st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) }
<!– /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:”"; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:”Times New Roman”; mso-fareast-font-family:”Times New Roman”;} @page Section1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} –>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:”Table Normal”;
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-parent:”";
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:”Times New Roman”;}

O.J. Simpson was “acquitted”. The word “acquitted” doesn’t mean “not guilty”. There is a legal difference. Michael Jackson, a writer tells me, was “acquitted” twice. Then he went on TV and chatted about sleeping in the same beds with little boys. This is a man who wasn’t unfamiliar with social mores. He understood clearly how his behavior would be viewed. His callousness is evidenced in the video of the man hanging one of his infant children over a balcony in Berlin. Had he been a poor man, Jackson would’ve been imprisoned and segregated for his own protection from other inmates. Last night a Washington Post columnist wrote Jackson benefited from the dawn of the music video and the tight production of Quincy Jones. When the video fad waned so did Jackson’s career.

Now, earlier I stated Ed McMahon was a role model. He left a budding broadcast career to return to the Marine Corp and dodged flack over North career on 85 distinct occasions. Ed McMahon was a great man. His TV obituaries reduced him to some sad clown guffawing at Johnny Carson’s jokes. For the record, Carson flew no missions over North Korea.

I’m also hearing comparisons between Jackson and Elvis Presley. The latter walked away from his career when it was at its peak and gave his country two years in the Army. Then he returned and had two distinct and successful careers before dying.

In an earlier note I mentioned I live a short drive from Dover Air Force Base. It houses a mortuary where fallen heroes come home for the last time. It was recently in the news as mainstream news media demanded they be given access to some very private family (relatives and military family) moments. Partial access was granted; the media showed up for a couple of days and then vanished. Most of the young men and women come home from their final battles and their names are rarely remembered beyond some urban neighborhood or small Nebraska town. Some came from hardscrabble backgrounds even more trying than anything the wealthy Mister Jackson endured. Yet they didn’t complain, they instead put on uniforms and sought more hardship. Past generations of Americans were almost wholly that way, taking depression in stride and then still offering to do a duty for their country.

There are no apologies I’ll make about my feelings for Michael Jackson. He was a media creation. The current media frenzy tells us a great deal about where we’re headed culturally and why there is so little hope for the future. Jackson could dance, sing and fellow a choreographer’s directions. Apparently far better than most people but what does he leave us culturally? The circus has left town and perhaps we need to take stock of what it really means to be an idol. A hero, for a much better description, and next week a large plane will land at Dover. Then how will you define greatness?

I’ve read comments at Facebook from cousins and old friends calling me a monster for suggesting Jackson was anything less than a demigod. He was just a man given great gifts, which then were squandered for some inexplicable reason. He’ll deal now with God as the rest of us will. Alone, carrying nothing from the temporal world.

For the first time in 30 years I’m chemical free.  Aside, that is, from whatever is injected into the food I’m eating.  Nine days ago I gave up coffee.  I did this last summer for six weeks.  I did it for a diet but I continued sipping “diet” soda pop.  For the last 9 days I’ve had no coffee, cigarettes, alcohol or soft drinks.  I’ve given up many of these things individually since I graduated high school.  I’ve given up some in combination.  At no time over three decades have I sacrificed all of them.  Until 9 days ago. 

I’m guessing there are a great many coffee drinkers thinking caffeine is an easy drug to break away from.  Let me tell you something, giving up beer is easy.  You just stop.  Giving up tobacco required me to spend a couple of days ten years ago battling lightheadedness, which in some ways was kind of cool.  Soda pop is also something you just stop buying.  Caffeine is another matter.  Holy, mackerel, there were headaches last week and moments about 2:00 P.M. when I wanted to put my head on my desk and sleep.  This wouldn’t be a problem but it happened when I was preparing for a 4 hour long show set to begin at 3:00 P.M.  A show I yawned through for several days.  Thank the Lord it isn’t TV.  I let loose with a yawn Monday afternoon on a couple of occasions when I had 2 guests in-studio but those were the last on-air yawns.  Then I came home and slept for 10 hours. 

