Barely holding on to office, disgraced South Carolina Governor, Mark Sanford penned an opinion piece that was published all over the state’s newspapers on Sunday. (The text of the Op-Ed is reprinted below).

Citing “God” numerous times in his apology, the governor continues to treat his contituents as idiots. Does he really feel that this mea culpa actually vindicates him? Apparently, he thinks so. The published apology is nothing more than a public relations stunt. If he really felt contrite, he would have done what any other decent person would have done: Resign and take your lumps as a private citizen. The fact that this charlatan had excoriated other politicians for lesser indiscretions makes this apology hollow.

Governor Sanford is simply morally corrupt. Had he not gotten caught would he have come out with this? Of course not! Much like Nevada Senator Ensign, Governor Sanford has demonstrated to the nation the hypocrisy and moral emptiness that rules the Republican Party.

Governor Sanford… you were a liar then and remain a liar now! If you want to get your life together with your family again… do it on your own  time and at your own expense. The sooner, the better!

Ihave struggled with how best to convey my regret in letting so many down, and in that regard I realize this column does not do justice to the process of saying “I am sorry.” A hand-written note or phone call would ultimately be more appropriate, but given the number of people I need to apologize to, I write this to begin the journey of trying to get things more right with you and others.

It is true that I did wrong and failed at the largest of levels, but equally true is the fact that God can make good of our respective wrongs in life. In this vein, while none of us has the chance to attend our own funeral, in many ways I feel like I was at my own in the past weeks, and surprisingly I am thankful for the perspective it has afforded.

If you ever have the misfortune of being at this point, whether self-induced as in my case or not, it will give you an indeed amazing perspective on life and on what really matters. I read notes from someone who worked in a sandwich shop I ate at 10 years ago, from 7th-grade classmates, from state employees and more. While there have been lifetimes of lessons learned over the past weeks, three things most immediately come to mind:

• One, forgiveness and grace really do matter. I used to believe that at an intellectual level; now it is at the level of heart. Over my life I have not given enough of either, and yet given all the ways in which my failings have come to light, I write to apologize for, in the most profound of ways, letting you and so many others down. It’s always the people closest to us whom we hurt the most, and given my standing of public trust, I know I’ve hurt many across our state. I apologize for this, and more than anything would ask for your forgiveness going forward.

• Two, life is indeed about way more than public standing or political views; it’s about recognizing that none of us is the arbiter of truth, that there are moral absolutes and that there is a God to whom we will all report for our actions. My failure has been most glaring on this front, where no public apology can make wrong right. As a consequence, it is on this plane that I’ve grown the most over the past weeks — and where I’m committed to growing the most going forward.

I’ve been humbled and broken as never before in my life, and as a consequence have given up areas of control in a way that I never have before. And it is my belief that this will make me a better father, husband, friend and advocate.

It’s in the spirit of making good from bad that I am committing to you and the larger family of South Carolinians to use this experience both to trust God in his larger work of changing me and, from my end, to work to becoming a better and more effective leader.

I think all that has transpired will be particularly relevant in the way I deal with the legislative body and other state leaders going forward. Micah 6:8 asks us to do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly, and as I begin these steps into the last 18 months of this administration, it will indeed be with a more contrite and humble spirit.

I’ve realized that as much as I have and will continue to advocate for things ranging from restructuring to responsible spending to school choice, my approach needs to be less about my will and more about looking for ways to more humbly present the greater principals and ideas at play. It needs to be less strident and more about finding ways to work with legislative leaders to advance the ideas so many of us believe in. It means less time fighting the tide, and a greater awareness of the fact that God controls it. In working with a few alterations to my approach, I think this could be a far more productive last session than the one that would have been had the tragedy that has unfolded not occurred, and in turn, people’s lives can be made better.

• Finally it is at your funeral that you in many ways not only can see most clearly the things that really matter in life, but also get the best glimpse of who your real friends are — and how much they matter. For that reason, I want to thank so many for their kindnesses and support over the years and for their kindness in this latest chapter in our book together as South Carolinians.

An open letter to the circus of fools currently oppressing the Iranian people!:

 Dear Iran,

I hope that when you read this letter, you have stopped killing your own citizens.

