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Danny Schechter - ColdType

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58<br />

and the people who commit it. But until a person stands trial<br />

– until the prosecution presents its case and the person<br />

accused of the crime has an opportunity to defend himself<br />

– you shouldn’t rush to judgment. Once the evidence is in,<br />

though, feel free to let the judgment flow. And if what you<br />

learn convinces you that this guy is a crook, there’s no reason<br />

you shouldn’t treat him as one, regardless of how your<br />

friends behave toward him.<br />

What you mustn’t do, however, is use a friend’s party as an<br />

opportunity to act out your disapproval. When you accept an<br />

invitation to someone’s home, you have an obligation to be<br />

pleasant with all the other guests. If you aren’t willing to do<br />

this, you should decline the invitation. You might even want<br />

to tell your hosts why, in the hope they’ll reconsider before<br />

again extending their hospitality to this man. But making a<br />

friend’s guest feel uncomfortable, while not in a league with<br />

securities fraud, is still out of bounds.<br />

Got that?<br />

Forbes, meanwhile was running tip pieces like, “How to Get<br />

The Best Deals in Prison.” It reads in part, “So, you’re relocating<br />

from the boardroom to the prison cell. You certainly<br />

won’t be needing that country club membership. But even in<br />

Club Fed, there can be perks for those in the know. That’s why<br />

prospective inmates hire experts like ex-con Larry Levine of<br />

American Prison Consultants.”<br />

Before the worst of the crisis hit, Business Week was offering<br />

up-beat counsel: “Does corporate crime pay? The record<br />

can seem pretty arbitrary. Tyco International Ltd.’s, L. Dennis<br />

Kozlowski and WorldCom Inc.’s Bernie Ebbers got hammered<br />

for their misdeeds. But plenty of other corporate and financial<br />

titans at companies engaged in chicanery have come away<br />

only mildly bruised.”<br />

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