Careers ruined or at risk from accusations of sexual misconduct

[pbrower2a]

Advice that has not become stale after 53 or more years:

[sbarrera]

(07-16-2020, 06:15 PM)pbrower2a Wrote: Advice that has not become stale after 53 or more years:

The specific advice might still be true, but this film is so cancelled now.

[David Horn]

(07-17-2020, 08:29 AM)sbarrera Wrote:

(07-16-2020, 06:15 PM)pbrower2a Wrote: Advice that has not become stale after 53 or more years:

The specific advice might still be true, but this film is so cancelled now.

What's a secretary in 2020 anyway?

[pbrower2a]

(07-17-2020, 08:29 AM)sbarrera Wrote:

(07-16-2020, 06:15 PM)pbrower2a Wrote: Advice that has not become stale after 53 or more years:

The specific advice might still be true, but this film is so cancelled now.

How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying is  a cute musical with some catchy tunes... but it is now unwatchable (movie or stage musical) because it is now completely out of touch with economic reality. The American workplace has typically become a nightmare due to the inhumanity of the command-and-control system.  The capitalist class has deputized an executive elite to make near-serfs out of employees because such is optimal for maximal profits. But this pattern is taking hold in the non-profit sector as well, as in academia where, as in many 'socialist' states the administrators have themselves become an exploitative and abusive elite much like the nomenklatura of the Soviet Union and its satellite states.    


Charges of sexual harassment are of course to be avoided under all circumstances because they can result in costly lawsuits for an employer even if the employer wins. The cost of even a winning lawsuit is about the same as a significant embezzlement, which is just slightly more effective as a career-terminating event, and embezzlement is relatively easy to catch.

Today the glass ceilings are extremely low and rigid in practically all large corporations. Getting ahead in business without trying? Today it is more like "Barely surviving despite your effort and ability".  Corporate America is now practically designed for the suffering of low-level workers, owned by shareholders who demand every penny possible as quickly as possible and run by administrators just slightly more ethical than the fictional Simon Legree and as cliquish and clannish as the old Soviet nomenklatura. The only freedom that a worker has in America is the freedom to quit for a lateral move elsewhere, which is quite welcome because that means two years before one gets any vacation time or even a pittance vested in a pension. Never has the American worker needed unions for protection but unions have never been weaker in a century.

Workers in American business are all too often livestock at best and vermin at worst. It may take another Great Depression to break the power of the oppressive elites of ownership and management.  

In the meantime -- hey, smart kid with a good work ethic: go into the public sector, do something creative, or start a small business. For now nobody has a real chance in Corporate America except if one is born into the elite. We have the worst of aristocracy and Soviet-style bureaucracy at work today.

[sbarrera]

(07-17-2020, 09:32 AM)David Horn Wrote: What's a secretary in 2020 anyway?

For a "C-level" executive, a personal assistant who probably does handle clerical work and appointments in the tradition of what a secretary is.

For everybody else, there is typically an executive assistant (that is the title) who serves an entire floor or building. They are basically in charge of supplies, including what is in the break room, and probably also keeping track of seating.

I will say that they are always a woman, and you would be insane to hit up on her, the same as with any female coworker.

[David Horn]

(07-17-2020, 12:49 PM)sbarrera Wrote:

(07-17-2020, 09:32 AM)David Horn Wrote: What's a secretary in 2020 anyway?

For a "C-level" executive, a personal assistant who probably does handle clerical work and appointments in the tradition of what a secretary is.

For everybody else, there is typically an executive assistant (that is the title) who serves an entire floor or building. They are basically in charge of supplies, including what is in the break room, and probably also keeping track of seating.

I will say that they are always a woman, and you would be insane to hit up on her, the same as with any female coworker.

Frankly, I was being facetious.  The idea of a secretary (the keeper of secrets) is a bizarre idea in this day and age.  There are no secrets, only NDAs.

The last admin assistant (an even worse title in my opinion) in my department had an MBA.  She was the pivotal person in that department ... period.  Without her, the managers would have flailed around and gotten nothing done. She should have had one of their titles and pay, but "assistants" don't get that treatment.

[sbarrera]

(07-18-2020, 08:58 AM)David Horn Wrote:

(07-17-2020, 12:49 PM)sbarrera Wrote:

(07-17-2020, 09:32 AM)David Horn Wrote: What's a secretary in 2020 anyway?

For a "C-level" executive, a personal assistant who probably does handle clerical work and appointments in the tradition of what a secretary is.

For everybody else, there is typically an executive assistant (that is the title) who serves an entire floor or building. They are basically in charge of supplies, including what is in the break room, and probably also keeping track of seating.

I will say that they are always a woman, and you would be insane to hit up on her, the same as with any female coworker.

Frankly, I was being facetious.  The idea of a secretary (the keeper of secrets) is a bizarre idea in this day and age.  There are no secrets, only NDAs.

