Thanksgiving Day 2017
Late Morning Update:
** A Thanksgiving Day Gift. Annys Shin & Libby Casey of the Washington Post report an edited interview of Anita Hill & five current & former U.S. female members of Congress on Hill's testimony before Congress. If you haven't time to read it today, save it for tomorrow's Thanksgiving leftovers. Also, too, check the stories marked "NEW" below, linked late this morning.
*****
Philip Bump of the Washington Post: "President Trump is at Mar-a-Lago, his resort in Palm Beach, Fla., for the Thanksgiving holiday.... 'Low-key' is ... how deputy White House press secretary Lindsay Walters described the day to the press pool Wednesday morning. Trump would make a few calls this week, she said, but otherwise not much going on. Less than10 minutes later, though, the White House asked the press pool for a correction.... "The president will NOT have a low-key day and has a full schedule of meetings and phone calls.'... About an hour after ... [the] update about how Trump wouldn't be having a 'low-key' day after all, another update from the press pool: Trump was departing Mar-a-Lago for destination unknown. Ten minutes later, the destination was revealed: The president is spending his morning at Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach. Clearly part of that 'full schedule' of meetings and calls."
Eileen Sullivan of the New York Times: "President Trump may be on vacation at his resort in Florida, but he was up early on Wednesday, railing against a college basketball player's father ... and the N.F.L. in a series of Twitter posts before 6 a.m. On the day before Thanksgiving, Mr. Trump apparently felt he was not getting enough credit for helping to free three U.C.L.A. basketball players who were detained in China after being accused of shoplifting designer sunglasses.... Mr. Trump tweeted and retweeted about a variety of topics early on Wednesday morning, but it was not until 8 a.m. that the president posted about the United States Navy aircraft that crashed outside of Okinawa, Japan...." If you'd care to know what-all Trump tweeted that was so much more important than this commander-in-chief job, Sullivan posts quite a few TrumpenTweets. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ...
... Vann Newkirk argues in the Atlantic that Trumpism is about nothing but white nationalism. "Without people of color to serve as a foil, there is no Trumpism. If not for his attacks on the Central Park Five, his birtherism, his slanders of immigrants, his 'what the hell do you have to lose' exhortations, the travel bans, and his autonomic reactions against prominent black people, it's hard to see how Trump ever could have been elected in the first place." Thanks to Akhilleus for the link.
**Howard Blum of Vanity Fair: "During a May 10 meeting in the Oval Office, the president betrayed his intelligence community by leaking the content of a classified, and highly sensitive, Israeli intelligence operation to two high-ranking Russian envoys, Sergey Kislyak and Sergey Lavrov. This is what he told them -- and the ramifications." --safari: A riveting piece of journalism, read on. ...
... Mrs. Bea McCrabbie: Perhaps for Trump one of the more consequential points of Blum's report is this: "... Trump's disturbing choice to hand over highly sensitive intelligence to the Russians is now a focus of special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into Trump's relationship with Russia, both before and after the election." For the rest of us, and for American intelligenice agencies & our allies, is how to isolate a treacherous U.S. president. Of course the best way is to impeach & convict him. ...
... NEW. In a similarly fascinating account, Ryan Lizza of the New Yorker reports on how one former Russian journalist, Dimitri Skorobutov, describes Russian media coverage in general & their 2016 U.S. presidential election in particular: "Me and my colleagues, we were given a clear instruction: to show Donald Trump in a positive way, and his opponent, Hillary Clinton, in a negative way," he said during a speech in the Netherlands. "Skorobutov said in his speech that the pro-Trump perspective extended from Kremlin-controlled media to the Moscow élite. 'There was even a slogan among Russian political élite,' he said. '"Trump is our president."'... He flipped through his pages and pointed to the coverage guide for August 9, 2016, when Clinton stumbled while climbing some steps. The Kremlin wanted to play the story up big." ...
... NEW. Julia Ainsley of ABC News: "A former business associate of Michael Flynn has become a subject of Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation for his role in the failure of Flynn's former lobbying firm to disclose its work on behalf of foreign governments, three sources familiar with the investigation told NBC News. Federal investigators are zeroing in on Bijan Kian, an Iranian-American who was a partner at the now-dissolved Flynn Intel Group, and have questioned multiple witnesses in recent weeks about his lobbying work on behalf of Turkey."
