Skip to Content
Streetsblog New York City home
Streetsblog New York City home
Log In
Athletes and Celebrities

Nothing Says Tranquility Like the Hum of a Huge Diesel Engine

The Mark Sanford scandal is a bit off topic for Streetsblog but Sean Roche at the Newton Streets & Sidewalks blog points us to this incredible passage from one of the e-mails between the South Carolina governor and his mistress in Argentina. Sanford writes:

Tome, and I suspect no one else on earth, there is something wonderfulabout listening to country music playing in the cab, air conditionerrunning, the hum of a huge diesel engine in the background, thetranquility that comes with being in a virtual wilderness of trees andmarsh, the day breaking and vibrant pink coming alive in the morningclouds — and getting to build something with each scoop of dirt.

How romantic!

And as if this story weren't weird enough already, a profile of Sanford in American Conservative magazine provides another sordid tidbit about the governor's diesel-powered meditation technique:

During Sanford's first gubernatorial campaign in 2002, an 8-year-oldAfrican-American girl wandered onto a Sanford family property on Lady'sIsland and drowned. A source close to the governor said she fell into a"retaining pond." Her family's lawyer, Manning Smith, called it a"pit." Other sources claim that Sanford, who owned a hydraulicexcavator at the time, digs holes on his property to unwind.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog New York City

Friday Video: Amtrak Is Way More Successful Than You Think

Why do so many people still treat Amtrak as a failure — and what would it take to deliver the rail investment that American riders deserve?

October 24, 2025

Hundreds of Community Groups — From the Conservatives to the Socialists! — Demand Daylighting

Two hundred New York City groups from across the ideological spectrum joined calls to ban parking at corners in order to improve safety and visibility, also known as daylighting.

October 24, 2025

OPINION: Canal Street — Not The Vendors — Is the Problem

If Zohran Mamdani becomes mayor — and is true to his vision for a fair, livable city — he will have to take on this long-ignored corridor. Here's how.

October 24, 2025

Vision Zero Cities: Bicycles Are Not Cars So They Shouldn’t Have to Follow the Same Rules

The default in nearly all states is to impose the same traffic rules on bicycles as on motor vehicles even though the needs of cyclists are so different.

October 24, 2025

Friday’s Headlines: Today’s the Day Edition

Mayor Adams's new 15 mph speed limit is officially goes into effect today. Plus more news.

October 24, 2025

Cough, Cough: DEP Considers Largest Ever Exemption Request to City’s Anti-Idling Law

Academy Bus claims no technological alternatives exist for heating and cooling buses without idling. Advocates warn an exemption would "gut" the city's 50-year-old idling ban.

October 23, 2025
See all posts