Breaking: Congressman Tony Cardenas (D-CA) accused of child molestation

[fluffypanther19]

Holy sh**t why in the f can’t people wait a week or two to see what the evidence and allegations are before just blindly demanding resignations? It’s so ridiculous that you can file a lawsuit against someone and people will immediately demand resignation. He vehemently denies these allegations, so let’s see what the evidence is. If it is reasonable then ya force him out. If it’s not then don’t.

This really is not that fking hard.

seriously, there are some incredibly bad and horrific hot takes in this thread.

[StateBoiler]

Holy sh**t why in the f can’t people wait a week or two to see what the evidence and allegations are before just blindly demanding resignations? It’s so ridiculous that you can file a lawsuit against someone and people will immediately demand resignation. He vehemently denies these allegations, so let’s see what the evidence is. If it is reasonable then ya force him out. If it’s not then don’t.

This really is not that fking hard.

We live in an internet era where paeans assume everyone is guilty til proven innocent.

[BenBurch]

Man, there used to be something called "innocent until proven guilty."

[emailking]

He should resign quickly.

What I will never understand with all these sexual abusers: Even if I had such preferences, I wouldn't try to realize them, especially not if I became a high-ranking politician (or business executive, actor, what ever). Why ruin a career and being humiliated publicly for that?

Because

1. They're not thinking about it rationally like that in the moment
2. They probably do try to resist them (and fail)
3. They think they might get away with it, as many have.

[7,052,770]

Man, there used to be something called "innocent until proven guilty."

No, only juries have ever been obligated to use that standard. Private citizens have always been able to use whatever standard they want to decide whether they think an accused is guilty.

[BenBurch]

Man, there used to be something called "innocent until proven guilty."

No, only juries have ever been obligated to use that standard. Private citizens have always been able to use whatever standard they want to decide whether they think an accused is guilty.

I understand that.  And I especially understand that private citizens have been always able to use whatever standard they want.  I'm saying it's bad.  It's basically a modern lynching.  And yes, this term is appropriate. 

[Figueira]

Man, there used to be something called "innocent until proven guilty."

No, only juries have ever been obligated to use that standard. Private citizens have always been able to use whatever standard they want to decide whether they think an accused is guilty.

I understand that.  And I especially understand that private citizens have been always able to use whatever standard they want.  I'm saying it's bad.  It's basically a modern lynching.  And yes, this term is appropriate. 

Telling someone to resign from Congress is "lynching" now?

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

Man, there used to be something called "innocent until proven guilty."

No, only juries have ever been obligated to use that standard. Private citizens have always been able to use whatever standard they want to decide whether they think an accused is guilty.

I understand that.  And I especially understand that private citizens have been always able to use whatever standard they want.  I'm saying it's bad.  It's basically a modern lynching.  And yes, this term is appropriate. 

Telling someone to resign from Congress is "lynching" now?

When you're acting as judge, jury, and executioner on a weak set of facts, sure.

[President Punxsutawney Phil]

Man, there used to be something called "innocent until proven guilty."

No, only juries have ever been obligated to use that standard. Private citizens have always been able to use whatever standard they want to decide whether they think an accused is guilty.

I understand that.  And I especially understand that private citizens have been always able to use whatever standard they want.  I'm saying it's bad.  It's basically a modern lynching.  And yes, this term is appropriate. 

Telling someone to resign from Congress is "lynching" now?

When you're acting as judge, jury, and executioner on a weak set of facts, sure.

[BenBurch]

Man, there used to be something called "innocent until proven guilty."

No, only juries have ever been obligated to use that standard. Private citizens have always been able to use whatever standard they want to decide whether they think an accused is guilty.

I understand that.  And I especially understand that private citizens have been always able to use whatever standard they want.  I'm saying it's bad.  It's basically a modern lynching.  And yes, this term is appropriate. 

Telling someone to resign from Congress is "lynching" now?

When you're acting as judge, jury, and executioner on a weak set of facts, sure.

[courts]

Man, there used to be something called "innocent until proven guilty."

No, only juries have ever been obligated to use that standard. Private citizens have always been able to use whatever standard they want to decide whether they think an accused is guilty.

I understand that.  And I especially understand that private citizens have been always able to use whatever standard they want.  I'm saying it's bad.  It's basically a modern lynching.  And yes, this term is appropriate. 

Telling someone to resign from Congress is "lynching" now?

When you're acting as judge, jury, and executioner on a weak set of facts, sure.

maybe he's guilty but the me too stuff is getting out of hand

[Chancellor Tanterterg]

Man, there used to be something called "innocent until proven guilty."

