On Feb.18 Bill Cosby was cleared of sexual assault charges due to lack of sufficient evidence. His accuser, an unnamed woman, claims that Cosby drugged her and then fondled her while she was semi-coherent.

Montgomery County District Attorney Bruce L. Castor Jr. found a couple of holes in the woman’s story. First, she waited a year to press charges. Second, she continued talking to Cosby after the alleged assault.

Even though another woman came forward with similar claims, Castor believed that there simply wasn’t enough concrete proof for a trial. Never mind the well-known fact that sexual assault/rape victims usually try to hide their trauma. Never mind that many victims feel forced to talk to their predators.

I mean, this is Mr. Huxtable. He loves jazz, gumbo and the darn things kids say, especially when they are under the influence of GHB. It is so easy to overlook the stripper pole in someone’s closet when they are tap dancing for Jell-O. If Robert Blake didn’t look like the Crypt Keeper and star in David Lynch movies, he probably wouldn’t be on trial for his wife’s murder right now.

Take John Wayne Gacy, for instance. He walked around burying boys in his basement like nobody’s business, but the whole community trusted him just because he was a clown in his free time.

Or, what about the obvious choice, Michael Jackson? The kid sings a little ditty about being a werewolf, and all the sudden he can do no wrong. Never mind the fact that he named his baby “Blanket.” Never mind that he has worn a cape in the past. Let’s throw our babies at him and go pet his giraffes.

It is the evil that you cannot see and suspect that should be the most terrifying. At least Blake never pretended to like elephants and chocolate cake. He looks like someone who would probably bludgeon you in a parking lot, whereas Cosby looks like he might teach you a two-step. Personally, I would rather take my chances with the shriveled-up freak.

Castor, on the other hand, seems to have fallen for the whole “nice guy” routine. Jackson’s deteriorating looks and escalating creep factor have forced him to fake a flu to get out of court, while Cosby just has to grin and say, “I am your father. I brought you into this world, and I’ll take you out!” Ah, and the crowd melts. Just like a pair of Cosby’s favorite edible panties.

Where is the justice for the two women who wanted their day in court? Whether or not their stories are true, they should have been given the opportunity to state their claims in a public arena. Kobe Bryant’s accuser deserved the same thing, and instead she was treated like a criminal by the general population for smearing a basketball star’s name. I guess the good old days of wearing a scarlet “A” on your chest only applies to women.

After all, what would have happened if a female star were being charged with any of these crimes? What if it had been Elizabeth Hurley instead of Hugh Grant who paid a prostitute for “two in the pink, one in the stink”? Would she be starring in irritating post-feminist crap like Bridget Jones’s Diary years later? Not very likely.

Of course, it may be true that certain people come forward to accuse celebrities for the media attention. Not everyone who is accused of such heinous crimes is guilty.

Furthermore, I know it is hard to believe that old men in sweaters and spectacles like a little T&A.; Especially when their accuser is a woman struggling to make ends meet.

But until people like Bill O’Reilly, Kobe Bryant and Bill Cosby are looked at as possible criminals instead of Hollywood-style icons, every accusation that is made should be listened to for all its worth.

I’m pretty sure even Cliff Huxtable would have to agree with me there.