In the court of public opinion, seating a pedophile in the United States Senate to pass a tax bill that will increase the taxes on 50 percent of the population is unpatriotic and un-American.

To be sure, there are scores (hundreds?) of others in similar positions of power, authority and money, like Moore, who feel they can do what they want with ― and in front of ― women. Harvey Weinstein, CBS’s/PBS’s Charlie Rose, Dr. Larry Nassar (USA Gymnastics doctor), Rep. John Conyers, Sen. Al Franken, MSNBC’s/ABC’s Mark Halpern, Fox’s Bill O’Reilly and Roger Ailes, Pres. Bill Clinton, even Bill Cosby, are but in microcosm of this. Trump sticks out like a sore thumb, particularly his admissions about women on the “Access Hollywood” tape. But unlike Franken, who admits his wrongdoing, or with Rose and Weinstein, where swift and immediate action was taken by their superiors in the private sector (getting canned and removed from high positions), we observe nothing but denials and stonewalling by the likes of a Trump or a Moore that will take a voting public to decide their fate. We know how Trump fared (quite possibly by voters not wanting HRC rather than a yes vote for Trump), Trump’s position [about Moore] is obvious and transparent: they are part of the brotherhood of males that prefer denying charges of sexual misconduct despite multiple, credible women independent of one another describing similar, or the same, pattern of conduct. While women across the country have castigated these two individuals, and others identified above, and there is an apparent tsunami of cultural change afoot, where is the public outcry from men that find such conduct despicable, demeaning and illegal? Why are we all “missing in action”?

Trump, Conway and their followers are telling us that the Republican Party needs Moore’s vote to ensure passage of the Senate tax bill, despite it being legislation that will crucify the middle class, even seniors, certainly many Alabamians―-all to make the wealthiest wealthier. And to achieve this goal, a claimed pedophile will do. Is this the sine qua non for a patriotic leader? Isn’t decency and honesty a necessary calling card before we send to Congress men (and women) as our elected representatives? Certainly, none of us ever want to send a child molester to do the people’s business. But if this is not true, what next, sending an alleged murderer to DC to do our bidding on a partisan piece of legislation such as the senate GOP tax plan?

True, Moore will never have his day in our judicial system, but may have already had his day in the court of public opinion (harken back to O.J. Simpson if one does not believe this type “court” is not important). Whether true or not, the final adjudicator will be the voters of Alabama (despite senate Republicans expressing their dislike for Moore and their belief that his accusers are more believable in their recollections of what he did to each of them than Moore is in his flat out and complete denials).

It is high time that a couple of items be achieved on December 12: that women be once and for all believed when they accuse and blanket denials from the accused without substance be discarded; that men stand up for such women; and maybe, hopefully, that the voters of Alabama will show the rest of us that immorality cannot mask for patriotism in the halls of Congress