Bill Cosby convicted on three counts of indecent assault.

Courtesy of CNN: 

The jury in Bill Cosby's retrial found the TV icon guilty of all three counts of aggravated indecent assault on Thursday for drugging and sexually assaulting Andrea Constand in a Philadelphia suburb in 2004. 

The 80-year-old comedian faces up to 10 years in prison on each count, but would likely serve them concurrently. 

After the trial concluded, Constand left through a side door in the courtroom, walking into a hallway with her arms around two women and a huge smile on her face. 

Cosby shouted at the prosecutor in court when his bail was discussed, observers said. 

The case against Cosby centered on testimony from Constand, a former employee with Temple University women's basketball team. She testified that Cosby, a powerful trustee at Temple, drugged her and sexually assaulted her when she visited his home to ask for career advice. 

Cosby's defense team argued that their interaction was consensual. Constand is a con artist, they argued, who wanted a piece of Cosby's fortune. 

The case is the first celebrity sexual assault trial since the #MeToo movement began last fall, and as such, represents a test of how the cultural movement will translate into a courtroom arena. In closing arguments, defense attorney Kathleen Bliss positioned Cosby's legal team as standing up against "witch hunts, lynchings (and) McCarthyism."

"Witch hunt" where have we heard THAT before? 

It can be argued that the Cosby allegations were actually the impetus for the #MeToo movement, and that this conviction is proof that powerful men who thought that their money and prestige would protect them from justice have another think coming.

Gee, I wonder who could be next to learn that lesson?

Bill Cosby, whose sexual assault case resulted in a mistrial, will be giving town halls on how to avoid being accused of sexual assault. I have an idea.

Courtesy of WaPo: 

Just days after a judge declared a mistrial in Bill Cosby’s sexual assault case, his publicists have revealed what he plans to do next — a national tour educating young people on sexual assault — specifically, on how to avoid getting accused of sexual assault. 

“Mr. Cosby wants to get back to work,” spokesman Andrew Wyatt told an Alabama TV anchor Wednesday morning. “We are now planning town halls.” 

“Really?” responded the WBRC Fox 6 News anchor in Birmingham.

There was a hint of skepticism in the anchor’s voice, which ballooned into full incredulousness from women’s groups and victims’ advocates Thursday when news of Cosby’s plans began to spread. 

“It would be more useful if Mr. Cosby would spend time talking with people about how not to commit sexual assault in the first place,” Jodi Omear, vice president of communications for the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network (RAINN) told Newsweek. 

As Wyatt explained it, these town halls will educate young people and married men on the law and the dangers they face from accusations of sexual assault.

You ever read anything that seems so crazy that you cannot believe it's true?

Because that seems to be happening to me all of the time lately.

When I first heard about this I had the obvious reaction on Twitter.

I think point one in his talk about avoiding accusations of sexual assault might be don't sexually assault people. https://t.co/yweK2bQfmv

— Gryphen 2009 (@Gryphen2009) June 23, 2017

I don't know, just seems logical to me. 

But no in this age of Trump, this man is literally going to be talking about how young people, mostly men I'm guessing, can avoid being "accused" of sexual assault as if this is something that happens all of the time through no fault of their own. 

So I assume his talk will not include, "Hey don't drug their drinks and then rape them."

But will be more along the lines of "Hey once you drug their drinks and then rape them, make sure to wipe off any fingerprints and remove all traces of your DNA."

Jesus, what the hell is happening to our world?

Pennsylvania appeals court rejects Bill Cosby's attempt to have his sex abuse case thrown out.

Courtesy of The Guardian:  

A Pennsylvania appeals court has rejected Bill Cosby’s attempt to throw out his criminal case because of what he called a decade-old deal not to prosecute him. 

The mid-level state superior court ruled Monday that the criminal sex assault case against Cosby can proceed, prompting the district attorney to press for a preliminary hearing date. 

Cosby, 78, is facing trial over a 2004 encounter at his home with a then Temple University employee who says she was drugged and molested by the comedian. Cosby says they engaged in consensual sex acts. 

Former prosecutor Bruce Castor has said he promised he would never prosecute Cosby and urged him to testify in the woman’s 2005 civil lawsuit. The release of that testimony last year led a new prosecutor to arrest him.

Now that I am finally over the shock that Fat Albert's dad is women drugging, sexually molesting sleazebag,  I just want to see him found guilty and thrown in jail.

