you said "that the people that advocate the most violence in our society usually claim that they are also fine upstanding Christians."

There's no gray area there. You said what you said. Be man enough to stand behind it.  It's in print for pete's sake.

And I think the idea that women cry rape for some kind of gain is way over-blown. I defended dozens of accused rapists---there was only one victim I didn't think was telling the truth. And remember, I was on the defense. Does it happen, sure. But in far, far fewer numbers than a lot of people think.

Moreover, in this case, there was apparently a lot of blood---like, a LOT of blood, all over the hotel room, the victim, and Kobe. I always found the idea that she did it for the money pretty hard to believe. I consider myself a pretty tough chick, but even I wouldn't have had the guts to go through a rape trial in the national spotlight.

Anyway, back to baseball.

Probably.

Having a public position is a slippery slope.  I don't envy anyone in that position.  It's hard, but you HAVE to set an example.  What example you choose is your decision.  And I would love for people to start choosing the right one.

No one's arguing that what entertainers do passes for news these days.  My position is that there is no higher standard of behavior to which they must aspire, other than, of course, what they may have contractually agreed to.

If you, or someone else, is going to say that there is, then you're going to have to say what that standard is, its source, how the individual becomes obligated to it unilaterally, and how it may be judged that the standard has been violated.

Good luck.

Look, I can't help you don't understand what you write.  All I can do is point out that you've repeatedly claimed people in the public eye have a greater responsibility to behave a certain way.  I've just filled in the blanks for you (i.e., compared to whom) and pointed out you're several crayons short of a box in the "I've actually thought this thru" department.

Now, I could take the time to quote back to you the various places in this diary where you've done that, but why bother.  You're not stand up enough to follow thru with your position, so I'd just be wasting my time.  Anyone with an iota of brain power can read and understand that this is your position for themselves.

You're welcome to try to weasel out with a claim that all you really meant was what people do gets more attention, and that's hardly something anyone's gonna disagree with.  Shake your head all you want - it doesn't change the fact you made statements you can't defend and that you're unable to understand the difference between mine and "advocating that celebrities live carelessly."

What you're doing is intellectually lazy.  I'm sure you'll have some postively witty repartee in response that completely avoids mine, but, then, I wouldn't expect less from you.

There's a world of difference between asking an individual to aspire to a particular personal ethic - in this case, sharing his largess - and holding him to an external obligation to which he was never a party.

I agree completely with you that the communities I'm a member of are better when I contribute to them.  The irony, of course, is that I, too, benefit, so it's also a selfish act.  But the source of that sense of obligation is internal - it's an expectation I hold for myself.  I completely reject the idea that anyone else has the right to tell me what I should or should not do, and hold me accountable to their expectation.  And I don't have the right to do that to anyone else.

See the difference?

And if it's any consolation, I still remember when XRT starting playing U2 in the very early 80s, back when they were a great station.  Back before there was such a thing as CDs.  Back when we stayed up to the wee hours making mix tapes, one track off each record at a time and the trick was to blend the fade outs and ins so that there wasn't any audible click between tracks.

Now we can just fire up CoolEdit Pro, remaster a perfect digital rip, and produce a CD that sounds better than mass-produced.  But whenever something's gained, something's also lost....