Careers ruined or at risk from accusations of sexual misconduct

[pbrower2a]

The culture is changing, and when the culture changes, then so does the era. Maybe our economic elites and their lapdog politicians are slow to get the message.

What many people used to get away with -- the "Boys will be boys" stuff -- is over.

[gabrielle]

(01-11-2018, 02:24 PM)pbrower2a Wrote: Governor Eric Greitens (R, Missouri)

January 11, 2018 10:51 AM
Updated 47 minutes ago
JEFFERSON CITY

A bipartisan group of state senators is calling for Missouri Attorney General Josh Hawley to investigate allegations that Gov. Eric Greitens threatened to blackmail a woman with whom he had an affair in 2015.

At least one says that if the allegations are true, Greitens should either resign or be impeached.

The allegations, first reported by KMOV in St. Louis, surfaced shortly after Greitens delivered his annual State of the State address Wednesday night. The ex-husband of Greitens’ mistress gave the TV station an audio recording of the woman confessing the affair and accusing Greitens of blindfolding her and taking a nude photo against her will to blackmail her into silence.

Read more here: http://www.kansascity.com/news/politics-...rylink=cpy

Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens indicted for felony invasion of privacy

Quote:ST. LOUIS • Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens, who was swept into office in 2016 with a vow to clean up a corrupt state government, was indicted and booked Thursday on a felony invasion of privacy charge for allegedly taking and transmitting a non-consensual photo of his partly nude lover shortly before that campaign started.

[linus]

Here's the blind item at Crazy Days and Nights (I referenced upthread) concerning the permanent A-list rock star Enty, the blog's author, believes may fall under the cloud of #MeToo this year.

[linus]

Anyone hear a rumor about a celeb over the years who may have engaged in misconduct? If this kind of thing interests you, check out today's blind item at CDAN and pay close attention to the ending. It's cryptic but I'll bet someone in the comments has or will figure it out. Me thinks that if the person decides to go public, in the manner described and or another, it will be one of the biggest of these stories - up there with Weinstein and Spacey.

[pbrower2a]

I have yet to see rock, jazz, folk, or country musicians lose their credibility for accusations of sexual misconduct. Classical musicians? Likewise. College professors? Most are too obscure. A-list physicists, mathematicians, or liberal-arts scholars? Too obscure to be noticed. Business executives? Too anonymous to be noticed.

It could be that the entertainment industry is much more tolerant of rogues until they go way too far. News media and public television are less tolerant. The fate of Fatty Arbuckle awaits someone... except that Fatty Arbuckle (1887-1933) was likely innocent.

The hypocrisy of sexual-harassers running as 'family values' candidates often leads to political implosion -- for which 'conservatives' seem more vulnerable.

[beechnut79]

(03-27-2018, 04:41 PM)pbrower2a Wrote: I have yet to see rock, jazz, folk, or country musicians lose their credibility for accusations of sexual misconduct. Classical musicians? Likewise. College professors? Most are too obscure. A-list physicists, mathematicians, or liberal-arts scholars? Too obscure to be noticed. Business executives? Too anonymous to be noticed.

It could be that the entertainment industry is much more tolerant of rogues until they go way too far. News media and public television are less tolerant. The fate of Fatty Arbuckle awaits someone... except that Fatty Arbuckle (1887-1933) was likely innocent.
 
The hypocrisy of sexual-harassers running as 'family values' candidates often leads to political implosion -- for which 'conservatives' seem more vulnerable.

But I saw a feature online a couple of days ago about musicians who weren't very nice people. Chuck Berry, for examples, was well noted for his digressions, but the list also included Johnny Cash, Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, James Brown.

Tried to find the link to this but couldn't.

[beechnut79]

(03-28-2018, 08:33 PM)beechnut79 Wrote:

(03-27-2018, 04:41 PM)pbrower2a Wrote: I have yet to see rock, jazz, folk, or country musicians lose their credibility for accusations of sexual misconduct. Classical musicians? Likewise. College professors? Most are too obscure. A-list physicists, mathematicians, or liberal-arts scholars? Too obscure to be noticed. Business executives? Too anonymous to be noticed.

