Remembering the Thrill

In the past 15-20 years, Michael Jackson had become a caricature of himself. Whenever his name was mentioned on the evening news, you were waiting for the other shoe to drop. It seemed as if there was an endless supply of those other shoes (or should I say, in his case, other gloves?).

On June 25, 2009, all that changed. On June 25, we forgot, or at least pushed aside, all the other stuff that seemed to swirl around him like a whirlwind. We remember only the brilliance of his artistry.

In the pantheon of the "gods of rock" there are three artists/groups that rise above all others. Elvis Presley. The Beatles. Michael Jackson. Can any of us "mere mortals" proclaim that any one of the three was any greater than the rest?

Of course, as friends have pointed out... Michael owned the Beatles Catalog. And he married Elvis' daughter.

From Mohammed to the Streets of Iran

You can tell a lot about people by what they get angry about.

When a Danish newspaper published cartoons of Mohammad, the "Muslim Street" was unleashed on the world. There were demonstrations throughout the Arab world. There were death threats made.

In the past week, there was an election in Iran. The results were announced before there was time for the paper ballots to be counted. Iranians took to the streets, to the rooftops, to show their discontent, and were brutally beaten down by the regime. The "Muslim Street" is largely silent.

This is not, in any way, intended to be a criticism of Islam itself. There are a great many people who practice Islam in a way that both elevates themselves and the religion. That being said, when people are more upset about cartoons than the butchery of innocent people, well, that says something about something, doesn't it?