Seriously, folks, some days I feel like the only one Andrew Cuomo hasn’t tried to kiss. I can never understand some guys’ idea of seduction. Does Gov. Cuomo really think that it’s romantic to ask a sexual assault victim whether the experience had an effect on her sex life? It’s the equivalent of a guy sending photos of his penis to women in hopes of seducing them. Do women really prefer weiner pics to a nice dinner and a bottle of champagne? The sexual harassment charges against Cuomo are damaging him more than the alleged undercounting of nursing home deaths due to the pandemic. Prediction: The governor of New York will eventually resign, despite his protestations to the contrary.
Phillies centerfielder Odubel Herrera is trying to revive his career two years after his assault on his girlfriend. Moral judgment aside, Herrera will likely be in another uniform this season. That’s because the Phillies are paying Scott Kingery too much money to dump him. Plus, Kingery plays a number of positions. And that makes him more valuable than Herrera. But as for the moral question, if Herrera’s girlfriend is willing to give him a second chance, is it right for us to deny him the same?
Thanks to HBO’s ALLEN V. FARROW, that old controversy is strongly back in the news. At the heart of Mia Farrow’s 28-year-old charges against Woody Allen is whether he molested their adopted daughter Dylan. The pedophilia charge has not held up legally for numerous reasons, not all of which are related to whether he’s guilty. Nevertheless, it has cost Allen his career. Amazon cut ties with him. He’s had to resort to try to get his own funding to release his latest film A RAINY DAY IN NEW YORK. Whether or not Allen did molest Dylan, she believes he did and has obviously been damaged by the experience. But it’s Allen’s seeming obsession with much younger women that has created just as much controversy today as the molestation charge.
There is a 35-year age difference between Allen and his wife Soon-Yi. The couple has been married for 23 years. The circumstances under which Woody developed a relationship with Farrow’s adopted daughter are, I believe, unforgivable. Nothing short of a betrayal of Farrow and her family. But his marriage to Soon-Yi has lasted far beyond any of Farrow’s own marriages and relationships and many other “Hollywood” marriages.
In his films, Allen has continually pursued the theme of older men and their sexual relationships with young women. In Europe, such relationships seem to be viewed as normal. Not so in America, where many of us find such relationships creepy. But does Allen’s apparent fetish or his pursuit of Soon-Yi have any relationship to the molestation charges by Dylan? The alleged molestation occurred when Dylan was around 7 years old. I’m no psychologist, but I don’t think the two events are connected.
HBO MAX has announced that it will continue to show the six Woody Allen films in its catalog. The premium cable outlet believes that viewers should choose whether or not to watch the films. A refreshing pushback to those who wish to ban anything they deem offensive.
Like most of you, I was initially incensed by the cancellation of six Dr. Seuss books, but I’ve changed my mind. The books were not canceled by liberals, and certainly not by President Biden, as Sen. Ted Cruz would have you believe. The six books were canceled by the Seuss estate because they contained racial stereotypes. The books in question were the least popular of the Seuss books. You would be more accurate to call the action a good business decision. In ordinary times, the publisher’s decision would likely have not caused a stir. These are not ordinary times. I wonder why the offensive images were not just altered or why they weren’t quietly pulled from the publisher’s offerings? Ironically, the decision has netted big bucks for the publisher because it caused a tremendous buying spree on the six books.
What do you call a major political party that stands for nothing positive? When it is unable to support helping Americans survive a pandemic. When it can’t – or won’t — create a national medical plan. When it refuses to approve funding for fixing crumbling roads and bridges. When it denies the causes of — and, in fact, the very existence of climate change. When a political party won’t condemn a president who incited an assault on our nation’s Capitol. When, because it knows that changing demographics will make it impossible for it to win the popular vote in future elections, it acts to make it much harder for some people of color to vote. That party is today’s Republican Party. No agenda. Just fake outrage.
The president has rightfully condemned those governors who’ve reopened their states — no mask mandate, no limitations on crowds. Biden called them “Neanderthals.” Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tennessee) and other Republicans have rushed to the defense of Neanderthals. Apparently, if you’re a Neanderthal who reads Dr. Seuss, you may be the ideal mate for some lonely Republican at the moment.
John Dougherty and his nephew, Gregory Fioca, were arrested this past week. I’m not taking sides in Johnny Doc’s legal problems. Let the court decide. But reports are that the feds showed up at Fioca’s home and used a battering ram to break down the door to his home. They pointed long guns at his wife and kids. Seriously, folks?
Maybe they thought Fioca was Machine Gun Kelly.
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