Senator Al Franken accused of unwanted kissing/groping

[jjenny]

Yes and if he is elected the Republicans have made it very clear they intend to prevent him from serving. Hello?

https://www.politico.com/story/2017/11/14/moore-senate-republicans-expulsion-244907

Yes, we have all the reasons on the world to believe that.

 

[simba16]

He is running for senate.

Congress includes the Senate.

 

[jjenny]

Congress includes the Senate.

And when he is elected, wouldn't refusing to sit him mean ignoring the will of the voters? For anybody who believes they would actually do that.

 

[BayouBelle_LA]

You don't get to decide who is a victim. "No" means "no." Tweeden said "no" and it was ignored. Franken needs to grow up and hold himself accountable. He's no role model for children.

Tweeden did agree to the rehearsed kiss after being badgered.

 

[simba16]

Tweeden did agree to the rehearsed kiss after being badgered.

But I understand the difference in a staged kiss and a French kiss. I assume she felt like "getting the tongue" was a violation.

 

[frisson]

Interesting thought process. So based on your posting history, it is ok to sexually persue children if you are a Christian fundamentalist, but if you are Muslim following sharia, you are an evil pedophile.

Anyone else concerned about this kind of thinking?

yes. boom. there it is.

 

[human]

Snopes says the quote by the photographer saying the picture was staged is false. That she saw the picture and was surprised.

So he did it. There is no way to deny it.

Even though he apologized and has changed, I guess, he will be ineffective, I guess. It will be hard to take him seriously, I feel.

He should resign and I guess Dayton can appoint a new one. I hope it does not have to be an election.

https://www.business2community.com/...age-leeann-tweeden-staged-fake-quote-01962046

 

[MyBelle]

Tweeden did agree to the rehearsed kiss after being badgered.

Badgering being the key. She refused. Badgering is harassment. Tweeden did not agree to his hand on the back of her head and his tongue in her mouth. She also refused to be kissed during the actual performance so Franken decided to retaliate by harassing her the rest of the tour.

http://www.kabc.com/2017/11/16/leeann-tweeden-on-senator-al-franken/

 

[MyBelle]

And when he is elected, wouldn't refusing to sit him mean ignoring the will of the voters? For anybody who believes they would actually do that.

Nobody has said Congress would refuse to sit him. What Congress can do is launch an ethics investigation. If the guy was trolling for 14-yo girls thirty years ago, I doubt he changed his behavior.

 

[CoolJ]

She works in radio NOW, but not at the time of the USO Tour.

The media is reluctant to cover her sex kitten/ nude modeling history in depth, for the same reason that we see here-- they would be perceived as " shaming" her. They must ignore her past, and focus on her present, in order to make her story more believable and not open to any criticism or critical thinking.

If her sex kitten/ nude modelling history was more of a part of the story, in addition to the sex skit focus of the USO Tours, and AF's bawdy history, then it's a ho-hum, predictable bunch of childish pranks by entertainers, and not a "predator sex assault" story with a pitiful victim, designed to bring down a sitting senator.

Sorry K_Z but this is the thought process of someone out to lunch. Nobody cares about her past. She was sexually molested. Not because she posed nude or modelled underwear. She was molested because she came into contact and had to work with a pervert.

When the girls at Hooters get harassed and groped, it is not because they are nice to look at, it is because they had customers who were perverts and predators.

My God. :gaah:

 

[TMAN2014]

Am I in the right topic here? I thought this was the Franken topic. I thought we had a Moore topic. So, why are all these Moore posts in here?

 

[MyBelle]

Sorry K_Z but this is the thought process of someone out to lunch. Nobody cares about her past. She was sexually molested. Not because she posed nude or modelled underwear. She was molested because she came into contact and had to work with a pervert.

When the girls at Hooters get harassed and groped, it is not because they are nice to look at, it is because they had customers who were perverts and predators.

My God. :gaah:

imo, Franken has always come across as a creep and a pervert, even in his comedy routines. In the link I posted up thread, Tweeden said Franken specifically wrote the skit for her. Her actual role at the show was to introduce entertainers. She didn't like the kiss scene and thought it would be funnier if she turned her head and did so during the performance.

 

[jjenny]

She claimed he specifically wrote the skit for her? Then why is there a video of him doing the kiss in the skit in 2003 with another performer?

 

[rsd1200]

Roy Moore is another story entirely. He was openly, and actively looking for a **teenage bride**. That was (and still is) very common among many fundamentalist religious adherents. That is VASTLY different than being a pedophile.

