Friday, June 26, 2009

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Ari Melber: Obama Courts Disaster With New Detention Plan Top
The Obama administration is rushing towards a unilateral plan to imprison people without trial, according to a huge, new joint article from the Washington Post and ProPublica. The proposal would completely cut Congress out of the process by using an executive order to essentially bring Gitmo stateside: The Obama administration, fearing a battle with Congress that could stall plans to close the U.S. prison at Guantanamo Bay, is drafting an executive order that would reassert presidential authority to incarcerate terrorism suspects indefinitely, according to three senior government officials with knowledge of White House deliberations. Such an order would embrace claims by former president George W. Bush that certain people can be detained without trial for long periods under the laws of war. Obama advisers are concerned that bypassing Congress could place the president on weaker footing before the courts and anger key supporters, the officials said. That is a terrible idea. For its part, the White House dispatched aides to push back. From the article: White House spokesman Ben LaBolt said there is no executive order and that the administration has not decided whether to issue one. But one administration official suggested that the White House was already trying to build support. After publication, another Obama official issued an odd denial to The Atlantic's Marc Ambinder : An administration official, speaking on the condition of anonymity , flatly denied the report to me. "There is no executive order. There just isn't one." (emphasis added) First, there is no legitimate reason for a government official to claim anonymity here. It simply echoes the official line from the article, which is likely to be Robert Gibbs' line when reporters press the issue in Monday's briefing. Second, the response is a classic dodge -- there is no executive order now, and no decision has been made. Of course, the article is not reporting that an order has already been issued. The news is that Obama officials are preparing to advance President Bush's Gitmo detention regime through a unilateral executive order soon, cutting out Congress, and thus any democratic accountability, while extending a controversial, unpopular policy. Even though Obama's National Archives speech asserted the importance of working with other branches of government. ("We must recognize that these detention policies cannot be unbounded," he said, "They can't be based simply on what I or the executive branch decide alone.") Even though the Bush administration already tried this unilateral tack, only to have its system invalidated by the Supreme Court precisely because Congress was shut out. ( Hamdan v. Rumsfeld .) And even though decades of legal precedent show, as Professor/President Obama knows, that the executive branch operates at the nadir of its constitutional power when acting without the cooperation of Congress, even in the national security arena. (A point most famously established for President Truman in the Youngstown case.) Obama's argument for preventive detention "violates basic American values and is likely unconstitutional," warned Sen. Russ Feingold in a recent letter to the President, cautioning that detention without trial "is a hallmark of abusive systems that we have historically criticized around the world." Advancing such a controversial precedent on American soil, without the participation of Congress or the American people, would be disastrous. --- Ari Melber writes for The Nation, where this post first appeared.
 
Josh Dorner: A Desperate Fili-Boehner to Stop Clean Energy Top
An embattled conservative minority that is out of ideas and beholden to Big Oil, Dirty Coal, and other polluters threw everything they had at the comprehensive clean energy jobs plan passed by the House of Representatives. But Minority Leader John Boehner sank to a new low in the clean energy debate -- even for himself. (At least he didn't start crying , as is his wont .) After hours of debate on the American Clean Energy & Security Act, all that was left before voting were the closing speeches by the Speaker and the Minority Leader. Boehner was yielded two and half minutes and then proceeded to speak for...more than an hour. Only in the alternate universe known as the U.S. Congress can one minute be an endless amount of time. Boehner's soliloquy, in which he made good on a tweet to read much of the 300-page manager's amendment to the bill approved last night, was the last, desperate act of a conservative minority bereft of ideas and solutions. Knowing that he didn't have the votes to stop the clean energy jobs bill, Boehner instead turned to a tactic familiar those who want stand in the way of progress--delay. Boehner took advantage of an obscure House rule allowing just three Members--the Speaker, the Majority Leader, and the Minority Leader--unlimited time. This was of course the same sad tactic that backfired on the Senate GOP leadership during last year's climate debate. Oh yeah, and those folks that wanted to stop the civil rights movement. (And here you thought we only had to worry about filibusters in the Senate!) Always a model of grace, Speaker Nancy Pelosi rose to speak after Boehner finally yielded the floor. After more than an hour of delay, she reserved most of her speech for entry into the Congressional Record alone, save this reminder: "Just remember the four words on what this legislation means - jobs, jobs, jobs, and jobs." In any case, Boehner's hour of childish rambling merely delayed a successful result and the House went on to pass the first comprehensive clean energy and climate plan on a vote of 219-212 ! For those who missed today's often inane debate. Our friends at Progressive Media put together a short video of today's greatest hits (and greatest misses). Watch it:
 
