Well, maybe we can help educate another member of the mainstream media. It ain't easy, but here goes....
The Associated Press has the story on how The Scranton Times won't publish articles about the recent antics of their Congressman, Don Sherwood:
Some news outlets in northeastern Pennsylvania have declined to report on an encounter between a married GOP congressman and a 29-year-old woman, with one managing editor telling readers he didn't think the matter was "my business. Or yours."Okay, let me try to answer that question here. We'll include some of the basic facts for any readers of those Scranton papers who don't know them: Last fall, GOP Congressman Sherwood, who is 64 and married, was alone in his apartment with Cynthia Ore. She called the police claiming he was trying to choke her. He denies the choking but says he was giving her a back rub. Ms. Ore maintains she's been in a relationship with Sherwood since 1999. She let us know he is a real charmer (ICK). But, he can't get a divorce because it would hurt his chances for re-election. That's a quick summation.
"Where is the connection between the politician's private moral life and his public performance?" Lawrence K. Beaupre, the managing editor of The Scranton Times and The Tribune, explained in a letter to readers Sunday.
So, where's the connection? Well, for one thing, Don Sherwood votes on issue that impact the private morals of others. And, when you look at some of these votes, they don't really comport with his behavior. How about the vote Sherwood took in 1999 to post the Ten Commnandments in schools? How about the vote Sherwood took in 2004 to "protect the sanctity of marriage? How about all the votes he took that promoted abstinence programs?
Now according to the Associated Press, Mr. Beaupre, you said the other paper that actually printed this story "guilty of 'sanctimonious self-righteousness.'" That's sounds like the GOP agenda and Don Sherwood's voting record. But, he doesn't practice what he preaches.
See, Mr. Beaupre, based on the story, what you got up there in Scranton is a big, old GOP HYPOCRITE. His party has made sex an issue. Now, it appears that some are more literal in that obsession than others. Last fall, Mr. Beaupre, Don's party was running on a platform of moral values. Remember that?
That's why there is a connection. Is that too complicated?
