New Jersey Governor resigns, admits he is gay

[JOFO]

Yeah...right.

Not since the roads were originally paved in NJ has there been a governor who could keep the highway system up.

ain't it the truth.

 

[joyfulgirl]

An affair is an affair wheather it's with a man or a woman. I hate how so many people (not pointing fingers here) are so much more sympathetic to gay men.

I hate how so many people (not pointing fingers here) are on some moral pedestal and think they understand the complexities of other people's individual circumstances.

 

[Angela Harlem]

I dont understand how this staffer can sue. There is no sexual harassment in an affair. It is harassment or it is an affair. Combining is opportunistic.

But like everyone else, I dont understand the whole story.

 

[Sue DeNym]

As the daughter of a gay man all I have to say is don't be so quick to judge unless you truely understand the pressures. In this type of situation everyone in the family suffers. Everyone.

I don't condone his affair, or his apparent handling of the aftermath, but I also won't completely condem the man.

I'm sorry for hurting your feelings. I didn't mean to come off as judgemental, and I certainly didn't mean to upset you. Undoubtedly, you and your family went through an awful time.

I only meant to point out the double standard, but I seem totally unable to construct my thoughts coherently lately.

 

[Dreadsox]

I hate how some people say every issue is a complex one, as if there were no right or wrong. The man was married, had an affair. Does this make for a reason to dismiss him from his job no.

However, if he was using state money to pay for his lovers silence to the tune of $100,000, then YES he should be dismissed from his job.

It has nothing to do with a moral pedastal. It is easy, there is right and wrong.

 

[joyfulgirl]

I hate how some people say every issue is a complex one, as if there were no right or wrong. The man was married, had an affair. Does this make for a reason to dismiss him from his job no.

However, if he was using state money to pay for his lovers silence to the tune of $100,000, then YES he should be dismissed from his job.

It has nothing to do with a moral pedastal. It is easy, there is right and wrong.

I said nothing about the rightness or wrongness of stepping down from his job. I was referring to the MARITAL complexities, struggling with being gay, holding a position where he is not really allowed to be himself, uncertain himself of his own feelings, trying to fit in and doing what is expected of him (marrying a woman), etc etc etc. And yes, I think the whole 'he was wrong to cheat' viewpoint comes from a supremely moral pedastal. And YES I would say the same thing if it was a woman, I said the same thing about Clinton. It is no one's friggin business to pass judgment. If he abused his position and did something wrong there, that is a different story, but we don't know the whole story about that yet.

 

[Dreadsox]

[Q]
Democrats peddle their own unique truth

August 15, 2004

BY MARK STEYN SUN-TIMES COLUMNIST

'My truth is that I am a gay American,'' announced Gov. James McGreevey to the people of New Jersey last Thursday.

That's such an exquisitely contemporary formulation: ''my'' truth. Once upon a time, there was only ''the'' truth. Now everyone gets his own -- or, as the governor put it, ''One has to look deeply into the mirror of one's soul and decide one's unique truth in the world.'' For Jim McGreevey, his truth is that he's a gay American; for others in the Garden State, the truth about McGreevey is that he's a corrupt sexual harasser who put his lover on the state payroll in a critical homeland security post, and whose I-am-what-I-am confessional is a tactical feint that distracts the media sob sisters from the fact that, as his final service to the Democratic Party, he's resigned in such a way as to deny the people an early vote on his successor.

We'll see whose truth prevails in the fullness of time.[/Q]

http://www.suntimes.com/output/steyn/cst-edt-steyn15.html

 

[ThatGuy]

Throughout my life, I have grappled with my own identity, who I am. As a young child, I often felt ambivalent about myself, in fact, confused.

By virtue of my traditions, and my community, I worked hard to ensure that I was accepted as part of the traditional family of America. I married my first wife, Kari, out of respect and love. And together, we have a wonderful, extraordinary daughter. Kari then chose to return to British Columbia.

I then had the blessing of marrying Dina, whose love and joy for life has been an incredible source of strength for me. And together, we have the most beautiful daughter.

Yet, from my early days in school, until the present day, I acknowledged some feelings, a certain sense that separated me from others. But because of my resolve, and also thinking that I was doing the right thing, I forced what I thought was an acceptable reality onto myself, a reality which is layered and layered with all the, quote, "good things," and all the, quote, "right things" of typical adolescent and adult behavior.

