“Just What Was he or she Thinking?” is a question we can ask of many alcoholics
Amazing Antics: Stories of Alcoholism-Driven Behaviorsâ„¢
The case of Duke Cunningham reminded me of some recent antics reported in Randy Cassingham’s “This is True”that are perfect for posing the question, “Just what was he or she thinking?”In the first, we have proof of addiction and evidence of relapse; in the second, no proof but, well, “Just what was he thinking?”if he wasn’t under the influence?
Stories from “This is True”by Randy Cassingham, with his “tagline:â€
“LEADING BY EXAMPLE: Florida state Sen. Mandy Dawson wanted to join fellow legislators on a trip to Africa. The others paid their own ways, but Dawson ordered an aide to solicit donations for the trip from lobbyists. When her aide told her that was against the law, she ordered the aide to do it anyway. Dawson was previously in trouble for altering a prescription to get extra painkillers, but avoided prison by going to drug rehab. This time, for soliciting and accepting cash, she was reprimanded in public by the Senate”and kicked off the Senate ethics committee. ‘I hope you will accept my humble and sincere apology if my actions have in any way compromised the integrity of this body,’ she said. (Miami Herald) …If?”
“FACE THE MUSIC III: While performing in a musical in a community theater, Jay Meisenhelder ‘fell in love’ with a fellow actress. She is 16. ‘I’m 53-years-old, and believe me, I know what love is,’ he wrote her in an e-mail. ‘I love you as I have only loved two other women in my life.’ He also met the girl for a candle-lit music session. When his boss found out about the e-mail, apparently sent from work, and the meeting, Meisenhelder was fired from his job”as the Marion County, Ind., deputy prosecutor and assistant chief of the sex crimes division. Meisenhelder, who is married, insists ‘nothing I did was illegal.’ His lawyer agrees: Meisenhelder was just ‘expressing a fantasy,’ attorney Roberta Ross says. ‘What they essentially chose to do was take an excellent eight-year employee who lived and breathed and loved his job and dramatically overreacted.’ (Indianapolis Star) …Yes, well, his breathing just got too heavy for the public to stomach.”
(Stories from “This is True,”copyright 2005 by Randy Cassingham, used with permission. See http://www.thisistrue.com for free subscriptions.)
Visit www.thisistrue.com for free subscriptions.