1st Lt. Brian Bradshaw member of the 1st Battalion, 501st parachute regiment based in Fort Richardson, Alaska died on  june 25th the same day of pop star Michael Jackson's death. 1st Lt. Bradshaw was killed by an improvised explosive device in Afganistan while Jackson died from cardiac arrest due to an overdose of painkillers, antidepressants, and the anesthesia drug Dipriva. (Allegedly). Media analysis confirms that Michael Jackson received three times the coverage of Iraq, where U.S. troops pulled out of the cities into base camps of Afganistan. Where operation Kanjar, strike of the sword was undertaken and congress passed Cap and Trade, a bill that will raise taxes more than any other bill in history. Only in his hometown in Washington St. and where he was stationed in Alaska covered the 1st Lt., rescue volunteer, altar boy, and camp counselor. 

 

Lt. Bradshaw's aunt wrote the Washington Post to show her dissapointment in the inequaility in coverage which has started a much needed discussion on where are values are as a nation. We idolize celebrities, actors, atheletes, and musicians. We have spent billions on magazines, we buy the products they promote, there are countless shows on t.v. a solely devoted to celebrities where every move they make is documented, E.T., Access Hollywood, Extra, TMZ, etc.. And finally we vote for the people they endorse. I know you don't... but believe me others do. Especially this time around. Even the reclusive Robert DeNiro spoke at a rally for Obama. Angelina Jolie is a Goodwill Ambassador to the U.N., Kumar from Harold & Kumar fame is now in the Obama administration. Oprah used her show to promote the man. George Clooney has been to the White House to talk policy on Darfur.

 

We have embolded these celebraties so much so whereas Sean Penn a great actor who I grew up watching and admiring took it upon himself to make trips to Iraq and Venezuela, on what he calls "fact finding missions". In Iraq he mingled with Iraqi citizens, went to a childrens hospital, and met with disinformation minister Tariq Aziz and said, "I needed to come here see a smile, to see a street, smell the smells, talk to the people and take that home with me". What exactly did this trip accomplish? Nothing in a political sense. What this is is  just another example of how narcissistic these celebraties are like Michael Jackson. Sean Penn makes one trip to Iraq and he's going to tell us that the Iraqi people are good (which nobody debates) and Saddam has no weapons of mass destruction. Then Venezuela where he claimed he was on a trip as a "freelance jounalist", he met with Hugo Chavez toured some barrios, a natual gas plant, and sucked up all the natual gas coming out of Chavez's pie hole. Commenting on his trip later he has said that he has read the Venezuelan Constitution and it's a beautiful document. I wonder which one he's talking about because Chavez likes to change it frequently. One such change he tried would have enabled him to remain President indefinitly. How would Mr. Penn react if George Bush tried such a move. How would Penn react if Pres. Bush shut down MSNBC for constant negative reporting of what if Bush jailed Dan Rather for forging documents about his military service. All of which Hugo Chavez has done in his own country. The hypocricy is staggering. The reason I use Sean Penn as an example in a piece on Michael Jackson is because with Penn like Jackson we have overlooked their actions. Penn blatently supports murderous dictators while denouncing his own country and President as criminal. Jackson wether aquitted or not still had inappropiate relations with children. He still destroyed his face through plastic surgery. He still was a drug addict. And we still hold these people up on pedestals and devote endless media coverage to them. Just the other day Congresswomen Shelia Jackson Lee wanted a resolution in congress to honor the gloved one. In a moment of clarity Speaker Pelosi denied the proposel, unsuprisingly Jackson Lee said she would press on.  

                                                                                                                                                                                                                       Michael Jackson was one of the best performers or the best performer this world has ever experienced. He gave to charity as well he should have. Was he a trailblazer when it came to the black/white crossover, no. At least not to the extent that race hustlers such as Al Sharpton have professed. I think that Chuck Berry, Marvin Gaye, Tina Turner and so many other black musicians that came before MJ should be offended at such pure opportunism. Color barriers were broken long before the self named King of Pop realized real stardom. Does this warrant wall to wall coverage of the man especially over Lt. Bradshaw or the Iranian protesters being butchered in the streets of Tehran, North Korea missle launches, and the withdrawl of our troops in Iraq, one of the most controversial wars ever waged? Not in a sane country.

 

Are we still a sane country? Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee has at least answered that for herself  and the Congressional Black Congress. The media is hard to blame because they are driven by ratings which are created by the people. I hope we as a country can start focusing more on men like Lt. Bradshaw who from a very early age showed his devotion to his country and service and less on false idols such as Michael Jackson and Sean Penn.