Folded conveniently into the narratives about his “complicated past” was the detail about Kobe Bryant that could’ve wrecked him.
It
was a rape allegation by a 19-year-old employee of a Colorado hotel. It
happened in 2003. Some argued that making that life-altering detail a
mere footnote to the stories detailing Bryant’s life and unexpected
death was the human thing to do on such an awful day. Others felt it was
another example of an icon being given a pass of sorts because he was a
successful athlete.
While
dozens of high-profile figures — including senators, movie producers,
news anchors and comedians (but not the president or the newest Supreme
Court justice) — have seen their careers vanquished by allegations of
sex abuse and domestic violence, high-profile sports figures have skated
past similar accusations at a far more frequent rate.
- Let’s remember Kobe Bryant was a rapist who after a 2003 assault where the woman he raped received death threats, in 2008 he was named NBA’s most valuable player and kept his endorsement deals from Coca Cola and Nike. I don’t mourn rapists.
- Feel like a bunch of people on the timeline forgot Kobe Bryant was a rapist.
- By the way, just so we're all clear, Kobe Bryant was a known rapist and should not be remembered as a great man.
- Kobe Bryant was a rapist whose defense strategy was leaking his accusers name for his deranged fans to harass and threaten into dropping the case. That is all.
- Maybe the wrong time but also maybe the exact right time, here's your reminder that Kobe Bryant is a rapist
- It looks like the account that tweeted this had to delete for harassment, so I’ll just quote it. “My thoughts are with Kobe Bryant’s rape victim who will spend the next week hearing about how beloved and great her rapist was.”
- Yes, it is sad Kobe Bryant died, but lets not forget that he’s most likely a rapist. The only reason he was acquitted was because his lawyers assassinated the character of his accuser and the court system allowed him to do it despite Rape Shield laws.
- What happened to his daughter was a horrible tragedy and I'm so sorry for what his family is going through. But let's be clear. I'm not here for the posthumous glorification of a rapist who got away with it that's about yo ensue. Fuck Kobe Bryant.
- responding to people calling out kobe bryant for being a rapist by saying “you’re a pos” and “there’s a time and place”. there’s never a wrong time to call out a rapist. just say you don’t care about rape victims and go.
- CW: sexual assault Kobe Bryant was a rapist. I am not ready to read coverage about how "sad" this is or calling him a "cultural icon." He raped a 19-year-old.
- Kobe Bryant is dead. He was a husband, father, and a sports legend. He was also a rapist. All of these things are true. To the survivor of that attack and all survivors: You are important, and you lives and wellbeing matter. I am holding you all in my heart today.
- Kobe Bryant will only ever be the guy who raped a woman so brutally that she needed 18 stitches in her asshole and walked because our culture values sports more than women. Getting off twitter for a bit now, watching people sing the praises of a rapist always turns my stomach.
Closing with C.I.'s "Iraq snapshot:"
Tuesday, January 28, 2020. War Hawk Joe Biden raised a son who's a
Deadbeat Dad, Joe pulls back from New Hampshire, protests continue in
Iraq, the WSWS files a shoddy piece of journalism, and much more.
Starting in the United States where the race for the Democratic Party's presidential nomination continues. And starting with good news for War Hawk Joe Biden. His son, Hunter, is no longer a Deadbeat Dad. Sort of.
Hunter Biden has agreed to pay monthly child support to an Arkansas woman, court documents filed Monday show, in a temporary settlement reached just days before he was scheduled for a mandatory court appearance to explain why he hadn't provided financial documents in his ongoing paternity case." Sot of? Well the judge says the amount of the monthly payments may increase. She can't be sure of the amount because he still has not provided the documents the court is demanding.
See, Hunter's insisting to the court that he's flat broke. Few believe that claim. Especially as Joseph Simonson (WASHINGTON EXAMINER) reports:
Amid a court battle with the mother of one of his soon-to-be five children, Hunter Biden has been cruising around Beverly Hills in a Porsche boasting a six-figure price tag.
Photos obtained by the New York Post
show Biden, son of White House hopeful and former Vice President Joe
Biden, with his wife Melissa at the Beverly Hills Waldorf Astoria next
to a Porsche Panamera GTS, which has a starting price of $129,300.
The Bidens enjoyed lunch at the southern California hotel, where the two restaurants on the premises feature cuisine by celebrity chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten. The weekend brunch is listed at costing $89 per person.
The photos were snapped while Hunter Biden faces a court order to disclose his financial information in a paternity lawsuit filed by his former lover, Lunden Alexis Roberts of Arkansas. The Washington Examiner revealed that Biden and his wife are currently renting a $3.8 million designer home in Hollywood Hills for $12,000 a month.
