“Know this also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.
   For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud blasphemers,
   disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce,
   despisers of those which are good, traitors, heady, high minded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;
   Having a form of godliness but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.” 2 Tim. 3.1-5

Bill Cosby, movie and television star, and respected advocate for education and Civil Rights within the African American community is even revered by all races for his comedy, entertainment and his philanthropy. He has been the voice for not only Hollywood but the white man’s civil rights activists.

The poster boy for mainstream America’s civil rights movement that was imposed on them by the explosive years of the 1950-60’s which forced middle class America into recognizing the injustices that had gone on for one hundred years after the Civil War that had supposedly not only ended slavery but made Black people first class citizens of this, theirs and ours native land.

These promoters were making Cosby into a positive image for both white Americans and African Americans, not only to dispel the awful negative stereotypes associated with Blacks, especially males; but also to whitewash the uneasy feelings of White Americans with consciences about the horrific ongoing treatment of Blacks everywhere. It would also serve to put them at ease that Blacks were actually already living a fine and dandy middle-class existence as colorless members of the military, as well as lawyers, teachers and doctors in Springfield, USA.

Cosby was the guy whom the image makers seized upon. He had been educated in the fine religious university Temple in his home of Philadelphia, where he had played the All-American game of varsity football. He had gained the attention of the nation by performing a standup comedy act that was just a little irreverent in challenging the Bible maybe, but never in challenging the voice of the government in any way. Cosby’s comedy was unlike the irreverent routines Lenny Bruce was doing to incur the censors vengeance or Stan Freberg was doing on his sarcastic comedy record albums in the 1960’s that lampooned America’s founding fathers and all races and creeds without discrimination.

No, Bill Cosby was nothing but respectful. He wore the right sweatshirts, acted well, and read jokes about husbandly buffoonery. He never had to read any smart alecky references to white or black prejudice and proudly told his audiences that he was a dutiful graduate of a respectful University. In his TV days in the 90’s he told his TV children to brush their teeth and to talk respectfully to Mom and before that week’s show was concluded, he always did what his TV wife told him to do.

His greatest achievement to combat racism in America might have been his Saturday morning cartoon show with Fat Albert which all the kids from Schenectady to Sacramento, to Duluth, Selma and Canada (if I remember correctly) watched and listened to with more reverence than any Bugs Bunny cartoon had ever before been viewed.

Cosby’s characters and routines called for young whites and blacks to speak proper English, pull up their pants, and stop wasting their lives acting like thugs. His instruction was things which were agreeable to white and black communities and parents, at least on the surface, in the 70’s and 80’s. Cosby was the poster boy, selected and allowed by the white image makers of Hollywood to bring the problem of racism into white America’s living rooms morning and night for everyone of the family. It seemed hopeful and maybe even true. It seemed to both sides that the image of Cosby was, (Dare we hope??) true, that it could happen that the past might be forgotten. Maybe both sides could just be human beings, fighting out and sharing in life without this madness of masks, hoods, beatings, rapes, castrations, lines drawn at Michigan Avenue, suspicion, of fear, of deserved hatred, of returned fear, of helplessness, and hopelessness.

With the aid of his promoters in Hollywood, Bill Cosby had a powerful forum in television under his control and has utilized it to go on speaking tours promoting his educational agenda for young black people as a means of rising out of their poverty and thus elevating the position of African Americans, especially males. He and his wife Camille have been outspoken advocates of the arts and education and have funded scholarships and other programs to promote their educational agenda. Camille was an advisor for the development of The Cosby Show, which was supposedly patterned after their family model.

Until very recently, his show was held as a beacon or model of the virtues of education and how it would change the dynamic and shape of the African American family today. Bill and Camille’s story and vision would serve to raise black people out of the ghettos and slums and the norm of African Americans being raised in single parent homes almost bound to live in poverty. He urged young black people to press on to a world where they could hope to have influence and position in the total community, not just among their own race. On the surface, this appears to be an honorable and a positive message to everyone in the United States. His show was in the living rooms of all of America, black and white and admired by all.

