Showing posts with label sexual harassment. Show all posts
Showing posts with label sexual harassment. Show all posts
Saturday, November 11, 2017
Sunday, November 5, 2017
No, Governor Craven Heartless Worm, Hoover Resigning Will Not Save Your Pension Deform
UPDATE: Jeffy's out, and the repugs are scrambling.
Funny how Governor Carpetbagger never mentioned the sexual harassment rampant throughout the legislature and the executive branch until it started to endanger his plans to strip Kentucky's economy down to bedrock.
Also, he better be sure he never so much as let his eyes drop below a woman's neck in his entire life, because otherwise this hypocritical bullshit is going to have his victims lining up to sue his ass.
Jack Brammer at the Herald:
Gov. Matt Bevin, making his first public comments on a sexual harassment scandal that has rocked the state House of Representatives, called Saturday for “the immediate resignation of every individual who has settled a sexual harassment case, who is a party to trying to hide this type of behavior.”HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
Bevin, in a hastily called news conference in the Capitol Rotunda, mentioned no one by name. The Republican governor called the allegations serious and reprehensible.
“These alleged actions, which haven’t been denied, are reprehensible, indefensible and unacceptable. Any elected official or state employee who has settled a sexual harassment claim should resign immediately,” Bevin said. “The people of Kentucky deserve better. We appropriately demand a high level of integrity from our leaders, and will tolerate nothing less in our state.”
He added: “You either publicly condemn or you publicly condone this type of behavior.”
Bevin made the public statement after Republican Rep. C. Wesley Morgan of Richmond had called Saturday for the resignation of Kentucky House Speaker Jeff Hoover, accusing him and party leaders of concealing sexual harassment allegations against Hoover and three other Republican legislators.
SNIP
In a statement Saturday night, Hoover accused Bevin of “grandstanding” and said he is “more resolved than ever to continue my work as Speaker.” He said he supported the request by other GOP House leaders for an independent review.
SNIP
Bevin took no questions and did not say how the scandal might affect his desire to call a special legislative session this year to make changes in Kentucky’s public retirement systems.
Buy popcorn futures.
Thursday, November 2, 2017
Sexual Harassment and the Pension Bill Repugs
Maybe if they concentrated on what their constituents want instead of on which ass they're going to grab next, they could get some work done.
From the Herald:
Kentucky lawmakers still have “a lot of work to do” on Gov. Matt Bevin’s proposal to overhaul the state’s ailing public pension systems, House Speaker Jeff Hoover said Tuesday after meeting for nearly two hours behind closed doors with his Republican colleagues in the state House.That would be this Jeff Hoover:
“It’s clear we got a lot of work to do to move forward on this issue,” said Hoover, R-Jamestown.
He said no vote was taken on the bill during the GOP caucus meeting and that he does not know if a special legislative session to approve pension legislation is likely to be held in the next two weeks.
Y'all think it's tough keeping up with the non-stop shenanigans by the Orange Menace, you should try keeping pace with Kentucky's repug majority and Governor Why Won't These Guys Do What I Want.Kentucky House Speaker Jeff Hoover has reached a confidential settlement over sexual harassment allegations by a woman who works on his legislative staff, according to sources with direct knowledge of the matter who spoke with Courier Journal.Hoover, the leader of the powerful Republican majority in the House of Representatives, reached the agreement last week after receiving a demand letter from the woman’s lawyer over allegations that date to 2016, the sources said, speaking under the condition they remain unnamed because they fear reprisal if identified.
Friday, October 20, 2017
Capitalism and Patriarchy Created Harvey Weinstein and the Orange Loser
As if sexual harassment, abuse and rape weren't invented until the '60s. As if women have not been screaming about this for decades. As if the solution weren't obvious.
There is a a particularly repulsive footnote to the explosion of public consciousness around sexual abuse and exploitation caused by the Weinstein revelations. Religious social conservatives have been hard at work arguing that Hollywood libertinism, liberal sexual mores and the sexual revolution itself are to blame for the behavior of the Weinsteins of the world. Bret Stephens’ much-lampooned New York Times op-ed hit the “Hollywood values” angle, while David French took on the full-throated promotion of Handmaid’s Tale theocracy this weekend in The National Review.
Let’s be very clear about something: conservative social mores aren’t about protecting women and never were. They’re about controlling women.
The sexual revolution gave women options: the birth control pill allowed women to control their reproductive destinies and have children at a time of their choosing, which in turn gave them economic independence and the ability not to become indentured servants to whatever man happened to have sex with them and father children with them. The revolution empowered women to make choices of sex partners based not on the approval of their parents or the economic necessities of marriage, but based on their own personality preferences and physical desires. The revolution also allowed women to compete in previously gender-exclusive industries and become primary economic providers for households. In later decades it also allowed gay and gender-non-conforming people to pick identities and partners entirely of their own choosing.
