# Bill Cosby: Rapo **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [February 10, 2005, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-cosby-rapo/289339 "2005-02-10T03:54:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2005, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-cosby-rapo/289339/81 "2005-02-11T14:37:58Z")
> [@Diogenes the Cynic](#): > > Bill Clinton was accused only once of sexual assault. No, you are wrong, again as usual. Bill Clinton was accused of sexual assault by Juanita Broaderrick and Kathleen Wiley. You just reflexively deny any fact that contradicts your world view, don’t you? ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2005, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-cosby-rapo/289339/82 "2005-02-11T14:46:45Z")
Kathleen Wiley did not accuse Bill Clinton of sexual assault. ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2005, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-cosby-rapo/289339/83 "2005-02-11T17:23:48Z")
Sorry, **Shodan** , but **Dio** is correct this time. Kathleen Wiley accused Clinton not of sexual assault but of sexual harassment. She claimed he groped and kissed her in the Oval Office. ---
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2005, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-cosby-rapo/289339/84 "2005-02-11T18:03:48Z")
> [@](#): > > Mr. Cosby has sure made some enemies of late with his POV on young black males. I have wondered about his recent campaign with the backlash that he has gotten from the black community wondering if maybe some dirt would be dug up on him to get him to get him to shut up. It seems that every time someone that the nation adores ( Johnny Carson as a recent example) their is almost a immediate ‘unveiling’ of the darker side of that person’s character. The only time I have not been shocked by this was when Michael Landon died. I fully expected for some news sources and interviews to come out and say he was a pedophile/druggie/bad guy and that his Gee-Whizness was just a sham. Same thing for Mr. Rogers. I don’t want to beleive that a man whose comedy is brilliant is capable of such things, but the one thing I know about comic genius is that the funnier they are, the more brilliant they are the usual darker side they have to them or the shittier past history that they rise above or bizarre things they are involved in. ---
**Author:** ![Dijon\_Warlock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a9a28c/32.png) [@Dijon\_Warlock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dijon_Warlock)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2005, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-cosby-rapo/289339/85 "2005-02-12T04:09:00Z")
> [@Bryan Ekers](#): > > Ah, the “coincidence” standard. I think that was given legal weight in the famed _Thomson v. Thompson_ decision. To be precise, it was the famed _Thomson v. Thompson_ decision. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2005, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-cosby-rapo/289339/86 "2005-02-12T04:25:40Z")
> [@Dijon Warlock](#): > > To be precise, it was the famed _Thomson v. Thompson_ decision. The Graham Johnson decision? [checks hearing aid] ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2005, 5:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-cosby-rapo/289339/87 "2005-02-12T05:20:26Z")
> [@Q.E.D.](#): > > Sorry, **Shodan** , but **Dio** is correct this time. Kathleen Wiley accused Clinton not of sexual assault but of sexual harassment. She claimed he groped and kissed her in the Oval Office. Bullshit. If groping is not sexual assault, then Cosby did not sexually assault the woman in the OP. > [@](#): > > The events in question date back to January, 2004, when the alleged victim says Cosby drugged her into a semiconscious state, and then **groped her** at his Elkins Park mansion in suburban Philadelphia. > [@](#): > > Bill Cosby, under investigation for possible sexual misconduct, denied claims by a second woman that he drugged and **fondled her** … If it is sexual assault for Cosby, it is sexual assault for Clinton. If Cosby is a “rap-o” based on two accusations, Clinton is a “rap-o” based on two accusations. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2005, 5:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-cosby-rapo/289339/88 "2005-02-12T05:25:24Z")
The Cosby allegation has the element of DRUGGING, **Shodan**. That’s what makes it an assault rather than just a “groping.” ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2005, 5:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-cosby-rapo/289339/89 "2005-02-12T05:52:17Z")
> [@Diogenes the Cynic](#): > > The Cosby allegation has the element of DRUGGING, **Shodan**. That’s what makes it an assault rather than just a “groping.” Well, in Clinton’s case, he drugged 'em with his mighty Presidential powers. One “wanna see my pocket veto, baby?” and they swooned. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2005, 1:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-cosby-rapo/289339/90 "2005-02-12T13:24:43Z")
