Bill Cosby

156477_600.jpg
 

Apparently the press has been protecting Cosby for decades.. Now issue apology.

http://www.foxnews.com/entertainmen...id7|htmlws-main-bb|dl35|sec1_lnk3&pLid=570596

Some members of the press who covered Bill Cosby over the past 40 years are now issuing mea culpas, saying they failed to follow up on the many accusations leveled at the comedy legend over the years.
Bill Cosby’s official biographer Mark Whitaker says he was wrong in not addressing the numerous allegations of sexual assault leveled against the comedian. Whitaker’s admission comes on the heels of New York Times columnist David Carr taking to task a number of writers – himself included - for turning a blind eye to the claims.
“We all have our excuses, but in ignoring these claims, we let down the women who were brave enough to speak out publicly against a powerful entertainer,” Carr wrote. “Mr. Whitaker has said he didn’t want to put anything in the book, which he wrote with Mr. Cosby’s cooperation, that wasn’t confirmed — which of course raises the question of why he wouldn’t have done the work to knock down the accusations or make them stand up.
 
It takes a very long time for allegations of sexual abuse to be taken seriously because there is a reluctance to face the unpleasant truth.

The Australian Defence Force Academy in Canberra is one such example. Only the most sensational cases make the news and the abused get little support.

Eventually, after 2400 complaints someone thinks it might be time for a serious look at the culture and the culprits.

Defence abuse: Government to 'seriously' consider call for royal commission into abuse at the Australian Defence Force Academy

Date November 26, 2014
David Wroe
National security correspondent


A landmark report into assault and abuse in the military has found that more than 1100 alleged abusers are still serving in the ranks.

The Abbott government will meanwhile "seriously" examine the independent abuse taskforce's call for a royal commission into sexual assault and abuse at the Australian Defence Force Academy, government sources have said. The Defence Abuse Response Taskforce has called for a royal commission into sexual abuse and assault at the academy and, crucially, Defence's failure to properly deal with abuse claims.

Looking at the Australian Defence Force more broadly, the report found that 594 people still serving in the permanent force or within the Defence Department are alleged to have abused their comrades.

Another 204 people in the active reserves, and 341 in the standby reserves, are also alleged abusers.

Among other findings, the taskforce says it is aware of at least 36 women alleged to have been sexually abused between 1991 and 1998 at the academy, commonly known as ADFA. There is a further number of cases in which the victim is not identified, it adds.

And it is aware of at least 13 alleged perpetrators of sexual abuse at ADFA in the 1990 who are still serving with the military and another three who are standby reservists.

"The taskforce considers that the only way of ensuring confidence that the allegations of very serious abuse at ADFA can be thoroughly and completely investigated, and appropriately dealt with, is by way of a royal commission," the report states.
"Accordingly … the taskforce recommends that the government establish a royal commission to inquire into, report and make recommendations in respect of allegations of abuse, and the management of reports of abuse, at ADFA from its inception to the present day."

The recommendations come in a landmark report into abuse at the academy, which has been released exactly two years since the former Gillard government set up the powerful taskforce, headed by retired judge Len Roberts-Smith, to examine decades of abuse allegations in the military.

One of the taskforce's jobs was to closely examine the so-called "ADFA 24" cases – a series of alleged rapes at the academy in the 1990s. The report states that in particular the taskforce found there had been a "disturbingly high incidence of sexual abuse of female cadets at ADFA in the 1990s".

"In some cases, reports of sexual abuse were seriously mismanaged by Defence and … a number of individuals allegedly responsible for perpetrating sexual abuse are still serving in Defence."

It describes as a matter of "grave concern" that people responsible for the abuse are still serving in the military.

The taskforce has heard from former cadets at ADFA who "recounted serious incidents of sexual abuse where those responsible appear not to have been held to account", Wednesday's report states.

