Modern day STONING: Michael Jackson.

[Just Me]

He's a bit odd,...he's "weak",...he's the perfect target.

It is repulsive the way this troubled yet giving man has been the target of every human vulture.

This modern day stoning disgusts me.

[WI_DEM]

1. Maybe so

but he has brought a lot of it on himself. I'm sorry but a 44 year old man who sleeps with little boys is a bit strange. I admire his talent, and maybe he is a modern day "Peter Pan" like many of his defenders say, but there have also been many legitimate questions about his actions.

[wakeme2008]

3. but the defense is bring out more and more people

that know the boy and his mother and they are telling a whole different story.

[Cleita]

5. This tactic of attacking the victim is as old as the

first woman who went to court over a date rape, and had her whole sexual past put up on the stand with witness after witness testifying.
I hope the jury sees through the contradictions and that the truth about Michael will be revealed.

He will either be innocent or guilty. Since the trial is down the road from where I live it's getting a lot more coverage from the local stations, and to tell the truth I'm mystified. This is really going to be a hard one.

[WI_DEM]

6. This mother and boy do have questions

but there have been others including that boy he paid off ten years ago. If he was innocent why did he pay them off?

[jrthin]

13. Because, when one is

a business, like Michael Jackson is, one is advised to settle to avoid more bad public relations. It's done ever day in American and the defendant, the company, is NEVER assumed guilty.

[Goldmund]

15. "If he was innocent why did he pay them off?"

It could have been because he either didn't think he could get a fair trial or didn't want to get himself dragged through the mud. He sure does have a lot of dough.

[tblue37]

69. Did.

All gone.

[donheld]

71. All gone. NOT

anyone who owns the rights to the beatles songs, will never be a pauper.

[GreenArrow]

102. he'll be selling those

back to Paul McCartney, the backstabbing creep.

[tblue37]

106. He owes a lot of money.

If he liquidates the songbook, that money is already spoken for.

[Bluebear]

28. 'If he was innocent why did he pay them off?'

Oh that might look bad but it happens all the time.

[BattyDem]

50. Self delete ... I meant to reply in main thread. :-)

:hi:

[pie]

2. I Agree

His prosecution is way over the top

[Deep N RedLand]

4. Ah...you're joking, right?

Can you tell the difference?

[donheld]

73. Not funny

:mad:

[mopaul]

7. it's hard to take you serious, but i assume you are

i know i'll get called a racist or worse, but, i totally disagree. any man who has hundreds of boys sleep with him is more than 'troubled'. the man himself disgusts me, but everyone has opinions.

[karlrschneider]

8. I can't help thinking about that scene in "A Few Good Men" where

Kaffe tells the prosecutor, about a charge against his client who bought a bag of oregano believing it was marijuana, "my client's a moron...that's not against the law..."

:eyes:

[LisaL]

9. Well, someone just posted here that

his husband got convicted of molestation because while he was sleeping, his step son climbed onto the sofa and the husband's hand accidentally touched his step son's groin. I imagine even if Michael Jackson didn't intentionally molest kids, sleeping with them could have lead to hundreds of the very same situations. In other words, if someone who wasn't Michael Jackson was doing to what he admits to doing-sleeping with young boys in the same bed, he would most likely have gone to the slammer a long time ago.
:eyes:

[Cleita]

16. I have a problem with the sleeping thing.

No one sleeps with a kid unless they have to, or they are a parent.
Little kids thrash a lot and the adult doesn't get that much sleep.

[ultraist]

27. That guy pleaded guilty, lizzy

And he did NOT go to jail.

[Evergreen Emerald]

111. That is not a sex offense

It must be intentional and for sexual gratification. Those facts would not lead to a conviction for a sex offense.

[okieinpain]

10. oh screw mike, he's a dumb bastard that I have no sympathy for.

he deserves every rock thrown his way.

[Tomee450]

20. Now why am I not surprised

that YOU would feel that way.

[okieinpain]

24. ok why are you not surprised. is it something I've said :~)

[sendero]

11. Being troubled...

... is not illegal. Sexually molesting others and damaging them is.

Jackson is free to be a freak, what he is not free to do is think he is above the law because he's rich.

And frankly, I'm to the point that I believe his whole "freak" persona is merely a cover for garden variety pedophilia.

He should have stopped these behaviors after the near misses of the past.

[mopaul]

14. he is THE greatest freak of all time

i've never, ever seen anyone freakier, and i've seen some pretty freaky shit.

