Wild Wild West
Interesting news has been coming down lately from my old stomping grounds in Spokane, Washington. It seems James West, the mayor of my beloved little city in the Inland Northwest, has been leading a double life (the link will take you to the NY Times summary of the story; it may require registration).
West is the very Conservative Mayor of the idyllic little city of 200,000 just over the border from Idaho. Like much of the new breed of Backlash Conservatives (borrowing a label from Thomas Frank) he spends a lot of time giving off a lot of 'God, Guts and Guns' macho bluster that helps blue-collar men feel better about themselves as right-wing political policies make their lives more and more difficult. Of particular note, he has always stood in the way of gay rights, or anything that even looked like it might promote acceptance or tolerance of homosexuality. Or at least he used to.
The local newspaper in Spokane, the Spokesman-Review, has managed to catch the Mayor red-handed, getting involved in an on-line liaison which appeared to have been leading toward a sexual relationship with what the Mayor thought was an 18-year-old man. This has lead to a great deal of shock and embarrassment, both for Mr. West and his supporters. Other accusations, including that Mr. West sexually molested two young boys over 20 years ago, have also surfaced.
Perhaps there are those who feel a certain amount of glee at the exposure of yet another hypocrite among the "traditional values" crowd. But I am not one of them. Honestly, I feel badly for the Mayor. I feel badly because he exists in a world where simply being who you are is not acceptable. How difficult it must have been, to lead a life of such duplicity for so many years, towing the party-line but unable to escape his suppressed personal identity. I take no delight in the exposure and possible downfall of this man who had possible designs on the governor's mansion, even though I do feel somewhat relieved that there is one less powerful Backlasher out there, thrusting the one-two punch of corporate hedgemony and moral authoritarianism on the rest of us.
No, I don't feel that the Mayor should step down. Though his "lifestyle" is now a matter of public record, the evidence of any criminal activity is questionable, and thus far no criminal charges have been filed. No, I think he should continue to serve, and to remind the fanatics of the Culture Wars by his very presence that gay people are not the predatory monsters of their own nightmares (and perhaps insecurities?), but instead are usually capable, decent, productive citizens deserving of our respect.
As for Spokane, well, that pretty little town set among the Ponderosa Pines just can't catch a break. What a shame, too, because those who know it know that it is a wonderful place to live. Unfortunately, most of the rest of the world thinks of Spokane--on the rare occasion that the rest of the world does think of Spokane--as not much more than a backwater haven for white supremacist, end-of-the-world zealots and other assorted weirdos and low-lifes. And now they have the unwanted publicity from all this to sort out. Living with a stagnant economy and perpetually lost in Seattle's long shadow, poor Spokane just can't win.
West is the very Conservative Mayor of the idyllic little city of 200,000 just over the border from Idaho. Like much of the new breed of Backlash Conservatives (borrowing a label from Thomas Frank) he spends a lot of time giving off a lot of 'God, Guts and Guns' macho bluster that helps blue-collar men feel better about themselves as right-wing political policies make their lives more and more difficult. Of particular note, he has always stood in the way of gay rights, or anything that even looked like it might promote acceptance or tolerance of homosexuality. Or at least he used to.
The local newspaper in Spokane, the Spokesman-Review, has managed to catch the Mayor red-handed, getting involved in an on-line liaison which appeared to have been leading toward a sexual relationship with what the Mayor thought was an 18-year-old man. This has lead to a great deal of shock and embarrassment, both for Mr. West and his supporters. Other accusations, including that Mr. West sexually molested two young boys over 20 years ago, have also surfaced.
Perhaps there are those who feel a certain amount of glee at the exposure of yet another hypocrite among the "traditional values" crowd. But I am not one of them. Honestly, I feel badly for the Mayor. I feel badly because he exists in a world where simply being who you are is not acceptable. How difficult it must have been, to lead a life of such duplicity for so many years, towing the party-line but unable to escape his suppressed personal identity. I take no delight in the exposure and possible downfall of this man who had possible designs on the governor's mansion, even though I do feel somewhat relieved that there is one less powerful Backlasher out there, thrusting the one-two punch of corporate hedgemony and moral authoritarianism on the rest of us.
No, I don't feel that the Mayor should step down. Though his "lifestyle" is now a matter of public record, the evidence of any criminal activity is questionable, and thus far no criminal charges have been filed. No, I think he should continue to serve, and to remind the fanatics of the Culture Wars by his very presence that gay people are not the predatory monsters of their own nightmares (and perhaps insecurities?), but instead are usually capable, decent, productive citizens deserving of our respect.
As for Spokane, well, that pretty little town set among the Ponderosa Pines just can't catch a break. What a shame, too, because those who know it know that it is a wonderful place to live. Unfortunately, most of the rest of the world thinks of Spokane--on the rare occasion that the rest of the world does think of Spokane--as not much more than a backwater haven for white supremacist, end-of-the-world zealots and other assorted weirdos and low-lifes. And now they have the unwanted publicity from all this to sort out. Living with a stagnant economy and perpetually lost in Seattle's long shadow, poor Spokane just can't win.
posted by Yukon Sully | 10:31 AM
2 Comments:
i think you should have written 3 pages on the soon-to-be national holliday that is my birthday. that would have been hot copy.
daniel
I saw an article in the paper about that man and wondered if you would have heard about it, too. I guess you did. --mombo
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