“That’s life…  that’s what people say
You’re riding high in April
Shot down in May”

~ Partial lyrics of “My Way” by Frank Sinatra

Kevin Spacey.

Al Franken.

Charlie Rose.

Louis C.K.

Although riding high in April, they took a little longer to fall from grace.

I write this column on Wednesdays, it’s published started the following Sunday. In that four-day window, at the rate events are unfolding, who knows who else will be added to this tragic list.

Before I proceed; two comments:

• Their alleged or admitted transgressions are not all of the same stature. It’s crucial to appreciate that there is a gradient. In the same fashion that a malnourished child stealing bread is not the same as a violent criminal robbing a bank at gunpoint; yet both are acts of theft.
• There are other extremely high-profile men who have committed more vile behaviors and I have not listed them for reasons that will hopefully become apparent. This is not a partisan “hit piece.”

Having put that on the table, I admired these men, so sticking to my principles isn’t easy. But, per John Mellencamp, “If you don’t stand for something, you’ll fall for anything.”

There are few “black and white” issues in my life but this is one.

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