Sunday, January 10, 2016

WHY THIS BLACK MAN HAS NO SYMPATHY FOR BILL COSBY

Beneath the Spin * Eric L. Wattree

WHY THIS BLACK MAN HAS NO SYMPATHY FOR BILL COSBY

When I first heard the allegations against Bill Cosby it literally made my stomach go weak. I listened for undated reports hoping to hear that it was all some kind of scam initiated by an irate or greedy woman who was simply trying to get into his pocket. I felt what I can only call a vested interest in that being the case, just as I suspect that many of his defenders and apologists are feeling today.
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After all, this was a Black man who was world renown as "America’s favorite dad." That was saying something - even many bigots liked and respected him. He commanded much of the moral stature of President Barack Obama, before there was a President Obama. He was one of the few Black men in the media who was portrayed in a positive light, and his very presence gave me the feeling that maybe there was hope for America after all.
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But I learned early on as both a writer, and twenty years as a paralegal, that I must always give truth priority over what I want to believe, and to always follow truth wherever it leads and regardless to whose ox it gores - that’s one of the primary reasons that at one point or another I offend almost everybody. But I have to think that way in order to be an effective and creditable writer, otherwise all I would be is a liberal-leaning imitation of Fox News. So while I recognize that I don’t corner the market on either wisdom, intellect, or knowledge, I want the reader to have confidence in the fact that I’m writing what I truly believe to be the facts - whether I’m right or wrong - and not trying to bend the facts to promote some kind of pet agenda.
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So regardless to what I previously thought of Bill Cosby, it has been reported that as many as sixty women (count ‘em, SIXTY!) have come forward and alleged that he either raped, attempted to rape, or abused them in some way. If these women are found to be credible, in civil law that would constitute the "preponderance of the evidence," and in criminal law, "beyond a reasonable doubt." So that alone would be grounds to find him guilty. Thus, as much as I would love to wake up and find that this was all a dream and see Bill restored to his former spotless stature, I’m not going to try to delude myself to make that happen, and that’s exactly what I think many of Bill’s defenders are trying to do, much like the Republicans did with the "Birther Conspiracy." Many conservatives just couldn’t wrap their heads around the fact that America had elected a Black man President of the United States, so instead of simply accepting it, they slipped into a state of delusion to try to deny his legitimacy.
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That's exactly what Cosby’s defenders are doing. They just can't wrap their heads around the idea that a man who they've loved and respected all these years is some kind of sexual pervert - and that's exactly what I think he is, because with all of his wealth and fame Bill didn't have to get sex the way it's alleged that he did. Many of these women, or at least some of them, might have given in to him willingly, but he didn't want consensual sex - his sexual perversion required him to steal it - and for me, the word of sixty women says that's a fact.  
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Nevertheless, his defenders are insisting that America is jumping the gun in condemning Bill. They claim that none of the allegations have been substantiated, but at the very same time many of them would have us believe the totally unsubstantiated conspiracy theory that a powerful cartel of bigots set this up to bring Cosby down in order to prevent him from buying NBC. Now I’m not saying that the White elitist establishment is not capable of such conduct, but even if they tried, one would think that they’d have had sense enough to use just two, three, or maybe even five women who could be effectively managed, not sixty! With that many people involved, what are the chances that the conspiracy wouldn’t be leaked by at least one of them who came down with an attack of conscience, or for some other reason? In addition, it would give Cosby’s legal team many more opportunities to poke holes in the scam. So to use sixty women in a conspiracy would be both dumb, and ridiculously over the top. I think any good lawyer would have told them that, and presumably, they’d be able to obtain the very best legal advice available.
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Another flaw in the conspiracy theory is it’s designed to suggest that we should take the word of ONE man over SIXTY women. That's not only ridiculous, but it clearly demonstrates this society’s sexist mentality.  To even suggest that all of these women are lying as part of a conspiracy that "they" cooked up in order to bring Bill down could be shot down in flames with just one question - Who is this "they" you keep talking about?" Give me a name - just one.
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So while I would really love to support this Black man, my sense of truth tells me that he's lying, he's guilty, and as a people we have a responsibility to protect the very womb of our society. And once again - because this bears repeating over and over again - to even suggest that we should take the word of one man over sixty women is a prime example of just how bigoted we are in this society. Women and Black people should know better, because given our long experience and hardship as a result of bigotry, there are very few things on this Earth more stupid than a bigoted Black person, female, or Jew - and thanks to Donald Trump and the religious right's "fools for Jesus" movement, I can now add Muslims and Mexicans to that list.
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This episode is also a prime example of just how effective our media is in shaping our attitudes and opinions. Think about it.  Most of us have been loved, raised, and nurtured by a woman, so how could we possibly grow up to feel that just one man’s word should have more value than the word of sixty women!!!? And again, what really makes me scratch my head is how many women are buying into this "horrible women, poor little innocent billionaire" mentality!!! We certainly couldn’t have form this attitude regarding the relative worth of men and women due to the character of men, because if many of us had to depend on our father’s to feed, clothe, and raise us, we would have starved to death in childhood. So as a society, this should be a teaching moment that causes us to re-examine not only our attitude toward women, but all of our attitudes and beliefs.
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Nevertheless, Bill's diehard defenders seem to think their trump card is, "But why are these women just coming out now?  Why didn't they come out right after the incident?"  That's very simple - the reason that they all started coming out at once is because they were afraid to come out against the wealth, fame, and power of Bill Cosby alone. People fear power, but when others started coming out they said, "Hey, he did that to me too!" Now they were no longer alone - or, little me, against big Bill.  There are probably many others who still haven't come out.
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But when I try to explain that to Bill's defenders, they continue to insist that I’m being unfair to Bill because I'm convicting him without a trial. So all of a sudden they seem to have found Jesus in our judicial system - the very same judicial system that declared George Zimmerman innocent, and treat many of the rogue cops, who are shooting down our kids on the street like rabid dogs, like they're performing a public service. So one can't help but ask, when, and why, have they all of a sudden developed this new-found faith in the courts? Black lives matter, and so do female vaginas. Our children weren't born to be used as target practice for rogue cops, and a woman's vagina is not a toy designed for the entertainment of big shot billionaires. Thus, society has got to be firm in making that message abundantly clear - court, or no court.
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Now, I might be wrong regarding what I'm about to say, because as I pointed out above, I don’t claim to corner the market on either knowledge or intellect, but personally, I think Bill’s legal team knows that he’s guilty, and they also know that if they can't find a technicality to get him out of this, "Dr. Huxtable" is going to the joint. That’s why he’s going to court unshaven, walking with a cane, and acting like he can barely get up the steps without help from his attorneys. They’re already preparing for his sentencing hearing. They’re going to claim that Bill is so sickly that he can’t survive a stint in the joint, so to sentence him to prison would amount to the death penalty, and therefore, constitute cruel and unusual punishment. Thus, he should be given probation and public service for the rape and sexual abuse of a multitude of women.  Oh, really!!!? 
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THIS IS MY GRANDDAUGHTER AND TWO
OF MY GRANDSONS.
THEY ARE WHO I GIVE PRIORITY TO,
NOT BILL.