Jonathan O'Connell & David Fahrenthold of the Washington Post: "President Trump's company has agreed to remove the Trump name from its hotel in Lower Manhattan and give up management of the property, the most visible sign yet of the toll his presidency has taken on his brand. The decision, announced by the company Wednesday afternoon, follows signs that business has flagged for months at Trump SoHo, beginning during his polarizing campaign last year. The hotel's sushi restaurant closed. Professional sports teams, once reliable customers, began to shun the property. The hotel struggled to attract business for its meeting rooms and banquet halls, according to reporting by radio station WNYC. Trump SoHo has emerged as one of the clearest examples of how Trump's divisive politics have redefined his luxury hotel and real estate company, which spent years courting upscale customers in liberal urban centers where he is now deeply unpopular."
Emily Cochrane of the New York Times: "The Justice Department on Wednesday ordered a federal review of a database that is used to check gun buyers' backgrounds, after a man who shot and killed more than two dozen people at a Texas church this month was omitted from the system despite a criminal record. Attorney General Jeff Sessions said he was asking the F.B.I. and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives to conduct a comprehensive review of the database, known as the National Instant Criminal Background Check System." ...
... Here's Something Stupid that Is Not Trump's Fault. Sari Horwitz of the Washington Post: "Tens of thousands of people wanted by law enforcement officials have been removed this year from the FBI criminal background check database that prohibits fugitives from justice from buying guns. The names were taken out after the FBI in February changed its legal interpretation of 'fugitive from justice' to say it pertains only to wanted people who have crossed state lines. What that means is that those fugitives who were previously prohibited under federal law from purchasing firearms can now buy them, unless barred for other reasons. Since the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) was created in 1998, the background check system has prevented 1.5 million people from buying guns, including 180,000 denials to people who were fugitives from justice, according to government statistics.... Late last year, before President Trump took office, the Justice Department Office of Legal Counsel ... said that gun purchases could be denied only to fugitives who cross state lines."
This is how it's going to work today. If you want to ask a question I think it's only fair since I've shared what I'm thankful for ... you start off with what you're thankful for. -- Sarah Sanders, at Monday's White House fake press briefing ...
... John Kirby of CNN: "At Monday's daily press briefing, White House press secretary Sarah Sanders encouraged reporters to first state things they were thankful for before asking their questions. Most of them obliged. They shouldn't have.... It's neither the time nor the place for kibbitzing or moralizing, and it's certainly not appropriate for a press secretary to lay down special rules for who gets to ask questions or how those questions need to be prefaced or proffered.... The whole cringe-worthy exercise made me embarrassed for the reporters and angry at Sanders and this White House for their arrogance and condescension.... I believe her little stunt is just part and parcel of a longer, larger effort by this administration to undermine the credibility and stature of a free press...." (Also linked yesterday.) ...
... Kathleen Parker of the Washington Post: "For a press secretary to require professional journalists to essentially beg for their supper, surrendering their adversarial posture like a dog commanded to Drop The Bone, is an infantilizing tactic.... Sanders, whose persistently arched brows convey an air of constant disapproval, routinely brushes reporters' questions aside.... If Sanders isn't evading, she's scolding.... She's everything a terrible person -- or, say, an unpopular president -- could hope for in a public relations artist. She says nothing; gives away nothing; looks fierce and dutifully repeats falsehoods.... Her daily humiliation of the press, making them seem like churlish children, is a booster shot of 'fake news' animus.... To the media, she is the wall Trump promised to erect and, increasingly, it seems, we are the swamp he seeks to drain. Out with the media, out with free speech, out with facts! For these purposes, Sanders is perfectly cast." ...
... Sanders Started by Picking on a Black Person. Perfect! Masha Gessen of the New Yorker: "The President of the United States is a bully who makes a mockery of his office, democratic institutions, and the English language. So is his press secretary. On Monday, during the last briefing before the Thanksgiving holiday, Sarah Huckabee Sanders treated the White House press pool the way a sadistic teen-ager would treat a group of third graders. The journalists, for the most part, went along with it.... Her tone was menacing, the tone of a bully asking for a volunteer to be humiliated in front of the room. She called on April Ryan, of American Urban Radio Networks. Ryan was one of the few African-American reporters in the room...." (Also linked yesterday.)
