Video of Tweeden at USO show

[Cattledog]

This gives you a sense of the atmosphere. A lot of sexual innuendo. She comes on stage at 13 minutes in the video. At 14 min she shakes her butt to the crowd playing it up. Robin Williams jokes about "Romancing the Bone & "Good Will Humping". If you think these shows are family friendly you are mistaken.

[Eliot Rosewater]

1. Then she makes up a story, probably with the help of hannity, about how Al

pursued her aggressively while nobody was around, how convenient for her story.

Nah, she is lying and her association with hannity and trump and who she is lying about makes that real easy for me to say.

[Kirk Lover]

4. Oh I have no doubt that the story and account is rooted in truth but it has been

embellished with lies to make Al appear much worse than what this is.

[Eliot Rosewater]

6. Right, they were in the same place on the planet, other than that, not so much

[Kirk Lover]

9. I believe that she didn't want to kiss him...but she did agree to do it.

He went further and did the tongue...fine I can believe that and then she made sure she did not kiss him again. He did not grab her and kiss her like the headline would lead you to believe.

The picture...well that's true because it exists...as to what's going on in the pic is a complete fabrication. That's all they need is one little kernel of truth and then they are really very very good at expounding from there.

[Eliot Rosewater]

11. Nope, dont believe any of that, if Al says so, then it is so. He wont lie.

So since he says he doesnt recall that, which is his nice way of saying she is lying, then it didnt happen.

[Kirk Lover]

15. Well to be fair....I would say just about everybody lies.

[Eliot Rosewater]

18. Not about sexual assault.

Good guys dont do sexual assault, Franken is a good guy.

Most cons are bad guys.

[Kirk Lover]

23. People have lied about everything including sexual assault. I read her full story and from what I

read...THERE WAS NO SEXUAL ASSAULT. People wanna call it bad taste or not funny or whatever...but he did not assault her. The picture proves she is FLAT OUT LYING about the groping.

I'm sorry but I'm not one of those that will side with a Dem if they do something wrong.

[Initech]

8. There was another guy in that photo though!

How can she say they were alone when there's clearly another man sitting next to her on the right?

[Leith]

2. Did Anyone Catch the Magazine Reference in the Introduction?

Does anyone care to guess what magazine it is? Hint: check her entry in Wikipedia.

[melman]

20. What's your point here?

[WhiskeyGrinder]

3. It's not clear to me what you're trying to say, here.

Are you saying that a woman in a raunchy sketch shouldn't be surprised when someone tries to stick his tongue in her mouth, even when she's made it clear she doesn't want that to happen? Or are you saying a woman who appears in a USO show should be up for anything, because hooah? Or are you saying women in the business of titillating men aren't trustworthy, don't understand their own boundaries, or simply shouldn't be surprised when men get the wrong idea and try to cross a line?

[Kirk Lover]

5. Then she should not have agreed to kiss him. Did you read her account

[lame54]

7. I have my own doubts about this story but...

showing this vid is the equivalent of asking what she was wearing

[B2G]

10. Yet we will continue to be bewildered

about why so many women stay silent. She's being torn to pieces in here.

[lame54]

13. I have a few posts of my own...

the pic is defined as groping - but he is not touching her - he is clearly posing

is it tasteless? - Yes

is is proof of groping? - No

[Kingofalldems]

19. Did you have the same comments on the Moore accusors?

Just wondering if you have defended any of them?

[moriah]

25. I defended them to Conservatives.

I am not the person you're responding to, but actually I was watching the video and impressed by how she spoke and was clearly defining her "lines" for any soldier by her comments about "kiss on the cheek" being a special thing, etc. (Edit to add: she shouldn't have had to, but it was a nice way to assert that while she was there to be seen and people had photos of her in a lot less, she was for looking at, she didn't give permission for touching. And was done in a friendly/flirty way, but still assertive. Assertive women are good.)

I want to get to the Franken skit.

