I welcome myself back to this blog after taking Friday off.
Heck, someone has to.
While I was away, I noticed that Bill Cosby's case went to a mistrial.
I kind of figured it would, or that he would be acquitted.
I know that that is a horrible thing to say, but it is what I believe.
He isn't out of the woods yet--the whole thing will probably start up again in a few months--but this guy is never going to be found guilty of attacking anyone.
And the reason he is never going to be found guilty is simple; while what he did to this particular woman, and dozens of others, wast heinous, in each of every case, his relationship with the supposed victim was consensual, and thus, no crime was committed, or at least no crime that a court of law can prosecute.
Sure, he acted horribly; sure, he really let not only himself, but his family down; and sure, his act as the All-American human being of the world had holes in it a mile wide.
But did he do anything illegal?
No, simply because the women he supposedly attacked never told him the magic word, which is "no."
When this whole thing came out again a few years ago--there had been rumors and innuendo for years about Cosby and his antics--women from as long ago as 50 years claimed that he attacked them.
Yet not a one brought him up on charges right then and there, only yelling a screaming when it became a mob scene of women who were supposedly violated by him.
The question is, and has always been this: why did they not reports his antics to the authorities when they supposedly happened?
If just one did that, we would not be talking about this, because Cosby would have been jailed right then and there.
And don't you think in 1960s and 1970s America, the authorities would have liked to have his head in a sling, so to speak, in particular if the acts were committed against white women?
Sure, the women said they were humiliated and embarrassed. Sure they were--they were humiliated and embarrassed because they were willing participants in these antics, and they knew that if a case actually would come before a court, this would all come out in the wash.
Nobody is defending Cosby at all. His behavior has been atrocious. He used his celebrity to promise these women the world, and all he delivered was a night in the hay.
These women were taken, each and every one of them, and that is why they let the cases slide.
And in the current case, it was pretty much the same thing.
If you are attacked like she was, you don't constantly contact the person that supposedly committed the atrocity, and you don't continue to have a relationship with him.
The woman did it to further herself, or try to, at least, and well, it didn't work.
Yes, Cosby is a piece of garbage. He really put himself into some abhorrent situations.
Was it a smart way to act, was Cosby's behavior on the up and up?
No, no, a thousand times no.
But was promising these women the world--many of them starlets looking for a way up in the Hollywood of the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s--and then not delivering an illegality punishable by jail time?
I don't think so.
One night in the hay for a promise of fame and fortune, and then not coming through, is a really nasty thing to do, but it is not something that you get thrown in jail for.
And the big question is what of Cosby's wife, Camille? Why did she stand by when all of this was happening?
She finally has her say the other day, and of course she knocked the other side.
That was to be expected.
It is quite obvious that she knew what her husband was getting into. They probably had/have an open marriage, and thus, her husband's behavior was permissible in her eyes.
Not everyone has a traditional marriage, and people do stray during marriage, but she seemed to give her own consent to his straying.
And the benefits of staying with this guy, who is worth millions, probably outweighed the negatives, in her eyes.
Heck, I don't get it either, and to me, she is the true fool in this whole thing, but on the other hand, maybe she is the smart one in all of this, benefitting in ways we may never know by staying with her lecherous husband, someone who pulled the wool over the public's eyes for decades.
This will soon start up again, and won't be put to rest until a verdict is reached one way of the other.
If I were a betting man, I would put my money on Cosby, not because I, myself, are taken in my his celebrity, but because I truly believe that what he did was heinous, these women were no angels, either.
Personally, I would just like the whole thing to be settled, so we don't have to hear another word about this.
Maybe, soon, that wish will be realized.
Larry, p[lease leave law to the lawyers.
ReplyDelete"no crime was committed, or at least no crime that a court of law can prosecute"?????????
Really??????
The fact that the case went to the jury means that the prosecution put on a prima facie case, that the prosecution made out all the elements of a crime.
