52 Paths to Heaven

The news media is having a field day with New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer who may have been involved in a prostitution ring. It’s a pertinent news story given how he has come down hard on prostitition in the past. In fact, Spitzer is known for crusading against all sorts of crime.

But there he was yesterday - with his wife at his side - talking about a personal indiscretion. Hmmm. Wonder what that might be?

I felt bad for his wife, Silda. I respect her choice to stand by her man. Any temptation to be critical of her should be supressed.

A man, especially a married man, should keep his private parts to himself. Sometimes, I guess men sleep with hookers because they’re tired or lonely. They don’t necessarily walk away with incurable diseases.

But some people - I guess it’s too soon to say Spitzer - think they’re above the law. Or, they deal with stress in unusual ways. But when we sin, we need to own up to it.

I guess he hasn’t resigned (not because he didn’t do anything bad) because he’s waiting to cut a deal. I can’t blame him. But give it a few days. Why drag it on and continue to embarrass his wife? It’s like knocking a kid against a wall and showing up to chair a PTA meeting the same night even if everyone learns about the abuse.

If he did it - hired a prostitute and made arrangments to get her to cross state lines - he needs to go public with his admission, resign and move on to something better. I hope he’ll go on TV shows and maybe even write a book about his horrific lapse or lapses. Talk to young people about sexual responsibility, commitment, vows, crime, forgiveness.

Be human.

When someone that public goes that wrong, the public can benefit from the way he presents himself in the aftermath.

Sin can be forgiven through a relationship with Jesus, but sin has consequences.

I’m eager to see how he deals with his mess and confronts the public. We deserve to see him do something good with something so foolish - if he did anything at all. In his next news conference maybe he could be more honest. And maybe he’ll be a man and stand alone while his wife holds hands and welcomes hugs from friends - away from the cameras.