This is a brilliant Thanksgiving inquiry, summoning dozens of amazing responses.

This or maybe that... It's hard to tell in late middle age, when everything seems accelerated anyway.

Guy at work just offered a fascinating thought: The atmosphere of a Trump administration's America did more to let loose these righteous sex scandals of media and government than a presumably feminist Hillary presidency would have done.

Via Paul.

The camera is at an especially flattering angle for her young face, but I think this is a pretty girl.

And I bet she's a lotta fun.

Crid, whatever's holding that girl's camera in place must be rock steady. I didn't see even the slightest jostle when her chute deployed.

CNN:

Al Franken apologizes for making 'some women feel badly' amid groping allegations

... "I'm a warm person; I hug people. I've learned from recent stories that in some of those encounters, I crossed a line for some women -- and I know that any number is too many."

There seems to be a vague distinction in Dem circles about whether to parse ('Our pervert's less reprehensible than your pervert') or two eject ('Al, ever think about what you wanted to do after politics?').

My fond hope is that they'll s-can him. Some twitter yesterday made the point that...

Ah, here she is.

Oh, he's a *hugger*. Well then. He didn't mean to grab ass... he's just warm.

"Too many," he says.

Also, if you're in the mood to hate on some advertising today for being slick and politically and technically oblivious, this is a good subject for your investigation & consideration.

If the French wanna cripple their productivity in such clumsy, authoritarian ways, there's no reason we shouldn't let 'em.

Crid, whatever's holding that girl's camera in place must be rock steady. I didn't see even the slightest jostle when her chute deployed. ~ Patrick at November 24, 2017 4:57 AM

It's mounted to her helmet. Notice the helmet never moves in relation to the camera. Good, sturdy mount, too.

I think this is a pretty girl.

If she invited me to jump off a bridge with her, I *gulp* probably would.

Can I have a blindfold?

He didn't mean to grab ass... he's just warm. ~ Crid at November 24, 2017 5:44 AM

His apology strategy is to dismiss the underlying offense and chalk up any offense to a difference of memory. Then apologize for any inadvertent bad feelings. That way, he stays a "champion of women" and can still say he "respects women." It's weaselly and blatantly dishonest, but gets him praised by politics-above-all feminists for "honesty."

With four women coming forward so far to accuse Franken with stories that even a left-leaning site like HuffPo calls credible, it looks like the "lying hypocritical tramp" is gaining credibility. And the milquetoast "so reserved in his public conduct that you might suspect he was asexual" was really just a handsy perv after all.

...but I think this is a pretty girl. ~ Crid at November 24, 2017 4:50 AM

Cute smile as she comes out of that first roll.

> the helmet never moves

A view of a similar face, on a boy much younger, has much the same rendering of posture as he stands and walks.

Maybe we all look like that when shot from that angle.

Conan:

It's mounted to her helmet. Notice the helmet never moves in relation to the camera. Good, sturdy mount, too.

Yeah, I figured it was mounted to her helmet. I was just noting it wasn't some springy metal construction because it doesn't bounce. Probably more like a rigid fiberglassy material. Or perhaps a less bouncy metal, like aluminum.

Whatever it is, it did a spectacular job, apparently both where it connects to the camera, and to the helmet.

Possibly the helmet itself was designed with a permanent arm intended to hold a camera.

And yes, she's completely adorable.

Conan:

With four women coming forward so far to accuse Franken with stories that even a left-leaning site like HuffPo calls credible, it looks like the "lying hypocritical tramp" is gaining credibility. And the milquetoast "so reserved in his public conduct that you might suspect he was asexual" was really just a handsy perv after all.

Or perhaps Franken is the victim of bandwagonning. Perhaps I'm wrong, but several "victims" of either gender, all deciding to come forward in rapid succession doesn't really do much to allay my suspicions. On the contrary, it increases them.

And regardless of whether Leeann's account is true or not, I maintain she is a hypocrite. You don't get to perform what amounts to sexual assault on multiple people, then claim you feel victimized because someone pantomimes groping you.

I mean, how does anyone rationalized that? Sure, let's just twerk on up to men we don't even know without permission, and start grabbing their asses. Then snuffle about how victimized we feel when a man responds in kind? She not only participated in this, she apparently instigated it.

And none of these other accusers have come forward with allegations of the kind of "tongue rape" that Leeann describes.

Interestingly enough, it seems that we're waking to this double standard and we're not okay with it. Here, for instance, is a video of two women twerking and grabbing at a man who obviously does not appreciate their attentions, one of whom was arrested for it, with police still looking for the other.

