MICHAEL JACKSON

I'll never understand this world we live in. The things that draw celebrity attention and cause people to behave with stunning stupidity are things that I barely notice. Things that I believe are important are barely noticed by the people chasing the next big scoop of irrelevant celebrity bullshit.

Take the angst ridden never ending trip to Never Land that is Michael Jackson's death parade. Let's get real about the facts here: a middle aged drug addicted pedophile musician/dancer died from a drug overdose. His father, who exploited his childhood talent into a life of stunning overindulgence, has lived long enough to now exploit his son' death.

Nice family.

Can another "wardrobe malfunction" by another one of these freaks be far behind? After all, there's no such things as bad publicity. Check the sales charts for evidence.

Misguided fools with no life of their own hold vigils and carry signs and tell TV reporters that a part of their lives died when Michael Jackson finally committed his last stupid stunt. How pathetic. Is there some way we can enact a law that allows us to neuter these people? They should not be allowed to procreate. They shouldn't even be allowed out in public without strict supervision.

Compare that to the people yearning to be free in Iran and our President's flippant attitude toward what could be a turning point in world history. At the same moment in time that American troops are standing down and leaving war torn Iraq, the Iranians bleed on the streets for their own liberty and we turn a blind eye. We talk a good game, right before we say "nevermind" and leave hopeless people behind in our wake to be slaughtered by despotic rulers and jackbooted thugs.

We pat ourselves on the back for sending an embezzler to prison for life while at the same time we tell the people he swindled they're on their own. There's no end nor any limit to our hypocrisy.

Closer to home in Sweet Home Chicago, Mayor Daley continues to obfuscate over selling us out for the next 100 years while at the same time kissing the asses of the people of the International Olympic Committee. Governor Quinn is clearly in over his head as a budget crisis reaches the 111th hour, federal indictments that may eventually reach the White House are in the making, and who the fuck is Michael Jackson?

And why would anybody care about a troubled soul who's better off dead after swallowing a bottle of sleeping pills?

I was in the 3rd row at Soldier Field in '95 for Jerry Garcia's last show as frontman for the Grateful Dead. When he died later in the year, I wasn't surprised. I called a few friends and said the party was over for him, but life is for the living, and went on with my day. I spent my 50th birthday week with what's left of the band when they came to play Chicago this past May.

I'd much rather spend my time with Deadheads than Jackophiles.

There's alot of reasons why I won't miss this planet once I get called off of it. The inexplicable idolization of a pathetic child molester like Michael Jackson, and the teary-eyed goodbyes given on world wide TV by the likes of Oprah, make me wish I was born in a different universe.

If our collective consciousness leads us to have our priorities this far out of whack, we deserve every bad thing that happens to our crumbling civilization.

JMc