Sex scandal has Gone West

They aren’t what they used to be, the good old sex scandal that is. Gone are the salacious titillations of old. The miles of barely revealing, sensational reports which were destined to bring the mighty, crashing down.
It has been a while, given that Clinton’s boorish revelations, in the end, were mere peccadilloes.
Save for those of the Christian right, who still seem able to be driven to incredible heights of arousal by a misplaced cigar, or at least by the retelling, we are, for the most part, past it all.
For those of us old enough, we can only pine for those good old days of Profumo, Rice-Davies and Keeler. The British press had a way with a good sex scandal, dribbling tit bits in such a way as to keep us all on the edge of our seats.
The image of a naked Keeler decorating a piece of Danish modern furniture is still seared on the brain.
In part, the fall from grace of the sex scandal has a lot to do with shifting social mores. Perhaps another aspect, however, is more fundamental, though tied into to the new perspective.
Sex scandals are rarely, in and of themselves, the crime! If there is an element of corruption surrounding the sex scandal, those misdeeds are supposed to be swamped and hidden by our urge for base gratification.
Knowing that the ‘dirty deeds’ are far less lascivious than the superficial presented to us takes off the shine off the scandalous goings on.
Darker Side
In those heady days of memory, of the basically harmless romp, there was of course the love ‘which dare not speak its name.’ Reporting the harmless romp was one thing, but to reveal darker issues like incest, pedophilia, or even gay and lesbian sex was beyond the pale.
Alas now, with innocence torn from us, these are the only aspects we have left, and they are far from salacious or titillating.
Now when a sex scandal raises its ugly head it is often associated with real corruption, of the spirit at the very least, and heinous crime.
I am not referring here to consensual adult sex, regardless of gender mix. It is the abuse of power of adults over the young or the powerless.
There can be no justification for consensual, insofar as those with any measure of power over others have an absolute duty and responsibility of trust.
It is bad enough when it is a relative or friend preying on the young in their midst, far worse when it is an authority figure.
In the end there has to be something said about our society that these issues can be broached, that these foul human beings can be publicly proclaimed.

Hypocrisy the Odd Bedfellow
The City of Spokane is home to some 195,500 residents; there are around 418,000 residents in the metropolitan area. Spokane is located in the heart of the Inland Northwest…
It is also home to a Mayor subject to the modern version of the sex scandal:

“Spokane Mayor Jim West, who championed an anti-gay agenda during his tenure as one of the most powerful Republicans in the Legislature, yesterday admitted to using the trappings of his current office to entice what he thought was a young adult man but denied allegations that he molested two young boys more than 20 years ago.”By CHRIS McGANN AND KATHY MULADYSEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER REPORTERS

The pedophile allegations are, at best, problematic given the time lapse. Even so, despite his dogged defense, West left an electronic trail of using his position to entice young men to fulfill his sexual needs. Now remember, this is the same man who, for cynical political purposes, persecuted gays and lesbians. Shades of J Edgar Hoover and other closet homosexual in power positions.

"On one recent occasion, West offered a man he believed to be an 18-year-old – whom he met online at Gay.com – gifts, favors and a City Hall internship, Internet dialogues retained by the newspaper reveal. The 18-year-old was actually a forensic computer expert working for the newspaper. Last June, West went on a dinner date with another 18-year-old he met in the same gay chat room. The young man, initially unaware of his date's identity, paid for dinner, and then was allowed to drive West's blue Lexus convertible. The evening ended with consensual sex, the 18-year-old told the newspaper.”A SPOKESMAN-REVIEW

"My private life is my private life, and always has been," the mayor told two Spokesman-Review reporters and a photographer. "There's been a strong wall between my public life and my private life," West said.

No doubt Mr. Mayor. The first defense moves West might have considered were either a defamation suit or privacy. The first is difficult in that while older allegations arte difficult to prove, they are impossible to disprove. The privacy issue had already been dealt with in Washington courts, State of Washington v. Donald T. Townsend 2001. PNWINLANDER

"Donald Townsend believed he was talking in an online chat room with a 13-year-old girl named Amber -- who was actually a Spokane police detective. Townsend made a date with Amber to meet and have sex at a motel, and when he showed up the cops busted him for attempted second-degree rape.
In his appeal, Townsend contended that e-mail and chat room transcripts submitted as evidence against him were illegal, having been obtained against his permission. But the court disagreed, ruling that Townsend implied consent to the recording of his e-mails and dialogues by the detective, since everyone knows that e-mails are designed to be saved, and the chat program (ICQ) warns its users about "unauthorized exposure" before they sign up. So, said the court, Townsend had no legal right to consider the conversations private, the evidence was admissible, and Townsend went to jail.”

So to protect his sordid ‘private’ life from staining his public life, West has turned to the highest authority of all; GOD.
West wrote an e-mail in response to a citizen who sent him a message telling him to resign, pack his luggage and move to San Francisco "where your lifestyle is accepted."

"The e-mail came one week after West appeared before news reporters and said he intends to continue being mayor despite allegations of sexual impropriety during recent years and in the 1970s when he was a sheriff's deputy and Boy Scout leader.
…In [an] e-mail, West wrote:"I appreciate your comments but like King David in the Bible I will be a better mayor now. I will be more focused and more driven to see this city succeed in all areas. My faith in Jesus Christ and the Lord tell me this will be done.
"This episode has done four good things for me so far and more are on the way.
"... I have stopped a behavior I wanted to stop but couldn't do alone but didn't know how to ask for help to end. Now I'm sleeping better and am more focused on important things, particularly my job."Again, thank you for your concern. God has forgiven me and that's all I need."Signed,James E. West, Mayor, City of Spokane. The Spokesman-Review

More than simply a pathetic, petty tyrant, West symbolizes the reality behind the modern sex scandal. Whether a father, uncle, city mayor, Member of Parliament, judge or President of the United States, power holders preying on the weak is as old as time and is at last being exposed. There can be no justification for the actions of these sad hypocrites. West is doggedly holding on to his position of Mayor, against all opposition. His determination to ‘tough it out’ should be used to highlight, not only his abuse of power, but all who abuse their responsibility as guardians within society.