Yecch Factor

Unlike in the good times, when a banker speaks these days, his advice is not necessarily gospel.

Sometimes, even when it is gospel, it isn't. Take the case of St. Matthew, patron saint of bankers, who is credited with the ever popular St. Matthew 7 (i.e., Judge not, that ye not be judged ...). While one should never cast aspersions on a dad (and certainly not the son because of the father) until knowing everything about his case, some recent news about certain fathers just makes them — or at least events surrounding them — sound creepy.

There is, of course, Thomas Beatie, pregnant dad. He's knocked up again, just months after giving birth to his first child in July. [Earlier: Daddy-Oh] Obviously, we've never walked a mile in his pumps and certainly hope that all is well with him, his wife, their babies, etc. Still, dude, don't be such a slut. It's not paternal ...

Also giving off the icky vibe is Benjamin Emanuel, father of proposed presidential chief of staff Rahm, who decided it would be a great help to his son and boss Barack to slander American Arabs by suggesting they're only good for mopping floors. Maybe he could team with anti-semite and Holocaust-denier Hutton Gibson, father of movie star Mel, on some sort of badwill tour sponsored by the U.S. State Department? Or how about some sort of remix of the Hope-Crosby films: maybe call it, "Road to Stupid."

Finally, and admittedly it's not necessarily his fault, father of four, Hugh Hefner [Earlier: Bunny Bopping], has just been referred to as a "like a father" to an ex-girlfriend — with whom he presumably was acting most undaddylike.

Again, we shouldn't judge — and certainly not fathers — because all the evidence isn't in. Still, the virtue of presuming innocence is one often tested by an overwhelming suggestion of yecch.