Chris Weigant: Friday Talking Points [83] -- Dan Froomkin's Final WashingtonPost.com Column Top
It's been a crazy rollercoaster of a week, and at the end of it, California can proudly state that not only do we no longer have the most embarrassing governor in the country, we are not even in the top three anymore! With the antics of Rod Blagojevich, Eliot Spitzer, and (now) Mark Sanford, we've slipped into fourth place in the state comedians look to for jokes. Or course, some might argue that Spitzer doesn't belong in that category since he's no longer governor of New York, but then the guy who replaced him started his term by admitting his own bedroom wandering, so I'm still going to include New York. Speaking of New York craziness, Albany appears to be mired in a schoolyard spat of its own, as duelling senates tried to hold two independent sessions (one Republican-led, one Democratically-led, both with gavels) -- from the same room . You just can't make this stuff up, folks. But back to Sanford's problems for a moment, because Salon's War Room gave their Quote Of The Day to anti-tax crusader Grover Norquist for his take on Sanford's affair , which simply must be reproduced here for your enjoyment: "It does indicate that men who oppose federal spending at the local level are irresistible to women." Um, OK. In other news, Rhode Island is getting a lot closer to changing their name. A bit of trivia: the smallest state in the Union has the longest official name. "The State Of Rhode Island And Providence Plantations" has always been their official name, but now a movement is on to pare this back to "The State Of Rhode Island" instead. Trivia fans everywhere await the outcome with bated breath. But there was also sadness this week, and I'm not talking about the deaths of entertainment icons from the 1970s. I am talking about the WashingtonPost.com website, which has booted out one of the best bloggers on the web. Dan Froomkin's "White House Watch" column today will be the last one that appears on WashingtonPost.com. Froomkin has expressed interest in possibly moving the column elsewhere and continuing it, and I consider this a test of whether newspapers are (a.) smart enough to realize this is the way to modernize and move into the future of journalism, or (b.) dumb as a bag of hammers. WashingtonPost.com has obviously chosen the (b.) route. Because Froomkin's column is a shining example of how newspapers could migrate from their print business model to the more interactive web-based model they need to be in to survive. Froomkin was fired, it was announced, because his "ratings" had dropped after Obama was elected. This is utter hogwash. In the first place, his column "White House Watch" (it started as "White House Briefing" but was changed later) was dedicated to putting the executive branch under a microscope and reporting what was there. Of course, the Bush White House was more fertile ground for this, especially towards the end. But Froomkin did not back off from examining Obama's White House, and has been severely critical of Obama's decisions on secrecy and openness and torture and accountability. The real reason his numbers dropped is that the editors stopped putting a link to his column on their front page. When Froomkin got progressively harder and harder to find, fewer and fewer people found him. In other words, his ratings dropped because they didn't feature him as prominently anymore. This is the new online reality -- your hit count depends on a link on the front page of the site. The more prominent, the higher your hitcount will be. But dark suspicions have been raised (mostly by his loyal readers) that Froomkin was fired because he dared to contradict one of the very conservative op-ed writers on the Washington Post payroll (the two entities, Washington Post and WashingtonPost.com are supposedly "separate," I should mention). The Washington Post has become a safe haven for such ultra-conservative commentators (they not only have an ex-Bush speechwriter, but they also hired William Kristol after the New York Times got tired of him being so wrong so often). So, in keeping with this conservative bent, Froomkin had to go. This is pathetic and is an outrage. Anyone who agrees should contact the ombudsman at: ombudsman@washpost.com and let him know how you feel. What is truly pathetic is that the newspaper which a few decades ago brought down an American president is now not even worth reading anymore, because the only thing in it that isn't the equivalent of Fox News is their cartoonist Tom Toles (who is excellent). A bastion of journalism has, quite literally (at least for me) been reduced to a cartoon. Pathetic. Let's see... bring down a government, sell lots of newspapers... pack the staff with neo-cons in possibly the most liberal city in America, get ready for bankruptcy. No wonder newspapers are in such trouble, if this is the way they plan their business models. Anyway, I encourage everyone to read Dan's last column , because come Monday it'll just be an online memory.   Thankfully, we have quite a few impressive Democrats to choose from this week, which means a lot of Honorable Mentions before we get to the main event, awarding the Most Impressive Democrat Of The Week award. The first Honorable Mention goes to President Obama, for continuing the full-court press on healthcare reform. Obama gave his monthly press conference this week, and strongly defended the concept of a public option in the healthcare debate (no matter what you may have heard in the mainstream media). Then he went on ABC and did a primetime show to drum up further support for his ideas. Obama, it seems to me, has not fully reached his potential in the "bully pulpit" category, but he got a lot closer to that goal this week, and for that he deserves a nod. Also deserving of a nod, although it can be written off as sheer opportunism (for the cynical), is newly-Democratic Senator Arlen Specter, who came out strongly for a public plan in the health insurance debate (not surprisingly) in front of a union crowd. Hey, he may just be trying to hold onto his job, but his support is duly noted nonetheless. It's more than some Democrats can say at this point (more on that in the next section). Senator Charles Schumer has hit his stride as well in the healthcare debate, and for strongly standing up for the public option, Schumer deserves an Honorable Mention as well this week. And, as a surprise for regular readers of this column, I also have to give credit to Majority Leader Harry Reid for saying in his weekly press conference what many Democratic groups have been waiting to hear -- that "bipartisanship" (when it comes to healthcare reform in the Senate) -- at best -- is going to mean "three or four" Republicans vote with Democrats on the issue. Here's his quote: We want to do a bipartisan bill. That's not saying we need half the caucus to come with us. We need about three or four Republican senators to join with us to have a bipartisan bill. That's what we would like. That's my preference. And we're going to continue working on that. I just completed a very, very informative, important caucus. We spent a lot of our time talking about health care. And there was not a single senator said, "Forget working with these clowns, let's just go ahead and go to the reconciliation." Everyone there, liberals, moderates, conservatives in my caucus, said, "Let's try to come up with a bipartisan bill." We're going to continue to go down that road. . . . But remember -- and I don't want to bore everyone with this -- but we have accomplished a great deal. Pundits have said we've accomplished more this first five months than any first-year Congress since Roosevelt -- FDR. We've done some very difficult things, complicated things. And with each one of them, we've need -- we've needed Republican support. We haven't gotten much, but we've gotten enough to get them passed. And that's how I look at this health-care bill. This is actually a pretty bold stance to take, when you consider the wet-noodle-instead-of-a-backbone stance other powerful Democrats have been taking (again, see the next section for details). This is a reversal of the normal state of affairs, since Reid's backbone isn't normally associated with the word "strong," but I do have to give credit where credit has been earned, so Reid wins at least an Honorable Mention this week for (realistically) setting the "bipartisan" bar so low, which should end all that crazy talk about a bill passing with 70 or 80 votes in the Senate (which just ain't gonna happen). Reid also beat back a filibuster attempt this week to get an Obama nominee confirmed, further evidence of spinal growth in the Senate Majority Leader. But the real Most Impressive Democrat Of The Week award goes to the people on the front lines of this fight -- the issues advocacy groups who have been putting their money where their convictions are, and have been advertising directly against Democrats (so-called "Democratic" senators in particular) who have come out publicly against the public option. These groups are numerous, and they've all been busy this week. Health Care for America Now! (HCAN) is not only running ads targeting wavering Democrats (whose campaign war chests are suspiciously stuffed with healthcare industry contributions), but also held a rally yesterday on Capitol Hill. Of course, with Michael Jackson and Farrah Fawcett dying on the same day, it didn't even register on the mainstream media's radar, but I mention it because there's one more Democrat who deserves an Honorable Mention for showing up and talking to the crowd -- Ohio's Senator Sherrod Brown. Here is Brown from the rally : "The goal is not to write a bipartisan bill. The goal is to write a good bill." But HCAN will have to share the MIDOTW award with MoveOn.org , Change Congress , the Progressive Change Campaign Committee , and the Service Employees International Union (SEIU). MoveOn and Change Congress are both out with their own ads targeting weak Democrats on healthcare reform, and SEIU is working the phones randomly calling Californians to urge them to let Dianne Feinstein know that her recent remarks were not appreciated (details of all of this stuff are in the next section, by the way). I know SEIU is doing this because I was randomly called myself while writing this today. These groups, and others like them (apologies to any I've missed), are out there in the trenches in the healthcare reform battle. They are raising money and spending it wisely . They are making their voices be heard . Their goal is to put the fear of angry voters in Democrats who take millions from the healthcare industry in order to kill off reform. This is democracy, folks, and sometimes it ain't pretty. The GOP, with millions from people fighting for the status quo, are unleashing their own ads . Which means, like I said, the liberal groups are all out on the front lines fiercely fighting for what they believe is right. Since Democrats in Congress have been rather slow to jump into this battle (or have even jumped in on the wrong side), they deserve commendation, and they all have more than earned their Most Impressive Democrat Of The Week award.   I warn you, this is going to be a longer section than usual. Because, sadly, there's a lot of disappointment to be spread around. It seems that Joe Conason has done my work for me this week. Because I really can't add much to his recent column "The Sickening Addiction That May Kill Reform" , where he talks about the relationship of Democratic senators opposing a public option to their millions of dollars of campaign contributions from the healthcare industry. He opens his column thusly: If Congress fails to enact health care reform this year -- or if it enacts a sham reform designed to bail out corporate medicine while excluding the "public option" -- then the public will rightly blame Democrats, who have no excuse for failure except their own cowardice and corruption. The punishment inflicted by angry voters is likely to be reduced majorities in both the Senate and the House of Representatives -- or even the restoration of Republican rule on Capitol Hill. Pretty strong words, and he ends with even stronger: The excuses sound different, but all of these lawmakers have something in common -- namely, their abject dependence on campaign contributions from the insurance and pharmaceutical corporations fighting against real reform. Consider [Mary] Landrieu, a senator from a very poor state whose working-class constituents badly need universal coverage (and many of whom now depend on Medicare, a popular government program). According to the Center for Responsive Politics, a nonpartisan watchdog outfit, she has received nearly $1.7 million from corporate medical interests, including hospitals, insurance companies, nursing homes and drug firms, during the course of her political career. The same kind of depressing figures can be found in the campaign filings of many of the Democrats now posing as obstacles to reform, notably including Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont., the chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, who has distinguished himself in the most appalling way. The Montana Standard, a news outlet in his home state, found that Baucus has received more campaign money from health and insurance industry donors than any other single member of Congress. "In the past six years," the Standard found, "nearly one-fourth of every dime raised by the Montana senator and his political-action committee has come from groups and individuals associated with drug companies, insurers, hospitals, medical-supply firms, health-service companies and other health professionals." Whenever Democratic politicians are confronted with this conflict between the public interest and their private fund-raising, they take offense at the implied insult. They protest, as a spokesman for Sen. Landrieu did, that they make policy decisions based on what is best for the people of their states, "not campaign contributions." But when health reform fails -- or turns into a trough for their contributors, who
 