No, only juries have ever been obligated to use that standard. Private citizens have always been able to use whatever standard they want to decide whether they think an accused is guilty.

I understand that.  And I especially understand that private citizens have been always able to use whatever standard they want.  I'm saying it's bad.  It's basically a modern lynching.  And yes, this term is appropriate.  

Telling someone to resign from Congress is "lynching" now?

When you're acting as judge, jury, and executioner on a weak set of facts, sure.

maybe he's guilty but the me too stuff is getting out of hand

Says man posting on Internet forum in reference to an accused child molester.

[Horus]

Man, there used to be something called "innocent until proven guilty."

[Fuzzy Bear]

Man, there used to be something called "innocent until proven guilty."

No, only juries have ever been obligated to use that standard. Private citizens have always been able to use whatever standard they want to decide whether they think an accused is guilty.

I understand that.  And I especially understand that private citizens have been always able to use whatever standard they want.  I'm saying it's bad.  It's basically a modern lynching.  And yes, this term is appropriate.  

Telling someone to resign from Congress is "lynching" now?

When you're acting as judge, jury, and executioner on a weak set of facts, sure.

maybe he's guilty but the me too stuff is getting out of hand

Says man posting on Internet forum in reference to an accused child molester.

It's not unreasonable to think that a #MeToo movement will embolden some folks with grudges to make false allegations in the hope that the tenor of the times will cause folks to look at the allegations less critically.

Don't get me wrong; the #MeToo movement was needed to clean up Hollywood, where Sexual Harrassment came to be standard operating procedure in too many areas.  And sexual misconduct goes on in all areas of society, but it goes on less in some than in others.  I will say that politics is an area where it goes on more frequently.  But it's 10 years later, and it's from a disgruntled former employee, according to the Congressman.  If true, it begs the question as to why this is coming to light 10 years later.  It's a fair question to ask.

[President Punxsutawney Phil]

Man, there used to be something called "innocent until proven guilty."

No, only juries have ever been obligated to use that standard. Private citizens have always been able to use whatever standard they want to decide whether they think an accused is guilty.

I understand that.  And I especially understand that private citizens have been always able to use whatever standard they want.  I'm saying it's bad.  It's basically a modern lynching.  And yes, this term is appropriate.  

Telling someone to resign from Congress is "lynching" now?

When you're acting as judge, jury, and executioner on a weak set of facts, sure.

maybe he's guilty but the me too stuff is getting out of hand

Says man posting on Internet forum in reference to an accused child molester.

It's not unreasonable to think that a #MeToo movement will embolden some folks with grudges to make false allegations in the hope that the tenor of the times will cause folks to look at the allegations less critically.

Don't get me wrong; the #MeToo movement was needed to clean up Hollywood, where Sexual Harrassment came to be standard operating procedure in too many areas.  And sexual misconduct goes on in all areas of society, but it goes on less in some than in others.  I will say that politics is an area where it goes on more frequently.  But it's 10 years later, and it's from a disgruntled former employee, according to the Congressman.  If true, it begs the question as to why this is coming to light 10 years later.  It's a fair question to ask.

[courts]

Man, there used to be something called "innocent until proven guilty."

No, only juries have ever been obligated to use that standard. Private citizens have always been able to use whatever standard they want to decide whether they think an accused is guilty.

I understand that.  And I especially understand that private citizens have been always able to use whatever standard they want.  I'm saying it's bad.  It's basically a modern lynching.  And yes, this term is appropriate.  

Telling someone to resign from Congress is "lynching" now?

When you're acting as judge, jury, and executioner on a weak set of facts, sure.

maybe he's guilty but the me too stuff is getting out of hand

Says man posting on Internet forum in reference to an accused child molester.

please don't call me that

[Since I'm the mad scientist proclaimed by myself]

Rape is like the only crime where people seem to have a problem with reputation damage without a conviction(also the only crime where you can lose despite concrete evidence because your top wasn't nunly enough);

[Chancellor Tanterterg]

Man, there used to be something called "innocent until proven guilty."

No, only juries have ever been obligated to use that standard. Private citizens have always been able to use whatever standard they want to decide whether they think an accused is guilty.

I understand that.  And I especially understand that private citizens have been always able to use whatever standard they want.  I'm saying it's bad.  It's basically a modern lynching.  And yes, this term is appropriate.  

Telling someone to resign from Congress is "lynching" now?

When you're acting as judge, jury, and executioner on a weak set of facts, sure.

maybe he's guilty but the me too stuff is getting out of hand

Says man posting on Internet forum in reference to an accused child molester.

please don't call me that

Sorry, I assume that people posting on Atlas are male unless I know they aren’t since...well...so many are, but if you do not identify as male then I apologize  Mea culpa.