The idea that this man was once held up as role model and an idol to millions just makes me sick.

I actually bought his book on Fatherhood. A fact which embarrasses the hell out of me in light of these revelations.

Bill Cosby's attempt to have his sexual assault case thrown out has been rejected. "Hey, hey, hey, you're going to pay."

Courtesy of the LA Times: 

A bid by Bill Cosby’s lawyers to have the sexual assault charges against the entertainer dismissed was rejected by a judge here Wednesday evening, clearing the way for a potential trial. 

The judge, Steven O’Neill, said that he found “no basis to grant the relief request” by the attorneys. They had mounted a case over the last two days arguing that former Montgomery County Dist. Atty. Bruce Castor had made a non-prosecution agreement with the comedian’s lawyer more than a decade ago. 

Cosby has been charged with three felony counts of aggravated indecent assault stemming from a 2004 interaction involving drugs and alcohol with former Temple University basketball staffer Andrea Constand.

I am still not convinced that Cosby will face any jail time, but I think it will be cathartic for not only his victims, but all victims of sexual assault, to see that even money and fame cannot protect these assholes from justice.

I will predict that if Cosby is convicted of ANY of these charges that it will open a floodgate which will see multiple assault charges brought against attackers who their victims once saw as untouchable.

Judge rules that Bill Cosby's wife will have to testify against him in court.

Courtesy of Newsweek:

In the same week that comedian Bill Cosby was arrested on sexual assault charges, his wife, Camille Cosby, learned she must testify in a civil case against the entertainer filed by seven women who said he defamed them, court documents said. 

A federal magistrate judge in Massachusetts on Thursday rejected arguments by Cosby's wife of almost 52 years, who also has been his business manager, that the deposition would represent an "undue burden." 

The deposition is scheduled for next Wednesday, a week after Bill Cosby, 78, was charged in Pennsylvania in the only criminal case brought against the actor, who has been accused by more than 50 women of sexually abusing them in incidents dating back decades.

You might think that a man who professes to love his wife as much as Bill Cosby does, might just consider entering a plea deal in order to keep her from having to embarrass or humiliate herself in a courtroom on his behalf.

The man has truckloads and truckloads of money, but only one woman who was willing to stand by his side when the whole world turned their back to demonstrate their disgust at his behaviors.

Or perhaps there are simply NO women that Bill Cosby respects enough not to use them for his own personal gratification or as a human shield.

Finally an arrest warrant has been issued for Bill Cosby.

Courtesy of NPR: 

Narrowly beating a statute of limitations deadline to file charges, prosecutors in Pennsylvania announced a felony sexual assault charge against comedian Bill Cosby on Wednesday. A former Temple University employee says Cosby drugged and assaulted her in January of 2004. 

Montgomery County, Pa., prosecutors have charged Cosby with aggravated indecent assault, a first-degree felony. 

"These charges stem from a sexual assault," according to prosecutor Kevin Steele, who said the assault occurred at Cosby's house in Cheltenham, a Montgomery County township that's just outside Philadelphia. 

Steele said Cosby is expected to appear in court to be arraigned Wednesday afternoon; he also urged any other victims to contact his office.

I have to admit that I was unsure that this would ever happen.

I thought that perhaps all of these things happened so long ago that this sexual predator was going to get away with what he had done to every one of the fifty plus women who he had drugged, raped, or molested. 

On a personal note let me just say that for somebody who grew up on Bill Cosby records, Fat Albert cartoons, and Cliff and Clair Huxtable, things do not get more surreal than this.

Bill Cosby files lawsuit against seven of his accusers.

Courtesy of HuffPo: 

Bill Cosby is taking action against seven of the women who have accused him of sexual assault or misconduct. 

On Monday, the 78-year-old actor filed a defamation suit again Tamara Green, Therese Serignese, Linda Traitz, Louisa Moritz, Barbara Bowman, Joan Tarshis and Angela Leslie, according to his lawyer Monique Pressley. 

In the suit, Cosby claims the women have made "malicious, opportunistic and false and defamatory accusations of sexual misconduct against him." He also claims each defendant "knowingly published false statements and accusations."

Now it is reasonable to consider that at least a few of the women accusing Cosby might not be telling the truth, however at this point there are over 50 different women who have accused Bill Cosby of drugging them, and or, sexually assaulting them.

Since Cosby is only suing seven of them, does that mean he is more or less admitting that all of the others are legitimate?

