When Is Rape Not Rape?

TT Note: Rape is rape is rape. All day long it is wrong. All day long this case was with a man manipulating a child for his pleasure. Excuse me, but rape is rape, and it's against the law.

/PRNewswire/ -- The defenders of film director Roman Polanski - charged with raping a 13-year-old girl in 1977 and then fleeing the country - are starting down a slippery slope by trying to redefine what rape is.

"It wasn't rape-rape," comedian and talk-show host Whoopi Goldberg said on The View on Sept. 29. The next day, Debra Tate, sister of Polanski's murdered wife, Sharon, said on the Today show that "There's rape, and then there's rape," arguing that it was consensual sex even though the victim was 13.

"There are really two perspectives here," says Shannon Gilreath, Wake Forest University Law Professor for Interdisciplinary Study and a nationally recognized scholar on issues of equality, sexual minorities, and constitutional interpretation. "One is the perspective of people who look for any reason imaginable to excuse the victimization of women and girls that is rampant: it happened long ago, she was mature for her age--she wanted it. On the other side of this are those of us who are saying that every victim matters, even those victimized by people rich enough to evade jurisdiction for many years." But Gilreath says under the law, statutory rape is a clear offense, and at 13 years old, the girl was underage.

Many in the entertainment industry have flocked to Polanski's defense, questioning whether the act was strictly rape or not and pointing to the amount of time that has passed since the case, possible judicial misconduct, and the fact that the girl, now in her forties, would prefer that the case simply go away.

But where is the outrage in the media and entertainment industry for the victim, asks Gilreath.

"Maybe the missing piece of this discussion is that what is being turned into a major media event, full of talking-head outrage because it involves Roman Polanski, is real life as it is experienced by millions of women every day. And, like it or not, it could happen to every woman. Until we face up to the pervasiveness of a culture of violence that sexualizes dominance, that turns male dominance over women into sex, then we won't be able to face it down. And women and girls will continue to be raped and worse unnoticed. Where is the outrage, where is the media blitz about that?"

Polanski, now 76, fled the country in 1978 right before his sentencing after he admitted to having sex with the girl. As part of a 1977 plea deal, he pled guilty to unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor while prosecutors promised to drop rape, sodomy and other charges after sentencing. A judge was to determine his sentence. He was arrested in Switzerland Sept. 26, and the extradition is being handled there.

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Media Seen as the Primary Cause of the Depth and Length of the Global Recession, According to New Research From Frost & Sullivan

/PRNewswire/ -- In a recent survey conducted by Frost & Sullivan, the Growth Partnership Company, 91% of CEOs blame the breadth and depth of the current economic situation on the media.

"The media's manipulation of statistics, negativity, exaggeration, and doomsday forecasts have driven fear and panic among consumers and businesses alike," says David Frigstad, Chairman of Frost & Sullivan.

Economic statistics are often twisted and exaggerated. The fear of total economic collapse is perpetuated in the media to grab attention and sell more copies or attract more viewers or listeners. Because of this, consumers and business have frozen spending, canceled projects, sold investments, and laid off workers. This has caused a downward spiral in demand and pricing that has now caused about 20 trillion dollars of damage globally.

"As the media continues to perpetuate fear, uncertainty and doubt, there is a growing chance that it will result in a self-fulfilling prophecy," adds Frost & Sullivan Economist Sandeep Maheshwari.

What clearly started out with financial mismanagement and fraud on Wall Street has now escalated into a major global recession exacerbated by the media. According to Frost & Sullivan's research, CEOs cite how the media has continued to drive fear through efforts to gain more readers, viewers, and listeners. The ironic turn is that the media is also being victimized by the current recession, with declining audiences and falling ad revenues.

In the responses portion of the study, CEOs made several interesting comments:

-- "Several newspapers have compared the overall job losses to the Great Depression without taking into account the huge increase in U.S. population since that time. These comparisons only generate more fear and are counter-productive."

-- "Economists miss every turn in the economy. Why do we rely on their forecasts today when they are so unreliable? They move like a herd of antelope -- their current forecasts all fit nicely into a pack."

-- "I recently read a headline that said Microsoft will lay off 5,000 workers. At the end of the piece it mentioned it would be over a three year period. Compared to the overall size of Microsoft, this is not newsworthy."

We are now at a turning point. An unprecedented global stimulus plan and guaranteed programs are now in place. More than 8 trillion dollars globally is being pumped into the economy, along with trillions of dollars in guarantees. Retail sales, housing prices, existing home sales, and used car sales are all showing signs of strength. Interest rates are at historical lows and mortgage relief is in sight.