But look. Franken isn't making excuses for himself. He's not saying it was a staged photo, like the unattributed rumors people who want to believe their heroes are incapable of doing wrong reflexively spread without verifying sourcing are suggesting. He said he sees she could feel violated by the photo. He's said he recalls the rehearsal incident differently but is saying we should believe victims.

He's not saying anything would have been more or less acceptable because a USO show often involves bawdy humor.

Why should we?

[B2G]

27. Did I defend them on DU?

Maybe I missed something, but did I need to?

Where they derided, called liars and slut shamed?

[Kirk Lover]

12. It's just some background...shows what kind of atmosphere it is. She says that in the piece that

it's geared to be sexual because the audience is all young men. Really the more I talk about this the more ridiculous this is.

[lame54]

16. Yes - read that too...

she says that right out of the gate

she was cool with that

has nothing to do with her allegations

[pintobean]

14. So what?

That's not an invitation.

[BannonsLiver]

17. Well know whats really up if shes a guest on Hannity tonight.

[Eliot Rosewater]

21. And, my friend, threads like this remind us who here at DU is

....

and who isnt.




As a democrat and liberal I dare not say more around here

[fishwax]

22. okay ... so?

[usedtobedemgurl]

24. Whether her story is true or not....

I take offense that you cast aspersions on someone because of the atmosphere. She could walk around naked in front of Al, Robin, and the rest of the men and she does not deserve you saying about the sexual innuendo and that is was not a family atmosphere.

Here, maybe this will make it clearer:

A woman is raped and her mom asks where she had been. She was at a strip club. The mom asks how much the girl had to drink. Only one or two drinks. How about the men at your table? They had three or four drinks. Well what was she wearing? A low cut top and a mini skirt. Well there you go, she and the guys had been drinking in a strip club, of all places, and look at what she was wearing!!!

When you ask these questions or you state things about someone shaking their rump, what are you really trying to say? Because the way it comes across is she knew the atmosphere and so what did she expect? She shook her rump so why is she acting all innocent and saying the kiss was something she never wanted?

That is how it comes across and it casts aspersions on anyone who has been raped, molested, or assaulted. If this is not what you meant by posting the words you did as well as the video, then what did you mean?

Let me be clear, I really like Al Franken. I think this is politically motivated. I respect that he came out and apologized and said it was in poor taste. I think he should keep his job, not because I am a Democrat but because I do not think he touched her in that picture and the kiss was a part of a sketch. This is not an established pattern. The reason I did not come forward, when I was raped, is because of statements like you made about this woman. Can we not judge what is happening on the merits of the situation rather than tearing someone apart while making it harder for people who have been assaulted to come forward? Words have weight. Is this how you want to use yours?

[rainin]

26. She's a Republican?

Why was it so necessary that Moore's accusors were from the same political party? That they voted for Trump? It was a necessary part of the accusation or else it would be disbelieved on that point alone.

Double standard

[hamsterjill]

28. Okay, as an old but very determined feminist - - -

There needs to be an investigation. Franken has suggested that there be an investigation, and we need to honor the fact that he's willing to undergo the scrutiny. If he did what is suggested, then he's a jerk.

But I have to warn here - there is a real history of Democrats wanting to be so "politically correct" that they sometimes start eating their own. What this is (in my opinion) is no where NEAR what Roy Moore is accused of (i.e., a 14-year old child).

Yes, we investigate and continue to insist that sexual harassment of ANY kind is wrong. But let's not be so quick to try so hard to be "equal" of our disgust for the act that we forget that there are degrees of this act just like there are degrees of other crimes.

During the campaign, I was chastised many times by Republican friends when I brought up the "grab 'em by the pussy" remark that Trump made. I vocalized my disgust. They would immediately go into the "well, Bill Clinton did...." yada, yada, yada. But to me what Bill Clinton did NOT do was to force himself on a woman without consent. I've never heard Monica Lewinsky say that she was forced to do anything.

So, let's allow the investigation to proceed. Let's watch Al Franken and see that he does cooperate. Let's just see how this plays out before we mock the woman OR before we demonize the man.