The last admin assistant (an even worse title in my opinion) in my department had an MBA.  She was the pivotal person in that department ... period.  Without her, the managers would have flailed around and gotten nothing done. She should have had one of their titles and pay, but "assistants" don't get that treatment.

It is interesting that the administrative assistant is always a woman.

[pbrower2a]

Well, well, well. I get to revive the thread because of some personal misconduct.

I had seen much speculation that the object of abuse was an underage boy... it is a 17-year-old girl. That's no less awful if true. 


Matt Gaetz Is Said to Face Justice Dept. Inquiry Over Sex With an Underage Girl

An inquiry into the Florida congressman was opened in the final months of the Trump administration, people briefed on it said.

By Michael S. Schmidt, Katie Benner and Nicholas Fandos

March 30, 2021Updated 9:36 p.m. ET

Representative Matt Gaetz, Republican of Florida and a close ally of former President Donald J. Trump, is being investigated by the Justice Department over whether he had a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old and paid for her to travel with him, according to three people briefed on the matter.

Investigators are examining whether Mr. Gaetz violated federal sex trafficking laws, the people said. A variety of federal statutes make it illegal to induce someone under 18 to travel over state lines to engage in sex in exchange for money or something of value. The Justice Department regularly prosecutes such cases, and offenders often receive severe sentences.

It was not clear how Mr. Gaetz met the girl, believed to be 17 at the time of encounters about two years ago that investigators are scrutinizing, according to two of the people.

The investigation was opened in the final months of the Trump administration under Attorney General William P. Barr, the two people said. Given Mr. Gaetz’s national profile, senior Justice Department officials in Washington — including some appointed by Mr. Trump — were notified of the investigation, the people said.


The three people said that the examination of Mr. Gaetz, 38, is part of a broader investigation into a political ally of his, a local official in Florida named Joel Greenberg, who was indicted last summer on an array of charges, including sex trafficking of a child and financially supporting people in exchange for sex, at least one of whom was an underage girl.


Mr. Greenberg, who has since resigned his post as tax collector in Seminole County, north of Orlando, visited the White House with Mr. Gaetz in 2019, according to a photograph that Mr. Greenberg posted on Twitter.

No charges have been brought against Mr. Gaetz, and the extent of his criminal exposure is unclear.

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/30/us/politics/matt-gaetz-sex-trafficking-investigation.html?auth=login-google1tap&login=google1tap

Remember the qualification: presume innocence until convicted in a court of law. 

[David Horn]

(07-18-2020, 10:58 AM)sbarrera Wrote:

(07-18-2020, 08:58 AM)David Horn Wrote: The last admin assistant (an even worse title in my opinion) in my department had an MBA.  She was the pivotal person in that department ... period.  Without her, the managers would have flailed around and gotten nothing done. She should have had one of their titles and pay, but "assistants" don't get that treatment.

It is interesting that the administrative assistant is always a woman.

Good news. She finally moved-on and found a job more suited to her skill set.  Judging by her new title (Director of Customer Relations), she's doing fine.

[pbrower2a]

(07-17-2020, 12:03 PM)pbrower2a Wrote:

(07-17-2020, 08:29 AM)sbarrera Wrote:

(07-16-2020, 06:15 PM)pbrower2a Wrote: Advice that has not become stale after 53 or more years:

The specific advice might still be true, but this film is so cancelled now.

How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying is  a cute musical with some catchy tunes... but it is now unwatchable (movie or stage musical) because it is now completely out of touch with economic reality. The American workplace has typically become a nightmare due to the inhumanity of the command-and-control system.  The capitalist class has deputized an executive elite to make near-serfs out of employees because such is optimal for maximal profits. But this pattern is taking hold in the non-profit sector as well, as in academia where, as in many 'socialist' states the administrators have themselves become an exploitative and abusive elite much like the nomenklatura of the Soviet Union and its satellite states.    


Charges of sexual harassment are of course to be avoided under all circumstances because they can result in costly lawsuits for an employer even if the employer wins. The cost of even a winning lawsuit is about the same as a significant embezzlement, which is just slightly more effective as a career-terminating event, and embezzlement is relatively easy to catch.

Today the glass ceilings are extremely low and rigid in practically all large corporations. Getting ahead in business without trying? Today it is more like "Barely surviving despite your effort and ability".  Corporate America is now practically designed for the suffering of low-level workers, owned by shareholders who demand every penny possible as quickly as possible and run by administrators just slightly more ethical than the fictional Simon Legree and as cliquish and clannish as the old Soviet nomenklatura. The only freedom that a worker has in America is the freedom to quit for a lateral move elsewhere, which is quite welcome because that means two years before one gets any vacation time or even a pittance vested in a pension. Never has the American worker needed unions for protection but unions have never been weaker in a century.