If his statements and the images he projected in the Cosby show were all true as he presented, this nation could at last move from the days of the oppression and bondage of slavery and its effects, into the enlightened state of racial equality, long sought after by African Americans and other minorities. However, even after legislation for Affirmative Action to give minorities preference for certain scholarships and ensuring a more balanced ethnicity in the school population, the socio economic balance seems more imbalanced than ever. In fact, education alone is not going to bring about real equality. The stereotypes and prejudices are the fruits of the sins of the United States, in having enslaved so many to build this nation into the economic power that it is. The Bible states that the only true equality comes through a relationship with Jesus Christ. He alone will bring the only true righteousness and liberty.

“Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.
   But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.” 2 Cor. 3.17-18

Bill Cosby, this strong advocate for racial equality and educational reforms to correct the injustices and improve the quality of life for African Americans is nothing more than a sexual predator and a hypocrite. There had been rumors and accusations for years about Bill Cosby having extramarital affairs, including an admission on his part about a long term relationship with a mistress. But damage control was quickly done to chalk it up to him being young and on the road, and needing companionship. Even Camille came to his defense saying that both of them married young and were unsettled at the time. However, in 2014, after being called out by another African American comedian, Hannibal Buress, as a hypocrite and a rapist, the media exploded with any and all accusations ever whispered about Cosby. As the story snowballed, more and more women came forward to tell their stories, all remarkably similar, about being drugged and sexually assaulted or believing they had, since they woke up nude in a room with Cosby. The women were either paid for their silence or threatened with being discredited and losing potential work. Each woman was promised mentoring and instead received drugs that gave them no will to oppose this powerful celebrity in his sexual advances. As more accusations come to light it appears that Cosby has been a serial rapist over 4 or 5 decades.

In searching out details of Bill Cosby’s biography, a double life comes into view. This double life was facilitated by Camille Cosby when she determined that she needed to move the family away from Hollywood. In 1971, they moved to Shelburne Falls, Massachusetts, as far away from the entertainer’s life as she could take the children. Bill could conduct his career and pursue all his ambitions and lusts without having to burden Camille or the children with the details of his activities. Then he could return home and assume his role of family man, educator, and philanthropist. In his entertainer’s life he could count on his activities being protected from the public eye because of his celebrity and the friends he surrounded himself with and because he could either pay for silence or intimidate young women into submission, with his power.

Maintaining the secret life becomes harder over time as the number of victims increases. Eventually, one of the victims summoned the courage to speak out and filed a civil suit against him in 2005. The question does remain why no criminal proceedings were ever initiated against him? Apparently, Andrea Costand, the woman behind the civil suit attempted to press charges, but was told there was a lack of evidence to proceed by authorities. Why was not one of the other women willing to go to the police and give their story prior to 2005 when it had been going on for decades? Why was not one person who came into contact with the victims after the fact ever willing to speak out against this criminal wicked behavior? If not for the actual accuser then for any women at future risk of assault from Cosby? Did all of these women keep their silence until 2005 or later? One thing becomes clear, there is unrighteousness on both sides of the criminal assaults. Instead of taking a bribe or submitting to threats, they should have exposed this man long before now.

At present, more than fifty women have emerged, alleging Cosby assaulted them, dating as far back as 1965 up to 2008. These are only the women who have come forward to admit what happened to them and have offered their testimony in any legal proceedings. Many have engaged attorneys and the allegations are being investigated by the Los Angeles Police Department. The majority of the cases cannot be legally prosecuted since the incidents are long past the statute of limitation. At least one woman has filed a civil complaint against Cosby and two women have filed police reports. One woman has filed a police report in the state of New Jersey where there is no statute of limitation on rape. The plaintiffs of the civil suit have no shortage of collaborative witnesses to back them up. But they only come forward now, after 30 or more years to allege he assaulted them. Why did none of them go to the police or tell a loved one about it when it happened? Possibly it did and it was never reported in the media because of Cosby’s standing. Many relate a tale of how they were either threatened with having no career in show business, or having their reputation ruined. Others claim they were threatened with violence if they came forward, but it does not explain why everyone of the women involved were intimidated to the point they were silenced for years. Worse, why did they not tell someone close to them who could give them the support to come forward to warn everyone about this man’s criminal and violent actions? Ms. Constand, the woman did in 2005, got to court, but she received a settlement and the court records were sealed until recently. The details of Cosby’s deposition verified he made an admission of buying Quaaludes to give to women so he could have sex with them and it was shared with the media. The woman was a victim but she took money for silence about his predatory criminal actions at the time. However, the case has been reopened and it remains to be seen what the outcome will be.

