Al Franken
solidified my opinion on the dozens upon dozens of men both here and
around the world who are being accused of sexual harassment by dozens of
female accusers. Those who know me understand I am an ardent feminist
and yet ... and yet ... these massive accusations of sexual harassment
are levied against men who fall from positions of high status and even
ones who are not among the 2% richest fall as if they are feathers on a
shelf that come down with one breeze. I am a feminist because I love
civil liberties and want them protected at all cost.
I
examine our nation once an example of a modicum of judicial fairness
devolve into a Rod Serling "Twilight Zone" episode, an Orwellian 1984
nightmare novel, a Hawthorne "The Scarlett Letter" shame and an Arthur
Miller's "The Crucible" where fair play gives way to public hysteria
that smothers the accused who has no right to a rational defense. A
man has the basic Constitutional right to face his accuser(s), be
provided evidence of such accusations and compose a defense in front of
an impartial jury before they melt into tears and resign their
positions. Even in the case of sexual harassment process must prevail.
Some process, as Mika Brezezinski on "Morning Joe" so correctly states,
needs to be enacted to preserve the shred of this nation's civil
libertarian due process rights that are left before the Trumpian train
wreck will have killed all of them.
The
horrific train crash near Seattle yesterday is a metaphor for our
nation. It has gone off the rails while the Constitution that has
propped it up and protected it for over 240 years is coming down.
Much
depends on what happens to the Abuser in Chief Trump who has been sued
and quietly settled a complaint of egregious attack on a young girl.
The Billy Bush Access tape is evidence that mounts against the
emoluments flouter Trump but Al Franken first accused by a right wing
talk show host is not allowed to produce evidence of his innocence and
be heard. Special Counsel, Robert Mueller, is investigating the other
egregious Constitutional abuses the flimflam artist president has
allegedly committed. When through, one will need a wheel barrel to
carry the final report and/or indictments to read. I suspect Muller
will not be through with Trump at Christmas nor will he exonerate him
hopefully ever.
Good
and humane policy in our nation is being trampled and crushed by unfair
tribal loyalties, division and human discord around the nation ignoring
due process. Our nation is spinning out of control and revisiting the
McCarthy era. Paraphrasing Joseph Welch confronting Joe McCarthy the
accuser of Communists in every corner of government -- "At long last
have you no shame?" At long last, Republicans who pass an egregious
humongous tax bill that unfairly gives Trump and his billionaire cronies
massive tax breaks and killing healthcare while eventually sticking the
middle class with the bill and Democrats who indicted Senator Franken
without benefit of hearing have you no shame either? McCarthy is dead
but his era is still at work. Sad!
