The Last Word(s) on Sam Adams

I don't know Portland Mercury editor Wm. Steven Humphrey (or why he uses a "TM" after his first initials), but I'd like to take my hat off to him for writing this week's cover story, "No One Is Innocent." In addition to striking me as amazingly balanced, it had, for me, the ancillary effect of doing something I, as a former New Yorker, have been desperate to see happen: it un-suctions Portland from the small town mentality and places it squarely wher, through the growing pains of the past five years, it actually is: on a big(gish) city stage, with the capacity to think through and address big city problems. I love it, and reading the piece, I thought, here's the good that comes from the imbroglio: we all get to think and debate and expand like grown-ups.

Speaking of grown-ups: I asked my 19-year-old daughter what she thought of the Adams situation, whereupon she looked at me, with a touch of forbearance, and said, "To me, people have their  regular lives, and they have their sex lives, and they are not the same thing." When I said, well, yes, but what about the lying, I got a little more forbearance. "Well, mom," she said, "people are going to lie about their sex lives. I just expect it."

Which made me realize, for the 409th time, that while this child may lack the experience of her mother (and thank god for that), she's got more wisdom than I ever will.

Comments

[aroyo]

I make the distinction that lying to save yourself is a bit different than lying to smear and destroy your rival. If he simply denied the allegation, I wouldn't have had a big problem with it. But when he used the lie to paint Bob Ball as a smear-mongerer, that crossed the line big time.

[Loren Minnick]

I still don't know what law(s) Adams broke. But I can understand how many might be offended by the lies, smears, etc. Luckily, we all have the option of recall or voting him out when his turn is up. We should put up or shut up.
(sad note: I think Adams was helped immensely when his story was pushed from the heavy-breathing front pages this past weekend by the tragic club shootings.)

[Kevin]

"However, these situations don't happen in a vacuum, and people lie for very specific reasons. So let's pause to examine a very basic question: Why didn't Sam trust us?"

I think the more pertinent question for Portlanders is "Why did you trust Sam?," but if the city wants to navel-gaze, have at it. When someone lies to me, my first instinct isn't to blame myself.

On the other hand, I don't disagree with your very wise 19-year-old daughter, but I also don't agree that this is about sex -- and, indeed, the sex is a distraction from the core issues here.