Weiner didn't break any law

[Harmony Blue]

He was simply a victim of new found fake Puritan outrage by the Democratic and Republican parties. He made a series of bad choices, but again he didn't deserve the fate he received given he didn't commit a crime. Someone said we would forget...well they are completely wrong.

[ret5hd]

1. sounds exactly like another guy i heard of...

name of weiner.

(it's not near as funny now that you fixed it)

[seabeyond]

4. lol. nt

[tgal]

161. Clinton?

oh wait...he lied.

He lied too....

[joeybee12]

2. I hope Wasserman-Schultz is happy...their whole strategy was to get him

out quickly so that it wouldn't hurt the Dems' chances...that backfired...people in his district were more concerned about having someone fight for them.

[JoePhilly]

3. Did his wife want him to stay in office?

[no_hypocrisy]

12. Yes

http://articles.cnn.com/2011-06-09/politics/weiner.scandal_1_congressman-weiner-cnn-source?_s=PM:POLITICS

Rep. Anthony Weiner has said he has no plans to resign over a "sexting" scandal, and that his wife wants him to stay in Congress, a Democratic source told CNN Thursday.

Weiner made the remarks to a House Democratic colleague from New York on Wednesday afternoon, rejecting growing calls from fellow legislators -- including key Democrats -- for him to step down, said the source, who was familiar with the conversation.

[JoePhilly]

28. Unnamed source.

So she has made no public comment.

Got it.

[cherokeeprogressive]

157. He lied about the whole fucking thing. What's to say he wasn't lying about his wife's feelings?

Obviously, he didn't care about them before he got caught, suddenly he found them credible after?

[sufrommich]

5. Few of the sex scandals that have brought down

politicians have been against the law.

[TheWraith]

159. And truth be told, WEINER DID BREAK THE LAW.

Try being an AVERAGE 40-something married man, sending unwanted photos of your junk to random college girls, and see how long it takes the police to show up at your door with a court summons for harassment.

[seabeyond]

6. his ass isn't in jail is it? no one suggested a crime. when someone

makes these inappropriate and adolescent choices, there are repercussions and one of them appear a demand for retirement.

[Harmony Blue]

8. That is not true

given there are many who have broken the law, with far more serious offenses who are allowed to keep their job. I have a hard time being outraged over something that isn't a big deal.

[seabeyond]

24. and a lot of people lose their job for doing stupid. golly gee, look, weiner was one.

that is why people weigh risk and chose responsible when they are adults.

[emilyg]

128. Thank you.

[DrDan]

26. so you are deciding what is important in a congressional representative for all of us?

Don't be outraged. That is your choice.

Don't expect everyone to follow your sense of values (or lack thereof).

[Harmony Blue]

30. Values?

Being a law abiding citizen is one of the values I look for.

[DrDan]

34. as do I - as well as acceptable behavior, perticularly as an elected official

He failed miserably in that respect.

[Harmony Blue]

36. Acceptable behavior

based on what values? Puritan outrage over a man in knickers?

[DrDan]

56. or sans knickers . . . hardly puritan

then there is the lying.

But I guess that is acceptable to some, isn't it.

[sabrina 1]

143. Is there something wrong with sex?

When did the Democratic Party switch roles with the Party of Morality?

Do you know how many good Democratic presidents we would not have had if Karl Rove and his army of dirty tricksters, like Andrew Breitbart and James O'Keefe had been peering in their windows?

Sorry I can't get excited over what consenting adults do in their spare time especially when someone like Breitbart is the one telling me I should be.

Shame on Democrats for their willingness to jump ship on so many good Democrats because of Breitbart. Van Jones, Shirley Sherrod, Anthony Weiner, ACORN. This list will keep growing so long as Democrats are so willing to jump when Breitbart cracks his miserable, disgusting, hateful whip.

[DrDan]

146. shame on Democrats who cannot place responsibility for this where

it belongs - squarely with Weiner.

The list will quit growing when these representatives decide to adhere to acceptable behavior. And to send send pics as he did, then lie about it, is not acceptable . . . . . to many of us.

