The Weiner Scandal

So we went through this once and now we are going through it again?  Anthony Weiner just can't seem to stop himself.  Excuse me, but where did embarrassment go? 

With all of these new "communication" devices, it was inevitable that someone would figure out how to misuse them.  I'm sure Mr. Weiner is not the first person to go this route, but he certainly has brought it to light.  To believe that you can be married and be a good father and yet carry on some sort of relationship in this manner is stinking thinking.

Some would say that what he does in his personal life is personal, and it would not affect the way that he would conduct himself as mayor.  I just can't go there.  In his mind, he is serving only one master right now -- himself -- and if his impulse control is already this deteriorated, how could he possibly lead New York City admirably.

People who become sexually addicted need a lot of help.  It is a very difficult addiction, the experts say, and it requires a huge commitment on the part of the addicted person.  A few years ago, the Akron Beacon Journal featured the stories of two area teenaged boys, both of whom became sexually addicted to porn on the internet.  Their parents had filters on the computer but they were still able to access more than enough material to go down this road.  The boys admitted that they were still having a lot of problems.  The counseling was ongoing.

The stakes were high for Mr. Weiner, and yet he could not seem to help himself from seeking out this very risky behavior. 

The other night there was a "Dear Abby" letter about a woman who was buying her husband's liquor and resented other customers' comments like, "I wish I could go home with you."  She said that her husband's drinking was awful to endure.  So wow -- she was enabling his drinking.  Why on earth would she buy him the very thing he couldn't resist?  The advice she received was to join Al-Anon, the group for family members of alcoholics.  Good advice.

Mrs. Weiner has by her own admission forgiven her husband and has chosen to stand by him.  She acknowledges that his behavior is unacceptable and that they have had their troubled times as a couple.  The kind of competition she faces for her husband's attention is much more stupifying than one could imagine -- because during recent times, he seemed to be the loving, caring husband that she believed she married.  So she would constantly have to ask herself -- what exactly was he faking?

I'm no marriage counselor but we can learn a lot from the couples whose marriages have lasted 50 years or more.  One of the most obvious signs of their commitment is respect for one another.  Often, they share a love of God and faith which I should have listed first.  They have united goals in life. 

A marriage has to be more than a shell that loosely holds together some sand and sea water.  It has to be like our faith, founded on a rock.  The rock that the builders rejected became the cornerstone, and that is Jesus.  Sometimes the sicknesses that we see are not "psychological"; they are soul sicknesses.  That's where the healing must start.

See you tomorrow!!