Innocent until accused (Page 2)

Washington Post says they heard these allegations through something unrelated and then started investigating them more.

I have no doubt the WaPo investigated and then coaxed these women to tell their stories *after* the ballot deadline, like you said.  It doesn't mean these women are liars, but it also doesn't mean the WaPo is completely free of an agenda.

So on the topic of fairness, I have a question because I honestly don't know the rules.  If Moore drops out right now, his name will be stuck on the ballot, so any other Republican challenger would have to do a write-in campaign.

But let's say the election goes forward, Moore wins, gets seated in the Senate, and then the other senators vote him out.  What happens then?  Is there a special election for replacement?  Or does the governor appoint someone?  Or does the seat stay empty?  It seems like any of those options are better for Republicans than having him drop out right now.

I don't think that's true at all.  I've investigated sex crimes, among others, for decades.  I can tell you that, as a culture, what we have always done is leap toward NOT believing victims.  The same as it was done on a very large scale with the Catholic Church.....to the point that abusers were able to continue for years and years under the veil of people not giving proper credence to reports from victims. Look where that ended up.

I can tell you, without question, the overwhelming (AS IN NEARLY ALL) number of sexual assault/abuse accusations are true.  And as a culture, we have NEVER leaped to believing the allegations.

I am well aware of the false accusations that have grabbed headlines and been pointed to as a "told you so" moment (Duke Lacrosse, etc).....I don't care, those are few and far between the thousands and thousands of cases reported each year that never make a single headline.

It's good to see things swing the other way with regard to sexual assault and abuse......we will be wrong far less often.

Not even on the same planet as what we are discussing.

And Rog - this idiot admitted dating these kids......this isn't a guess.  You go ahead and vote for the guy you wouldn't let near your own 16 year old daughter......no forking way I would.

That one accuser is also one that Moore isn't denying. "I know her, but I don't remember going out on dates. I knew her as a friend. If we did go out on dates, then we did. But I don't remember that." 

It makes it a little easier to accept when he can't categorically deny dating her when she was 17.

I'm OK with fighting for my 2nd amendment rights without that azzhole on my side.

I've enjoyed the discussion as well. 

That being said, I'll have to bow out for the next 4 or 5 days.  There are deer and ducks that need killing.

The GOP can lose this seat and they'll still have a majority, plus the tie breaker. There's almost nothing Trump couldn't accomplish right now if he could just unite his party. But even if Dems took over control of the Senate in the midterms, it's not like Trump is going to start nominating liberal judges. Worst thing they could do is leave the seat open by refusing to even consider a nominee from the duly elected President of the United States under a thinly-veiled excuse of wanting to let the people decide in the next election. But no party would stoop that low, amirite?

So the 2A will be just fine, and you don't even have to vote for an (alleged) pedophile. 

Well that's a big steaming pile of bull crap......I went to a Catholic high school and was told by parents, teachers, priests, and other clergy people who to stay away from almost from the time I was enrolled there.  30 years later all of those men were indicted.....THIRTY FRIGGIN YEARS......and everybody knew and said nothing in any official way until the amount of victims grew so large it couldn't be contained.  NONE OF THEM WERE LYING.  One kid I was to high school with commityed suicide over it.

Years later, I led an investigation into a Priest that was at my High School at the time.  he had never been implicated and there was a great outpooring of support for him and against the kid who was accusing him.  Guess what? He did it.

I don't give a rats arse whether these azzholes are tried in a legal court, the court of public opinion, or the press......as long as it is proclaimed loud and clear what they are.

I hate people who take advantage of other people.....I don't care what happens to any of them.

Yep.  As I said in an earlier post, the majority of victims won't come forward out of fear.  Fear of people ridiculing them, fear from their vitctims who have threatened them, fear of a loss of their career.....and on and on.  IT'S WHY AN ABUSER PICKS A PARTICULAR VICTIM.  And then we, as a society, turn around and do exactly what the abuser counts on and the victim fears.  Looks like that is coming to an end.....and it needs to.

I'll say it again.......  When someone claims abuse by someone who has an upper hand on them because of age, position of power, ability to inflict fear, etc.....THEY ARE NOT LYING. 

The accounts I have read say she told her parents about it and posted it on Facebook within days after it happened.  My guess is that in 2010 nobody cared, but once she saw him accused again she came forward.  The point is, she DID report it to someone.

There is a former masseuse sitting in prison right now for molesting a 17 year old girl during a massage that was the result of a gift certificate her parents gave her.  She reported it to the Police 6 weeks after it happened because she said it was bothering her too much and she felt like she had to report it. She said she waited so long because she felt stupid and naive. (didn't know if it was part of a massage or not)   During our interview of her it was revealed that she immediately reported it to her girlfriend, who had driven her to the spa. 

The accused vehemently denied the accusation, but later admitted it after I asked for consent to scrape under his fingernails for skin cells from the victim, which I convinced him took 90 days to disappear. (yeah, I know, that is a story for another time).

In court his lawyer tried to make a big deal out of the fact that she didn't report it, but she did.  She reported it to the only person she felt safe and comfortable with.  The jury easily believed the girl after watching the recorded interview with the suspect. 

You can not believe victims of abuse if you want, or call their stories bullchit, but I will believe them until I can convince myself they are lying for a reason I can articulate, not just because it's their word against the abuser.

Not the same as a sexual abuse/harrassment case.....not even remotely close.  And really, this kind of thing is what causes it all to come off the rails, even though it shouldn't, because these types of cases are basically never prosecuted, and if so, rarely go to trial.....because someone is lying and a bit of work exposes that.  So what happens is we all know a case like this, and we like to point to it as proof that victims of sex crimes are mostly liars, or at the very least, have unscrupulous motives.  It's just not true......but that's exactly how we got where we are today with hundreds of people finally feeling empowered to tell their story.  I like it.