[sabrina 1]

154. when we live in a country that considers torture and

murder and rape of detainees shameful, then I'll consider your point.

But we don't, we are selective about what is shameful and hypocritical. I consider hypocrisy more shameful than a guy engaging in cyber sex, making a mistake, correcting it instantly, but caught by a bunch of Rightwing stalkers who then spread it all over the place. The enemy, iow.

This really is a war for this country, if your buddy in a war makes a mistake, do you throw him out of the foxhole into the arms of the enemy? Or do you keep him around because some great skills for fighting the enemy?

No wonder Democrats cannot win even when they do. They get so caught up in the minutia served up to them on a platter by the likes of Breitbart, and fall into the trap every time, shooting themselves in the foot as they try so hard to show the Right how moral they are.

But I blame it on the leadership we have. They sometimes seem to be working for the other side, and sadly, too many follow the leaders. We badly need new leadership.

[DrDan]

155. I agree with you more than disagree

We are sadly lacking in leadership - and that extends all the way to the top.

I could move on from the mistake of the picture. The lying, I cannot. There was no hacking involved- and this part cannot be considered minutia, trivial, or excusable, imo. I do not want to be represented by a congressman who's first reaction is to lie and to engage others in perpetuating that lie. If he cannot own up to his mistake, he is not allowed the privilege of that position. To do anything else is admitting we are no better than the other side.

on edit - The picture was a mistake. The lying, consciously intentional.

[cali]

61. uh, he tweeted his naked erection in all its whatever

at least get the facts straight.

[frylock]

92. what's your daughter's email?

i have some pics i'd like to send, unless of course you have any objections.

[seabeyond]

94. wouldnt that make her a ... gasp, ... puritan. nt

[Harmony Blue]

105. Twitter isn't email.

If tweets are set to private only friends are allowed to see tweets or send tweets in return. In other words both parties consent.

[frylock]

131. okay then. what's your daughter's twitter feed?

you really don't understand the point of this exercise, do you? and before you pull the puritan card, i feel inclined to tell you that i have more porn on my PC than you can imagine, so that doggy style don't hunt.

moreover, just because only friends can see your feed doesn't necessarily mean your friends want to see you erect penis. both parties certainly did NOT consent to that. ffs just read the article from the woman he sent that pic to. she in no way, shape, or form welcomed that.

[atreides1]

69. Only if you're a Democrat

Vitter is still a senator...just saying.

[seabeyond]

80. and craig is out. nt

[U4ikLefty]

151. more for the gay thing than the sex thing.

Rethugs don't like teh gay

[COLGATE4]

83. Only when it applies to Democrats. See: Dave Vitter, Larry Craig, etc.

[WinkyDink]

7. At least spell his name correctly. BTW: Is that our standard now, regarding ethical behavior?

Lewd behaviors are okay, as long as no law was broken?

[Harmony Blue]

14. If no law is broken I do not consider it lewd behavior

I didn't realize Puritans visit DU. :hi:

[seabeyond]

29. wow. a zinger. called people puritans. omg. nt

[WinkyDink]

31. Well, WTH cares "what [you] consider"? Maybe you should look up "lewd" in the dictionary.

It is "considered" a source of word definitions, so that we do not need to "consider" them for ourselves.
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/lewd

(Sometimes I "consider" 2+2 to equal 7, but then I turn to an arithmetic book and discover my error.)

[RaleighNCDUer]

45. As you are learning, they ABOUND on DU.

Mostly flittering around the R edge of the board, with a few self-righteous far L exceptions (mostly of the feminist anti-pornography ilk).

We are a big tent - and even include people who object to making big tents.

[Puglover]

49. Very well said! nt

[seabeyond]

51. so expecting our adults to behave as such and be responsible is asking too much?

the fringe...

[Logical]

101. If you are serious then you must be nuts!

[Whisp]

110. yah, just because I don't want to see your ugly junk makes me a frigid purtan

[Harmony Blue]

121. I didn't realize Weiner sent a tweet to you

would you like to elaborate on this point?

