Friday, September 8: Spanish Soccer Fallout Part II
The arc of the moral universe is indeed long and winding
Prosecutors in Spain have accused the former president of the soccer federation, Luis “Big Sleazeball” Rubiales, of sexual assault and coercion for kissing a player on the lips without her consent after the Women’s World Cup final.
Rubiales decided to plant one on Jenni Hermoso during the awards ceremony after Spain beat England to win the title last month. The encounter was painfully awkward and according to Hermoso, entirely nonconsensual, leading her to formally accuse Rubiales of sexual assault.
FIFA decided to suspend Rubiales from his post a day after he refused to step down, choosing instead to deliver a defiant speech to the general assembly of his federation in which he claimed he was victim of a “witch hunt” by “false feminists.” He was banned from his post for 90 days while FIFA disciplinary judges further investigate his case. Although I’m not sure what exactly there is to investigate, the moment was captured on live television.
According to a sexual consent law passed last year, Rubiales could potentially face a fine or even a prison sentence of one to four years if found guilty of sexual assault. Spain’s new law eliminates the difference between “sexual harassment” and “sexual assault,” sanctioning any unconsented sexual act. Hopefully Rubiales experiences the harshest penalty available to remind him not to test the “false feminists” again in the future.
Side Items
Naval Waste of Money: This article details the failure of the littoral combat ships or LCS, one of the US Navy’s newest toys and also yet another massive waste in the military’s long history of buying overpriced and underperforming weapons systems. The Navy wound up with more ships than it actually wanted with an estimated lifetime cost of ~$100 billion (with a B). These ships cost billions of dollars and are rarely used, another unmistakable sign that the American military has overspent taxpayer dollars on weapons of war with rampant and crippling flaws. This story is yet another vivid illustration of how congress, the pentagon and defense contractors all work together, often against the good of the taxpayer
Opioid Kroger: Everyone’s favorite grocery monopoly, Kroger, recently agreed to pay $1.2 billion to states across the country along with an additional $36 million to Native American tribes to settle claims that it helped fuel the opioid crisis. But don’t get it twisted, the grocery executives don’t feel they’ve done anything wrong. The statement they released includes the explicit, "This settlement is not an admission of wrongdoing or liability by Kroger.” Maybe they just chose this exact moment to become incredibly charitable…unlikely
Lee is Coming: Somewhere out in the remote Atlantic, a storm is brewing. Specifically Hurricane Lee, the latest in what is likely to be a long hurricane season, is charging up in the warm Atlantic waters as this season’s first Category 5 storm. While the hurricane isn’t expected to make landfall, meteorologists are warning that it could generate dangerous waves of up to 15 feet across the northern coast of Puerto Rico and other nearby islands. If things get really bad down there perhaps we’ll see Biden make his way to PR to shoot some paper towels into the crowd, free-throw style