Okay, this. Cartoony-people, I gotcher 'Justice League' right here.

90 minutes ago, for the first time in ever, I was at the opening of a retailer on Black Friday. (I was out anyway and wanted to see an x360 in the flesh.)

(I liked it. You may buy me one if you wish, though it's not much needed.)

The Los Angelinos, though presumably more diverse culturally, were not noticeably less orderly than these Finns, though we were walking along the side of the building instead of jamming ourselves directly from the parking lot.

We should pause for a quiet moment to reflect on the twentieth anniversary of a horrific national nightmare, of which I had no recollection whatever.

Looks kewl, tho.

(On first viewing I was looking at the skinny models on the billboards on the other side of the street and trying to imagine what their lives are like now.)

Or perhaps Franken is the victim of bandwagonning. ~ Patrick at November 24, 2017 9:19 AM

Perhaps.

I've already noted the curious (and convenient) timing of both the Moore accusations and the Franken accusations.

Both men have run for office before this and these accusations never came up. Yet, apply some national attention, and suddenly legions of accusers seemingly can't wait to tell their stories.

The standard to condemn in these cases seems to be volume, not reliability. If that's the standard for Moore, than it should apply to Franken as well.

Franken's accuser is an entertainer. As part of her act, she pulls guys onto the stage and dances and twerks with them. The guys invited onto the stage were not under the impression they were being invited up to give a speech, or sing a song. For the most part, they knew the drill. And none has yet come forward to accuse her of assault. (Note to Franken's defense team: look into that.)

The women in your video were attacking unsuspecting victims. Big difference. And yes, those women appear to have committed a sexual assault at least as egregious as the ones Franken stands accused of. However, there is no word of Leann Tweeden forcibly twerking random strangers in the convenience store.

If audience-participation twerking in an entertainment segment is assault, should we also condemn Steve Martin and Dan Ackroyd for doing their "Wild and Crazy Guys" or Will Ferrell and Chris Kattan for doing their "Roxbury Guys" sketches without obtaining explicit permission beforehand?

Conan:

I've already noted the curious (and convenient) timing of both the Moore accusations and the Franken accusations.

I agree. And I've mentioned this before, if not here, then it happened on some Facebook discussion.

As Isab astutely pointed out, why is the last time Moore propositioned a minor decades ago? If you believe, as I do, that ephebophiles are incorrigible, shouldn't we be seeing minors that have been propositioned by Moore from more recent years?

Don't get me wrong. I despise Moore. Besides being a birther, which is stark, raving idiocy, there is also the debacle over his Ten Commandments rock and the fact that he has openly defied the Supreme Court ruling of Obergefell v. Hodges. (Not a ruling I agree with, despite the fact that it benefits me, but I don't get to defy the courts.) But, despite the legions coming forward, I find these accusations doubtful.

As for Tweeden, I have a slightly different perspective. She came up from behind an apparently unsuspecting performer and twerked against him, then grabbed his ass. He did not see her coming. And how do we know he was okay with this? He played along, true. But would he have preferred that she kept her hands and buttocks to herself?

It doesn't matter if it was onstage or in a convenience store; she did not get his permission to touch him in that manner. Personally, if were singing on stage, trying to do my best work for the audience, I would have preferred to be left alone to do it. I don't think twerking against me or grabbing my ass would have added anything to my performance.

And regarding that performer, whoever it was, did he feel he has the right to object? What would have been the response from her, and the audience, if he rebuffed her? Even doing so in the politest way possible?

Story time, folks!

I debated telling this story on this forum. I'm fully aware that some here despise me anyway, and there is no doubt that this story will be used against me. But I came to terms with this incident long ago.

When I was in high school, from age 12-17, I attended a private Episcopalian boarding school in upstate New York. We wore the school blazers, school ties and penny-loafers (even in the dead of winter). Enrollment was around seventy to eighty students with a student ratio of about four to five boys to one girl.

One day, after dinner, when I was 15, I approached the gazebo, which is where the other students hung out. Mostly it was put up for the students with smoking permission, but anyone could visit it, whether they smoked or not.

I was slowly beginning to realize, despite my secret solo visits to the school chapel to implore God to change this aspect of myself that I didn't want to live with, I was gay and going to stay that way. Which meant, of course, that I was going to live my life a recluse, doing absolutely everything in my power to keep this aspect of myself hidden, and it was going to stay that way until the day I die. My cross to bear.

Anyhow, as I approached the gazebo, a girl I'll call Carmen (for the very good reason that that's her name), strangely stepped forward toward me. "P.J!" she said (which was my name in high school), and she held open her arms as if wanting to hug me. I thought this was odd, but I didn't suspect treachery. I thought Carmen was just being weird.