It could be that the entertainment industry is much more tolerant of rogues until they go way too far. News media and public television are less tolerant. The fate of Fatty Arbuckle awaits someone... except that Fatty Arbuckle (1887-1933) was likely innocent.
 
The hypocrisy of sexual-harassers running as 'family values' candidates often leads to political implosion -- for which 'conservatives' seem more vulnerable.

But I saw a feature online a couple of days ago about musicians who weren't very nice people. Chuck Berry, for examples, was well noted for his digressions, but the list also included Johnny Cash, Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, James Brown.

Tried to find the link to this but couldn't.

One thing there has been surprisingly little discussion about is the seizure of Backpage.com and the simultaneous closure or suspension of some other website such as TER. Craiglist pulled their entire personals section, at least for the time being. I would be especially interested in hearing how Eric, the site's main astrologer, views this and what the likely future is for sex workers (the now politically correct term). And when might the PTB finally realize that the prohibition of this activity hasn't worked any more than it did with liquor nearly a century ago? The subject of human trafficking has rightly swept the society away into an ocean of emotion, but do the innocent need to suffer along with the guilty. Many if not most sex workers will now lose the prime screening tool they had to weed out the bad apples and those perceived to be a danger.

[Eric the Green]

Usually 4th and 1st turnings tend to be more sexually restrictive in many respects. I wonder if the progressive period coming up circa 2022-2026 might be more permissive though. Or there might be a combination of new anti-sex laws and more disobedience, as was the case with prohibition, around 2026. And if we have a major crisis war, many post-war periods tend to be "morally lax," and I expect some parallels with the gilded age after 2028. So it could be a mixed bag.

[pbrower2a]

(04-11-2018, 01:09 PM)beechnut79 Wrote:

(03-28-2018, 08:33 PM)beechnut79 Wrote:

(03-27-2018, 04:41 PM)pbrower2a Wrote: I have yet to see rock, jazz, folk, or country musicians lose their credibility for accusations of sexual misconduct. Classical musicians? Likewise. College professors? Most are too obscure. A-list physicists, mathematicians, or liberal-arts scholars? Too obscure to be noticed. Business executives? Too anonymous to be noticed.

It could be that the entertainment industry is much more tolerant of rogues until they go way too far. News media and public television are less tolerant. The fate of Fatty Arbuckle awaits someone... except that Fatty Arbuckle (1887-1933) was likely innocent.
 
The hypocrisy of sexual-harassers running as 'family values' candidates often leads to political implosion -- for which 'conservatives' seem more vulnerable.

But I saw a feature online a couple of days ago about musicians who weren't very nice people. Chuck Berry, for examples, was well noted for his digressions, but the list also included Johnny Cash, Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, James Brown.

Tried to find the link to this but couldn't.

One thing there has been surprisingly little discussion about is the seizure of Backpage.com and the simultaneous closure or suspension of some other website such as TER. Craiglist pulled their entire personals section, at least for the time being. I would be especially interested in hearing how Eric, the site's main astrologer, views this and what the likely future is for sex workers (the now politically correct term). And when might the PTB finally realize that the prohibition of this activity hasn't worked any more than it did with liquor nearly a century ago? The subject of human trafficking has rightly swept the society away into an ocean of emotion, but do the innocent need to suffer along with the guilty. Many if not most sex workers will now lose the prime screening tool they had to weed out the bad apples and those perceived to be a danger.

I had never heard of Backpage.com until reading of its shutdown by the Feds apparently for advertising sexual encounters. I cannot be sure that bans on prostitution really work. Were we angels there would be practically no prostitution.

Human trafficking often implies prostitution as one of the most lucrative activities for human trafficking. Prostitutes under control of traffickers are often helpless victims unable to escape. As I see it, the economic exploitation is far more objectionable than the sex.

[pbrower2a]

In the climax of a fight that pitted foes of sex trafficking against advocates of free internet speech, the Justice Department on Friday seized the Backpage.com website and raided the home of its cofounder.

The site, long a haven for sex ads, began shutting down Friday morning, as FBI agents began taking down a network of web pages all over the world . A notice on the site said it had been seized as part of an enforcement action by the FBI, the IRS and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.


Agents raided the Sedona, Ariz., home of Michael Lacey, the site's cofounder, according to local media reports, but federal authorities would not comment on criminal charges.


