MICHAEL JACKSON: R.I.P.

Michael Jackson was NOT the King and he was not royalty. But by the way the media has been transfixed on his life story in light of his death on 25 June, 2009, you would have thought he had been a King, a President, or a Pope; but he was none of those things.

Today, I pulled out the local daily and the news was wrapped in a multi-color, multi-page testimonial to the late Michael Jackson, while mention of Farrah Fawcett's passing was relegated to the main body of NEWSDAY, further in than at front, and decidedly less than one page of text. The same was true with the UK's Manchester Guardian, the UK's Times (of London), as well as France's Liberation and Le Figaro!

Today, I put on the TV when I got up and using my remote to cycle through the channels, I was listening to the quasi-news programs and the real news shows on NBC, ABC, CBS, FOX (unfair and biased, thank you Roger Ailes), CNN and MSNBC. Not once did they stray from the Michael Jackson story-line (except to briefly mention Farrah Fawcett's death).

Did the civil strife in Iraq end? Was Health Care Reform Passed? Had South Carolina's adulterer governor resigned? Did the lunatic dictator of North Korea die and pass the leadership baton to one of his progeny? Did the lunatic members of the New York State Senate finally get any work done this week? Did the US Supreme Court forget to issue any opinions this week, and was Judge Sonia Sotomayor confirmed by the US Senate to become the newest justice at the SCOTUS? Did the rest of the world come to an end?

It was almost like the 1951 Sci-Fi classic: "The Day the Earth Stood Still." Ronald Reagan's death didn't cause this much focus; a focus similar to driving through a tunnel. The death of Pope John Paul IInd didn't get this kind of all consuming attention. JFK's assassination did, but Bobby's did not.

I liked many of Michael Jackson's songs and compositions, but the ability to sing and/or to innovate live performances and MTV videos should not ameliorate all the other aspects of one's life such as dangling infant children from the balcony of Berlin hotels.

Michael Jackson was one of God's children, as are we all. But he was never a King, President, nor Pope. He was just another one of us fellow flawed human beings that have certain talents which others appreciate, but also character defects from which many recoil in horror. Ed McMahon, Farrah Fawcett, & Michael Jackson: Requiescat in Pace.

(The above is a combination of Woody's thoughts with the original draft of reflections of FreddieVee, a TWA retiree who does alot of creative thinking from his retirement abode in the Sunshine State of Florida, USA).