Oh, those Kennedy boys!
“During the war – at at time when all future political leaders were expected to do their military duty – Joseph junior went to fly patrol bombers in England. John had a safe position in naval intelligence in Washington. There he struck up a sexual relationship with a woman named Inga Arvad, who was suspected by the FBI of being a Nazi spy. Aware of the potential danger to Jack (as John F. was called), Joe Kennedy arranged a sudden transfer several thousand miles away from “Inga Binga” (as the F.B.I. referred to her) to the South Pacific, where he added to his own legend…. His brother, Robert F. “Bobby” Kennedy knew about his brother’s close ties to the mob through a sex partner named Judy Exner, whom Kennedy shared with Sam Giancana.”
“A Patriot’s History of the United States from Columbus’s Great Discovery To the War on Terror” by Larry Schweikart and Michael Allen pp. 670-671
I am a bit fond of men. I grew up with four brothers; and it provided for a wonderfully vibrant, and fast-moving social laboratory! All of the best curse words that I know today, I learned from my brothers. wink
I like “manly” men. And I detest the phrase “toxic masculinity” because I believe it is an attempt to create a society where androgyny is seen as a cure for worldly ills. Real men take risks. Real men love their children but they still make mistakes. Real men love their wives but sometimes they stray. I have always said that monogamy is a most difficult task. And if monogamy is the moral requirement, why did God just not cut the hormone levels by a third when He created us? He topped us off with hormones. And then He distilled the product. It all seems a bit unfair. smile
But I also believe adultery is the riddle to be solved by the adults involved and the injured party. Pete Hegseth cheated. That was for him to sort out with his adult family members. Keep it private. Keep the circle small. Dare I say that he is not an anomaly; rather a fairly normalized version of the average male?
Now as to whether he also sexually assaulted another woman, it is in the category of a report out without forensic evidence.
The “Me Too” movement made me a bit queasy because I understood that at the end of this raucous (and not entirely unnecessary complaint) there would be decent men who would later face accusations of assault – when what happened just might have been consensual – and understood to be desired by both parties.
I was told of a story of a Naval Officer facing charges of rape. With the consensual act already in play, the woman told the man she had made a mistake. She had buyer’s regret. But she took it a step further. She brought a rape accusation against an officer. His life destroyed, for her sense of guilt.
The report brought by Pete Hegseth’s accuser is gritty and it might be the truth. But it also might be false. We have certainly witnessed the sudden appearance of a damsel in distress, sometimes decades after an alleged event, when it comes to the nomination of a political appointee.
Professor Christine Ford and her attempt to block the nomination of Justice Kavanaugh comes to mind. Yeah. He might have taken a bit of roll on her during high school. Tried to find his way through her clothing. Been there. Done that. Got the badge. This is high school, moving into adulthood, figuring out boundaries and if that guy likes you, or that girl thinks you are cool. But none of it is really worth recounting decades later. That is my take on it.
But look at those Kennedy boys! Weren’t they something else?! I just think Pete Hegseth deserves a chance to defend his position: As a man. And as the man who may become our next Secretary of Defense.
No comments:
Post a Comment