No one wants to be defeated.

I couldn't say nothing about Michael Jackson, even with the knowledge that every blog will be abuzz about it by the time I hit "publish".

Without a doubt, MJ has left his mark --nay, crater-- on nearly every aspect of popular culture since 1969. People all over the planet loved and were moved by his music (my first impression of Michael Jackson was how frickin' cool he was in the "Billie Jean" video). And he was a boy, then a man, who lived to please through performance.

If you've ever seen The Jacksons: An American Dream, then you have some idea of what a tortured, twisted soul he was. All the fame and money in the world is a poor trade for a lifetime of profound self-hatred and abuse.

I think he did molest those children. And while that puts a big, black "X" over him in my mind (and probably many others' minds), strangely, I almost feel sorry for him that he did.

The audience giveth, and the audience taketh away. While everyone earns their punishment, it is sad that three children watched as their father fell from one of the most beloved figures of our time, to one of the most reviled, spending his remaining years running from one country to the next, while his fortune and name crumbled to dust beneath him.

I hope Michael's kids find a safe and loving place to take them in, where they can be provided the kind of peace and anonymity that masks never could.

Yours,

Elissa.