In other words, it appears he's defrauding the court and withholding financial documents to avoid paying what he should be in child support. So, yeah, he's still a Deadbeat Dad. He's a Deadbeat Dad racing around in a Porsche after a year of refusing to pay child support. He's a Deadbeat Dad who should be eating at McDonalds instead of doing a weekend brunch if he can't pay child support. He's a Deadbeat Dad.
For any who are late to this story, let's go to Kevin Breuninger and Dan Mangan (CNBC) for the details:
Biden, who is a lawyer, originally denied having sex with Roberts.
But a DNA showed that the child was almost certainly his, and he stopped contesting paternity in the case.
[. . .]
Hunter Biden was married for 24 years to Kathleen Biden, with whom he has three children.
After separating from his wife, Biden for several years dated Hallie Biden, the widow of his elder brother Beau, a former Delaware attorney general who died of brain cancer in 2015.
After splitting with Hallie Biden in early 2019, he married South African filmmaker Melissa Cohen.
He had met Cohen, 34, just six days before they wed.
Roberts sued Hunter last month in May, less than a month after his latest marriage, claiming that she had his child in August 2018 — while Hunter was still seeing Hallie Biden.
Train wreck trash. I believe it was Elizabeth Edwards who, from her glass house, threw stones at Hillary Clinton over her lack of leadership within her own family -- the same stones could be hurled against Joe who has raised a Deadbeat Dad who pretends to the court that he's broke and can't afford child support while driving a Prosche, renting a $12,000 a month home and eating pricey meals. All this while his child does without. Deadbeat Dad.
Joe Biden claims he can run the country. But for over a year, his son has been a Deadbeat Dad. Even now, Hunter's not turning over the documents that would allow the judge to know how much he should be paying in child support. He is in contempt of court. And his father is supposed to be some example of leadership? I think we're seeing who Joe really is in the actions of Deadbeat Dad Hunter Biden.
Here's some Twitter reaction.
Starting in the United States where the race for the Democratic Party's presidential nomination continues. And starting with good news for War Hawk Joe Biden. His son, Hunter, is no longer a Deadbeat Dad. Sort of.
Hunter Biden has agreed to pay monthly child support to an Arkansas woman, court documents filed Monday show, in a temporary settlement reached just days before he was scheduled for a mandatory court appearance to explain why he hadn't provided financial documents in his ongoing paternity case." Sot of? Well the judge says the amount of the monthly payments may increase. She can't be sure of the amount because he still has not provided the documents the court is demanding.
See, Hunter's insisting to the court that he's flat broke. Few believe that claim. Especially as Joseph Simonson (WASHINGTON EXAMINER) reports:
Amid a court battle with the mother of one of his soon-to-be five children, Hunter Biden has been cruising around Beverly Hills in a Porsche boasting a six-figure price tag.
The Bidens enjoyed lunch at the southern California hotel, where the two restaurants on the premises feature cuisine by celebrity chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten. The weekend brunch is listed at costing $89 per person.
The photos were snapped while Hunter Biden faces a court order to disclose his financial information in a paternity lawsuit filed by his former lover, Lunden Alexis Roberts of Arkansas. The Washington Examiner revealed that Biden and his wife are currently renting a $3.8 million designer home in Hollywood Hills for $12,000 a month.
In other words, it appears he's defrauding the court and withholding financial documents to avoid paying what he should be in child support. So, yeah, he's still a Deadbeat Dad. He's a Deadbeat Dad racing around in a Porsche after a year of refusing to pay child support. He's a Deadbeat Dad who should be eating at McDonalds instead of doing a weekend brunch if he can't pay child support. He's a Deadbeat Dad.
For any who are late to this story, let's go to Kevin Breuninger and Dan Mangan (CNBC) for the details:
Biden, who is a lawyer, originally denied having sex with Roberts.
But a DNA showed that the child was almost certainly his, and he stopped contesting paternity in the case.
[. . .]
Hunter Biden was married for 24 years to Kathleen Biden, with whom he has three children.
After separating from his wife, Biden for several years dated Hallie Biden, the widow of his elder brother Beau, a former Delaware attorney general who died of brain cancer in 2015.
After splitting with Hallie Biden in early 2019, he married South African filmmaker Melissa Cohen.
He had met Cohen, 34, just six days before they wed.
Roberts sued Hunter last month in May, less than a month after his latest marriage, claiming that she had his child in August 2018 — while Hunter was still seeing Hallie Biden.
Train wreck trash. I believe it was Elizabeth Edwards who, from her glass house, threw stones at Hillary Clinton over her lack of leadership within her own family -- the same stones could be hurled against Joe who has raised a Deadbeat Dad who pretends to the court that he's broke and can't afford child support while driving a Prosche, renting a $12,000 a month home and eating pricey meals. All this while his child does without. Deadbeat Dad.
