Donald Trump: Divine?

Lee Meriwether

You know the old saying about erring being human and forgiving being a sign of divinity? Rosie O'Donnell notwithstanding, one has to wonder how forgiving Donald Trump actually IS! Ever since he "forgave" the current Miss America after she was outed as an acohol-swilling party animal loose on the streets of the Big Apple, contestants have been surrendering state-won titles in record numbers...well, one was stripped (so to speak) of her title for appearing au natural on the internet in a variety of provocative poses. No word yet that she was "young and needed the money" a la Eric Cartman's mom.
Now comes word that another contestant has given up her state title because of the increasingly obvious inconvenience of her pregnancy. Is this what the idols of America's young women have come to represent? Where is Lee Meriwether, I want to know? Back to her in a moment.
These young women are not the first to sully the crown. While there may have been earlier transgressions, I still remember when Vanessa Williams (1984 Miss America) had to return the jewels after she posed nude in Playboy. Gee, ya think? The fact that she became something of a moderately poular singer is only slightly less astounding than reports that Beyonce was a star in "adult" films prior to making it (so to speak) big in the music biz.
Miss America has been around since 1921 when Margaret Gorman won the first title. Was there a swimsuit contest? Was the talent portion cooking? sewing? I don't know. I know that in 1922 and 1923 the same person won: Mary K. Campbell (makeup or soup?) And I know that between 1928 and 1932 there was no pageant, and in 1950 there was no winner...ah, the luxury of idle time spent on the internet. However, my money is and always has been on Lee Meriwether...though Phyllis George was a close second.
Lee Meriwether made her mark in my mind as Barnaby Jones' daughter Betty on the private detective show that ran for years. From 1973 through 1980, I probably missed very few episodes...something about Buddy Ebsen from the Beverly Hillbillies turned crime fighter with a Miss America as a sidekick. Anyway, as far as I know, there was never a scandal about Meriwether, unless you count starring on a soap opera (Ruth Martin: "All My Children") reprising the role of Lily on "The Munsters Today" and/or being part of the original IM Force on "Mission Impossible." None of those is likely to cause an uproar. Maybe reporters had something else to do in the days before the internet...like report real news. When Time indicates that it is going to relegate ONLY ONE reporter to the Britney Spears saga, you KNOW there is too little news.
Even though Lee Meriwether predated the internet, she's still my ideal Miss America. I'll bet Donald Trump longs for the "good old days," too.