Prior to the release of the deposition from the 2005 civil case, people were lining up on both sides of the complaints. Many African Americans were solidly on Bill Cosby’s side, insisting he has never been formally accused or involved in any police action in each of these incidents. These include his wife, Camille, his television wife Phylicia Rashad, Whoopi Goldberg, and Hugh Hefner. Since the release of the sealed deposition, support has receded from Cosby’s camp and he is losing work and his place in social spheres. Some insist it comes down to women trying to exact money from the embattled star or for media attention. And of course, he has a long established reputation of respectability. Evangelical Christians were originally voicing support for Cosby on social media, because of his image in support of family values. Simply relying on an image, crafted by the media and public relations experts is a dangerous way to discern the truth. The truth about Bill Cosby is that he has lived a double life with the knowledge and support of his wife. They are really co-conspirators in his predatory wicked activities. Camille has stayed the course of supporting her man and turning a blind eye to his womanizing activities, so that she could maintain her prosperity and respectability and place in society, which is power.

Bill Cosby has remained unrepentant in the face of accusations for years and in fact continues to act self-righteous, but never really denies the charges. He simply refuses to answer them except by paying the women off in settlement, if it got that far. In one of his early comedy records, he has even made inappropriate jokes about drugging women for sexual purposes. The joke goes back to his early days of comedy and is actually quite revealing about what he wanted to do.

For decades, Cosby has surrounded himself with a legal team and other advisors willing to intimidate the young women into silence. By his actions and the conduct of his professional advisors, he has succeeded in defaming the African American community because old Bill has exemplified the negative image of the Black man who is looking to add as many white female conquests to his belt as he possibly can. (His victims do include a handful of African American women but some of them were put in a cab before he followed through.) That account was given by at least two of the young African American women he had singled out. It points to his conflicted state in that he does bear some concern for the African American community, but he can’t control his drive for pleasure and power over women.

All the while, Cosby has been pontificating about how young black people, especially males should conduct themselves to gain respect in the Community. In short, Cosby is a hypocrite of the worst kind and an evil predator, raping and drugging women who are looking to him for guidance and mentoring. The women are also not entirely innocent in that they allowed themselves to be silenced and therefore other women were victimized. In most cases, they wanted something that Bill could give them in a career or break into show business, but they were given something quite different, drugs and unwanted sexual attention.

If he was simply a womanizer, and chased women without drugging them, then it would be consensual and he would simply be an adulterer and a whore. His serial rapes are far more evil and damaging to the souls of these women, and to the impressionable young black men who might try to emulate this revered actor/comedian. He could be esteemed by young men who feel oppressed and deprived of real chances to succeed, in short the angry young black man. In the hip hop culture there is so much thug behavior that already feeds on the souls of these young men, promoting treating women as objects and playthings to be abused, at will. Worse, the culture promotes the idea that the way to get what you want is to take it by force. Bill Cosby has reinforced this in his serial activity of drugging and assaulting women without their consent or giving them the ability to resist.

The charges are mounting each week of women finally being emboldened to tell their story about their meeting and subsequent assault by Bill Cosby, to date there has been only one criminal indictment issued against Cosby. However, there are currently other alleged assaults under investigation in both Los Angeles and New Jersey. It will be interesting to see if the man is ever prosecuted by authorities. Ultimately, he and others involved in his wickedness will receive true judgment at the hands of the living God. This story is disturbing and disheartening on many levels but there is good news in this. The wickedness manifested in Bill Cosby and his handlers is evidence that these are the last days prophesied by Jesus.

“And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.” Luke 21.28