— from Cascadia Weekly —
Progressives of the 40th Legislative District were rocked to their foundations last week with news that one of the architects of revised policy on workplace conduct in Olympia may be the first felled by it.
As Associated Press and the Seattle Times reported, the state Senate is conducting an outside investigation into Sen. Kevin Ranker after allegations of improper conduct, the first test of the chamber’s new workplace policies adopted in the wake of the #MeToo movement.
In July, a Senate committee approved revised workplace policies based on recommendations by a bipartisan task force after the rise of the #MeToo movement. Under the new policy, once an investigation and any subsequent appeal is completed, a report will be released publicly if there is a finding of a violation of prohibited conduct.
Through a public-records request enabled by the new policy, Associated Press learned of a complaint filed in November by a former legislative assistant of Ranker related to sexual-harassment and hostile-workplace issues. The woman, who served as Ranker’s legislative assistant for a year nearly a decade ago, claimed she was subjected to hostile encounters involving the Orcas Island Democrat once she left to work as a legislative liaison for the Department of Fish and Wildlife.
Ranker told AP as soon as he learned of the report, he told the secretary of the Senate he would cooperate with the investigation.
“I believed an investigation was absolutely critical to ensure fairness for all involved,” he wrote in an email to the AP. He said he would not comment further while the investigation was underway, but he said he believes he will be exonerated.
[Editor’s Note: Orcas Issues reached out to Senator Ranker’s office with no response.)
SOURCE: Cascadia Weekly. READ FULL STORY.
Entering a briar patch.
No idea as to the facts here. Though, it’s a useful platform all the same:
The reasons—on a human scale:
-human frailty and reinforced patterns forming subconscious definitions of permissible behavior in a society that raised us during a particular era. There are more themes than this for sure.
Fine people are frail people, too. Some never succumb to temptation for reasons none of which point truly to “superior traits” but more realistically to circumstance, opportunity and of course differing levels of personal wisdom accumulation- a fail-proof formula doesn’t exist.
Relative transgressions now unabashedly defined as abominations will never see the light of day; many fine people who are also frail people will never be exposed for their all too human selves- but we know, humbly.
We’re in an eternal learning mode.
Reality always matters most: we’re animals making rules on the go to tame our flames, to tame the beast. Let’s remember these primordial facts as we progress.
The good news—on a human scale:
Basing treatment of a person on their instrinsic value is becoming mandatory human behavior. No person need be shamed, abused, or discriminated against based on their sex. This isn’t more natural than domination; it’s an adopted behavior of choice based improved reason.
How much more successful society is when it’s equal; when we choose to educate and treat ALL based on merit (and compassion).
It may be the cure.
Just to be clear…my above comments are general in nature and speak to the human condition and not to any one particular person or to any event(s) that may or may not have occurred. This topic serves as an excellent opportunity to reveal much beneath our judgmental surface and demonstrates how so many of us live, operate and base our views on just about everything in life on a constructed proverbial 13th floor all but forgetting that there’s a ground floor (of reality) from whence our human experiment originates and which dictates what is and isn’t possible despite imagined perceptions. Aligning one’s views with reality is required for long-term survival and prosperity and, indeed, for creating the society most desired. We’re just babes as species go…
methinks the pendulum hath swung a bit too far…
Wow. The OI did its job in publishing this article. It’s newsworthy. It’s relevant. It’s shocking. Instead of publishing a sloppy comment as to its allegations (which I don’t recommend), I wrote about the larger issue more broadly and tangentially. I see dislikes but can’t know if it’s fear about making any comments at all on a matter so close to home (not a healthy sign), or if there’s reasoned opinion that differs from mine about the broader subject. I’d be curious to see what inductive or deductive support grounds others’ opinions (either way). We’re here to learn, not be right. On that note, nondescript dislikes amount to garbage in, garbage out. Let’s improve the level of discourse. Otherwise, your thoughts are reduced to brute utterances; there’s nothing progressive (or instructive) about a failure to articulate a reasoned point of view. :-)
Me thinks Fred is courageous to raise a point worthy of further examination in what’s become a fairly toxic environment wherein reason has taken a backseat to irrational conflation and blatant ignorance. We all understand that “excess” is a
concomitant hazard in correcting past injustices; but never be there cause for the wholesale abandonment of rational and reasoned discourse. Ignorance begets ignorance. The latter seeds of irrational backlash sprout from the former plantings of irrational excess, misdiagnosis and simple ignorance about the deeper causes of human behavior. Failure to acknowledge some hard realities about our human condition and predispositions, which are on full display on the shelves of thousands of years of human history as well as in your own homes and extended family relationships (for those of you needing personal up-to-the-minute confirmation of what’s nauseatingly obvious), isn’t scapegoating because referring to “reality” doesn’t result in excuse-making. What is it about this do you not get? Without a motive of wanting to understand, reason has no place to take root. Thus, the question: “what then is the motive?” is a fair question to ask. Simple negation without reasoned explanation adds credibility to the above observations. What your failure “to see” (your denial) compares to is an alcoholic who wants to go clean without acknowledging his addiction. Good luck with that fantasy (for those of you to whom this applies).
Chris Graham, your postings remind me of Led Zeppelin’s ‘Ramble On’. I can understand the lyrics to that song but reading your posts puts me at a loss. I’m all in favor of free speech however.
Game of Thumbs – too funny!
Mr. Graham is pretty formidable isn’t he?
Orcas’ intellectual elites unable to debate without DNC talking points? Refugium in verso pollice – What fools these mortals be!
Vince?—that’s all? Well, no one can say I didn’t try. But on the off-chance you were being sincere, we’re at least in full agreement with your last sentence. Me thinks deflection might be afoot—unless, of course, I’m the island’s new “thing”—that is, its “bright shiny new object”—lol. Please, say it ain’t so….
On the other hand, humor is healthy and perhaps that was your intention to which I would say “thank you.” It would be an ideal way to bring to conclusion my attempt at rational rebalancing à la Fred Klein’s timely remark.
Meanwhile we get reports of Christmas Bazaars in the Islands Sounder. Shameful “newspaper,” if you want to call it that. Thanks for posting. I’m following this.
I know we are an island community. But when will we address harassment – purported or not – as a community. As one who has worked for many business here, I’ve seen things, and I’ve learned to keep my mouth shut.
I’d like to see an *islander* tackle this story from the perspective of an islander.
Time to stop being timid.
Peace.
Peace to you, Kristin. When I read your words, they impact. I go to root causes because I seek to understand (it’s a passion). I’m not driven by agenda unless wanting to understand the root origin of behavior is an agenda (not its usual connotation). It’s not about making excuses; it’s about understanding deeply some realities about what a human being is and can be (as magnificent (and dangerous) as we are). I’m focused on the male because he’s the likely aggressor in this context. At the end of the day, you may give birth to a son, have a brother, a husband and you certainly entered into this world with the help of a father. Objectivity suggests (and Reality requires) that your feelings toward each remain unaffected at the template (base) level the deeper you understand the issue. There’s a history. It precedes anything we’d normally call culture. It’s primordial. Even after reading some of the latest papers on genetics, we’re not able to erase the origins of our species from the human genome (& most wouldn’t want to). Thus, I start with reality. All other starting points in my mind are false, don’t seek understanding (to resolve); instead, they belie ulterior motives or ignorance. Hence, an authentic reason to rebalance always exists- to recalibrate the pendulum- to survive and improve.
Being a “human” question, I’d like to honestly “investigate, tackle and resolve” the issue within the context of reality? Why? Because all else will fail.