Hiding in the Backwaters Just one more blog on the net.

Another case in point

In my previous post I suggested the fervor of ex-gay evangelists probably had more to do with the need to convince themselves of the correctness of their course than it does to convert others to their cause. This wasn't a random or mean-spirited accusation. It seems those with the most to hide are often the ones most loudly proclaiming their virtue.

Only under Khrushchev did the first woman appear in the Politburo--Ekaterina Furtseva, known as Catherine the Great. As Minister of Culture, she believed unquestioningly in the slogan: "There is no sex in the U.S.S.R.!" and fought mercilessly for morality in art. Yet the entire elite was well aware of her torrid affairs: scarred veins on her wrists bore witness to her ill-starred passion.

Ekaterina is hardly alone with her inner struggles. Nor is she alone externalizing her personal struggle and turning it into a public crusade: Jimmy Swaggart, John Paulk and Jim West come immediately to mind. In the words of the immortal bard, "Methinks thou doest protest too much."