First: Starting at age 12, I became a target. By the time I was 30, I had been harassed, molested, held against my will, and twice raped — once by a boyfriend, once by a stranger. The one time I went to the police, I was treated dismissively for wasting their time. I tend to believe women when they say they were molested, but in this case, I am waiting for more information.
Second: When I was a child, my parents went to a friend’s house for a party. Folks got a bit silly (drunk). When the hostess went to the WC, someone opened the door and another person took a photograph of her sitting on the toilet. I saw the picture. This action was stupid, inappropriate, and embarrassing. However, noone at that party, including my parents, had ever before, or in the future, made a habit of bursting into restrooms and photographing women sitting on toilets.
The photo of Franken was stupid, inappropriate, and embarrassing. I am disappointed by his poor judgment in that moment. However, it does not prove the he is a sexual predator.
Photos, like words can be taken out of context. Someone could take a photo of me slipping a bottle of water into my coat pocket — something I sometimes do at the grocery store — and show it to the manager as proof that I am a shoplifter. In fact, I am not a shoplifter, but it would be easy to make me look like one.
Finally: Given that a number of Republicans and Fox personalities that have been accused by numerous women from a variety of backgrounds, and the fact that this accuser is an employee of Fox, I have to wonder. I see the possibility that an embarrassing picture was dug up and an inflammatory tale was created to accompany it just to create a huge distraction and cause Liberals to distrust their own leaders and allies. If, a parade of women shows up with similar complaints, like in the cases of Moore, O’Reilly, and Weinstein, I will, reluctantly, admit that Franken needs to step down. Until then, I am not jumping to any conclusions.
