I'm going to break my word...

I wrote that we would only bring the "real world" into the ACT 2 MINISTRIES blog if it "intervened".

Well, I consider this "intervening".

Whatever one might think of the Democratic candidate for President of the United States, her adversary is a far more reprehensible human being. That much has been clear for months now, long before the political conventions, and the sudden outcry by Republican leaders who are somehow "startled" by revelations of his behavior is at best ingenuous and at worst idiotic and hypocritical.

But on behalf of my late wife Melissa Anne Smith, my co-founder of ACT 2 and the woman who brought me to Christ a lifetime ago, I cannot stay silent on this latest outrage.

For those of you blessed enough to stay away from the campaign this weekend, you may not be aware of the leaked video recording of Mr. Trump chatting amiably with the sterling role model from the TV bottom feeder, Extra!, Billy Bush. In it, (look away if you're somehow offended by words), Mr. Trump extols the virtues of being famous because he can basically walk up to any woman he wants and kiss her or (ahem) "grab her by the pussy". There's more, of course, but that's the catchphrase of today's #Trumpscandal (patent pending).

Here's why I have to speak up. 

My bride Melissa had a rough childhood. Her father left her mother and her sister and her when she was about seven years old - he made very few attempts to see his children again, and in fact Melissa did not see him in the last twenty years of her life. But the man her mother married next was far worse: he abused her physically, emotionally, and sexually for years. Being a full-grown man, he apparently thought nothing of forcing himself on a young woman, ten to sixteen years of age. Melissa and I first met and fell in love during this time period, and I thought we could talk about anything, but even I never knew what he was doing to her throughout this time. The damage it did to her lasted the rest of her life. Many of her insecurities stemmed from this time, affected every relationship she ever had (trust me - I know that better than anyone alive!), and I do not doubt led to some of the stress-related medical issues she had that eventually took her life in 2014 at the age of 47.

I have never said this in the twenty-two months since her death, but for the first time, I am glad, even relieved that she isn't alive to read about how one of the two individuals selected to run for POTUS, the candidate of the party she was affiliated with her entire adult life (I am a registered independent), was a misogynistic advocate of blatant sexism who felt he had the same horrific "guy's club license to grope" that her own abusive stepfather had.

Her stepfather's excuse was mental incapacity, brought on by Agent Orange during his tour of 'Nam.

What's YOUR excuse, Donald?