Joe Biden claims he can run the country. But for over a year, his son has been a Deadbeat Dad. Even now, Hunter's not turning over the documents that would allow the judge to know how much he should be paying in child support. He is in contempt of court. And his father is supposed to be some example of leadership? I think we're seeing who Joe really is in the actions of Deadbeat Dad Hunter Biden.
Here's some Twitter reaction.
Add “deadbeat dad” to his list of corrupt activities. This entitled, self-serving jerk is paying to avoid jail time. Hunter Biden agrees to pay monthly child support, ending standoff over contempt
- Deadbeat dad Hunter Biden.
POLITICO reports Joe Biden is giving up on New Hampshire. Oh, that's so sad. We've been here in New Hampshire since the start of the month talking up Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren and making sure every struggling mother we can speak to is aware that Hunter Biden is a Deadbeat Dad and that Joe's okay with it.
Joe hasn't given up on Iowa -- though the state may be giving up on him. KCCI reports:
Des Moines police said the following people were arrested: John Reardon, 22, of Clive, Michael McKinley, 68, of Des Moines, William Floyd, 22, of Des Moines, Denise Cheeseman, 21, of Iowa City, Kiran Loewenstein, 19, of Grinnell.
What were they arrested for? They were at Joe's Des Moines campaign office insisting Joe address Medicare For All.
That's Joe, when he's not having voters arrested, he's calling them "fat," or telling them to vote for Donald Trump.
Remember all of Joe's loony "as a Biden" talk? Like the Biden name stands for something other than corruption? Poor Joe. Ben Schreckinger (POLITICO) reports:
In 2005, Joe
Biden’s brother bought an acre of land with excellent ocean views on a
remote island in the Caribbean for $150,000. He divided it into three
parcels, and the next year a lobbyist close to the Delaware senator
bought one of the parcels for what had been the cost of the entire
property. Later, the lobbyist gave Biden’s brother a mortgage loan on
the remaining parcels.
The Virgin Islands land deal, reported here for the first time, furthers a pattern
in which members of the Biden family have engaged in financial dealings
with people with an interest in influencing the former vice president.
In
this case, a Biden staffer left the Senate in the early ’90s to become a
lobbyist. Both before and after the land transaction, his clients
benefited from Biden’s support and appropriations requests. A firm the
lobbyist co-founded — which features a testimonial from Biden praising
his “emotional investment” in his work on its website — specializes in
federal contracts for niche law enforcement and national security
programs for which Biden long advocated.
After the land deal, Joe Biden
vacationed elsewhere on the tiny island, which once protected a nearby
submarine base before it became a tropical getaway, on at least three
occasions.
The property itself has remained vacant and undeveloped. It is not clear
why the lobbyist, Scott Green, purchased the parcel from Biden’s
brother James, or why James Biden later went to the lobbyist for a loan,
rather than to a bank. An easement James Biden obtained granting road
access to the land before selling it to Green may have made the land
more valuable, but it is unclear whether the dramatically higher price
Green paid for his parcel reflected its true value. The terms of the
loan were not disclosed in property records.
The corruption just reeks. Eric Zeusse (MODERN DIPLOMAT) sees the current battle between War Hawk Joe and Bernie Sanders as similar to the one between War Hawk Hillary and Bernie Sanders in 2016 and Zeusse points out:
Among the top reasons why Democrats in primaries and caucuses voted for Clinton was that they thought she would have a higher likelihood of beating the Republican nominee than Sanders did. However, by the time when Election Day rolled around, the passion that Republicans felt for their nominee, Trump, was much stronger than was the passion that Democrats felt for their nominee, Clinton. During the Democratic primaries, polls were showing that the Democrats who were voting for Sanders to become their Party’s nominee were far more passionate in their support of him than was the case regarding the Democrats who were voting for Clinton to become the Democratic nominee. And nobody questions that Trump was the passion-candidate in the Republican Party’s primaries and caucuses.
On 1 May 2017, McClatchy newspapers headlined “Democrats say they now know exactly why Clinton lost” and reported that,
A select group of top Democratic Party strategists have used new data about last year’s presidential election to reach a startling conclusion about why Hillary Clinton lost. Now they just need to persuade the rest of the party they’re right.
Many Democrats have a shorthand explanation for Clinton’s defeat: Her base didn’t turn out, Donald Trump’s did and the difference was too much to overcome.
But new information shows that Clinton had a much bigger problem with voters who had supported President Barack Obama in 2012 but backed Trump four years later.