"Others spoke of relentless sexual harassment and bullying, particularly of female cadets and cadets in their first year of training … often perpetrated by more senior male cadets."

Given most cadets enter ADFA directly from school, the victims are generally aged just 17 to 20, the report states.
Many victims who spoke to the taskforce described a culture that "discouraged reporting and enabled abuse to occur and remain unpunished".

"Unsurprisingly, the serious abuse experienced by complainants at ADFA has had a significant impact on their lives and careers … These impacts have included physical injuries, severe emotional distress, serious psychological disorders, ostracism by peers, ruined careers, suicidal ideation, social isolation and many others."

The report also concludes it has likely only dealt with the tip of the iceberg because many who suffered abuse at ADFA have not come forward.

A second report also released on Wednesday updates the taskforce's progress so far on about 2400 complaints lodged about abuse right across the ADF, going back to the 1960s.
Click to expand...

Note that in the face of this report, the Government is only "considering" setting up an inquiry.
 

Ralphy1 said:
It is a universal problem that does not speak well of the male gender...
Click to expand...

I've heard it said that rape is less about sex and more about power. If true, one has to wonder why a very powerful entertainer needed more.. It would seem to me that there would have been no shortage of willing participants given his money and fame. Why he had to resort to drugging and raping is a puzzle.
 
I'm going to be the devil's advocate here. And I'm a woman. I wasn't born yesterday. Why in the world were all of these women, young women supposedly at the time, alone with this powerful man who promised them careers? I'm not saying that is justification for alleged rape, but don't set yourself up for wrongful behavior! Maybe if they'd had a manager with them, the cozy dinners, etc. might have been on the up and up?

He may very well be guilty and I agree, we'll probably never know. But all of these women coming out of the woodwork with very similar stories is suspect to me. But, it takes two and maybe they shouldn't have been alone with him in the first place?
 
Wow! And all those young boys that were left alone with priests, and then there are those teachers. Trust is the operative word, and, as we have all found out, often misplaced...
 
Should those Alterboys and students have put themselves in that position of being alone with those powerful people? They were just setting themselves up for wrongful behavior after all.. Now all those people coming forward with similar stories sounds very suspicious to me. It does afterall take two... Maybe they shouldn't have been alone with those priests and teachers in the first place? /sarcasm.
 
I understand your point(s). However, young women (I don't mean little girls) should question their naivety. I'm not supporting Cosby. I'm just saying maybe these women made poor choices? I'm not even going down the road of priests or teachers.
 
I really didn't want to believe these stories about Cosby, but now in light of more recent information I just don't know. What a pity. It's like finding out that Santa Claus is a Pedophile.
 
shedevil7953 said:
I'm going to be the devil's advocate here. And I'm a woman. I wasn't born yesterday. Why in the world were all of these women, young women supposedly at the time, alone with this powerful man who promised them careers? I'm not saying that is justification for alleged rape, but don't set yourself up for wrongful behavior! Maybe if they'd had a manager with them, the cozy dinners, etc. might have been on the up and up?

He may very well be guilty and I agree, we'll probably never know. But all of these women coming out of the woodwork with very similar stories is suspect to me. But, it takes two and maybe they shouldn't have been alone with him in the first place?
Click to expand...

My guess most of these rapes and women were from a different time/era where a rape victim could be easily shamed and if something happened "on the job" you didn't, shouldn't or couldn't report your "boss". I do think these women were awed by celebrity, wanted a connection for their career and drugs(Cosby's career started during the hippy 60s). He might have promised party drugs and gave date rape drugs.
 
I'm just not sure about all this. Too long has passed to have any way to check the veracity of what anyone is saying, including what Cosby might say if he talked. I'm always suspicious of the "recovered memory" thing, and the "I just discovered I am traumatized" thing.
 
Butterfly said:
I'm just not sure about all this. Too long has passed to have any way to check the veracity of what anyone is saying, including what Cosby might say if he talked. I'm always suspicious of the "recovered memory" thing, and the "I just discovered I am traumatized" thing.
Click to expand...

