Time will tell whether Letterman sex scandal has legs

(Greetings. I usually write about conquering disease, specifically sarcoidosis. However, I also told you that I would write about anything that moved or fascinated me, including pop culture and news. I am fascinate by the David Letterman situation and debate, so here's my two cents. Back to health matters on Wednesday. Thanks for reading and let me know what you think)

David Letterman admits that he dropped his Worldwide Pants to plow young girls who worked for him and the majority of people seem to be OK with it.

He admitted to sex with staffers during last Thursday's show after explaining to his TV audience that he was the victim of an alleged extortion scheme involving his personal life.Robert "Joe" Halderman, the CBS producer accused of trying to extort Letterman should get what is coming to him if he is found guilty.

However, as far as this newsman is concerned, Letterman buried the lead. The shocker was the dirty deeds with folks who worked for him and he should have copped to that before looking for sympathy.

Letterman is no Roman Polanski. He did not admit to plying a 13-year-old girl with booze and pills to have sex with her and then flee prosecution for some 30 years.

Nor is Letterman a public servant. He might be a hypocrite because he made fun of people for doing what he was doing, but Letter never publicly extolled the virtues of high character while engaging in trysts.

However, Letterman is one of the biggest stars on TV and, through ownership of his lucrative production house Worldwide Pants, Inc., one of the most influential men in the entertainment industry. And bosses in corporate America are not supposed to sleep with the hired help.

Letterman’s “Golly-gee-let-me-tell-you-a-story-about-what-happened-to-little-old-me" routine surprised me not. That is his shtick. He is covering his butt and trying to garner sympathy. Watch the monologue again. It is not funny. Or did I miss the joke? It is masterful manipulation. I am shocked that so many people simply bought it and don’t think what he did was a big deal.

It does not matter that at least two of the women who say they engaged in affairs with Letterman speak fondly of him.

The employee-employer relationship is a master-servant relationship and the servant’s consent means nothing. A couple of years political commentator host Bill O'Reilly settled a lawsuit filed by a female produce who claimed the two had phone sex.The producer, in an interview, claimed that she allowed the activity to continue because, "I'm not used to saying no to this man on any level."

This is why most companies have policies in place against such behavior. Letterman’s actions, according to a release from Worldwide Pants, did not conflict with any company policies. The company has a CEO, but Letterman IS Worldwide Pants. He is the product and the product is worth millions.

I guess this one sticks in my craw because, along with shaping news coverage and newspapers, I have served as a mentor and coach to dozens of young people, mostly women, who were newly-minted journalists or interns. These women were bright, talented and hungry and it was my job to help them hone their skills and learn the business so they could excel. That is what young people testing the waters of an industry should be able to expect. I rose through the ranks of my industry thanks in large part to good mentoring and I am happy to pay it forward, no strings attached.

I bet that Letterman was some kind of a mentor once. However, the women with whom he slept; will they rise in their industry because of demonstrated talent and contacts or because they slept with Letterman? Was their quid pro quo?

And I have a question for moms and dads who have adopted the “Leave Letterman alone” stance: Would you laugh until you cried if your 20-something daughters came home with tales about trysts with the 60-something owners and franchisees of Home Depot, Walgreens or Burger King?

And did these women really love Letterman, or did they simply understand that his word could make or break their show business careers?

Young women march into the work force every year with dreams of making it. They need mentors, not letches who are going to take advantage of the innocent, the scared, the confused or the enamored.

We'll see if public sentiment changes as the story develops. (Wednesday: Left ventricles, electrocardiographs and flu shots, oh my!)