Total Injustice

*I just need to get a few things off my chest so if you're easily offended or deeply in love with either Farrah Fawcet or Michael Jackson, I suggest you not read any further.

What the heck is wrong with us Americans? I am personally appalled by all the public mourning, weeping, and carrying on about two have-been pop/tv stars. Farrah's battle with cancer was admirable and she educated a lot of people with her documentary about fighting and finding a cure for cancer, now sadly her death is certainly taking a back seat to MJ's. So if I had to pick favorites, yeah it would be her. Michael, on the other hand, may have written some good songs which defined a decade, but do we forget such incidences as him dangling his son over a balcony or all the "allegations" of child pornography and sexual abuse going on in his own home? Okay, so they're only allegations, and OJ only "allegedly" chopped his wife's head off.

But this is not my soap box. My anger and disbelief are directed at the media and those who are skipping work to stay home to watch the live telecasts and tributes to these individuals. They're dead. People die every day. In fact, 28 million children die of curable diseases each year! 17 million children die from starvation. STARVATION! They don't die because they have fought a valiant battle with cancer deserving of media attention; they don't die of heart attacks sleeping between the finest of linens. They die because they have no FOOD. They die because they don't have a basic antibiotic to treat malaria....a $25 antibiotic!! But these children get no media attention. They get no justice. What is wrong with us? How can we sit in front of our big screen TV's munching on chips and watching and mourning the death of a freakin pedophile for goodness sake when children are dying TODAY because they have no food to eat? It's pathetic. It's inexcusable.

The child you see in the above picture is a REAL child from Uganda. This photo was taken in May; his body was lifeless and he was literally starving to death. You don't see these faces on the news. You don't see the ticker rolling every time an innocent child dies from lack of food or totally obtainable and affordable medicine. Instead we are content to live in our world with delusions of grandeur and Neverland ranches, while idolizing those pretty faces we see from our TV sets. We choose to ignore the suffering and the dying in places like Africa. Why? Because we are so far removed or because it hurts too much to watch or because we're too selfish and like to put ourselves up on pedestals because we're better, richer, and prettier than the rest of the world? No wonder the world hates Americans.

Did you know that every year 10 million children are involved in the sex industry? And some of that is within our own borders!? Instead of mourning Michael Jackson for his "music", wouldn't we be more effective in giving our time and attention to free the innocent from the bonds of sex slavery?

It's time that we wake up people. It's time that we did something. No more pathetic excuses. Two weeks ago two 11 year olds set up a lemonade stand and baked cookies and raised $40 to buy food for kids in Uganda. If they can do it, so can we. We can choose to not ignore the statistics, we can choose to not idolize people for their good looks or the ability to write songs, we can choose to make a difference, to pay attention, to do SOMETHING!