Rape allegations mount against Bill Cosby #2

[SStarr33]

Pulling Back The Curtain On Bill Cosby’s Dirty PR Game
http://thinkprogress.org/culture/2014/12/29/3607159/bill-cosby-private-investigators-report/
by Emily Atkin Posted on December 29, 2014 at 11:03 am, Updated: December 29, 2014 at 12:25 pm



Here is another article from today, not sure if it's been posted. I don't think Constand publicly discussed this case, maybe part of confidential terms? I don't know, feel free to correct if she has publicly talked. It would be interesting though if there are other confidential settlement(s) that never made it to court, but less formal arrangement and confidential to the extent that only a few know of such arrangement(s) existence (hypothetically speaking of course).
***

Here is another article from today, not sure if posted yet:
How Bill Cosby's team of high-profile lawyers and media experts silenced rape rumors for decades by threatening accusers and playing hardball with the press
By Ashley Collman for MailOnline
Published: 11:30 EST, 29 December 2014 | Updated: 13:35 EST, 29 December 2014

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...eatening-accusers-playing-hardball-press.html

First we have links to the disgusting Dan Savage and now Think Progress. Neither are MSM.

WTH?

 

[Montjoy]

First we have links to the disgusting Dan Savage and now Think Progress. Neither are MSM.

WTH?

Actually, at least with respect to Dan Savage, you're mistaken. The article that offended you so much was satirical fiction, like Jonathan Swift's "A Modest Proposal." It wasn't a news item or personal memoir. And Dan Savage writes an internationally syndicated column that appears in many, many MSM publications, so he is certainly MSM.

 

[BirdycatNY]

First we have links to the disgusting Dan Savage and now Think Progress. Neither are MSM.

WTH?

I just posted recent articles from today, so Mods can remove article if necessary. However, it is essentially discussing same facts as other articles on BC PR team. If you think it has a political slant or improper then Mods feel free to remove, thanks.

 

[IzzyBlanche]

First we have links to the disgusting Dan Savage and now Think Progress. Neither are MSM.

WTH?

The ThinkProgress article simply recaps what was said in the Post/NYTimes articles.

I don't think posting the link here really warrants the clumping of unmentionables.

 

[SStarr33]

Ah, yes. Dan Savage did write that satirical piece about licking doorknobs in 2000. He is a gay rights, and a human rights, advocate who began the "It Gets Better" campaign. He is certainly a controversial figure and has, like every human being, said or written things for which he had to apologize later. His writing style is brash and no nonsense, IMO, and he has no problem bringing in experts to help him respond to those who send him their questions. I disagree with your point of view, and don't think he's evil. You are welcome to take your sex advice from anyone you choose.

Funny how it became "satire" after all the flack that he got, including the threat of lawsuits. And, if that was the only horrible thing he did, I might agree with you that he is not evil, but it's not, so I don't.

Nuff said.

 

[IzzyBlanche]

I had never heard of this doorknob licking thing but after reading it, it's clearly to me a satire. If he was close enough to hand Bauer a saliva-licked pen, he was close enough to cough and sneeze on him, repeatedly if necessary.

I respectfully suggest that the thread get back on topic.

 

[SStarr33]

I had never heard of this doorknob licking thing but after reading it, it's clearly to me a satire. If he was close enough to hand Bauer a saliva-licked pen, he was close enough to cough and sneeze on him, repeatedly if necessary.

I respectfully suggest that the thread get back on topic.

I tried to do that when I said nuff said, but it didn't work. Go figure.

 

[IzzyBlanche]

I see. Thank you. It wasn't clear to me that's what you were trying to do by saying nuff said. I interpreted it as "he's done other horrible things and that's all I will say about them here so nuff said."

I appreciate your steering the thread back to the topic at hand.

 

[SStarr33]

I see. Thank you. It wasn't clear to me that's what you were trying to do by saying nuff said. I interpreted it as "he's done other horrible things and that's all I will say about them here so nuff said."

I appreciate your steering the thread back to the topic at hand.

You're welcome. Someone had to do it.

 

[Donjeta]

OK if the detour into door knobs has been fully explored now, does anyone have pertinent comments about what the letter or what Dan Savage had to say about it, that don't have to do with ad hominems about Dan Savage's personality?

