Sunday Ramblings

My Last Word (I hope) on:

Michael Jackson: I don’t know if he abused, sexually or in any other way, any child. I wasn’t there so, I don’t really know. It’s my opinion that MJ is a freak of nature. I am very suspicious of why a 40-something-year-old man would have unrelated young boys sleeping with him. I can’t think of a single valid reason he would do this except for sexual gratification. But my opinion isn’t proof. One thing to remember is just because the accuser wasn’t credible, and his mother was proven to be a con artist, doesn’t mean he wasn’t abused. Doesn’t mean he was either.

Doesn't this story deserve more attention than MJ got? Or maybe this one?

Jennifer Wilbanks: You remember her, the Runaway Bride. She’s pleaded guilty to charges in Georgia; she’s a felon now. She’s getting psychiatric therapy that I think she desperately needs. I think that her thyroid needs to be checked out. Those deer-in-the-headlights-eyes can be symptomatic of thyroid problems. And as those of us with thyroid problems know, a wonky thyroid can cause all kinds of physical and, and yes, mental problems. She apparently also has book and movie deals in the works along with her fiancé, John Mason. My question is: Why does anyone care?

Natalee Holloway: I’m very sorry this young woman is missing. I truly hope that she is found alive and well, but after three weeks, my hopes are dim. If I had a daughter and she wanted to take a trip to another country with her friends, I would be going along as a chaperone. Sorry, but I think an 18-year-old is too young to be traveling alone, even with other students and chaperones. No one can watch out for a child better than the child’s own parents. Am I blaming the parents? In My Opinion they have some blame. The chaperones and other students also bear some blame, I believe most of the blame lies with Natalee herself. She made the choices that led to whatever happened to her.

Terri and Michael Schiavo: Terri’s autopsy has been released and there is nothing to indicate that Michael had anything to do with her condition. I wondered if there had been abuse, but tried to keep an open mind. Yes, I had questions, and the autopsy answered most of them for me. She was blind and had minimal brain function. Her heart and lungs functioned by instinct. Was Terri in a persistent vegetative state? The autopsy could not answer that; the tests needed to answer that question had to be done before death. Michael would not allow those tests to be done. And now we'll never know.

Do I think the feeding tube should have been removed? No, I don’t. In My Opinion, had she been terminal, or had a living will, that would have changed matters, but she wasn’t and didn’t. I believe she should have been allowed to live out her natural life, such as it was. I believe that Michael should have given her parents care and custody, quietly divorced Terri, and gone on with his life. This should have been done years ago. I doubt anyone could have blamed him for taking this path. I think that Michael will always be known as the man who legally killed his wife. I believe that if Michael was not doing the best for Terri that he could, he will answer for it eventually. To Terri and to God.

Governor Jeb Bush wants to have Michael investigated for failing to call for help in time to help Terri. I don’t know what happened when Terri collapsed. I don’t know if Michael waited too long, or why, if he did. I don’t know that it would have made a difference. I didn’t follow the court proceeding too closely, so I don’t know the timeline. In My Opinion Governor Jeb needs to find something else to occupy his mind for the next eighteen months or so that he will be in office. I’ll have to check to see what Florida Attorney General Charlie Crist is doing in this matter. Charlie threw his hat into the ring for the Governor’s mansion. In general, I’ve approved of Charlie, but this might be a deal breaker.

Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes are engaged. Lovely for them, but why should I care? America doesn’t have a monarchy, so we’ve substituted Hollywood figures for royalty and we tend to hang on what they do, say, and think. As if their opinion mattered more than yours or mine.

And in other news: The House has apparently voted to cut funding (50% of our annual dues) for the United Nations unless the UN makes real progress toward reform. The only problem I see is, does the UN understand what needs to be reformed? My guess is that they will do something. After all, the UN wants our money. In My Opinion, the whole thing should be turned into housing for the poor.

There are calls to close Gitmo, at least the detention facilities. Ain’t gonna happen. Not with Kellogg, Brown, and Root Services, a Halliburton subsidiary, being awarded a $30 million contract to build a 220 bed prison facility at Gitmo.