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June 15, 2005
Random Ramblings on the News: Jacko, Danger at Disney, Mother Nature’s Menopausal Flashes, the Tragedy in Aruba, and Beauty in the Americas!
I didn’t follow the Michael Jackson trial very closely, but like most people, I was very interested in Monday’s verdict. What baffled me on Monday was the utter euphoria that many in the black community expressed over Jackson’s acquittal. Even though I think O.J. Simpson nearly decapitated his ex-wife and bludgeoned Ron Goldman to death (Goldman’s father, Fred, works at an upscale department store in Scottsdale and actually sold me a tie a couple years ago), I understand why the verdict polarized the races – whites generally expressed unbelievable disdain; blacks generally expressed great jubilation. At the time, even though I felt (and still do feel) the verdict was a travesty of justice, I “got” (I think) why many in the black community felt the way they did. If members of my race and I had negative experiences after negative experiences with police officers and horrendous experiences with the judicial system, I probably would be excited to see a famous man from my race get acquitted as well (I write "probably" instead of "definitely" because I like to think I am colorblind to "wrongs" - a wrong is a wrong is a wrong). To me, the Michael Jackson case seems completely different from the O.J. deal. For one, does anyone actually think the D.A. went after Jackson because he is black (well, kind-of black)? Whereas race completely saturated every part of the O.J. Simpson trial, there just didn't seem to be a racial element in the Jacko case. Accordingly, I just don’t get why SOME (certainly not all) people are reacting to this case along racial lines. Why do any people - black, white, brown, yellow, red (commie bastards), etc. - empathize or sympathize with this "man"? At a minimum, he shares his bed with young boys and has transformed himself into a cross between a nice-looking black man and an ugly white woman. At a maximum, he's playing "Cover the unripe banana" and "Pin my tail with your young donkey" with young boys. Why is this person still popular with anyone? And is it possible to pay people who still adore Jackson to get themselves sterilized? And are you as surprised as I am that Fred Goldman didn't hire someone to kill O.J. Simpson? And if Fred Goldman had paid someone to kill O.J., don't you think that would have been the perfect time for jury nullification? And isn't it a shame that The Naked Gun, one of the all-time funniest films, will forever have a stain on it due to O.J. Simpson's role in the movie?
The Michael Jackson verdict wasn’t the only thing that happened on Monday. Monday was also the day that a four-year-old boy died after passing out aboard Walt Disney World’s “Mission: Space” ride (located at Epcot Center). This isn’t the first time the land of Disney has been unkind to four-year-olds. In September 2000, a four-year-old suffered severe brain damage after getting trapped underneath a vehicle in Roger Rabbit’s Car Toon Spin ride (GE Friend forced me to go on this ride when we went to Disneyland several years ago and like most Disneyland rides, it is simply awful). In September 2003, a Disneyland patron was killed while riding the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad when the coaster actually derailed. (Big Thunder Mountain is actually one of the few good rides at Disneyland). What’s my point? Go to Knott’s Berry Farm if you must go to a theme park in the Los Angeles area. Not only are the rides better (especially Supreme Scream), the lines shorter, and the cost of admission cheaper, you’re also much less likely to get killed (by the rides; gangbangers are a totally different story).
Speaking of getting killed, nasty earthquakes can lead to death. Over the last few days, there have been some major rumblings along the Pacific edge of North and South America. On Monday, a 7.9 magnitude earthquake hit northern Chile. On Tuesday, a 6.8 magnitude quake struck Alaska, and that was followed by a 7.0 magnitude tremor off the coast of Northern California (which resulted in a temporary Tsunami warning for the entire Western edge of the United States). I got a "C" in geology (“rocks for jocks”), so I’m not up on Mother Nature’s inner-workings, but to me, it sounds like Mother Nature is in the midst of menopause and is suffering from some serious hot flashes. Is the safe money betting that a huge quake will pound the Left Coast sometime soon? I don’t think California will break off into the Pacific in the next few weeks, but on this particular day, I’m quite happy to be studying for the California bar exam in Washington, D.C. instead of the Golden State!
More than two weeks have passed since Natalee Holloway disappeared in Aruba and as of this writing, Natalee hasn’t been found. From what we can piece together, on the night before she was supposed to return to America with her high school classmates and chaperones, 18-year-old Natalee left an Aruban bar with three Aruban locals ranging in age from 17 to 21. So you’re in a foreign country on your last night and you decide you’re going to leave a bar with three guys. Obviously that’s a dumb decision in its own right, but for crying out loud, is it just me, or is anyone else wondering where the hell this girl’s friends were that night? Talk about letting down your amiga. I won’t even get started on the trip’s chaperones. Clearly they did one hell of a job. Maybe we can get these people jobs as foster parents in Florida – oh no, wait, the goal is to decrease the number of kids that go missing.
Finally, a couple weeks have passed since Miss Canada was crowned as the new Miss Universe (a fine choice). The top ten finalists consisted of contestants from the following countries: Puerto Rico (not part of Europe), the Dominican Republic (not part of Europe), Mexico (not part of Europe), Venezuela (not part of Europe), Peru (not part of Europe), Latvia, Switzerland, the United States (not part of Europe), and Israel (not part of Europe). Is it just me or is Europe failing on multiple fronts these days?
Comments
supporting him because one is a fan of his music, i can almost understand that - people of all races appreciate that (well, the old stuff, before he started sleeping with boys); but it amazes me how the black community embraces him for the seemingly singular reason of race, even though he has gone through great lengths to alter his appearance to appear white. (come on, no one believes in his rare skin disorder or that his nose hasn't gone under the knife a few times.) shouldn't blacks be outraged by this betrayal?
Posted by: gator girl at June 17, 2005 12:22 AM
