What Will You Say to Congressman Pete King About Michael Jackson?

What would you say to a guy, excuse me, New York Congressman Pete King who says "we have too many mosques in this country." And then says that "being in Manhattan is like being in Baghdad." And then says that "Democratic hacks are out to get me." And then tops his crackpot utterances with two minutes of froth on a website branding Michael Jackson a "child molester" and a "low life."

And then dumps in the legal and constitutional trash bin the presumption of innocence and a jury acquittal and demands that the nation and the media immediately cease and desist uttering another word about him? What would you say to him if you had his:

Email address: [e-mail]
Phone: [phone]

Earl Ofari Hutchinson is an author and political analyst. His weekly radio show, "The Hutchinson Report" can be heard on weekly in Los Angeles at 9:30 AM Fridays on KTYM Radio 1460 AM and live streamed nationally on ktym.com

Comments

[ilovemichaeljackson]

Peter King is so afraid of the love Michael Jackson is receiving because Michael, unlike King, has made a difference in the world! Peter King's laughable performance in his poorly made video is reminiscent of a passage from Don Quixote:

'Upon reaching a prairie, a group of dogs began to bark at Sancho Panza and Don Quixote. The dogs were mad with rabies and Sancho Panza said "Master! Master! Speed up. These dogs might bite us!" and Don Quixote replied "Be quiet. When the dogs bark, it is because we are working."'

Peter King is the dog barking at Michael's undeniable success. Peter King is rabid with envy because the world LOVES Michael Jackson.

Although his hateful opinions are shared by a few equally dull people, Peter King could not erase all Michael has accomplished! Even though this awful part of the world slandered Michael without mercy, he continued to love. Another quote from Don Quixote comes to mind:

"One man scorned and covered with scars still strove with his last ounce of courage to reach the unreachable stars; and the world was better for this."

That man was Michael Jackson. Thank You, Michael, for helping to heal the world. I LOVE YOU!
-Christel.

[jimsrule]

I do not recall Rep. King, a well known blowhard who uses race baiting and hate speech as a regular form of communication, raising a big fuss when Pope John Paul II passed away. There was extensive coverage of that event as well, and rightfully so. That Pope as Rep. King, a practicing Catholic, will do well to remember prsided over the largest coverup and payoff scheme to protect pedophile priests in the history of mankind. And Rep. King by his Sunday donations help fund the churches payoff scheme to protect the pervert priests and hush the vistims. Now none of us will be surprised by the rampant hypocrisy of Rep. King, he is after all a polititian, but at least show a little class and respect for the man family. What a jerk!!

[Sanstar]

Too Bad ... Part 2
He could not hurt a child intentionally. And he would not have done to you, or anyone, what you have done to him. He was above such crass behavior.

Michael settled the first case. Some wonder why he did that if he was innocent. Some base their speech on their speculation that he would not have done that if he were innocent. Maybe you are one of those people. If so, why not read the book "Redemption" by Geraldine Hughes, the legal secretary to the accuser's attorney. She makes the case that Michael was innocent and had been set up for monetary gain. From her insider position, I find her more credible than a congressman from New York.

The second case? Maybe you missed the verdict. He suffered through many agonizing months in court, being tried and ultimately being found not guilty. America's court system found him NOT GUILTY. You do respect our legal system, don't you, Congressman?

But, someone who speaks as you do might not be capable of:

... comprehending someone as brilliant and complex as Michael;

... believing that a such highly evolved human, as we knew him to be, could even exist; or

... just being decent when someone dies.

Your mother should have taught you these things, as Katherine Jackson taught all of her children. Maybe your mom did. Maybe you just didn't get it. I hope that one day you do.

[Sanstar]

Too Bad ... Part 1

Congressman King,

Too bad Katherine Jackson wasn't your mother.