All of this terrifies conservative men. Conservative white men have long lived in a bubble where they were able to objectify women and use both physical and economic coercion to force more talented, more capable and more physically attractive partners to stay with them despite their own gross deficiencies.
A world where a woman had to marry the first man she had sex with, is a world where superior women could be saddled for the rest of the their lives with inferior men based on a single mistake. A world where women were trapped at home with children while men dallied outside it, was one where men could grope and fondle their secretaries in abusive relationships while women had far fewer opportunities for relief from their oppressive marriages and domestic prisons.
When all else failed, the watchful eye of a patriarchal God would keep women in line, subservient to their domineering marriage partners. This same angry divinity did not, of course, prevent men from sexually exploiting and harassing any woman unfortunate enough to be within their economic power.
The sexual and civil rights movements changed all that. Not only could women pick their partners–and as many of them as they wanted–suddenly the pool of potential partners opened to men (and, eventually, women) of all races, too. Much of conservative resentment ever since, distilled to that now-so-common “cuck” insult in Trumpian circles, has centered around abject terror that white women would find men of color or other women a more pleasant alternative to their own less attractive and less interesting selves.
Which brings us back to Harvey Weinstein. Liberal culture and Hollywood values did not create Harvey Weinstein. Patriarchy and capitalism did.
Harvey Weinsteins have existed ever since the dawn of civilization when rich and powerful men have predated on exploited women in no position to defend themselves, long before the sexual revolution and in eras governed explicitly by strict sexual moral codes. Aflred Hitchcock did it to Tippi Hedren. Thomas Jefferson did it to Sally Hemmings. Supposedly Christian men from popes to barons have done likewise. Rape and abuse of women by men is the norm in social conservative society, whether in Christian Victorian England or Islamist Afghanistan; liberal sexual mores are the cure.Harvey Weinstein isn’t just an alleged rapist and abuser. He’s a gross, wildly unattractive man who used his financial position as a capitalist owner and his patriarchal position as a man of power to force himself on women who would never have been in his league voluntarily. Harvey couldn’t compete for the affections of the women he wanted, and he didn’t bother to try. So he used money and power to get what he couldn’t objectively earn through charm, effort, grooming and good will.
This is the conservative program in a nutshell: allowing mediocre white men to use unjustly gained money and social privilege to earn rewards they do not deserve, protected and enforced by arsenals of private firearms and an angry, judgmental God. It’s a program that the sexual revolution has done a great deal to destroy, but there remains much work left to do.
May the work continue.
Sunday, October 15, 2017
Not Difficult
If you're a normal human being and not walking, talking, harrassing scum.
Known gay male person Evan Hurst of Wonkette nails it:
Barro writes in his column that the WEINSTEIN situation and others like it “require more than just the hand wave of ‘don’t harass women, it’s simple.'” But honestly, we think it is indeed that simple! The cultural change we need isn’t about changing the workplace environment or enshrining strict conservative Christian Jesus rules so men don’t get all rapey. The change we need is STOP TEACHING MEN, TACITLY OR OUT LOUD, THAT IT’S OK TO HARASS/ASSAULT/RAPE WOMEN.To all the men, straight or gay (Barro!), writing their #HotTakes assigning blame anywhere away from HARVEY WEINSTEIN’S dick and the dicks of other men like him, we’re gonna need you to take a million steps back, STFU, do something wild and crazy like listen to women for once, and then come back when you have a #HotTake about changing the culture so that men, cradle to grave, are all taught that women ACTUALLY FOR REAL weren’t put on this earth to satisfy their sexual harassing/groping/assaulting/raping urges.
Saturday, February 18, 2017
Saturday, December 31, 2016
The Horror of White Genocide
Here is a statistic I just made up! No one who has ever sincerely used the term “white genocide” has ever given a woman an orgasm. Dick-insecurity is the number one cause of crying about “race-mixing” and “cucks” and “multi-culturalism.”It is no coincidence that many of those leading the charge against interracial relationships happen to be of the MRA pick-up artist persuasion. They believe, basically, that if they can dissuade white women from having sex with black men by portraying them as Lotharios who will inevitably leave them or hurt them in some way, that there will be more pussy for them. Unfortunately for them, pussy don’t work that way.
Tuesday, January 27, 2015
Office Sex Is The Most Pathetic
Seriously. The only way new Kentucky House Majority Whip Johnny
Bell could figure out how to bone his latest victim was to hire her?
Somebody tell him there's this amazing new invention called the motel.