So, I stepped forward and hugged her. Carmen was supposed to know karate, but apparently she wasn't very good at it. She stepped behind me and tried to trip me. I stumbled, but didn't fall.

Suddenly, about fifteen of the female students descended on me. They knocked me down, and started undressing me. I struggled, of course, but I was outnumbered and surrounded. I begged, demanded and threatened them to stop, but that, of course, was unavailing.

"Kiss him!" a girl named Debbie shouted, and they did. By this time, I'd lost my jacket, tie, shirt and had my pants pulled down.

Even the girls on campus that I thought were my friends, or at least friendly with, such as Lucretia and Holly, were participating, laughing at me. Which I felt was a betrayal.

I couldn't hit back, because the taboo against hitting women, regardless of the provocation, was still very much in place. This was a rigid, uptight, starchy school. And old-fashioned to the nth degree.

Strange as it may sound back then, I also afraid that my most closely guarded secret, my sexuality, was going to be uncovered by this. Even then I knew that men were supposed to be flattered by this kind of attention.

Looking back on this incident now, I realize that most egregious violation was not against my right to keep my clothes on, but my right to object to this treatment. And that by objecting, my most closely guarded secret was going to be found out. Because, of course, that's the only reason on earth that a guy would object to woman grabbing in him in private areas, kissed and otherwise fondled, as I was. Any guy who doesn't enjoy that must be gay.

The only option I had was to wait out this assault. I couldn't run, I was overpowered. I couldn't fight back, because I can't hit girls (and against these odds, I probably wouldn't have prevailed anyway; remember, Carmen knows karate). Moreover, I couldn't object. Well, I could and did, but that was completely unavailing.

So, I just waited for this to end, struggling to keep as much of my clothes on as possible. After it was over, I got up, put my pants back on, gathered up the rest of my clothes and went back to my room, trying to dress myself as I ran.

I missed my play rehearsal that night. I never miss play rehearsals.

I learned later from the other guys that they did this to is that they all enjoyed it, to varying degrees. Vinnie even bragged that he squeezed Debbie's tit.

And pretty soon, it became known all over campus that out of the half-dozen or so boys that were attacked like this, I was the only one to be traumatized by it.

None of the girls got in any trouble for this. As far as I know, no one even reprimanded them.

And oldie but a goodie from April 19:

Blogger Embraces Her Natural Beauty By Not Shaving For One Year

I wish my Halloween week was this fun:

Woman, 48, is 'caught giving man, 28, oral sex on Delta flight in their seats after meeting on the plane'

As Isab astutely pointed out, why is the last time Moore propositioned a minor decades ago? If you believe, as I do, that ephebophiles are incorrigible, shouldn't we be seeing minors that have been propositioned by Moore from more recent years? ~ Patrick at November 24, 2017 12:10 PM

I'd agree with that. Moore, if he's a pedophile, would have made advances even after marriage. But he seems to have settled down with marriage and his advances to young women appear to have been merely creepy dating practices in a state with little or no social opprobrium on older men dating women in their teenage years.

He was married in 1985 and, by everything I've been able to find on him through Google, has not pulled a Weiner [pun intended].

I've already said, he's a scary Senate candidate. Too much of a religious nut job for me.

Note, I don't have anything against deeply religious people holding office and I found Dick Durbin and Diane Feinstein's manner and line of questioning Amy Comey Barrett's Catholic faith beyond the pale.

She came up from behind an apparently unsuspecting performer and twerked against him, then grabbed his ass. He did not see her coming. And how do we know he was okay with this? ~ Patrick at November 24, 2017 12:10 PM

Well, to be fair we don't know he wasn't okay with it and wasn't expecting it. It may have been a rehearsed part of the act. Until we know that "lying, hypocritical tramp" seems kinda extreme.

When I was in high school ... None of the girls got in any trouble for this. As far as I know, no one even reprimanded them. ~ Patrick at November 24, 2017 12:10 PM

Well, if that was done to a girl, it would have been seen even then as sexual assault and the perpetrators punished. So, you were, at a minimum, the victim of a double standard.

And, if I can slip into amateur psychologist mode here, it helps to explain the "Puritan" vibe I was picking up from you regarding overtly sexual women; and possibly the charge of "slut-shaming" you mentioned getting hit with on Facebook. [/amateur_psychologist]

Women don't get hit with accusations of harassment as much as they probably should. We, as a society, find it hard to believe the future mothers of our children can be cruel. We're getting over that, but not quickly.

