Thursday, March 19, 2015


Wrestling is ballet with violence. - Jesse Ventura

A little quiz. There are four clips, granted they are sappy, local news clips, but trust me, you want to watch them. See if you can identify the bad sport.  Pay attention because it is subtle.

Did you find the bad sport?

Interested in a cinematic version of why families with inherited wealthy should either not reproduce with genetically similar people and should not remain idly rich?  I recommend Foxcatcher.  (I know this was out ages ago, but if you haven’t seen it, now you can stream it and avoid the ill-mannered, movie going public.)

The DuPont company, founded in 1802, made money (lots of money) by manufacturing gunpowder. They produced explosives, plastics, rocket propellant and chemical warfare agents (including Agent Orange) for the department of defense.  Currently they are one of the world leaders in patenting and producing genetically modified crops.

John E DuPont was found mentally ill but guilty of third-degree murder in 1997. Shultz’s widow settled a wrongful death suit for $35 million. DuPont’s will, leaving most of his estate to a Bulgarian wrestler, was challenged by his niece and nephew. DuPoint, at the time he wrote the will, claimed he was Jesus Christ, the Dalai Lama and a Russian czar.  However, it was found that he still didn’t care for his relatives even before he became delusional and they lost the dispute.

In 1998, a DuPont in-law was charged with conspiracy to murder his stepson’s girlfriend who was found beaten and strangled in a Vegas hotel room.

One more? It is bad, really, really bad.

In 2009 Richard DuPont was sentenced to probation for raping his 3-year-old daughter. The judge justified probation because he "will not fare well" in prison. The public wasn’t aware until his ex-spouse sued for punitive damage for her daughter.

The really scary part?

Imagine what the family and company have been able to bury in the past.

Feeling a bit nauseated? Take another look at the youtube clips and consider supporting an inheritance tax. (Don't make me drag out the cautionary tales of Paris Hilton again.) 

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