Puritanism in America

The voices of "the moral majority" have been heard. Anthony Weiner has resigned.

I now expect these modern Puritans to demand that history books remove the names if other outrageous sexual perverts:

Thomas Jefferson's name needs to be removed from the Declaration of Independence and from the list of presidents. Why? Well, this "moral pervert" abused his slaves, had children with them, dragged them around the world to service his outrageous libido. This is simply unacceptable. Politics is politics and under Puritanism, only the pure may be politicians (unless they belong to the Republican party because that party has a special mandate that allows you to sin then "ask forgiveness" and then the faithful are required by God to accept the sinner back in the flock, this of course does not apply to Democracts).

Dwight Eisenhower will have to have his name blotted out as Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces in Europe because of his sexual peccadilloes with Kay Summersby.

John F. Kennedy's tenure of the presidency should be blotted out and thrown into the cesspit of history because of his dalliances with many, many young women while he held the office of the presidency. From Wikipedia: Marilyn Monroe, Gunilla von Post, Judith Campbell, Mary Pinchot Meyer and Mimi Beardsley Alford

Franklin Delano Roosevelt's twelve years as President of the US needs to be blotted out. His affair with Lucy Mercer still shocks and disgusts the moral vanguard of America. Who cares that he saved the country from the Great Depression. Replace him with Hoover, a fine and disciplined man who would rather let humans starve in Hoovervilles than dally with a damsel.

... and on goes the list.

Those who are shocked, shocked by such behaviour by their politicians will simple have to seek counsel with this religious leaders, the ones who provide the religious right such sterling guidance on moral issues: Jim Bakker, Jimmy Swaggart, Ted Haggard, etc.

I don't condone bad behaviour, but to demand that political leaders be "morally pure" means that many great leaders will have to be blotted out of the past, and worse yet, will not be available to solving today's and the future's problems. Since when do you demand that your car mechanic lead a morally exemplary life, that the bus driver be chaste and pure, that the clerk at the grocery store be a morally superior person? If you start making moral character the basis for holding a job, that will solve the unemployment problem, but it will create a far worse problem as the economy grinds to a halt with so few people "qualified" to run the economy.

I thought America got over the "Puritanism thing" 250 years ago. Obviously I was wrong.