Another One Bites the Dust

From The Huffington Post, June 7, 2006:

The Republicans' constitutional amendment banning gay marriage got just 49 votes this morning, far short of the two-thirds majority it needed -- and was never going to get -- for passage. Along the way to the vote, Republican Sen. David Vitter defended the GOP's efforts on the election-year measure by saying: "I don't believe there's any issue that's more important than this one." June 7, 2006

From The New York Times, July 10, 2007:

: NEW ORLEANS — From the beginning of his political career 16 years ago, David Vitter was known for planting himself on the moral high ground, challenging the ethics of other Louisiana politicians, decrying gay marriage and depicting himself as a clean-as-a-whistle champion of family values.
"I'm a conservative who opposes radically redefining marriage, the most important social institution in human history," Vitter, a Republican U.S. senator, wrote in a letter to the New Orleans Times-Picayune last year.

I wrote a letter to the Times-Picayune last year, responding to Senator Vitter's stance on same-sex marriage:

Dear Editor,
I am frankly appalled but not surprised by Senator Vitter's recent letter to the editor. But I have some questions for the Senator.
Since 'because traditional marriage is such a core social institution that predates both government and organized religion', I would like to know if Senator Vitter had ever read history or his Bible? Because 'traditional marriage' once included polygamy; and as recently as a hundred years ago included the arranged marriage of thirteen year olds--and in some parts of the world, it still does.
Does Senator Vitter really mean to imply that gays and lesbians are responsible for the divorce rate in this country? Since they are not allowed to marry, I don't see how that is possible. Heterosexuals have done a pretty good job of undermining marriage without any help from the gay and lesbian community. Perhaps Senator Vitter and his conservative co-horts might be better off trying to create a federal amendment banning divorce and making adultery a capital crime...but then again, it's much easier to scapegoat an innocent group of people rather than cleaning up their own house.
As for his tired charges of 'the liberal media'--he does not dispute the fact they quoted him accurately, and I for one am glad to know that someone who is representing ME in Congress thinks not allowing gays and lesbians to marry is more important than the billions of taxpayer dollars and thousands of lives being thrown down the drain in Iraq; more important that providing all Americans with adequate health care; and more important than providing adequate levee protection for the city of New Orleans. Perhaps he should spend more time actually talking to his constituents than watching Fox News.
And perhaps he should also take some time to reread the New Testament and put the 'Christ' back into his own Christianity.
Sincerely,
Greg Herren

And now, here we are, a little over a year later, and Senator Vitter has issued a public apology for consorting with prostitutes. He claims his wife and God have forgiven him. (I wonder if God appeared to him in a dream....or from a burning bush.)

I find it incredibly interesting that I pointed out the fact that the 'real' threat to the sanctity of heterosexual marriage comes from adultery and divorce. And while the good Senator's marriage seems to have survived, there's still that issue of adultery.

Adultery, after all, is one of the Ten Commandments: Thou shalt not commit adultery. Once again, I got down my Bible and checked--and there's still no commandment about homosexuality.

And while adultery is not a crime; prostitution is.

So, when Senator Vitter paid for sex, he was breaking not only God's law, but the law of the land.

The question of his sin is between him and his God; saving his marriage is between him and his wife. However, the notion that he broke the law should be a matter between him and the district attorney. Of course, the good Senator won't be charged with a crime; and already on-line conservative bloggers are defending him.

A conservative posted yesterday on AOL in response to their news article on the Senator's adultery and criminality:

Hey, at least he is getting laid. His wife is probably a cold bitch like Hilary.

President Clinton may have cheated on his wife, but at least it was between two consenting adults, and no money changed hands. The only crime he committed was lying about it. Yet, that was still enough to get him impeached. But the conservatives are already circling the wagons to defend Senator Vitter. One would think that the 'law and order' and 'family values' party would be all over the good Senator, asking him to resign. Nope, that doesn't seem to be the case. Instead, they have climbed on their proverbial 'high horse' --perhaps taking their cue from the Senator's 'apology'--and already have started slurring the liberal left.

Newsflash: Hypocrisy is hypocrisy.

And I have one question for the Senator: how exactly are gays and lesbians responsible for your cheating on your wife? Did the mere suggestion that gays and lesbians want to marry their partners cause you to suddenly feel that your marriage vows meant nothing, and that you could do as you pleased?

I doubt anyone will ask him THAT.