The sexual harassment claims against all these people started noble & were made against those who deserved to be called out & punished for the most part, but this is now quickly turning into a witch hunt.

Al Franken is & was an entertainer, and the way entertainers behave around each other is way more loose & personal than other groups who work together. They routinely have to kiss and/or pretend to have sex with others as part of their act on TV, film & onstage. They have a more refined sense of humor and it’s typically more bawdy than the general public.

I have no doubt that the allegations made against Franken are those which may seen egregious if done in a corporate environment, but were actually simply harmless fun that was mutually acceptable by both parties at that time, but due to politics and publicity-seekers, those events are now being portrayed as being sinister & unacceptable.

The pic of him simulating the groping of breasts is just one example of a bawdy joke that is completely acceptable among entertainers and not a demeaning act as it’s not intended to be.

I believe once the witch hunt trials end that Franken will someday be able to be in public service, but I doubt he will have the stomach for it and I at least hope he re-engages in political commentary/humor soon.

I also hope we can let these people who are being accused to have their day in court or otherwise to get a chance to defend themselves against these charges rather than automatically assuming every claim is 100% truthful & correct. Just because there are multiple claims/complaints doesn’t mean that someone is guilty. It’s not unusual for people to “jump on the bandwagon” because of personal grudges, political reasons, publicity-seeking narcissists, people seeking an ill-gotten payday, or people who have reassessed the interaction decades later and now find it inappropriate even though they formerly thought it was acceptable to them personally.

I’m not saying anybody should get a pass.  I’m saying that everyone who is accused has the right to defend themselves before their careers & reputations are ruined & before their are tried in social media & the real media.