Posted by
CW on Thursday, March 13, 2008 12:43:53 PM
In the wake of the Elliott Spitzer/prostitute situation we are hearing the expected chorus of liberals, and a few overly zealous Christians, opine that we should not sit in judgment of him. Indeed Spitzer himself started it by defiantly proclaiming his actions to be a “private matter.” Wouldn’t it be nice if we could all shield ourselves from the judgment of others by simply invoking our right to privacy? Sorry, it doesn’t work that way.
In the words of our former first lady, Hillary, let’s all “take a deep breath,” and consider the real meaning of that phrase, ‘judge not lest ye be judged.’ I find it incredibly naïve and patently ridiculous that some take this to literally mean we shouldn’t form an opinion about people’s behavior. Does anyone really believe this is possible? Do we not all form opinions – or make judgments – all day long about the way people act, what they say, what they do, etc…?
‘Judge not lest ye be judged,’ is good advice, but just for a moment let’s show enough wisdom to understand what it really means. Clearly it is a warning to people to not take it upon themselves to be the judge AND JURY. In other words, it is not up to us as individuals (or as a mob) to mete out someone’s punishment. In the Spitzer case, no one is suggesting that he be lynched, stoned or cast from society. And for the record, demanding his resignation is not a punishment. He is not entitled to be governor unless the people want him to be, and they no longer do.
Yes, we should all be mindful of our own behavior before we point the finger at someone else. But public officials must understand that they are in a unique position of responsibility that means their behavior will be held to a higher level of scrutiny. If they can’t live up to the scrutiny, then they shouldn’t seek these positions.