Workers in American business are all too often livestock at best and vermin at worst. It may take another Great Depression to break the power of the oppressive elites of ownership and management.  

In the meantime -- hey, smart kid with a good work ethic: go into the public sector, do something creative, or start a small business. For now nobody has a real chance in Corporate America except if one is born into the elite. We have the worst of aristocracy and Soviet-style bureaucracy at work today.

Update... as the American economy becomes less of a jungle as the 4T congeals and a 1T starts to emerge, the reality behind How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying could become more relevant. Obviously the commercial culture of 2030 will be simply more analogous to than replicative of 1950. Right-wing politicians were able to keep the inequitable and hierarchical economy that fit neoliberal ways intact long into the current 4T, but that is coming to an end. 

A 2030-era remake would be more inclusive. Note all the assumptions of straight, white male hierarchy. There are no obvious blacks, Hispanics, or gays in this casting. (Hollywood has a disproportionate number of homosexuals, but gay actors like Rock Hudson and Robert Reid played straight characters convincingly). The legal and cultural change would make "A Secretary is Not a Toy"  deadly serious. Let's put it this way: the rule against sexual harassment is going to be nearly as rigid as one against embezzlement. Never, never, never expose your firm to a lawsuit.

Beside, the secretarial 'pool' that used to be full of women seeking access to good marriage partners has largely lost its attractiveness for that purpose to women. Secretarial work, like being a bank teller, is just another job.

[Eric the Green]

I suppose today workers can find a little justice and dignity through sexual harrassment lawsuits that they cannot find in the economic and command-and-control aspects of the corporate and non-profit workplaces, if women are unfortunate (or fortunate) enough to be the victims. I'm not sure that the new puritanism in on-the-job relationships is always a good thing, but male behavior and entitlement-psychology has probably been difficult for women all along, despite the whitewashing on Broadway, and it has not gotten any better. But certainly more dangerous for the companies and perpetrators.

The new reform era should at least address some economic and working-conditions issues, if the Republicans can be increasingly defeated in elections, and if the trend beginning at the Alabama Amazon warehouse takes hold and unions revive.

[pbrower2a]

(03-31-2021, 02:42 PM)taramarie Wrote:

(03-31-2021, 02:37 PM)Eric the Green Wrote: I suppose today workers can find a little justice and dignity through sexual harrassment lawsuits that they cannot find in the economic and command-and-control aspects of the corporate and non-profit workplaces, if women are unfortunate (or fortunate) enough to be the victims. I'm not sure that the new puritanism in on-the-job relationships is always a good thing, but male behavior and entitlement-psychology has probably been difficult for women all along, despite the whitewashing on Broadway, and it has not gotten any better. But certainly more dangerous for the companies.

The new reform era should at least address some economic and working-conditions issues, if the Republicans can be increasingly defeated in elections, and if the trend beginning at the Alabama Amazon warehouse takes hold and unions revive.

What do you mean by fortunate enough to be the victims?

in the rare case that a woman leads a man on with seductive behavior and he responds, and that such results in a legal finding of sexual harassment. In such a case she is as culpable as he is.

[pbrower2a]

(03-31-2021, 04:48 PM)taramarie Wrote:

(03-31-2021, 04:27 PM)pbrower2a Wrote:

(03-31-2021, 02:42 PM)taramarie Wrote:

(03-31-2021, 02:37 PM)Eric the Green Wrote: I suppose today workers can find a little justice and dignity through sexual harrassment lawsuits that they cannot find in the economic and command-and-control aspects of the corporate and non-profit workplaces, if women are unfortunate (or fortunate) enough to be the victims. I'm not sure that the new puritanism in on-the-job relationships is always a good thing, but male behavior and entitlement-psychology has probably been difficult for women all along, despite the whitewashing on Broadway, and it has not gotten any better. But certainly more dangerous for the companies.

The new reform era should at least address some economic and working-conditions issues, if the Republicans can be increasingly defeated in elections, and if the trend beginning at the Alabama Amazon warehouse takes hold and unions revive.

What do you mean by fortunate enough to be the victims?

in the rare case that a woman leads a man on with seductive behavior and he responds, and that such results in a legal finding of sexual harassment. In such a case she is as culpable as he is.

Ah i see, thank you for the explanation. 

Yes, women can do wrong. If I were in the position in which to hire a woan for a secretarial job I would not hire someone who lays on the "seductress" role. That is asking for trouble. Even the cost of successfully defending  against a harassment lawsuit is costly. This is not to defend against feminism in the work place or to support the oppression of women. Seductresses are generally not feminists; they indeed fit roles normal in male chauvinism -- except that if they can make money by turning against an organization for which they work, they do so. 

It is not a good career move. She may be blacklisted from clerical work, which greatly limits her opportunities. The payout may blook good, but if it comes with twenty years of unemployment... well, she had better be a very astute investor. Quite possibly she gets some settlement that falls well short of solving all her problems. 