Scott Foval: $100,000 and Springfield Dropped the Ball Top
I was appalled to learn the Illinois General Assembly had adjourned without a budget bill. Governor Quinn and state legislators just couldn't come to to the table and at least halt the bleeding. At a reported $100,000.00, they all showed up for a special session to do nothing, and meanwhile the people suffer. Cuts are coming, a train wreck is just about to hit, and our state officials took a two-day trip to Springfield just to sit there and do nothing. Whether the hole is $9 billion or some other number is not the issue. Whether Gov. Quinn and Senate President John Cullerton are having a disagreement over recall legislation isn't the issue, either. The issue is that what is best for the people of Illinois is being ignored, again. Unfortunately it seems to be more important to pontificate about whose fault it is, who is running for governor or U.S. Senate next year, who's marching at what parade, and who's got the next bead on the next political rally than it is to actually govern. We have no idea where or when this is going to be resolved. Meanwhile, millions of dollars in Ill. Dept. of Human Services programs sit on the chopping block. Line items directed at cutting HIV/AIDS programs, drug treatment, food for the hungry and emergency intervention services for the homeless also are pending. Finally, literally billions of dollars in stimulus program money may be in jeopardy, again, simply because the governor and the General Assembly still can't come to figure out a solution. Early reports are that Gov. Quinn and the rest of the Democratic majority in Springfield has one set of numbers (around $9.2 billion in the hole) and Republican Gubernatorial aspirant State Sen. Matt Murphy claims to have another ... and a solution. Of course both camps are positioning this budget fight about who's going to be in the governor's mansion while Illinois' dependent citizens and the rest of us suffer. It seems that the only person in Springfield who doesn't have his head in politicoville is State Comptroller Dan Hynes. According to Tuesday's Chicago Tribune , Hynes is reportedly proposing a 60-day spending plan coupled with state agency disciplinary policies that could align the budget into something the Guv and the Assembly might be able to see eye-to-eye on long term. Of course, neither Quinn nor Cullerton are budging, or jumping behind Hynes' plan -- the only reasonable option that has been proposed in any real detail. Why? Well it's simple, really. Neither the governor nor the members of the General Assembly want to go on the record to cut programs, pass ethics reform, reel in campaign contributions or curb spending. None of them wants to be seen as doing anything that would be seen as hurting someone. The problem with that attitude, of course, is that we put them there to take action, and have the intestinal fortitude to actually make some decisions. It is common sense not to target these programmatic cuts at the poor, and liberals will scream bloody murder if it happens (and it might). On the other side, the endlessly pro-business Republican troops led by State Sen. Christine Radogno claim Illinois will continue to lose jobs and businesses if Illinois raises any taxes or fees or passes any sort of perceived anti-business measure. So who's right? First and foremost, Hynes. He is the only executive in the state who is proposing a solution. Both sides need to strap on a pair and get in line behind his simple first-step plan. Otherwise we're going to be in the middle of that aforementioned train wreck before the end of July. More on HIV/AIDS
 