Had she been, you would have been taught:

... to be respectful of other human beings whether or not you liked them or what they do;

... to respect America's values and legal principles including the one that states that one is innocent until proven guilty;

... to respect people who are grieving and mourning and not add to their angst by slandering a deceased loved one;

... to be fair and not attack someone who is unable to speak up and defend himself against false accusations;

... to be kind, generous and caring for all humanity as was her son, Michael, who spent a fortune of his own money and raised millions more to help others who are needy;

... to be thoughtful, creative and inspiring in your actions and work, again, like Michael, whose deeds and lyrics brought people of many cultures together, encouraging them to see each other as brothers and sisters who can live together peacefully and work together to reduce the ills of mankind.

Too bad you never learned these simple, human lessons and instead decided to behave:

... recklessly by making ugly, unnecessary comments;
... shamelessly, by engaging in hurtful, vulgar name-calling;
... ingorantly, by stating as fact false accusations against a dead man.

Those of us who were fortunate enough to meet Michael know that his was a gentle, caring, helpful and sincere spirit.

[Dennis Rowland]

Mr. King should be totally ashamed of himself. He is truly what is wrong with this world. I would like to look into his little closet of secrets. As long as he is a poltical contributor to whatever cable TV show ,I will refuse to watch that station. Maybe with his uncoordinated thinking, people can see him for what he really is. Keep in mind that his act was much the same when now president Barack Obama was running for office. A zebra just can't change his stripes. What a sick person to have representing anybody in congress or any place in this world.

[TruthResearcher]

King should apologize for his erroneous and untrue remarks. What he said is WRONG, WRONG, WRONG.

[tbonehead]

He wants us to honor the soldiers he sent to their deaths for WMD that didn't exist; King, who will honor that legacy?

[kathy001]

My e-mail said:

Mr. King, we have had enough hate speech. Enough to last many lifetimes over. If all you have to sell is hate - and it appears that that is the case - then I suggest you quietly bow out now because we are beginning to fight back - tooth and nail - against the hate.

I live in Texas. I have donated to the campaign against you, as will many who do not live in your area. Many will donate strictly because of your defamatory statements about Michale Jackson. And many will donate because we are dedicated to stamping out the hate. There is no place, I repeat, NO PLACE, for hate in our government.

Keep spewing the hate and we will keep fighting against you. That's a promise.

[jpaultel]

Dear Mr. King:

I have read somewhere that Michael Jackson holds the record (Guinea's Books of World Record) for the greatest number of charities to receive donations. Check for yourself. This was not the best time for you to open your mouth especially given that you vociferously defended those priests who were proven child molesters and their superiors who hid the records and covered up for those priests.

http://www.thesilencedtruth.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=65&Itemid=59

[divakarssathya]

Such hatred! Such madness! His words ring like rifle shots.

Any consideration of Michael Jackson's awesome oeuvre has to include his angelic triumph over his brutal childhood. Clearly, his music was his triumph. A writing in the sky iteration of his love and sanity.

No question, Michael Jackson was one of the sanest human beings of the 20th century.

All thinking human beings have to be shocked that even America and other 'developed" societies have such primitive systems of social ordering and governance, that individuals of such epochal inventiveness and productivity are no more protected than the person on the street.

From the latest reports, it would appear that Michael was attacked and overwhelmed by a swarm of Bernie Madoffs.

This is sad and scary and speaks of fatal errors in the way we live our lives and do business.

Dr Deepak Chopra appears to have confirmed that MJ was afflicted by vitiligo.

This is a disease that drastically reduces the colouring in the skin and is commonly noticed in India.

I am surprised that few in the US appear to accept this obvious explanation.

Personally, being black is not just about skin colour. It is about the willingness to assert the dignity of life in the face of ignorance and injustice.

Welcome to India's Musical Salaam To Michael Jackson
http://spriteleesathya.blogspot.com/

[Transcendentobserver]

Let's not be quite so effusive in praise. Conviction for criminal conduct requires proof beyond reasonable doubt. Jackson did not do quite so well in civil liability wherein judgment requires proof by preponderance of evidence. Confronted by alleged victims in civil, his victims were well compensated in huge if "sealed" settlements.