Okay, the elections are over and the clerics have decided that incumbent Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has won the elections fair and square. Never mind that the votes were hand counted at the speed of light and Mr. Ahmadinejad was declared the winner by a near 2 to 1 margin. Never mind that second place finisher Mir Hossein Mousavi lost his home district by a similar incredible margin. Never mind that the Iranian people did not accept this electoral result. Yet, you are blaming the “west” for the unrest at home.

 C’mon Iran! Give us a freaking break!

Are your clerics really that stupid? For years now there have been a growing group of individuals in the west who have championed dialogue with your regime, despite mutual distrust. With the election of Barack Obama as US president, there was a very real opportunity for dialogue and reacceptance into the global fold. President Obama had made overtones to that effect. So what do you do? You run a Zimbabwe-like presidential election and when your own people peacefully protest the results, you go ahead and kill them! Then you have the audacity to blame everyone under the sun for the unrest.

 Get it through your thick totalitarian head Iran… Only you are to blame!

In just a few short weeks, you have managed to destroy what little sympathy and legitimacy your government had in the eyes of the global community. Making matters more ridiculous, one of your powerful clerics, Ayatollah Zeinolabedeen Ghorbani has stated, “anyone still saying they don’t accept the results … should be ashamed of themselves as a believer and a Muslim.”  Such a stupid statement would be hilarious if not for the fact that many actually accept this as true. Another idiot, Ayatollah Ahmad Jannati, has called for protesters to repent and seek forgiveness from God. Comments such as these make your nation look foolish and backwards.

I hope that you guys get your act together really soon. In the mean time, we’ll be here sitting and watching; laughing and crying.

 Sincerely,

LPL

As the situation in Iran continues to deteriorate, the government has stepped up its bloody repression against its citizens. Opposition presidential candidates Mehdi Karroubi and Mohsen Rezai have quietly scaled back their criticism of the electoral fraud perpetrated by the government while Mir Hussein Moussavi continues defiant. Declared winner Mahmoud Ahmadinejad held a victory celebration that was attended by less than half of the members of parliament. Reports contend that Tehran remains tense.

***

Earlier this week I posted a tribute piece about Neda the young lady executed by Basij paramilitary thugs. The image of her lifeless body has become a symbol for the opposition. I received a response to the piece from Luis Tijerina. His comment included a poem which I thought was both touching and beautifully written. With Mr. Tijerina’s permission, I have reprinted the poem. Thank you Luis for your moving words!

As reported on my last blog piece, South Carolina’s Republican Governor, Mark Sanford’s hiking trip excuse seemed “fishy”. As it turned, the governor was enjoying a brief sabbatical from both his state and his family in Argentina with his mistress. His political career in shambles, the clock continues to tick towards resignation hour. In a poll conducted by The State, a Colombia SC newspaper, readers responded that he should resign at a 70% clip. Yet, for some insane reason, the governor has yet to indicate that he will be quitting.

I am sure that there are many people out there whining that the “liberal media” is piling on the governor in his moment of crisis. Granted, this is a tragedy for his family. Surely, this will not be the last high profile politician to be caught having an affair. What makes this case unique is that he clearly was derelict in his duty by simply vanishing without explanation. He lied to his wife. He lied to his staff. He lied to his constituents. Did he really think that no one was going to uncover this tryst? If he did, then he deserves this harsh treatment not for having an affair but for being stupid enough for thinking he could get away with it unscathed. His mea culpa press conference was bizarre and he still continues to be deceptive.

Someone in the Republican Party needs to stand up and say enough! The party is in complete shambles. Last week, Senator Ensign of Nevada admitted to his Republican colleagues at a caucus meeting that he had an affair with a former staffer. The caucus responded with a round of applause. That’s right… applause!  Does this sound like the party of family values? The Republican Party for years has excoriated the Democrats for their “deviant” views on traditional values.  What has become apparent is that the Republican Party’s stance on values is fraudulent. Governor Stanford, Senators Ensign, Craig, and Vitter have given true meaning to the phrase, “Do as I say…”

While spousal cheating is a bipartisan activity, it is the Republicans who claim moral superiority and thus, deserve the scorn and ridicule of all. Yet, I am sure that the governor will hold a press conference, shed some tears and ask for forgiveness. We being the forgiving people that we are we will probably show compassion and do so.

But please, save the applause for truly noble actions.

Folks… This one is wierd!