[Whisp]

124. seems you are advocating sending shots of stinky privates over the net

to people that don't want to see that stuff.

maybe I'm mistaken, but no thanks. :shivers:

[Whisp]

125. dupe deletion

[Llewlladdwr]

123. You don't have to be a Puritan...

to find an individual who tweets unsolicited naked photos of themselves, and then LIES about it, to be less than the optimal choice as an elected representative.

[MineralMan]

9. No, Weiner didn't break the law.

He displayed extraordinarily poor judgment, though. I find such poor judgment alarming in elected officials. Always have.

[Javaman]

62. poor judgment by officials and politicians is time immortal.

he didn't break the law, but it was the pitchfork and torches puritan crowd that determined what is right and what is wrong.

that flies completely in the face of what this nation was supposedly founded upon. The rule of law. I know, in this day in age and given our countries history, this is a very naive thought, however, unless we start finally upholding the law, then these types of "public witch trials" will continue and the arguments will get thinner and thinner.

This is but a drop in the larger ocean of the "slippery slope".

[seabeyond]

96. one of two things. all things irresponsible or lacking character against law or acceptable

so

all manners of behavior that does not rise to a law but is hurtful to others should not be frowned upon cause it is not against the law. or, cause they are going ot be frowned upon, we need to make a law.

come on

a parent yells at kid, you are so stupid.

a law against it, then we can say something.
embrace it as nothing to judge.

really?

[fredamae]

10. Weiner's seat was lost over a lot of

different rationales...One, I read about was the woman who voted for the repub because she is afraid that Obama will take Away her SocSec.

Informed voters make a difference.
Educate, Educate, Educate.

[cali]

11. that's the standard? Anything is OK as long as it's not illegal?

[Harmony Blue]

16. We are a nation of laws

When we let fake outrage dictate what happens in this country we are in bad shape.

[sufrommich]

19. Nobody can "dictate" a resignation. He resigned, he

didn't have to.

[Harmony Blue]

21. You are ill-informed

Thank you for the poster above for posting evidence.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

41. He did not resign?

[cali]

22. And who are YOU to dictate whether outrage is false, dear?

Oh, and that we're a nation of laws has nothing to do with this.

[Harmony Blue]

35. Outrage was fake

That is my opinion, not a mandate. I am only Harmony Blue, not Rick Perry.

[WinkyDink]

33. Such a low standard.

[a simple pattern]

150. He might have been investigating some things that were illegal!

Standards? What are those?

[Tuesday Afternoon]

13. well, well, let us hang a blue ribbon on his . . .

well --- you know where you can hang it.


bravo for the lying!! Lying is not breaking any laws. hoooray!!

:applause:

[Harmony Blue]

20. Boo hoo....that puts Weiner at Clinton's level

did Clinton have to give up his job?

[sufrommich]

47. Clinton didn't resign. What don't you get about that? nt

[Tuesday Afternoon]

57. who is crying? there, there -- now. please don't cry.

I love my amoral, unethical politicians...as long as no laws are broken, who cares.....

wonder who writes the laws....oh yeah...politicians write the laws.

Hooray for the circle jerk!!

:applause:

[ScreamingMeemie]

15. Over. It's Over.

This is tiresome.

[HappyMe]

17. No, what he did wasn't against the law.

What he did was stupid and immature. Had he not resigned, the repukes would have still been making hay out of this. The only person that deserves the blame is Weiner himself. The blame for the repuke win falls squarely on the shoulders of the Dem voters in the district.

[Harmony Blue]

25. Wait...wait

Lets blame Weiner for the Republicans generating fake outrage (that is their M.O. lately) which the Democratic party happily obliged to cooperate with them on. Then blame the voters of the district for not having a say with what happens to Weiner's fate. Then, the new Democratic candidate is swiftboated by the Republicans while the Democratic party caused this mess in the first place and were no where to be found to counter Republican propaganda.

Really? The Democratic party has been played from the very start.

