The parable of the adulterous woman...

...The baying from media hyenas about the appointment of Christine Rankin as one of half a dozen or so Family Commissioners is hypocritical at best.

These would be the same news media who when a Minister responsible for CYFS and Social Development was accused of engaging in bondage and discipline roleplay, including a stern schoolmistress spanking schoolboy fantasy, exclaimed haughtily that these were "private matters" not relevant to his job and that we were gutter journalists for pursuing them.

These would also be the same news media who, for the most part, run supportive stories wherever possible on gay priests living together and wanting to keep their jobs, despite this going against the written terms of their employment and the instructions in the good book and turning their priesthood into an absolute farce.

I could go on, but it is interesting that if the private life is of an elected politician, it is deemed to be off-limits by the liberal media, particularly if the politician is a liberal, whereas an appointed official is held to a higher moral standard despite it having no direct bearing on her advocacy for children.

I have little doubt that Rankin was the sympathetic ear as the marriage came apart, as is repeated often in thousands of households around the country every year. The liberals, after all, campaigned heavily for no fault divorce and no legal sanction for adultery, and increasingly no moral opprobrium to personal failings. Yet, yet, it is the liberals screeching loudest who now feign a holier than thou morality.

I'm not saying the situation isn't messy, but I have no reason to disbelieve Rankin when she says the marriage collapsed, and then Kim found refuge in her companionship - that up till then it had not been consummated.

Given the messy social lives of an increasing number of us, especially journalists, who amongst us has not had a difficult and painful relationship break-up for any number of reasons?

If Rankin had been hired because the Government had an explicit policy on the sanctity of marriage they wanted her to endorse, that might be one thing. But they don't, she was hired because of her work on reducing child abuse and it is hard to see the stretch between that and her role in this particular passion play.

What happened was tragic, but if we are going to start blaming people individually for the free-will choice of others who commit suicide, then Ministers of Revenue and Prime Ministers should be stepping up to the plate for all those who do themselves in because of government policies.

As the old parable goes, the media should be mindful of this: Let those without sin cast the first stone

Comments

[Time]

You're kidding right? Hypocrisy looks good on you, ian

[SeaJay]

You what?
Ian - its her fourth marriage, her sympathetic ear can stay the hell away from my husband!

[Ian]

Yeah, my point is being lost a little. If we disqualify someone from being an advocate for children on the grounds of marital status or whether they have had an affair, then I expect a number of other reasons could be advanced to oust liberals from various positions simply because of their liberality...

That's my point...it is interesting to hear the moral outrage from those who last year argued such things were non stories.

[John Boy]

I suspect the reason the Left hate her is unrelated to her bedroom antics, real or imagined. She's a threat and currently is saying the kind of things that need to be said. That said, admitting I was happy with Ian's expose of the Labour party people over the years, I have to expect the same attention to the other side. So Ian, don't disappoint.

[Peter]

I hope your encouragement to Ian does not fall on deaf ears. This appears to be an ACT-led government with Rodney playing the haughty leader brilliantly. Absolute Power!

Chritine Rankin has praise for two in the media - Paul Holmes and Michael Laws. With friends like that ..

It is the family of the ex-wife whom Rankin replaced that is leading the charge on this.

Given the suicide was just October, Rankin and McDonald have been moving pretty fast to be now married if from a standing start!

The choice of Rankin was cynical and apparently far from unanimous in Cabinet - how did they expect the general population to feel uniformly comfortable about it? She could get noisy in the vulgar sense

[Ian]

Not trying to disappoint John-Boy, just waiting to see someone convince me that being "the other woman" disqualifies a worker in NZ from working on behalf of children.

In this case, no kids were involved.

A cabinet minister responsible for CYFS caught assaulting children - that's an easy connection to make, even for Danyl over at Dimpost.

But if the new media standard for public office is no messy affairs, then there are a number of politicians on both sides of the house who should resign immediately.

Can anyone recall a story I've done that's gunned for someone on the basis of an affair? I can't think of one.

[Freezer]

Do not mention the sham marriage of Dear Leader Past.
It's always a gay day in NY.

[Scott]

"As the old parable goes, the media should be mindful of this: Let those without sin cast the first stone"

Spare us the sanctimony please. You've made a career out of throwing stones. So it's not okay when someone else does it?