[Tomee450]

21. How very harsh.

Michael Jackson is a very damaged individual but not a freak. People who obviously have such psychological problems deserves pity, not such derision.

[okieinpain]

26. screw mike, he's a dumb bastard. he's had so much, and done

so little with it. the guy was a beautiful human being man, just absoultley beautiful (and I'm not gay). and he took everything and fucked it up, I have no sympathy for the guy.

[donheld]

72. Have you walked a mile in his shoes?

Your awfully quick to judge. Or is he, as a "dumb bastard" less deserving of psychological help? Yes Michael is way messed up. Nobody does to their face what he's done to his without major Psychological problems. That does not mean his is a pedophile or not worthy of a fair trial.

[okieinpain]

97. I'm don't think he's a pedophile, and I also hope he gets a fair

trial. I'm talking about the fact that he hates he is black.

[Evergreen Emerald]

113. He does not deserve pity if he hurts someone

I reserve my pity for the victims

[iconoclastNYC]

117. he is an abuser and he's going to jail

which unfortunately for his family is probably a death sentance or solitary, right?

[Tomee450]

18. How do you know that he has abused children.

All there is hearsay and mainly from people with axes to grind. It's disgusting that people are so willing to believe testimony from people who are some of the worst people imaginable. And by the way, just because someone pays in a civil suit does not mean he has to be guilty. Attorneys tell me that entertainers often pay off to avoid prolonging the publicity and ruining their careers. It seems mighty strange that the twenty-four year old who first accused Jackson won't even appear for the prosecution and is reported out of the country. Maybe he knows he could not hold up under cross examination.

[sendero]

51. I'm not on the jury...

... so I don't know anything. Except for a pattern of behavior where someone is savvy enough to buy the Beatles catalog, but is just a naive waif around children.

Who has written songs as prurient as as anyone, but is well above "sex".

Someone who plays the "I'm weird" card every time he gets in trouble.

I'm sorry, MJ doesn't fool me for a second. He would not keep putting himself in these situations is he weren't compelled to IMHO.

As for witnesses who don't want to get involved, who the fuck could blame them. I wouldn't either.

[donheld]

74. Someone who plays the "I'm weird" card every time he gets in trouble.

has Michael ever played the "I'm weird card" or did everybody just play it for him?

as far as him being that "savvy." Do you really think that was Michael's decision or his accountants and lawyers?

[sendero]

98. Sure...

.... all those courtroom antics are set up by everyone else. Those crazy statements he makes routinely.

Please, I'll leave it open as an item for discussion whether he's "playing the weird card" or is "just plain weird", but "everybody played it for him" isn't even a possibility.

[mondo joe]

100. Wasn't it his accountant who MADE him dangle a baby out a window,

or his attorney who put the little boys in his bed?

[WyLoochka]

104. The whole environment he constructed

at "neverland" was extremely decadent, manipulative and abusive. Sheez, guess a lot of people can't see the "forest for the trees."

[Tomee450]

12. I agree with you.

For some people being odd is a crime. They will believe any negative report about the strange person. Michael Jackson is an unusual person. That does not mean he has to be a pedophile. The judge is just awful. He uses every opportunity to rule for the prosecution.

[LisaL]

19. Oh please! If Mr. Michael Smith down the street

was sleeping in the same bed with little boys he invited over to play in his house, what do you think would have happened to Mr. Smith? I think Michael Jackson have gotten away with it so far because of his fame and money. I certainly don't think he is being unfairly targeted.

[Tomee450]

22. You were not there.

You know nothing about what happened except what was reported by many undesirable characters. Just because YOU think someone is guilty does not mean its so. There have been many people accused of crimes who were convicted and sent to jail. Thing is, though, they weren't guilty. Michael Jackson, appears to be a strange, naive man. He does not think or behave the way most people do. I am not going to convict someone because of how his behavior appears. I was not there and neither were you. All of the prosecution witnesses presented were some of the worst characters one could meet yet you are willing to accept their word. Unbelievable.

[ultraist]

23. Oh please!

If Mr. Smith down the street was molesting boys, it's highly unlikely the police would even pursue it! MOST pedophiles never get found out or charged. Michael Jackson is being hunted down and they are spending far more time, money and resources to convict him than they would on some average Joe weirdo.

There is no question there is an element of a witch hunt going on.

That said, MJ opened himself up for this by sleeping with all of those boys. WHAT were his handlers thinking?

