A Place to Stand

The trial of Michael Jackson grinds on. It is obvious that Jackson, who is much more fragile than Milosevic is close to a breakdown. On the other hand it provides a career making opportunity to the prosecution, publicity for the mother & other witnesses that they can parlay into lots more money & a story that provides them with gainful employment without having to look for it.

Michael Jackson is obviously innocent of anything that even less discriminating people than Bill Clinton could describe as sex. I am actually quite amazed that, having brought into court people who have repeatedly deliberately lied, the prosecution have been unable to produce any witnesses who claim to have seen him doing anything penetrative < ? >, or doing a black mass with space aliens. The prosecution quite obviously know they do not have evidence that would convict in any normal trial but so what. I would like to see Jackson sue the prosecutor personally, as well as California, CNN & all the rest for $1billion (inc punitive damages) - I think that would be less career enhancing.

It's all showbiz - when Liberace died the coroner launched a police chase to grab his body so that he could get on TV. This sort of stuff makes the McCarthy Commission look decent - at least there people only lost their careers. Here we have the chance that he will, & a number of innocent but less well known people have, been sent to jail for a very long time.

I believe that he is not only innocent but that he is Innocent - a man who wants to live in a childlike manner. I do not believe that there is any evil whatsoever in his behaviour - a lack of cynicism & a refusal to kow tow to the hypocrisy demanded by the media of all stars, politicians, popes etc but no evil. The Victorians are sometimes ridiculed for their obsession with sex & with respectability but they don't hold a candle to us. They produced Alice in Wonderland & we are destroying Neverland.

There were new rules now & every man knew them.

Don't smile at a child on the street, unless with you're with your wife. Don't ever touch a strange child. Don't ever be alone with someone else's child, even for a moment. If a child invites you into his or her room, don't go unless another adult, preferably a woman, is also present. At a party, don't let a little girl sit on your lap. If she tries, gently push her aside. If you ever have occasion to see a naked boy or girl look quickly away. Better yet, leave.

And it was prudent to be careful around your own children, too, because if your marriage went sour, your wife might accuse you. And then your past conduct would be reviewed in an unfavourable light: "Well, he was always such an affectionate father - perhaps a little too affectionate" ......... If Susan saw a child crying on the street, she picked the kid up. She did it automatically, without thinking. Sanders would never dare. Not these days

from Disclosure by Michael Crichton 1994 - fortunately things arn't that bad here but we're working on it. A society where half the population are legally prevented from showing affection to a child is a sick society.