“I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus!”
Democrats Call for Santa to Step Down
We are confused these days more than ever about sex, sexuality, sexual abuse, indiscretions and improprieties. Functionally, it’s the perfect psychological environment for political weaponry, and it is playing itself out on our cable news channels every day for our entertainment enjoyment.
Al Franken made some dumb, sophomoric moves but he is no predator. Newt Gingrich, of all people, brought up a point the other day saying that Franken, by nature and by profession, is a “comedian” and comedians do weird things. The obvious counterpoint is that’s no excuse for sexual harassment.
(Sexual Harassment: the bullying or coercion of a sexual nature, or the unwelcome or inappropriate promise of rewards in exchange for sexual favors. In most modern legal contexts, sexual harassment is illegal.)
A public, on the spot, slap in the face to men like Franken, or a kick you know where, by any of these women who have “come forth” to the media after ten years about being “touched inappropriately” in an elevator or elsewhere by some senator or public figure, would have served themselves and their cause much better. It would have served to bring more credible public awareness to the issue, to more functionally embarrass the groper, and it would have better served to stop the abuse. It would have been a “Rosa Parks” moment for women’s rights.
What ever happened to “I am woman hear me roar”..? “Roar” not squeak!
Funny, sad really, how looks and personality can either deceive or be dead on. Franken has been a cuddly, beloved comedian all his life, now a democratic U.S. Senator from Minnesota. We loved him on SNL, his Stuart Smalley bits were hilarious. We love him as a senator. He just looks funny. Trustworthy. Yes, but capable of indiscretions and making a dumb move, and taking an even dumber photograph ...ten years ago. Dumb, sure, but within the context of the photo, “funny” ...but not funny.
Let’s split the difference and call it “inappropriately funny”.
But the Republicans, through the media, and through his accuser after ten years, are trying to establish him as a sexual assault criminal. Sounds fishy to me, and too bad his fellow democrats didn’t support him. Instead they sacrificed him, hoping to make some moral stand in a sea of immorality when they should be concentrating on taking care of business.
Franken should have behaved himself and he paid the price. Congress isn’t SNL ...it’s Peyton Place. He’s made his apologies, but his indiscretions are not cause for him to lose his job and destroy his life. “Let he (or she) who is without sin cast the first stone.”
Judge Roy Moore of Alabama, on he other hand, has the full support of his Republican party, and also the full support of the President. The Republicans are winning, winning because they are in-your-face fearless, and shameless. They never get tired of winning. That’s the difference between Republicans and Democrats. Republicans would rather laugh with the sinners than cry with the saints ...and the Democrats.
Moore, however, would be defined as a predator if he in fact did target children when he was a grown man. And to me, and this may be unfair, he looks the part.
(Predator: a person or group that ruthlessly exploits others.)
Ivanka Trump, daughter to one of the great womanizers of all time, our president, Donald J. Trump, has even come out and said that, “There’s a special place in hell for people who prey on children.”
Stealing a kiss can be within the lines, commonly remedied, as I said, by a slap in the face and not “coming forth” to the media ten years later. But sexually attacking a woman, a child, or a man, however, is reprehensible. In our confused, politically correct society today we need to recognize the difference. We need to understand that you can not always recognize a book by its cover, but, conversely, that you also can sometimes tell a book by its cover. We need to be alert, pay attention, and be able to recognize the signs.
It is obvious, however, that men are the problem. Whatever natural, primitive instincts men have to hunt, make fire, be attracted by a woman, etc., somehow got out of control and is causing trouble in our politically correct America. Women have a role in this fatal attraction as well, but a public slap in the face would go a lot further for a woman than complaining to the media. In fact, the media would find that a lot more interesting and it would be a far more effective deterrent to the problem.
Just three last words: John Wayne Bobbitt. Look it up.
John Kushma is a communication consultant and lives in Logan, Utah.