It's also heavily supported and approved of by many fundamentalist religious communities, even today. He was doing what he was taught to do, by his community and religious upbringing.

Although I was rebellious, and have lived a rather colorful life, especially after splitting from home, and running off to marry a man quite a number of years older than me, I can assure everyone on this thread, that, I have not found this to be a teaching in the church, for men, over 30 years old, to hang out at malls, so they can find a teen bride, nor is it taught in the church to seek out teen brides, period. I was raised Full Holiness Pentecostal, in the foothills of Appalachia, and my mother was the Adult Class Sunday School Teacher for over 20 years. I was drug to church every Sunday the doors were open, if Mom went to church, we went to church. Yes, I married a person much older than myself, the first, and this, my second marriage, but religious upbringing/teaching, had zero to do with it, in either case. My parents were at a loss when I rebelled, and, ultimately left home.

 

[MyBelle]

She claimed he specifically wrote the skit for her? Then why is there a video of him doing the kiss in the skit in 2003 with another performer?

I posted the link up thread. Of course, I can't force you to read it. Feel free to call her a liar. That seems to be your agenda.

 

[bluesneakers]

Am I in the right topic here? I thought this was the Franken topic. I thought we had a Moore topic. So, why are all these Moore posts in here?

Threads often expand into other topics, and the topic here might specifically be Al Franken, but overall the focus is sexual assault and harassment. So it can be expected personal stories, other examples and cases, laws, and historical references will be brought up as the conversation moves along. The mentions of Moore haven't been disruptive or made with an intent to derail but came up organically in the discussion. You're always free to roll and scroll.

 

[Spellbound]

And I think it's completely unreasonable and illogical for anyone to think that their actions don't have consequences. A person can't make sex/ sexuality/ nudity the focus of their reputation and persona, then expect others to ignore it.

A woman *chooses* to work at Hooters for a different reason than a woman chooses to work at Cracker Barrel. Lol!

BBM:

would that be be because they pay better? Or they get bigger tips? As far as I know, you can take the whole family, kids included (not that I would), and there is no touching or lewd comments toward staff allowed. I don’t understand how we can condemn Hooters employees for wearing the required attire to have a decent paying job.

My daughter worked at Cracker Barrell ... the pay was not good. I have never been to Hooters, so I really can’t critique them. I hear the food is very good, though.

 

[Spellbound]

I don't agree with this. Leeann Tweeden, in this case, wasn't forced into a life of taking off her clothes, posing in sexy magazines and catalogs, and grooming her image to be a sexy plaything. She was well paid for it, and enthusiastically groomed her career in that direction. She is not to be pitied for her station in life, IMO.

It does matter what you choose to do with your life, how one chooses to behave. It does matter to your health, safety, and risk factors when you make your choices. Her choices earlier in her life put her at serious risk of being exploited-- thankfully she hasn't been hurt or victimized. The time is LONG past for her to complain about this USO Tour experience. Her motivations are pretty transparent, IMO. I don't see her as any kind of victim, and I resent that she has presented herself as a victim.

I believe she spoke up in order to see the changes needed get brought about. we can’t change the past, but we can start supporting each other now. And talking about what made us uncomfortable or has harmed us needs to happen. She was much kinder with her words and acceptance of an apology than I could have been.

 

[Fairy1]

I'm terribly disappointed in Al Franken but it's refreshing to see him take responsibility for his disgusting behavior. Time will tell to what extent he'll be held accountable.

It's almost more disturbing to see any female blaming the victim. I would expect that from some men, but a woman? Shameful.

Sex kitten? Is it 1950?

 

[TeaTime]

I haven't read all the posts yet, but I have to jump in here and get a few things off my chest:


Leann didn't pose for that picture. Just because she voluntarily posed nude as a profession doesn't over ride the fact that she did not consent to that photograph being taken and couldn't because she was asleep. It wouldn't be okay to peep into her bathroom window just because she posed nude either. He didn't do it for a joke, he did it because she didn't want to have anything to do with him while she was awake.

Smashing his disgusting face into hers and shoving his tongue in her mouth is about as gross as it gets. And she didn't consent to that either. No one wants to be forced to share saliva with someone else. It is an assault on the person.

He is creepy and disgusting. His apology is meaningless. He is pandering to try to stay in the Senate. He had 11 years to apologize and didn't do it until his nasty behavior became public.