I’ve got to hand it to Republican Governor Mark Sanford of South Carolina. In the short life of this blog he holds the dubious distinction of being named LPL’s Idiot twice. His latest idiotic episode had him going AWOL from his governor’s post allegedly without informing anyone in the state government of his whereabouts.

Apparently, the Governor had decided to go “hiking” on the Appalachian Trail sans his security detail and without informing his own family. Boy… does this one smell fishy. Here are a few selected readers’ comments to the news taken from the Columbia SC newspaper The State:

Note: LPL admits to being extremely biased and has made no attempt to post comments defending the Governor’s actions.

•  eharrisonjr wrote on 06/23/2009 01:13:24 PM:  My question is how soon would he do this if he were elected President. If he can handle the pressure of running South Carolina were he has a very nice Republican majority. How can he handle running the Nation with all of its problems.
• XanderB wrote on 06/23/2009 01:04:29 PM:  So he takes off over Fathers Day Weekend. Nobody knows what he’s actually doing, but everyone gives conflicting stories. Now he was suddenly hiking? With no form of communication? Riiiiight. How about we hear what really happened? Or are we asking too much to have the truth given to us?
• bronksgrl wrote on 06/23/2009 12:49:57 PM: I felt Gov. Sanford should have taken a hike a long time ago!
• CaryG wrote on 06/23/2009 11:43:33 AM: The typical stay in detox is 3-7 days. Do the math.
• rmcswain wrote on 06/23/2009 11:43:22 AM: Let’s see now, Obama spends father’s day with his family emphasizing the importance of fathers. Sandford of the “family values” party spends father’s day who-knows-where and according to his wife, was writing something and “wanted to be away from the kids.”
  Writing something on the AT??? Oh puleeze. Lugging a laptop I presume which would only have a few hours of battery life and no place to recharge it for miles. Yeah, right…
• Stateworker wrote on 06/22/2009 06:07:24 PM: Does that mean he’s coming back……I’ll chip in 5 bucks if he stays where ever the hell he is………

And my personal favorite:

• jerseyjack wrote on 06/22/2009 07:27:28 PM: Kinda reminds me of our former New Jersey governor, Jim McGreevy. He used to disappear sometimes, too.

For disappearing for nearly a week, without telling your wife or kids where you might be (during Father’s Day weekend no less) and leaving your state with no one in charge while you were “clearing your head”, South Carolina Republican Governor Mark Sanford… You are an IDIOT!

THE VOICE

NEDA AGHA SOLTAN (1982-2009)

Murdered by a Basij militia sniper on 20 June 2009 in Tehran

The ayatollahs in Iran have put an end to its people desire for reform by essentially rigging yesterday’s presidential elections in favor of incumbent President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. According to authorities, Mr. Ahmadinejad garnered 62.3% of the vote. His main rival, popular candidate, Mir Hussein Moussavi received 34% of the votes cast. Pre-election polling had Mr. Moussavi leading all candidates. In 2005, Mr. Ahmadinejad became president receiving 62% of the popular vote.

What makes this election rather odd is the anomaly of the results for the last place finisher, Mehdi Karroubi who received a paltry 300,000 votes. In 2005, he finished third in polling receiving over 5,000,000 votes. Mr. Karroubi decried the results. Mr. Moussavi has publicly claimed victory while calling the results fraudulent. There has been sporadic violence through out the country. Skirmishes between Moussavi supporters and police have lead to the death of one protester.

It is a shame that in this era of political awakening through out the world, the Supreme Council of Iran has decided to “steal” the elections. The people’s desire for reform is undeniable. As Iran tries to join the nuclear club of nations, it has shown, through this sham election that its political conscience is no more sophisticated than that of Zimbabwe. Much like the neo-conservative movement was thrown out of power in this country in 2008; the Iranian people have expressed their desire to shift away from their archaic theocracy.

Will there be real change in Iran? I doubt it. Will the protests escalate into a full blown revolution? The next few days will tell.