I really don't know if his guilty or not. He does seem to have some characteristics of a pedophile. Inappropriate boundaries, grooming the victim, buying gifts for them, etc. His other weirdness is not relevant, IMO, being the superstar he is.

I certainly hope he is NOT a pedophile. The Jackson Five was my favorite group as a kid; I went to a MJ concert in the sixth grade, right after he split up the Jacksons. LOL!

[Tomee450]

31. But where are all the rest of

the boys? I've read that pedophiles do not stop at one or two children they abuse for years and years and have a lot of victims. Most of the pedophile priests abused many boys not just a few. Michael Jackson has been around a lot of children. Why aren't more people coming forward to accuse him. I don't believe he is a child molester but he does lacks good judgment. If I was a juror I certainly would not convict him based on the evidence presented in this case. But I, too, think he brought this on himself maybe, out of naivety. However, the people around him really failed him.

[mopaul]

32. you don't think you've deified him do you?

the people around him ASSISTED him in every way, they never failed him.

[Tomee450]

35. I don't deify anyone

but just believe in being fair. The people who have accused Michael are a bunch of unsavory characters. In the Robert Blake case, one of the jurors said that the reason why they voted to acquit was because they could not accept the testimony of the undesirable wittinesses that testified. Never in a million years would I send some one to prison based on the evidence presented in this case. Furthermore, to call someone a freak just seems so wrong to me. Michael Jackson does have, in my opinion, a mental or physical illness. No one would do that to his face unless something was very wrong with him.

[mopaul]

38. i'd say you're halfway to accepting the facts

he is ill, but that particular illness is a crime loathed by every society.

[Karenina]

37. MJ's predilections have been an open secret

for DECADES. Domestics of undetermined legal status do NOT press charges. The indiscretions only became a hot topic when the color of the victims did the same number his skin did...

[ultraist]

41. That is a valid point

Pedophiles molest, on average, 60 children in their lifetimes. It does seem odd that others have not come forward.

I also acknowledge that he is vulnerable to such a charge due to his wealth. But again, why was he so careless and open himself up this way? Does he have an uncontrollable compulsion? I really don't know. How can any of us know. He does seem to have OCD issues.

I also think it's odd that his handlers allowed his behavior knowing the risk. MJ has huge teams of lawyers, PR people, and the best of the best to advise him. So, WHY did he sleep with those kids and make it public?

Yet, there ARE serious questions about the mom of the boys accusing him. I hope the facts are revealed and MJ gets a fair trial.

Like I said, I hope he is NOT guilty, for the sake of the kids and his sake.

[Just Me]

33. That's the thing. Pedophiles HIDE their acts,....

,...Michael Jackson never hid the fact that he treated kids like they were his children. He treated them exactly like I treat my son,...with affection,...not sexual deviation.

He is being persecuted based upon his appearance AND his success, it seems.

He is being charged with a crime based upon his appearance AND his success.

That bothers me.

[Tomee450]

40. You are exactly right.

He is considered a freak so he has to be guilty. That's how many people feel, and it's wrong. What child molester would admit that he slept with children. They usually hide their bad acts. Jackson has been around children for decades. Why aren't more people coming out to accuse him. Why aren't they suing for millions of dollars. People act as if they have never heard of wealthy people being the victim of shakedowns.

[LisaL]

61. Again, not all of them hide their acts. Some of them post pictures

of their victims (being abused and in suggestive poses)on the internet. What if their neighbor recognizes the child? It's like saying "come and get me".

[Eloriel]

90. Ugh. How many 40 year old men do YOU know who sleep with kids?

That's pretty freaky, all right.

What child molester would admit that he slept with children. T

The child molester who says, "But nothing happened," esp. if he has SOME children for whom nothing DID happen.

[LisaL]

58. Nonsense. If pedophiles hide their act, how come some

of them go as far as posting the photos of their victims on the internet? Just recently they were looking for a little girl, whose pictures were all over the net. The perp turned to be her step dad who adopted her from Russia. This guy posted her pictures on the internet. I would say that is as far from hiding your crime as you can get.

[donheld]

75. If Mr. Michael Smith down the street

was sleeping in the same bed with little boys he invited over to play in his house nobody would have every knew about it. I mean sleep not sex. Only reason Michael has been bothered with, is because his fame and money.

[Goldmund]

17. I agree with you.

And he repulses me, these accusations aside. I hate his music and his whole media image.