Yet, at my most reflective, maybe even spiritual level, there were points in my life when I began to question what an acceptable reality really meant for me. Were there realities from which I was running? Which master was I trying to serve?

I do not believe that God tortures any person simply for its own sake. I believe that God enables all things to work for the greater good. And this, the 47th year of my life, is arguably too late to have this discussion. But it is here, and it is now.

At a point in every person's life, one has to look deeply into the mirror of one's soul and decide one's unique truth in the world, not as we may want to see it or hope to see it, but as it is.

And so my truth is that I am a gay American. And I am blessed to live in the greatest nation with the tradition of civil liberties, the greatest tradition of civil liberties in the world, in a country which provides so much to its people.

Yet because of the pain and suffering and anguish that I have caused to my beloved family, my parents, my wife, my friends, I would almost rather have this moment pass.

For this is an intensely personal decision, and not one typically for the public domain. Yet, it cannot and should not pass.

I am also here today because, shamefully, I engaged in adult consensual affair with another man, which violates my bonds of matrimony. It was wrong. It was foolish. It was inexcusable.

And for this, I ask the forgiveness and the grace of my wife.

She has been extraordinary throughout this ordeal, and I am blessed by virtue of her love and strength.

I realize the fact of this affair and my own sexuality if kept secret leaves me, and most importantly the governor's office, vulnerable to rumors, false allegations and threats of disclosure.

So I am removing these threats by telling you directly about my sexuality.

Let me be clear, I accept total and full responsibility for my actions. However, I'm required to do now, to do what is right to correct the consequences of my actions and to be truthful to my loved ones, to my friends and my family and also to myself.

It makes little difference that as governor I am gay. In fact, having the ability to truthfully set forth my identity might have enabled me to be more forthright in fulfilling and discharging my constitutional obligations.

Given the circumstances surrounding the affair and its likely impact upon my family and my ability to govern, I have decided the right course of action is to resign.

To facilitate a responsible transition, my resignation will be effective on November 15 of this year.

I'm very proud of the things we have accomplished during my administration. And I want to thank humbly the citizens of the state of New Jersey for the privilege to govern.

Way to selectively pull a quote out of context to serve your own partisan needs, Mr. Steyn.

 

[zoney!]

I dont understand how this staffer can sue. There is no sexual harassment in an affair. It is harassment or it is an affair. Combining is opportunistic.

But like everyone else, I dont understand the whole story.

The Staffer came out today and said he is not gay.

 

[odowdpa]

Like the post Dreadsox just gave, the error he made with this man is so huge that it is actually scary, ecspecially now with northern NJ being pointed out as a possible hotspot for terrorism. McGreevy gave this guy a job that is extremely critical - homeland security - and a high spot at that. The man was grossly unqualified. It's a terrible thing he did, bottom line. All the sub plots are none of our businesses, but we're gonna hear about it because society demands it.

It's just a bad situation all around. There are several other things he's been in trouble with (from the very beginning), so this basically is ending a bad run. You couldn't trust him.

 

[odowdpa]

Here's a quick run down:



McGreevey's Rocky Administration

New York-WABC, August 12, 2004) ? When elected, Governor James McGreevey was supposed to be the young bright hope for New Jersey. But his administration has labored under scandals almost from the start.

His nominee for police superintendent, Joseph Santiago, had a criminal record for assault and was forced to step aside.

McGreevey's unusual choice to coordinate New Jersey's anti-terrorism efforts, Golan Cipel, was ineligible because he wasn't an American citizen -- he's Israeli.

And more recently, McGreevey was tainted by another scandal. His top fund raiser, Charles Kushner, who almost became the Port Authority chief was indicted, accused of secretly hiring prostitutes to video-tape and embarrass a witness in an ongoing campaign finance investigation.

While McGreevey himself was not indicted, he was implicated in that case for using the code word "Machiavelli." That word was established by undercover federal investigators to signal his complicity in a scheme to extort campaign money in exchange for help in a land dispute.

At times, the state's budget crisis took a back seat to all the scandals. And at the recent democratic convention in Boston, reporters almost avoided McGreevey. When they did talk with him, the questions centered on whether this first-term governor could be an effective voice for Kerry amidst all his personal and political trouble.

 

[zoney!]

You know...despite the fact (and maybe because of the fact) that my father has involved himself in NJ politics, I will NEVER trust NJ politicos.

I can only think of one exception (and that isn't my father..he has luckily stayed away from public office).