Between Robert Mueller, GPS, uranium, and Harvey Weinstein, I feel like our society is interested in nothing but our own navels. Lately the headlines have been consumed by political wrongdoing and sexual misconduct. These topics are both like and unlike.
Robert Mueller handed down his first indictments last week. This is not a surprise. Very few special prosecutors do millions of dollars of work and then say 'no problem- everything's fine!' That is how it should be. There should not be a prosecutor unless there is sufficient suspicion of criminal wrongs that an indictment is likely. Mueller in this way servers like a grand jury. No one should face a grand jury without their being credible evidence of a crime. Anything less can easily appear like harassment and vindictive behavior.'
In the course of his and other congressional investigations, much material has come up about Fusion GPS and the Trump dossier. These have been characterized as mere distractors, which seems incorrect. It appears The DNC and Clinton campaign paid a law firm who paid a writer and one-time spy to put together a 'dossier' on Trump. Here the narrative diverges. One side says it was oppo research, the discovery of what happened and its legitimate use for political purposes. The other says it as a fabrication and slander of criminal dimension.
Then there is the Uranium deal. In essence, Clinton, while Secretary of State, approved a deal selling a 20% stake of US uranium ore to a Ukrainian company, which was subsequently bought by a Russian company. In return, The Clinton Foundation received mllions in donations from investors in the Russian company, and Bill received a 535,000 'honorarium' for a speech in Russia. There is no direct link between the sale and the 'donations' and 'honoraria'; however, unless you are in grade school, it is difficult to believe there is no relationship between the two.
While all these entertaining things are playing out in politics, the entertainment world was shocked (SHOCKED!) to discover Harvey Weinstein harassed, groped and got sexual attention from actresses. Weinstein has apparently been paying millions in settlements to women over the years with Hollywood knowing it and everyone paying no attention. I mean, what's a little friendly grabbing of the pussy by a powerful man? We all know they really want it or they wouldn't be out there shaking it, right?
Hollywood, caught in a gross bit of hypocrisy in looking away from Weinstein while condemning a man who boasted of the same behavior, is going berserk. Weinstein was kicked off his own company;s board. He is seeking 'rehab', or 'healing' or whatever the current term is for getting out of the public eye. Hollywood, however, in its zeal to be as pure as its public condemnation of Trump requires it to be, has gone on a rampage. Suddenly every man is an abuser, every woman horribly victimized. Kevin Spacey got caught up in this when an actor claimed Spacey jumped on top of him at a party when the actor was 14 years old. Harassment, homosexuality and pederasty in one headline! Does it get any better?
But here the stories are unlike. There is enough evidence of malfeasance in government to call a special prosecutor. Both parties stink of corruption, manipulation and lies, and it is nothing but partisan bluster to try and defend one party, or say your enemy is worse than you are. Sorry- you all stink of bribery and what in 1972 was called dirty tricks. You should be investigated, Clinton and Trump alike.
In contrast, Hollywood is engaged in a new version of McCarthyism, where being a communist is replaced by being an abuser. Even the suggestion you are an abuser suddenly gets you blackballed. There is no evidence at all that Spacey did anything, but he is being condemned faster than Clinton or Trump! Kevin Spacey has been an intensely private man who has long been believed to be gay. Making salacious accusations about him is ugly and unjustifiable without proof. I have as much evidence that Meryl Streep is a space alien as I do that Kevin Spacey assaulted anyone.
We have then a peculiar dichotomy. In government we have little or no investigation in the face of overwhelming evidence of, at least, manipulation and profiteering, with everyone denying everything and being believed (at least by their own party). The two principles accused both ran for President, for God's sake, and one them IS the President right now. By contrast, in Hollywood, just the accusation of sexual impropriety brings instant condemnation and execution before trial.
While it is wrong to ignore bribery and other crimes, it is even worse to accuse and then judge without evidence. I decry the entire mess of Russian influence peddling and the money laundering. All of it, Clinton, Trump, GPS, uranium and 'donations' should have been seriously examined long ago. But I decry even more the hasty condemnation by accusation alone of people who are innocent until shown guilty. This is no different than the denunciations of COmmunist Russia in the '50s. Without defending Weinstein, mere accusations of impropriety are not proof. I wish Spacey had said a polite version of 'prove it, you lying little self-aggrandizing bastard' instead of apologizing for drunken behavior while coming out as gay, something which is no one's business.
In both the political and the entertainment arena, if a person or a situation reeks of corruption and exploitation, that situation ought to be called out, and investigated. Allegations of criminal activity merit investigation, not denials and turning a blind eye. On the other hand, condemnation should come only after proof of guilt, not on mere accusation. That is as true of Trump and Clinton as it is for Kevin Spacey.
Ted
Robert Mueller handed down his first indictments last week. This is not a surprise. Very few special prosecutors do millions of dollars of work and then say 'no problem- everything's fine!' That is how it should be. There should not be a prosecutor unless there is sufficient suspicion of criminal wrongs that an indictment is likely. Mueller in this way servers like a grand jury. No one should face a grand jury without their being credible evidence of a crime. Anything less can easily appear like harassment and vindictive behavior.'
