Roy Moore and questions about sexual misconduct claims

There is a fair amount of justified indignation among Americans that a credibly accused pedophile is not only likely to remain on the ballot for senator in Alabama, but he could still win. People recoil at the notion that such a thing could happen in a mature democracy like the U.S. To that I say it already has. The sitting president has also been credibly accused, by a dozen women, of various types of inappropriate sexual advances. Prior to his election, he engaged in numerous business practices that were unethical at best. He established a track record of making untruthful statements, incited violence among his followers, and made bigoted comments. Yet he was elected to the highest office in the land. The rationale among supporters of Roy Moore is strikingly similar to that of those who support the president. Namely, “I can’t vote for a Democrat.” That level of polarization is not just dangerous, it is unsustainable if this experiment in democracy is to succeed. ●●●

All this sexual harassment is starting to play out like a bad cartoon. Alleged victims are coming out of the woodwork, which raises questions. Why do so many of them wait so long to come forward? And how many of these accusers are looking for their 15 minutes of fame?

I am no fan of Alabama’s Roy Moore, but we live in a democracy where we are still, last I checked, innocent until proven guilty. Whatever Moore did or didn’t do happened 40 years ago, and now it is coming out? Credibility of the accusers is also at issue here. In actor Kevin Spacey’s case, he was in a bar, hitting on an underage man, though not a sexual minor, who should not have been in that bar. How is that Spacey’s fault?

This whole mess is getting out of hand. Sure, if there is a legitimate case of abuse, rape or pedophilia, then of course go after the perpetrator, but some of these charges are downright comical and do not fall under breaking any laws.

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The editorial cartoon in Thursday’s paper depicts Roy Moore holding a newspaper with headlines claiming sexual misconduct against him. He is saying it’s OK because he changed his name to Judge Roy Clinton. If anything, since our current leader has been accused of sexual misconduct, it should have been Judge Roy Trump. Not to excuse Bill Clinton’s behavior, but Trump is a more recent example of a sexual predator. I hope the voters of Alabama keep this child molester out of our government.

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I’m glad I don’t have to work in an environment where men have a fear that they will say something that can be misinterpreted to be sexual harassment. A place where a man cannot touch a woman without the woman thinking that this must be a sexual advance and I’m going to report him and get him fired. A place where you can’t tell a joke without the possibility of someone thinking it is inappropriate. A place where you can’t tease or make a comment like “You look nice today.”

I’m glad I work at home by myself, for myself, because that is what a regular job is becoming. Send letters of 150 words or fewer to openforum@denverpost.com or 101 W. Colfax Ave., Suite 800, Denver, CO, 80202. Please include full name, city and phone number. Contact information is for our purposes only; we will not share it with anyone else. You can reach us by telephone at 303-954-1331.