Ed Martin: Michael Jackson and Farrah Fawcett: How They Changed Television Top
The not-unexpected passing of Farrah Fawcett and the shocking sudden death of Michael Jackson on Thursday stir all kinds of emotional responses - among them wistful nostalgia for those decades in which they both became pop-culture icons. Those were the days - when talented people worked for years to become "overnight" sensations without the instant celebrity options of the digital era. I think it's fair to say that many of the young personalities who dominate movies, music and television today would never have enjoyed such success without benefit of the Internet. Fawcett and Jackson rose to the top and achieved legendary success the old-fashioned way. They earned it one performance at a time. Both were plagued by ugly rumors and outsize scandals throughout their too-brief lives. I'll leave all that for eager bloggers and tabloid reporters to gobble up and regurgitate for public consumption, though I would like to see more seasoned journalists respectfully dig in to the details of Fawcett's and Jackson's recent medical histories. True, there are privacy issues at play, but Jackson famously loved the spotlight and Fawcett starred in a 2005 reality series that chronicled the intimate details of her life, so there is wiggle room here. I suspect there is valuable information to be gleaned from the challenges they faced and perhaps a painful lesson or two to be learned beyond the details revealed in the filmed documentation of Fawcett's cancer ordeal and the outcome of Jackson's autopsy report. Much is being said (over and over again) about their contributions to popular culture, but through it all I find myself focusing in on the specific impacts Fawcett and Jackson had on television. Fawcett's series, Charlie's Angels , on which she starred for only one season (with several guest appearances in its second year), was a major component of ABC's legendary ascendency to the most powerful and influential broadcast network in the mid-late Seventies (when there were only three). Along with Happy Days , Laverne & Shirley and Three's Company , Charlie's Angels did much to tear the media spotlight (and millions of viewers) away from CBS, the home for much of that decade of such first-class fare as All in the Family , The Mary Tyler Moore Show, The Carol Burnett Show, The Bob Newhart Show, Rhoda, Maude, The Waltons and M*A*S*H . Under the direction of network president Fred Silverman (who moved to over ABC from CBS in 1975), the Alphabet Net was suddenly the place to be, and the spectacularly appealing Fawcett (her image frozen forever in time on her iconic poster) had much to do with that. After she left Charlie's Angels , Fawcett went on to star in many of the best television movies of the period. Similarly, Jackson - already a household name as the youngest member of the Jackson 5 -- helped propel MTV into the pop-culture pantheon the early Eighties. MTV energized television during the early years of cable, but Jackson super-charged the new medium with a series of dazzling music videos, then an exciting new art form. (On a broader scale, music videos changed everything about television, from children's programming to prime time content to commercials.) That was the time when young people would leave their cable boxes on MTV waiting for their favorite videos, just as their parents had left their radios tuned to certain stations waiting for their favorite songs. Jackson's videos were on everyone's must-see list, and all activity often halted in a room when one of them came on. The debut on MTV in December, 1983 of Jackson's 14-minute long Thriller video - still widely praised as the best music video ever -- was one of those television events people anticipated for weeks and gathered together to enjoy. Also in 1983, millions of television viewers went wild when Jackson moon-walked across the stage of Radio City Music Hall during NBC's telecast of Motown's 25th Anniversary Special . That performance still turns up on lists of the most memorable moments in television history. Appearances by and interviews with Jackson (especially interviews in which Jackson addressed issues involving his personal life) would continue to command huge television audiences for another 25 years. I saw Fawcett in the 1985 Off-Broadway production of Extremities in which she played a woman who captured and tormented a man who attacked her. She was galvanizing and received a standing ovation at the end of the show. (This was many years before New York theater audiences began routinely giving standing ovations to the casts of virtually every successful play, especially those with celebrities in the lead roles.) I expected to see her six years later during the January 1991 Television Critics Association tour on behalf of the midseason CBS sitcom Good Sports , in which she co-starred with longtime companion Ryan O'Neal. Strangely, there was no session scheduled for that program, this at a time when networks made every effort to include all new programs and most returning shows during their TCA days. When I asked various publicists and executives who were associated with the show why Fawcett and O'Neal weren't in attendance they responded with eye-rolls, shoulder shrugs and/or shudders. No words were spoken and no explanations given. Fourteen years later I attended TV Land's TCA session for the reality series Chasing Farrah , and Fawcett's appearance was a highlight of that tour. She seemed a bit off that day. We were told she had a cold. Regardless, it was a thrill to be in the same space with an icon from my youth and one of the stars of one of the most powerful pieces of theater I had ever seen. I never had the opportunity to see Jackson perform live, but I was sitting in the front center orchestra at the 2004 MTV Video Music Awards at Radio City when Jackson opened the show with his wife Lisa Marie Presley. I don't know how it played on television, but their passionate kiss - intended to prove that their marriage was not a sham, as had been rumored in the press -- made the crowd around me decidedly uneasy. As with my Fawcett experience in 2005, it didn't matter to me. All I cared about was that I was watching the King of Pop in what turned out to be one of the countless unforgettable moments in entertainment history for which he would be responsible. To communicate with or to be contacted by the executives and/or companies mentioned in this column, link to the JackMyers Connection Hotline . This post originally appeared at JackMyers.com. More on Michael Jackson
 
Rep. Jack Franks: Now is the Time for Quinn to Lead Top
As chairman of the State Government Administration Committee in the Illinois House of Representatives, I became an early and vocal critic of former Governor Blagojevich's handling of state contracts and the operations of state government. I held hearings on a myriad of questionable deals and alerted the people and the media to the outrageous and sometimes illegal actions of the Blagojevich administration. It was a "my way or the highway" approach to governing that Blagojevich used in an attempt to bully the legislature to his will. And it failed miserably. Thankfully, he was removed from office, but unfortunately Team Blagojevich was not, and so Illinois finds itself on the brink of a man-made disaster - its abysmal fiscal condition coupled with a lack of a plan for balancing our state budget. The same team that created programs that the legislature never approved is now pushing Governor Quinn to continue funding these programs. Twenty-one weeks ago, when Governor Quinn took office, I had high hopes that the promised fumigation of state government would lead to a new governing style in Springfield. And in some ways it has. To be sure, Governor Quinn is more engaged at a personal level, but he has failed to show the bold leadership required at this critical juncture in our history. The same managers who drove our state into this fiscal catastrophe continue to control the levers of power. Bullying the legislature into huge tax increases will not work. The Governor shamefully scares families throughout the state with draconian cuts which he sometimes admits he won't actually make. Regrettably, he's using these families in an attempt to bend legislators to his will without working toward the real structural reforms I and so many of my colleagues on both sides of the aisle require in exchange for any tax increase. As we left Springfield this week, the Governor refused to commit to signing the capital construction/jobs bill, which only 12 short weeks ago he claimed to be vital to the economic future of Illinois. Instead he's chosen to hold the working families of Illinois hostage by refusing to commit to signing the bill. The Governor falsely claimed yesterday that the Executive Branch should not comment on a piece of legislation until it reaches his desk. His claim is absolutely ridiculous. Each day, the Governor's office and his agencies take positions on all sorts of bills. He's cynically counting on citizens' lack of knowledge of the process to delay the capital program until he gets his way on a blank check tax increase. Governor, stop obfuscating, get prepared and lead. That means an examination of every expenditure, deep cuts, real sacrifice and, yes, maybe even a tax increase -- but not without deep cuts. The opportunity for a historical change in Illinois exists for a few more short weeks. Please seize the moment, Governor Quinn. Now is your time to lead.
 
