Posted by
Bob Siegel on Friday, October 09, 2009 3:46:40 PM
NOW (National Organization of Women) has publicly condemned David Letterman. As you will recall, David Letterman, instead of giving into blackmail, confessed over his TV program that he's had multiple sexual relations with staff women. Evidently this took place before he was married. Nevertheless, Letterman apologized many times for the acts themselves, for the embarrassment incurred by the women, and for the hurt this caused his wife since now he is married. He chose this course of action instead of paying some sleazebag hush money.
Such penitence is not enough for NOW. They insist that Letterman having sex with female co-workers was an abuse of power because they were subordinates. Genuine harassment takes place when women have sex with a boss for fear of losing their jobs. Nobody has made any such charge against Letterman, but NOW still won't let this go. Ironically, they were strangely silent when Bill Clinton confessed to having a relationship with his intern, Monica Lewinsky. And when further allegations came forth from Juanita Broderick, claiming that Clinton had actually raped her, then president of NOW, Patricia Ireland, reminded us in a debate with Bill Bennett over CNN, that just because a woman makes a charge, it doesn't automatically mean she is telling the truth. Not exactly what NOW had to say about Clarence Thomas when Anita Hill accused him of sexual harassment and was contradicted by every other female co-worker who knew her and Thomas. At that time, the lesson from NOW was, "A woman will never lie about an issue like this."
To his credit, Bennett looked Ireland in the eye and said, "I guess the lesson here is that it's wrong for a president to rape a woman unless that same president happens to be pro-choice."
Back to Letterman: He did something Clinton refused to do when first accused: He came clean and told the truth. Watching NOW go after Letterman after the way they defended Clinton, I find myself wondering if we are living in an imaginary world of H.G. Wells.
How do you spell hypocrisy? N O W.
Also by Bob Siegel
Words and Phrases That Should Be Permanently Retired
The Bob Siegel Show can be heard every Sunday at
3:00 PM and Saturdays at 11:00 PM (Pacific Time) on KCBQ 1170 on the
dial or KCBQ.com to listen live over the internet. Shows can also be downloaded from www.bobsiegel.net.
Download recent show now:
10-4-09