Many business have a strict rule against fraternization. If you work for PQR Corporation, then don't date from PQR Corporation. STU or LMN, maybe.

[pbrower2a]

More about Congressman Matt Gaetz: the probe now crosses federal lines.


In investigation of Rep. Gaetz's alleged sexual relationship with minor, feds looking beyond Florida, sources say
"I have not had a relationship with a 17-year-old," Gaetz said Tuesday night.
ByMike Levine,Katherine Faulders,Alexander Mallin, andJohn Santucci
March 31, 2021, 9:28 PM
• 4 min read









01:3702:39













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2:38
Rep. Matt Gaetz denies sexual relationship with teen girl amid DOJ probe
The Florida congressman insisted he’s done nothing wrong and is the victim of an extortion atte...Read More

The federal investigation into Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz is focused on allegations that the junior congressman had a sexual relationship with at least one minor, and is scrutinizing the Republican's conduct not only in Florida but outside the politician's home state too, three sources familiar with the investigation tell ABC News.
The investigation, first reported by the New York Times Tuesday and confirmed by ABC News, has sent shockwaves through Republican circles, particularly among close associates of former President Donald Trump, who considered Gaetz a staunch ally and loyal friend.


"I have not had a relationship with a 17-year-old. That is totally false," Gaetz told Fox News' Tucker Carlson in an interview Tuesday night. "That is false and records will bear that out to be false."
Sources told ABC News the investigation has been going on for months and began during the Trump administration. Former Attorney General Bill Barr was briefed on the investigation's progress several times, the sources said.
MORE: Rep. Matt Gaetz denies sexual relationship with underage girl amid reports of DOJ investigation
One source told ABC News that federal authorities have already interviewed multiple witnesses as part of their probe.
Gaetz has reportedly told confidants he is considering retiring from Congress and possibly joining the right-wing media outlet Newsmax, according to an Axios report earlier Tuesday.
Yet within the last several weeks Gaetz started reaching out to prominent attorneys, according to one source. The source said that one of the attorneys Gaetz asked to represent him was Washington attorney Bill Burck, who represented Steve Bannon, Reince Priebus and Don McGahn during the Mueller probe. Burck turned down the case, according to a person familiar with the decision.







Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images, FILE
Rep. Matt Gaetz boards Air Force One in Orlando, Fla., on March 9, 2020.

On Fox News Tuesday night, Gaetz appeared to confirm the investigation when he said he was approached by someone who claimed he could "make this investigation go away."
"There was a demand for money in exchange for a commitment that he could make this investigation go away along with his co-conspirators," Gaetz said, identifying the alleged extortionist as former DOJ official David McGee.
The law offices of Beggs & Lane, where McGee is now employed as a private attorney, denied those allegations in a statement Wednesday night.
"The allegation by the Congressman is both false and defamatory," the statement read. "Mr. McGee was the Chief Assistant United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida 25 years ago. During his tenure with the Department of Justice his reputation for integrity and ethical conduct was impeccable. It has remained impeccable throughout his 25 year tenure with our firm. While he was with the DOJ he would never have entertained a scheme such as what Congressman Gaetz suggests nor would he today. Unsubstantiated allegations do not change that fact."
One source familiar with the matter confirmed that the FBI and Justice Department are separately investigating Gaetz's allegations that he was the target of an extortion attempt.

What is the old saying? Seventeen will get you twenty!

ABC News.

[pbrower2a]

The Mann Act has never been repealed. Transporting underage people across state lines for sex is a federal felony.


The White-Slave Traffic Act, also called the Mann Act, is a United States federal law, passed June 25, 1910 (ch. 395, 36 Stat. 825; codified as amended at 18 U.S.C. §§ 2421–2424). It is named after Congressman James Robert Mann of Illinois.
In its original form the act made it a felony to engage in interstate or foreign commerce transport of "any woman or girl for the purpose of prostitution or debauchery, or for any other immoral purpose". Its primary stated intent was to address prostitution, immorality, and human trafficking, particularly where trafficking was for the purposes of prostitution. It was one of several acts of protective legislation aimed at moral reform during the Progressive Era. In practice, its ambiguous language about "immorality" resulted in it being used to criminalize even consensual sexual behavior between adults.[1] It was amended by Congress in 1978 and again in 1986 to limit its application to transport for the purpose of prostitution or other illegal sexual acts.[2][irrelevant citation]

More at Wikipedia

Prominent people, gangsters, and pedophiles have been convicted. T he law has been modified so that it can be used against people who do sexual trafficking or sex crimes across state lines.

[pbrower2a]

No names named,  but this involves what looks like a culture  of sexual harassment. Second-most  populous state, and involving state legislators and the lobbyists who pull the strings on some of them. No partisan connection noted, as if that matters. 