Marcia G. Yerman: Michael Jackson & the Media (Hello! What Happened to Iran?) Top
We are now in the second day of the Michael Jackson story. I was on the phone with a friend when she broke the news to me. She had seen it via her computer, before any of the television outlets had the story. It was a surprise. It was almost bizarre, coming on the same day as the death of Farrah Fawcett. Two pop icons, representing different things to a range of people, dying within a 24-hour period. I put on MSNBC, and watched as a crowd gathered outside the hospital where Jackson had been taken. At 7 pm, I expected that the usual news line-up would resume, and I would learn about the latest developments in Iran. It wasn't happening. Keith Olbermann was anchoring the "breaking story." There were moments of insight, as when he interviewed writer Maureen Orth, who had profiled Jackson for Vanity Fair . Unfortunately, that was interrupted by a cut-away to a (non) press conference at the "scene," where a police chief informed the waiting reporters he had no comment for the press. My phone kept ringing with calls asking me if I had heard the news. It felt similar to Elvis, but nothing like the shock of John Lennon's assassination. I checked Twitter, to see if I were the only person wondering where all the other news stories had gone. The bird was pooped, exhausted from too many Tweets. When I went back later, I was able to get on, and found a few kindred souls lamenting the media situation. One had sent a message out to followers in Iran, asking them to hold on while the United Sates went through the Jackson news cycle. Everybody has weighed in on Jackson's death, from Cher on the Larry King show to Christine Hefner and Al Sharpton on MSNBC. This morning, the live coverage of the President's news conference with German Chancellor Merkel felt like it was squeezed in, between a further dissection of the Jackson persona - ranging from references to him as a Mozartian genius to a suspected pedophile. There is no doubt that Jackson had a tremendous impact on popular culture, especially in uniting music listeners of all races in a way that we now take for granted. His talent is undisputed. However, the watershed image of loss for me of the past week was not the "King of Pop," with his unique musical skills, wonderful dancing, and gloved hand. It was the picture of Neda Agha Soltan looking squarely into the camera, for what may have been a passport photo. Technorati Profile More on Michael Jackson
 
Don McNay: Michael Jackson, Elvis and Professional Hangers On. Top
They'll Kick You, Then They Beat You, Then They'll Tell You It's Fair So Beat It -Michael Jackson Michael Jackson and Elvis died too young. They had the same handicap that many people with money acquire, the entourage. Professional athletes call it "the posse." Many who come up from poverty attract the posse of hangers on and yes men. The gang hangs on until the money runs out and then latches on to another marker. I've never understood what kind of person would be a professional hanger on but there seems to be an unending string of applicants. Even before the bad economy. Michael Jackson was a unique situation. He was a child star who turned adult mega star. There was never a moment in his life where he didn't attract a large entourage. I wonder how many in the posse were looking out for him and how many were looking to line their own pockets. Jackson was rumored to be deep in debt. That should not have happened to a man who made hundreds of millions. Jackson didn't need a posse. He needed someone to advise him and occasionally tell him no. The "posse syndrome" is not limited to the rich and famous. It happens to anyone who gets a large sum of money. I've spent my adult life working with injury victims and lottery winners who come into sudden money. They frequently develop a "sudden posse." As an advisor, the posse is a difficult army to fight. Especially if one of the posse members hints of "romance." I tell my sudden millionaires that they just became the hottest item in their city. Some people understand and ward off the money grubbers. Others are like West Virginia Powerball winner Jack Whitaker. He was robbed of $600,000 in cash that he brought to a strip club. I'm sorry about Michael Jackson. He and I are the same age and it seems like he was always connected to my life. Just like Elvis was for my mother's generation. I'm not sure how Jackson died but there will be those who point to his entourage as a contributing factor, like they did with Elvis. Elvis and Michael were adult men who made adult decisions. I wish the "posse" was not one of them. Don McNay, CLU, ChFC, MSFS, CSSC is the founder of McNay Settlement Group, a structured settlement and financial consulting firm, in Richmond, Kentucky. He is the author of Son of a Son of a Gambler: Winners, Losers and What to Do When You When The Lottery. You can write to Don at don@donmcnay.com or read his award winning column at www.donmcnay.com. He is a frequent guest on television and radio talk shows. McNay is a lifetime member of the Million Dollar Round Table. More on Michael Jackson
 
City To Use Parking Meter Money To Help Plug Budget Deficit Top
The Daley administration will have to further dip into proceeds from the city's much-maligned parking meter lease to cover a budget shortfall that could soar as high as $300 million before the year's out, city officials said today.
 
Lisa Marie Presley: Michael Spoke Of Death, Our Marriage Was Real, I Wanted To Save Him Top
Presley, who vehemently denies claims that their marriage was "a sham," describes their marriage as "unusual." "I do believe he loved me as much as he could love anyone and I loved him very much," she writes of their 20 month union. (The two wed in the Dominican Republic in May 1994 and divorced in Jan. 1996.) But Presley now writes that the relationship was too emotionally taxing. "I became very ill and emotionally/spiritually exhausted in my quest to save him from certain self-destructive behavior and from the awful vampires and leeches he would always manage to magnetize around him," she writes. "I was in over my head while trying." More on Michael Jackson
 