Water consumption is also at an all time high.  I’m not one for buying bottled water when I can pour a glass from the tap, however.  At Super Giant I found a raspberry-lime seltzer called “Zazz” and watching a hockey game the other night I drank a quart of seltzer.  Sunday I mowed the redhead’s lawn and when I finished there was a big glass of iced seltzer on the picnic table, which I had downed in a couple of minutes.  She discovered it was sold in cans by the case at a greatly reduced price, on the bottom shelf in the beverage aisle, where apparently I hadn’t looked. 

This morning I got out of bed straight up at 7:30 and believed I had to offer a testimonial.  I feel wonderful and I’ve lost 4 pounds over the last week and one half.  And just think, only another 76 to go! 

None of this would’ve come about until the day the redhead had a long talk with me about getting back in shape.  She saw an old photograph of me standing along a railing with the field behind me at what used to be called Rich Stadium.  She thought I had a Tom Selleck look! 

My last caffeine came one week ago this past Monday.  My employer sponsored a sports banquet at the country club next door and I sipped two cups of delicious coffee during dinner.  We were at a table with some folks from work and when the keynote speaker launched into his remarks the redhead and a coworker’s girlfriend left the room, went outside and smoked.  When they came back to the table I pointed out I had pressed for a trade.  I take up clean living and the redhead would quit tobacco, which she washes down with liberal amounts of coffee.  What was her response?  She didn’t ask me to go on a hunger strike.

Remember our prime responsibility.  Take care of self, set an example and then go out and save the world.

Susan Boyle is God’s messenger.

A writer at the Boston Globe named Paulson asks us why Boyle has touched so many people around the planet.  He admits to his worries about the demise of his paper but is transfixed by the You Tube video of Boyle singing on television.  M. Paulson quotes theologians and wants your thoughts on why Boyle is important to all of us. 

The theologians have it right but I’ll go beyond.  Boyle is God’s message.  She has lived quietly and unassumingly for almost 50 years in Scotland in preparation for our times.  The Globe writer fears for his job.  There are food riots around the world.  The Chinese have eaten our lunch.  Newsweek charges Americans have given up on God. 

Then comes a humble Scot and we are moved from our self pity and shaken by the voice.  By Friday I stumbled across a ten year old recording of Boyle singing.  Tears formed in my eyes. 

Boyle’s voice is God telling us, “Be not afraid”. 

On a lighter note:

This is the first time I’ve ever watched “American Idol” and wasn’t too thrilled to be doing so, at that but…compromise is everything! Then I got caught up in it as the weeks went on. To be honest, rocker-Gina was my choice…some bad, some good and when she pulled a Chrissie Hynde, great…not Chrissie but the potential could be there…so when she was voted off that was a big disappointment. In the last several weeks, though, Blake Lewis has been my favorite to win. To be honest, I never thought he’d get through to the final two since Melinda couldn’t seem to put a foot wrong, week after week after week. Great voice but, for me, lacks “fresh” and “interesting”…does the same thing to too many songs that Whitney Houston and her ilk does (the only way I can describe it is ‘adding all the twiddley bits’ many of her song choices didn’t need). Jordan, ditto…although her personality shone, particularly for one so young. Should we mention Sanjaya? Oh, why not! He was cute but, for the most part, ummm…not good shall we say (although having heard the original “Bathwater” song I really did like his rendition much better!) and ultimately I rooted for his “pony-hawk do”.

Last night I really thought Blake would be gone and, that being so, decided this would be my last time viewing a programme I don’t really care for. Not so! Upward and onward to next week…another two nights watching something I really hate to admit to doing. I like his voice, love his panache, most of his song choices…loved his version of the Bee Gee’s “Danger Zone” and Maroon5 “This Love” and decided that, win or lose, when this boy cuts his first CD I’m buying it. He’s fun and fresh to listen to and watch although I’m really not big on beatboxing, (less is more). I’m thinking that if the final of the contest were to be between Melinda and Blake, she would win but I believe…hope…Blake will pull this off. Certainly, I’m sure we haven’t heard the last of Melinda or Jordan and I wish them well but my vote’s for Blake and I’ll be at “Music for a Song” the day his first CD is released!

Still not sure I’ll watch another “idol”, though!