We honor some who have died. Some we should not.

The old saying that deaths come in threes certainly proved true this past week. First, Ed McMahon, longtime Tonight Show announcer and cohort, as well as product spokesman and talent show host, passed away. I did not of course know Mr. McMahon, but in all the years I knew who he was I do not remember ever hearing any bad stories about him. So, I honor him and share the sorrow of his passing.

Then, Farrah Fawcett, one of the best known "Angelss", as well as an honored and gifted actress, lost her battle with cancer. And, like Ed McMahon, I have never read any really bad stories about her. In fact, most of what I know about het is admirable. Therefore, I honor her life and share in the sorrow of her passing.

I simply CANNOT honor the third famous person who died this week, Michael Jackson.

It is not only that he (to all accounts) seemed very weird. It is not only that his appearance became a joke and that his lavish lifestyle bordered on the ridiculous.

No, the reason I cannot honor Jackson is his other 'behaviors', which I find repulsive. I doubt there is a person alive who does not know that Jackson was tried for child molestation. I doubt that there is anyone who does not know that he was aquitted of all charges. So, as far as the COURTS go and as far as the legal system goes, he was innocent.

The thing I find so disgusting about Jackson is NOT the things he was charged with in court, but the things that were ADMITTED to have happened, or that were documented by the media as fact.

How can ANYONE who claims to be a decent, moral persoon idolize a grown man who would dangle a BABY off a balcony? And exactly why was the child not removed from the home? Had Jackson been POOR, the Child Welfare folks would have been at his door the second the photo appeared on the news! And a poor person would have had little or no chance of ever getting their child back.

And, what kind of a grown man thinks it is acceptable to have little boys sleep with him, or come to his home for 'sleepovers'? If any man who would describe himself as decent agrees with such behavior, I'd like that man to have the guts to state publicly that it's OK.

Decent grown men do NOT invite the neighbor kids to spend the night! If a poor man, or really any man who was not grossly rich did this, once again not only would the Child Protective Services be on their case, but the cops would be hauling them off to jail!

So, I cannot POSSIBLY honor Michael Jackson. I do not dispute that he was talented. But merely being talented (or rich) does NOT excuse behavior that potentially puts children at risk.

It will be interesting in years to come what those children who 'slept over' at Jackson's home have to say about the experience. Say, in about 50 years, when the money runs out!

IMHO, Michael Jackson's behavior made him a person NOT to be admired. I can only hope that his sojourn in Bahrain (or wherever he was) helped him grow to love extreme heat!