DSK F's Up

dominique strauss kahn, nicknamed in his home france as "the great seducer", is the director of the imf--the banker's bank. (and you know how i feel about bankers). among his colorful past, he's been censured for improper sexual relations with a subordinate (he said it was ok because he never compromised the bank while he was compromising the girl) and various other "never convicted" sexual escapades. now today he stands in the dock accused of attempting to sexually assault a hotel chambermaid, with a roomful of evidence left behind (including his cell phone and other personal belongings) while he bolted for JFK. (they pulled him right out of his first class seat while awaiting take-off). here's a guy leading the opinion polls for the french presidency with all evidence suggesting clear sociopathic tendencies and, at the very least, a rich man's conviction that he is beyond the law where his desires are concerned.

my first thought upon reading what is undoubtedly the top story in france today was to recall the recent case here in boston of quincy real estate developer william o'connell, accused of aggravated statutory rape, multiple counts of paying a fee for sex, and a side order of cocaine. (his sexcapades prompted his arrest, but in the process they found 19 grams of coke which has now earned him a federal trafficking charge, which is no joke, which is not to say the buying of a barely teenage girl is a joke, but the penalties for the blow are the ones that'll sting). not having the back story on DSK, i cannot offer any salacious coincidences, but i do find it remarkable that the press here has relatively laid off o'connell's nephew's recent attempted murder conviction, and his son's '87 murder conviction for offing a 22 year old girl, and even o'connell himself's '02 plea deal for causing the death of his own best friend under the propellers of his power boat (the drunken operation rap was dropped as part of the deal) off chappaquiddick as part of the overall story. no, the rich are not like you and me, and nor are their privileges.

i can't link you to newspaper stories on the rest of it, but by good authority o'connell regularly brings whores to dinner in the same restaurants where he entertains his wife on other evenings, and has never made a secret of his arrogance in that regard. i would not want to tar mister kahn with that same brush, but it's galling how callously these men will treat others, yet still enjoy the "respect" of their relative communities.

i'm sure the french will sort it out, and i can only hope the massachusetts and federal courts can sort out mr o'connell's cases as well.

no, the rich are not like you and me, and i think that though we may need ample protection from them, that overall it's a good thing.