First.
The crowd of a million expected to jam the streets of Los Angeles for Michael Jackson’s memorial service at the Staples Center did not materialize, they’re announcing on the radio. My guess is they were scared away by–what else–predictions of a crowd of a million.
The best way I know to kill a high attendance is to talk about all the traffic, parking, seating and crowd control problems one can expect. Most people will choose to stay home.
Sean Hannity said today, “If you think this is the last of this (the Michael Jackson business), you are wrong. This is just the beginning. They’re already beginning investigations of four doctors.”
The editor of a newsmagazine whose staff rushed to put together a special edition on MJ pointed out that the pop star’s life conveniently divided into three sections: a) the Jackson Five (his life with the family group), b) the rock star years, and c) Jocko (the last 15 years of weirdness).
At the memorial service today, the last segment of Jackson’s life does not exist. The children he hurt along the way do not exist. The program is all about Neverland.
In this morning’s Times-Picayune, the New York Times’ Bob Herbert gave his take on “Michaelmania.” Meeting the star back in the mid-1980s was “one of the creepier experiences of my life.” He says he knew that MJ was unable to make small talk. “Lots of people have trouble with that.” But Jackson had a child television star with him and for all the world, they seemed to be two little children playing around the furniture.
Herbert, who is African-American, mentions the reality of MJ with these words: “Behind the Jackson facade was the horror of child abuse. Court records and reams of well-documented media accounts contain a stream of serious allegations of child sex abuse and other inappropriate behavior with very young boys.”
Finally, this sentence: “One case of alleged pedophilia against Jackson, the details of which would make your hair stand on end, was settled for a reported $25 million.”
Now, in light of that, consider the accolades being thrown his way by the parade of preachers and celebs at the Staples Center today.
I have no trouble with a pastor comforting the family of a deceased person with words of appreciation and praise if the truth permits. But anyone who listened to any portion of today’s service saw that these “men of God” were catering to their audiences and seemed far more interested in rousing the crowd than honoring their Lord or speaking the truth.
Sorry. I’m in favor of preachers, as you know. What I am not in favor of is pseudo-preachers who use their position and title to exalt themselves and feather their own nest.
Second.
Hurricane Katrina destroyed much of the twin span bridge between New Orleans East and the city of Slidell. The federal government decided to fund a bigger and higher and stronger bridge to replace it. Thursday of this week, the Eastern flow of traffic (toward Slidell) will be allowed to use that part of the bridge for the first time.
The bridge is being called hurricane proof.
Readers who formerly lived in New Orleans and are out of touch will be interested to know the famous (notorious?) Huey P. Long Bridge is receiving an entire overhaul which will widen it. Millions of drivers have caught up on their prayer life over the 70 years since this narrow, winding bridge was erected across the Mississippi River. I’ve been across it hundreds of times, but still do so with sweaty palms and white knuckles.
The project is multi-year, so it’ll be a while yet before the new Huey is open for business.
Third.
The racketeering trial of former New Orleans Congressman William Jefferson continues in Alexandria, VA. Yesterday, they played the video tapes of Jefferson accompanying the undercover FBI agents to the bank to get the money which would be used to bribe African officials in the telecommunications deal he had hatched.
Jefferson’s attorneys are making the point that whatever he did, Jefferson did as a private businessman and not as a Congressman. The proof of that, they say, is that when he went to the bank, Jefferson was not wearing a tie. All the other men were, but he wasn’t. That proves it, they said.
Stephanie Grace, columnist for the Times-Picayune, asks in the Tuesday edition, “When is a congressman not a congressman?” Good question. Maybe the answer is: when he’s not wearing a tie.
I’m thinking the courts will eventually rule that he’s always a congressman, twenty-four/seven, the same way a cop is always a law enforcement officer, on duty or not, in uniform or not.
A preacher is always a preacher. A pastor is always a pastor. White shirt and tie or blue jeans and sneakers, he’s still who he is.
Some so-called men of God have tried to divide their roles, however, and pull the same kind of stunt Mr. Jefferson seems to have. “Well, I wasn’t being a preacher that day.”
The New Testament Epistle of James says, “A double-minded man is unstable in all his ways. Let not that man think he shall receive anything from the Lord.”
Fourth.
The comics were good.
The Huey is, indeed, and adventure. I remember the first time I crossed it (on a bus no less)in 1973. 49 other Airmen and I were on our way from San Antonio to Biloxi. It was a frightening experience on the bus, and it is a real eyeopener in a private vehicle! When you think about it, the Huey is really an engineering marvel considering when it was built. The renovation of the thing is pretty much of an engineering feat in itself. Jay tells me a couple of the workmen on the expansion project recently fell to their deaths. Sad.
It’s not so much what the preachers said as what the media did to overcover this event with endless hours of drivel conversation about a musically talented sick man.
If the president of the US died he wouldn’t get this much coverage.
You better balance the hours you watch TV or it may mess your head up.
H.A. Thompson
About the new I-10 Twin Spans: Hurricane Proof? Some people just can’t wait to challenge God.
Also, isn’t it interesting that the most damage occurred to the western span (Slidell to N.O.), but the eastern span (N.O. to Slidell) was the first hit by the surge. As they say today, “what’s up with that?”
This reminds me of a email I just received recently:
“Excuse me please. We’ve suffered a great loss! With no disrespect intended to the Jackson family, this reveal s the shallowness of our value system in this country.
While the focus today, tomorrow and for the next God-knows-how-many-days will be the death of a pop culture icon; while many will mourn, wail and quite literally make fools of themselves over it and while as many will speak endlessly about it, allow me, if only for a moment, to remind us all that others have died; others whose lives were cut short; others who leave behind loved ones and whose families will dearly miss them; families who’ll suffer with much more dignity and honor than we’ll be exposed to on the tube in the coming days.
Yes… it’s true… we’ve suffered a great loss… but forgive me while I tell you that I’m not talking about the king of pop music.
(she goes on to list several American military members who died in Iraq and members of our U.S. Armed Forces who died in Afghanistan over the last month)
Let’s remember and honor this day those whose deaths are truly impacting. When you see the television the next few days and it is coverage of Michael Jackson’s death and funeral, think about where the news media places it’s priorities and money.”
I couldn’t say it any better myself. Amen.