The United Nations has 192 member states. FIFA, the world governing body of soccer, has 208 international members. For generations, the United States has considered itself superior than all the rest of the world. Granted, we have the planet’s largest economy, strongest military and have been at the forefront in science and medicine. We are the largest donor of humanitarian aid as well as the Earth’s largest exporter of arms. Being at the head of virtually all things, we have managed to exert influence through out the planet politically, economically, and culturally. Unfortunately, that power has corrupted our nation’s standing in the world. Many countries view ours with envy. Many more view us with disdain. For too long, we have been looked at as ugly Americans. The nations of the world do not hate us because of “our freedoms” as President Bush used to say but because we became drunk with power and became arrogant. Our well deserved pride transformed into ugly arrogance. We lectured the world on the virtues of democracy yet we have propped up oppressive and murderous regimes through out the world. (Hussein in Iraq, the Saud’s in Saudi Arabia, Marcos in the Philippines, many South American generals) We were a leading supporter of the apartheid regime in South Africa. We trade with China while ignoring Tiananmen. We scold nations because of their nuclear ambitions yet remain the only nation in history to have actually used nuclear weapons; and we did it twice. We decry the lack of freedom of ethnic minorities in the world, yet we have a sad legacy of enslaving, stealing from, expelling and disenfranchising our own minorities. We are reckless in our use of the world’s resources. Our foreign policy is unambiguous in its favoritism thus negating any semblance of diplomatic credibility.

Enter President Barack Obama.

While there are many who are characterizing President Barack Obama’s overture to the world as American defeatism, the president is on the mark on one thing. While recognizing America’s role as a global leader, he realizes that with that leadership comes global responsibility. America is not an entity independent from the rest of the world community. Though clearly the strongest member, it is still just one of the 192 world nations. To regain the respect and credibility of the world community, Barack Obama has chosen to disarm our adversaries with humility and not with threats of force. His overtures to the Muslim world are nothing short of monumental. It’s still a carrot and stick approach but the stick is not overtly displayed.

 President Obama’s action on the international stage has strengthened our presence and reputation. He has added a new word to the vocabulary of many nations when they describe us. And that word is FAIR. A fair leader is a respected leader. A fair leader is a powerful leader. A fair United States will be a powerful United States. This nation has reassumed its leading role in the world through cooperation and not coercion. The coming months will be telling. Will America continue on its march to restoration while remaining a collaborative member of Earth’s community of nations? I certainly hope so. And so does every one else.

 The world is waiting. And watching.

What do you think? Drop me a comment and let’s discuss it.

As I have stated on numerous occasions in the past, the Republican Party really doesn’t give a damn about the people they allegedly represent. They only care about their political power and the benefits that said power can generate exclusively for themselves.

Case in point: The state of Minnesota.

The supreme court of the state has upheld the senate election results and its recount paving the way for Democrat Al Franken to occupy the seat formerly held by incumbent Norm Coleman, a Republican. Now if this were any other run-of-the-mill election, the winner of the recount – in this case, Mr. Franken would have been seated without much question. But because Mr. Franken will represent the cherished 59^th non-Republican vote in the senate, opposition to his seating is vicious. Former Senator Coleman has vowed to continue his challenges. His continued fight for a reversal goes beyond being a sore loser. His continued actions border on unabashed political self-indulgence that has acquired a Robert Mugabe-esque quality.   

Governor Tim Pawlenty, a Republican has gone on record saying that he will not certify Mr. Franken until all legal challenges have been “exhausted”. This could mean a ridiculously lengthy battle that could end up in the U.S. Supreme Court. Mr. Pawlenty, who has national political aspirations, should be disgraced for this act of treacherous partisanship. It is obvious that the governor is under immense pressure from the Rovian wing of the RNC. The Republicans have all intentions of manipulating the legal system to prolong this mess. It is not surprising that these same Republican idiots have been vociferous in the past against this type of abuse of the legal system. In the meantime, the state of Minnesota will remain solely represented by Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party member Amy Klobuchar.

For placing your own political interests and those of your reprehensible party ahead of those of the constituents you were elected to represent…

Governor Tim Pawlenty, Republican governor of Minnesota, You are an IDIOT!

South Korean prosecutors are seeking an 18 month jail term for the blogger who accurately prognosticated the fall of Lehman Brothers and other financial calamities in an online forum last year.

According to the Korea Times, Park Dae-sung remains behind bars without bail. Better know as “Minerva”, he was arrested in January 2009 and charged with spreading alleged false financial information with the aim of hurting the public interest. His posts, though accurate, have been a major embarrassment to the South Korean government which finds itself mired in numerous ongoing financial scandals at the moment.

It is obvious that the case against Minerva is nothing more than a sham. The Last Person Left again calls for Minerva’s immediate and unconditional release.