[HappyMe]

48. Had Weiner not tweeted his junk,

none of this would have happened. It's his own damn fault.

The voters of the district didn't get out the vote.

[ProudToBeBlueInRhody]

78. Do you still not get it?

If Weiner doesn't show his dick off like a 15 year old boy, he's still in his seat RIGHT NOW.....

The Democrats SHOULD be doing the EXACT same thing for every little thing the GOP does....that's another issue.

[frylock]

95. weiner initiated this. what part of that don't you understand?

republicans didn't send pics of weiner's dick. weiner was not the victim here.

[still_one]

18. He is a jerk. He knew the position he was in, and the haters who were out to get him, and pursued a

public forum.

[DrDan]

23. "victim"????? You have to be kidding.

[Lucian]

27. It was all fake outrage and that was it.

I saw no big deal in what Weiner did. It didn't affect me at all, or anyone else here.

[DrDan]

32. there are some of us who still think a congressman should exhibit the sense of what behavior is

acceptable and what isn't.

Just because you do not see anything wrong with his behavior does not mean all share your views.

[Lucian]

40. Did it affect your life personally?

No. It didn't.

Fauxrage.

[seabeyond]

43. i did not advocate the man resign. lack of character absolutely effects all our lives

and the poor, immature choices lost him his job which effects our lives.

so ya

it did.

[Lucian]

50. It absolutely did not.

It's only between Weiner, his wife, and the woman he sent the pictures to. That's it.

[seabeyond]

53. obviously, you are wrong. nt

[Lucian]

54. Oh yeah. Obviously.

:eyes: :eyes: :eyes:

[seabeyond]

60. he no longer has his job. nt

[Harmony Blue]

59. Exactly

The only person's trust that has been shaken the most by Weiner's actions, in my opinion, was his wife's. We are not privy to the details of their relationship though. They must sort out their marriage on their own as a couple.

[seabeyond]

63. you two adamently say just between him and wife. as if saying it will make it true.

the obvious is it was not between just he and his wife. duh. he lost his job because it was not just between the two, but out for the public to consume. IF he had kept it private THEN it would have been as you say

[DrDan]

64. so then you accept and defend the behavior of David Vitter, Mark Sanford, and Joe Wilson?

[Harmony Blue]

75. Those are crimes

Don't you understand?

[DrDan]

79. shouting "you lie" is a crime?

and an extramarital affair is a crime?

and how were you personally impacted by David Vitter's dalliances?

[Harmony Blue]

86. Wrong!

Misuse of state funds to visit mistress, deadbeat dad not paying child support, and committing a sex crime (most states in the union).

[DrDan]

108. what about Joe Wilson? Is his shouting to be accepted and defended?

I would assume so as it breaks no law that I am aware of.

[Harmony Blue]

52. How can you judge a person's character based on this incident

alone?

[seabeyond]

58. it really says something about maturity. it also says that he felt he was so important that

his need came over the people that voted for him.

as adults, why do we make the responsible choice as opposed to self interested choices. because we have responsibilities we have to fulfill. meaning, to continue to put food on the table to feed our kids and pay our bills, we do not resort to immature, adolescent behavior, no matter how much fun it may be.

he failed.

he threw us under the bus.

so he could play.

he knew if caught there would be a shit storm. and still made that choice.

it is not on the whole world.

it is on weiner

and as i said, i was not calling for him to resign. but it is what it is. and to make statements like, but but but.... none of our business. not against the law. hurt no one.

doesnt matter.

cause HE lost his job

[HappyMe]

66. You got that right. nt

[Whisp]

112. +1

[Puglover]

138. What is your deal anyway?

Man, if a thread has a whiff of anything sexual that deviates from YOUR rigid idea of what is proper and what is not you can absolutely be counted on to spam it with hundreds of outraged posts. Toxic. As I should have done a long long long long time ago. Off to ignore with you.

[RaleighNCDUer]

71. Only because of bluenoses spewing outrage for what was essentially

a private act. He sent a pic which he had every expectation of remaining private. There are several million such pics sent out every day. Where's your outrage about them?