Backpage.com has long been under fire from state attorneys general, organizations that fight child sex trafficking and victims of the prostitution business who have tried to sue the company for damages. California prosecutors filed state criminal charges against Backpage last year, but that case and others foundered because of protections in the federal Communications Decency Act, written to protect free speech on the internet.

Source: Los Angeles Times

[pbrower2a]

Clergy. Big one, mega-church near Chicago.

Megachurch founder quits amid sexual misconduct allegations

Willow Creek Community Church pastor Bill Hybels resigned after female congregants alleged that he touched them and made lewd comments to them.

by Associated Press / Apr.11.2018 / 7:10 PM ET

SOUTH BARRINGTON, Ill. — The founder of a Chicago-area evangelical church that grew to become one of the largest in the nation is stepping down, calling allegations that he touched and made lewd comments to female congregants a distraction.

The Rev. Bill Hybels, 66, announced his immediate retirement at a meeting Tuesday with members of the Willow Creek Community Church in South Barrington. He has said since 2012 that he planned to retire in October.

The Chicago Tribune last month reported details of the misconduct allegations against Hybels stretching back to the 1990s. A church inquiry cleared Hybels. He has said that he is accused of things he “simply did not do” and that the allegations are “flat-out lies.”

Siurce: MSNBC from AP wires.

[beechnut79]

(04-11-2018, 08:49 PM)pbrower2a Wrote: Clergy. Big one, mega-church near Chicago.

Megachurch founder quits amid sexual misconduct allegations

Willow Creek Community Church pastor Bill Hybels resigned after female congregants alleged that he touched them and made lewd comments to them.

by Associated Press / Apr.11.2018 / 7:10 PM ET

SOUTH BARRINGTON, Ill. — The founder of a Chicago-area evangelical church that grew to become one of the largest in the nation is stepping down, calling allegations that he touched and made lewd comments to female congregants a distraction.

The Rev. Bill Hybels, 66, announced his immediate retirement at a meeting Tuesday with members of the Willow Creek Community Church in South Barrington. He has said since 2012 that he planned to retire in October.

The Chicago Tribune last month reported details of the misconduct allegations against Hybels stretching back to the 1990s. A church inquiry cleared Hybels. He has said that he is accused of things he “simply did not do” and that the allegations are “flat-out lies.”

Siurce: MSNBC from AP wires.

Just heard the news that Bill Cosby, after the first trial ended in a hung jury, was found guilty on three counts of predatory sexual behavior toward one of the 43 women who accused him.  This may or may not put him behind bars for the remainder of his life depending on which way the appeal process goes.  But we know that often in celebrity cases they can afford good enough lawyers that there can be a battle of the wills that can last for the balance of his life. And the defense will fight to the death. We shall see.

[pbrower2a]

Cosby, convicted of one such crime, the question will be of how many charges will lead to a conviction. He will probably be charged with other cases while he appeals this one...

As long as Cosby was making money for the entertainment industry, powerful interests were covering up for him. That's likely over. He lost his talent and his marketability before he was tried for one of these charges.

I expect his defense teams to fight until he is dead.

[David Horn]

(04-26-2018, 03:01 PM)pbrower2a Wrote: Cosby, convicted of one such crime, the question will be of how many charges will lead to a conviction. He will probably be charged with other cases while he appeals this one...

As long as Cosby was making money for the entertainment industry, powerful interests were covering up for him. That's likely over. He lost his talent and his marketability before he was tried for one of these charges.

I expect his defense teams to fight until he is dead.

Cosby's net worth is roughly $500 Million.  Even good lawyers will take a long time getting through that much money.

[Eric the Green]

There's quite a range in these cases. That clergyman above is probably innocent of any wrong doing. Cosby has committed many serious crimes and is in the process of getting justice, and I'm glad. It's sad the way his life is ending. Too bad he was not the man he claimed to be. Yes, it's a bonanza for his lawyers.

