| There are some subjects it is unwise to disagree | | | | Michael loved people. He especially loved children. |
| with popular opinion about. Politics, religion, and | | | | He enjoyed being around children. It provided a |
| Michael Jackson are on that list of taboo subjects. | | | | vicarious way of experiencing the "normal" |
| However; I have something of a reputation for | | | | childhood he never experienced. Children shared an |
| rushing in where some folks fear to tread. And, I | | | | innocence his fairy tale life had left intact within |
| feel a certain obligation to defend my friend, | | | | him. Other adults had lost that innocence. The |
| Michael. | | | | advice I offered proved my own fall from grace. |
| In private conversations with music industry | | | | I and those who offered similar warnings were |
| friends I have expressed my opinions concerning | | | | cynical and unable to see all the love and beauty |
| Michael's legal problems. Some people have said I | | | | surrounding him and each of us. |
| am defending "unacceptable behavior." I disagree | | | | Michael's first exposure to the evil side of people |
| and point out he was never convicted. I maintain | | | | was the original accusation of child molestation. In |
| and defend my opinion. | | | | his mind, it was a very rare aberration. It was not |
| My relationship with Michael began as business | | | | indicative of people in general. He adopted the |
| based. I promoted two of his albums. "Thriller" has | | | | Christly response of, "Forgive them, Father. They |
| been the largest selling album of all time for many | | | | know not what they do." He responded to the |
| years. I predict it will continue selling almost | | | | parents' greed with loving kindness. He gave them |
| unbelievable numbers of copies for many years | | | | a few million dollars. Perhaps; it would allow them |
| to come. I promoted both, "Thriller" and "Bad." | | | | to grow, be happy, and lay down their ways of |
| I began our relationship with large amounts of | | | | sin. If nothing else; it would teach them how |
| respect and admiration for his talent, | | | | insignificant a few million dollars were. |
| showmanship, dedication to his fans, and his innate | | | | I tried to warn him the out of court settlement |
| knowledge of the entertainment industry. His | | | | marked him as an easy target for similar people. I |
| business savvy greatly exceeded his age. As time | | | | said other greedy parents would be willing to use |
| went on, I developed both a strong fondness for | | | | their children to extort greater amounts. He had |
| him and a lot of concern for his total inability to | | | | not lost his faith in love and goodness. The fact |
| recognize envy, greed, and uncontrolled ambition | | | | two poor misguided parents had given in to greed |
| in other people. | | | | did not mean others would behave in a similar |
| Michael grew up in a surreal fairy tale world. When | | | | fashion. |
| he was only five years old, he was touring with | | | | I pointed out the long established career paths of |
| The Jackson Five. He quickly became a child star. | | | | many politicians. The successful prosecution of |
| Everything he could dream of except a normal | | | | celebrities has taken many unscrupulous blindly |
| childhood was there for him. He was loved and | | | | ambitious politicians into higher more powerful |
| pampered by everyone around him. He saw | | | | offices. Power hunger has driven bad people to do |
| hundreds of millions of adoring fans populating his | | | | anything imaginable to acquire and abuse power |
| entire universe. He could do no wrong. No harm | | | | over ever increasing numbers of regular people. |
| could befall him. Goodness and mercy surrounded | | | | Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts |
| him. | | | | absolutely. Prosecuting attorneys have near |
| As he grew older, he applied his business skills and | | | | absolute power. |
| became one of the world's super wealthy. Older | | | | Of course; it did happen again. Another set of |
| more experienced people advised him against | | | | parents was willing to rob their child of innocence. |
| paying $600 million for the publishing rights to the | | | | Another power hungry prosecutor viciously used |
| early Beetles music catalog. Nobody had ever paid | | | | Michael in a bid for higher office. The international |
| nearly as much for publishing rights. He followed | | | | broadcast news media used his misfortune to |
| his gut and went against their advice. It has | | | | raise audience ratings. They joined in the effort to |
| proven to be a very astute business move. His | | | | smear what was left of his reputation. They |
| many decisions concerning the composition, | | | | became foul smelling vultures feasting on the |
| production, presentation, and promotion of | | | | bleeding flesh of a magnificent and graceful |
| "Thriller" were equally astute. | | | | antelope. |
| His downfall and early death sprang from that | | | | Michael won the battle, but lost his faith in the |
| same fairy tale life. He had more than enough | | | | fundamental goodness of humanity. He left the |
| money to buy anything he could imagine. There | | | | country of his birth. He changed his entire life. He |
| was nobody for him to envy. He had it all. He was | | | | ran to avoid the next accusation and trial. He |
| by nature a truly considerate and compassionate | | | | knew it would come, if he remained here. This |
| person. He had achieved his amazing success | | | | country he loved so much was no longer safe. He |
| without harming anyone. He had lived in a world | | | | knew would be tormented by a long string of |
| that was sheltered and isolated from mean and | | | | prosecuting attorneys. Each seeking to be the one |
| angry people. | | | | who put that "menace to society" behind bars. |
| The negative emotions of fear, envy, greed, and | | | | I fully expected the international media report his |
| uncontrolled ambitions were alien concepts to him. | | | | death was linked to drug abuse. It was linked. |
| He had never been the carrier or victim of such | | | | However; I know the true cause of his death. My |
| thoughts and feelings. He understood the meaning | | | | friend died from a broken heart. He could not live |
| of those concepts the same way most people | | | | in the vicious greedy world he was immersed in. |
| understand war. They were bad things that | | | | The exposure to greed, envy, and run away |
| happened far away to people he did not know. | | | | ambition came too late in life. He never had a |
| They existed in a world he had never been | | | | chance to develop the immunity most of us |
| exposed to. | | | | develop at a much younger age. |
| I tried to explain bad people to him. I told him | | | | His death has deprived our world of a great |
| there are two ways to have the tallest tree in | | | | talent, a truly kind and generous person, and the |
| town. Loving people do so, by planting, nurturing, | | | | most innocent adult I have ever known. I hope |
| and caring for their trees. Maladjusted, angry, | | | | the parents and prosecutors who did this to us |
| envious, blindly ambitious, and bitter people do so | | | | find themselves in the worse part of Dante's |
| by cutting down everyone else's tall trees. He just | | | | Inferno. |
| shot me that famous smile, rolled his eyes, and | | | | As a closing comment I am compelled to say, |
| said, "You should have more faith in our fellow | | | | "Ask not for whom the bell tolls. It tolls for thee. |
| man." | | | | |
