Gov. Eliot Spitzer was accused Monday of paying to meet with a prostitute. The New York governor spoke at a news conference apologizing to his family and the people of New York. He did not state any reasons for the apology nor did he answer any questions from reporters. Spitzer is already being pressured to resign from fellow members of the Democratic Party as well as drawing deep criticism from the Republican side. According to conversation that had been wiretapped, a man named “Client 9” met with a woman named Kristen who is part of the Emperors Club VIP. The man, who has been identified as Eliot Spitzer, paid $4,300 in cash for the night and also as credit for future trysts. Spitzer has been deemed “Sheriff of Wall Street” when he served as attorney general and busted crooked practices occurring in the stock brokerage industry and insurance industries. If he resigns, Lt. Gov. David Paterson would take his place and become New York’s first black governor.
This story has prominence because it involves a public figure who has been elected by the public. Eliot Spitzer not only broke the law but defied moral conduct expected by someone in his position. The timeliness of this story makes it relevant not only because it is occurring now, but also because of the upcoming presidential election people are more focused on politics at this moment. The conflict involved is a major factor because the governor has a responsibility to the people he is serving and Gov. Spitzer has broken the trust of public and his family. As governor, Eliot Spitzer crusaded against Wall Street executives and prosecuted many of them for their wrongdoings. A person who seemed to uphold strong morals is now appearing to be a hypocrite and a criminal. (Arizona Republic, March 11, 2008)
The story that caught my attention this past week was about a boy from El Mirage who was attacked by a mountain lion Saturday afternoon. The child, Paul John Schalow, was celebrating his tenth birthday with his family at an Arizona national forest. The rabid mountain lion approached the boy and scratched him on the back. Paul’s uncle shot the mountain lion which was later tested for rabies. The results came back positive and now the boy and other family members affected will begin post-exposure rabies shots. Officials say that it is uncommon for mountain lions to attack and that the animal was most likely in the “rage stage”, which is one of the last stages of rabies. (Arizona Republic, March 10, 2008)
A military-recruitment center in Times Square was bombed Thursday by a unidentified person riding a bicycle. (Arizona Republic, March 7, 2008) President Bush endorsed former rival Senator John McCain for president. (Arizona Republic, March 6, 2008) In the past few days, hundreds of undocumented immigrants were discovered and arrested in Arizona. (Arizona Republic, March 11, 2008) A suicide bombing in Pakistan Tuesday killed four people. (Arizona Republic, March 12, 2008) Venezuela restored diplomatic ties with Colombia Sunday after they had been broken as a result of a cross-border Columbian attack on Ecuador. (Arizona Republic, March 10, 2008)
