One of the most powerful people in North Carolina politics and lawmaking resigned last night. Charles Thomas, the Chief of Staff, close confidant and roommate of the Speaker of the House quickly resigned after being confronted by Raleigh’s News & Observer about a romantic, extramarital relationship he’s apparently been engaged in with a lobbyist for one of the state’s most powerful special interest groups.

It seems likely that more information will come out today, so there’s no reason to speculate further about or dwell on the details.

But it does seem worth noting that this episode provides another reminder of something we all should remember: Humans are imperfect — especially when it comes to our intimate and personal relationships with other humans.  As such, we need to tread very lightly when it comes to such matters.

Let’s hope that, if anything comes out of this episode it’s this: All North Carolinians are reminded that no one has a monopoly on morality in this area and that we would all do well to bring an extra measure of humility to any discussions thereof. Hopefully, this will even include those people — like the man in question — who’ve been seeking to impose one narrow version of morality when it come to intimate personal relationships of late in the matter of a certain constitutional amendment.

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