TORRANCE TRIBUNE December 21, 2017 Page 7 Prosciutto Wrapped Mozzarella Sticks The saltiness of prosciutto wrapped around the gooeyness of mozzarella. It’s the definition of yum. Ingredients Preparation Politically Speaking One Man’s Opinion Another Man’s Opinion Democrats Need to Stop Asking Al Franken to Reconsider Resigning By Cristian Vasquez With the recent special Election defeat of accused pedophile Roy Moore, Democrats took in a breath of fresh air along with the Senate seat that was up for grabs. Throughout the election, Moore’s reputation for scouting malls and high school football games for underage friends was put at the forefront of why he was unfit for office. However, today Democrats are having a change of heart regarding Senator Al Franken. With at least four allegations against the former Saturday Night Live writer, Franken announced earlier this month that he would be stepping down from his position, but never really gave a timeline. To be clear, Senator Franken should leave. He made a choice to deal with these accusations while not being a public servant--and just a month ago, many Democrats vocalized their support for his decisions. Which makes the recent news that four of Franken’s fellow Democrats have come out and expressed their desire that he reconsider resigning. The list asking Franken to reconsider includes West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin, Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY). An article by Politico.com reports that Leahy initially issued a statement calling for Franken’s resignation, but has since expressed regrets in private. Even more frustrating is Manchin, who under the guise allowing an Ethics Committee investigation, has asked Franken to reconsider and described Democrats reaction to the accused Senator as “atrocious.” Manchin and his colleagues need to stop. Asking someone to resign because of sexual assault isn’t atrocious. Sexual assault is atrocious. The hypocrisy behind asking Franken to stay in office after the party spent an entire special election campaigning against a candidate accused of a sexual crime is nauseating. Asking Franken to go through an Ethics Committee investigation before resigning is no different from Moore supporters arguing that the Alabama judge was never found guilty of a crime. Asking for this investigation is no more than a stall tactic. It’s a distraction that would delay the vulnerability of the Senate seat. It is a smokescreen so that people might stop talking about Franken and move on to the next headline. Democrats just gained ground in the Senate by defeating an accused sexual deviant and now they want to preserve power by asking that an accused sexual predator be given a proper investigation. You can’t have it both ways, Democrats. In addition, Franken decided to leave on his own but he really didn’t set a date. So if Democrats are looking to buy time, the Senator has done a great job so far of giving them a chance to find a party candidate to fill the Minnesota seat. I get it: these four Democrats do not speak for the entire party. Yet, it is still a shame that after a winning a major campaign fighting an accused sexual predator, these senators turn around and ask for leniency on behalf of their own accused pervert. • Has Sexual Harassment Plague Finally Reached a Tipping Point? By Duane Plank As another wave of politicians, industry titans, celebrities and now sports-related folks see their careers and reputations blown to smithereens by allegations of sexual harassment, one wonders if this is just the tip of the iceberg, or the tipping point in how alleged salacious behavior, or worse, is dealt with. Ever since Hollywood impresario- mogul-pervert Harvey Weinstein got very chummy with a potted plant, and women began to go public with their stories of sexual harassment--or worse--the deck of cards, so help me, Kevin Spacey, has crumbled to the floor. Careers that took years to build and foster have basically been vaporized, rightly or wrongly. You should be familiar with the names. Senators John Conyers and Al Franken: done. Familiar omnipresent celebrities who entered our house every morning like Charlie Rose and Matt Lauer: quickly shown the door. Titans in industry and Hollywood, and lower-level pols too numerous to mention, have been forced to resign because of alleged improprieties. And recent allegations against men working in sports related fields, talking heads on the NFL Network, and men working at eponymous ESPN, have now been either suspended or canned with their careers in jeopardy because of harassment allegations--most of which are denied by those charged with the misdeeds. Losing a job is one thing, though. Losing a life over an allegation is another. Kentucky State Representative Dan Johnson apparently committed suicide last week when faced with allegations, which he denied, that he had diddled with a teenage girl. So where do we go from here? Is everyone accused of some type of sexual harassment automatically expected to resign? And what is the definition of sexual harassment and what penalties should the…alleged…perpetrators face? Many moons ago, back in the sixties, the great Supreme Court judge Potter Stewart, when asked what he viewed as obscene, opined, “I know it when I see it.” Is that the threshold that now exists in the continuing social media junk pile America has become? A judgment call: we know it when we see it? So, what defines sexual harassment in the workplace, or anywhere else in society? Obviously, attempted or completed rape is a heinous offense and should be prosecuted to the full extent of whatever law we have left in this country. Also on the harassment list would be sending lewd photos via a smartphone, so help me, Anthony Weiner. Unwanted touching qualifies, methinks. But what about a simple flirtatious remark or suggestion? Which is now being reported by the offended parties X-years after the comment? And may have happened outside of work? Should people’s careers be torched in that case? A life lost? • Recipe provided by ARA Brandpoint and www.FarmRich.com/holiday 1. Prepare Farm Rich Mozzarella Sticks according to package directions. 2. While mozzarella sticks are still warm, wrap a piece of basil and a piece of prosciutto around each stick. 3. Serve with warm marinara sauce for dipping. • Farm Rich Mozzarella Sticks • Thinly sliced prosciutto • Fresh basil leaves • Marinara sauce, heated
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