[seabeyond]

82. this excuse is even funnier, to me. private act. sending dick out on the net, is

private.

well

no

i am computer illiterate and i know that the net is not private

you are making statements of fact, when fact clearly shows you the opposite.

[Lucian]

139. Except he didn't send a pic of his dick.

It was in his underwear.

:eyes:

BIG difference.

[seabeyond]

141. i saw one of his dick. and a fine dick it was too. nothing to be ashamed of

he can be proud.

saw the one of his undies too

[DrDan]

85. and the lying? "Bluenose outage"?

[DrDan]

55. I expect better from our congressmen - just because you don't doesn't mean others share your

views.

Give it a break. Some of us still have standards of behavior.

[ProudToBeBlueInRhody]

73. It would affect out ability to advocate for our positions.....

....when he gets up there to make a speech and people are saying "Hey, it's the guy who pulls his dick out to any woman that tweets him".

[Common Sense Party]

147. People can still speak out against things that don't affect us personally.

Some laws, wars, treaties and decisions don't affect me personally. I still get to opine about them.

[WinkyDink]

37. Apparently, since his seat went to a Republican, you have misjudged the effect.

[Lucian]

39. I was talking about during that time.

Not now.

[Harmony Blue]

42. Good post.

I wonder are people outraged if Ocho Cinco pulls out a sharpie to sign a football or Lady Gaga chooses to wear garments made of meat? What the Weiner situation shows is that many Americans still try to cling to the Puritan values.

[seabeyond]

46. oh noes... puritan again. got me... staggerin back. nt

[HappyMe]

65. You can scream fauxrage, poutrage or whatever,

all you want. Some people hold their representatives to a higher standard than you do. How effective would he have been had he not resigned?

The fact of the matter is, the blame lies solely with Weiner.

The fact that the Dems did not get out there and vote is the reason there is a puke in that office. Which does affect all of us.

[Lucian]

140. Weiner sending those pics was a private act between him and the woman.

It's none of our business and it didn't affect us personally. Nor would it have affected his job (except if he would've allowed it).

[digitaln3rd]

38. He lied, flat out, to all of us when he said he didn't know anything about the pictures.

I don't know how you could trust him after that.

[Harmony Blue]

44. Clinton lied. I still trust him

Does that make me a bad person or a person with poor values?

[Inuca]

84. Clinton was a fool too

but less so than Weiner. In this day and age, how can you trust the intelligence and competency (forget about the lying, we all lie sometimes) of somebody who would do something like that?

[frylock]

97. it makes you naive..

i don't trust any politicians, quite frankly. but for someone to admit that they trust someone who would flat out lie to them is truly mind boggling.

[Harmony Blue]

111. All human beings lie at some point in their lives

who is naive now?

[frylock]

132. suit yourself..

your level of trust is signifigantly lower than mine.

[cherokeeprogressive]

158. He SUMMONED the press to his office, and lied to them when they came.

That's not cause for dismissal?

[loyalsister]

67. It doesn't matter

What he did do was turn himself into a political liability. Right or wrong, American society is pretty puritanical. If he objected to that, why not tell the truth from the start?
Like it or not, we have to live with the puritans who influence politics. Weiner opened an opportunity for them to get on their soapbox. It was damaging to Democrats as it diverted attention from serious issues.
He wasn't jailed or flogged or even punished. He was asked to admit his mistake and recognize that he would no longer be effective as a representative for Democrats. No one in congress would have wanted to work with him. He threw away his role as a liberal mouthpiece.
He properly resigned because he screwed us over by shooting himself in the foot and turning himself into a joke and place holder where he had once been an effective congressman.

[seabeyond]

68. only if we were more like italy, where the pres is allowed to hump a woman police from behind

and laugh and laugh with his buddies, or have underage orgies in the white house.

damn puritans.

[loyalsister]

118. Or if only we were more like republicans

who apparently don't demand that their members hold themselves to a standard of social behavior that is not disturbing to the general public.

If the GOP wants to hold on to Vitter & co. it just shows that they don't care what kind of character their congress members have.