Those Obama-Trump voters, in fact, effectively accounted for more than two-thirds of the reason Clinton lost, according to Matt Canter, a senior vice president of the Democratic political firm Global Strategy Group. In his group’s analysis, about 70 percent of Clinton’s failure to reach Obama’s vote total in 2012 was because she lost these voters. …
Although Clinton has blamed her loss on Putin, and on Sanders — and perhaps if Biden wins the nomination he will likewise blame Putin and Sanders if he subsequently loses to Trump — the passion factor is actually much stronger an influence on whom the winner of an electoral contest will be than losing candidates wish to admit or publicly acknowledge; and it could turn out to be the case in 2020, just the same as it did in 2016.
Yep. Come November, the Democratic Party's going to need a candidate that inspires, that makes people want to take the time to vote, that makes them want to fit voting into what is already a busy schedule. Bernie's offering plans that effect their lives. Bernie's speaking to them. That's why there's enthusiasm for Bernie.
Turning to Iraq, Linah Alsaafin (ALJAZEERA) reports:
Anti-government protesters in Iraq
have struck a defiant tone at their main sit-in encampment in the
capital, Baghdad, as continuing clashes with security forces continued
for a third day.
The central Tahrir Square was a bustle of activity
on Monday. Protesters took advantage of the warm sun to air out blankets
and mattresses soaked from days of rain.
[. . .]According to Ali al-Abadi, a surgeon who has been going to Tahrir Square since October 1, at least 430 people have been wounded since the latest escalation began on Saturday.
"When we began protesting, it was under the umbrella of an independent Iraq, not a specific political party or group," he told Al Jazeera. "Therefore, any bloc that decides to leave the protest site does not affect us. We are capable of protecting ourselves, as the last few days have shown."
Al-Abadi said the Sadrists leaving the protest sites has not affected the mood of the anti-government protesters. He insisted he bore no ill will towards them, who he described as "brothers" to the movement.
"We are both calling for an end to corruption but we have different paths to achieve that," he said.
Is bad coverage better than no coverage? It's an issue to ponder. I've called out WSWS Jean Shaoul before. Shaoul knows nothing about Iraq and that's been clear with every empty headed article. I've ignored the writer for several years now but a new report demands that Shaoul gets mentioned here again. Shaoul writes:
Iraq’s caretaker Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi ordered a brutal crackdown on peaceful mass demonstrations that erupted on Friday. Protesters chanted “get out, get out, occupier,” and called for the immediate withdrawal of US troops from the country.
For the last three days, security forces have fired teargas and live ammunition, killing at least 12 people and wounding dozens more in the capital, Baghdad, and in the southern cities of Basra, Nasariyah, Dhi Qar and Diwaniya, in a bid to disperse the protests.
No, you idiot. As we noted last Friday, there was the ongoing protests that have been taking place for months and there was the Baghdad march. The "get out, get out occupier" was the march that Moqtada al-Sadr called for. He bused people into Baghdad. After the march, they left Baghdad. The marchers were not there on Saturday or any of "the last thee days." Nor were the marchers in Basra, Nasariyah, Dhi Qar and Diwaniya. You don't know what you're writing about.
Shaoul writes:
While the protests have mainly taken place in Baghdad and nine predominantly Shia provinces, they have generally been supported by Sunni Iraqis. Most of the Sunni politicians, however, have remained silent over the protests.
Based on what? Sunnis have not taken part in the protests. The protests have not taken root in Sunni strongholds like Falluja. Sunnis know that to participate is to be branded a 'terrorist' as has happened in the past. Where Shaoul gets proof of "generally been supported by Sunni Iraqis" is anyone's guess.
Shaoul writes:
The crackdown came just hours after Moqtada al-Sadr withdrew his support for the “million strong march” he had called on Friday, amid fears that the protesters might attack the presidential palace or the heavily-fortified Green Zone that houses the US embassy and other foreign missions. He said he was ending his support—always qualified—for the anti-government demonstrations, as part of his bid to retain political control over the government and choice of prime minister and so avoid fresh elections.
Can anyone make sense of that garbage? He withdrew his support for the million strong march? I have no idea why WSWS prints this garbage. The million man march, as its billed elsewhere, was Moqtada's. He called for it a week before it happened. He backed it. I don't see how he can withdraw his support from the march. Especially, as that mangled sentence seems to indicate, after it took place. To the contrary, after it took place, he was calling for another march on Monday and only dropped that notion on Sunday.
"he said he was ending his support . . ." That took place Friday night. That was his announcement that he would not support the ongoing protests. That has nothing to do with his march last Friday.
We could do this all day.
Again, we're left with the question: Is bad coverage better than no coverage at all?
The following sites updated:
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Weekend box office8 hours ago
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Moqtada betrays the protesters9 hours ago
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Bernie knows we need Medicare For All9 hours ago
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