From the Herald's Jack Brammer, who is either having the time of his life covering this story or shopping his resume all over the planet.A legislative staffer fired last week by state House Majority Whip Johnny Bell alleged in court documents Monday that Bell's decision was motivated in part "by his desire to have an intimate sexual relationship" with another woman he wants to hire.
Yolanda Costner, one of three legislative staffers who alleged sexual harassment in 2013 by a former state lawmaker from Western Kentucky, also said Bell, D-Glasgow, had illegally obtained a controlled substance —Xanax — from the other woman when she worked for him previously.Also, never smoke pot in front of people you may want to fire someday.
Costner also alleged that Bell, a lawyer, kept moonshine in his office and was seen in possession of a marijuana cigarette in front of the Capitol Annex.
Bell did not return phone calls to his cellphone Monday evening seeking comment.
Thursday, January 22, 2015
New KY House Dem Whip Not Just Racist, Sexist Pig; He's STOOPIT
Bell, the dusky-skinned lady you just fired is going to sue your ass right out of office, you moron.
Jack Brammer at the Herald:New state House Majority Whip Johnny Bell, D-Glasgow, fired a female staffer in the office Wednesday who alleged she had been sexually assaulted by a former state lawmaker from Western Kentucky.
Louisville attorney Thomas Clay said Yolanda Costner received a letter earlier in the day from Bell that said her service was no longer required.
No other reason was given for the termination that is to take effect Thursday, Clay said.
Clay said Costner, who has 25 years of government service, will amend a complaint filed in Franklin Circuit Court on the sexual harassment scandal that will include Bell as a defendant.
He claimed Bell violated the state law to protect whistleblowers and Costner's civil rights.
Thursday, January 15, 2015
Report on Ky Lege So Bad It's Kept Secret
Nine hundred and ninety-nine times out of a thousand, reports like this recommend the firing of a couple of low-level scapegoats. At worst, it might wrist-slap legislative leaders for letting things get out of control.
But what in this report could be so terrible that the lege has buried it where no one will ever find it?
John Cheves at the Herald
In October 2013, the Kentucky legislature faced a growing scandal: a lawmaker who resigned over accusations that he sexually harassed women at the Legislative Research Commission; allegations that sexual misconduct and favoritism made the LRC a hostile workplace; and the abrupt departure of longtime LRC director Bobby Sherman, whom police investigated for shredding documents at the Capitol days after he quit.Call girls in the hearing rooms? Meth cooking in the leadership offices? Butt sechs in the stairwells?
Hoping to restore public confidence, Senate President Robert Stivers and House Speaker Greg Stumbo gave a $42,410 contract to an outside group — the National Conference of State Legislatures — to perform a top-to-bottom performance audit of the $19-million-a-year LRC, the bureaucracy that runs the legislative branch of state government. The leaders pledged to publicly air and fix any problems identified.
"There's a lot of interest in what has occurred," Stivers, R-Manchester, said at the time.
That was the last the public ever learned about it.
The National Conference of State Legislatures, or NCSL, flew a team to Frankfort to interview scores of legislative staffers and lawmakers, and pore over data and documents. The group submitted a draft report of its findings in April to Stivers and Stumbo, co-chairmen of the LRC. But the leaders never responded.
As of last week, the LRC considered the report a "preliminary draft" and so refused to release it to the Herald-Leader under the Kentucky Open Records Act.
Nah, probably just the usual boring Big Coal buying up everybody's ass and nobody giving a shit about some dusky-skinned secretaries whining about a little harmless attempted rape.
Thursday, January 8, 2015
KY Whistleblowers Beware: New House Leadership Is Out to Get You
The man announces to reporters that he is planning to punish the victims of a disgraced sexual predator and the lovely Dems of the Kentucky House elect the motherfucker Majority Whip.
Jack Brammer at the Herald:
House Democrats also elected Rep. Johnny Bell of Glasgow to be their whip — the leader who counts members' votes behind the scenes.
Bell was the subject of accusations last week that he intended to "clean house" if he were elected to leadership by terminating the employment of one of the women staffers in the legislature who alleged they were sexually harassed by former state Rep. John Arnold, D-Sturgis.
Yolanda Costner, who worked for former Majority Whip Tommy Thompson of Owensboro, said in an email that a candidate for House leadership planned to fire her. Her attorney, Thomas Clay of Louisville, identified the candidate as Bell and said Bell was angling to replace Costner with one woman in particular.
Saturday, January 3, 2015
Why Your State Legislature Is Not As Fun As Kentucky's
The question here is not whether Johnny Bell plotted to fire the women making claims of sexual harassment against Joe Arnold (if he did, he wasn't alone); the question is whether Bell or Tom Riner has more juice in the Democratic caucus.