Josh Gerstein of Politico: "A prominent government ethics expert has filed a complaint against ... Kellyanne Conway, alleging that she violated federal law Monday by appearing to oppose Alabama Senate candidate Roy Moore's Democratic opponent [during a Fox 'News' segment]. Walter Shaub, who resigned in July as the head of the Office of Government Ethics, said on Twitter on Wednesday that he lodged a complaint claiming that ... [Conway] ran afoul of the Hatch Act when she discouraged Alabamans from voting for the Democratic nominee, Doug Jones.... Outside the White House on Tuesday as he prepared to leave for Thanksgiving weekend in Florida, Trump made similar comments to Conway's. However, the Hatch Act -- which limits political involvement by federal employees -- does not apply to elected officials such as the president or vice president.... Shaub noted that the ban on partisan political activity does cover senior administration officials when they are speaking in their official capacity or using their official titles. She was introduced on Fox as 'counselor to the president.'"
David Gelles of the New York Times has the silly idea of trying to apply logic to the Trump administration: "In a matter of hours this week, the Trump administration twice weighed in on one of the central issues shaping business and society today -- just how much market power big companies should be allowed to amass. Yet in back-to-back developments, two federal agencies arrived at starkly different conclusions, and one company, AT&T, found itself on opposite sides of the debate. On Monday, the Department of Justice sued to block AT&'T's proposed $85.4 billion takeover of Time Warner, a deal that would unite one of the country's biggest internet providers with the company that owns CNN, HBO and the Warner Bros. film studio.... Then on Tuesday morning, the Federal Communications Commission announced plans to dismantle net neutrality rules. The move would let companies charge higher fees and block access to some websites, and was effectively a green light for big internet service providers -- including AT&T -- to freely wield their influence against rivals." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)
Dan Diamond of Politico: "Sen. Lisa Murkowski says she supports GOP efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act's individual mandate, the Alaska Republican wrote in an op-ed for a local newspaper Tuesday.... Murkowski's renewed support for repealing the mandate -- after repeatedly opposing her party's Obamacare repeal bills this year -- may be a boon for Senate Republicans' tax legislation, which includes mandate repeal and is expected to be taken up on the Senate floor next week. [BUT] A spokesperson for Murkowski told Politico that the comments should not be construed as support for the tax bill, which does not yet appear to have sufficient support to pass the chamber." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)
Today in Sexual Harassment News:
Mrs. McCrabbie: When I heard on the teevee that there were nude photos of Rep. Joe Barton -- who is not only physically unattractive but also dumber than a rock -- were floating around the InterTubes, I thought it was going to be a fun family Thanksgiving story. But that dimwitted, weird, nasty SOB managed to turn a joke on him into intimidation & harassment of a woman to whom he'd sent "sexually explicit photos, videos & messages." The woman had a relationship with Barton, which began when she made a political comment on his Facebook page. "Over time, she said, she became aware of and corresponded with multiple other women who engaged in relationships with Barton, who represents a suburban Dallas district and is one of the most senior Republicans in the House." ...
... Mike DeBonis & Elise Viebeck of the Washington Post: "Rep. Joe Barton (R-Tex.), who apologized Wednesday for a lewd photo of him that circulated on the Internet, told a woman to whom he had sent sexually explicit photos, videos and messages that he would report her to the Capitol Police because she could expose his behavior, according to a recording reviewed by The Washington Post. [Another bit Barton thought was a good idea to share: "a 53-second cellphone video Barton recorded of himself while masturbating.] The woman spoke to The Post after the lewd photo was published Tuesday by an anonymous Twitter account.... The woman said she did not post the image herself.... She shared a secretly recorded phone conversation she had with Barton in 2015 in which he warned her against using the explicit materials 'in a way that would negatively affect my career.'... In a statement late Wednesday, Barton said a transcript of the recording provided by The Post may be 'evidence' of a 'potential crime against me.' He said that he received word Wednesday that the Capitol Police are opening an inquiry." ...
