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:
To
me, and I suspect no one else on earth, there is something wonderful
about listening to country music playing in the cab, air conditioner
running, the hum of a huge diesel engine in the background, the
tranquility that comes with being in a virtual wilderness of trees and
marsh, the day breaking and vibrant pink coming alive in the morning
clouds — 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-old
African-American girl wandered onto a Sanford family property on Lady’s
Island 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 hydraulic
excavator at the time, digs holes on his property to unwind.
Read More:
Streetsblog has migrated to a new comment system. New commenters can register directly in the comments section of any article. Returning commenters: your previous comments and display name have been preserved, but you'll need to reclaim your account by clicking "Forgot your password?" on the sign-in form, entering your email, and following the verification link to set a new password — this is required because passwords could not be carried over during the migration. For questions, contact tips@streetsblog.org.
