LILEKS ROUNDUP
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James Joyner | Thursday, August 7, 2003 |
James Lileks has returned from server-imposed exile with a terrific column on numerous things, notably Arnie’s candidacy and the gay bishop thing. As to Arnie, he explains why he’d make a much better governor than Jesse Ventura.
As to the most famous bishop this side of Canterbury,
This story has irritated me from the start, and it has nothing to do with Rev. Robinson’s sexual orientation. The guy left his wife and kids to go do the hokey-pokey with someone else: that’s what it’s all about, at least for me. Marriages founder for a variety of reasons, and ofttimes they’re valid reasons, sad and inescapable. But “I want to have sex with other people” is not a valid reason for depriving two little girls of a daddy who lives with them, gets up at night when they’re sick, kisses them in the morning when they wake. There’s a word for people who leave their children because they don’t want to have sex with Mommy anymore: selfish. I’m not a praying man, but I cannot possibly imagine asking God if that would be okay. Send them another Dad, okay? Until you do I’ll keep my cellphone on 24/7, I promise.Who are you to judge? is the standard response, and I quote Captain James T. Kirk when asked the same question by Kodos the Executioner: who do I have to be? I’ll tell you this: my nightmare is losing my daughter. The idea of leaving her on purpose is inconceivable, and I don’t care if Adriana Lima drove up the driveway in a ‘57 BelAir convertible, tossed me the keys and asked me to drive her to Rio, it ain’t gonna happen. I made a promise when I married my wife, and I made another when we had our daughter. It’s made me rather cranky on the subject of men who don’t stick around. They’re letting down the side. They’re reverting to type. They’re talking from their trousers.
I know, I know, his daughters love him & support him now. So what. Hitler’s dog went to his funeral. (No, that doesn’t make sense, but it’s my favorite wrench to throw in conversations this week.) If he’d cast off his family to cavort with a woman from the choir, I’m not sure he’d be elevated to the level of moral avatar–but by some peculiar twist the fact that he left mom for a man insulates him from criticism. It’s as if he had to do it. To stay in the marriage would have been (crack of thunder, horses neighing) living a lie, and nowadays we’re told that’s the worst thing anyone can do. Better to bedevil other lives with the truth than inconvenience your own with a lie. Right? If others are harmed in the short run, eventually they will be happy because you’re happier. Right?
Welcome back, James.
(Hat tip: Susanna Cornett)
About the Author: James Joyner is the publisher of Outside the Beltway and the managing editor of the Atlantic Council. He's a former Army officer, Desert Storm vet, and college professor with a PhD in political science from The University of Alabama. He lives just outside the Beltway in Alexandria, Virginia with his wife and infant daughter.
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An excellent insight, albeit with a weird Star Trek reference.
My big problem is that by making his sexual orientation the centerpiece of this story, Robinson takes away attention from the really important issue -- running the church. Everytime I see that guy now, the only thing I can think about is what he is going to do at night and what he might have in his mouth. I bet I'm not alone. By making sexual orientation central, you can't but help think about sex. From here on out, that will be the number one issue he has to deal with and that's not a good thing for a church leader. (For non-discriminatory purposes, I would say the same thing for a heterosexual bishop that makes his sexual orientation -- e.g., foot fetish -- a central piece of his identity as relates to his job.)
Or for that matter, he's made his sexual orientation more important than the unity of the church. Lileks has it right: this is about selfishness, pure and simple.
Yup.
HOME RUN!!!!
This story has irritated me from the start, and it has nothing to do with Rev. Robinson's sexual orientation. The guy left his wife and kids to go do the hokey-pokey with someone else: that's what it's all about, at least for me. Marriages founder for a variety of reasons, and ofttimes they're valid reasons, sad and inescapable. But "I want to have sex with other people" is not a valid reason
I take it back...
Grand Slam.
oops! I hope I'm not confusing blogs, but I read an article about this meme at kmc's blog, with related ideas and also a great way of expressing them.
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