[Ian]

Again, Scotty, show me how this is as relevant as the stories I've pursued.

That's all I ask.

And once you've done that, then you can explain what was therefore wrong with those earlier stories.

[robk]

"As the old parable goes"

Actually I believe it is written as a true story! And the oldest left first then the youngest of them.

OK Christine MAY have been the aggrieved party in three failed marriages, and MAY NOT have been unfaithful. I don't have the answers.

But I think I can accept it may not impinge on her duty towards children - but she should certainly expect there will be a close eye on her performance of those duties.

'Casting stones' in the story would have been to KILL the 'prostitute' (who was likely set up anyway) not just to 'criticise' her.

[John Boy]

"...but she should certainly expect there will be a close eye on her performance of those duties."

That, I suspect, will be where she differs from those that went before under a Labour watch.

[pinay2 philippines]

"As the old parable goes, the media should be mindful of this: Let those without sin cast the first stone"

oh my gosh good point... btw. how do you explain why woman commit adultery, i have read one book before about this...

[Scott]

"Again, Scotty, show me how this is as relevant as the stories I've pursued.

That's all I ask."

I could mention several examples. But your smearing of Peter Davis is the one that really sticks out.

[ghostwhowalks]

Wasnt the manhunter prattling on about 'the family unit' just a week earlier, no wonder the friends and work colleagues of the dead woman thought she was a prime hypocrite

[Bamm Bamm]

I think it would be interesting to look at the hobbies of those complaining? No?

Where is the 'Privacy Commissionaire' in all of this? Isn't anyone worried about someone privacy?

Or is it gloves off everyone from now on?

Evil Smirk~!

[peter]

Is it true that there was the suicide in October and the remarriage in January?

The Editorial of the NZ Herald this morning slams the appointment of Christine Rankin with good justification.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/opinion/news/article.cfm?c_id=466&objectid=10573108

When will Suzanne Paul take a call?

Then there is John Armstrong:

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/opinion/news/article.cfm?c_id=466&objectid=10573128

In her own words she says she is a Buddhist BTW:

"I'm not a Christian, I'm a Buddhist ... but it doesn't matter what an individual's beliefs are .."

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10573217

That would be the least of my worries but for a Christian fundamentalist this might be a problem.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10573217

From Peter Dunne's perspective, a vision of the family as the building block for society must be compromised by someone with her marriage history.

[Danyl Mclauchlan]

These would be the same news media who when a Minister responsible for CYFS and Social Development was accused of engaging in bondage and discipline roleplay, including a stern schoolmistress spanking schoolboy fantasy, exclaimed haughtily that these were "private matters" not relevant to his job and that we were gutter journalists for pursuing them.

Remind us all again, who was your source for that story?

[Ian]

I had more than one source, and I also have on record DBP phoning the Otago Daily Times reporter at 10.30 the night the story broke to make "explicitly" sure that the ODT were not printing that DBP had denied the claims.

Remind me again why he would want to make doubly sure he wasn't seen in print denying the claims?

Only one reason: DBP knew they were true, and we knew they were true, and he knew that issuing a denial could bite him hard, so he chose to issue his evasive "where would I find the time?"

The Otago Daily Times, the Herald and ourselves tried for some considerable time to get a denial out of DBP and he refused on every occasion.

[AcidComments]

"Given the suicide was just October, Rankin and McDonald have been moving pretty fast to be now married if from a standing start!

The choice of Rankin was cynical and apparently far from unanimous in Cabinet - how did they expect the general population to feel uniformly comfortable about it? She could get noisy in the vulgar sense"

Don't forget.

Your beloved Labour PM David Lange had a long term affair and he ended up marrying her.

When his affair with speechwriter Margaret Pope caused the end of his marriage, wife Naomi tearfully told all to the Dominion, destroying his reputation among many voters

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/david-lange-1942-2005/news/article.cfm?c_id=1500960&objectid=10340711

[Danyl Mclauchlan]

I had more than one source

Great! Who were they? The source for the Rankin story consists of friends of McCaley who have all gone on the record - presumably you have similarly sound sources for your story about DBP?