It's time to cancel "Days of our Sanfords"

Over the past weekend, we were hit with the Days of our Sanfords again, as news outlets and bloggers reported and opined about Governor Sanford taking a weekend in the Florida Keys with some female guest. Bloggers, especially in “comments” sections seemed to go nuts over that.

Lt. Governor Bauer’s spokesman was quick to tell us that the Governor did not tell the Lt. Governor about the Governor’s plans. The Governor apparently was in touch with his staff during his brief vacation.

Add that story to the stories about the former Mrs. Sanford having a boyfriend, and well, it is time for the Days of Sanfords to stop. It is time for the media and the bloggers of this state to let the Sanford’s personal lives be their own. They are divorced. The former Mrs. Sanford has no official duty to this state. Frankly, who cares?

Apparently, the media cares and their readers do as well. VUI has been critical of the Governor for his policies, for his AWOL status last summer and his abuse of the ethics laws. But, we at VUI could give less than a damn about who the Governor or his ex-wife is dating. Indeed, the media in South Carolina seems to have taken on the role of the nosey and instigating mutual friend of a divorced couple. Most readers know the type. Such a mutual friend likes to tell one divorcee about the other and vice versa, stoking what controversy they can out of it. Such people typically do so because they are too lazy to think about other things or they have no lives of their own. Sometimes they are thoughtless pawns of the divorcees.

It is disappointing that the media have assumed the role that they have. I guess they have to sell ad space and papers. However, before you get caught up in the Days of our Sanfords, perhaps you should think about the following. First, the vast majority of those who comment or blog about the Sanfords’ personal lives do not know either of them personally. Second, even close friends do not truly know exactly what goes on behind closed doors in their friends’ marriages or romantic relationships. Third, always be leery of people who get angry and bitter about someone else’s personal life, especially someone that they do not know.

Finally, there comes the time to stop feeding the beast of controversy and ego. Nothing good comes from feeding that beast. Indeed, the Book of Proverbs tells us that one of the things that the Lord detests is sowing discord in another’s home. Now, the Sanfords are divorced, but they have children, thus still a family. It is time for the Sanfords to be left alone. It is time for the news articles about the particulars of their private lives, the posts, the comments, all of it, to come to an end. It is the decent and right thing to do.