And if so, why bother even going after these seven?

I mean it's not like proving that seven of you fifty accusers are lying will clear your name or anything.

Or perhaps this is just the beginning and Cosby has every intention of fighting ALL of these accusations, which in my opinion is a really, really stupid idea.

Because he more or less already admitted that he was guilty.

Perhaps one of the most powerful magazine covers of all time.

So far, 46 women have come forward to accuse Bill Cosby of sexual assault, in some cases, according to a recently unsealed deposition, with the aid of quaaludes—a powerful sedative that can render a person functionally immobile. But these allegations are by no means new, with some stretching back decades—to a time when the culture of rape in America left victims little recourse but to suffer silently, and in shame. Today, the way we think and talk about rape has evolved, creating a safer space for survivors to feel empowered by speaking up and reclaiming their victimhood. And that’s led us here. Of the 46 women who have come forward to accuse Cosby, we spoke to 35 of them — “a sorrowful sisterhood” of women united by their dark experiences, steadfast in their resolve to remain silent no more. Read more: nymag.com/cosby-women. 📷: Amanda Demme

A photo posted by New York Magazine (@nymag) on Jul 26, 2015 at 6:05pm PDT

Here is a link to the article.

In it you will read the testimony of 35 women who are telling eerily similar stories about their abuse at the hands of a once beloved television personality.

It should be noted that this story was so disturbing to some people out there that hackers shut down New York magazine's webpage after the story hit the internet. 

There is really not much more that I can add here, except to say that if this many women were sexually abused by only one man, how many other women are out there staying silent about their abuse at the hands of men less famous, but just as dismissive of their rights as human beings?
 

It looks like Bill Cosby is finally going to have to take the stand in response to allegations of sexual assault a15 year old girl.

Courtesy of Business Insider: 

Bill Cosby lost his latest bid to fend off a lawsuit accusing him of sexually abusing a 15-year-old girl at the Playboy Mansion in Los Angeles in 1974, as the California Supreme Court on Wednesday denied the comedian's petition to review the case. 

The accuser's attorney, Gloria Allred, said the decision cleared the way for litigation brought by Judy Huth, now in her 50s, to proceed, and that she intended to take Cosby's sworn deposition within the next 30 days. 

"We are looking forward to Mr. Cosby answering questions under oath at his deposition," Allred said. "It's a very big victory." 

More than forty women have now accused Bill Cosby of sexually assaulting them.

Here is the story about Cosby's 2005 deposition where he admitted that he obtained drugs to use on young women, and here is a list of those who have come out publicly.

Personally I don't know if I will be able to watch his testimony.

Like I said I was once a huge fan, and even though I am more than convinced of his guilt, I think I will still have some difficulty watching him on the stand trying to justify what he did to these women, or deny that he did anything wrong at all.

However having said that if he loses this case I don't see how I could miss the opportunity to see somebody who did such terrible things face a little justice.

Another Bill Cosby accuser comes forward. I think this one really seals the deal.

Writing for the Huffington Post, Cindra Ladd, lays out the now all too familiar story and sums it up thusly: 

This is the first time I have chosen to speak out about that night. It is also the last time I intend to address it publicly. I have no plans to sue, I don't want or need money. I have no plans for a press conference or for doing any interviews. 

So why speak out at all and why now? The simple answer is that it's the right thing to do. The truth deserves to be known. As I write this, more than 20 women have come forward, many with stories that are remarkably similar to mine. In response to these brave women, I have read comments like, "What took them so long?" and "What are they after now"? I would ask these people to remember that up until relatively recently, prosecuting rape was a "he said/she said" proposition where the victim was blamed for having worn "suggestive clothing" or questioned as to why she went somewhere with her rapist. 

When this happened to me, the idea of drugging someone and raping them was almost fantastical. It was years before "date rape" drugs made the news, but it was a perfect modus operandi for a predator, rendering his victim unconscious or so incapacitated as to be unable to clearly answer police questions about the incident. After having done a lot of work on myself, I realize that we are only as sick as the secrets we keep. Once those secrets are spoken aloud, even if to just one person, they lose their power. I no longer feel the shame that kept me silent. Yes, I could have told my story years ago, and in hindsight I probably should have. It's time now that my voice be added and to finally pull the curtain back from this dark moment in my life.

This is an incredibly successful woman, with more money than she knows what to do with, repeating the same story told now by almost thirty different women.

