This term will probably not stick in our vocabulary, but it deserves to:

Pete Roseland - where people come to believe they are above and beyond the rules

quote:

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"I'm sure that I'm supposed to act all sorry or sad or guilty now that I've accepted that I've done something wrong. But you see, I'm just not built that way. Sure, there's probably some real emotion buried somewhere deep inside. And maybe I'd be a better person if I let that side of my personality come out. But it just doesn't surface too often. So let's leave it like this: I'm sorry it happened, and I'm sorry for all the people, fans and family that it hurt. Let's move on." --Pete Rose

Welcome to Pete Roseland.

Pete Roseland is a place where people--some famous, some not so famous--come to believe they are above and beyond the pedestrian rules that tie mere mortals together in any civil society. In our time, it seems, a remarkably large number of people have decided to move to Pete Roseland because, as Pete their philosopher explained, "You see, I'm not built that way."
-- Daniel Henninger, Hall of Defame, Wall Street Journal, Jan. 9, 2004

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Mr. Henninger notes that Pete Roseland is inhabited by the likes of Former Enron CFO Andy Fastow, Michael Jackson, Kobe Bryant, Britney Spears and Madonna. And perhaps we'll enjoy naming further residents?

How about Leona Helmsly?

..... and Lush Rimbaugh ?

Apart from the pop stars and the name Enron, I haven't a clue who any of these people are.

Enlightenment anybody?

Rush Limbaugh is a popular, very very conservative radio personality who has been illegally using large amounts of pain-killing drugs for some time.

Some people believe that the treatment he's getting is different from what a more oridinary person would get in similar circumstances.

The link will provide more information, Graham.

Hotel magnate Leona Helmsley was nicknamed "The Queen of Mean" (great name and perfect description!) for the horrible way in which she treated her employees. She was finally brought down, unrepentant to the end, by tax woes.

I would nominate boxer Mike Tyson and his legal staff. When on trial for rape, his lawyer had the audacity to state that the victim should have known what she was getting herself into when she went into Tyson's hotel room. (!!!) "It's her fault! Everyone knows my client is an animal. What was she thinking?!"

(Sidenote: Shufitz, I realize you're a lawyer but I'm sure you can see how this sort of cretinism has the tendancy to make even rational people distainful of your profession. Old joke - "Q: What would you call 3,000 lawyers at the bottom of the ocean? A: A good start.")

I'd also nominate Senator Joseph McCarthy, communist hunter and ghost chaser from the 1950s. I think it was newscaster Edward R. Murrow who summed it up best: "After all, Senator, have you no shame?!"


But why is my Britney on this list? Overpaid, certainly. A bit empty-headed, yes, no argument. But she's no Pete Rose!

Graham, I can understand your not understanding who Kobe Bryant is; he is a basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers who continues to play basketball as he is being charged with rape. While in the U.S., one is innocent until proven guilty, at the very least he admitted to having an affair with another woman, though he is married. The media has made this into the trial of the lifetime! Plus, Kobe is one of the best players in the NBA (National Basketball Association), so some Los Angeles residents, those who only think of winning and not of ethics, have actually physically threatened the accuser and her family! After all, if he is convicted, he would go to jail, and LA might not win the championship!

How about adding Martha Stewart to the list?

There was a good editorial in our local newspaper about the lost art of apologies, highlighting Pete Rose's apology:

"I'm sure that I'm supposed to act all sorry or sad or guilty now that I've accepted that I've done something wrong. But you see I'm just not built that way," Thay liken this apology to Popeye's "I yam what I yam!"

They then talk about other outrageous apologies:

~ Richard Nixon: "I regret deeply any injuries that may have been done in the course of the events that led to this decision." Regrets? yes. Apology? No! This is much like Washington's use of "mistakes were made," instead of just saying, "I am sorry."

However, my personal favorite was Senator Bob Packwood's, accused of sexually harassing at least a dozen women in 1994: "I'm apologizing for the conduct that it was alleged that I did."