[swag]

25. So very loungeworthy

Admin, you have my request to move this thread.

[DS1]

30. Admin, you have my request to remove the above

Fucking A :eyes:

[swag]

Meta, you have my meta to meta that meta

[DS1]

53. button, you have my click to meta that user

:hi:

[swag]

54. How true!

[donheld]

76. Admin, you have my request to move this thread.

Request denied. Apparently :bounce::bounce::bounce:

[mopaul]

29. hard as it is to believe, not everybody loves MJ

i've always hated his pre-programmed, robotic, contrived, formulaic, pop crap, and his persona has always made my flesh crawl.

but i believe all are presumed innocent until proven guilty, pop dieties, or average schmucks like me.

[Just Me]

43. Good lawd, mopaul,...this has nothing to do with "love".

It's kind of surprising that someone as unequivocally unique as you is making a judgment on appearance, without something deeper than that.

We ALL makes judgments. But to convict any person based upon his appearance, success, "pre-programmed, robotic, contrived, formulaic, pop crap" is just plain wrong.

And, yep,...you can be a shitty schmuck. I don't convict you.

Appearances alone do NOT dictate the truth. That's why we have a system that is supposed to operate in such a way as to protect people from those who judge on appearance or emotion. It doesn't work perfectly, but that system DOES deter vigilante stonings,...thank goodness!!!

[mopaul]

45. jeez the man's not being literally stoned, he's being tried

i'm not CONVICTING anyone, like i said above, i assume he's innocent until proven otherwise or vindicated by jury.

you can't judge a book by lookin' at the cover.

........willie dixon

[mondo joe]

82. But he hasn't BEEN convicted. He's being tried, not stoned.

[radwriter0555]

34. Would you let your 12 year old son sleep in the same bed as Michael

Jackson?

[mopaul]

36. no shit

i certainly wouldn't have.

hey mom, can i spend the weekend with a rock star? and can i sleep in the same bed with HIM too?

same planet, different worlds.

[Bluebear]

39. That's not pertinent though

A lot of celebrities have come forward and said yes, they would let their kids do exactly that.

He opened himself up to all this but I don't know that the facts have shown him guilty of molesting, though.

[mopaul]

42. he had his chance to change in 93, but flaunted it & now he's paying

[donheld]

77. Change what in 93?

Your assuming/declaring guilt in 93? :shrug:

[radwriter0555]

44. No no no, would YOU let YOUR sons sleep in the same bed? The

question is for YOU to answer honestly.

[Bluebear]

48. Honest answer

My dirst instinct is to say I wouldn't let my kids sleep in bed with any adult.

Then I think, would I let my kid sleep with my brother, his Uncle so-and-so, depending on circumstances? I dunno... I don't know the relationship these parents had with Jackson. I think he is a troubled man, but I don't know if he molested kids. I hope not.

[GreenArrow]

103. would you let your son spend a weekend at Neverland

Ranch?

Asuming Michael is found innocent, would your answer change?

My answers are no and no.

[Quixote1818]

46. I now think he is Innocent and he will get off

No pun intended their!!!!!

For a while I thought he might be guilty but now it seems the case against him is weak and the people bringing the charges are scum. I don't like MJ at all but I agree with you that he is an easy target. Hopefully justice will prevail.

[SammyWinstonJack]

47. It is disgusting!

I feel for him!

[mopaul]

49. if my hero Louie Armstrong had been accused of this, i'd be conflicted

but he wasn't. and if he had been, or convicted of same, i'd have lost a great deal, if not all respect for him, even though i've always loved his music and talent.

[Swamp Rat]

109. Louie Armstrong...

My hero. :hug:

[BattyDem]

52. Here's what I think ...

If a 44 year old man is sharing his bed with little boys who aren't his children, or at least, his relatives:

He may not be touching the boys while they're sleeping, but he's definitely touching himself while they're sleeping. I don't care how "innocent" and "childlike" he claims to be ... I don't care how screwed up his childhood was ... I don't care if he's a "real-life Peter Pan" ... it's not f*cking normal and I don't understand why the parents of these boys allowed it in the first place ... ESPECIALLY after Jackson was accused of child molestation in 1993! :shrug:

If all he wanted to do was innocently spend time with children, he could easily have done that ... WITHOUT sharing a bed with them. If his name wasn't Michael Jackson, every person currently defending him would be demanding that he be thrown in jail. And that's the point: if it's "sick" when the guy down the block does it, then it's sick when Michael Jackson does it.