I don't think they are recovered memories as much as they are finally dealt with/thought about. Many people move on right away-literally move on to something else which distracts and does not allow them time to think. Although I think one of his victims went out to dinner with Cosby after. Between being a different era and mindset I'm going to have to give some of these women the benefit of the doubt.
 
I am in wonderment of how a person could get me to take a pill with a drink. I know I am old as mud, but do we not teach our children to
not be in control of themselves ??? I guess this was maybe innate with me bc my Dad was a officer of the law.
 
I see too many similarities in many of those women on the advent calendar. I don't believe Janice Dickinson for a minute. She's too much of a drama queen. I'm not saying he didn't do this but how many naive women were there? They remind me of the stupid woman in the horror movie who just stands there and screams while the monster is heading toward her............doesn't think to run!

Oh, Gee, Mr. Cosby, I'd love to come to your hotel room all alone so you can mentor me in my career! Really?
 
Could be in those days women hadn't been exposed to lots of media coverage of sex offenders like they are today, so they wouldn't have had a clue that they could actually be drugged and raped by mr. nice guy who they trusted - thought they would just get a little high on a drink maybe, and get some help with their careers. Nowadays it's everywhere, in tv shows, movies on the news - so women are much more vigilant. Back then young women really were naive, who would think that someone they knew at a party would do that, I sure wouldn't have.
 
I remember the time I went with two detectives to arrest a guy for killing his wife. The neighbor's were interviewed by the media on TV and the one lady was saying, I can't believe he did this. He was always so kind, so nice. He even cleaned my sidewalks when the husband was in bed sick. He was always willing to help someone.

I was thinking to myself, maybe he liked everyone, but his wife.
 
I was a young woman in the 60s, and I sure enough knew not to go to some man's hotel room alone. So did my friends. So the idea that all these women were so naive strikes me as WAAY off. The 60s were a long time ago, but the idea that young women at that time were just poor innocent babes in the woods is just wrong. Men trying to lure women off by themselves for
nefarious reasons is as old as time, and so is the idea of trying to sleep your way to the top (Cleopatra is a case in point). Not saying some of the accusers couldn't have been raped, but I wonder about stories this old that claim that the woman was pure as the driven snow and lured off against her will )to the Playboy Club!??) just grates. I did my share of frinking during my misspent youth, but nobody ever forced me to do so, but then I wasn't looking for someone to "mentor me in my career" either . . . .

To whomever above mentioned getting her to take a pill with her drink -- of course no one would do that. The way it works is that while you are sitting drinking, your attention is distracted or you get up to dance or go the the ladies', and someone slips a powder or quick dissolving pill into your drink, which doesn't change the taste of the drink, or switches your drink out with a doctored one. When you return, you drink the drink and the drug.
 
non-consensual sex is considered rape in a civilized society, naive victim or not. blame the victim was once the usual defense for rape, and in old days it was even legal for a man to rape his wife. Women were raped wherever they were, in the garden, road, war zone - didn't necessarily have to be in a room alone with the guy. cosby had the rep of being nice, but let us not be naive ourselves.
 
Butterfly said:
I was a young woman in the 60s, ........................Not saying some of the accusers couldn't have been raped, but I wonder about stories this old that claim that the woman was pure as the driven snow and lured off against her will..........
Click to expand...







A woman can have be a virgin, or she can be married or she can have multiple partners. Her business and not for any of us to judge. But the minute she doesn't want to have sex with someone and that guy coerces, tricks or beats her into submission, then it's rape. Her 'purity' has nothing to do with anything. So if these women didn't want to have sex with Cosby, it is all on him. And keep in mind, I haven't heard any of these women trying to suggest that they were all 'pure'. What they have said is that they didn't want to have sex with him and he coerced and tricked them.
 

You must log in or register to reply here.

Back
Top