... Mrs. McCrabbie: The Capitol Police, we must assume, will be laughing their heads off over this one. For those of you interested in seeing the type of artwork a sitting Congressman thinks will is seductive, TMZ has the pic, which was bowdlerized by the sender. Just as a note of advice to Rep. Barton & men everywhere: to each her own, but the majority of women are not that turned on by the sight of erect penises & fat guts. You jerkoffs are showing off for yourselves or to other men, but there a high likelihood the woman you're trying to impress is thinking, "Oh, please." ...
... Katie Leslie of the Dallas Morning News: Barton's "spokeswoman told The News that he has no plans to step down.... The news comes less than three weeks after Barton, the longest-serving member of the Texas House delegation, announced that he's launching his 18th congressional campaign -- a decision now in turmoil."
Jenavieve Hatch & Zachary Roth of the Huffington Post: "Two more women have told HuffPost that Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) touched their butts in separate incidents. The two additional women, who said they were not familiar with each others' stories, both spoke on condition of anonymity. But their stories, which describe events during Franken's first campaign for the Senate, are remarkably similar -- and both women have been telling them privately for years.... The first woman ... said Franken groped her when they posed for a photo after a June 25, 2007, event hosted by the Minnesota Women's Political Caucus in Minneapolis.... The second woman told HuffPost that Franken cupped her butt with his hand at a 2008 Democratic fundraiser in Minneapolis, then suggested the two visit the bathroom together."
Kimberly Kindy, et al., of the Washington Post: Melanie Sloan, a "high-profile Washington lawyer specializing in congressional ethics, said Wednesday that Rep. John Conyers Jr. (D-Mich.) harassed and verbally abused her when she worked for him on Capitol Hill in the 1990s and that her repeated appeals for help to congressional leadership were ignored.... Sloan, the former executive director of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), was hired by Conyers in 1995.... She held the job until 1998. During that time, Sloan said, she witnessed and experienced behavior by Conyers similar to episodes described in claims against him that on Tuesday prompted the House Ethics Committee to open an investigation.... Sloan said she did not believe she was sexually harassed by the congressman, but she said his behavior toward her was inappropriate and abusive.... Sloan said that Conyers routinely yelled at and berated her, often criticizing her appearance. On one occasion, she said, he summoned her to his Rayburn Building office, where she found him in his underwear."
Senate Race:
Marwa Eltagouri of the Washington Post: "Roy Moore's communications director John Rogers has resigned from the Alabama Senate candidate's campaign, according to the Associated Press. Campaign strategist Brett Doster told CNN that Rogers wasn't prepared to deal with the 'level of scrutiny' from the media following The Washington Post's extensive report on Nov. 9 detailing allegations that Moore pursued relationships with teenage girls.... Since the publication of The Post's report, other women have stepped forward to make similar accusations." ...
... Adam Raymond of New York: "Moore adviser Brett Doster offered some thoughts on Rogers's departure to Fox News.... 'John just did not have the experience to deal with the press the last couple of weeks, and we've had to make a change,' Doster said." ...
... Mrs. McCrabbie: Oh, I don't know. I think the Moore campaign's communications efforts are exceptional. That Brett Doster guy -- who dismissed Rogers as too inexperienced -- is himself super-professional: ...
... Michael Scherer of the Washington Post: "Senate candidate Roy Moore's campaign refused Wednesday to substantiate a key claim it made as part of an effort to raise doubts about one of the Alabama candidate's accusers. The campaign has claimed to have found documents that show Leigh Corfman lived more than a mile from the intersection where she said Moore picked her up for dates in 1979, when she was 14 and he was 32.... [But] a police report about property theft published in the Gadsden Times on March 31, 1980, listed [a family address that conforms with Corfman's story]. The Post requested documentation to support [the campaign's] description of another address on Tuesday [and again on Wednesday].... Brett Doster, a strategist for the Moore campaign, sent an email to The Post. 'The Washington Post is a worthless piece of crap that has gone out of its way to railroad Roy Moore,' Doster wrote in an email he described as an 'on the record' statement. 'There is no need for anyone at the Washington Post to ever reach out to the Roy Moore campaign again because we will not respond to anyone from the Post now or in the future. Happy Thanksgiving.'" Other supposed "evidence" against Corfman which the Moore campaign cited "did not contradict what Corfman has told The Post." Emphasis added.
