saying. He would take away our right to watch violent/sexual movies and play violent/sexual games while engaging in illegal sexual activity himself. This is hypocrisy people, and it's at the very core of what's wrong with American politics. It's why voter turnout in this nation is pathetic most of the time: people just believe that all politicians are lying to them, so instead of having a real democracy, we have fanboy wars that would make the GameSpot System Wars forums green with envy.
You ask me, any public official who acts like he's holier than thou, who makes morality a central platform, deserves to have every single second of his life monitored by journalilsts and federal agents. Be it someone who wants to deny me the right to buy GTA or the right to a legally-recognized relationship with my - female - lover, that person should be forced to live the life he wants to force us all into.
That's why this matters, jwallice. That's why this is a big deal.
However, I don't have an issue with him hiring a prostitute. Hey, government types do that, I'm not that concerned. At least not by itself. However, the problem for me is that this goes against a very public morality platform. See, jwallice replied to the writer of this blog (which itself is a very entertaining and funny read) that he thinks the media coverage is unwarranted. He says the following:
I was laying in bed sick with the flu and found the story on several channels. My question is this: WHO SHOULD GIVE A FLYING FRICK!? Honestly, is it the least bit justifiable that the Governor of New York's private activities are publicly scrutinized by the media when our own former president (Clinton) was somehow allowed to stay in office after his affair with Lewinsky was disclosed?
And before everyone starts with the "but, but he's a politician elected by the people" I'll point out what was previously stated on this page namely that "spending days at a time away from his family will eventually cause him to cave". While I'm not okay with the fact that Spitzer was carrying on without his wife's knowledge I at least understand why he did it. His deeds are punishable by marriage laws of the state of New York and common street laws of his municipality but as another poster has written the media circus isn't needed.
Homeless are lying on the streets in freezing temperatures, gun crime statistics are skyrocketing and the U. S. economy is bracing itself for the biggest recession yet but NO, it's so important that the media displays Spitzer's affairs to the world instead. God help us all...
First off, President Clinton was impeached, which I can only imagine is a huge embarrasment, especially as he's only the second president to be impeached (Nixon resigned before Congress had the chance). He narrowly escaped conviction with a vote that was damn near along party lines and short of the constitutional requirement for conviction.
However, let's get back to Spitzer. While he did a lot of good things for New York, he was also one of those morality people that acts holier than thou about anyone else's sins. He was also a very vocal critic of violent media, including games such as Grand Theft Auto. Kotaku lifted a very nice quote from his 2006 campaign, for example:
Like all parents, I know it is increasingly difficult to protect our children from negative influences... We have learned that when self-regulation fails, government must step in... We must do more to protect our children from excessive sex and violence in the media... Media content has gotten more graphic, more violent and more sex-based...
Currently, nothing under New York State law prohibits a fourteen-year old from walking into a video store and buying... a game like Grand Theft Auto, which rewards a player for stealing cars and beating people up. Children can even simulate having sex with a prostitute...
I find it funny that he's against media that depicts sex with prostitutes, but has no problem hiring a whore of his own.
That is my problem, and that's why this matters. Much like Larry Craig, this guy presented himself as a sort of moral champion, only to be exposed as the same sort of deviant he claimed to be against. He used morality to get into office, but doesn't believe in what he's saying. He would take away our right to watch violent/sexual movies and play violent/sexual games while engaging in illegal sexual activity himself. This is hypocrisy people, and it's at the very core of what's wrong with American politics. It's why voter turnout in this nation is pathetic most of the time: people just believe that all politicians are lying to them, so instead of having a real democracy, we have fanboy wars that would make the GameSpot System Wars forums green with envy.
You ask me, any public official who acts like he's holier than thou, who makes morality a central platform, deserves to have every single second of his life monitored by journalilsts and federal agents. Be it someone who wants to deny me the right to buy GTA or the right to a legally-recognized relationship with my - female - lover, that person should be forced to live the life he wants to force us all into.
That's why this matters, jwallice. That's why this is a big deal.
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