"All of these trends could signal the turning point if we change our outlook. The media, economists, politicians, bankers, and business executives could collectively turn the economy around by working simultaneously to restore confidence back into the system -- in turn, calming the public. It's time for us to give up on the doom and gloom," concludes Frigstad.

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Could Listening to Media Be Harmful to Your Baby?

Media May Have Gotten Alcohol Study Wrong
Claim that pregnant women can drink safely is erroneous, researchers say

December 22, 2008

Pregnancy women shouldn't drink alcohol, health researchers say, despite what may have recently been reported on the effects of moderate drinking and a developing fetus......More

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Is the Media to Blame for Making Economic Crisis Worse?

/PRNewswire/ -- An overwhelming 77 percent of Americans believe that the US media is making the economic situation worse by projecting fear into people's minds. The majority of those surveyed feel that the financial press, by focusing on and embellishing negative news, is damaging consumer confidence and damping investment, making a difficult situation much worse.

Richard L. Scheff, a national expert on corporate liability and white collar crime issues, warns media that they could potentially be exposed to liability despite apparent constitutional protections:

"Although statements by the media are protected by the First Amendment, the survey results demonstrate that the public believes that the press bears some responsibility for the lack of confidence in the economy. One would hope that these media would act less out of self-interest in these times of national crisis. I could see creative lawyers attempting to pierce constitutional protections by constructing theories of liability for losses they may allege were driven by irresponsible news releases," said Mr. Scheff, vice chairman and partner with Philadelphia-based law firm Montgomery McCracken Walker & Rhoads.

The US survey of 1000 adults was conducted by Opinion Research Corporation, on behalf of Park Lane Communications, and is statistically representative of the total U.S. population. The survey question asked was: "Do you think the financial press is making the economic crisis worse by projecting fear into people's minds?" While the overall response indicated that 77% of Americans answered YES, here are some highlights of note:

Household Incomes:
$25k - $35k - 79% answered YES
$35k - $50k - 88% answered YES
$50k - $75k - 76% answered YES
$75k - more - 78% answered YES

Demographics:
85% of young adults (18-24 yrs old) answered YES
77% of males and females alike answered YES
65% of blacks answered YES

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Toxic Predators

It's a shame that there are slimy sub-humans who prey on children. It's a shame we have to have safeguards to the extent we do because of these vermin. Get the idea that I dislike child predators?

I wrote a blog recently about the Internet, the loss of freedoms and similar. I am a firm believer in the freedom of press, freedom of speech, but there are lines. Don't step on my toes when you're spouting your words, don't cram them down my throat, don't touch the babies and children in the world while you're pontificating.

The slime of the world cause more restrictions to be placed on those of us who walk within the bounds of decency.

MySpace is making some changes to protect the kids, Face Book is probably not too far behind. Here's two stories you'll find interesting that are related yet somewhat two sides of the coin:

MySpace agrees to new safety measures
ALBANY, N.Y. - MySpace has reached an agreement with more than 45 states to change to help prevent sexual predators and others from misusing it, state officials said Monday.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080114/ap_on_hi_te/myspace_agreement

The Race for the American Mind
Last year's scamnesty bill had widespread support among the powers-that-be, with the president, the Democrat majority and mainstream media all singing its praises. Yet it went down to defeat, slain by a new-media coalition of talk radio and blogosphere warriors. Working tirelessly to expose the truth and rally the grassroots, they became a David who slew a Goliath.
http://www.americanthinker.com/2008/01/the_race_for_the_american_mind.html

Bloggers beware... Think the Internet is beyond the reach of the Government?

This is by far one of the most thought provoking, and scary, articles I have read in recent weeks. The author, Selwyn Duke, has been reading my mind. Actually, I'm sure there are quite a few of us in the world who've had thoughts. Duke pulled the facts together in an easy to read, well written article that hopefully won't end up being a prophecy of our future.

We have to be vigilant and guard our freedoms. When so-called free-wheeling groups like Google, YouTube and others cave the Internet becomes more vulnerable to the political correctness police.

The Race for the American Mind
Last year's scamnesty bill had widespread support among the powers-that-be, with the president, the Democrat majority and mainstream media all singing its praises. Yet it went down to defeat, slain by a new-media coalition of talk radio and blogosphere warriors. Working tirelessly to expose the truth and rally the grassroots, they became a David who slew a Goliath.
http://www.americanthinker.com/2008/01/the_race_for_the_american_mind.html