Is It Safe To Come Out Now...?

If I lived in New York, I'd be walking on eggshells right now, terrified that my new governor might just confess to something else.

When Elliot Spitzer went down in very pricey hooker-ignited flames 2 weeks ago, I don't mind saying it was nice to see this conservatively dressed African-American man ascend to the top job in the state.

The fact that David Patterson is legally blind made your want to root for the guy all more.

Then, came the bombshell. Patterson aknowledged publicly that not only had he once cheated on his wife, but they had cheated on each other.

Now there's something you don't hear every day. Oh, I'm sure it happens. You just don't hear about it, at least not on the evening news beginning with the words "The Governor says...". And this was especially sensitive considering the nature of outgoing governor Elliot Spitzer's freaky sexual missteps.

I called my good buddy who lives in New York for some perspective, and he said New Yorkers greeted the news with a sense of ...Well, who doesn't have marital problems? I can see that. I felt the same way.

But then days later, in response to a reporter's question, Patterson admits he has tried marijuana and cocaine.

Now I'm thinking--Ya gotta be kiddin' me! I'm mean, by itself this is no more than Barack Obama has admitted to. But now its starting to add up. I'm wondering why the next question wasn't, "Okay governor, is there anything else we should know? Trips to Brazil? Baby mama drama? Hair Club For Men membership? Anything?"

Because I have to tell you, Governor Patterson, we don't know you all that well yet, but now we have way too much information.

You're a bit like that first date who looks really nice but just has to tell you about how she stalked her last boyfriend and is now in therapy; How her credit cards are all maxed out; and how she's really trying to deal with all this by being celibate until marriage.

Honesty is wonderful, healing thing. But I've finally learned at this late stage in life there is just some stuff I don't have to know. At least not today.

Out To Lunch

They say you can't go home again. But maybe you can. Its just more dangerous than it used to be.

Home for me would be Woodrow Wilson High School in Northwest DC. My Alma Mater. Class of '77. When I graduated from Wilson it was considered just about the best public high school in the city, at a time when that title seemed to mean a bit more than it does now.

That's why I was a bit stunned to see this article in The Washington Post describing how Wilson is about to tighten up security because of several fights and and violent confrontations--mostly involving 9th graders just recently transferred to the school.

In short, students will now have to eat lunch in their classrooms instead of with their friends anywhere they want on campus. Geez!! That's what they came up with? Putting hundreds of students on lock down at lunchtime?

I mean, think about it. Back in my day (God, I never thought I'd hear myself saying that!!) lunchtime was the best time of the school day. That was the time when you could chill and get social with your friends, many of whom you didn't take classes with. Eating lunch in classrooms??? Is this what its come to? Really?

School Chancellor Rhee says its only temporary until they can come up with a permanent solution. I hope that's soon 'cause if I was going to Wilson today I'd say this plan sucks!!

I am sitting here right now...scared to turn up the sound on my TV set.

My school, American University, is 30 seconds away from beating Colgate and winning the Patriot League and earning its first ever bid to the NCAA tournament.

To understand why this is such a big deal, you gotta understand that I graduated way back in 1981. We had no football team. We didn't even have our own gym. Played our games at Fort Myer.

AU basketball was pretty much all we had. There were a couple good years in there, including one heartbreaker when the team won the regular season and lost in the final of the Conference championship and still--No bid.

So now...with 2.9 seconds left. my Eagles are up by 5. I've had the mute button on for most of the second half...now I'm scared to turn up the sound cause it might jinx us.

Wait a second....WE WIN!!! WE WIN!!!! WE WIN!!!!!

The crowd goes insane!!!

What I wouldn't give to be there right now!! Go Eagles!!!!

The Hooker Imperative

"You don't pay a hooker for sex; You pay her to leave."

I can't remember where I saw that quote but I couldn't help but be reminded of it now that everyone is wondering with great anguish oh how, how could Elliot Spitzer do such a thing?

Right now, I'm watching CNN and Larry King Live tonight is headlined "Why Do They Do It?"

Good Grief.

Obviously it is not all that hard. ( no pun intended.) Spitzer was in the market for sex with a woman other than his wife. If he has an affair, it could get messy. She could get pregnant. Somebody could fall in love. Maybe she stalks him or calls the house or any of the other crazy stuff we all hear about and pray we never find out about first hand.

Going with a prostitute puts all that to rest. Its a straight up business transaction. Money for sex. From his perspective--a win-win.

Some bring up the freaky risk-taking thrill-seeking part of this...and perhaps there's something to that as well.

The only point I'm making is that Spitzer didn't have to be crazy to do this--just arrogant, short-sighted and foolish-- just like a zillion other guys out there, some famous, most not.

I don't want to make excuses for men behaving badly, but I'm just wondering if when it seems to happen so often to so many who ought to know better--are we making a basic mistake treating this sort of thing like a bizarre twist of fate or unusual scandal?

Every man doesn't cheat on his wife, perhaps a majority don't. But so many men do, its getting harder and harder to act 'shocked and saddened' when one more them simply gets caught at it.

Hookers

With a guy like Elliot Spitzer, you figured maybe an enemy would bring him down, or perhaps a mistake born of hubris. But hookers? No, I did not see this coming.



Of course Spitzer is far from the first politician to get busted for going to a prostitute. There's a reason they call it "the oldest profession." But brutal irony of protsitution charges leveled at the law-and-order prosecutor who got elected New York governor on his promise to clean up government corruption can't be lost on anyone.



Certainly not our 7pm producer April, who says the thing she can't fathom is the wife standing loyally by his side. She points out that from Bill Clinton to Senator Larry Craig--the wives seem to hang in there. "Why do they do that??" she asks.

She, we should add, is very single. Nonetheless, she has a point. And I don't have an answer.


Nor can I fathom how this country really feels about such things. If Spitzer was a good governor, is it really worth it to end his career over this? Some will shout, "Yes, he's breaking the law." But I'm thinking the person who really ought be mad is Mrs. Spitzer. And as was just pointed out, she's hanging in there for now.

The interesting thing about this service is that not only was it high-end, but you could choose just how high you wanted to go. The Emperor's Club website (since taken down) advertises a woman rated at 3 diamonds would cost you a thousand bucks for an hour; while a 7 diamond companion would run $3100. and the bottom is it says and I kid you not: inquire about our multiple-hour package rates!!

So then we are left with several big questions, and I hope you've got answers. First, what is it about men? Why do members of my gender do this stuff over and over again, even as we've seen so many careers taken down in flames? Second, the wives. Why do they seem to hang on regardless of the humiliation? Is is just loyalty? Or doe they know they can make them suffer more by staying than by going? And of course the most critical question of all: What the heck was he getting for 2 or three grand an hour???

Talk about buyer's remorse......

Pain Doesn't Hurt; Fear Hurts

"If you're not getting hurt, you're not trying anything new."

And doing something new and (to my mind) crazy is apparently what motivates Will, the 24-year-old extreme snowboarder I met on my ski vacation in Utah.

Will shows off his battle scars.

The amazing thing to me is this kid has a pin in his wrist and a knee that's been under the knife, not to mention numerous other bumps and bangs, yet pain holds no fear for him compared to the joy of challenging himself on the slopes.

I gotta be honest, I'm just the opposite. At 48, I am cautious and really, really don't want to break any bones or tear any ligaments. Sometimes, I even get angry with myself out on the mountain for not being willing to take more risks.

But not Will. He says its no fun if you're not going all out.
"I can go down the mountain backwards if I want to. In fact, I've done it," he told me.

Would it be too much of a stretch to say perhaps we all should think about our lives that way? Go down the mountain backward sometimes--just to see if you can.