But that's our judicial system for you. It's pocked full of loopholes for the rich and powerful, and it accommodates all manner of convoluted logic which allows it to do absolutely whatever it wants to do - they're trying to have Bill's case dismissed on a technicality even as I write. That's why our prisons are filled with poor Black people, and George W. Bush and Dick Cheney - who have committed more heinous crimes than all of the criminals in all of the prisons in America collectively - are walking around free.
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True justice is nothing but an illusion in America, as is clearly demonstrated by the plight of these sixty women, and any one of them could very easily be our daughter, sister, or granddaughter.  So I'm not going to allow myself to be distracted by what color Bill is.  I have no interest in factionalism - a predatory pervert is a pervert. This is not a racial issue. It's about defending the dignity of women. We're knee-deep in a class war in which women are considered a part of the lower class, and America will do well to never forget that.  So thanks for the memories, Bill, but you've got to go down, brother - and if the courts don't do it, we've got to do it as a society.
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And I don’t think I'm being unfair in not waiting for the court before making up my mind about Bill. I’m merely measuring him with his own yardstick, and you can't be any more fair than that, can you?  And in that regard, when Bill was flying high and deluding himself into believing that he was an honorary member of the "White Elitist Society," he said the following in his infamous "Pound Cake" rant:
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"Looking at the incarcerated, these are not political criminals. These are people going around stealing Coca-Cola. People getting shot in the back of the head over a piece of pound cake! And then we all run out and are outraged, 'The cops shouldn't have shot him!' What the hell was he doing with the pound cake in his hand?"
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Well, maybe he was hungry, Bill.  Does that warrant the death penalty?  On the other hand, you were stealing something of a lot more value than Coca-Cola, so let me ask you the same question - what the hell were you doing with Quaaludes in your hand?  So don't try to look all sad and put-upon now, because you're the one who set the standard by which you're now being judged. 
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Eric L. Wattree
wattree.blogspot.com
Ewattree@Gmail.com
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Religious bigotry: It's not that I hate everyone who doesn't look, think, and act like me - it's just that God does.