Cristiano Lima of Politico: "Kelley Paul called the assault on her husband Sen. Rand Paul 'a deliberate, blindside attack' on Wednesday, disputing a characterization by the alleged attacker's legal team that the altercation was 'regrettable dispute between two neighbors.' 'This was not a "scuffle," a "fight" or an "altercation," as many in the media falsely describe it. It was a deliberate, blindside attack,' Kelley Paul wrote in a an op-ed for CNN published Wednesday." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ...
... Mrs. McCrabbie: I'm tellin' ya, even tho Randy doesn't bag his leaves, we're going to find out he bagged the ex-Mrs. Boucher. And, yeah, I'm making this up, I have no reason more reliable than a hunch, & my apologies to all the victims of my random, crabby, totally unverified thoughts.
NEW. KHOU (Houston): "A woman in the Brookshire area (Houston metropolitan area) is accused of sending explosives to three government leaders in 2016. According to the six-count indictment, 46-year-old Julia Poff mailed explosives to Governor Greg Abbott, President Barack Obama and Commissioner of the Social Security Administration Carolyn Colvin on Oct. 12, 2016. Other court documents say Gov. Abbott opened the package, but it failed to explode because he didn't open it right. If opened correctly, documents say 'it could've caused severe burns and death.'... Federal investigators say they were able to connect Poff to the packages using pieces of the shipping labels, and also matched cat hair found in the box mailed to President Obama with her cat." ...
... Mrs. McCrabbie: The awkward construction of that last sentence made me think Poff had sent her dead cat in the package that contained the bomb mailed to President Obama, but that's not the case. Court documents included in the report indicate that forensic experts matched hairs in the box to hairs on a cat she had in her home.
Anna Fifield of the Washington Post: "Eight people have been rescued and are in 'good condition' after a U.S. Navy cargo plane carrying 11 crew members and passengers crashed into the Pacific Ocean off Japan, the U.S. Navy's 7th Fleet said Wednesday. The search for the remaining three people is continuing. It was the latest accident to befall the 7th Fleet, which is based in the Japanese port of Yokosuka, south of Tokyo, and has endured multiple collisions at sea this year, including two that involved guided-missile destroyers and left 17 sailors dead.... It crashed at 2:45 p.m. local time Wednesday, the 7th Fleet said in a statement." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)
Julia Wong of the Guardian: "Uber is facing government scrutiny around the world in the wake of its admission it concealed a massive data breach affecting 57 million drivers and passengers. The $68bn ride-hailing company acknowledged Tuesday that hackers had stolen the personal information in October 2016, and that Uber had paid them $100,000 to destroy the information and keep the breach quiet. The global nature of the breach exposes Uber to potential liability in numerous jurisdictions. Many countries and US states have laws requiring companies to inform individuals if their personal information has been compromised."
Way Beyond the Beltway
Marlise Simons, et al., of the New York Times: "With outbursts inside and outside the courtroom at the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia, Gen. Ratko Mladic, the former Bosnian Serb commander, was sentenced to life imprisonment on Wednesday for genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity. It was the last major item of business for the tribunal in The Hague before it wound down, a full quarter-century after some of the crimes it prosecuted were committed." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)
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It's time for another Gail Collins quiz...
I suspect all RC regulars will get perfect scores thanks to Mrs. McC.
More in Turkey News:
Legal question to ponder. Read that Texas has a 'revenge porn' law, but does that include activities shown online in another state or states and posted outside the confines of the Lone Star state? Didn't the (hehehehe )'victim' transmit his imagery via the Internet in the first place? Guilty by association?
Curious to see what Adonis-like selfie pose Barton might have struck to lure his lady-friend(s), I ventured to TMZ, my advice don't go there even with the blue blur—OMG it is an image that will surely haunt.
And he doesn't even look good fully clothed! Jeebus!
