In Memoriam - Michael Jackson

Nothing else happened today. June 25, 2009 will always be the day that Michael Jackson died.

In the coming days you'll hear about the music he made, the videos he dazzled the world with, and the Guiness world records he set and broke. You will hear about Thriller, the biggest selling record of all time; and We Are The World, a record that tried to heal the land. You will hear about how on 6 out of 7 continents; over excited concert goers who spoke little or no English cried, fainted and had to be carried out of concerts. Concerts that they had paid good money to see from begining to end. They were overcome by being in the presence of unrefined raw genius. You'll hear the other stuff too, the personal stuff.

But nothing you will hear will compare to the sound, the vibration really, of that sonic boom that started in the emergency room at the UCLA Medical Center and sent ripples around the globe. An emotional tsunami of grief. It was the sound of the collective hearts of three generations breaking today. Our hearts didn't all break at once though. They broke one at a time, like falling dominoes as the word passed from one to another. "Did you hear...?"

He is gone, our only consolation is that he left us with a catalogue of music that will live as long as the children of the eighties do. His legacy will live on as long a people love good music. The king is dead. Long live the king.

People of Iran Rise Up

I’ve changed my Facebook and Twitter profiles to green ribbons in support of the protestors in the Islamic Republic of Iran. I support people who choose to express their political views through non-violent protests. I am thrilled when people who have had their backs pressed against the wall stand up straight and say “The situation in which I find myself is intolerable.” But while I stand in awe of the courage of these protestors I have to question their raison d’ etre.

I know that ostensibly, the people want their votes to be counted fairly. But I submit to you, gentle readers, that a fair vote count is the least of their problems. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is, well as kindly as I can put it, off his rocker. But he’s not the people’s biggest problem. The solution to the people’s problem is not likely to be Mir-Hossein Mousavi either. While President Ahmadinejad is a largely unpopular figure in Iran and around the world, it is not clear to me that Mr. Mousavi would be any better. For better or worse, it is true that sometimes the devil you know beats the devil that you don’t know. The real problem is the country’s constitution. From that poison root, flourishes the strangling vines of the Grand Ayatollah Alik Khamenel aka The Supreme Leader. According to the constitution The Supreme Leader is the most powerful person in the government. He is the puppet master behind the scenes pulling all the political strings.

I have a natural mistrust of Popes, pontiffs, and potentates regardless of their religious affiliations. History shows that absolute power corrupts absolutely. And when that corruption is shrouded in religious dogma the poor and the ignorant suffer; while the bright and talented either yield to corruption themselves or face extermination.

The Koran, like the Torah and the Bible, was designed to be a light to guide individuals to a closer walk with God. The use of it to break a subjugate people is a perversion.

My hope is that this protest against a perceived injustice will develop into a real revolution that strikes at the heart of the real infringements to justice and freedom.

Cristiano Ronaldo The 130 Million Dollar Man

Real Spain just paid Manchester United a record $130 million dollars for footballer Cristiano Ronaldo. Ronaldo the 24 year old Portuguese winger is in Los Angeles and not getting much love in the press. TMZ calls him a “greasy euro douche”. Most of the twitter responses say that England fans are glad to be rid of him. There is no end to the negative comments on the web about his over prossesed hair, his orange tan, his too tight shirts, his short shorts and his over rated skills on the football field. It all looks to me like a big steaming pile of hate.

Come on, the kid looks like a machine built with blue prints drawn from Leonardo DaVinci's design of man, he is ubber talented on the soccer field, young, and rich. Sure he was born under one of the luckiest stars. But he also works hard, has strict diet and plays brilliantly. So I say this to all the haters; hit the gym, find a tailor, and figure out a way to make a profit doing whatever it is YOU do best. That will leave you personally fulfilled. And it will leave you with a lot less hate to spew.

Gay Marriage in DC

District of Columbia Councilman Marion Barry voted against legislation that would recognize the marriages of gays and lesbians from states that allow gay marriage. He voted against it for admittedly religious reasons.

A man who committed adultery and has been married four times is taking a stance on religious principle. Outrageous. Jesus never denounced homosexuality specifically but he had a great deal to say about divorce and adultery. Barry, who smoked crack on national television with a prostitute in a hotel room has set a new gold standard for hypocrisy.

Mayor of Detroit

Dave Bing was elected to fulfill the rest of Kwame Kilpatrick's term as mayor of Detroit. The 65 year-old former NBA player and hall of fame hero turned business man, will serve for at least the next seven months. Bing has no experience in politics so I hope he's a quick study.

But I don't think he was elected for his ability to handle the city's deficit or keeping the World Auto Show in Detroit. In a corrupt system he is a turn toward integrity. He ran on a platform of change. But that change will need to be as much a change in moral direction as it is economic.

Pig Flu

This weekend I was talking with a friend who is an educator. He mentioned that in the wake of the swine flu he had stopped eating pork. I was shocked that he really thought he could catch the flu from eating pork. Then I found out that in Cairo the government ordered the slaughter of all pigs.

The flu in all its forms is a virus. It’s transferred through contact with a live virus. There are plenty of reasons to restrict your pork intake but fear of the flu’s not one of them.

I think the media is causing people to freak out a little. There have been about 900 deaths from the swine flu. That’s a lot of people, but the regular flu kills 30,000 people a year. We should be cautious but not crazy. The mania surrounding this strain of flu is as ridiculous as flying pigs.

Justice David Souter

President Obama will get to appoint his first justice to the Supreme Court. David Souter, the 69 year-old associate justice, announced his retirement yesterday. Justice Souter was appointed by President George H. W. Bush.

This just keeps getting better. The Obama legacy is growing by leaps and bounds right before our eyes. He's fixing the economy, reforming health care, education, and the environment. He was faced with pirates and a faltering government on the U.S. southern border. He's been faced with a possible pandemic. Now he has to see a nominee through to confirmation on the Supreme Court. This is all in the first 101 days. All I can say is...go Obama go, go Obama go, go Obama go!