D. Grant Haynes

GOP hypocrites on parade

2010-05-20T00:29:38-07:00

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Another GOP hypocrite exposed

2009-06-18T01:34:00-07:00

"He has no credibility left." -- Sen. John Ensign (R-NV), quoted by the Las Vegas Sun in 1998, urging Bill Clinton to resign after he admitted an extramarital affair.

You made my day, Senator Ensign

One more Republican hypocrite has been exposed for talking one way and living another way.

And John Ensign is not merely another conservative protestant Republican hypocrite.

Ensign is a born-again member of the Pentecostal International Church of the Foursquare Gospel, no less--the only member of the U.S. Senate who is affiliated with a Charismatic gathering of latter day Holy Rollers.

And there is more.

John Ensign has been prominent in the "Promise Keepers" evangelical group.

Promise Keepers set themselves apart with special vows, several of which are germane to Ensign's present dilemma.

A Promise Keeper is committed to practicing spiritual, moral, ethical and sexual purity.

A Promise Keeper is committed to building strong marriages and families through love, protection and Biblical values.

(See Wikipedia entry below for other "Promise Keeper" vows.)

Looks like Beelzebub got into John for a spell there!

D. Grant Haynes
__________________________________________________________

Analysis: Ensign affair one more woe for GOP

By LIZ SIDOTI - June 17, 2008

WASHINGTON (AP) - It's just about the last thing the beleaguered Republican Party needed: a Christian conservative with national aspirations admitting to an extramarital affair with an ex-staffer.

Add Nevada Sen. John Ensign's infidelity admission to an ever-growing list of woes for the out-of-power GOP.

One senator's predicament hardly condemns an entire party. But the episode is an unwelcome distraction as the Republicans, their ranks shrinking, seek a turnaround after disastrous losses in consecutive national elections.

Since President Barack Obama took office, Republicans have struggled to counter his popularity and the Democrats' command of Congress.

The GOP's new national chairman, Michael Steele, got off to a rocky start. Moderate Pennsylvania Sen. Arlen Specter defected to the Democrats. And Democrat Al Franken is favored to eventually be declared the winner of the disputed Minnesota Senate race over incumbent GOP Sen. Norm Coleman.

Now this.

"Last year I had an affair. I violated the vows of my marriage. It is the worst thing I have ever done in my life," Ensign said Tuesday at a hastily arranged news conference in Sin City itself, Las Vegas.

He didn't name the woman, but Cindy Hampton came forward later to say through an attorney that she regretted Ensign's decision to "air this very personal matter." Federal records showed that she was on his political payroll and received a promotion and a pay raise around the time he said the affair began in late 2007.

There also was a report of a previous affair, in 2002, an indication that the drip, drip of dalliance details may only just be beginning.

On Wednesday, as fellow senators remained mum, Ensign resigned his leadership post. The skilled communicator and proven fundraiser was the chairman of the Republican Policy Committee, the No. 4 Senate Republican.

Until his admission, Ensign was trying to raise his national profile. Popular in Nevada though virtually unknown elsewhere, he recently flirted with a 2012 presidential run, visiting the early voting state of Iowa and refusing to tamp down speculation of a bid.

Those dreams now seem dead... .
__________________________________________________________

(From Wikipedia)

Ensign is a member of the Pentecostal International Church of the Foursquare Gospel and is the only Pentecostal in the Senate. He attends a Foursquare church in northwest Las Vegas.

According to The New York Times, during college at Colorado State, he became a born-again Christian and he and his wife, Darlene, were active in the Promise Keepers, an evangelical group.

He and his wife have three children.

The core beliefs of the Promise Keepers, outlined in the Seven Promises, consist of the following:

A Promise Keeper is committed to honoring Jesus Christ through worship, prayer and obedience to God's Word in the power of the Holy Spirit.

A Promise Keeper is committed to pursuing vital relationships with a few other men, understanding that he needs brothers to help him keep his promises.

A Promise Keeper is committed to supporting the mission of his church by honoring and praying for his pastor and by actively giving his time and resources.

A Promise Keeper is committed to reaching beyond any racial and denominational barriers to demonstrate the power of Biblical unity.

A Promise Keeper is committed to influencing his world, being obedient to the Great Commandment (Mark 12:30-31) and the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19-20).

Oh, God, tell me I am hallucinating!

2009-05-04T14:13:00-07:00

Nipple Saga Continues

Ms. Jackson will be an elderly woman with the nipple in question hanging in her lap when still another generation of esteemed Supreme Court justices wrestle with this weighty and pendulous matter.

Please see what I wrote at the time of the nipple incident:

http://mathaba.net/0_index.shtml?x=35966

D. Grant Haynes

Justices Tell Appeals Court to Revisit Super Bowl Incident

By DAVID STOUT

May 4, 2009

WASHINGTON - What may be the most controversial fraction of a second in television history, the momentary baring of the singer Janet Jackson's breast during the halftime show of the 2004 Super Bowl, will be debated once again in federal court.

The Supreme Court on Monday set aside a ruling by the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, in Philadelphia, that had overturned a $550,000 fine imposed by the Federal Communications Commission on CBS for the "wardrobe malfunction," as the fateful moment has been described.

The high court said the Third Circuit should give "further consideration" to its conclusion last July 21 that the F.C.C. was wrong to fine the network. A three-judge panel of the Third Circuit said the F.C.C. had not given broadcasters enough advance notice that it was tightening its policies involving fleeting displays of nudity, and that CBS should not have been held responsible for the actions of Ms. Jackson and her performing partner, Justin Timberlake... .

The lyrics sung by Mr. Timberlake were arguably not as vulgar, although he seemed to have been overly inspired by them. "Gonna have you naked by the end of this song," he uttered, just before the big moment.

The exposure of Ms. Jackson's breast lasted nine-sixteenths of one second, the Third Circuit noted. That is barely enough time for the speediest wide receiver to cover five yards on a dry field, but plenty of time to generate litigation that has lasted half a decade, with accompanying lawyers' fees.

"We are confident that in reviewing the case the Third Circuit will again recognize that the Super Bowl incident, while inappropriate and regrettable, was not and could not have been anticipated by CBS," the network said. "This remains an important issue for the entire broadcasting industry because it recognizes that there are rare instances, particularly during live programming, when despite best efforts it may not be possible to block unfortunate fleeting material."

And if the Third Circuit should once again rule in favor of CBS, the case could make its way back to the Supreme Court, assuming that the F.C.C. refuses to give up the fight... .

John Edwards

2008-08-09T16:35:00-07:00

Concerning former Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards' admitted affair with filmmaker Rielle Hunter, monogamy is always a preferable lifestyle when a committed relationship or a marriage is at stake.

John Edwards has disappointed many who supported his candidacy, no doubt.

But in the final analysis, one must accept that Edwards is human and therefore subject to human frailties and foibles.

As this commentator wrote at the time of the Monica Lewinsky revelation that almost destroyed Bill Clinton, only in the United States is marital infidelity on the part of a public figure regarded as page one copy for months on end. Only in the United States is marital infidelity fitting grist for impeachment hearings and destruction of governments and public careers. Europeans, especially, have a more mature attitude about human sexuality and seem able to take such news in stride without becoming obsessive.

Too bad the damned Puritans weren't blown off course on their voyage to the New World. Their obsession with the essential naughtiness of sex has colored the American dialog and experience into the 21st Century.

Grow up and get a grip, Americans!