It’s weirdly fitting, during this Thanksgiving holiday, a time to recall when one race—Native Americans—saved another—white Europeans—from extinction (that part of the Thanksgiving Story is actually true), that president* KKK should go out of his way to embue his constant attacks on uppity Blacks with even greater ferocity.
The second part of the Thanksgiving Story goes like this: a generation after Massasoit and the Wampanoags rescued white settlers from starvation and frostbite, his son, Metacomet (King Philip), reacted strongly to the disintegration of friendly relations between his people and the next generation of Pilgrims who began behaving more like invaders than settlers. Laws were passed making the natives third class citizens. Their movements were restricted and access to firearms cut off due to Metacomet’s acting all uppity (Ronald Reagan used gun control to “protect” fearful whites from Black Panthers hundreds of years later). Metacomet revolted. King Philip’s War was the deadliest ever fought on this continent. Bloodier by far than either the revolution or the Civil War.
Thiusands of tribe members were chained up and sent into slavery to cut cane in the West Infies, but a people already in war mode proved terrible at slavery. Most of them had to be killed. So where to get new slaves? Africa!
And here we are.
And Massa Trump is not letting any uppity former slaves get away with shit. Especially not on Thanksgiving, when they should all be on their knees giving thanks (see SHS’s attempt to force a black reporter to bow before her) to whitey.
An excellent piece in the Atlantic points out that without racism and his constant attacks on black Americans who don’t steppenfetchit, the little king of white grievance would be nothing.
https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2017/11/donald-trump-lavar-ball-marshawn-lynch-tweeting/546686/?google_editors_picks=true
But before I go, let me say how thankful I am to Marie for this forum and for all RCers out there fighting the good fight. And, in case you’re wondering, she didn’t make me say that, neither.
And now I can’t wait for tomorrow: turkey, stuffing, and cranberry sauce sandwiches are about one of the greatest things in all creation.
Enjoy!
@MAG: I'm not a lawyer & I haven't read the Texas statute, so take my view with an extra-large grain of road salt. But here I go.
First, I don't see much upside for Barton in keeping this story alive while an "investigation" ensues & inquiring reporters want to know.
Second, Barton is a public figure. It would be mighty difficult for law enforcement to make a case that disseminating his porn selfies is not in the public interest.
Third, whatever the statute, Barton's sex partner says she did not post the photos & videos. So she is not responsible for taking public "revenge." She did apparently send them to other Barton paramours, but even if she said nasty things about him in the accompanying letters or e-mails to these women, she can argue that she initiated this correspondence to warn Barton's other victims & perhaps to help her understand how Barton had abused her. And so forth. There just isn't any "revenge" case against her unless she draws a jury of 12 Texas he-men. Moreover, Barton himself has already threatened to ruin her life & to do so by alerting the authorities. Who is it who's exacting revenge?
Let's assume that the Capitol police, when they stop laughing long enough to do some forensic detective stuff, find out who actually published the Barton trove. If that person is one of Barton's ex-lovers, she (or he) has a good case that she had public-spirited motives. She's participating in the #MeToo movement AND s/he's reporting on the activities of a public figure. If that person is someone else who is not a Barton victim, & if s/he sent out the stuff with self-incriminating comments that suggest malice, s/he might have more trouble. Still, I doubt that, especially in the case of outing a public figure, the Texas law would pass a First Amendment test.
Can Barton cause his lady friends more trouble? Yes. But would a case against them stick? I don't see how.
Thanks Akhilleus for another history lesson which some of us know but I would bet many of our citizens don't. And for some other thoughts on this Thanksgiving Day I urge you all to read safari's link to the Howard Blum piece which is fascinating. So when we partake of the feast today among family and friends, let's try and forget that overly large Turkey that is making our lives miserable and dangerous. Let's pretend that life for all of us is just the way we want it––-have another glass of wine or piece of pie––smile for awhile.
And yes, many, many thanks to our mistress of our oasis in the desert.
@Akhilleus: Well, thanks for the compliment, but now you've made me feel dumber than Trump & Mrs. Huckleberry. All along, I should have been deleting every comment that didn't begin with a "Thank you, Marie/Constant Weader/Mrs. McCrabbie, for making my life richer, blah blah."