[courts]

it's ok.i know you're not trying to be insulting

[Calthrina950]

Man, there used to be something called "innocent until proven guilty."

No, only juries have ever been obligated to use that standard. Private citizens have always been able to use whatever standard they want to decide whether they think an accused is guilty.

I understand that.  And I especially understand that private citizens have been always able to use whatever standard they want.  I'm saying it's bad.  It's basically a modern lynching.  And yes, this term is appropriate.  

Telling someone to resign from Congress is "lynching" now?

When you're acting as judge, jury, and executioner on a weak set of facts, sure.

maybe he's guilty but the me too stuff is getting out of hand

Says man posting on Internet forum in reference to an accused child molester.

It's not unreasonable to think that a #MeToo movement will embolden some folks with grudges to make false allegations in the hope that the tenor of the times will cause folks to look at the allegations less critically.

Don't get me wrong; the #MeToo movement was needed to clean up Hollywood, where Sexual Harrassment came to be standard operating procedure in too many areas.  And sexual misconduct goes on in all areas of society, but it goes on less in some than in others.  I will say that politics is an area where it goes on more frequently.  But it's 10 years later, and it's from a disgruntled former employee, according to the Congressman.  If true, it begs the question as to why this is coming to light 10 years later.  It's a fair question to ask.

This is a valid concern. Due process should continue to apply in these cases. We cannot merely take one's allegations at face value. They must be investigated, in a manner that gives the accused the chance to defend themselves properly before law.

[longtimelurker]

We are living in different times now.  Just this morning on NPR the US Ambassador to Russia during the Obama administration, Michael McFaul, was talking about how Russian politics vis-a-vis the US was operating during the Putin-Obama years.  The Russian press made allegations that McFaul was a pedophile.  The Russian people believed it; they took it for granted that he was.  It was an outrageous lie meant to destroy him personally and destroy the reputation of the US and the Obama administration.

https://www.npr.org/sections/parallels/2018/05/04/608411358/ex-ambassador-michael-mcfaul-traces-u-s-russia-ties-from-cold-war-to-hot-peace

If you want to assassinate someone character, call them a pedophile.  It's worse than calling someone a murderer.  And don't tell me that because a plaintiff hired a lawyer and filed a civil case that must mean there's some truth to it.  Civil cases are used to exact revenge, destroy people's careers, or destroy people's lives all the time.

I went to Johns Hopkins.  Years after I graduated, a student got a gun and shot another student.  The parents of the shooter then sued the parents of the student he killed.  

http://www.jhunewsletter.com/article/2016/10/remembering-the-murder-of-rex-t-chao/

And, if you know anything about JHU, you know that the school lives, eats, and breathes lacrosse.  Conference tournaments are going on as we speak.  So remember the Duke lacrosse scandal, when a mentally ill stripper accused some Duke lacrosse players of rape.  The case went on for months.  Duke's season was cancelled.  The DA went full speed ahead with the case.  One problem.  The rape never happened.  The DA wound up being disbarred and sent to jail.  The police officer who spearheaded the case wound up committing suicide.  And the stripper?  She would later murder her boyfriend and is still in prison.

"Where there's smoke, there's fire".  Uh huh.  Ever hear of the word "arson"?  

[RussFeingoldWasRobbed]

Holy sh**t why in the f can’t people wait a week or two to see what the evidence and allegations are before just blindly demanding resignations? It’s so ridiculous that you can file a lawsuit against someone and people will immediately demand resignation. He vehemently denies these allegations, so let’s see what the evidence is. If it is reasonable then ya force him out. If it’s not then don’t.

This really is not that fking hard.

seriously, there are some incredibly bad and horrific hot takes in this thread.

[Rookie Yinzer]

It's basically a modern lynching.  And yes, this term is appropriate. 

No, it's not. You're disgusting.

[BenBurch]

It's basically a modern lynching.  And yes, this term is appropriate. 

No, it's not. You're disgusting.

I was referencing the fact that many white woman lied, to protect their own reputation, about being raped by black men, who would then be killed by an angry mob.  Someone lies about somebody else, and that somebody else pays the price.  So actually. it is appropriate. 

Aww, am I disgusting?  Poor baby.

[Vespucci]

It's basically a modern lynching.  And yes, this term is appropriate. 

No, it's not. You're disgusting.

I was referencing the fact that many white woman lied, to protect their own reputation, about being raped by black men, who would then be killed by an angry mob.  Someone lies about somebody else, and that somebody else pays the price.  So actually. it is appropriate. 

Aww, am I disgusting?  Poor baby.

Is Tony Cardenas dead?