Lack Of Redeeming Value

When the McGreevey scandal was exposed and he was inevitably forced to resign in shame from the New Jersey governorship, I thought that he might just disappear from public life. Well, I guess we could say that he did - for two years at least. But now, we find him out there hawking his disgustingly vulgar and painfully descriptive tell-all book.

Sean Hannity kept his composure when interviewing McGreevey on Hannity and Colmes the other night. He extended a courtesy to McGreevey by reading his trashy book before the interview. But Sean mentioned that it contained far too much sexually charged and graphic information about McGreevey's gay lovers that he would rather not have known about.

Sean asked McGreevey,

"I guess maybe the question I have, as I read this book, this wife has suffered enough. One day this daughter of yours is going to read this book. Did you think about your wife and your daughter are going to read about all this one day? Your young girl? Did you think about them?"

Personally, I thought that McGreevey's response was less than disingenuous:

MCGREEVEY: Sure, of course I did, Sean. Yes. I did.

HANNITY: Don't you think that hurts them more?

MCGREEVEY: Actually, I think nothing hurt more than living through that reality, living through that pain. And hopefully, by sharing this story, they begin to understand the false place that I was at and that I accept responsibility for the pain that I caused them.

And that also I set forth how I got to this horrible place and talk about the importance of being honest, talk about the importance of being integrated, talk about the importance of being healthy.

There we have it. The pride of self and "oh poor me" syndrome. If that man genuinely wanted to avoid more pain for his family, he wouldn't have written such an awful book that his young daughter will probably read one day.

There have been hundreds of articles and blogposts about McGreevey and his book. I have read several really good ones and do not need to elaborate on them. Basically, I will just say that from the interviews and articles that I have read, McGreevey appears to lack any sense of redeeming value in his life. Yeah. It's easy to talk about pain and suffering of self and family, but to add to that pain by writing an unnecessarily sexually-obsessive tell all book that will inevitably inflict even more pain upon his family, now and in the future, just proves how confession without repentance is empty, void of redeeming value, and godless.

At Fausta's blog we see the difference between true repentance and reconciliation through the redeeming power of Jesus Christ verses McGreevey's obvious "confessional self-help and positive affirmation" spectacle. Fausta also writes, "Worse yet, McGreevey went to talk about getting in touch with "his God" (I'm being kind here and assuming he's talking of God, not any old god) and his "inner child"."

Fausta observed that in Oprah true-to-form typical style, "Rather than call him on his immorality, Oprah, moved by the honesty of it all, listened with tears in her eyes. You could almost hear Tchaikovsky's Theme from Romeo and Juliet in the background."

She nails it with this comment: "At Oprah's however, it's all happy endings and endless personal growth."

[Note: Since I haven't read the book, I cannot say for sure that McGreevey hasn't repented (meaning, not only to his family but also to God). But, based upon all the articles and interviews that I have seen and heard, it appears more than likely that he has not. Therefore, it appears to me that his book is nothing but a way to make money off of a tragic situation which must be horribly painful to his ex-wife and children. If I am incorrect about this, I will retract my statements.]

Rather than continuing with this post by adding to the well-deserved barrage of articles, T.V. clips, and blogposts disparaging McGreevey's book and sex-obsessed life, I wanted to present some men who live in the public eye, genuinely have a conscience, and use it to keep their integrity and moral values intact.

This morning, I read a few brief articles about such men in Good Housekeeping magazine. They were about several actors who really do put their families first in their lives and would never inflict such unnecessary pain upon them the way that McGreevey did.

1. Matthew Fox

The Reluctant Hero
Why we love him. We first met Fox as Charlie Salinger, the lost soul tending to his four orphaned siblings on TV's Party of Five. Now he's tending to Lost souls as Dr. Jack Shephard, a surgeon stranding on a strange island in the hit ABC series. Lucky for fans, that means plenty of wet-T-shirt moments for the 40-year-ole, six-foot-two actor. Appropriately nicknamed Foxy by his fellow castaways, Fox has two kids in real life - daughter Kyle, eight, and son Byron, four-and for nearly 20 years, he has been with his Italian-born wife, Margherita, whom he fell in love with while he was a student at Columbia University in New York City. "We're good friends and always have bee," Fox says of his spouse. "She's an amazing woman and a phenomenal mother." He's unfazewd by the fans who'd like to be marroned with him. "The sex symbol image of me - that feels like a different person," he laughs. "I'd be lying if I said it wasn't flattering. But I'm also sort of embarrassed by it." MOre important is his role as Dad. "I want my kids to respect me as a father and as a friend," he says. "I don't want them to get carried away by all this fame stuff." When it comes to being a good husband, Fox feels that love means learning another language. "The one thing I always tell my wife is 'Ti amo piu di tutto nel mondo.' It means 'I love you more than anything in the world.' I say it to her often.

2. Tim McGraw
The Country Boy

Why we love him. He wears a black hat, but he vehaves like a good guy. He's a honky-tonk hit machine, yet he croons soulful ballads like "Live Like You Were Dying." He's known as a family-oriented country star, but he flaunts a steamy sexual chemistry with superstar wife Faith Hill. No wonder McGraw, 39, is worshipped by any woman with a weakness for cowboys. (This month, he'll show off his saddle skills in the film Flicka.) As a kid, he didn't know that his biological father was baseball great Tug McGraw (who died of cancer in 2004). Now Tim is a devoted dad to daughters Gracie, nine; Maggie, eight; and Audrey, four. "When I'm not touring, all I want to do is spend time with Faith and our girls," McGraw says. "It's the best thing in the world, being a father. We just do normal things, like going swimming and making pancakes. There's nothing more important than family."

A civic-minded activist who's led fund-raising efforts for Gulf Coast hurricane relief, McGraw is also mulling a run for political office. "I'd consider it if I thought I could do some good," he said. "Wouldn't Faith make a great senator's wife?"

Yes Tim. You'd make a great senator and Faith would be a lovely senator's wife!

3. Denzel Washington
The Superstar

Why we love him. Years before George Clooney shot to stardom playing a TV doctor, Washington got pulses racing as Dr. Philip Chandler on St. Elsewhere. Now a two-time Oscar winner who earns $20 million per picture, the 51-year-old actor has only gotten sexier as his fame has increased. He's a unique combination of old-fashioned charm and heart-stopping magnetism and can play anything from a true hero (in Inside Man) to a supervillain (in Training Day). but he plays his favorite part at home with his wife of 23 years, Pauletta, and their four children. His eldest, John David, is notw a pro football player for the St. Louis Rams. "I tell him, 'You used to be known as my son; now I'm getting to be known as your father.' Nothing makes me happier." He is also the national spokesperson for the Boys & Girls Clubs of America; growing up in Mount Vernon, New York, he spent many afternoons at his local Boys Club. Now he's cowritten an inspirational book, A Hand to Guide Me, about his mentor at the Boys Club. "I believe we miss our marks from time to time," he says. "Without a certain push in the right direction, we might never find the path we were meant to follow." The big screen isn't where Washington wants to be remembered most; these days, this family man has diffferent priorities: "Twenty years ago, acting was my life. Acting now is making a living...I don't take myself too seriously."

Truly admirable men...all of them!