Trump wrote in one of his demands for tribute, "It wasn't the White House, it wasn't the State Department, it wasn't father LaVar's so-called people on the ground in China that got his son out of a long term prison sentence - IT WAS ME." Well, let me tell you, it wasn't the New York Times, it wasn't the Washington Post, it wasn't so-called pundits at their laptops that gave you all this insight into American politics - IT WAS ME. Oh wait, that's nonsense. That's bull. That's the turkey innards that are no good for making gravy.
In the spirit of the season, the goddesses of Reality Chex will not demand tribute, offerings or human sacrifice.
Happy Thanksgiving, all.
Trump just made my driving safer. The Trump SOHO hotel is changing it's name and management. When I go to the city I drive by the hotel. Now I won't have to take my hand off the wheel and raise my middle finger!
And the cartoon in the local paper had a person tell the Trump that the turkey being pardoned declined the invitation.
Don't need an answer today, but is there a legal or perceived (or just for fun, moral) distinction between and among brushing, touching, patting, rubbing and/or groping?
I need to know so I can better understand all the news that RC (and no one else, be it noted and properly appreciated!) has been supplying lately.
Ah, hell. Might bring it up between servings at dinner today, if conversation otherwise lags. That should be fun.
Have a great day, All.
Ken Winkes, you raise a great question. I have been thinking about this. There are some acts clearly wrong. But for others how and where do we draw the line. In some cases it will not be easy. The good news is that because of the current news, the rule is keep your hands and mouth to yourself.
@Ken Winkes: The U.S. code defines "rape & sexual assault generally." However, since these "activities" usually occur within a state, I think (but don't know for sure) that these definitions may apply only to the military when they are outside state jurisdictions. There are other federal laws, including of course the Violence Against Women Act, that impose some responsibilities on the federal government & the states for some sex-related crimes.
States all have laws that define sexual assault & workplace harassment. I just read, for instance, that in Minnesota, grabbing a woman's clothed posterior, a la Franken & Poppy Bush, does not qualify as sexual assault.
The EEOC also has rules, based on federal civil rights laws, that define workplace harassment for which companies may be liable. State laws may be harsher.
Many of these laws can be somewhat ambiguous, especially as some depend upon the victim's interpretation. That is, did the activity cause the victim to become fearful? So the same activity -- brushing up against a person, for instance -- well could be "lawful" in one circumstance & not in another.
P.S. The question you ask is the kind you can answer yourself, thanks to the Googles -- just as I did -- & inform the rest of us rather than placing the burden on other contributors.
Bea,
Didn't intend to burden anyone; if anyone felt burdened, my apologies.
Had two thoughts in mind. First, a sly suggestion that is no clear equivalent (on any plane) among all the reports of various sorts of sexual aggression that have dominated the news lately, and that this lack of clarity makes it difficult to know what really happened (if it happened at all) and what we should think about, how we should react to many of the incidents as reported.
Two, a genuine query, which I thank Bea for going to some trouble to begin to answer. In sum, there are some clear rules, some rules that differ from place to place, and some rules whose application just depends.... And more than enough ambiguity to spice the stew.
As I said the other day I have some knowledge of the rules governing workplace harassment and know ambiguity to be one of problems with applying and enforcing them. As you say, much can depend on the feelings of the victim (a word, I'd note, that in itself implies a judgment) and mention "fear" as one of those feelings. "Annoyance" is another common, understandable reaction which can rise to the level of harassment, but because its meaning is squishier it can be even harder to deal with.
Just like the fear, the annoyance threshold differs mightily from person to person. What is taken as light-hearted banter by one can annoy the heck out of another. I have even seen instances where a remark directed at, accepted and to all appearances enjoyed by one, clearly annoyed someone else who overheard it. Collateral damage, as it were, but if that second person made an issue of it, the stakes can be raised beyond individual persons and their reactions to the workplace environment as a whole, which can also become a potential legal issue.
Finally, I think Marvin has come up with a good rule to follow in these changing times. Men who follow it shouldn't need to fear they've stepped over some real or perceived line.