Faisal J. Abbas: Michael Jackson... The Man Who Rocked The Desert Top
A parallel stream of many Michael Jackson related memories ran through my mind as I witnessed the ongoing influx of news-reports which marked the death of one of the world's biggest entertainers. Of course, I instantly realized that this was probably the case with millions of people around the world... As condolence messages began pouring in the forms of texts, emails and 'status updates' to major news channels and websites from all four corners of the world. Clearly, the Middle East was no exception... It was so interesting to monitor the comments of all my Facebook and Twitter friends... People who I have known, lived, studied or worked with across the Arab world and beyond. Jackson was, without question, truly universal in the sense that he broke all barriers of culture, language and geography; people hummed his songs from the US to Japan no matter what their native tongue was. I still remember that all along the 80's and early 90's, Saudi record stores (including the then popular "Billboard's" and "Stallions" outlets) didn't sell (in public that is) any Michael Jackson material, claiming that his albums were banned in the country (many claimed he made anti-Arab statements, but these were never proven and MJ himself appeared on Arab channel, MBC, in the mid-90s and declared his love for his fans in the region). Yet, in secret, there was no question that the King of Pop rocked the place... His music was still made available through the black-market, through friends of friends and VHS recordings of MTV, which were exchanged and sold extensively (this was of course, long before the introduction of satellite television, while the idea of internet downloads was probably still not conceived at the time). Even in countries where there was no such ban, such as in Lebanon or Egypt, the mere mention of The King of Pop's name was frowned upon in most social circles (this was years before his child molestation charges, which made those circles much bigger and perhaps more understandable); many of 'the elders' were worried that listening to Jacko would corrupt morals and turn their kids to Wackos... Yet the youth didn't care. Those days witnessed the glorious era for both 'brand America' and the up and coming youngsters in the Middle East. Michael Jackson was the biggest icon in that inspirational era, where many people were still very much impressed with everything that came from the US (though they may have not admitted in public). Back then, long before the Iraq War and George W. Bush became President, American goods were just too good to resist. Calls for boycott for political/religious reasons were minimal. In film, you had The Terminator and Rocky Balboa; in music there was MJ, Madonna, then MC Hammer, Snoop and many others. When it came to fast-food, there was KFC, Hardee's then Pizza Hut and McDonald's. While other iconic symbols obviously included Levi's jeans and 'Hulk Hogan' of the World Wrestling Federation (now known as WWE). Yet, Michael Jackson's music seemed to be the stand out on its own... Unlike most of the other examples, it continuously defied the marketing concept of the 'product lifecycle'. Even today, it just wouldn't die, as many people still listen to it and enjoy it. On Facebook, my school colleague Fahad, who now lives in the US, mentioned that he is remembering when he used to practice the Moonwalk in front of the mirror as a kid, while Sami -- a friend who left us years ago to go study and work in the US, but now is back in Saudi Arabia, immediately began posting clips of his favorite music videos, such as '"Smooth Criminal" and "Bad." However, just as I was wondering if I could find any negative comments regarding the incident, a friend of mine called me from Dubai complaining about all the hype Jackson's death is getting; he is arguing that the man wasn't a Princess Diana socially, or even a Bob Marley musically. Nevertheless, he uses a statement which I immediately recognized as the 'punch line' I was looking for, he said: "Despite everything, I have to admit that Michael Jackson's music was the soundtrack of our generation's life". A Yemeni performing Bille Jean with a local twist -- video available from YouTube. Perhaps this video of a young Yemeni dancing to Billie Jean in a way that mixes the local fighting techniques of using a 'Khangar' (tradtional Yemeni dagger) with the twists and turns of the King of Pop, would demonstrate just how much this man has managed to rock the desert. More on Michael Jackson
 
Kids Make Up Over Half Of Illinois' 2,875 Swine Flu Cases, 2 New H1N1 Deaths Announced Top
CHICAGO (AP) -- Nearly 70 percent of the Illinois residents who've fallen ill with swine flu have been children and young adults - a pattern seen elsewhere as the global epidemic continues. The number of Illinois swine flu cases, while slowing, has climbed to more than 2,800 since late April, according to an updated tally released Friday. There have been 12 deaths in the state from the new virus. Most of the fatalities have been in adults, suggesting swine flu is more dangerous to older people. It's likely new diagnoses will be made through the summer, said Illinois Department of Public Health spokeswoman Kelly Jakubek. The new flu strain is acting differently than seasonal flu by affecting mostly younger people and lasting later into the year, Jakubek said. "Typically, seasonal flu is less likely to be reported during summer months, which can be a result of the weather improving and children being out of school," Jakubek said. The new tally of 2,875 probable and confirmed cases is about 350 more than the previous week. In contrast, the number had increased by more than 500 cases last week. The Chicago Department of Public Health reported two new swine flu deaths Friday. A 54-year-old woman was hospitalized June 2 and died June 10. A 47-year-old woman was hospitalized June 20 and died June 23. The older woman had other known medical problems, but the younger woman did not. Chicago has seen more than 1,000 diagnosed cases of swine flu and the city's health officials said there are probably many more undiagnosed cases. Swine flu has been concentrated in Chicago and its surrounding suburbs. But 28 counties have had at least one case. Statewide, 295 cases have been diagnosed in children age 4 and younger. Another 1,680 cases have been among children and young adults, ages 5 through 24. Seven of the state's 12 deaths have been in people 25 and older. -ASSOCIATED PRESS More on Swine Flu
 
Disgrasian: People Who Suck at Math (Ahem, Iran Election Riggers) Top
Two interesting stories surfaced this week about people who suck at math. The first had to with an American Institutes for Research report that's created a new international grading index to compare state and national math scores with those of other countries. And guess what? The U.S. sucks at math , earning a C+ overall and coming in 12th in the world. Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan, and Japan scored the highest in that order. (Dude. Even Kazakhstan and Latvia punked us.) But whatever, the U.S. lagging behind Asian countries in math is not really news, right? The other story about people sucking at math that's a bit more surprising has to do with the Iran election. First came the report from British think tank , Chatham House, which showed that Ahmadinejad received 13 million more votes than he and other conservatives got in 2005, an unlikely occurrence considering his waning popularity. They also found that in two provinces, Mazandaran and Yazd, turnout was more than 100 percent. Then Bernd Beber and Alexandra Scacco, two Ph.D. candidates in political science at Columbia, performed their own mathematical experiment , publishing their results in a Washington Post op/ed. Beber and Scacco looked at "digit frequencies" in the vote counts--when numbers recur at certain rates it suggests human tampering--to come up with a statistical probability that the election was fair. And, according to their findings, the probability that the election was fair came out to .005 percent . What does all this mean? The Iranian election riggers--Ahmadinejad & Co.--really really really suck at math. But perhaps what makes them even stupider is that they didn't have the good sense to outsource that numbers-tampering shit to people who don't suck at math. To people, say, in Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan, or Japan (duh!). [ AP: Analysis casts doubts on Ahmadinejad's victory ] [ Washington Post: The Devil Is in the Digits ] More on Iranian Election
 
