Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley released a statement last week claiming “no reason for any further delay” regarding a hearing about a sexual assault allegation against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh. Says Grassley, “Dr. Ford’s testimony would reflect her personal knowledge and memory of events. Nothing the FBI or any other investigator does would …
Going Where the Children Are: Predators and the Failure of the Federal Government to Protect Immigrant Children from Them
When the notorious Willie Sutton was asked why he robbed banks, he replied, “That’s where the money is.” For sexual or labor trafficking predators seeking access to children, a current answer may be an alphabet soup mix of the Departments of Homeland Security (DHS), Health & Human Services (HHS), and that agency’s Administration for Children & …
Jaclyn Friedman in Teen Vogue: Surviving Rape and Re-engaging in Sex
As a 50 year-old male, no, I’m not a regular Teen Vogue reader. Regardless, there are many things I love about celebrated feminist and writer Jaclyn Friedman’s Teen Vogue piece. The two principal ones are here: 1. The idea that survivors of sexual violence can use sex as a healing mechanism (or just that they can engage …
Nihilism and Disgrace: Mo Brooks and Roy Moore
Representative Brooks, you’ve disgraced yourself. Not only as a member of Congress and a powerful political figure in Alabama, but as a former prosecutor and an attorney beyond that. I have no idea what kinds of cases you were responsible for, either as an assistant in the Tuscaloosa office or the state attorney general’s office, …
Paranoia Strikes Deep: Ross Douthat, College Rape & Blaming Anyone But Rapists
Paranoia strikes deep. So does male patriarchy. Almost dreamily, Ross Douthat in yesterday’s New York Times bemoans a typical scene in American college life. Alcohol-fueled parties, he says, are a “twilit (or strobe-lit) scene in which many alleged sexual assaults take place.” Fair enough, but he then goes on to say the party environment is …