by John M. Curtis
(310) 204-8700

Copyright November 21, 2003
All Rights Reserved.

urrendering to Santa Barbara authorities, pop-music superstar Michael Jackson was unceremoniously handcuffed and booked on multiple counts of child molestation—the exact same charges in 1993 that led to a $15 million out-of-court settlement. This time around, Jackson was charged by a 12-year-old boy of committing “lewd and lascivious acts.” Posting a $3 million bond, Jackson was back on a private Gulfstream jet heading back to Las Vegas, where he was filming a music video. While denying the charges and calling them “a big lie,” it was a strange déjà vu seeing Jackson and his celebrity attorney Mark Geragos calling the allegations scurrilous and unsubstantiated. “He has come back specifically to combat these charges head-on. He is greatly outraged by these charges, and has authorized me to say the charges are categorically untrue. He looks forward to fighting this in court,” said Geragos.

      Geragos left little doubt that the pop icon plans to vigorously fight the charges, despite a $15 million payout in 1993, leaving Jackson's sexual preferences in doubt. According to unofficial accounts of the new incident, Jackson served the boy wine and molested him several times last winter while staying at his 2,600-acre Neverland ranch in the Santa Ynez Valley. Jackson reportedly met the boy while he received cancer treatment at Los Angeles Childrens Hospital, where he sometimes volunteers. “This is a gentleman who has spent the greater part of his life donating millions of dollars and devoting countless hours to benefiting children and those who are disadvantaged,” said Geragos, already creating a convenient smokescreen. Jackson's prior incident, past interviews, peculiar appearance and incriminating public remarks make the current allegations look all too credible.

      Santa Barbara County Dist. Atty. Thomas W., Sneddon Jr. tried to file against Jackson in 1993 but couldn't get the original witness to cooperate after a $15 million settlement. “Within a short period of time there will be charges filed against Mr. Jackson—multiple counts,” said Sneddon, promising the investigation would not run into the same dead-end this time around. For more than 15 hours, a platoon of deputies scoured Jackson's Neverland mansion looking for clues. Last February, ABC aired a documentary in which Jackson admitted to “sharing” his bed with a 12-year-old boy. “Why can't you share your bed? The most loving thing to do is share your bed with someone,” said Jackson. “It's a very beautiful thing. It's very loving,” practically admitting to pedophilia but denying any hanky-panky, making today's charges look quite plausible.

      Touting Jackson's charitable work for children doesn't rule out his bizarre sexual proclivities. Acting indignant, Geragos appeared offended by allegations of child molestation. “That's the most hurtful thing of all of this. Michael Jackson doesn't have urges or desires to ever hurt or damage a child. He finds that utterly repulsive,” said Geragos, not denying that Jackson engaged in child sexual abuse. Saying that the Grammy-winning singer “doesn't have urges or desires to ever hurt or damage a child” doesn't rule out sexual misconduct. Most fixated pedophiles—those child molesters stuck on children as sex objects—don't intend to hurt anybody while they pursue sexual gratification. Geragos may well be correct that Jackson doesn't have any desire to hurt children when he sexually acts out. Since Jackson dangled his infant son off a balcony in Germany last year, doubts were raised about his judgment.

      New sexual abuse allegations against Jackson prompted Los Angeles attorney Gloria Allred to ask Child Protective Services to remove his children. Allred's relationship with Jackson harks back to 1993 when she represented the 13-year-old boy also accusing him of child molestation. “I believe the children should be temporarily removed from Mr. Jackson's care and custody because of the history of Michael Jackson with children . . . combined with current criminal allegations,” said Allred at a press conference, raising concerns about the safety of Jackson's children. Whether Jackson's a pedophile is anyone's guess. Inviting cancer survivors from Childrens Hospital for sleepovers at his ranch demonstrates, at the very least, incredibly bad judgment. Jackson's admissions that he has children “share his bed” shows a reckless disregard for appropriate behavior.

      Already jumping into action, Geragos seems committed to the “you've got to be kidding” defense, pointing to Jackson's humanitarian work for children. Closing ranks, the Jackson family was quick to condemn the latest allegation as a mere “witch-hunt” designed to extort money from the multimillionaire pop singer. Getting caught twice in the same cookie jar raises serious doubts about Jackson's credibility, including his public admissions that he sees nothing wrong with “sharing” his bed with underage minors. “I don't know what to think about it. We are bombarded all day with choices from the Beltway Sniper to Laci Peterson. It never stops, you know, sensationalism in the media,” said Quincy Jones, Jackson's producer of his sensational 1983 “Thriller” album, blaming the press for the current feeding frenzy. Without rushing to judgment, Jackson's blind-spots have once again landed him back in the frying pan.

About the Author

John M. Curtis writes politically neutral commentary analyzing spin in national and global news. He's editor on OnlineColumnist.com and author of Dodging The Bullet and Operation Charisma.

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