By AG Moore November 10, 2011
Many years ago I accepted a job in an agency that was dominated by men. One day, in a stairwell I took as a short cut from the second to the first floor, a male colleague I barely knew reached out and grabbed me where no one but a doctor should go. I said and did nothing. Not then or afterwards. Not to him, or anyone, for years. I was embarrassed. I knew I wouldn’t be believed. I didn’t want trouble. I didn’t want to become the accused instead of the accuser. This is what Herman Cain and his lawyer are counting on. That the fear of repercussion will prevent the fair hearing of a grievance.Herman Cain’s lawyer warns accusers to “think twice”. So the pattern of abuse continues. Instead of allaying doubts about Cain, the lawyer’s warning only reinforces the suspicion that Cain abuses authority to intimidate women. What else is that warning about? What is wrong with a little sunshine? If I were innocent and someone accused me, I would want an airing of the charges. I would want vindication, not silence. Because silence means the doubt lingers and with the doubt there is no possibility of exoneration.Cain bought silence before, on at least two occasions. In those instances he was able to buy his way out of exposure, whatever that exposure might have revealed. Today he recognizes that a bounty will not protect him, so he uses the power of his purse and his public perch to force silence.I have no way of knowing exactly what Cain did or did not do to his accusers. We have the statements of two women. Interesting that no one has come forward to accuse Romney, or Santorum, for example. It is possible that Cain himself is a victim of serial slander. But how will we ever know the truth of that if his lawyer insists that the facts of the cases (emphasis on the plural) never be known?If the accusers are intimidated into silence, and I certainly do not hold them to a higher standard of courage than I displayed years ago, then I hope the press will do its job. The press has a way of being annoyingly tenacious, and the power play by Cain’s team certainly invites tenacity. The harder someone tries to suppress information, the greater is the suspicion that there is something to hide.I’d really like to know what that something is
no place for rumors 