As I reported before the person who convinced me that these allegations had to be taken seriously was Carla Ferrigno.  Having read about her for years, and knowing the type of person she was, it forced me to realize that the man I used to look up to was in fact a rapist and predator. And that he had been victimizing women for decades.

I have to admit that it was not easy for me, as I had grown up on Cosby's comedy routines, Saturday morning cartoon, and TV show.

The picture I had in my head in NO way resembled the piece of garbage that we see today.

I also have to admit to a little shame that it took one person's testimony to convince me that all of the other women were telling the truth.

As Jay Leno, a person I do not always agree with, said:

“I don’t know why it’s so hard to believe women. You to go Saudi Arabia and you need two women to testify against a man. Here you need 25.” 

 I am a man who not only thinks quite highly of women, but who taught self defense classes to help protect them from predators, and STILL I was slow to be convinced.

That says something very fundamental, and very troubling, about how we see the victimization of women.

Even those of us who pride ourselves on how enlightened we are.

Latest Bill Cosby accuser says he assaulted her at fifteen years old.

Courtesy of NBC News: 

A 55-year-old woman sued comedian Bill Cosby on Tuesday in Los Angeles Superior Court claiming sexual battery and infliction of emotional distress for allegedly molesting her in a bedroom at the Playboy Mansion when she was 15 years old. 

According to the complaint, Judy Huth and a friend, who was 16 at the time, met Cosby at an outdoor film set at Lacy Park in Los Angeles County in 1974 and accepted an invitation to socialize with him at a tennis club the following week. When they got together, the lawsuit alleges, they played billiards and Cosby served them alcoholic beverages. 

"Under the terms of Cosby's game, plaintiff was required to consume a beer every time Cosby won a game," the suit alleges. After the two girls consumed "multiple alcoholic beverages," Cosby allegedly told them he had a surprise for them "and led them to another house which turned out to be the Playboy Mansion." 

He told the girls they should say they were 19 if they were asked, according to the lawsuit. 

While at the mansion, Huth said she needed to use the bathroom. Cosby, who was 37 at the time, allegedly showed her to a bathroom inside a bedroom suite near the mansion's game room. 

"When Plaintiff emerged from the bathroom, she found COSBY sitting on the bed," the suit states. "He asked her to sit beside him. He then proceeded to sexually molest her by attempting to put his hand down her pants, and then taking her hand in his hand and performing a sex act on himself without her consent."  

It is hard at this point to give Cosby the benefit of any doubt, but we all know that sometimes people smell opportunity and pile on with fake lawsuits when they see the chance of an easy payoff from a famous person under media scrutiny for bad behaviors.

I am certainly not suggesting that this woman falls into that category, I am simply suggesting that from this point forward all new allegations should be scrutinized aggressively.

However it should also be noted that these allegation match those made by well over a dozen women already, and that many of Cosby's accusers were also teenagers at the time of the alleged attack.

At this point I am not even sure it matters how many more women come out of the shadows to point the finger at the former Cliff Huxtable. His reputation is already sullied beyond repair and his legacy is now one of sexual predator instead of perennial father figure.

In light of recent scandals Bill Cosby resigns from board of Temple University, a position that he has held for 32 years.

Courtesy of CNN: 

Bill Cosby's long relationship with his beloved Temple University has come to an end, another effect of the scandal engulfing the once adored television star and comedian. 

Cosby's Monday resignation from Temple's board of trustees, a position he held for 32 years, was first reported in the Philadelphia Inquirer. Cosby also attended Temple. 

At least 17 women have spoken publicly accusing the comedian of sexual misconduct, and many of the women say he drugged them before he raped them. Some of the alleged attacks took place decades ago. 

Cosby's attorney, Martin D. Singer, has repeatedly denied the claims. Singer said in a written statement sent to CNN that it defies common sense that "so many people would have said nothing, done nothing, and made no reports to law enforcement or asserted civil claims if they thought they had been assaulted over a span of so many years."

That last point, the one about why the women supposedly assaulted by Cosby did nothing, is the kind of point brought up by an attorney for the accused who knows EXACTLY why the women did nothing.  And in fact might be himself a large part of the reason why they did nothing.

The first time that I gave in and blogged about these allegations, I admitted to all of you that the catalyst for me was the admission of Carla Ferrigno that she had also been victimized.