Austin American-Statesman, Austin, Texas. This looks like a story about to explode. 

Quote:A forced kiss by a male colleague. A catcall by a state trooper assigned to guard the Capitol. Late-night texts. A work meeting hijacked by a male legislative staffer: You are my ideal woman, he told his female interlocutor.

The episodes illustrate what many women say is the biggest open secret at the Texas Capitol: That a culture of harassment persists despite repeated efforts to stamp it out.

In interviews with the American-Statesman, multiple women described a work environment in which they are objectified and made to feel uncomfortable in their daily interactions with male counterparts.

“Being a female staffer in the Capitol is uniquely and distinctly different than being a male staffer,” said one woman who works for a House member. “Women are treated differently. It is just a question of in what way we’ll be treated differently by our male colleagues, male members or male lobbyists.”


What's more, women said they fear career-ending repercussions if they complain, instead turning to a whisper network to warn each other of the powerful predators to avoid. House Speaker Dade Phelan, R-Beaumont, said on the House floor Monday that the system for reporting misconduct is lacking and that the culture reinforces a code of silence, an extraordinary admission three years after legislative leaders ostensibly addressed a sexist work environment amid the #MeToo movement.


An investigation into an allegation that a lobbyist slipped a drug into the cocktail of a legislative staffer thrust the workplace harassment into the daylight, with legislative leaders working to improve avenues for women to report mistreatment and legislation filed to require sexual misconduct training for lobbyists.*

Hours after law enforcement authorities announced Thursday there was not enough evidence to pursue charges against the lobbyist, Phelan, Rep. Donna Howard, D-Austin, and Rep. Senfronia Thompson, D-Houston, issued a joint statement vowing to "create a safer work environment and culture for our entire Capitol community."

"The conversation about how to best keep our Capitol family protected must continue," they said.

But the proclamations echo promises made by legislative leaders in 2017 after an explosive Daily Beast story revealed a predatory environment at the Capitol. Lawmakers then moved to require sexual misconduct training and overhaul the reporting process.

House Speaker Dade Phelan, R-Beaumont, made it easier for women to report misconduct at the Capitol and decried a culture that silences women who are victims of harassment.
More than three years later, female staffers say the requirements did little to upend a culture of silence that protects harassers.

Seven women who work at the Capitol or recently left legislative jobs, as well as numerous female lawmakers, shared experiences of sexism, harassment and fear of speaking up born of a culture of silence that protects men accused of wrongdoing.

Most of the current and former legislative staffers discussed their experiences on condition of anonymity because they said they feared retribution in their current jobs, some going so far as to request that the Statesman not identify which legislative chamber they work in. One woman retracted her comments after the authorities announced they would not press charges in the case of the lobbyist accused of drugging a female legislative staffer.

Lawmakers reacted swiftly after the drugging allegation came to light, first reported April 24 by the Statesman.

Phelan on Monday directed the House General Investigating Committee, one venue for Capitol workers to report misconduct allegations, to set up an email hotline for submitting reports of harassment. He also moved to make sexual harassment prevention training in person rather than virtual.

“For too long, the culture of the House has made victims of harassment feel like they can’t or shouldn’t come forward because it might ruin their reputation or ruin their career,” he said. “This is just a start. We’ve come a long way, but we haven’t gone far enough. We will continue to examine paths to protect our own.”

The Senate does not have a similar investigating committee for sexual harassment allegations, but Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said the chamber has a “zero-tolerance sexual harassment policy,” which includes lobbyists.

Every senator and staff member receives in-person sexual harassment training, and the Senate “has a robust protocol for reporting and response to allegations,” he added.

But the women, who have worked in both Republican and Democratic offices in recent legislative sessions, say current training and reporting procedures aren’t enough.

'Political suicide’ to come forward

The culture in the Capitol makes it impossible for women to see any advantage in reporting sexual misconduct allegations, current and former female staffers told the Statesman.

Instead, they said, women continue to use buddy systems and a whisper network of lists of members, staffers and lobbyists to watch out for.


“Your success is so specifically driven by your good relationships and good reputation that you form,” said a staffer-turned-lobbyist. “It’s political suicide to be involved in any incident that makes the papers or anything like that, regardless of whether you were at fault or not at fault.”

Another female lobbyist, who recalled several instances of unprofessional behavior while working in a senator’s office in 2019, remembered splitting an Uber home with a young male staffer who was headed in the same direction. As they sat in the car, the man leaned over and started touching her hair and trying to kiss her neck. She had to physically push him away to stop his advances — and now she has to work with him in her new role as a lobbyist.

Multiple times after giving out her cell phone for professional use, she said male staffers have texted her late at night. As a lobbyist, she recalled a meeting with a lawmaker's senior aide in which she was planning to discuss priority items for the session. Instead, he focused the meeting on her, telling her that she's his ideal woman.