JMHO

[Just Me]

55. In my former life as a child advocate,...

,...the VAST majority of sexual predators were either a blood relative, a family friend/acquaintence or a community authority figure.

I'm just sayin'

NONE of those sexual predators were anything like Michael Jackson.

I still say, he is being subjected to a modern day stoning,...based upon a vigilantism on appearance thingy,...which is inappropriate in a culture which is supposed to respect a system which treats innocent the accused and protects all of us from persecution.

[LisaL]

56. Oh geez! America's Most Wanted is looking for a guy

who would invite neighbors' kids over to play. He had build swings in his back yard and had video games inside his house. Now he is on the run and accused of molesting several of the kids. To say that Michael Jackson doesn't fit the profile of a child molester is bull.

[Just Me]

63. I am just telling you the facts, sister. MJ DON'T FIT THE "PROFILE".

He is WAY, WAY too open.

Now, you can believe what I am sharing with you or not. But, you talk to ANY experienced investigator or prosecutor of sexual predators and they will tell exactly what I have shared. I PROMISE!

[LisaL]

64. You promise what? Some pedophiles put pictures of their victims

on the internet, and yet you claim MJ is way too open? What kind of nonsense is that? If someone can abuse a child and then post the pictures of that child for everyone to see, they clearly open themselves up to the very real possibility of being found out. That doesn't stop them from sharing those pictures! Pedophiles do all kind of staff. They don't all hide what they do, as some like to brag about it!
:eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes:

[Just Me]

66. The point is: we have a process to protect people,...

,...from those who would appoint themselves prosecutor/judge/jury based upon personal (mostly emotional) perceptions.

'kay?

So, please, stop with the rolling eyes like you have been endowed with the capacity to sentence people based upon your perceptions or emotions. TRY being thankful there is a process that is created to pierce through human persecution and head somewhere towards the "truth",...'cause, someday, my dear, YOU may be the one being "judged" and/or persecuted.

Geez.

[LisaL]

67. Yea, we got a process-which is called a trial. And MJ got a

very good defense lawyer. So, the comments about him being stoned are completely out of whack. He seems to be getting the best defense money can buy.
As for me being judged and prosecuted, I am not the one taking little kids to my bed.

[donheld]

78. the comments about him being stoned are NOT completely out of whack

Is lawyers don't seem to do him much good with the media. That's why too many even here at DU already have him tried and ready for execution.

[mondo joe]

83. So now people judging his behavior is the fault of his attorneys?

Sheesh.

[donheld]

86. Sheesh nothing. I misspoke or you misread

"He has very good defense lawyer. So, the comments about him being stoned are completely out of whack." This is the sentence i was commenting on.

People judging his behavior is a result of the media. His lawyers, no matter how powerful, or how much they charge, are not capable of keeping his case from being tried by the media.

[mondo joe]

88. No, people judging his behavior is the result of HIS BEHAVIOR. Not the

media, and not his attorney's failure to control the media (which isn't their job to begin with).

[Eloriel]

91. I'll confirm what you said, except that MJ definitely DOES fit the

profile -- he makes himself a family friend. He lavishes gifts and perks on the parents/mother, they come and stay at Neverland too, they get to go on trips with him, etc.

His "openness" isn't a disqualifier in any way. He's also manipulative and trying to manipulate the facts and the sentiments -- "I can't think of anything more loving than sharing your bed with a chld." Ptooey, ptooey.

[LisaL]

92. He also loses interest in the boys after they turn 14.

I am sorry, but who is going to dump their friend because that friend turned a certain age?

[Marnieworld]

105. excellent point!

And where are all of the girls if it's just about children? He soooo fits the profile too. A pedophile with average means creates an environment favorable to children's interests, toys and games and such. MJ is the most sophisticated and successful of molesters. While ordinary ones have to go out looking for children he can order in. Neverland is just one giant trap.

FYI I looooooved Michael when I was a kid. My room was covered in posters. I had pins and books and all of that crap. But then I got older and realized that this child obsession is just plain disturbing. Many other people if not most had unhappy childhoods. Many child stars exist without the same child obsession. Jodie Foster for one was the coppertone baby. She has her own children now but no amusement park. Drew Barrymore? Shirley Temple? On and on it goes.

