Oh please – with THAT hair
Saturday, November 4th, 2006
The god botherers in the US seem to be tearing themselves apart, and from a distance its actually kind of sad to watch. Up close its probably a little more scary.
After the whole Foley debacle, now comes Rev. Ted Haggard, former president of the National Association of Evangelicals and arguably one of the State's most influential Christian leaders.
Lets recap for those of you that have missed it;
Long term anti same-sex marriage advocate, Ted Haggard, has been accused by male prostitute, Mike Jones†, of carrying on a three year sex-for-cash relationship that included the use, or at least purchase, of the drug methanphetamine.
Mr Haggard has fought long and hard to oppose same sex marriage in the United States, both politically and from his Colorado Mega Church pulpit. He has been actively engaged in promoting Amendment 43, a proposal on Colorado's election ballot that would define marriage as the union of a man and a woman.
Mr. Haggard, 50, who is married and has five children, has consistently denied the sex accusation, saying in a television interview: "I am steady with my wife. I'm faithful to my wife."
Lets be clear here, as far as Google News and I can find, there is no evidence one way or another in this case. There is no smoking gun, no DNA covered little blue dress, no IM Chat logs. Its just finger pointing.
Ted is just being hoisted on the cross of media fueled innuendo.
In a country where you are supposedly innocent unproven guilty, the irony is not lost on me that the tables are fast turning on the Christian Right who have, for the last 12 years, taken power by denouncing from their pulpits those they perceive as "immoral".
Not that any of this is new in the US, this behaviour just keeps turning up - look back to the 50's and you have the McCarthy trials or back to the 1800's for the Salem witch trials. There is no substantive difference - apart from how fast the media can broadcast it all.
So here is the thing for me Ted, can I call you Ted? I am happy for you if you are "steady" with your wife. I hope that you two have a strong, happy marriage. I hope that the two of you go on to have a really wonderful life together into ripe old age and that the current drama you are embroiled in doesn't adversely effect your relationship. I don't think that dabbling with a prostitute, or even using meth* NECESSARILY makes you a bad person, a bad husband or a bad father.
I am not going to judge you for the things you have done, I have not walked in your shoes, I don't know why you may have done any of this - as long as you own them, take responsibility and make amends where necessary. I have no problem with you getting a little back door action from Mr Jones if that was the case.
Where I do have a problem is you getting up and denouncing me and mine. Saying that my life, the loves that I have found, are not of equal value to yours is not your place or your right. Particularly if its a cover for your own guilt as it appears to be.
Time and again it seems the most rabid fag haters turn out to actually be hiding some inclinations of their own; Mr Foley, the onetime chairman of the House Caucus on Missing and Exploited Children and accused peadophile, is a sad case in point; and as you appear to be Ted.
Is it any surprise that Ted's impression of the gay world is that it is furtive, seamy and loveless if all of his experience has been in darkened hotel rooms and with prostitutes.
For those of us who embrace our sexuality, things are a whole lot sunnier.
If these allegations are true, Mr Haggard has some serious soul searching to do as to WHY he is so publically opposed to gay marriage. If they are not maybe he is going to have an incling of what its like to be persecuted, the way he has been persecuting people.
So Ted, go back to your wife and apologise if thats necessary - or invite her along next time, you never know she might like to join in - but stop with the bible bashing when it comes to gay relationships and gay marriage.
†Mike Jones is totally hot
*Don't get me wrong, meth is a highly addictive and dangerous drug
‡Not dissing sex workers here - only that Ted has denounced publicly gay sex, gay relationships, prostitution and drug use while apparently keeping this part of his life in shadows
