well doc i was talkin about Micheal with my good buddy who happens to be red simpsons nephew..he knows merle and the whole clan that started the bakersfield sound wayyy back when.. he had absolutley nothing good to say about micheal and his child preversions over his lifetime..he commented on him not only doing that unforgiveable act but his habit of grabbing his croch in public was pretty offensive to him as a fellow music fan...he didnt feel it was entertainment as much as he got away with showing even more of a perverted side on stage and never got called on it..(remember Jim Morrison?)

Im feeling like Merle probably thinks along those same lines even if he `knows it might not be right to express that in public at this particular time..ya gotta remember back then they were all cut from the same cloth..and so were their values..

Thanks for sharing that perspective from one of our own "extended family members."  I'd like to invite you to also share your comment underground at BSU, the place where us Bakersfield-sound-grounded types like to hang out:

http://www.bakersfieldsound...

I have to approve your comments before they are posted there, but I assure you, your comment will be approved over there. 

DONE..just for you doc *grin*

Thanks, the "underground" will be a better world for it. 

Heres' what one politician New York Congressman King had to say about Jackson.

http://www.tmz.com/videos?a...

I also posted the following at BSU:

I understand the sentiment of those who would not even want Merle Haggard's name to be mentioned in the same breath as that of Michael Jackson. In terms of musical genius, I would think it would be a colossal compliment to Merle to be compared with Michael Jackson, as I would think it to be a colossal compliment for Michael if he were to be compared with Merle Haggard in this respect.

If you're talking about comparing the two in terms of the nature of their demons, I believe Merle came much further in terms of facing his demons and ultimately conquering them. In Michael Jackson's case, I believe his demons haunted him until the day he died and that he didn't even come close to conquering them in his lifetime. That's an opinion. I also have an opinion concerning whether or not Michael molested children.

Honestly, I have doubts that the legal system got it right. But my doubts are based on what I have been fed by the media, part fact, part fiction, mostly half-truths. That's why I won't generally offer a diagnosis on someone I haven't sat face-to-face with as that person's psychologist and rigorously examined.

Similarly, while I have my doubts about whether or not the law got it right in Michael Jackson's case, I was not on the jury and I am not a legal expert. What kind of freedom is it to live in a land where a person has to go on trial twice, once in a criminal or civil trial or both, and once in the trial of public opinion? While I believe that Michael Jackson's behavior with children appeared to be creepy at best, and while I do not find some of the public statements he made believable, I try to give anybody who has gone through the legal process the benefit of the doubt. If I do not, then basically I am saying the rule of law in this country is a sham and means nothing when compared to my own personal subjective opinion. Furthermore, while I believe the worst crime in the worst is child molestation, I believe the second worst would be to be falsely accused of child molestation. I agree with Conrad, the possibility that he didn't molest children appears remote, but what if he didn't do it, against the odds of all that may point to the idea that he did? How would it feel to have gone through the legal process and declared not guilty and to know in your heart that you're not guilty, and yet to have to face would-be jurors every day pronouncing you guilty?

Going back to the question of whether or not we should compare Michael Jackson to our own beloved and respected Merle Haggard, who has greatly influenced my own music, I would say that while there may be more points of contrast than comparison, if it yields a fruitful discussion like this one, that it's worthwhile. Would I be introducing a topic in which I made an association between Merle Haggard and a convicted child molester? Absolutely not. I love Merle Haggard, warts and all, and I love his music. I love Michael's music and creativity. The rest of Michael creeps me out.