“I was constantly finding that I would need to be very careful and filter myself ... to somehow balance being friendly and not risk it coming off as flirting,” she said of receptions and after-hours meetings. “I do feel like if I ever blatantly call out when they’re flirting or being inappropriate that cuts off access or they’ll stop talking to me."


Stephanie Chiarello, who has worked in and around the Capitol for 14 years, said the culture of unwanted sexual aggression has changed little — even in the post #MeToo age.

"Why do we have to tell women, 'Don't drink too much’ and ‘Be careful about who you are with and where you go?’" she said. "Why can't we tell men, ‘Don't be a (sexual predator)?’"

She also said the Legislature's approach to unwanted sexual aggression is woefully inadequate. Unlike large organizations in the private sector with corporate-wide policies to combat such behavior and hold violators accountable, policies often vary depending on the lawmaker inside the Capitol, she said.

"When people stand up for themselves, they get fired," said Chiarello, who currently works as chief of staff for Rep. Bobby Guerra, D-Mission. "There's no accountability.”

One former legislative aide said she had multiple encounters with the male chief of staff who worked for the same lawmaker that made her feel uncomfortable.



"He did a whole body scan," she recalled. "It was disgusting and horrible having to go to work every day.”

But she said the lawmaker “relied on him and trusted him” and she feared that her story would not have been believed, or at best would be minimized.

“When it comes to who was more valuable in the office, legislative aides are pretty replaceable,” she said.

Besides, she said, she did not want to be branded as a troublemaker because, at the time, she was building her resume and forging relationships she hoped would help as her career continued.


She sought advice from an older female colleague who she considered a friend and mentor, and was told that similar things had happened for as long as anyone could remember, so she just had to deal with it.

Even withsensitivity training about sexual misconduct, people in the building tend to protect their own political careers and those of their allies above all else, according to one longtime staffer.

“There are so many people that are keeping quiet and protecting each other because they don’t want their bill to fail and they don’t want something to happen with their reelection,” she said. “This place is about relationships, unfortunately. And how long you’ve been in the building. The longer you’ve been here, the tighter the groups are that you have and they tend to close ranks.”

'House cannot police itself'

More than 30 women House members signed a letter Monday to urge the chamber to “change the culture of silence and victim blaming.” There are 38 women who serve in the 150-member chamber.

Rep. Celia Israel, an Austin Democrat who started her public service career as a staff member to then-Gov. Ann Richards and is serving her fourth full term, said the increasing number of women in the House helps somewhat. But, she added, change has been too slow in coming and too incremental.

"The House cannot police itself on this," said Israel, who signed onto the letter from female lawmakers. "We need help from the outside. It's not going to change until we have women at the top — a woman governor, a woman speaker."


Howard, the Austin Democrat, was co-chair of a House work group created in 2018 to address sexual misconduct in the Capitol, and agreed that more needs to be done.

Howard said the work group found that in-person sexual harassment training would be more beneficial and recommended that if a complaint was made against an outside person, such as a lobbyist, that information should be reported to the lobbyist's employer.


Capitol workers can report sexual harassment allegations to the House General Investigating Committee. If they prefer not to go through an internal process, victims of sexual harassment can report incidents to the Texas Workforce Commission or the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

The House General Investigating Committee, which is made up of five House members — three men and two women — investigates complaints made by members or their staff and makes recommendations for any discipline or remedial action. But complaints and the report of the resulting investigation remain confidential unless ordered by two-thirds of the committee.

In the Senate, complaints can be made to Secretary of the Senate Patsy Spaw or Delicia Sams, director of Senate Human Resources. Like the House, staff and members can report complaints externally to the Workforce Commission or the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

The Statesman has submitted requests under the Texas Public Information Act seeking information about complaints that have been filed in both chamber and details about subsequent investigations or actions taken by leadership.

The longtime staffer said the internal investigations into allegations of harassment make it harder for women to come forward, especially to the House General Investigating Committee.

“This is a conflict of interest,” she said. “It should never be something that is internal, it should be something that has nothing to do with the members. Members should be working on policy and law on the floor. They aren’t HR experts, they aren’t therapists.”

Another roadblock to change is the divided nature of the Capitol. One female staffer said across the Senate and House, “it is kind of like 181 startup companies or small businesses. We have some overarching HR and overarching systems but, at the end of the day, we’re our own little bubble.”

That means behavior that isn’t permitted in one office may be tolerated in another; it all depends on the lawmaker.

Howard said she’s heard of recent complaints of sexual misconduct in the Legislature, although no staffers have come to her directly.

“I don’t know where we’re going to go from here,” she said, adding that revisiting the working group could be helpful in determining other changes. “Are there things that we need to do that will more aggressively address what is reportedly continuing to be a problem?”

Harassment in the age of COVID

The coronavirus has further complicated lawmakers’ understanding of the extent of harassment in the Capitol, as multiple staffers described how safety protocols at the Capitol have led to more after-hours meetings outside the building.