[seabeyond]

120. good point. evident in so many areas. that is why

when someone says... it is only sex, well, no, not really. you can see there low standards in all ways. vitter is just one of them.

[Arctic Dave]

70. Yep, the pearl clutching puritans are still here.

No they can use this ad another reason why Obama is failing. Its a win win for our repuglicans.


Amazing how many holier then thou is in "the tent".

[Harmony Blue]

98. Well, then us liberals should try to do

as many lewd acts as we can in the tent to drive them out. :+

[seabeyond]

100. really? your solution is to make your base smaller, bah hahah. teabaggers

solution, too. ah ha

[Harmony Blue]

129. I have been recently informed that

picking my nose in public will drive out the Puritans. :freak:

[bvar22]

72. The "Centrist" Democratic Party leadership...

...will use any excuse to purge another outspoken Liberal from the Party.

Weiner Gone= one step further to The Right.

Wellstone

Feingold

Grayson

Weiner

Kucinich





You will know them by their WORKS,
not by their excuses.

Solidarity!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[brooklynite]

74. I don't care about Puritanical morals...I care about LYING...

If he'd admitted to his behavior when it first came out, he might have weathered the storm. By dragging the scandal out for a week, he didn't have a prayer.

[Inuca]

76. "he did not deserve the fate"

In the larger scheme of things, his "fate" is nothing to complain about. He is no longer a congressman, there are MUCH worse fates than this. And no, he did not commit a crime, he was just an incredible fool and had he somehow stayed he would have lost any credibility. Why would anyone defend him is beyond me... And yes, I used to like him, maybe somehwat less than others here did because I do not trust people that "bark" too loudly, but that's a whole other story.

[Donnachaidh]

77. dontcha love the *selective* puritanical outrage?

Some still act as if Bill Clinton is *the chosen one*, both in the past and for any future Dem problems, yet his *indiscretions* actually happened.

And Tony Weiner, some in our party were heating up the tar and feathers, and could not do it fast enough. His crime? Being an egotistical twat who liked to send photos.

I'm not saying either is correct -- but the hypocrisy in our own party is, to put it mildly - fucking STUNNING. Absolutely stunning.

[cali]

81. it's about judgment- his poor judgment. the guy knew he was being

watched and he couldn't stop doing it.

[Donnachaidh]

87. and what's Bill's excuse?

Seriously -- Clinton *also* lied. AND he was the President *at the time HE lied*. Yet he is the *chosen one*. Tony Weiner - thrown to the wolves.

Hypocrisy. Selective outrage, pure and simple. :shrug:

[cali]

89. I didn't excuse Clinton. I didn't think he should be impeached

but I sure as hell didn't excuse him. And I didn't think Weiner would have had to resign if he hadn't kept lying about it.

How is that hypocrisy, honey? do tell, brilliant one.

[Claudia Jones]

137. well said

Selective puritanical outrage is exactly what we are seeing here, and the hypocrisy and dishonesty are stunning. Then we here "I am not a puritan. It is the lying that is the problem!" which takes the hypocrisy and dishonesty to yet another level.

We are also weeing the sentiment expressed that since we live in a puritanical country, we have to make allowances for that. Never mind the fact that many people are reinforcing and advancing the puritanical mindset as they lecture us about "reality." This is very similar to the "we live in a center right country" nonsense used by conservative Dems to justify moving the party to the right.

People are being dishonest about their own political views and agendas by this phony claims of "being realistic" and merely acknowledging and working within restrictions that are inescapable. "No, no I am, it conservative! It is just that the people are conservative, so therefore to be sensible and realistic we need to support a conservative agenda if we want to win."

[Recovered Repug]

88. While he didn't break the law,

erections do have consequences.

[Harmony Blue]

90. Okay I have to admit that is funny.

O8) :evilgrin:

[frylock]

91. poor, victimized weiner. forced to send unsolicited pics of his dick to people..

poor, poor weiner.

[Harmony Blue]

93. Pictures sent privately or publicly?

You have piqued my curiosity since you seem to understand the situation so well.