In the course of his and other congressional investigations, much material has come up about Fusion GPS and the Trump dossier. These have been characterized as mere distractors, which seems incorrect. It appears The DNC and Clinton campaign paid a law firm who paid a writer and one-time spy to put together a 'dossier' on Trump. Here the narrative diverges. One side says it was oppo research, the discovery of what happened and its legitimate use for political purposes. The other says it as a fabrication and slander of criminal dimension.
Then there is the Uranium deal. In essence, Clinton, while Secretary of State, approved a deal selling a 20% stake of US uranium ore to a Ukrainian company, which was subsequently bought by a Russian company. In return, The Clinton Foundation received mllions in donations from investors in the Russian company, and Bill received a 535,000 'honorarium' for a speech in Russia. There is no direct link between the sale and the 'donations' and 'honoraria'; however, unless you are in grade school, it is difficult to believe there is no relationship between the two.
While all these entertaining things are playing out in politics, the entertainment world was shocked (SHOCKED!) to discover Harvey Weinstein harassed, groped and got sexual attention from actresses. Weinstein has apparently been paying millions in settlements to women over the years with Hollywood knowing it and everyone paying no attention. I mean, what's a little friendly grabbing of the pussy by a powerful man? We all know they really want it or they wouldn't be out there shaking it, right?
Hollywood, caught in a gross bit of hypocrisy in looking away from Weinstein while condemning a man who boasted of the same behavior, is going berserk. Weinstein was kicked off his own company;s board. He is seeking 'rehab', or 'healing' or whatever the current term is for getting out of the public eye. Hollywood, however, in its zeal to be as pure as its public condemnation of Trump requires it to be, has gone on a rampage. Suddenly every man is an abuser, every woman horribly victimized. Kevin Spacey got caught up in this when an actor claimed Spacey jumped on top of him at a party when the actor was 14 years old. Harassment, homosexuality and pederasty in one headline! Does it get any better?
But here the stories are unlike. There is enough evidence of malfeasance in government to call a special prosecutor. Both parties stink of corruption, manipulation and lies, and it is nothing but partisan bluster to try and defend one party, or say your enemy is worse than you are. Sorry- you all stink of bribery and what in 1972 was called dirty tricks. You should be investigated, Clinton and Trump alike.
In contrast, Hollywood is engaged in a new version of McCarthyism, where being a communist is replaced by being an abuser. Even the suggestion you are an abuser suddenly gets you blackballed. There is no evidence at all that Spacey did anything, but he is being condemned faster than Clinton or Trump! Kevin Spacey has been an intensely private man who has long been believed to be gay. Making salacious accusations about him is ugly and unjustifiable without proof. I have as much evidence that Meryl Streep is a space alien as I do that Kevin Spacey assaulted anyone.
We have then a peculiar dichotomy. In government we have little or no investigation in the face of overwhelming evidence of, at least, manipulation and profiteering, with everyone denying everything and being believed (at least by their own party). The two principles accused both ran for President, for God's sake, and one them IS the President right now. By contrast, in Hollywood, just the accusation of sexual impropriety brings instant condemnation and execution before trial.
While it is wrong to ignore bribery and other crimes, it is even worse to accuse and then judge without evidence. I decry the entire mess of Russian influence peddling and the money laundering. All of it, Clinton, Trump, GPS, uranium and 'donations' should have been seriously examined long ago. But I decry even more the hasty condemnation by accusation alone of people who are innocent until shown guilty. This is no different than the denunciations of COmmunist Russia in the '50s. Without defending Weinstein, mere accusations of impropriety are not proof. I wish Spacey had said a polite version of 'prove it, you lying little self-aggrandizing bastard' instead of apologizing for drunken behavior while coming out as gay, something which is no one's business.
In both the political and the entertainment arena, if a person or a situation reeks of corruption and exploitation, that situation ought to be called out, and investigated. Allegations of criminal activity merit investigation, not denials and turning a blind eye. On the other hand, condemnation should come only after proof of guilt, not on mere accusation. That is as true of Trump and Clinton as it is for Kevin Spacey.
Ted
I agree ... it stinks. Like a train wreck, I can't look away.
ReplyDeleteBut this is in no way like the McCarthy hearings.
Being a political Communist was never illegal or immoral. Committing assault, or treason ("Crimes Against the United States?") is both immoral and illegal.
The worst part about Kevin Spacey's situation (aside from the abused ex-teenager) now is that, in his public statement, he conflated his homosexuality with pederastic assault. By his statement, he wrongly validates the stereotype of homosexuals as pedophiles. This is an ugly lie perpetuated in the 20th Century by homophobes. It is an unacceptable thing for an acknowledged homosexual (or anyone else) to say in the 21st century, regardless of the circumstances.
Equating Clinton's behavior with Trump et al's is ridiculous. To the extent that Clinton was or wasn't involved with uranium, a 20% stake in a mining company based in a West-leaning country is neither outrageous nor unusual. The intentional distraction of raising this issue 7 years after the fact, in the context of what will likely be a constitutional crisis caused by the current administration's ongoing behavior, is plainly irresponsible. Fox "News" will not educate anyone about current events; it's better compared to parody sites like the "Onion" or the Bee letter that you so entertainingly quote.
I SHOULD say, though, emphatically, that I am delighted to hear you affirm the legitimacy of the Mueller probe. Much of the Right, including Fox News, started to attack his legitimacy as soon as he started turning up dirt.
ReplyDeleteDavid