In my humble opinion… None of the above. Death is not only a passing on, but a time for everyone else to truthfully reflect on one’s life. To skim through the unsavory parts (or in Kennedy/MJ’s case, skip entire chapters all together) is to do the world a disservice. How are the rest of us shmucks supposed to learn from past mistakes if we can’t even acknowledge them to begin with?

The fact that the media decided to smooch the Kennedys’ rears through the death of Ted is appalling. Not only was there no mention of the Chappaquiddick river “incident” or his character assassination of Clarence Thomas, but the coverage was carried out in a way that assumed everyone was in agreement with the man’s misguided agenda.

I guess I shouldn’t expect much from a media who, when covering Michael Jackson’s death reminisced of his “Thriller” days and praised his supposed upcoming comeback tour while ignoring the entire gap in between. Really, Mainstream Media? Getting kids sloshed with “Jesus juice” hidden in a soda can before escorting them to his boudoir doesn’t even deserve a passing glance?

It may sound insensitive of me, but in all honesty, I’d want my own death to be handled the same way that I’m preaching here. Granted, I’ve never killed anybody or molested any little boys but I’d want the same amount of people to dislike me in death as do in life. If you think I’m an annoying little pissant right now, please don’t show up to my funeral acting as though you felt any differently.

Basically, handle my death as the mainstream media did Ronald Reagan’s. When the Gipper died, the media made sure to cover “both sides of the story” and even sadder, they genuinely seemed dumbfounded at the fact that so many people were seriously mourning the man. They had spent such a long time painting him as an evil warmonger that they didn’t even realize how diametrically opposed they were to the mainstream American opinion.

The media’s ignorance of America’s Conservative roots are only surpassed by Barack Obama’s incapability of grasping Ted Kennedy’s “50 years in public office” as a perversion of the founding fathers intent for our government.

I get that it’s always sad to see a life lost, and my heart always goes out to a family in suffering. However, to give more credit than that to someone like Mr. Kennedy or Mr. Jackson would be disingenuous. Isn’t the truth more important than romanticizing the dead?

“Rather than love, than money, than fame, give me truth.” -Henry David Thoreau

Sean Penn, take notes.

I focused on his creative output and what it meant to musicians and culture as best I could in our impromptu conversation.  In other words, we didn’t dwell on the fact that it SURE seemed like he was a serial molester of male children.  His music will stand alone.  HUGE talent, obsessive artist, stratospheric career from childhood into his thirties.  Iconic images and motion pictures of him, dancing and performing unforgettably at his peak, will probably always be tainted for our generation by what he became, by what many of us now know he was for a long time.  His strange celebrity outran his music, but maybe now it will stop running… all this will be said better over the next few days and probably weeks by others.

What I’m looking forward to, after whatever period is gentlemanly to wait, is our own FBI undercover superagent, Bob Hamer dropping the…well, dropping his last name plus another “m” on the kind of man who SURE seemed like he built elaborate playgrounds to lure children to himself.