Where are all of the others? Well they had 5-7 kids and that's about 5-7 kids more than I or anyone I know would have against us. The stories told all fit the pattern. The actual children testifying are not unsavory characters. Once in 93,when it was misconstrued if he is innocent, he should have changed his behavior. He disagrees with our (society's notion) that grown men should not sleep in bed with children. Well he's entitled to his opinion but he is now paying the price.

If it looks like a duck, walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, my friends you got yourself a duck.

[BattyDem]

62. I understand that children are usually molested by relatives ...

but even so, it's not unsual for a parent or relative to innocently share a bed with a sick child, a child that had a nightmare, etc.

However ... for an adult to have a "sleepover" with a child is just plain weird and like I said, I don't understand why any parent in his/her right mind would allow it.

I don't have kids, but if I did and if an adult invited my child to a sleepover, I'd see red flags everywhere. Those boys weren't invited to spend time with his children or to sleep in their rooms, they were invited by him, to spend time with him and sleep in his room, in his BED. I'm sorry ... I don't care who he is ... that is not normal. At the very least, the man needs psychological help.

Having said that ... I do believe he deserves a fair trial and not a trial by media. Let the evidence speak for itself and if there's no case, he'll be fine. I HATE these damn "media trials" because the facts get lost in the commentary on both sides and that's not fair to anyone. :-(


But ... I STILL say that if all he wanted to do was innocently spend time with children, he could have done that WITHOUT sharing a bed with them.

[lilymercury]

57. Great points Batty! also..

if it was about "children", why aren't there girls involved in these "sleepovers'? It's the main reason I feel as if it is all suspicious. All the kids that love MJ, why weren't girls included?

I'm not convinced of his guilt or innocence, it's not for me to judge another.

[LisaL]

60. Would people buy it as easily if he was sleeping in the same

bed as 10-13 year old little girls?
I think not.
Not that he would want to, obviously.

[chlamor]

59. Food for Thought- Who's Tom Sneddon?

On the same day that the indictment was unsealed, there was another and far less public event unfolding, one that may have a future impact on the Jackson case. Serious allegations of a pattern of abuses among Santa Barbara law enforcement and the DA's office, including District Attorney Tom Sneddon, were made by Santa Barbara County dentist, Thambiah Sundaram, in an interview on Online Legal Review Talk Radio. Sneddon is the DA prosecuting the child-molestation case against Michael Jackson. In the interview, conducted by Ron Sweet, Sundaram stated that there was opposition to a non-profit medical clinic he operated.

Sundaram said that when city officials were unable to shut down his clinic, he was arrested on multiple counts, including impersonating a doctor, grand theft, and malicious mischief. Sundaram's wife was arrested, as well. An employee at the clinic was also charged, of committing a drive-by shooting. Neither Sundaram, his wife nor the employee were convicted. Sundaram said that he eventually won a judgment against Sneddon and the DA's office for a substantial, six-figure amount, for causes including conspiracy, false imprisonment, and other violations of his civil rights.

Sundaram's allegations against Sneddon were serious, in that he also claimed to have heard, first-hand, statements by Sneddon and others in the DA's office that suggest that Santa Barbara police persecution of innocent citizens is planned, common, and often racially motivated. Sundaram said that in 1994, he attended a fund-raising event with Tom Sneddon and other city officials, where ways to "get Michael Jackson out of the county" were discussed. Racist remarks were allegedly made on that occasion. According to Sundaram, other alleged vendettas were discussed as well, to the extent where he said it resembled a Mafia planning session.

<snip>

Sneddon had charged and prosecuted Dunlap on twenty-two counts. After being acquitted on all counts, Dunlap is currently suing Sneddon and others in the DA's office for $10 million for malicious prosecution, and multiple other alleged offenses, including civil rights violations. Dunlap said, ". . . I mean, it's one thing to be charged with one crime and have a trial and be acquitted on it, but the district attorney in Santa Barbara has a policy that if they throw enough charges against you, the jury is bound to convict you on something."

http://www.rawstory.com/exclusives/contributors/sneddon_allegations_michael_jackson.htm

[ultraist]

84. That just can't be!

"DA's office that suggest that Santa Barbara police persecution of innocent citizens is planned, common, and often racially motivated. "

We all KNOW that people of color are ALWAYS treated fairly in the Penal and Justice systems. :eyes:

Shhhhh...you might upset some people with such talk as "racially motivated."

[tyedyeto]

65. The REAL modern day stoning...

is taking place in countries such as...Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan, Iran. They stone people there every day for the slightest infraction, with real stones, not courts.

