"And that's the way it is"... Unfortunately

Is it just me or does it seem that we have had a rash of BIG named people pass away recently? First, there was the news that Ed McMahon died. I really like him. He was one of those rare individuals that was actually willing to play "second fiddle" and I don't remember him complaining? I especially like his and Johnny's "swami" skits.

Then right on the heals of that we hear about Farrah Fawcett! Can I just say that this lady made a major impact on my pre-teen and teenage years! I had the shirt with the picture of her in the swim suit and everything. I compared all my girlfriends to her and if they didn't met the Farrah standard... away with them!

Then just a couple of days later there was Janet Jackson's brother. With all due respect to Prince... don't you think "the artist formerly known as" should have been next to Michael's name? He was one surgery away from having no nose at all. I digress...

Finally, just a couple of days ago we hear of the passing of a true American icon... Walter Cronkite. Seeing his picture again brought back more memories than any of the other three. I still remember sitting in front of the black and white TV watching as this guy broadcast some of the greatest and saddest moments in American history. But now that I am older I have realized there was something different about this man. Something that caused millions of Americans to actually trust the media. What was it? What made him different from those on the major networks today?

Cronkite reported the news. He didn't use his position as a platform to share his opinions on the the news. In his day you never heard anyone fussing about "bias in the media". He understood his job and his responsibility to those watching and just told them the truth. He didn't slant stories to fit an agenda. He was once called the "most trusted man in America" and could have been elected to any office he wanted... President Cronkite! We have the first black president today... Walter Cronkite would have been the first honest president.

But here's my confusion... Why aren't we watching hour after hour of funeral coverage? Why haven't there been the "In Memory of..." specials on every network and cable station? Yes, MJ had tremendous musical talent and I still don't understand how he did the "moon walk", but if you were to be honest you would admit that his life was like a "three ring circus"... literally. It was one disappointment after another. But we would mask it just as soon as he cut another chart topping album.

I'm not trying to disparage MJ's life, I'm trying to understand how we in this country have made such a mess of our priorities. We honor those who deserve little and we barely mention those who make a true, positive mark on our country's landscape. Cronkite was certainly not sexy and I bet he couldn't do the moon walk either. But he was never accused of molestation, never had to go into rehab, and never tried to convince me that I may be the next 10 million dollar winner! He just told me the way it is.

Blessings!