[frylock]

99. is twitter on a private network?

still waiting for your daughter's email. any female family member will suffice really.

[Harmony Blue]

102. If a tweeter chooses a private setting

and people use illegal means to hack into private tweets you are outraged by what is found? Why not be outraged by the one doing the crime?

[frylock]

133. jesus fucking christ! nobody hacked SHIT!

he fucking he admitted to sending it. at least get the essential facts right before deciding to make an opinion.

[Dr. Strange]

148. I would be outraged by the crime.

Outraged enough to demand an investigation.

Weiner did not want an investigation.

[frylock]

135. we're done here..

i'm not going to rehash this shit. you go right on ahead and continue to convince yourself that sending unsolicited pictures of your genitals is perfectly acceptable behavior. i've got better things to do with my time.

[in_cog_ni_to]

103. Lewd does not = Illegal We need to stop the double standard here! Diaper Dave Vitter still sits in

the Senate for G-d sakes! WTF? Prostitution IS illegal! Weiner broke no laws. None. Zero. Zip. Nada. His wife wanted him to remain in office. If SHE forgives him, what right does anyone else have to NOT forgive him? Sheesh. No one is perfect. As long as the man does the job he is elected to do, why the hell do you care what he does in his private life? He not only did his job, he did his job extraordinarily well! Now look where you're righteousness has gotten us. Diaper Dave still sits in the Senate and Anthony Weiner's seat is filled with a Teabagger/Rethug.


Definition of LEWD
1
obsolete : evil, wicked
2
a : sexually unchaste or licentious b : obscene, vulgar
— lewd·ly adverb
— lewd·ness noun
See lewd defined for English-language learners »
See lewd defined for kids »
Examples of LEWD

He made lewd remarks to the woman at the bar.
<bystanders were shocked by the lewd behavior of the couple in the park>

Origin of LEWD
Middle English lewed vulgar, from Old English lǣwede laical, ignorant
First Known Use: 14th century

[Bluenorthwest]

104. Hey Florida! Did you know that in your State GLBT people can

be and are fired for being gay, that your State is one of 29 in which no protection exists at all from discrimination in employment? It is odd reading about this 'new found Puritan outrage' from a person who lives in a State that allows open and clear discrimination on the basis of sexuality. I wonder how many of those fired or evicted there have motivated you to post a word of protest? Sounds like none, because you think this is 'new' as opposed to being the way things have always been.

[Harmony Blue]

106. I am fighting hard to make Florida blue

Thank you for pointing out how the LGBT community has it rough in Florida.

[Bluenorthwest]

115. Look, I am just entertained by the display of posters claiming

puritan outrage is new to them, and declaring that they are deeply offended that any private sexual matter should be in anyway part of public life, and they stomp around saying 'everyone has a RIGHT to lie about sex' and such, when they same people are silent about the discrimination, legal and open, against GLBT people. It is an intriguing paradox.

[Harmony Blue]

119. Normally I don't use this word in most topics

but what you posted is a non sequitur.

To answer you question I am not silent about discrimination that happens in my state, especially given how terrible a right to work state really is for a worker.

[badtoworse]

107. True, he didn't break any law.

He was just an idiot and an asshole.

[Whisp]

109. I think he was a victim of his own stupidity.

keep it in your pants, stupid. or at least try to be a teeny bit more discreet.
contrary to some opinion here that thinking Wiener was a dope for doing this so recklessly and that we are all victorian finger wagging no no to anything sexual bullshit - he is the one responsible for his own actions.

and he acted foolishly.

[krabigirl]

113. no, he didn't. Also, his lies didn't get us into an illegal war.

[vanbean]

114. There are many kinds of laws.

[Harmony Blue]

127. While laws, ethics, and morality are all closely related

... laws are clearly defined which is the difference.

[Shagbark Hickory]

116. +!

[Wait Wut]

117. No, he didn't break any law...

...but, he lied about it...vehemently.

