We’re clinging to the edge of a cliff by our fingertips, but there are still a couple of fingers that they haven’t pried loose. Whew!

What drives me nuts is the way she uses “families” as a synonym for “people.”

“I’m disinclined to stand in public judgment of legislators’ comments,” Republican party State Chairman Jeff Hays said. “...I will repeat what my administration has said before, which is that legislators speak for themselves and their constituents, not for the party.”

Yeah, it has belatedly occurred to me that this comment essentially rests on the same bullshit logic as “All Lives Matter.”

Well then I guess it was “overly pedantic to me” to feel a visceral anger when I read the comment.

I understand that. But in making that perfectly reasonable point, the commenter characterizes sexual harassment (which is a very broad term, but in the cases described in the article includes rape) as minor issues. Expressions like “amuse bouche” and “garden variety” are belittling.

You do realize that many of the cases discussed in the article involve rape, right? Kind of disgusting to dismiss that as an amuse bouche.

Perfect.

That was mildly funny!

Sexual assault is a crime. And crimes go through the court system. So yes I believe that crimes should go through the court system.

We do make judgements every day on what is true and false and what we believe. And we can be terribly wrong in those judgements as well based on bias.

“Innocent of lying until proven to be lying” is key. This is a big problem with police investigation of rape. Some police departments have, or have had, a policy (if not official, then close to it), of reflexively disbelieving rape accusations.

So, the only choices are “accused is convicted” and “accuser was lying”? That’s absurd.

I feel like there’s an analogy to be made with “Bernie Bernstein,” the antisemitic stereotype who was making robocalls in Alabama.

Andrew Jackson was looking over Trump’s shoulder at the time.

Okay, but why do you believe her? The police and the courts didn’t validate her story. I presume that you don’t think that every rape reported to the police is valid. Even I don’t believe that.

Okay.

I hope she dumped you. Please tell me she dumped you. That’s assuming she exists at all. I have only your word for that.

In the case of a crime (sexual assault, rape, sexual harassment), absolutely it needs to go through the court system and adjudicated by people that have better training in gather facts, can compel evidence and have the ability to punish those that commit crimes.

Stray observation: Leaslie Dean doesn’t wear underwear. And what was that light show under the covers?