A Stranger in a Strange Land

I‘m sitting here banging on the keyboard while Michael Jackson’s memorial services is being aired live from the Staples Center in Los Angeles.

Los Angeles, the city of my birth.

I find the memorial both moving and entertaining.

Contrast the public outpouring there with the public invective here in the South. Here in the former Confederate States of America we still have the same racist crazies that we had 150 years ago.

In short, while I have some friends here, I do not feel comfortable living here among these people.

One day I will fix that.

Here is just a taste of what there is out there: comments on Jackson’s memorial service on The Houston Chronicle’s website:

“Perhaps after today, the news will not devote such excessive time to this subject. It has been too much from day one, non stop coverage for hours. Ridiculous. Have the service, move on.”

“Ladies and Gentlemen, presenting the greatest show on earth. Send in the clowns for the real 3 ring circus that was Michael Jackson.”

“I understand the circus comes to Staples Center immediately after Jackson’s “memorial service.” Oh wait . . . Jackson’s memorial service IS the circus!”

“freak show!”

“Final act? No way....the liberal media will milk this and all related stories & news about this freak for at least the next 6 months.”

“Hell will burn a lot hotter with all that added plastic down there.”

“California is bankrupt and now taxpayers are going to have to pay the tab for all this police protection for a dysfunctional, self-indulgent over rated personality that most probably practiced pedophilia?”

“So much atttention for the iconic pedifile...”

“Is a dead pervert called a prevert?”

Ad nauseum.

Pete King: Jackson Was a Pervert

I first saw this on Politico but now I hear in the next room that MSNBC is going to feature it. It is a You Tube video uploaded by Congressman Pete King (R- NY - 3). It is a rant on Michael Jackson.

Let’s be clear. I think the whole thing is completely overblown but given the money at stake, the issues surrounding his children, his exes, his father, his debts, this is true grist for the media mill.

And I think Congressman King doth protest too much.

I think that King, himself, is using the media frenzy surrounding the death of Michael Jackson to get some media exposure himself. Which, even in the hours leading up to the memorial at the LA Staples Center, he was successful in getting - a minute on MSNBC.

King needs to realize that on the Michael Jackson scale of celebrity, King ranks in there at about minus eleven thousand. When King kicks the bucket I doubt that 1.6 million people will request tickets to his memorial service, let alone have 17,500 of his admirers actually attend.

But I’m here to tell you that if I ever hear of King’s passing I will get on a plane to go to his funeral.

If only to dance on his grave.

Michael Jackson – A Personal Recollection

No, I never knew him. And no, I don’t especially like his music. But yes, I still can’t believe he attained 50 years of age. He will forever be in my mind a teenager. I don’t know why, maybe it was his voice which was way too high for a mature man. Or maybe it was because he never seemed to act his age.

His eternal face alterations probably come into play in there somewhere as well.

But I do have a personal memory of him and I thought I’d share it today, 2 days before his LA memorial.

Years ago, 15 or 16 of them, I took my family to Disneyland on New Year’s Eve. This wasn’t a usual thing. It was a one-off thing, mainly to make up for past slights to my son. My son had the unfortunate occasion to be born on New Year’s Eve. So in years prior he was often left with a baby sitter on his birthday.

Not that year. That year we went all out for him. Disneyland was having an all night party and we stayed as long as we could.

And also, that day Michael Jackson was there. He was going to perform in front of Sleeping Beauty’s Castle that evening (we stayed to see that, along with about 50,000 others).

But he spent the day riding the rides.

And that was where we encountered him. On “Peter Pan’s Flight”

The line was long but we slowly wended our way around it, and nearing the front, out popped Michael Jackson from the side.

Celebrities don’t have to stand in line.

He was all smiles, waved to the crowd. Two Hispanic girls in front of us called out “Michael! Michael!” He got into the ride's boat-like conveyance with the young boy that he was famously, and later infamously, paling around with, and off they went.

The excitement died for a bit until the exit doors banged open and again Michael and the boy appeared. Out they popped and disappeared into the “backstage” area.

And who were next to ride in the gondola whose seat was still warmed by Jackson’s skinny butt? My son and my daughter.

The crowd virtually oozed envious green.