“That doesn’t mean things haven’t been going on, but it’s less obvious,” Howard said.

One current female staffer said the practice of social distancing has made individual violations of personal space that much more glaring. She described a recent meeting with a lobbyist in her office at the Capitol who was “towering over me” during the conversation.

“I backed up two paces, trying to be cognizant of COVID spacing and he continued to walk up to me,” she said. “I kept backing up and ended up walking into a desk because he kept approaching me. It was all the more violating because of the threat of transmission.”

Heightened law-enforcement presence at the Capitol after the January insurrection at the U.S. Capitol also has created another level of discomfort for some women in the building, the staffer said.

“For the amount of DPS troopers, they don’t have enough to do," she said. “They’re literally just staring at you as you’re walking around. The word of the day is just feeling leered at by DPS troopers as I’m walking around doing a job.”

She described one incident in the underground parking garage at the Capitol after arriving for work in the morning, where multiple troopers are typically stationed. One made comments about her appearance and her clothing.

“I was so startled and uncomfortable,” she said. “I’m just trying to go to work and start my job.”

Ericka Miller, press secretary for the Texas Department of Public Safety, said the agency has not received complaints related to troopers present at the Capitol.

"The Texas Department of Public Safety has received many compliments for our work at the Capitol over the past few months and no complaints," Miller said in a statement. "We would encourage this person to file their complaint with the Office of the Inspector General for an independent investigation regarding any alleged misconduct."

The former staffer, who worked at the Capitol as recently as 2019 and now works as a lobbyist, said incidents of sexual harassment likely have “just been pushed into darker corners.”

“One reason why this was so shocking and disturbing to a lot of us is that with COVID, the opportunities — if you will — for the harassment and the assaults to happen have in some ways been narrowed,” she said. “There haven’t been these huge legislative receptions. There hasn’t been as much wining and dining.”

As a female staff member, male lobbyists visiting her office and legislators she did not work for would ask her to do administrative tasks or favors. One lawmaker would frequently ask female staff on hand to go get him a soda or do other errands.

“There are definitely two really systemic issues within the Capitol building,” she told the American-Statesman. “It’s two parts: It’s the sexual discrimination and the sexual harassment.”

'It has to end now'

In 1973, Rep. Senfronia Thompson, D-Houston, was a 34-year-old rookie and one of only six women in the House, which was dominated by white men. After one of her colleagues in the chamber publicly referred to her as his "Black mistress," she was told to keep quiet, as speaking out would not only end her political career, but it could jeopardize her personal safety.

She ignored the warning and called out the offender in a speech from the well of the House chamber.

"I never remain silent," Thompson recalled 48 years later. "I can assure you that after my personal privilege speech, nobody ever said those things to me again."

Needless to say, Thompson's refusal to quietly accept sexually charged statements and actions did not end her career. She's now in her 25th term at age 82 and the longest-serving woman in the history of the Texas Legislature.

But the attitudes of some of the men who work in and around the Legislature still endure, she said.

Thompson said it's time to finally — and forever — put an end to the culture that condones, excuses and sometimes promotes the sexual abuse of women who serve in state government.

"All of this sexual harassment culture has to end, and it has to end now," she said.

About this story

The American-Statesman has agreed not to name the seven women who spoke to us about harassment at the Texas Capitol because of their fear of repercussions for going public. We are also not naming any men referred to by the women because it would identify the women who spoke to us about their experiences. We always strive to name individuals in stories but, in this instance, we believe that telling the story is critically important at this moment when the problem of sexual harassment at the Capitol is being debated by the Legislature.

Share your story

We've set up a private hotline for anyone who would like to share their story about harassment or discrimination at the Texas Capitol. We will honor requests for anonymity, and tips shared will not be published unless we receive express permission from you. To share your tip, leave a voicemail or send a text message to (512) 910-5368‬. Please also note if you're comfortable having a reporter contact you privately to learn more.

https://www.statesman.com/story/news/pol...872464001/

*Comment: such is a felony in most states.

[pbrower2a]

I thought he was creepy.... now we know.



Josh Duggar, a former star of the television show "19 Kids and Counting," has formally been charged in federal court with charges of receipt and possession of child pornography following his arrest in Arkansas on Thursday. 

In May 2019, Homeland Security agents raided the car dealership where Duggar works in connection with a federal probe and a new federal indictment, which was obtained by Arkansas news station KHBS, accuses Duggar of knowingly receiving child pornography and posessing it in May 2019. It includes images of minors under the age of 12. 

(Judge Erin Wiedemann) also said Duggar — who just announced that he and his wife, Anna, are expecting their seventh child — would not be allowed to have minors around him if he were released.


