Double Standard                        #183

By Hank Silverberg

Nothing disgusts me more than people in power, through politics or celebrity, who abuse that power. I'm not talking about political corruption or financial malfeasance. That's the subject for another day. 

I'm talking about sexual harassments or assault. The list over the years is long. Trump, Frankin, Kavanaugh, Gaetz, and now Andrew Cuomo.   

NY Gov. Andrew Cuomo sexually harassed multiple women, Attorney General James says (cnbc.com) 

The Governor of New York is in his third term and like most New York governor's, he has used his power often to ramrod through legislation and state policy. He became highly visible nationwide during the pandemic and received generally good marks for how he handled it. But beneath the surface there was a dark side, which some in Albany probably knew about long before it came to national attention. 

An investigation by the State's Attorney General produced eleven women who say the Governor sexually harassed them, and in at least one case where he retaliated against a former employee who complained publicly about the conduct.  

(The Cuomo brother on CNN before the scandal) 

The Governor denies all this, even after the report from the A-G described his office as "a toxic workplace." 

The report concluded that Cuomo violated federal and state laws by his actions. Even if that's not the case, he violated the trust placed in him by the citizens of New York and by the people who work for him. 

There have been numerous calls for his resignation from New York Democrats and Democrats on the  national stage, including New York Senator and Majority leader Chuck Schumer and President Biden. The New York General Assembly has begun impeachment proceedings, and at least one of the women has now filed a criminal complaint with the Albany County Sheriff. 

I will not convict Cuomo yet, but it's unlikely that 11 women would lie about his behavior and what happened to them.

In my opinion, Cuomo should resign and let all this play itself out through the courts. But knowing the Governor's leadership style and family political history, he will likely try to keep his job. 

Democrats, with good reason, jumped quickly to condemn Cuomo. They did the same thing in 2018 when Minnesota Senator Al Frankin was accused of inappropriatly touching a woman during a USO tour in 2006 before he was even in the Senate. When other women came forward with similar claims, Frankin resigned before the allegations were investigated. 

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/al-franken-jane-mayer-new-yorker_n_5d37739fe4b0419fd33475a2

Both men are paying the price for what they are accused of doing. But I am appalled by the double standard.

Donald Trump was accused of sexual harassment and more by 26 women before his presidency, yet Republicans never condemned him for it, and the majority of them still support him. 

Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh was also accused of sexual harassment during his nomination hearings, but the Republican majority pushed though his lifetime appointment to the high court before the allegations were fully investigated.  Instead, they attacked the credibility of his accusers. Republican Congressman Matt Gaetz is currently the subject of a Department of Justice sex-crime investigation, yet Republicans have never called for his resignation or even condemned his actions. 

Matt Gaetz subject of DOJ sex trafficking probe: Report - Washington Times

Sex scandals are nothing new in politics. Who can forget the long Monica Lewinsky saga that lead to the impeachment vote against President Bill Clinton?  

But somehow, Republicans, and their right-wing in particular, seem to only care when it's a Democrat who has strayed. 

Please don't get me wrong. All are innocent until proven guilty. But I want all these bastards who abuse or harass women booted out of office and prosecuted. However, there is a need for it to be about morality and the law, and not party affiliation. 

So before I hear Republicans attacking Cuomo, I want to hear them call for Gaetz to resign, reject any political moves by Trump, and call for a broader investigation of Kavanaugh. The high road is NOT partisan. 

Brothers

Another Cuomo has a problem as well. The Governor's brother Chris, who is one of CNN's better talking heads, made a mistake too.

Chris Cuomo gave some advice to the Governor and some of his staff and helped come up with talking points for the press. Bad idea. He had already stayed away from reporting on Andrew's troubles, which was good, but Chris crossed the line for a journalist the minute he got involved with his brother's defense strategy. Sure, it's a rough spot. How do you choose between your family and your job? A leave of absence from CNN might have helped. In fact, the network offered Chris the chance to take time off so he could formally advise his brother, but he turned it down. The CNN host decided to take a "pre-planned" week-long vacation with his family at their Long Island home. It will be interesting to see how he handles things when he goes back to work. 

Chris Cuomo to Take Pre-Planned Vacation Amid Brother Andrew Cuomo’s Harassment Scandal (yahoo.com)       

Flower Mantis

After all this sex scandal talk, it's time to look at the wonder of nature. Ever heard of a Flower Mantis?

A woman named Margret Neville found one in her backyard in South Africa. Modern Met reports the rare creature is able to make its body look like a multi-colored flower for camouflage. It is an absolutely beautiful creature. 

(Courtesy Margaret Neville) 

 There are many species of mantis besides the ugly looking ones you may find in your garden. Examples include the "Wandering Violin Mantis," and the "Arizona Unicorn Mantis".  Females are larger and usually in more vibrant colors. They wait in the flower and they mimic until an insect approaches and is trapped for dinner. Males usually have to hunt for their food. 

Neville's Flower Mantis eventually found a male flower mantis to mate with. 

Entomologists have indicated that in some cases, the female will eat the males head off before they mate. No indication if that happened with this South African pair. 

Woman Finds a Gorgeous Flower Mantis Living in Her Garden (mymodernmet.com)

More Pandemic Economic Casualties

Remember that old joke about there being  "A Starbucks on every corner?" Well, no more. The coffee giant was hit hard by the pandemic and plans to close 500 stores this year in the U.S. and Canada, and plans to focus on pick-up stores only in many places. 

Starbucks is not alone. Some familiar brands may cease to exist. Investing.com says "The Gap" could close as many as 350 branches in the next three years to reduce overhead, and Walgreens may close 200 branches. Burger King could close 200 to 250 locations. Even Disney has been hit with 60 stores to be closed. 

It's worse for other well-known stores. Pier 1 Imports is basically closing up shop, with all 540 stores closing this year. 

And Game Stop is going the way of the old corner record shop. Downloads directly off the net has lead to the closure of 180 to 200 Game Stop stores in the next year.  

Even sex is a hard sell. Victoria's Secret plans to close 10 branches in 2021.

A lot of shopping malls could look like ghost towns soon with many more chains closing stores this year.  

Here are some well-known stores that will cease to exist in the United States in a  year or two. 

ALDI, New York &Company, Zara, A.C Moore, Henri Bendel, Top Shop, Charming Charlie, ShopKo, Dress Barn, Charlotte Russe, Long Ball Sally, just to name a few. Even Goodwill says it will close 8 locations this year.

This amounts to thousands of retail jobs that will cease to exist. Many of those jobs are entry level.

These Chains Are Closing the Most Stores in 2021 (moneywise.com)

Dumbest Quote of The Week:

This week's dumbest quote comes from a forgotten Republican who unfortunately still thinks people listen to him.  None other than Newt Gingrich. The former Speaker of the house was on Fox News (where else) talking about immigration among other things. He used the term "Radical Left" as he often does and said that they would “love to drown traditional, classic Americans with as many people as they can who know nothing of American history, nothing of American tradition, nothing of the rule of law.”

He was talking about people of color in general who many conservatives of today don't think of as "real Americans"  

This all comes from "the great replacement theory" which white supremacists push on the internet and elsewhere. They include Jews, Muslims and gay people on their list of non-Americans.  

Gingrich is a professional political opportunists who will pretty much peddle anything he thinks will get him on TV so he can promote himself.   

(Your suggestions and comments are welcome.) 

Copies of my latest book "The Campaign" can be purchased at the links below. Or you can buy a copy by emailing me at: 

HankSilverberg@gmail.com  

for instructions on how to get a copy at a reduced price and with a signature)

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