My buddy Nezet responded to the question this way -
A response to the Los Angeles Times Opinion section “Comments Blog” titled: ‘This Is It': Does the Michael Jackson documentary redeem or fail to acquit?
The title of the article is insulting and demeaning to Jackson and his family IMHO….tripe like this “'This Is It': Does the Michael Jackson documentary redeem or fail to acquit?” as a title gets neither benefit of the doubt nor station with me. It is intended to demean and be slanderous to Jackson. Like some of the comments made by folks to the article, and they are entitled to their opinion, after all, this is AmeriKKKa…and how some people will want to continually try Jackson in the court of public opinion and forever tie his acquitted cases to his musicianship is a red herring at best. If every artist’s personal life is to be a reflection on what they do for a profession (singing, acting, playing an instrument, etc.)…puh-leez…let’s pull out the tabloids and “true Hollywood” stories of some of our so-called stars of yesterday and current ones….oh, and let’s pull out the “race card” (even if Michael Steele is in the background shouting “NNNNnnnoooooo!!!”)…how is that white artists can have all kinds of “dirt”…be it sex with an underage person, DRUGS, car accidents, multiple marriages/divorces, etc. and that’s just the stuff we hear about…after living out in Cali and crossing paths with a few folks in the “industry” there is a lot of sheet going on that doesn’t make the press…I’m not having this crucifying of MJ to satisfy some inherent need of denouncing and demeaning him on trumped up charges by money-grubbing parents of some of these kids. MJ had problems…who doesn’t…we’re all human (well, I suspect some are reptilian but that’s a rant for another day!)…and on many cases I would say IMHO he had poor judgment in his actions as an adult (to put it mildly)…but I’ve yet to see or hear all these details of how he’s a serial child molester or how he had sexual activities with any of these kids. All I know is some families got PAID large (looked like, “Hey Johnny go spend a night with MJ, oh...he touched your arm at night…and he let you SLEEP in his bed…CHILD MOLESTATION!!! What’s that…oh, you’ll pay us $20 mil….okay, send over the check…thank you very much! Oh Johnny…he’s fine…LATAH!”). Yadda-yadda-yah!
Back to the movie…I liked it, it was sad and bittersweet to see a supreme talent like MJ at work…and how he treated his fellow dancers, musicians, staff…no boasting, no diva-behavior, no “this is my show dammit!”…frankly, a gentle human being who was a master at his craft, knew what he wanted…and I’ve no doubt the actual concert show would’ve been a monster (as in good)! He was a tragic figure, flawed by a skewed childhood (or lack thereof frankly)…and I’m probably in the minority when I put a LOT of the blame to his parents (not that I want to drag Katherine or Joe through the mud, wringer, etc.)…but despite all the success, money and materialism…as the parents you need to get a grip on your reality…so hopefully your kids can have one. But in the drive, and this is probably on Joe the most, to be successful in the music industry…MJ’s childhood and sense of “normalcy” was skewed from when he was like 7 or 8 years old…and we have all been witness to the result. Even his siblings have “issues” that I surmise from afar…the predictable multiple marriages/divorces…and “acting out” by many of them…the only one who seems to be fairly balanced is Rebbie…who you don’t hear about or see in the press…which is why she’s probably fairly “normal” but I’m just speculating on that idea.
I could go on but I think you get my take…MJ…a “force of Nature” as one friend put it…and I concur…never seen anyone like him before…and don’t know if we’ll ever see anyone like him again! May he RIP….
By “Nezet”
I think it's absurd that the rabid right-wing is presuming to protect traditional marriages by supporting legislative bans on gay marriage or civil unions...this is like trying to promote cleaner air by banning air conditioners....Also, to think that marriages need protecting is laughable on it's face....
But to play along with their line of illogical thinking, I propose 5 ways to protect marriages while 'tongue is firmly ensconced and planted in cheek'...
1 Outlaw divorce - there is no better way to protect the institution of marriage..
2 Ban Viagra - except for married men and for procreative purposes only!..
3 Mandate arranged marriages - in much of the world this has worked best for centuries...
4 Levy a fee of $10,000 to obtain a marriage license - this way only the most committed, responsible and wealthiest citizens will marry....
5 Outlaw unmarried sex - if jail is mandated, it will provide a powerful incentive for responsible citizens to get married...
I am expecting an avalanche of congratulatory messages on my bold initiatives to preserve their non-issue, from the James Dobsons' of the world - but I'm not holding my breath!..
One dictionary defines "scum-bag" as, "a person who is deemed to be despicable or contemptible..."
Among others, I would include the following right-wing blacks in this category - Clarence Thomas, Walter Williams, Juan Williams, Shelby Steele, Michael Steele, Kenneth Blackwell, Larry Elder, Armstrong Williams, Ken Hamblin, Roy Innis, Alan Keyes, Star Parker, Condoleeza Rice, Janice Rogers brown, Stephan Frazier, Rev. Jesse Lee Petersen....to name just a few...
Some say, "These guys don't really mean this stuff, and they are just saying and writing these things to get a paycheck." - I say if this is true, then they are worst than paid 'hos, and should apologize to the honest whores.
Others say, "Yes, they really mean this stuff deep down in their souls and heart of hearts" - if this is true, then I say they are traitors to our race, and no better than other traitors to our country.
So if they just vary from being 'dishonest' at best, and being 'traitorous' at worst, you can readily see how they have achieved this dubious distinction....
On the first anniversary of the election of President Barack Obama, it should be noted that it was a confluence of circumstances that worked positively for his candidacy and election.
I'm thinking back to 1999-2000 when Al Gore and Joe Lieberman ran against George Bush and Dick Chaney. Had Gore/Lieberman won and their tenure was not the disaster that Bush's was, it would have been impossible for Obama to have been nominated, and then elected president.
First, I wonder what kind of V.P. Lieberman would have made, given the scum-bag traitor/opportunist , we now know him to be. And worse, supposed Gore had conveniently died in office and Lieberman became President...what a disaster for this country and a bonanza for Israel and the predatory Healthcare Industry that would have been.
As much as I despised Bush/Chaney's candidacy and their Supreme Court appointment to the presidency, I was happy that Gore did not win due to his awfully poor judgment in choosing Lieberman as his V.P.
We know now what a disaster and catastrophe Bush's presidency has been, and were it not for that fact, and the desperation the electorate felt as the disaster engulfed us, they would not have voted in sufficient numbers to elect Obama as president.
So the back-slapping bragging about post-racialism etc., is just talk....Obama's election was due to and born out of, desperation and fear of the imminent sinking of this Republic's Titanic.
So far he has struggled mightily to undo and reverse the actions that were sinking this ship, and virtually no one believes that had Palin/McCain won, we would still be afloat.
We are still waiting for the wars to end, for healthcare legislation to pass, and a myriad of other promises to be fulfilled...hopefully by the second anniversary we will be able to collectively sigh and exhale in relief, and look forward to the promise of one of the best presidencies in the history of our country.