> [@Diogenes the Cynic](#): > > The Cosby allegation has the element of DRUGGING, **Shodan**. That’s what makes it an assault rather than just a “groping.” Oh, you’re just pulling that out of your ass to try to excuse your hypocrisy. [What is sexual assault? Sexual assault is the legal term for rape, but it also encompasses other behaviors beyond forced sexual intercourse. Sexual assault is any unwanted sexual contact. It can be committed by the use of threats or force or when someone takes advantage of circumstances that render a person incapable of giving consent, such as intoxication. Sexual assault can include unwanted touching, fondling, or groping of sexual body parts.]([http://www.brown.edu/Student\_Services/Health\_Services/Health\_Education/sexual\_assault/saar.htm](http://www.brown.edu/Student_Services/Health_Services/Health_Education/sexual_assault/saar.htm)) It differs in every state. There is no state which defines the difference between sexual harassment and sexual assualt solely on the basis of drugging. Hypocrite. ---
**Author:** ![PunditLisa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/4af34b/32.png) [@PunditLisa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PunditLisa)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2005, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-cosby-rapo/289339/91 "2005-02-12T13:31:46Z")
I remain skeptical. Cosby has had affairs in the past so he’s no angel. However, that’s a far, far cry from being a rapist. If a man drugged me and tried to take wild advantage of me, I’d call the cops. If I didn’t, then I’d have to realize that any chance to corroborate my story with facts (e.g. physical evidence, traces of chemicals found in my blood stream) would go down the drain. ---
**Author:** ![JDeMobray](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/85e7bf/32.png) [@JDeMobray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JDeMobray)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2005, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-cosby-rapo/289339/92 "2005-02-12T15:59:45Z")
Based on this thread, an also his participation [here](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=5786521&postcount=3), I’m coming to the conclusion that **Diogenes t. Cynic** doesn’t think that black men can keep it in their pants. Did you formerly work for the South Park police department or something? :wally ---
**Author:** ![Shayna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shayna/32/17976_2.png) [@Shayna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shayna)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2005, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-cosby-rapo/289339/93 "2005-02-12T16:02:23Z")
> [@El\_Kabong](#): > > Huh, well dang. Way back in the '80s I had heard some fairly dodgy, secondhand stuff about Cos, admittedly stopping well short of date rape. The source was a young lady I was dating who worked as a receptionist in a Denver hotel where he had stayed for a while. Basically what she had said was that he was completely shameless about pushing the hotel staff to find girls (of the paid-for variety) for him to entertain in his room. Back then I thought it too out of character to be credible, but back then I was pretty naive. Not that this has anything in particular to do with the story linked by the OP, just a bit of grist for the mill, I guess. Meaningless, third-hand anecdotal story follows: Also in the '80s, I was dating a guy who absolutely HATED Bill Cosby. I mean he **LOATHED** him, in an extremely disproportionate way to someone who merely wasn’t amused by his humor. No, this venomous anger was personal. He refused to discuss it in any detail, all I can recall getting out of him was that a former girlfriend of his, while they were dating, was sexually assaulted by Cosby. I, too, didn’t buy it at the time. ---
**Author:** ![Hamish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a5b964/32.png) [@Hamish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hamish)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2005, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-cosby-rapo/289339/94 "2005-02-12T16:12:48Z")
I’m a firm believer in innocent until proven guilty. I’ll wait until a jury’s verdict on this one because I know how sketchy they can be with, you know, reality, and I really don’t trust them on any court case. That said, if he does turn out to be guilty, I won’t be at all surprised. The Irony Gods of the universe seem to require that the purer a person’s public persona, the heavier the secret they’re keeping. And it would seem that playing the perfect _paterfamilias_ on television might just be too tempting for said Gods. 'Course, I’m still half-expecting to hear that Hugh Beaumont (Ward Cleaver) was a satanic cult leader or a Nazi, or maybe a druglord, so YMMV. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2005, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-cosby-rapo/289339/95 "2005-02-12T17:05:24Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > Oh, you’re just pulling that out of your ass to try to excuse your hypocrisy. > > [What is sexual assault? > > Sexual assault is the legal term for rape, but it also encompasses other behaviors beyond forced sexual intercourse. Sexual assault is any unwanted sexual contact. It can be committed by the use of threats or force or when someone takes advantage of circumstances that render a person incapable of giving consent, such as intoxication. Sexual assault can include unwanted touching, fondling, or groping of sexual body parts.]