WITCH HUNT- THROWING RICHARD OVER A CLIFF

A blogger colleague in England is outraged, rightly so, at the insane witch hunt going on...

Cliff Richard is lucky to have "Parky" and others on his side, to at least offer some kind of comfort in these dark days.

I don't know much about this situation, but I do ask, what in the world could prompt the cops to "search for evidence" after THIRTY YEARS?

I assume there's no "statute of limitations" on anything in England (hence, the famous and just "Whiter Shade" case) but come on...what are the cops expecting to find? A souvenir? Cliff Richard having a secret photo of himself with this 16 year-old kid?

By what right, what accusation, could anyone in England have their privacy invaded??

Do you mean that anybody can accuse any person, any celebrity, of wrongdoing...and the cops will instantly go smashing in doors ferreting for photos? Sniffing at the mattress?

You mean that if I say some "Lord of the Dunces" fucks his pet Muffin in the arse...the cops will go break down the door and tweeze his pubes looking for dog hairs?

There's a term called "Guilt By Association." NO, it has nothing to do with being considered a total lamebrain for liking "Cherish" and "Never My Love." (Friends of mine are actually going to see this moldy oldies band in performance...as if they can't just buy sleeping pills...)

Now that the dopey singer of "Tie Me Kangaroo Down" is down in a jail cell...every pop singer is fair game? That's guilt by association? In America, the "Communist Scare" led to an amazing witch hunt, in which all kinds of people, from Dalton Trumbo to Orson Bean, were tossed out of work. Others, including tough guy Bogart and not so tough guy Edward G. Robinson, had to either sell someone out, bribe someone, or tremble and answer every question and wave the flag...so as not to be ostracized. And now those days are back?

There's a great new movie called "Calvary," as dark a picture of human nature as you'll find...and a fine piece of work coming from the anti-Semitic country of Ireland. In one brief moment, which really has nothing to do with the story (except as yet another example of the poisonous level of human nature) a priest happens to chat with a little girl. The girl's father not only yanks the kid away, and scolds the kid, but glowers at the priest as if he was a child molester. Why? Witch hunts, that's why. Because every priest is now under suspicion.

And so it is, that any old pop star and poofter, is going to be subject to invasion of privacy and even privates.

America had the notorious Sandusky case not long ago. A football coach seriously and painfully molested many young men...but he did it recently and the trail went back years to show a pattern of abuse. Cliff Richard, whom I know absolutely nothing about, and whose name I haven't even taken seriously since Elton John tried (and failed) to promote him on Rocket Records circa 1978, is not under suspicion of any recent misdeeds. If a complaint from 30 years ago is all that can be found...the "victim" needs to come up with the evidence...there shouldn't be a raid like this. Hell, it's damn easy to raid most everyone's home and find SOMETHING illegal. That's no big trick. But trickery shouldn't be part of the British and American way of life. This isn't Russia. This isn't North Korea. This isn't China. This isn't Nazi Germany. You don't send in the storm troopers and the dogs just because somebody makes an accusation...especially one that is not backed up by any credible or recent evidence.

And what about this Murdoch character...why isn't somebody pulling his pants down? Why isn't somebody rummaging around his home? Why isn't someone demanding to know all about his sex life? What happened to the accusations about Tony Blair? Anyone think George Michael is beyond reproach and might not have flattened some underage hemorrhoids? I guess if you haven't had a hit in a while, and someone has a grudge against you...you can be humiliated and tarnished very easily...tossed under the bus...thrown over the Cliff.