He could be right or wrong about things or have interesting opinions worthy of discussion and debate, regardless of whether we like him or not. Even a broken clock is right occasionally.

 

[chlban]

RTBM: jumping off your post-

Beverley Johnson has said she is supporting Janice who I actually find more credible because she wanted to tell her story in 2006 +/- and because I believe her in her frustration and anger expressed about it in the Howard Stern interview in 2006 – gut reaction. On The View, when Beverley said she didn’t know if she was raped yet remembers in great detail the exchange with BC, and being shoved into a taxi - I felt doubt about her and the drugging piece – gut reaction.
http://abc.go.com/shows/the-view/video/pl5554876/vdka0_r1b7y9ub

Where things start to get really muddled for me is with Kathie Lee Gifford saying ‘Bill Cosby tried to kiss me’. I almost think she is team Cosby trying to water down the press with the absurdity at some other diminished end of the spectrum. Otherwise, she has very kind things to say about Cosby.
http://www.etonline.com/news/155251_kathie_lee_gifford_says_bill_cosby_tried_to_kiss_her/
http://www.people.com/article/kathie-lee-gifford-bill-cosby-sexual-abuse-allegations

LAPD won’t pursue criminal charges regarding Huth at PB Mansion in ‘74. I wonder if they are going to file a civil suit for 100 mil?
http://mashable.com/2014/12/16/los-angeles-cosby-no-charges/

If that doesn’t happen where does this thing go? -To the tabloid press? -More Dr. Phil? Maybe that is ok for some but I question, is that a good platform for the conversation? There are harrowing issues for women all over the world.

Imo- what is starting to happen is not advancing the “bigger than BC issue”, but perhaps is setting it back especially if any, or many of the women are discredited. For that I feel very sorry for the women who are truthful in this BC saga - and for other victims in other cases who are way out of the limelight.

The court of public opinion can be a fickle thing – the more watered down and unsubstantiated the claims become, it gets reduced to gossip – far, far away from advancing issues with power & integrity. –imo we are not having an Anita Hill moment of real change and awareness.

BBM. You have succintly put into words what I think has been bothering me about this situation for a while now.
It has, IMO, turned into a Circus. I have said before, I believe there is truth to many of the claims and I feel for those women.

However, again MO, this story has turned into a trashy novel. Dr. Phony Phil and Gloria Ambulance Chaser Allred
finished it for me. Everyone wants on the bandwagon in one form or another.

No, this is distinctly not an Anita Hill moment. Sadly it is just another tawdry story now with real victims that are being overshadowed by those willing to say whatever is called for to obtain their 15 minutes of fame.

To be cleary, my sympathy is not with Cosby. It is with the real victims.

 

[Donjeta]

As far as having real change and awareness, I think it's largely up to us... Regardless of what the truth about any individual accusers is, this is an opportunity to raise issues, research, discuss, talk about the bigger picture of sexual violence and societal attitudes, and create change and awareness. If we want to.

 

[Donjeta]

http://www.torontosun.com/2014/12/29/bill-cosby-everybodys-rig

Bill Cosby? Everybody’s right
42

Jerry Agar
By Jerry Agar, Toronto Sun

Is it fair for people to call for the cancellation of Bill Cosby’s Ontario concerts even though the comedian has not been convicted in court — or even charged — with anything?

Yes, it is.

Is it acceptable that the promoters, the venues and the performer himself seem ready to go ahead with planned shows in Kitchener, London and Hamilton?

Yes, it is.

 

[MyBelle]

[/B]

BBM. You have succintly put into words what I think has been bothering me about this situation for a while now.
It has, IMO, turned into a Circus. I have said before, I believe there is truth to many of the claims and I feel for those women.

However, again MO, this story has turned into a trashy novel. Dr. Phony Phil and Gloria Ambulance Chaser Allred
finished it for me. Everyone wants on the bandwagon in one form or another.

No, this is distinctly not an Anita Hill moment. Sadly it is just another tawdry story now with real victims that are being overshadowed by those willing to say whatever is called for to obtain their 15 minutes of fame.

To be cleary, my sympathy is not with Cosby. It is with the real victims.