Jack Brammer at the Herald:
State Rep. Tom Riner, D-Louisville, wrote in a Jan. 1 letter to his Democratic colleagues that he received a "shocking email" this week from one of the women who have alleged they were sexually harassed by former state Rep. John Arnold, D-Sturgis.Riner is a Louisville liberal. Bell and Thompson are Western Kentucky conservadems. Riner will never be elected to the conservadem House leadership. But he might be able to prevent Bell from doing so.
The email detailed "how a legislator running for a House leadership position was telling other legislators of his intent to 'clean house,' including terminating her employment if elected," Riner wrote in his letter.
Riner did not name the lawmaker or the employee, but an attorney for one of the women identified the candidate Friday as state Rep. Johnny Bell of Glasgow. Bell is challenging Rep. Tommy Thompson of Owensboro for majority whip.
Friday, July 18, 2014
Why Kentucky Can Never Have Nice Things
Because executives of companies looking to invest in Kentucky read the "Look What the Hillbillies Are Doing Now" section of the New York Times and see shit like this:
John Cheves and Bill Estep at the Herald:
Wayne County Commonwealth's Attorney Matthew Leveridge started a two-month sexual relationship with and impregnated a Wayne County woman whom he prosecuted for felony drug trafficking and who remains on probation through 2016, according to allegations raised in two court cases. According to the allegations, the affair began in January.A reminder: when one person has economic, legal or social power over another person, any sexual relationship between them is ipso facto harassment and abuse, regardless of ostensible "consent."
Ten bucks says that motherfucker Leveridge claims the defendant "seduced" him.
Friday, December 13, 2013
KY Lege to Sexually Harassed Staffers: FOADIAF
It's just a bunch of "people" without penises and the wrong skin color after all, so who cares?
Roger Alford at AP:
A western Kentucky Democrat won't face sanctions from the Democratic-controlled House for allegations that he sexually harassed legislative staffers.The only question I want answered is why anyone in this state still imagines that blahs and vaginas have any human or civil rights at all.
A special investigative House committee voted 3-2 along party lines Thursday to disband without taking action against former Democratic state Rep. John Arnold of Sturgis. It concluded it had no legal authority because he resigned some three months ago.
Chairman Democratic state Rep. Jeffery Donohue said Arnold's resignation effectively took away the House's authority to censure.
Arnold gave up his seat in the House in September, shortly after legislative staffers Yolanda Costner and Cassaundra Cooper complained that the long-time lawmaker had touched them inappropriately and made vulgar comments. A third woman later filed a similar complaint.
"That whole procedure was a sham," said Thomas Clay, a Louisville attorney who filed a lawsuit on behalf of Costner and Cooper. "I guess the only way we're going to find out the truth of the matter is through the court proceeding where people will be required to give testimony under oath about what they did and when they did it. There are a lot of questions that are unanswered."
Saturday, September 28, 2013
Sexual Harassment Cover-up in Kentucky Legislature
Sexual harassment of staff by Kentucky state legislators is a long-standing tradition.
Once every two years (annually only since 2000), state reps and state senators escaped their small conservative towns for the opportunity to act up in Frankfort, outside the view of their families, friends and neighbors.
Mostly they confined themselves to the ladies and gentlemen whose favors were discreetly for sale, or the ladies and gentlemen whose favors were even more discreetly offered gratis.
But there have always been some legislators who could not distinguish between those who welcomed their advances and those who didn't.
And to the surprise of certain legislative leaders, the victims of those advances are finally fighting back.
Jack Brammer at the Herald:
Democratic state Sen. Kathy Stein called for an investigation Thursday of House Speaker Greg Stumbo and other Democratic House leaders regarding the job transfer of a legislative staffer who complained of sexual harassment by state Rep. Will Coursey.
Stein, of Lexington, said an investigation is needed to help restore the public's trust in a state legislature rocked by the harassment accusations of four female staffers against two male lawmakers.
"These are serious charges being leveled, and an investigation is needed," said Stein, a former member of the House.
Stein said the investigation probably would have to be conducted by a special prosecutor. She said a special five-member committee that Stumbo created last month to investigate sexual harassment complaints by three women against former state Democratic Rep. John Arnold of Sturgis would not be the proper authority.
Stumbo did not immediately respond to Stein's comments.
He also has not said whether he will expand the work of the committee he appointed to investigate complaints against Arnold, who denied the charges and recently resigned from the legislature.
Coursey, D-Symsonia, has been accused of inappropriate behavior toward legislative interns. He has strongly denied the allegations.LRC staff have dined out for decades on stories of legislators drunken, stoned and erection-addled antics. New female staffers were warned to stay away from certain members and their, um, members. But until this year, no one was willing to make public accusations and demand public consequences.
And you can be sure that four staffers and two legislators is just the tip of the iceberg.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