What I did not reveal at the time was that one of the reasons that I was hesitant to chime in was when former model Janice Dickinson seemed to jump on the bandwagon.

Dickinson as some of you may know is kind of a nutjob. She has lived a rather erratic life, which included many messy affairs, issues with substance abuse, and reality show gigs. And to be honest she has not always come off as the most believable person in the world.

However as it turns out she may be the most believable of all of Cosby's accusers. And that is because of this segment from the Howard Stern Show, where Stern plays a portion of an interview he had with Dickinson in 2006.

I am not the biggest Howard Stern fan in the world by any measure, but I think this segment really provides, not only support for Dickinson's claims, but also a window into how hard it is to accuse such a powerful figure of such despicable acts.

If it can damage the reputation of Cliff Huxtable, Republicans hope similar past allegations can derail Hillary Clinton's 2016 run by doing the same to Bill Clinton's reputation.

Recently I am sure that many of you have probably heard a conservative or two conflating the recent allegations of rape and sexual molestation against Bill Cosby, with Bill Clinton's famous extra martial adventures.

Rush Limbaugh has had that a mainstay of his recent radio broadcasts, and Fox News has recently jumped on the bandwagon as well.

In a recent Politico article it was revealed that this was not a simple case of coincidence and that there is actually a concerted effort to link the two men in the minds of the American people: 

Digital operatives recognize that Cosby’s fall is sure to be an unusual case, given the severity of what more than a dozen women have said he did, including several who had not spoken out before. 

But strategists also see Cosby’s fall as a case study in how social media can spread old news to new audiences — with speed and efficiency dramatically different from what any previous generations of political candidates have encountered. 

Here's more: 

Some believe this issue could become a problem for Hillary Clinton, the party’s early 2016 frontrunner. Bill Clinton’s history of infidelity and allegations of harassment were thoroughly aired in the 1990s. The question is whether the information will find a new audience on social media or one that views the events through a new frame. 

There is some precedent for a shift in attitude. Monica Lewinsky reemerged online this year with an interview in Vogue. While she was widely mocked and harassed online in the late 1990s — she even calls herself the first true victim of cyber bullying — she found a far more sympathetic environment in 2014, with some comedians even apologizing for how she was treated as a White House intern and feminist writers defending her. 

Still, Hillary Clinton’s expected 2016 campaign will have little hope that Republicans and reporters won’t spend time trying to rehash the former president’s personal and political scandals. 

Paul, the Kentucky Republican and likely 2016 presidential candidate, hit Democrats and Bill Clinton earlier this year for using a position of power to take advantage of young women. “Anybody who wants to take money from Bill Clinton or have a fundraiser has a lot of explaining to do,” Paul said during a February interview on CSPAN’s “Newsmakers” program. That followed comments earlier in the year on NBC’s “Meet the Press” when he said, “there is no excuse” for predatory behavior and “We shouldn’t want to associate with people who take advantage of a young girl in his office,” referencing the Monica Lewinsky affair. 

“If anything, Bill Clinton’s past transgressions are a case study in how politicians have displayed the wrong type of attitude with the people they’ve worked with,” Republican strategist Madden said. 

It’s unclear if Republicans could successfully create a viral issue out of Clinton’s past. There have been no new women to come forward in recent years or other scandal to propel it forward. While Cosby faced lawsuits and other allegations of rape and sexual assault, several women have come forward recently. The story has become national news and NBC has canceled a new Cosby comedy show.

It must be pointed out that there are vast differences in what Bill Cosby did with drugging young women and taking advantage of them against their will, and Bill Clinton's sexual escapades which featured willing participants. I am not saying that Clinton was without fault, just that the allegations are in completely different ball parks.

I have long felt that while Bill Clinton is one of Hillary's greatest assets, that he is also potentially her Achilles heel.

If Bill has been behaving well I seriously doubt this old news will have any effect on her candidacy.

However, if Bill has strayed even once since all of that was revealed that could be a real problem for Hillary.

And it is clear that the Republican party is going to work very hard to make that happen.

Bill Cosby finally responds to allegations of sexually assaulting numerous women in his past. Well sort of.

Courtesy of Deadline:

Addressing reports of the assertions by several women that they had been drugged and sexually assaulted by him, Cosby told a Florida Today reporter backstage, “I know people are tired of me not saying anything, but a guy doesn’t have to answer to innuendos. People should fact check. People shouldn’t have to go through that and shouldn’t answer to innuendos.” Cosby did not comment on the allegations during his show.

Well the facts say this:  

Sixteen women have publicly stated that Cosby, now 77, sexually assaulted them, with 12 saying he drugged them first and another saying he tried to drug her. The Washington Post has interviewed five of those women, including a former Playboy Playmate who has never spoken publicly about her allegations. The women agreed to speak on the record and to have their identities revealed. The Post also has reviewed court records that shed light on the accusations of a former director of women’s basketball operations at Temple University who assembled 13 “Jane Doe” accusers in 2005 to testify on her behalf about their allegations against Cosby. 

The accusations, some of which Cosby has denied and others he has declined to discuss, span the arc of the comedy legend’s career, from his pioneering years as the first black star of a network television drama in 1965 to the mid-2000s, when Cosby was firmly entrenched as an elder statesman of the entertainment industry, a scolding public conscience of the African American community and a philanthropist. They also span a monumental generational shift in perceptions — from the sexually unrestrained ’60s to an era when the idea of date rape is well understood.

Bill Cosby is a well educated man, so you would think that he would know that the "Innuendo" means:  

a statement which indirectly suggests that someone has done something immoral, improper, etc.

What is listed above are not innuendos, they are accusations. Most of them from women who have nothing to gain by making them, and THAT'S a fact. 

Cosby attitude about this seem to be the same ones that allowed him to do this in the first place.

He thinks of himself as untouchable, and thinks of the women he was abused as temporary playthings that should simply go away and know their place when he has no further use for them.

And if there is a need for more facts, then this former NBC employee has plenty to spare:

“He had everybody fooled,” said Scotti in an exclusive interview with the Daily News. “Nobody suspected.”

Boy, ain't that the truth.

The Bill Cosby rape allegations. The story I don't want to blog about, but feel I must.

Just in case you have been living in a cave, with no access to any television or internet whatsoever, here is what is happening with Bill Cosby:

The rape-allegation maelstrom swirling around Bill Cosby rages: Three more women accused the comedian of sexual assault on Thursday, while producers behind The Cosby Show claimed ignorance. Actress Louisa Moritz, who played Rose in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, told TMZ that Cosby forced her to engage in oral sex before a 1971 Tonight Show appearance; Carla Ferrigno (Lou Ferrigno's wife) told Rumorfix he attacked and grabbed her at a party in 1967; and Therese Serignese, a Florida nurse, told the Huffington Post that he drugged and raped her in 1976. She is one of 13 women who were set to testify against Cosby in a 2005 lawsuit before the case was settled.

I have been purposefully avoiding this topic because, well because I fucking love Bill Cosby.

I remember like it was yesterday when my elementary school teacher allowed me to listen to a Bill Cosby album for the first time, once I had finished my work before all of the other kids.

She brought out one of those listening centers, which featured an adapter with eight headphone jacks on it, and the other end stuck into an old school phonograph that was playing the comedy album.

I don't remember which one it was, but holy crap was it funny.

I laughed so hard and so long that the teacher had to unplug me because I was disturbing the other children, though she promised I could finish it later in the day when the other students were not taking a test.

After that I listened to ALL of his comedy albums, and followed his career obsessively.

I of course was also a big fan of the Cosby Show, which I naively believed was a depiction of his actual life.

So to be honest, I just don't want to hear this. Not do I want to talk about it. I just don't want to.

However there is one name mentioned above that has changed my mind.

Carla Ferrigno.

Now she may not be well known to you, but in my teens I was an avid bodybuilder and a big fan of Lou Ferrigno. So I know all about his marriage to the incredibly sweet and supportive Carla.

So for some reason the fact that she has come forward with a story about being attacked by Cosby, kind of broke the emotional dam for me, and I feel that this is now something that simply cannot ignore.

It is NOT that I did not believe the other women, because I did. It is because until I felt a personal connection to the story I just felt it was something better left to others to cover.

It's not about Alaska, it's not about politics, it's not about religion, and it's not about Sarah Palin so I guess I thought I could give it a pass.

Not anymore.

And part of the reason I feel that way has to do with Sarah Palin.

You know how we are always bitching about reporters ignoring babygate because talking about it makes them uncomfortable, or they would really rather not know the truth? 

Well that was what I was doing with this story. I don't like the facts that I am hearing so I don't want to report on them.

Same thing. And that makes me a hypocrite.

Well not anymore.

Bill Cosby is now a 77 year old man, but that does not mean that what he did should be swept under the carpet. Nor should it mean that he can continue to pretend to be a person that has little resemblance to who he is in real life.

If this were one incident in his youth, perhaps this could be chalked up to a drunken episode that he never repeated again. But this is not that. If the evidence is true, and there is no reason at this time to doubt that it is, than Cosby is a serial rapist who used drugs, alcohol, and sometimes force to take sexual advantage of young women. And THAT makes him the worst possible kind of man.

Here is the AP interview that everybody is talking about.

Did you see that? He not only refused to discuss these allegations, but he then attempted to bully the reporter into not releasing the video.

Clearly this is a tactic that has worked well for him in the past, and he must believe he can continue to suppress these stories and live the lie that he has lived all of these years.

In my job I have worked with quite a few sexual predators in the past and this is how they operate.  They blame the victim, they minimize the actual assault, and then they attempt to bully people into silence.

Bill Cosby's accusers deserve justice. And Bill Cosby should not be above that justice.

Bill Cosby calls out the Obama critics.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Courtesy of Politicususa:

When David Gregory asked Mr. Cosby about President Obama he said, “I see Obama as Sisyphus in the first four years, and nobody would speak about the size of the rock, or the elevation of the hill. All you hear people talk about is what he didn’t do. To come from what he has asked to take over and do in the time, to behave as an American, to put up with those, who were, in my estimation, acting very un-American to get rid of those people, it took longer than patience should allow, but he tried to bring us together, even to argue with radio hosts and people who have nothing to do with anything. It’s important that this man has had to fight a similar battle of a black person in America. Hundreds of thousands and millions of people still behind him, but people who are very quietly acting like they have no idea what he inherited. It’s as if he had the surplus, when he moved into office, and this is — this is sad. And it’s sad about them. Because they know that they have misbehaved. They know they’ve taken America and slowed down the progress, and there are statements that are very clear in saying as much. I don’t want this man to succeed. Well, why, said the brown fly?”

Well said by a man who was one of my favorite people as I was growing up.

And it is something that must be repeated over and over.

This President was NOT elected to perform miracles while walking on water and healing race relations in this country single-handedly. He was elected to repair the damage done to this country by George W. Bush, a man who seemed hell bent on pulling a "Thelma and Louise" drive this country right off a cliff to be dashed to pieces on the rocks below.

And this actually seems to be part of a growing trend with Republicans as laid out by the Conceptual Guerilla over at the Daily Kos:  

That's right, Rod. Every Democrat is a communist . . . going all the way back to 1933 when FDR set up New Deal Communism. That would be the same New Deal communism you grew up under. The New Deal Communism that made us the richest, most powerful nation in history. The New Deal Communism that took us to the moon just 36 years after FDR was sworn in. Let me show you the track record of those New Deal Communists.

• Democrat Communist Truman left 2.5 percent unemployment to Eisenhower. 
• Republican Patriot Eisenhower left recession and 6.5 percent unemployment to Kennedy. 
• Communist Johnson left 3.5 percent unemployment to Nixon. 
• Republican Patriot Ford left recession and 7.5 unemployment to Jimmy Carter. 
• Communist Carter wasn't able to improve much on the recession he inherited . . . . . . and neither were Republican Patriots Reagan and Bush, who left recession and 7.2 unemployment to Bill Clinton. 
• Communist Bill Clinton left 4.2 percent unemployment to Dubya . . . 
• Republican Patriot Dubya left recession and 7.6 percent unemployment to Communist Barack Obama. 

No Republican Patriot ever left office with unemployment under 5 % . . . including Reagan. No New Deal Communist ever left office with higher unemployment than they inherited . . . including Jimmy Carter who left the same unemployment he inherited from Ford.

And yet the expectations for President Obama to somehow wrestle these unemployment numbers down to pre-Dubya percentages in the shortest amount of time possible, and while circumventing constant obstruction from the Republicans, seems to be an almost universal expectation by our media. Just as he is expected to bring gas prices down by sheer force of will, even though we are well aware that the Saudi's virtual blood brother George W. Bush had little control over them during his two terms in office as well.

The people who are the MOST aggressively attacking President Obama are doing so for purely ideological reasons, but the those on the Left who are echoing their talking points and gleefully  joining the dogpile are perhaps the ones who should be the most ashamed of their actions.