[beechnut79]

I guess all that has happened has put the writing on the wall, but you can always step outside your paradigm and take a new view. Obviously all the guilty parties, famous or not, need to be ready to get out of their own way today. In the classic song "Turn, Turn, Turn" there was indeed a line that read: A time when you may embrace; a time to refrain from embracing. We were very much in the former mode at the time when the song was all over the radio; but we have been in the latter mode for more than three decades now, ever since the AIDS scare slammed the door on the sexual revolution. About six years later came the first round of sexual harassment hysteria during the Clarence Thomas/Anita Hill debacle.

How long do you feel it will be before the cycle turns again and we once again enter a more sexually liberated era?

[pbrower2a]

Could liberals be finding an issue on which to embrace chastity as an ideal? They have excused sex between consenting adults, but not between children, between adults and children, or in which there is no consent. They are even sacrificing some of their political and cultural icons. Nobody gets a pass for being black (Cosby) or having lost parents in the Holocaust (Polanski). Maybe the Hollywood studios and world pop music scene protects someone still useful. Farewell, casting couch -- and good riddance!

I will see more cause to believe that the change is real when I find that a pro athlete loses his job for sexual harassment.

I would guess that nailing an older executive for sexual harassment is a good way to open a spot in a corporate hierarchy.

[beechnut79]

I will see more cause to believe that the change is real when I find that a pro athlete loses his job for sexual harassment.

In fact many athletes, particularly in the NFL, have been outed and suspended for incidents of domestic violence, which is even worse. There have been many stories of said allegations, yet there have been a few that proved to be uncredible. So far, though, I haven't heard of a player being banned for life for such incidents but there may have been. Made me think of how Pete Rose was banned from baseball for life and so far denied entry into the MLB Hall of Fame for something much less serious.

[pbrower2a]

(05-07-2018, 10:58 AM)beechnut79 Wrote: I will see more cause to believe that the change is real when I find that a pro athlete loses his job for sexual harassment.

In fact many athletes, particularly in the NFL, have been outed and suspended for incidents of domestic violence, which is even worse. There have been many stories of said allegations, yet there have been a few that proved to be uncredible. So far, though, I haven't heard of a player being banned for life for such incidents but there may have been. Made me think of how Pete Rose was banned from baseball for life and so far denied entry into the MLB Hall of Fame for something much less serious.

It's highly unlikely that O.J. Simpson will ever get any attention for which he will be paid any money. The general assumption is that he got away with murder even if there was insufficient evidence. He is poison.

Professional athletes are not people with which to get into a fight. I am reminded of an incident involving the baseball slugger Reggie Jackson, who had an unpleasant encounter with some punks with a tire iron. Through sheer strength  the Hall of Fame baseball star approaching the end of his career got hold of the tire iron after a short time. Jackson was cleared (probably rightly so), and the punks were arrested.  Fair warning -- you don't want to mess with these guys. Don't assume that golfers, skiers, ballet dancers, or track stars are any more vulnerable even if they lack the bear-like size of football linemen.

Of course there are not the people you want as a domestic partner if they should ever get violent toward the partner. Domestic abuse is far more dangerous than sexual harassment.

Pro athletes, like screen stars, sign contracts with morals clauses that, if violated, can void a contract. Most major-league sports, so far as I know, have sanctions against spouse abuse as they do for the more classic examples of gutter crime. I am not a sports insider, but in view of the attention given to sexual harassment in other fields, professional sports will likely include sexual harassment among deeds that can void a contract. Those contracts are well worth protecting.

[pbrower2a]

New York State... Attorney General!


New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman (D) announced his resignation on Monday, just hours after a shocking report in The New Yorker detailed four of his former romantic partners’ accusations of physical abuse.

“It has been my great honor and privilege to serve as Attorney General for the people of the State of New York,” Schneiderman said in a statement late Monday. “In the last several hours, serious allegations, which I strongly contest, have been made against me. While these allegations are unrelated to my professional conduct or the operations of the office, they will effectively prevent me from leading the office’s work at this critical time.”
He said he would officially resign at the close of business on Tuesday.

On Monday, Michelle Manning Barish and Tanya Selvaratnam went on the record to say that Schneiderman, 63, “repeatedly hit them, often after drinking, frequently in bed and never with their consent.” In one instance, Manning Barish said Schneiderman told her that “if you ever left me, I’d kill you.”

Two other women, quoted anonymously, had similarly troubling allegations of abuse.

from the Huffington Post