It seemed like a good idea at the time

As a youth I pondered actions which had unintended negative consequences. I determined I did them because 'it seemed like a good idea at the time'. That has been a mantra for the past half century; re-thinking contemplated actions which might blow up in my face. It has largely served me well.

Alas, that life lesson has yet to be learned by 36 year old actor-singer Jussie Smollett. Last January 22, Smollett, apparently disgruntled his salary north of $20,000 per episode on the Fox series Empire was insufficient, concocted a fake anti gay, anti black hate crime against the gay, black Smollett. By garbing his hired assailants in MAGA hats, Smollett scored a twofer; raising his profile by lowering that of his bete-noir Trump who needs no help bottoming out. It took a slew of detectives working overtime nearly a month to demolish Smollett's ludicrous gambit. Instead of garnering a raise, Smollett's role in Empire was deleted, and worse, garnered an indictment for filing a false police report. Though he got a pass from States Attorney Kim Fox who dropped the charges without a guilty plea, the fallout on Smollett's celebrity career is far from over. Much worse is the fallout on the delicate racial divide that infuses much public policy in Chicagoland. It has degraded the goodwill necessary between police and the States Attorney to provide both public safety and perceived legitimacy in the legal system. Smollett's reckless actions appear to have infected those of the major players in this drama including States Attorney Foxx, The Fraternal Order of Police, Congressman Bobby Rush and others who have embarked on dubious conduct or inflammatory statements. Meanwhile, meaningful, mutual cooperation to reduce unrelenting real crime becomes sidetracked.

Wouldn't it be helpful if Smollett would actually consider doing the right thing for once in this 3 month old saga: admit his wrongdoing, apologize profusely, and pay the $130,000 in police overtime chasing a fantasy crime that the city is demanding. Then all the players could go back to work repairing public trust and making Chicago's streets safer for all of us. That not just seems like a good idea at the time...it is one.