Sex and politics; why can't they just get along?

Word comes today that Ray Lam , a candidate for British Columbia’s Provincial Parliament, has withdrawn his candidacy and stepped aside.

The reason given was the controversy that arose over two photos posted on his PRIVATE Facebook page.

One photo shows him mugging for the camera with a female friend, his hand on her breast. The other shows him in his underwear, posing suggestively with a male and a female friend.

Ironically, based on the records of elected officials currently holding office in both Canada and the United States, if Lam had convictions for drunk driving, partner assault, or financial fraud, there would have been no problem with him continuing to run for office. However, because his private, consensual, and COMPLETELY LEGAL behaviour offends some people’s aesthetic sense (they can dignify it by calling it morality…but I refuse to go along with that cop-out), the party loses an otherwise qualified candidate.

People often wonder where the leaders are today. Here is their answer. They’ve been hounded out of office, or scared away from politics by an intolerant, infantile public, who think it is their business to judge the private lives of candidates for public office. In their stead, it seems the public would rather elect drunks, batterers, and, swindlers, and then moan in despair when these people act like irresponsible, abusive, cheaters.

Who could have guessed THAT would be the outcome?

Quote for Today

Nothing softeneth the Arrogance of our Nature like a Mixture of some Frailties. It is by them we are best told that we must not strike too hard upon others because we ourselves do so often deserve blows. They pull our Rage by the sleeve and whisper Gentleness to us in our censures.
– Sir George Savile.

Quote for today

"Love has nothing to do with what you are expecting to get, only with what you are expecting to give, which is everything." – Katharine Hepburn

I want to comment on this one. I feel it's true (else I wouldn't have posted it, would I?) It reflects the spirit of my earlier post, TANSTAAFL.
But there is a catch here, and I have seen many smart, strong, sensible people tripped up by it. This attitude MUST be reciprocal, or the door is opened to exploitation and abuse.
Mutuality is at the heart of a healthy relationship.

Quote for Today

Acceptance is not a state of passivity or inaction. I am not saying you can't change the world, right wrongs, or replace evil with good. Acceptance is, in fact, the first step to successful action. If you don't fully accept a situation precisely the way it is, you will have difficulty changing it. Moreover, if you don't fully accept the situation, you will never really know if the situation should be changed. – Peter McWilliams, Life 101.

Quote for Today

The world is smaller than you think, and the people on it are more beautiful than you think.
– Bertram van Munster; producer/director.

Why I am posting quotes.

I sometimes regret that I do not post here more often. It takes me considerable time to compose a blog entry. Posting, as I do, from the position of 'therapist,' I know that some people will take what I write as the view of a person "in-the-know." Therefore I try to compose very carefully, so that my words will be read as I intended, and not misinterpreted.
Additionally, in truth, sometimes I just don't have anything relevant to say. As I've posted before, I am not one to speak just to hear the sound of my own voice.
However, I do have thoughts I want to share, but sometimes those thoughts are not my own.
I have what my wife calls a weird hobby. I collect quotes. When someone else's words resonate with me, speak to me, I record them and save them. Today it occurred to me that I can share those words with those who read this blog. So, from now on, that's what I will do. Not daily, perhaps, but far more often than I now post.
I'll be calling these postings, "Quote for Today," rather than "quote of the day," so as not to set up the expectation that they will be a daily feature. They will happen when they happen.
And, as always, your comments are welcomed.