…you really know how to fucking kill a joke.
My joke had nothing to do with Franken or the photo. It had everything to do with the words that you said, which I quoted.
I’m pretty sure it’s Kevlar. What I typically think of as “body armor” would be something containing ceramic plates, which are decidedly more thick and rigid.
ETA: I expect that most any woman would be offended by someone placing their hands on her chest over a Kevlar vest. It’s not so thick and rigid that I’d expect the average woman to think “this is fine”
Franken is no dummy. He knows that there is little room for maneuver in his current situation. Attempting to defend the joke won’t help him. Condemning it and showing empathy for Ms Tweeden instead was the smart move. That doesn’t mean the joke is indefensible.
Maybe if you weren’t trying to joke I would understand your posts. What exactly is your point then?
I don’t apologize for this, but I’ll take the word of photographer Banquet Bear and concede that evidence of groping is ambiguous. Also, while the kiss was consented to, tongue stuff was not (though memories of that incident vary between the victim and accused). So my core summary is retracted.
That’s been my take since the beginning as well. I’ll add that neither apology nor acceptance should be dismissed, not that BB has done either. Also, Tweeden has said, “We all make mistakes”, which IMHO is a reasonable interpretation of the events. It is not the only defensible interpretation, given the 10 year old evidence as it stands. Tweeden also implies that she wanted to clear room for others to come forward, if such women exist.
By the way, the investigation will disappoint many. The Senate won’t want to put the hammer down on Franken, as methinks these acts are far milder than, oh, the behavior behind the multi-million dollar congressional sexual harassment settlements that we haven’t yet seen detailed. I think the airing will prove useful anyway. I hope it has a useful chilling effect on asshole behavior and worse.
Social media digs up 2006 USO video of Tweeden rubbing her butt against a guitar player, him nudging her ass away, and her grabbing his ass. I am unimpressed by this rebuttal: ISTM like a false equivalence. 10 second vid.
https://twitter.com/RealSickofitAll/status/932385097952751617
There are even more dubious claims about a 2006 USO vid with her and Robin Williams.
Social media has also noted that USO performers have escort officers. It’s been implied that they would have noticed anything untoward, which is horseshit. But they might be useful witnesses during the investigation.
…my point was:** I WAS MAKING A JOKE.**
Please explain your joke.
Kidding.
Thank you. That’s helpful if only to satisfy my curiosity.
So it’s not as though she were wearing a sandwich board over a life vest over a parka over a suit of medieval plate mail armor.
…nicely put. I wouldn’t put that much stake in my testimony: it was a quick test, but it was enough to convince me that I really can’t tell. But YMMV.
:: head explodes ::
Making a joke about what?
At this point I am not certain I understand anything you’ve posted.
Yes, not at all. It’s more like wearing a coat with no sleeves, which does a good job of stopping low-velocity pistol rounds.
This whole obsession with being “dismissive”. I think that’s where one of your bearings has seized.
A rude and hurtful word is not a crime, but it is bad behavior, the sort of thing that has the universal disapproval of Moms. Littering is a crime, but no one thinks that its the same as armed robbery. And so on along the spectrum, past war crimes to the production and distribution of Coor’s.
But Perry Mason does not defend homicide, nor does he dismiss it. And if he had a reasonable case to present, that the defendant had been negligent and thereby caused the death…that would not “dismiss” the negligence. The negligence is still wrong, even a crime but! it is not murder.
Acknowledging a spectrum of offensive behavior is not “dismissive”, and that’s kind of a mean thing to say. 'Course, you may not know how vulnerable and sensitive Texans are.
Oh, and just by the way…If Sen Franken is scolded, repentant, and a better man for it…what is missing?
Good luck with that idea getting traction in the modern era.
Of course he’s playing the pervert - for the camera, I didn’t think that was even in issue. High jinks in an entertainment touring party - who knew.
Under what feminist rules should “comic effect” like that be forgiven? When workers whistling at women are being decried as harassers, Franken should get a pass?
No kidding! luci’s sounding positively conservative in this thread!
It’s not just the picture though. From Tweeden’s other allegations about Franken there does seem to be two sexual assault allegations both hidden behind a thin layer of comedy. Do two instance suggest a theme or m.o?
You should cut back on the Dr. Pepper when you start to hallucinate.
It never ceases to amaze me, what conservatives want to own.
There does need to be a lot of thinking about this though. What if it’s October 2024 and the Democratic candidate turns out to have grabbed a staffer’s ass one time? Are you all voting Republican? Of course there’s a spectrum! Obviously if you find out your candidate likes 14-year old girls or is constantly grabbing everyone’s ass then he should be nowhere near the White House.
I just don’t see Franken’s crimes as resignation-worthy, and if Democrats want to make it so it’ll come back to bite them. Because Republicans certainly won’t be following suit, and Democrats will look even worse if they let someone more beloved or more important than Franken slide.