Duggar is the oldest child of Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar, who starred in the TLC reality series "19 Kids and Counting." The Duggar family has publicly identified as Independent Baptists and much of the show was dedicated to how their conservative, "quiverfull" brand of Christianty played out in day-to-day life. The quiverfull movement is one that views children as blessings from God and discourages all forms of birth control, including natural family planning. 
The show premiered in 2008. By 2013, Joshua Duggar had taken a job with the Family Research Council, an organization that is classified as an anti-gay hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center. However, he resigned from that position in May 2015 when news broke that he had molested at least five under-age girls, including four of his sisters, when he was 14 or 15 years old.

More at Salon.

[pbrower2a]

Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Trevor Bauer, facing allegations of sexual assault, was placed on seven-day administrative leave by Major League Baseball on Friday, a decision that will prevent him from making his scheduled start on Sunday.


Bauer, whose side has denied the allegations, has declined to appeal MLB's decision.
"We reaffirm our original statement and refute [the woman's] allegations in the strongest possible terms," Bauer's co-agents Jon Fetterolf and Rachel Luba said in a statement. "Mr. Bauer will not appeal MLB's decision to place him on administrative leave at this time in an effort to minimize any distraction to the Dodgers organization and to his teammates."
Administrative leave, adopted under a joint domestic violence policy between MLB and the MLB Players Association, is not considered a suspension; the player still gets his full salary despite not participating in games.

MLB can request an extension of seven additional days with consent from the MLBPA. Doing so would keep Bauer off the field through the All-Star break, buying more time for an ongoing investigation.

"MLB's investigation into the allegations made against Trevor Bauer is ongoing," the league wrote in a statement. "While no determination in the case has been made, we have made the decision to place Mr. Bauer on seven-day administrative leave effective immediately. MLB continues to collect information in our ongoing investigation concurrent with the Pasadena Police Department's active criminal investigation. We will comment further at the appropriate time."

Bauer has been accused by a woman of choking her until she lost consciousness on multiple occasions, punching her in several areas of her body and leaving her with injuries that required hospitalization over the course of two sexual encounters earlier this year, according to a domestic violence restraining order that was filed in L.A. County Superior Court this week, copies of which were obtained by ESPN on Wednesday.

While asking the court to issue a no-contact order that would prevent Bauer from coming within 100 yards of her, the woman, a 27-year-old who resides in San Diego, provided graphic details of sexual encounters with Bauer and photographs that show two black eyes, scratches on her face and bruised and cut lips. The alleged incidents took place at Bauer's home in Pasadena, California, on April 21 and May 16, and are being investigated by the local police department.

The restraining order was executed as a temporary ex parte, which can be achieved without input from the other party. Bauer's side plans to deny the account during a hearing scheduled for July 23, according to his representatives. On Tuesday, those representatives issued a statement denying that Bauer had assaulted the woman, calling the encounters "wholly consensual." The following day, they provided a series of text messages that show the woman inviting rough sex and talking about how she wants him to "gimme all the pain" and "choke me out."

Dodgers CEO Stan Kasten told reporters Friday that he trusts the investigation being conducted by the commissioner's office
.
"I know what has been in the public domain. Apparently there's plenty more information that I have not been told, that I am not privy to, that I do not know anything about," Kasten said. "And so I'm going to wait until all of that fact-gathering is complete and the decision was made."
Manager Dave Roberts also commented on MLB's decision to put Bauer on leave Friday, telling reporters before the Dodgers opened a weekend series against the Washington Nationals that they "are going to support whatever decision MLB makes."

"We'll focus on tonight, obviously," he said, adding that the Dodgers "also need to figure out Sunday, and we're trying to figure that out as well, but that also is affected by the next two nights so that's kind of where we're at right now."

https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/3175...llegations

[pbrower2a]

I'm not going to defend this creep:

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The men Ed Buck lured to his apartment for “party and play” found themselves in a situation of life and death, prosecutors said.

Two men enticed by the promise of drugs for sex died. Those who survived overdoses reported harrowing encounters with a man bent on injecting them with methamphetamine and slipping them other drugs.

Nearly two years after Buck was arrested and charged by federal prosecutors, the wealthy Democratic donor went on trial Tuesday on charges of providing fatal doses to two men, running a drug den and persuading others to travel for prostitution.

Buck, 66, who has given more than $500,000 to mostly Democratic politicians and causes since 2000, has pleaded not guilty. He faces nine felonies that could put him in prison for life if he’s convicted.

The arrest of Buck in 2019 marked a turning point for activists who rallied outside his West Hollywood apartment and pressured law enforcement to act after Gemmel Moore, 26, died on his floor in 2017. Even after Timothy Dean, 55, died 18 months later, it took another nine months and the near-death of another overdose victim before Buck was arrested in September 2019.

https://apnews.com/article/government-an...d5bd5ca0ba

[Anthony '58]

Of course now Deshaun Watson can be added to this list.