You know it’s been a week when the least crazy news was a man drinking poison and dying on live TV.
(If you missed that piece of news, Slobodan Praljak committed suicide by drinking poison in the courtroom after a judge from the International Criminal Tribunal for Yugoslavia read that his 20-year sentence would be upheld.)
In May, Donald Trump called the Russia investigation “The single greatest witch hunt of a politician in American history.” Today, Michael Flynn pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI about conversations with the former Russian ambassador and is now cooperating with special counsel Robert Mueller.
Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright wrote about the gutting of the state department from the inside out under current Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, calling it a “national security emergency.” Meanwhile, rumors are swirling that he will be out in January, the latest in the revolving door of this administration.
President Trump was supposed to be honoring Native American CodeTalkers when he decided to make an offensive comment about Sen. Elizabeth Warren, calling her “Pocahontas,” overshadowing the event and completely undermining the reason they were gathered.
Of course, he continues to use Twitter to insult, incite and inflame.
But if there is one good thing to come out of Donald Trump’s presidency, it’s the resulting willingness of women to speak up about sexual harassment, assault and locker room talk. From record numbers of women looking to run for office in 2018 to the #MeToo movement to organizations finally believing victims and taking action, there have been some positive steps.
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi has asked Rep. John Conyers to resign. Kevin Spacey has been fired from “House of Cards” and is being edited out of an already-completed film. Rep. Blake Farenthold, R-Texas, was named as the lawmaker behind an $84,000 taxpayer-funded sexual harassment settlement. Garrison Keillor has been fired. Pixar chief John Lasseter is taking a 6-month leave of absence after acknowledging “missteps.”
It’s about time.
And, we still have a ways to go.
Think about this: Matt Lauer was fired because credible, detailed accounts of his behavior. And, he is now seeking $30 million, the remainder of his salary had he not been fired. The victims are not seeking financial remuneration. The perpetrator is.
Roy Moore, co-author on a “textbook” that detailed why women were not to be involved in politics and is now claiming that a conspiracy perpetrated by the LGBT community is responsible for the accusations leveled against him is on target to win his Senate race.
There continue to be some loud dismissals of the victims’ experiences — both male and female — claiming that accusations of sexual impropriety have now been weaponized. Let’s be clear. Rape and other forms of sexual assault and abuse have been weaponized since the beginning of time. It has been a part of every war, every conflict, and sadly, everyday life since time immemorial. It took thousands of years for rape to be considered a war crime, something that has only happened in the last 20 years. Second, as Michelle Quist wrote this week, the percentage of false claims is two. Two percent. Meaning 98 percent of the accounts are true. It should be clear that the default position should be to believe, not look for the rare exception.
Oh, and North Korea launched a missile, there was a horrific terrorist attack in Egypt, and on a bright spot, an American actress is marrying into the British royal family.
I don’t know about you, but I’m ready for a break from the news, at least that kind of news. I’m ready to #LightTheWorld by focusing on serving others for at least the next 25 days. I hope you’ll join me.
Holly Richardson
Holly Richardson is grateful to know that there is still lots of good in the world. She looks forward to focusing on that over the next month.