Young women (middle school, high school, etc.) wield a great deal of power in Boy World. Power they realize early on and wield mercilessly with no regard for, or even knowledge of, the long-term damage they can do. One rejection, one rumor, one bit of innuendo, and a boy's rep is finished, his then-fragile psyche forever damaged.

Woman, 48, is 'caught giving man, 28, oral sex on Delta flight in their seats after meeting on the plane' ~ mpetrie98 at November 24, 2017 12:59 PM

I gotta stop flying United. "Friendly Skies" my ass.

Students at universities across the nation are marching in a movement to repeal Thanksgiving Day and replace it with an alternative called "Thinkguilty Day."

The movement was started by University of California, Berkeley student Ima Weiner, who is president and founding member of the Campus Communist Club of the People (CCCP).

Describing the reasons for the proposed change, Weiner stated, "Thanksgiving is a day created by cishet white men to celebrate their dominance over and oppression of non-cishet non-white non-men. It is an insult that has been tolerated for far too long by the oppressive, capitalist, cishet white male society in which we are forced to live—if we can even call this meager, pathetic, pitiful, deprived existence 'living.' This is something for which cishet white men should feel guilt, not gratitude. Substituting Thanksgiving Day with Thinkguilty Day will force oppressor classes to exchange the giving of thanks for their privilege with the thinking of guilt for their oppressiveness."

Conan:

And, if I can slip into amateur psychologist mode here, it helps to explain the "Puritan" vibe I was picking up from you regarding overtly sexual women; and possibly the charge of "slut-shaming" you mentioned getting hit with on Facebook.

I guess you don't agree, but I don't consider it "Puritanical" or "slut-shaming."

I simple despise her hiding behind a double-standard. She didn't just indulge in groping and grabbing; she apparently set the standard. And is now crying foul when it was used against her.

I simply don't believe her when she says that Al Franken stabbed her in the tonsils with his tongue. No one witnessed that; situation she describes, when you consider the care that technicians place on their expensive, is dubious. I majored in theatre. There is no way in Hades that the Production Coordinator and Technical Director would have allowed performers on that set with no technicians present. They are fanatical when it comes to protecting that equipment.

The pantomime groping, maybe, if that picture proves to be a genuine article. But it's far less risqué than what she was doing to men.

I would not be condemning her actions at the USO show (if I knew that everyone she was fondling/twerking/kissing was consenting) if she simply laughed off Franken's joke as just that: a joke.

But as it is, I see someone who used her license to publicly fondle men, as well the prevailing standard that dictates that men aren't allowed to object to this and are supposed to find it flattering (even if they don't) but on the other hand, still claims the privilege of feeling "violated" when something far less is done to her.

Which makes the tongue stabbing all that much more doubtful, in my mind. It sounds like something she made up because she knew that the pantomime groping, in light of her own antics, was going to get a massive "Hypocrite!" as a response.

I guess you don't agree, but I don't consider it "Puritanical" or "slut-shaming."

I didn't say I agreed that you had slut shamed, merely that I had picked up a Puritanical vibe from you in the past. And I didn't say it was wrong.

You may be right on Tweeden, but I get the feeling your anger is more about Al Franken being accused than it's about the seemingly similar actions of his accuser in a stage performance.

I'm not going to equate "groping and grabbing" in a stage performance with unwanted touching in a private setting - at least without knowing the people in the act were not in on it or objected to it. If you've seen one of those dancing shows, you know modern performances can get pretty suggestive. And that's just the North American ones. The South American ones are downright pornographic.

Short-sighted Harry Reid eliminated the filibuster so one party could fill the federal bench with its own nominees. And it worked. I guess he forgot the part about it being a two-party system.

"Women don't get hit with accusations of harassment as much as they probably should."

It is way more than just harassment. For pretty much any crime women get a better deal. Look at all the kids being killed by their parents that Kevin is always posting. It isn't that they are parents that they don't get charged. It is that they are women. Look at sex between students and teachers. Male teacher, string him up. Female teacher, lucky guy. Domestic violence it is still common to arrest the man even if he is the obvious victim. All throughout US culture women get a better deal.

Conan:

I get the feeling your anger is more about Al Franken being accused than it's about the seemingly similar actions of his accuser in a stage performance.

No, it's because she's the beneficiary of a double standard that allows her to basically commit sexual assault, but then claim to feel violated over a pantomime groping which wouldn't even qualify as sexual assault because Franken never actually touched her.

Look at sex between students and teachers. Male teacher, string him up. Female teacher, lucky guy.
_____________________________________

It would help if MEN stopped saying "lucky guy."