The media has created the circus and it is now impossible to determine who the real victims are. What takes away credibility is the fact that some of the women first approached Cosby for money and when he refused, they went to the media. They want Cosby scrutinized and don't want themselves scrutinized. They can't have it both ways.

 

[Donjeta]

But then again, if you made up a story and there was no truth in it, and then approached Cosby for money, what are the odds you'd even think he'd pay you anything and not call the police when both of you know it's complete crap?

 

[Leilei]

But then again, if you made up a story and there was no truth in it, and then approached Cosby for money, what are the odds you'd even think he'd pay you anything and not call the police when both of you know it's complete crap?

Excellent point. Why didn't he call the police if these women were trying to extort him? The Autumn Brown thing was successful, so it's not like he's new to it.

 

[BirdycatNY]

[/B] BBM. You have succintly put into words what I think has been bothering me about this situation for a while now.
It has, IMO, turned into a Circus. I have said before, I believe there is truth to many of the claims and I feel for those women.
However, again MO, this story has turned into a trashy novel. Dr. Phony Phil and Gloria Ambulance Chaser Allred
finished it for me. Everyone wants on the bandwagon in one form or another....(snipped by me for space)

I hadn't heard anything about BC or the BC allegations in the media until a couple of months ago, and would rather the media discuss cases like this than other topics. It's ironic because the media suppressed these alleged victims/survivors accounts in the media for some time. If allegations are true, then it's an important topic to bring out in the media. It's interesting to me that the public and media has no problem discussing sexual assault of women in India and the hurdles and exploitation they face. However, when the U.S. tries to discuss alleged rape/sexual assault case(s) like Steubenville, Sandusky or Cosby it's too indecent or immoral for the public and victims attacked. In the U.S., we aren't dealing with problems re: sexual assault/drug facilitated sexual assault that occur in our own backyard and allegedly by public figures no less. That's shameful.

As far as media circuses with public figures, I had somewhat of a problem re: Lance Armstrong case for awhile because I genuinely admired him. In some minor way I understand your concern about BC, although I think many people are uncomfortable with the topic of sexual assault/drug-facilitated rape in general. There were times when I thought that people were trying to character assassinate Lance Armstrong out of jealousy, money, etc and it was uncomfortable for me. However, I now understand people's persistence and the wrongdoing he committed.

It's just SO much easier for some people to believe BC allegations about money. For example, let's say with alleged victim, P.J. Masten, it's more comfortable to think it's not true, because if her allegations true, she was drugged by BC, likely sexually assaulted, and also possibly gang-raped because there were other men around when she passed out. Difficult to talk about something like that, right? And if any victims/survivors allegations are true, these women just lifted a major traumatic burden they carried and in the process educated the public about the crimes, little repercussions for such crimes, and about sexual assault/drug-facilitated sexual assault. I think it makes people uncomfortable, but it's important nonetheless. The media can be used for good and sometimes the good is just informing people that yes, the U.S. has problems in preventing sexual assault/drug-facilitated assault, so protect your children, friends etc. from assault and exploitation.

Maybe there is one or more alleged victim that is not sincere but it doesn't take away from other accounts. At the end of the day if even one or more of the allegations is true and BC isn't convicted in court, BC is a serial rapist and that's more concerning than a "media circus". But people see what they want to see, and not interested in changing mind(s), Jmo. And guess what? If allegations true, it doesn't matter if you or anyone else doesn't believe them because THEY know, THEY are healing from the ordeal and warned YOU, Joe Public, about an alleged serial rapist who incapacitates victims using drugs and isn't incarcerated. Always JMO.

 

[Donjeta]

Bill Cosby complains about not being able to lay his hands upon Phylicia Rashad during her pregnancy:

Cosby paused, leaned in to Martin and said, “Ahmad Rashad messed that thing up.”
“When he married her I didn’t mind, but then she got pregnant and I didn’t want Cliff and Clair to have another kid. So we had to hide her body, which took me away from — took Cliff away from touching her and playing with her because I didn’t want the audience to see that.”

http://newsone.com/3079484/bill-cos...rior-to-assault-allegations-blowing-up-video/

The took me, took Cliff away part is interesting, in the context.