Michael's got it easy.

[XOKCowboy]

68. If his name was Joe Smith

he wouldn't make the news. I'm disgusted at the news coverage his trial is getting. It's another example of how misplaced people's priorities are.

Now what really disgusts me is that Brad and Jennifer have broken up! They were America's couple. (tongue planted firmly in cheek).

[OneBlueSky]

70. ouch! . . . you should know better, mopaul . . .

it's always Louis . . . and never the diminutive Louie . . .

only people who consider "Hello, Dolly" Pops' greatest work call him Louie (even though he tells them it's Louis right in the damn song!) . . .

people who are knocked on their asses by the opening bars of "West End Blues", on the other hand, know that it's always Louis . . .

btw, he's one of my heroes, too . . . without Louis Armstrong, American popular music over the past half century would have sounded a whole lot different . . . and a whole lot less interesting . . .

cheers . . . :)

[misanthrope]

95. Either one of you cats...

...read "What a Wonderful Life" yet? Pretty good bio that reveals Pops, warts and all.

I'd have to agree with Giddins, that Armstrong was "the American Bach."

[OneBlueSky]

96. got any more info on that? . . .

I've read three or four Armstrong bios, but I don't think any of them were by Giddins . . . did searches of amazon and my local library's database, and couldn't find that title . . . what am I missing? . . . :shrug:

[misanthrope]

107. Okay...

...the book I referenced isn't by Giddins. I heard him say that about Pops in a segment on the Ken Burns series.

The book, however, isn't immediately at hand. I can get it tomorrow and post an author's name and publication info below here.

[OneBlueSky]

108. thanks . . . I'd appreciate it . . . n/t

.

[misanthrope]

110. Here ya' go...

...I got the title wrong. It's "Louis Armstrong: An Extravagant Life" by Laurence Bergreen, published by Broadway Books in 1997. ISBN 0-553-06768-0 (hc)

[OneBlueSky]

116. that's one I haven't read yet . . . thanks . . . :) n/t

.

[donheld]

79. Yes it's a modern day stoning

that's all it is. :grr::banghead::mad::grr::banghead::mad::grr::banghead::mad::grr::banghead::mad:

[mondo joe]

80. I wish it were a stoning. But as is, this is a trial and he has a defense

team that is better funded than most any other, so he has a more than fair chance.

[Skip Intro]

81. oops

replied to wrong post

[ultraist]

85. I disagree

Racism crosses all economic lines. By your logic, only poor Blacks face discrimination.

[Skip Intro]

87. actually, I agree somewhat with you I thought I was replying to the OP

I don't know if there is a racial aspect to the "stoning," but I do think Original Post hit the nail on the head. Its a mob - type atmosphere and to watch it is sickening.

My gut says Jackson is the victim here. Whether is all racially motivated, that I don't know.

I did originally mean to post my "I Agree" post as a reply to the OP, not the post I accidently replied to.

[ultraist]

89. Oh!

Thanks for clarifying.

[Tinoire]

93. Totally agree. Have thought so for a long time.

The circus sickens me and I hope Michael can find some peace soon.

[lostnfound]

94. I think Michael Jackson IS an abused child, abused by pop culture

Right from the beginning, I had feelings of revulsion over the case: specifically, revolted remembering MJ as a very young child, thrown up on stage like an insect ready to be pinned to a mounting board for the entertainment of the masses.

Yes, his father is to blame for his youth. But our society lacks a sense of discretion towards the psychology of the individual.

Psychologically, he is broken. And it's pretty obvious that his own youth on stage as a megastar had a lot to do with it.

On edit: However, I have no opinion as to whether or not he is even technically guilty. Anything wouldn't surprise me, and I don't waste time following the case.

[mopaul]

99. woo woo, #100

[CWebster]

101. yes. nt

[Placebo]

112. Are you serious?

A bit odd? That's putting it nicely.

Weak? He's famous and rich...since when is that weak?

I say, he's a liar and a fraud, and an extremely sick individual.

[KittyWampus]

114. I Would Point Out That Using Children To Fulfill An Adult's Psychological

needs is a form of abuse.

Children are NOT props to be used in an adult's psychodrama.

Even if MJ didn't sexually abuse those kids... he was abusing them nonetheless.

[oasis]

115. "I will never put myself in this vulnerable position again" Jackson said

in a prepared press video just before paying off his first accuser. He continued to sleep with kids and put himself in that position once again.

:nopity: