Judgement Day

I will admit to being a fan of Bill Cosby's. I remember fondly the Cosby of his 1982 comedy album "Himself" where he regales us with the story of the "Chocolate Cake for breakfast" incident. Those were good times.
I also will admit to being a fan of The 80's mega hit, The Cosby Show TV series. Who didn't love Dr Cliff Huxtable? Unfortunately for myself and countless other Bill Cosby fans, the recent spate of sexual abuse accusations that have befallen Bill Cosby, leave me unable sing his praises any longer.

It's a real WTF? moment.

The thinking here is that one allegation?...bad enough, but innocence certainly is plausible.
More than 3 allegations?...now a pattern is established which makes it extremely difficult to dismiss. The number now stands at 18 women alleging sexual misconduct against Bill Cosby.

The latest? A Cosby "insider", a 90 year old ex-employee of NBC who worked closely with Cosby for years. He claims to have brought multiple women to Cosby's dressing room and that it was "his job to guard the door", unsure of what took place behind those doors. He also claims to have sent hundreds of thousands dollars to women over the years at Cosby's request.

For me, I'm curious why Cosby did it? Because he could? Because he had a sickness? Because he thought no one would find out? Did he have a God complex? Why jeopardize an incredible career? And why would Bill Cosby need to DRUG women so he could have sex with them?

It's reminiscent of Tiger Woods.

Some say these men are not at all who we thought they were, and in Cosby's case we thought we knew him becasue made his fortune selling us on his "good values" and "family values". Selling being exactly what he was doing. It all comes out in the wash, doesn't it? The truth has a funny way of rearing it's ugly head. We are left to decide whether or not we choose to believe it. In this digital age of tweets, status updates and one click publishing I have to wonder if it's worth it to risk your career, your livelihood, even your marriage for a sexual thrill.

Hey, we are all human and as humans we make mistakes. But to abuse, torture or harm someone for your own sexual gain is more than a horrible mistake. It's a moral infraction of the highest degree. Cosby has been tried in the court of public opinion, and despite 2 standing ovations, his judgement has been handed down.

I dare to say Cosby will be in the news again but certainly not for glowing reviews of his work.

Tragic, Useless And Unbelievable

I was just thinking....
about the tragedy of Jennifer Martel's death.

Who is Jennifer Martel, you ask?
She was the girlfriend of Jared Remy, who Remy stabbed and murdered, while others watched, in the doorway of the Waltham, MA apartment they shared with their 4 year-old daughter last summer. I documented the tragedy when it unfolded HERE.  

A new Boston Globe article by Eric Moskowitz published on Saturday brings this tragedy back into the news, and paints a horrifying and startling picture of violence, entitlement, drug abuse and system abuse.

•  How did this perpetrator get away with his history of violence against women for as long as he did? 
• This monster had years-long rap sheets, ladled with violence, abuse, restraining orders(which he continually violated) and death threats, yet he got off with no more than probation and the promise of therapy and good behavior, then released to his parent's custody time and time again.
• In Moskowitz's piece he clearly states that Remy got off SIX times on charges of violence against women. He then notes that it is unusual for a documented violent offender to get off on charges twice-let alone six times. Remy seems to be the record holder. 

Again, I have to ask how this could have happened? 

And in my backyard! Remy grew up in my town, which is the starting point of his long rap sheet, and continues to the next town over from us-where I would attend criminal court too (If I had to). I know all those cops. Does this mean that I somehow share in the blame? 

Reading this article brings to mind so many emotions. Yes, something certainly was amiss here. Jared father, Jerry Remy is a beloved, hometown Red Sox sports figure, whoes influence in our town was greatly underestimated by us all. That much is evident by Moskowitz's article. I just learned that MY TAX DOLLARS paid for Jared schooling at a local school well known for emotionally troubled teens, because he couldn't make it at our public school. I then read about the intimidation and the chaos he created while he was there, supposedly being "encouraged and nourished" into becoming a contributing member of society. 

Am I pissed off? YES I am, so now I look to blame. I think not only do we blame the system that failed Jennifer, but we blame the entire village here. People I have trusted to educate, protect and serve it turns out are people who were influenced by celebrity and I blame all of them. Yet that won't bring Jennifer Martel back, will it? 

No it won't and there is blood on a lot of hands today. And this time it's not going to be so easy to just wash it away. I say it's about time. 

Somewhere In The Middle

You know the old saying..there are three sides to every story; her side, his side and somewhere in the middle lies the truth. This comes to mind as I peruse the news stories and the media  hooplah surrounding the open letter Dylan Farrow, adopted daughter of Mia Farrow and Woody Allen,  wrote which was recently published in the  the New York Times Op Ed. 

The letter recounts the story of how Woody Allen sexually abused Dylan when she was a young child of eight years old in her mother's house. The fallout has lit up a firestorm of commentary, opinions and open discussion of sexual abuse, thereby causing Woody Allen to publish a rebuttal in the New York Times this past Sunday. 

She said. He said.

When I read Dylan's open letter, my heart went out to that little girl, laying on her stomach in the "closet like room in the attic".  The letter, published earlier this month, was in response to the Cecil B. DeMille Lifetime Achievement Award Allen was given by his peers at January's Golden Globe Awards. Dylan Farrow wanted everyone to know what she has always known. I have to wonder what she would have to gain by publicly outing this dark secret, except complete redemption from a victim to a perp. Why else? 

Then there's his response. Throughout his rebuttal were these words:

Dispositive

Acrimonious

Enmity 

Malevolence

Equivocation 

Insidiously 

I wrote them down. Each one indicative of anger, deceit and bitterness. These words were not so much directed at Dylan but at her mother, Mia Farrow. Herin lies the crux of this story. The failed relationship between Allen and Farrow. The children somehow became fallout and maybe Dylan believed that her story became a victim of that fallout too. Maybe that's why she wrote the letter. 

He said, she said. Somewhere in the middle....

The sad truth is what the judge in this case said many years ago when bringing this litigation to a close; we may never know the truth. 

Because whatever the truth is now lost to all but the two people who know it. What we are left with is a peek into this dark story and our opinions. Some on his side, some on her side. 

And the rest of us? We too, fall somewhere in the middle.