[emilyg]

134. That's what turned me against him.

[Lord Helmet]

136. I agree. Its the denial tour that did him in.

[A-Schwarzenegger]

122. Faux anti-Puritan defense of legal self-destructive infantility.

Flamebait is also as legal & American as underpants. :*

[Whisp]

126. no he didn't, but

if he was caught on camera, say, picking his nose in Central park, and eating it....

well, it's not against the law, but would I want someone like that in government?


ewwww. maybe not.

[DainBramaged]

130. We didn't start the Weiner

Olive Garden, AppleBees, Cigarettes, breastfeeding, circumcision, narwhals, pit bulls, smoking bans, Spitzer, High school bands and soda pop

kids on planes drinking caffeine, bombing the moon, tax fast food, Rapture, PETA, screaming kids in restaurants

Vaccinations, orange juice, Jessie James, Ipads, Michael Vicks, Octomom, unicorns and Charlie Sheen, now the Weiner's gone.

[mikeytherat]

142. I'll miss the Weiner - a circumcision + Weiner thread coulda been da bomb.

mikey_the_rat

[KamaAina]

144. It's been always tweetin', since the sun's been heatin'...

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

[Union Scribe]

160. Lol!

:D

[U4ikLefty]

152. +1000

excellent

[LanternWaste]

145. Sex is one thing. Honesty is another thing. Let's not conflate the two...

He lied. People justly lose their jobs for precisely that very reason. From where I stand, there is no other object of contention within the story-- least of all the presumption that his lies are justified because "this is all about sex..."

For me, it's not at all Puritan outrage. It has nothing to do with bawdy pictures, social mores, or fake outrage. It's simply my too-late realization that as he was emphatically denying the allegations, and as I was defending him, he turned out to have lied. No wiggle room at all. He denied it, it turned out to be true. had he been upfront about it, little to no concern about it from me.

Sex is one thing. Honesty is another thing. Let's not be disingenuous and intentionally conflate two separate and wholly different things-- neither being predicated on the other, simply because it makes sexier ad-copy.

[anAustralianobserver]

149. No. Sometimes lying to protect personal privacy is a moral duty. Lying to conceal

properly public activities is the moral no-no.

He should have just said "I won't answer questions about personal matters".

or "No it's not me in the photo; I believe it was an amateur hack into a non-government twitter account that I hadn't taken much care to secure".

If face pictures or undeniable evidence came out, just say "I won't answer questions about private matters or photos. My wife supports the way I am handling this situation."

At the very most, "There was an indiscretion that I will not go into any private details about. I did lie because I considered it my duty to protect the private lives of myself and everyone involved. My wife and I are dealing appropriately with the situation."

[LanternWaste]

153. I have no doubt many people will rationalize and defend dishonesty

I have no doubt many people will rationalize and defend dishonesty regarding anything which better validates their political opinions. But in the end, defending one's own unethical behavior with even more unethical behavior is hardly indicative of effective and judicious leadership.

"He should have just said..." a lot of things comes to my mind also, however lying is not one of them...

[anAustralianobserver]

156. I defended his right to keep private unethical behaviour private; not

the unethical behaviour itself. Yes it evokes questions about his character and it is fair to take that into account in judging his official activities.

But white lies are absolutely justified to defend personal privacy. Personal privacy is not only about hiding indiscretions; it's about protecting private information that one has a responsibility to withhold or reveal as they see fit - eg being gay, having a fetish, smoking marijuana (not driving while high - that involves public responsibility) etc.

Cheating on his wife (if that's what is was) - 100% wrong
Lying to protect the privacy of his sex life and marriage - 100% right
If he abused his power to intimidate women - 100% wrong, it becomes public domain and he should have resigned.
If women took advantage of his status as a publicly known person for money or politics - 100% wrong

That's how I see it. His marriage problems were not only no one else's business - they couldn't have been resolved by anyone else but him and his wife. In my opinion he (paradoxically) let the public and his wife down by not white-lying more effectively, economically and shamelessly about these private non-official matters
(assuming he didn't intimidate the women involved and stopped lying to his wife).