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"Get a life! No one is perfect, not even you. When someone like

Governor Sanford comes clean and asks forgiveness, hand's off!

Let him get back to business. The cheating is something between

him, his wife and his family. It's none of your bees-wax."

I even heard from one of the well-known leaders who has gone through a
situation like I described in "Cry Me a River." He is still in office and has a
reputation as a very nice guy. He wasn't so nice in his email:

"What right do you have to judge? You quoted the Bible. How

about the verses that talk about being judgemental? You

have

never lived in the pressure-cooker of national politics. You have never faced the kinds of

challenges and

temptations that even the freshman senator or representative goes through. When

you walk a mile in those shoes,

then you will have a clue. Until then, be a little more forgiving of

people who make mistakes, then try to make things

right."

Rather than addressing the pros and cons, let me share my letter to the leader who wrote that email:

Dear, _______, c

all me simple-minded if you want, but I truly believe we will reap

what we plant, from

the top rungs

of our nation's leaders to the unknowns.

I say that because

I've been around ranches

and farms

enough to know that if I plant

alfalfa

, it's a fair expectation that I will harvest

alfalfa

. If I

plant noxious

weeds, I'll probably

get a good crop of noxious weeds

, and I can guarantee you that my

cattle won't

appreciate that near as much as the alfalfa

You get what you plant, either in a field or in a nation. History is filled with countries that believed

that actions didn't have consequences,

and history's pages are filled with their destruction. What a

nation's leaders do will directly affect the direction that

country will go. It's been proven so many

times that it isn't even up for debate, as far as I am concerned.

So, yes, I truly do believe that the other side will do what it wants with the full collusion of the

mainstream media. Few of

their side will even admit wrongdoing, even in the face of stained blue

dresses, Monkey Business photos or videos

undeniably showing cocaine snorting. We have little

control over their actions or the press that selectively encourages

"boys will be boys" behavior of

leaders who reflect the views of the media elite.

On the other hand, I do believe that politicians on our side, especially those who do espouse family

values and

accountability, should be held to a higher standard.

In the end, that higher standard is the main deferential advantage our side has to "sell." We aren't

smarter, slicker,

better financed, or able to jump over tall buildings. When we become Democrat-lite,

with all of its ramifications, we lose.

It's that simple.

And as for walking a mile in your shoes...that would be possible because I only own a couple of pair

of well-worn

working boots. I wouldn't know what to do with a pair of $

00 Gucci loafers like you wear.

And as for the pressures and temptations you face, get real. I've been in lots of situations where it

would have been

easy to

take the easy way out

. I'm

nearly 80

years old, but I'm still a man

who enjoys

life

. I still have very fulfilling sex with my

wife of

years, and if I told you how good it still is, it would

appear to be bragging.

That sort of thing just doesn't fly down here on the ranch, so s

uffice

it to say

that our relationship is so fulfilling because it is built on trust, not lust.

Though I've never been mistaken for Cary Grant or Brad

Pitt, I've been propositioned in unmistakable ways

through

the years by a number of women and a few men

There are lots of other times I could have easily been the

one doing the propositioning. But n

o matter how I felt at

the time,

or whatever else was going on,

I remembered

that day

six decades

ago when I first discussed marriage

with my wife, and I promised

her that I would never

cheat on her

—

emotionally

physically,

or otherwise—

long as

we were married.

And

I never have. Not once!

As old-fashioned as it may sound, the wedding bands

we wear

still mean something.

I'm no self-righteous Lone Ranger. I've talked to lots of

people that I

trust

who say they have never

cheated on

their spouses.

I personally think that loyalty is a lot more

common than

you might think

throughout our amazing country, much more than the television tabloids and printed scandal sheets

from the East and West Coasts would want us to believe, I'm guessing to justify their own lifestyles

So spare me the details of how difficult life is at the top. I know that even as a rancher and family

man, my life would

have changed forever if I had given in to temptation

and hormones, even once

And e

ven if no one would have found out, I would have known

. I would have had

to face myself in

the

mirror every morning.

That was something I decided back when I was a young sapling who saw

the same character and trust in my own Papa and Mama.

There were lots of examples around as I was growing up of people who weren't as rock solid

with

their marriage vows, and even as a young buck, I decided that I didn't like the results of what

happened after the thrill was over. Thank goodness I found a girl who felt the same way as I did.

Also, thank goodness I learned through the years that the real thrill was because of the trust, not

mere lust.

Oh, i

f I would have cheated on my wife

somewhere along the way

she

might

have forgiven

family and friends

possibly would have done the same.

But I also know that deep inside, there

would

have

always been a pocket of distrust

in the heart and mind of each of my loved ones toward

didn't want to live like that, and that made my choices a damn sight easier, even a long way

from

home, all alone, with some smiling blonde twenty-something coming over to sit beside me with

the

music to "Strangers in the Night" playing in the background. (Yes, believe it or not, those things

even happen to well-worn ranchers and

everyday people

out here in fly-over country who aren't

senatorial-looking politicians and well-heeled, well-known leaders...go figure!)

So...y

es, I believe in forgiveness. But I also believe there are consequences. You mentioned the

biblical references

about

not

being judgemental.

I've read the Good Book all the way through a few

times, and I remember that a

longside those references are the stories of people such as King David,

Queen Esther, Judas

Iscariot, and the apostle Paul. Each of their choices, made under intense

pressure, changed the world around them,

either good or bad.

So, in the end, should we forgive those mentioned in "Cry Me a River" who screwed up

Yes! (

"Judge not, that you be not judged."

-Matthew 7:1) [You can thank Rafe for instantly knowing

that verse.]

But should they ever be trusted as conservative leaders again?

No! (

"By their fruits you will know them."

-Matthew 7:20) [Rafe again.]

Or i

n the words of Tom, my other coffee-drinking buddy, "Hell no! "

The stakes in our world today, especially considering

the obvious fact

that the other side is playing

for keeps,

are

simply too high.

The future of our country hangs in the balance.

The only thing our

side has to offer is the real thing, and that begins with ironclad

character.

So, as I said before in

"Cry Me a River,"

let me say one more time to conservative politician

wannabes, if you

can't make

an unshakable

commitment

nvarnished truth.

ock-solid integrity

oing the right thing even if no one notices

, and not cutting corners, then

do us all a favor

and stay

home.

RESPONSE TO "CRY ME A RIVER"
...The Angst Continues

I have received more comments on the recent Pointed Pen, "Cry Me a River," (click here to read that eColumn) than
all my past eColumns. Many were appreciative and positive, such as this one from Jerry S. in Nevada:

"Thanks for the straight truth. I wish we could be that direct in all parts of our society, but I guess that

would be

asking for something that will probably never happen. Politicians and leaders who screw

up, especially in

something so basic as having an affair (and thereby setting themselves up for

blackmail, espionage, and more!)

should man-up and say goodbye to the limelight. Period! End of

perks. End of discussion."

A surprising volume, however, expressed disgust that I would "cast the first stone" (it's found in the Bible—John 8:7).
This note from Cory B. in Virginia reflects that view:

Go to the current Pointed Pen eColumn

Go to selected past Pointed Pen eColumns

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