Grio.com comments:

It’s probably not a good idea for Cosby to give interviews where he laments not being able to touch a woman on-camera. But that’s none of theGrio.com’s business.

http://thegrio.com/2014/12/30/bill-cosby-phylicia-rashad-ahmad/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i6N_bVFPaC0#t=23[video=youtube;i6N_bVFPaC0]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i6N_bVFPaC0#t=23[/video]


There's a clip from Larry King (1991) where he again speaks of Spanish fly: '

“Spanish Fly was the thing that all boys from age 11 on up to death – we will still be searching for Spanish Fly. The old story was if you put a little drop on the head of a pin and you put it in a drink and the girl would drink it and – hello, America!”

There was a part in his routine where he characterized his mother as an overbearing powerhouse whose ways of communicating were often tense and volatile. If little Bill didn't move fast enough at one of her commands, her response was, "Let me find something." And she'd pick up anything nearby - a shoe, a cooking utensil, whatever was blunt and handy - to beat him. Affecting her exasperated look, Cosby said whenever she spoke to him it was through tight lips, "You make me sick!"

We all laughed. But that routine has lingered in my mind for years. Comedy is often the flip of tragedy, the way to laugh to keep from crying. Cosby and other black comedians have long taken trauma like childhood emotional and physical abuse and spun it for laughs. The troubled Richard Pryor was a genius at it. But the pain of that trauma never completely fades.

Perhaps it manifests into something darker.

http://hamptonroads.com/2014/12/counterfeit-bill-fall-beloved-cultural-icon

(CNN) -- Composer Richard Wagner was an anti-Semite whose music was used, after his death, as Nazi propaganda. He was also, as some say, "one of the most gifted, historically important composers to ever grace the planet." So fans of his music, including those in Israel, are willing to overlook his hideous views and embrace his art. This is what is generally considered separating the art from the artist. As writer Jay Parini put it, "Hideous people can make great art."
Since TV Land canceled syndication of "The Cosby Show" recently in reaction to multiple allegations that Bill Cosby is a rapist, I've been thinking more about whether we can separate the art from the artist.

http://www.cnn.com/2014/12/07/opinion/kohn-bill-cosby-show/?hpt=op_bn7

 

[rosemadderlake]

From fabricating relationships to threatening to expose racy photographs, extortionists will go to creative, albeit totally illegal, lengths to get a piece of a celebrity's fortune.

http://www.zimbio.com/Famous+Celebrity+Extortion+Cases

Publicly Shaming Bill Cosby Is the Best We Can Do
“These decades-old cases are virtually impossible to prosecute. Not only does the physical evidence no longer exist, but most states have statutes of limitation on sexual assault cases. We can debate about whether there should be statutes of limitation on sexual assault, given that women often feel too ashamed to come forward right away. But for the moment, that’s the law.

So where does that leave us? In the house of public shame. Yes, the court of public opinion is thoroughly sloppy, as Dahlia Lithwick wrote in Slate after Dylan Farrow’s New York Times essay exploded the Internet. “There are no rules of evidence, no burdens of proof, no cross-examinations, and no standards of admissibility.”

http://www.slate.com/blogs/xx_facto..._t_be_prosecuted_or_jailed_but_he_should.html

While it is indeed shocking that so many women have come forward, to think that some might twist allegations “this serious”, or were extortionists to begin with, is just a piece that an unscrupulous media circus couldn’t care less about. An allegation that has yet to be proved or supported by evidence is just that.

If there is any “truth” to the bandwagon effect - it brands women as liars, manipulators, and potentially paints the whole lot with the same brush stroke by the very same “shaming is all we can do public”. The $100 million dollar civil threat price tag, without substance to back it up, just reinforces perception of extortion.

It is not that it is SO much easier to believe it is about the money but that it is more difficult to know what the truth is in a fair and balanced way, as (bbm) listed above.

If all this gets another conversation going about really helping women name, identify, define sexual assault, and know where to turn, what to do, then that is a silver lining.

My takeaway - work to change the statute of limitation laws on rape.

 

[Blondie in Spokane]

This Video Featured All the Women Who Have Accused Bill Cosby of Drugging/Raping Them

http://jezebel.com/this-video-features-all-the-women-whove-accused-bill-co-1676420264