Andrea Chalupa: Michael Jackson through the eyes of his first biographer, Nelson George Top
Nelson George, Grammy Award winner, filmmaker and author of just-out City Kid: A Writer's Memoir of Ghetto Life and Post Soul Success and over a dozen other books, was the writer in the hip-hop movement and came out of Ft. Greene, Brooklyn with Spike Lee--helping fund his first feature-length film, "She's Gotta Have It" --and many other artists of that time and place. Nelson also mentored a persistent young comedian, named Chris Rock, and used to love hearing newcomer Erykah Badu perform in his neighborhood. Today I got an email with Nelson's moving take on Michael Jackson's death and I'm posting it here with permission. Orson Wells' rich, brilliant & ultimately doomed character Charles Foster Kane died, alone and unloved, in his California mansion. At the time of his passing he was a deformed, corrupt and far removed from the genius displayed in creating his mass media empire. In the aftermath of Michael Jackson's I couldn't help but think of 'Kane..' Michael's Zanadu had been stripped from him a few years back, leaving him wandering from rental to rental home, such as the one he died in in Los Angeles yesterday. Michael was prepping to try to recapture his once elevated status with 50 sold out shows at London's massive O2 arena. But that was not to be. In fact I believe that the stress of preparing for that show, after his long performing layoff, played a role in his demise. With the music, videos and event tour that supported 'Thriller' Michael re-invented the art of the blockbuster album, creating an international stardom that endures. And, sadly, for the last twenty five years of his life Michael was in a losing battle with himself, trying to match that magical year even as the culture changed, the record industry imploded, and his personal demons ruined his reputation. At several points in his life Michael revolutionized pop culture. He lead the first black teen group to cross racial lines. With Quincy Jones, he produced a trio of albums (Off the Wall, Thriller, Bad) that reinvented the rules for black artists musically and in terms of international appeal. The videos, grandiose, elaborate and full of wonderful dancing are still the gold standard for the merging of music & image. Along with Eddie Murphy, Bill Cosby, Oprah Winfrey, and so many other media legends, Michael made the '80s a golden age for black pop culture. I, like so many of you, grew up with Michael Jackson. With my mother, sister and family friends I attended the Jackson Five's first Madison Square Garden show. Over the years I attended eight Jacksons/Michael Jackson shows and spend countless hours over the last forty years thinking about and, often writing about that man. In fact a book I did about him, The Michael Jackson Story, in 1984 jump started my career. It was first book and first exposure to the media machine that both celebrated, reported about and, ultimately, ripped him apart. It's hilarious how one sided much of the immediate commentary about the man has been. Sinner or saint? More apt is artist and sinner. People want to simplify a truly complex life. We have to be sophisticated enough to acknowledge that greatness and a touch of evil dwelled in the man. I've always believed that transcendent art emanates from the purest, most evolved parts of our soul. But that highly spiritual achievement doesn't absolve us of our daily misdeeds. To simply brand him a smooth criminal, as some have, or to overlook his tragic nature, as have others, is to deny his humanity. The meaning of Michael Jackson's life -- as a black man, a sexual being, a abused and abusing adult -- will be interpreted to fit the prejudices of the speaker. His music -- it speaks volumes.
 
Mallika Chopra: Reflections on Growing up with Michael Jackson Top
It is with a sad heart today that I write this blog.   My brother, Gotham Chopra , and my father, Deepak Chopra , have both written beautiful articles remembering our friend, Michael Jackson.   I debated writing something or not, and in the end decided to write for my own healing process. My brother and I had a magical childhood, and much of this was because of Michael.   For us, Michael let us visit Neverland like it was our own – from movies to playing video games to bumper car rides to playing with the chimps to eating amazing chocolate chip cookies, we were able to take our cousins and friends to this magical place and just have pure fun.   Eating meals with Michael in those days – almost 20 years ago now - was always an experience.   He would start humming a tune and then excuse himself.   When he came back, he would giggle with delight, explaining how music just came to him and he had to record it to save what came, he always said, came from some place else.   Every moment we were with Michael, I  would be utterly comfortable and utterly in awe at the same time. My relationship with Michael was very different from that of my father and brothers.   Michael and I shared an absolute love for children, and his heart cried about the pain children around the world faced.   One day, while chatting with him about his upcoming Super Bowl performance, Michael was brainstorming how he could use the worldwide exposure for a greater cause, and the Heal The World Foundation was born.   My first job, after graduating from college, was to launch the foundation with a small team.   I was so proud of the work we did in that short time, only to find that our good intentions came to a halt when Michael was accused the first time of child molestation.   Over night, understandably so, non-profits backed away from our efforts and we quietly closed shop.   My family always maintained our belief that Michael was innocent in both cases – for those that were close to Michael, all would admit he was quirky and had bad judgment at times.   But to think Michael could abuse a child was unfathomable in my mind. Over the last decade, my relationship with Michael continued to be focused on kids, but now our own.   (We remained connected through my best friend, Grace, who served as their nanny for many years.) It was amazing for me to witness in those early years how enamored Michael was with his children.   He changed their diapers through the night, sang and played with them, rocked them to sleep, bathed them and had to change his own outfits when they threw up on him – the same routine that all parents know and love. In the few times we spoke, he would always reflect on the miracle of being a parent.   He also protected them in a way that reflected his own lost childhood, and his paranoia about being taken advantage of.   Paris, Prince and Blanket are three beautiful children.   With Michael gone, I truly pray that they will find some peace and be spared the heart wrenching pain that their father faced time and time again in his life. I write this blog in London after having a very surreal encounter with the kind of people that Michael was always paranoid about.   I will spare the details, but in those few hours, where I felt my kids were in a vulnerable situation, I had just the tiniest insight into why Michael became so paranoid in his life.   So sad that such a trusting soul had to become so distrustful.   Because truly he was a loving, trusting soul. Here in London, like in much of the world, every television channel paid tribute to Michael Jackson.   As I watched some clips with my two young daughters (7 and 5), I found I had so much to explain to them.   Why did he have white skin (he had a skin disease)?   Why did he look so different from when he was a kid? (A fascinating discussion about plastic surgery followed).   Why did he look so weird?  Why did he hide all the time?  What’s going to happen to Prince, Paris and Blanket?   I patiently answered their questions, focusing on being a mom that needs to help her children understand a confusing world.  The reality is that Michael's life and story brings up painful questions about how we see the world and treat others.      And, as we were watching, the Heal the World video came on.   And finally after holding back all morning, my tears streamed down freely, as my two daughters held me.   Hearing that song, in which Micheal sang about healing the world… Michael truly had a gift to heal – his music and his sweet soul touched billions - and for that, I hope he will be remembered. Mallika Chopra is the founder of Intent.com , a site focused on personal, social and global wellness More on Michael Jackson
 
Beauty Don'ts Done Right! Top
Slanted Eyebrows Beam me up, Scotty! On Star Trek, Spock's pointy ears and slanted brows set him apart from the rest of the crew. And at Gianfranco Ferre's fall 2009 show, Spock's dramatic brow line made a similar eye-catching statement. More on Fashion
 
Daley Changes Tune On Olympics Funding Guarantee Top
Facing a credibility problem over his Olympics plans, Mayor Daley sought to assure taxpayers today that the games would not cost them any additional money -- despite his agreement to sign a host-city contract that could put them on the hook for losses. More on Olympics
 
