There were three national news stories that caught my interest last week, all for different reasons. They were the continuing protest in Iran, the escapades of South Carolina’s governor and the senseless shooting of a popular Iowa high school football coach.

The Iranian unrest echoes all the world’s historical struggles for freedom. We have thousands of people, especially young people, who want to vote in fair elections and enjoy freedom of expression. They’re being beaten to death by those in power. The government there is trying to expel the foreign press and keep the story from getting told to the world. The brave young rebels in the streets are using cell phones, blogs and Internet to get their message out to the world.

My feelings when I witness the bloodshed on TV is great concern for the people involved and their families, many of whom live in this country and are fearfully watching the struggle unfold on their TV screens.

Another feeling I have is to fall to my knees and kiss the good old American soil where we can say what we like, dress how we like and elect our own public officials. I say a silent prayer of thanks every time I think of our country’s founders, people like Jefferson and Madison, who had the insight and open minds to make sure our country clearly separated church and state. I thank God we have no king or religious leader sitting on a high throne, telling us what we’re supposed to believe and do.

Many of these Iranians probably have visited the U.S. and experienced a little of the freedoms we enjoy. They want the same for their country. I hope they succeed. I hope our country always remains a lighthouse of freedom for people mired in the depths of oppression.

Now we have the South Carolina governor, Mark Sanford. Until last week, he was a rising star in the Republican Party, a 2012 presidential hopeful. Then he was reported AWOL, stirring up a media frenzy which resulted in his admission that he’d been having an affair with a woman from Argentina.

This is getting to be so common that it’s no longer interesting. But Americans love juicy gossip. So guess what has dominated the airwaves for the past several days?

It’s interesting that Kennedy, Roosevelt and Eisenhower all supposedly had extramarital affairs while in office. Nothing made the news in those days even though most news reporters knew about them but looked the other way.

However, it’s not the affairs that interest me in these stories. What I find fascinating is the apparent stupidity of political officials (of all parties) who do such crazy things and expect to get by with it. Sanford could have easily told his staff he was taking a few personal days in Argentina. Instead, he just took off, left his staff in the dark and created a situation that begged for media coverage.

One thing that many politicians fail to understand is that when they assume an elected public office, the rules of what is private and what is public change dramatically. While an ordinary citizen can rightfully claim privacy, most of what an elected officeholder does is a public concern. He or she is elected by the voters, is paid by tax money and performs jobs for the public. If you want to be a politician, you can expect your life to be put under the microscope.

The saddest story of the week was the shooting of Ed Thomas, a popular Parkersburg, Iowa, high school football coach, by a 24-year-old former student. Thomas was a loved community leader who helped rebuild his school and stadium after a huge 2008 tornado. His accused killer has a long history of drug abuse and law violations, including a home vandalism charge and high-speed chase on the Saturday before the shooting. He was reportedly taken to a psychiatric ward but was released the day before the fatal shooting. Police are still investigating the motive.

Senseless shootings by marginal people in churches, schools, malls and offices are becoming far too common. Where does the fault lie and what can we do to stop these tragedies? I fear there’s many more of these disturbed people out there, about to go over the edge.

I only hope this week brings happier news. Contrary to popular opinion, most news people like good news.

Jones is a staff writer for the Sentinel.