[jpaultel]

Yet, you have not insisted that we banish the Pope and burn down all catholic churches. Hasn't the Catholic Church been part of fomenting wars, helping the Nazi regime, child molestation -- from the lowly priest to the Vatican.

[UnknownSoldier]

yes, but it was the insurance company that pushed for the settlement

[JimR]

The only thing I agree with him on is that there is WAY too much Michael Jackson coverage.

[UnknownSoldier]

I agree too, but the guy was a global Icon, after today this should be over with.

[adoantarel]

While I agree that Peter King's comments were in poor taste, I too am annoyed at the media coverage and the seeming public mourning. Jackson may have done some charity work, but he by no means was a saint worthy of all this. Ghandi and Mother Theresa had fewer morners and get much less attention at their deaths. He wasn't Martin Luther King, Jr.; he was an entertainer.

Are people so shallow that they cry rivers over a good dancer while so much else in the world needs fixing? This imbalance of priorities is why people like Jackson make hundreds of millions of dollars and teachers scrape by, spending their own money on school supplies for their students.

[dontomas]

Just try to watch mainstream television, the internet, newspapers, talk shows without seeing adulation or gossip about our celebrities. Its who we are, we worship those who are bigger than life.
The lead up to the super bowl gets more press than most world catastrophes.

Its not about MJ, its about our entertainment. I think John Lennon and Elvis got about the same sort of press. What you says is probably true, but if you ever find yourself obsessing over something that has nothing to do with world or humanitarian conditions then you are part of the problem.

[Sunshine444]

Great article!
Please draw attention to the following website listing Jackson's charitable work:

http://www.thesilencedtruth.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=65&Itemid=59

Really as a populace we should be ashamed of how we treated Michael and then ignored his pain to his ultimate demise.
Three things led to the moment we are in right now:
- Irresponsible media coverage the last ten years
- Irresponsible staff/doctors that instead of helping him to cure his pain and disease, gave him painkillers and drugs to ineffectively mask the pain (effectively covering up the "check engine" light in the car and continuing to drive it 70mph).
- A long abused childhood.

How sad that we lost such a humanitarian and gifted artist.

[MickyDevine]

The fact is Jackson paid out an incredible amount of money ($20million+) to avoid going to court in two separate civil suits. That wasn't money for nothing.

[Michael Shanley]

Yes, but if you put that into context, he was advised to settle the first suit against his own will, which was settled for 25 million. He states this in his interview with Martin Basheer. He decided the second suit he wouldn't settle and be taking advantage of, given the tarnish to his image. And low and behold he was aquitted. So people really need to get educated on what happened and not believe the myth.

[alenaspoppa]

Actually, for many celebrities, settling suits out of court saves them a lot of money. I don't agree with it, because it ends up costing them in the court of public opinion (especially in this case). But I just finished reading a biography of Billy Joel, and he was sued by a woman who ran a traffic light and hit him. He settled the suit because it cost less than going to court, even though he was clearly in the right. Our society has way too many people who look at encounters with celebrities as lottery tickets.

[UnknownSoldier]

If did some research and didn't depend on the Mainstream Media you would know that Jackson's insurance company was the one who wanted to settle the case. Jackson wanted to fight it. Did you notice that he won the case he fought.

[Steamboater]

It wasn't just once that Jackson paid out money to shut someone up about child abuse. It happened several times.

[bymyinitials]

with all the immoral acts that have come to light in the past few months regarding the republican party, to attack someone who has passed away is not only pitiful, sameful and a disgrace, but unworthy of a congressman, if you can call him that. I haven't herard or seen any comments from him about what is going on in his own party, but I guess its ok to leave your state to committ adultry in his eyes. He again shows us "WHATS" is in the republican party.....­...

[Steamboater]

Remember this when Cheney or Bush die. Anyone, no matter a pop star or politician etc deserves all the negative comments they worked so hard to get. That doesn't mean whetever good they did shouldn' tbe mentioned but to sustain the myhth about them they strived to work into the public's mind is nothing but denial.