The mistrial occurred because one or more of the jurors believed that the prosecution failed to make its case (i.e., they believed the defendant) or that one or more jurors were so starstruck that they found it impossible to believe any wrongdoing on the part of "America's favorite dad". I suspect the latter, since the defense put on a 6 minute case... Seriously, I think that if it was "Jon doe" instead of "Bill Cosby" there would have been a conviction. You and I can't answer that question, of course, but I am 100% sure the prosecution can, I'm sure they spent several hours interviewing jurors after the judge dismissed the jury. The fact that the prosecution has already announced he's going to retry the case tells me the prosecution feels they have a good chance of conviction the second time around.
I, for one, am tired of the rape culture we live in, where I had to teach my daughters to be careful about what some guy puts in their drink. I wish parents of boys were more diligent in their lessons to their sons that rape is unacceptable, and that she can't consent if she's unconscious.
I don't buy the case against Cosby, I don't buy the "starstruck" angle, and yes, I think Cosby is a real pig. Let's not make this into a social issue; Cosby used these women for his own primal needs, but I do believe that the reason he has never been jailed was because every one of these was consensual, and yes, I believe this one was too. You know, women have to take some responsibility, too, and yes, I do believe these women looked as Cosby as a pathway for something better in their careers, someone who could unlock doors for them. So one night in the hay? No big deal, but when things didn't materialize … . Again, he is a pig, and as the father of a daughter, it is amazing that the use of the word "No" never seems to come up here. Yes, he plied them with pills--and right then and there they should have said "No." But they didn't, because the end justifies the means, or so they thought. In this particular case--and perhaps in this particular case only--the women are more culpable than they are letting on. I have not heard one woman come out and say that she actually said "No" and meant it. And where is Mrs. Cosby in all of this? Counting her money while her husband was having relations with all of these women. Again, Cosby is a piece of garbage, but I do feel that these women knew exactly what they were getting into, and in this particular case, yes, this woman knew what she was getting into with him, but decided to brush it aside to further her career. It is a difficult case, because no woman should ever be forcibly put into this position, but I believe Cosby will get away with it because the women gave their OK, yes, each and every one. and it pains me to say that. And no, I am not taking sides; if anything, I am for the women, but unfortunately, they don't seem to have a leg to stand on here.
ReplyDeleteSo we are agreed he is disgusting. But my point is, it comes down to credibility. If you accept her version of the facts, he committed a heinous crime. If you do not accept her testimony as truthful, then no crime took place. You are editorializing, i.e., that because she put herself in harm's way, she could not be the victim of a crime. You're seeing all 30 accusers as "opportunists".
ReplyDeleteYou really should read this to get a different perspective: http://www.slate.com/blogs/xx_factor/2017/06/18/the_cosby_case_is_another_example_of_credibility_discounting_in_sexual_assault.html
Each and every one of them was an opportunist, as you call them. Yes, this is a unique trial, but again, I don't believe that a single one of these women didn't know, to a certain extent, what they were getting into with him. The whole thing has become a "he said/she said" case, and without a shred of evidence to back up the woman's claims, there is no way Cosby is going to be convicted of anything. He has already been convicted in the court of public opinion, but that is all he is going to get.
ReplyDeleteSongbird, you know that the proverbial 'salami' sandwich can be indicted,so an indictment in and of itself doesn't really mean anything. The essays here are certainly more palatable with your comments setting Larry straight. Although, discussion with him is for the most part unsatisfying as the points you raise go mostly unanswered. Never the less thank you for returning.
ReplyDeleteLarry, having read your essays over some time,I can truly say that you do have a capacity for compassion. The problem is that the limit of said compassion usually extends as far as the threshold of your own front door.I am quite sure that if someone near and or dear to you had been thusly victimized, your point of view would be quite different. Stop blaming the victims.
Probably not, Jim Bo, because I never would have known! Some of these encounters go back 50 years. But I have to tell you, I taught my kids right from wrong. I taught both of them the word "No." They have to take it from there, but I do believe that they know right from wrong, and victimizing women with promises that you have no intention to keep is wrong, as is believing a night in the hay will get you somewhere in life, which is equally wrong. I would hope that my two kids would never allow themselves to get into such situations, and yes, I did answer the comments posed to me just fine. I don't believe any of these women have a leg to stand on here, and yes, I feel compassion for them, but they should have used their brains rather than other parts of their body to know that what they were getting into was bad news. Cosby is a creep, but heck, maybe in the end, these women and Mr. Bill deserve each other.
ReplyDelete