Steven Weber: Pop Goes the King Top
The "King of Pop" is dead. But while the man may have mattered, his self-anointed royalty is just another example of the superficiality of our pop culture and its rotating cadre of paper-thin ambassadors. Michael Jackson was yet another personality prized more for his ability to generate massive revenue than for meaningfully impacting peoples' lives. But yes, much of his music can still cause a body to move or transport one back to wistful youth; "ABC", "Got to Be There", "I Want You Back": blowing the world away on Ed Sullivan; crackling and popping on our Fold N' Play's; making our AM radio's twitch, buzz and jump; "Billie Jean" and "Thriller" arguably cultural touchstones, inspiring legions to mimic MJ's schmaltzy military fetishism and walking on the moon long after NASA deemed it financially unfeasible. And yes, we look back on the innocent boy himself, pop prodigy, revelatory mini-dynamo, sporting all the moves, wielding the pure tones and the perfected 'fro of a truly singular talent, a velve-pre-teen idol, a bona fide Motown miracle. And then over time we watch silently as the smiling strangers take the kid by the hand and lead him down a path a certain dysfunction, where money and fame are substituted for affection and affirmation. A life of candy ensures decay. Michael Jackson, the King of Pop is dead. And it's really not a big deal in itself, since scientific studies have proven that over time people do indeed die, whether by natural or unnatural causes. But as the super famous live unnatural lives, their similarly unnatural deaths seem, well, natural. And while leading what must have been an extremely unhealthy life the real tragedy of it all is that perhaps it could have been saved, had he not gone down that damning path of fame. His handlers (read: parents) might have been able to prevent a life of exploitation and untethered eccentricity were they not themselves besotted by ambition and greed and yoked their children to a life of servitude disguised as gleeful performing. At every opportunity for the young man to disembark from the one way fame train he was caught by the collar and pulled back on. Eventually he did this to himself, unconsciously mimicking his handlers' subliminal suggestions to eschew normalcy for commerce. And he is not alone. So bombarded are we with comparable examples of what is supposed to constitute Success, where the only worthwhile life is lived in public, new generations are raised thinking "This is life's imperative. You only live if you're seen". Like the light inside the refrigerator. The fame pandemic leaves a trail of broken bodies and fractured dreams, so much landfill for ever newly laid pavement. The funeral will be the best business in years, not since Anna Nicole. In lieu of humble admissions of culpability and/or introspective mourning, to hail the money-making/sexual deviant/pop icon with what will no doubt be garish, televised spectacles of calculated, high-profile grief, the "I'm A Celebrity, Hear Me Keen" reality show will be a ratings bonanza. But by all means dismiss and underpay the teacher, the cop, the people who handle our endless refuse and when they die, give them no more than a backward glance, an absent "oh, yeah---they kicked. Did you see the new iPhone?". It is such misappropriation of concern that leads to an unnatural life and its naturally unnatural death. In fact the measure of one's existence should not be in dollars and cents, nor is life unimportant if not observed 24/7 by millions of paying subscribers. The recent spate of showbiz deaths only points to the fact that life, no matter how opulent or in debt, no matter how famous, infamous or unobserved is short and not always sweet. Why even Farrah , riddled with cancer, had the business acumen to maximize her commercial appeal to the end, filming her slow, tortuous demise when she might just have easily fought her fight in dignified privacy. Corporations and all who subscribe to their profiteering approach, seem to think that if they churn out cheaper and cheaper products and ever disposable cultural totems they will ironically, as the song in a certain film says, live forever. Michael Jackson was another soul in torment who had his talent exploited, his singularity mass produced, his place in the natural order disrupted by greedy, insatiable masters. The king, it seems, was really just a pawn.
 
Youth Radio -- Youth Media International: Who's Heir to the Throne? Top
"The King of Pop is dead, so who's the new heir to the throne?" So begins this essay by Brandon McFarland , host of Recipe Radio and Music Editor for Youth Radio. "It's obvious that Michael was a one of a kind artist. But for every iconic musician, there's someone primed to step into the void. You hear that Lady Gaga's the new Madonna, or Beyonce's the next Diana Ross. These artists are performing in a different context than their predecessors, but they have that star power that could propel them to legendary status. "To follow in Micheal Jackson's stead, even the basic requirements on the application are daunting." Read the rest of the essay at Youth Radio's website. We also encourage you to add information on Michael Jackson tributes in your area- spontaneous and otherwise- to this Google Map: View Michael Jackson Gatherings and Tributes in a larger map Hear Brandon and others in this Audio Montage tribute to the King of Pop. More on Michael Jackson
 
Michael Jackson Autopsy Inconclusive, More Tests Needed Top
LOS ANGELES — Los Angeles County coroner's spokesman Craig Harvey says determining the cause of Michael Jackson's death will require further neuropathology and pulmonary tests that will take four to six weeks. Harvey says there were no signs of foul play or trauma to the body during the three-hour autopsy. He also says Jackson was taking some unspecified prescription medications. The spokesman says Assistant Chief Coroner Ed Winter is with Jackson's family. Harvey says the police department has requested a security hold on the investigation which limits how much the coroner's office can say about the case. He says the death became a coroner's case because there was no doctor to sign the death certificate. Harvey says the body will be released once the family selects a mortuary.
 
Jim Watkins: Michael Jackson: A Merciful Ending? Top
There's a tacky old sexist joke that goes something like this: Q: Why do men typically die five years before their wives? A: Because they want to. Hearing more about the tortured final years and months of Michael Jackson's life, I can't help but thinking the reason he died this week at age 50, is because at least somewhere inside of him, he wanted to. I offer that speculation because of the contrast between how Jackson was living, and what he was planning to do next in his life. ABC News is reporting today that the singer was addicted to OxyContin, a wicked strong pain medication : "OxyContin is a powerful drug that contains a much larger amount of the active ingredient, oxycodone, than other prescription pain relievers." How powerful is it? "...the National Drug Intelligence Center reports that OxyContin abusers may use heroin if their insurance will no longer pay for their OxyContin prescription.." Add to that the reports today that he was also getting daily shots of Demerol, and you're talking about a person in the deep throes of an excruciating and debilitating addiction. People who saw Jackson in the final weeks of his life say he had undergone a frightening weight loss, and appeared more frail than ever. And yet, what was he going to be doing in a few weeks? Launching a series of 50 arena concerts in a foreign country, each one demanding two hours of full scale singing and dancing. It would be a difficult task for a 50-year-old in perfect health. Knowing what we know now about Jackson's physical state, it must have seemed all but impossible that he could pull it off. Somewhere, deep down, he must have known that himself. With the pressure building, and the addiction raging, something had to give. Yes, it's a tragedy that this immensely talented person has left us. But maybe, just maybe, it brought a merciful end to Michael Jackson's pain and loneliness, before it all got even worse.
 
How The FBI Broke Saddam - Without Using Torture Top
Where were Iraq's WMD? How close was Saddam Hussein to Al Qaeda, really? These were vital - but still unanswered - questions when the Iraqi despot was yanked out of a spider hole in December 2003 and placed in U.S. military detention. Lives were at stake - along with the entire political rationale for the U.S.-led coalition invading Iraq. Only one man could say for sure, and now that the U.S. finally had him in custody, they had to find out. There was only one way: Break Saddam.
 

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