Priest’s Confessions: With great power, comes responsibility | Columnists | Summerville Journal Scene

Printer friendly version |

E-mail to a friend

Priest’s Confessions: With great power, comes responsibility

Published Tuesday, July 21, 2009 1:42 PM

By Ellen Priest
Summerville Journal Scene ®

“In a democratic world, as in a democratic Nation, power must be linked with responsibility” – Franklin D. Roosevelt

When the news broke that Gov. Sanford had been located, I was sitting in an airport in Los Angeles.

Even as far away as Hawaii, baggage handlers seemed aware of the maelstrom in our home state. As we traveled and were asked where we were from, we were met with sniggers and statements such as, “Oh, I see you found your governor.”

Not exactly what I want my home state to be known for.

I, along with other South Carolinians, have watched as the Sanford’s marital problems have been front and center over the past few weeks. Something that should have been a private issue between this husband and wife has become public knowledge.

I winced when, during an Associated Press interview, the governor called Maria Chapur his “soul mate” and stated that he is trying to “fall back in love with his wife.” Had he not already caused the poor woman enough humiliation and agony but that he decided to drive the spike deeper into her heart with this callous statement?

I have not always agreed with Gov. Sanford. I have been disappointed at his inability to move laws through the legislature when he vetoed seemingly every bill before him. I disagreed with his refusal to take the stimulus money, bringing our state unwanted attention and chaos.

But through it all, I always felt that he was a principled man who felt like he was doing the right thing. The question now stands: Without his principles to stand on, what does Gov. Sanford do from here?

In a poll we conducted online, respondents were split almost evenly on whether the governor should resign or not. Ask 10 people and you will find many differing opinions as to whether he should resign or not and what his worst offense has been.

Was it being unfaithful to his wife while pretending to live a life solely based on Christian principles?

Was it spending taxpayer money on trips to Argentina, during which he met with Ms. Chapur, and having his staff look for legitimate business opportunities to validate the need for the trip?

Was it flying first class on these trips at a cost of over $8,000 while spouting rhetoric about frugality and running a campaign based on fiscal conservatism?

Or was it disappearing for six days without his staff knowing where he was or how to reach him, virtually leaving the state of South Carolina with no leadership?

I don’t know whether that should cost him his job or not. The people of South Carolina will ultimately decide that.

What I do know is that if I had done the same thing, I would have been terminated from my job as publisher of this paper, and rightfully so. Because with my responsibilities to the newspaper, come the promise that should there be an emergency requiring my attention, I will be available to give my guidance. Who was there for the people of South Carolina during those six days?

With great power comes great responsibility. It seems that Gov. Mark Sanford forgot that.

Comments

Notice about comments:

Journalscene.com ® is pleased to offer readers the enhanced ability to comment on stories. We expect our readers to engage in lively, yet civil discourse. Journalscene.com ® does not edit user submitted statements and we cannot promise that readers will not occasionally find offensive or inaccurate comments posted in the comments area. Responsibility for the statements posted lies with the person submitting the comment, not Journalscene.com ®. If you find a comment that is objectionable, please click "report abuse" and we will review it for possible removal. Please be reminded, however, that in accordance with our Terms of Use and federal law, we are under no obligation to remove any third party comments posted on our website.

Users can now build user-to-user connections, follow friends' recent posts, add an avatar that fits their personality, and more. If you have posted here before you'll need to sign up again, or if you've never posted before, start now by reading our terms and conditions, and then signing up below!

Full terms and conditions can be read here.

Poll Question

For entertainment, I mainly go out in...

Most Viewed
Most Commented

104 East Doty Avenue | Summerville, SC 29483 | 843-873-9424 office | 843-873-9432 fax