What a strange time we live in! We’re still in Beaufort, NC, enjoying the weather and visiting with our friends, Walter and Linda Moffitt. Walter’s a yacht broker and represents a company called World Class Yachts in the Carolinas (if you need a boat, Walter’s the guy to see.) He also sold us our boat, Current Jumper, back in ’06 and we’ve stayed in touch ever since. Anyway, it’s been very relaxing here and we’ve had a great time walking about the town and seeing the sights. Schooner likes it here too, as there is a lot of grass and, because of the large number of dogs, lots of good smells. But, there is one thing going on that seems to overshadow everything else.
As I mentioned in our last post, Michael Jackson died on Thursday. Now I don’t want to take anything away from him, because, let’s face it, he was a great showman. Heck, even I liked “Thriller.” But quite frankly, this thing is getting ridiculous. Even FOX News suspended all regular programming and reported on nothing but the life of M.J., from the time they announced his death at 4:00pm EST, until 6:00 am Friday. All of the networks are consumed with following M.J.'s life and the circumstances surrounding his death (DRUGS, ya’ think it might be DRUGS?) Quite frankly, if I wasn’t in a state that gravitates around Country Music, the national coverage would be overwhelming and might drive me over the edge!
To put it in perspective, now that 24 hours have passed since the Jackson announcement, there were two other persons of note who passed on this week:
One was Ed McMahon, a great entertainer. Prior to his stage accomplishments and years on the “Tonight Show”, he was a distinguished Marine Corps fighter pilot during WWII and flew unarmed OE-1 Bird Dogs on 85 tactical air control and artillery spotting missions in Korea. Ed earned six Air Medals and attained the rank of Colonel before retiring from the Marine Corps Reserve Force in 1966. Following his retirement from the Marine Corps, Ed was commissioned by the California Air National Guard as a Brigadier General.
Another person who’s death was overshadowed by Jackson’s was Farrah Fawcett. After a long career in Hollywood as an actress, not the least of which was her stint on “Charlie’s Angle’s,” she was diagnosed with breast cancer. She became an activist for cancer treatment and devoted her last remaining years to encouraging people to seek treatment. She documented her plight on film and used it to encourage others to stay positive and upbeat, despite their diagnosis and suffering.
So, we have an American War Hero, an Award Winning Actress and Cancer Treatment Advocate and a person best noted for his eccentric lifestyle that included, sleeping with a chimpanzee, living in a carnival-like atmosphere at Neverland, his fascination with Peter Pan, and his numerous masks and costumes (He also admitted to finding pleasure sleeping with young boys and paying out millions of dollars in settlements to the families of these boys, despite being acquitted by a court on one allegation of sexual molestation) who died this week.
Of these three deceased notables, for which one did the House of Representatives declare a moment of silence today (June 26, 2009)? Which of the above’s families received a personal note of condolence from President Obama?
Well let me give you a hint folks, it wasn't the first two on the list. What a strange, strange time we live in.
skip to main |
skip to sidebar
1 comment:
I had a very close friend, that was a Korean War veteran, die the same day as Michael. I spent 17 years on the fire department with this man. He gave back to his community a lot more than he received. An acquaintance made a comment about the passing of Jackson. I asked this person what Jackson had done to make my life better.They mentioned his music. I said I enjoyed a few of his songs but they did nothing to make my life different. I then told them of all the things my friend had done over his life and how he had helped me grow. I told them it is sad when veterans are dying every day,people who helped to make this country great, and we are more concerned about someone like Michael Jackson more than these common folks.
Post a Comment