Smollett celeb justice case has enough twists that we need a timeline. Here's the latest. The Senior DA in Chicago dropped all charges allegedly at the behest of Michelle Obama via her former chief of staff. Mayor Rahm Emanuel, a former Obama insider, and the Chief of the Chicago PoliceDepartment (CPD) were outraged and rightly so. No justice here and a total waste of $130,000 in CPD resources investigating what might've been a hoax. a But just today, Inspector General Patrick … [Read more...]
Celebs & CEOs are likely to beat the rap in college fraud.
March 23, 2019 By Leave a Comment
As someone who got into Yale the hard, old-fashioned way, the fact that celebs & CEOs are likely to beat the rap for bribing colleges outrages me. I've blogged about bias and discrimination in favor celebs and other elites before. Most recently, here and here. The defendants are a "catalogue of wealth and privilege,” U.S. Attorney Andrew Lelling said during his press conference announcing charges.Most importantly, he also said, "There can be no separate college-admissions system … [Read more...]
Discrimination, Blackface and the Bullying Connection.
February 2, 2019 By Leave a Comment
Worries about discrimination and racism are at the heart of efforts to get Virginia Governor Ralph Northam to resign from office. But did you know there's a connection to bullying in all this? More on this later, but first the controversy. Northam's 1984 med school yearbook page shows a picture of a person in blackface and another wearing a Ku Klux Klan hood . . . next to different pictures of the then doctor-governor-to be. Discrimination and racism. Northam's many critics feel that 1) … [Read more...]
Most privileged celeb of all – Mirror, mirror on the wall? A Scorecard
January 7, 2019 By Leave a Comment
Which of these most privileged celebs are you following to see if justice is done—Ryan Seacrest, James Franco, Gerard Depardieu, Aziz Ansari, Dustin Hoffman, Asia Argento, or Sylvester Stallone? They're among the over 250 people accused of sexually inappropriate behavior since #MeToo started. Who will be the most privileged of all as 2019 moves forward? Thanks to mighty help from Vox, a trendy-left-leaning ezine, I can provide you a scorecard. Use the background info and basics Vox … [Read more...]
McCain—Survivor, hero, villain, family man.
September 3, 2018 By 11 Comments
I've been thinking about Senator John McCain—survivor, hero, villain, family man? In mourning the passing of a one-of-a-kind U.S. senator, I've concluded he was a complex character, defying pigeon holes. McCain—more than a survivor, hero, villain, family man. I get the impression that McCain was inventing himself as he went along. —1st. A rebel and later a poor student at Annapolis, frustrated that his family pigeon holed him as a Navy Man given that his dad and grandfather were … [Read more...]
Am I privileged? Try these exercises.
July 7, 2018 By 4 Comments
I'm writing a book about how the American criminal justice system treats "privileged" murderers different from others. The murderers' privileges in my book (working title "Four Murders & a Funeral") start with being white males and in some cases end with being privileged in yet other ways.) Because of my book topic, people often ask me what I mean by "privilege." Well, here's a definition from a white male who's also gay, and you wouldn't be alone thinking 'maybe he's not privileged if … [Read more...]
To “Check your privilege,” watch Dominick Dunne on the Justice Network.
March 24, 2018 By Leave a Comment
As I write my current book, I'm outraged at the light sentences given to several of the privileged murderers I've gotten to know over the years. (I'm a criminologist and embrace the "check your privilege" movement.) For these reasons I've developed an affinity for Dominick Dunne. He's the late American writer, investigative journalist, and producer who covered the trial of his daughter's murderer. Like me, Dunne was incensed at the verdict (acquittal of 2nd-degree murder charge in favor of … [Read more...]
Recent Comments