Aiding and Abetting

Yesterday’s blog was not intended to be a two-parter, but here we are.  I found myself dwelling on Hollywood and everyone in it (and by everyone, I mean the Hollywood elite).  One year ago, the news was flooded with the saga of college bribery submissions with the forefront of that being occupied by Felicity Huffman and Lori Laughlin.  Little did we know that episode of the news could have read: Preview of coming attractions.

Felicity Huffman plead guilty and served the time awarded her by the court readily.  Lori Laughlin, however, seemed adamantly opposed to even admitting that she had done anything wrong.  Of late, she too has been assigned to jail time – a much longer period than Ms. Huffman although not a long sentence in and of itself.

That was our warning shot across the bough.  There are those in Hollywood who honestly believe that money (which they apparently have an abundance of) can solve any and all problems.  Further, they are not to be denied what they want, and they have the cash to back it up.  By putting their money where their mouths are, the Hollywood elite are, in this writer’s opinion, aiding and abetting those who are committing crimes against Americans.

By definition:   Aiding and abetting is a legal doctrine related to the guilt of someone who aids or abets (encourages, incites) another person in the commission of a crime (or in another’s suicide). It exists in a number of different countries and generally allows a court to pronounce someone guilty for aiding and abetting in a crime even if they are not the principal offender.

The scope of this federal statute for aiders and abettors “is incredibly broad—it can be implied in every charge for a federal substantive offense.”  Where the term “principal” refers to any actor who is primarily responsible for a criminal offense.

For a successful prosecution, the provision of “aiding and abetting” must be considered alongside the crime itself, although a defendant can be found guilty of aiding and abetting an offense even if the principal is found not guilty of the crime itself. In all cases of aiding and abetting, it must be shown a crime has been committed, but not necessarily who committed it. It is necessary to show that the defendant has willfully associated himself with the crime being committed, that he does, through his own act or omission, as he would do if he wished for a criminal venture to succeed. Under this statute, anyone who aids or abets a crime may be charged directly with the crime, as if the charged had carried out the act himself. This is distinct from the concept of being an accessory after the fact, a charge distinct from being a principal. (Wikipedia, 2020)

What saddens me most about this is that the closest any of these people are going to come to reality is playing the part of an ordinary citizen in a film.  They have no clue.  These “A” listers make in 3 months what these small mom and pop business owners strive to earn in a lifetime.  Their $200k donation is the equivalent of the rest of us handing $5 to someone homeless for a cup of coffee.  They sacrifice NOTHING.  Conversely, to the owners of these businesses, everything they have is tied up in these businesses and in one felt swoop, it has been destroyed. 

My question for America is: Does money entitle you to be above the law?  Does it mean that you alone can control the direction “We the People” move forward? 

A crime is a crime is a crime.  Destruction for the sake of anarchy is cruel and those people who can buy and sell the very things they support the destruction of are narcissistic. 

If you chose to bail someone out of jail – that’s your money and that’s your right.  But to bail out people blanketly by throwing money at the problem from 8000 miles away is a death sentence for someone closer to the problem and that makes you a co-conspirator!  Shame on you!

To those who opened the flood gates and released everyone from jail under the guise of COVID-19, YOU ARE THE PROBLEM.  To those who are bankrolling this destruction of middle America, YOU ARE THE PROBLEM.

I leave this with one final thought – money isn’t everything; Heart is! 

R-O-A-R!!!!!

References:

Wikipedia, retrieved on June 3, 2020 from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aiding_and_abetting