We celebrate the wrong things

This past week, it was announced that US forces were finally pulling out of major Iraqi cities for good, as part of the steady drawdown of troops, preparatory to leaving the country entirely in the next two years. This should have been a cause of great public notice, and, I would think, a celebration. American men and women of our armed forces are going to come home in greater numbers. Our presence in a country where we probably never should have been in the first place is being lessened. The Iraqi people are getting their nation back. This is great news!

Unfortunately, the story of the American combat pullback from Baghdad was seventh on the list of news stories behind the death of Michael Jackson, the speculation on the cause of death of Michael Jackson, the outpouring of shock and grief and adulation for Michael Jackson, the debate over which drugs Michael Jackson may or may not have been taking, the plans for his memorial service and whether or not fans would be able to score tickets for said memorial service.

Let's be realistic here. This is a man who produced an enviable string of hit songs and electrifying performances in his fifty years (I thought "Thriller" was a great video, myself). However, he was also a clearly troubled soul. It's obvious to everyone now that he suffered from a nearly debilitating, and ultimately fatal, addiction to painkillers, including a drug that is so sedating it's used to intentionally create intravenously induced comas. He had this medication in his HOUSE. His increasingly bizarre stretch of plastic surgeries appeared to cause his face to nearly collapse on itself. This is not a person who ever had a firm grasp on what the rest of us would call reality. To call him freakish would do a great disservice to freaks everywhere, both living and dead. And how shall we say this next part delicately? Michael Jackson was a pedophile.

But that's what was being celebrated, and that's where I gnash my teeth. The Martin Luther King Holiday is treated as an extra day off in January, rather than a chance to reflect on the contributions of one of the greatest Americans of the 20th century. He was our Nelson Mandela; a man who's wisdom, decency and inner strength, as well has his extraordinary words, transcended the petty meanness, bigotry and hatred of his day, and showed everyone around him what the words of the Declaration of Independence really meant. Thomas Jefferson wrote that "we hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness". It took Abraham Lincoln, then Dr. King a century later, to bring those words to meaning. I wish we celebrated Dr. King and his remarkable legacy every year with the same zeal and devotion that Michael Jackson has been given in the past week.

Manny Ramirez returned to the Los Angeles Dodgers' lineup yesterday. Thousands of Dodger fans showed up at Petco Park in San Diego, with Manny's trademark bandannas and dreadlocks, to welcome him back with a fanaticism of a long lost rock star. Like the late Mr. Jackson, Manny was always a unique and undeniable talent. He's arguably the greatest run-producing machine of his generation. At the same time, he's the worst possible man to hold up as a role model. He plays with indifference, a complete lack of hustle and focus, and indeed utter scorn for what matters in the game. Personal integrity is of no interest to him. The reason he's returning to the Dodgers is he just finished serving a 50 game suspension from Major League Baseball after being caught using performance enhancing drugs. This isn't "rumored" use, he tested positive. Manny cheated. And Dodgers fans are welcoming him back as a conquering hero. In the words of CBS Sports columnist Scott Miller, "Despicable. Absolutely, positively downright despicable."

Accountability seems not to exist much anymore. Like it or not, public figures such as Michael Jackson and Manny Ramirez become role models by virtue of their fame, and when they behave in a way that, if it were your child, you'd be horrified, the truth should be spoken.

Today, I celebrate the greatness of America and her citizens, the everyday heroes who protect our borders, mothers and fathers and grandparents who strive to raise their kids in a safe and loving environment, and the freedoms expressed in our founding documents, embodied by the honest, good works of people who do the right thing, day in and day out. Play the game right, fight for what's good about America, and speak up for your freedoms, but don't condone the behavior of those with whom you wouldn't want to watch the fireworks with your children sitting nearby. Celebrate with a full heart and clear conscience. And drive safely.