([Health Promotion | Brown University |](http://www.brown.edu/Student_Services/Health_Services/Health_Education/sexual_assault/saar.htm)) > > It differs in every state. There is no state which defines the difference between sexual harassment and sexual assualt solely on the basis of drugging. > > Hypocrite. You’re grasping at straws. Making a pass at someone is not a sexual assault. Drugging them and then fondling them is sexual assault. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2005, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-cosby-rapo/289339/96 "2005-02-12T17:06:48Z")
> [@JDeMobray](#): > > Based on this thread, an also his participation [here](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=5786521&postcount=3), I’m coming to the conclusion that **Diogenes t. Cynic** doesn’t think that black men can keep it in their pants. > Did you formerly work for the South Park police department or something? :wally Are you accusing me of being a racist? That’s hysterical. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2005, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-cosby-rapo/289339/97 "2005-02-12T17:13:13Z")
One more thing, **Shodan** , where was the alleged use of force, coersion or threats in the Wiley case. According to her when she said no, he stopped. Which is also what Paula Jones said. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2005, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-cosby-rapo/289339/98 "2005-02-12T17:21:19Z")
> [@PunditLisa](#): > > I remain skeptical. Cosby has had affairs in the past so he’s no angel. However, that’s a far, far cry from being a rapist. > > If a man drugged me and tried to take wild advantage of me, I’d call the cops. If I didn’t, then I’d have to realize that any chance to corroborate my story with facts (e.g. physical evidence, traces of chemicals found in my blood stream) would go down the drain. Like I said above, young women in the early 70’s did not exactly feel empowered to report sexual assaults by celebrities and Green also has [this](http://www.sunherald.com/mld/sunherald/news/nation/10847881.htm) to say about why she didn’t report it: > [@](#): > > Green said she has told her Cosby story to various friends through the years. But she said she never went to law enforcement because, soon after the encounter, Cosby showed up at Children’s Hospital in Los Angeles where her 16-year-old brother, Marc Lucier, was dying from cystic fibrosis. > > “My brother just thought it was the bee’s knees that the great Bill Cosby was my friend and had come to the hospital to see him and made him a hero and made the other terminal kids happy,” she said. “He gave autographs and ‘Attaboys’ and I just couldn’t take that away from my brother.” > > Her brother died several months after that, she said, but she still didn’t go to law enforcement. > > “By then I’m in another relationship with a film director,” she said. > > Three friends, including an estranged second husband, confirmed that Green had told them about the alleged drugging and groping many times over the last 30 years. The husband, Ben Housouer, an attorney, said Green wouldn’t lie. > > \ > > “I never came forward,” she added. “It doesn’t mean it didn’t happen. It just means he went and bought me off - by going to the children’s terminal ward.” I’d encourage you to read the whole article. IMO, Green seems credible. YMMV, of course. ---
**Author:** ![PunditLisa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/4af34b/32.png) [@PunditLisa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PunditLisa)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2005, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-cosby-rapo/289339/99 "2005-02-14T21:15:27Z")
> [@](#): > > Like I said above, young women in the early 70’s did not exactly feel empowered to report sexual assaults by celebrities and Green also has this to say about why she didn’t report it. Yet there is no evidence beyond her words to support her claim and for that reason I remain skeptical. I’m a former victim’s advocate so I tend to be sympathetic to victims, however I’d be an idiot to believe that women never distort, exaggerate or outright lie. ---
**Author:** ![andros](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e480ec/32.png) [@andros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/andros)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2005, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-cosby-rapo/289339/100 "2005-02-18T03:22:09Z")
Charges have been dropped. [http://www.cnn.com/2005/LAW/02/17/cosby/index.html](http://www.cnn.com/2005/LAW/02/17/cosby/index.html) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-cosby-rapo/289339.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-cosby-rapo/289339.md?page=6)