Michael Jackson Still Not Buried.
ProConPundit Pushing for Gary, Indiana.
The Jackson Family wants Michael buried as Neverland, where, I imagine, he would have wanted to be buried. The State of California has very strict regulations regarding the burial of dead human remains outside of a cemetery. Santa Barbara County is also DEAD SET AGAINST his burial there, for all of the turmoil it would create to the quiet, upscale area. The ProConPundit also questions whether Jackson actually still owned the property. I thought he donated/sold all or part of it to a boarding school.

Conventional wisdom would have Jackson buried at Forest Lawn which is where most of the rich and famous are buried, if they are not tucked away in the small Westwood Village Cemetery. The ProConPundit thinks burying Jackson at Forest Lawn is crazy. I think, like Elvis, wherever he is buried will bring a lot of people. Elvis is buried on the grounds of his Memphis mansion, Graceland. It’s a great tourist attraction site in a place that needs one. It also raises a lot of money for Elvis’ family. I think it would be unfortunate for him to not be in a place unique to him and also hard to imagine his family not capitalizing on it. Although you’d be inclined to think they should have figured it out in the two weeks since he died, it makes sense that it would take time to work out legalities, logistics, details.

The ProConPundit believes it makes best sense for Michael Jackson to be buried in GARY, INDIANA. It’s his birthplace, his boyhood home and from there that his music career, and that of his family, was launched. Its located in the heartland, close to Chicago, near several interstate expressways and a place that could benefit immensely from the tourism his burial, and presumed, museum or tourist center would be located. The ProConPundit is pushing this...to the point of calling Al Sharpton and Gary Mayor Rudy Clay.

A person has always had a greater chance of being murdered in Gary than getting a job. Bringing the King of Pop to his hometown for burial would help Gary become something better and be a last, lasting act of altruism on the part of MJ.

ProConPundit Softens Stand on--
King of Pop, and...

The ProConPundit watched the entire funeral of Michael Jackson. And, incidentally, it was a Funeral Service, not a Memorial Service. The media seems to lack the distinction but a funeral service one in which the body is present and a memorial service is one in which it is not. In all fairness, it was unknown until 8:30 a.m. Chicago time today as to whether the body would be present for the service. When it was announced to the assembled masses at the Staples Center that the casketed remains of Michael Jackson would be present, people were euphoric. I experienced it something of a teachable moment in that his body being present mattered to people. It was, naturally, a continual focal point during the service. Particularly in a case where people didn’t get the chance to say good bye, the presence of the body, even in a closed casket, is helpful.

I was never a fan of MJ. It was a great funeral. I was particularly moved by Stevie Wonder, Brooke Shields, my dear friend, the Rev. Al Sharpton, and the words by Jackson’s daughter, Katherine Paris Jackson. I also learned a lot about Jackson. I had not realized the depth of his financial generosity and humanitarian efforts. I still stand with Congressman Peter King (R-NY) on Jackson, in general, but I cannot dismiss the impact he has had on music, history, and the African American community.

Queen of Conservatives

When Sarah Palin was plucked from relative obscurity to be John McCain’s running mate last year, she was already a remarkable success story, an effective governor, and someone who fought her way to the top. Some people blame him for the defeat, some blame her. Definitively: It was his fault–it was his race to lose. I don’t think she helped. She solidified conservatives who were already holding their noses and voting for McCain. She alienated moderates and independents, as did he. For all of his talk of being a maverick and for as much as conservatives shunned him, he chose to dance to the right, instead of the center in the general election, the opposite of the Nixonian recipe for GOP victory.

As much as I don’t personally care for Palin, I do think the media has absolutely been relentless in their ridicule of her and her family. When Saturday Night Live made jokes about the child Chelsea Clinton being homely, they were forced to apologize. When MSNBC’s David Shuster, an unabashed liberal, referred to Chelsea Clinton’s role in her mother’s campaign last year as being “pimped” by her parents, he was suspended for over a month. Don’t let anyone tell you Palin was treated fairly. She wasn’t.

Palin’s resignation as Governor of Alaska is inconsequential, one way or the other. Personally, I don’t support it and don’t think it is equivalent to people vacating an office for higher office. She isn’t. Whatever her reasons, it doesn’t really matter. She accomplished what she was going to accomplish, which was much, prior to McCain tapping her as his running mate. That was at a time when the Democrats in the state legislature played ball with her to get things done. The Republicans in Alaska were always look warm to her given her defeat of her GOP predecessor. The one thing she has handled badly in this is her assertion that lame duck office holders take advantage of their constituents by taking trade trips and just letting the clock run out. Bullshit. She is vacating her office with 17 months remaining in a 48 month term. If that suits her, and she feels her agenda will be continued more effectively by the current Lt. Governor, her ally, good for her. To do so ridiculing others who finish the commitment they were elected to is poor.

I don’t like her and I don’t think she’ll ever be elected to national office.. So what? According to a USA Gallup poll, 43% of Americans would vote for her today over 54% for Obama. 43% doesn’t win, but its pretty impressive for such a controversial figure. She is the Queen of Conservatives. She will have the time now to spend in the lower 48 to give speeches, raise money and be a formidable presence in the GOP for years to come.

The ProConPundit loves anyone
who gets buried in this casket!

The Promethean is made by Batesville Casket Co., of Batesville, Indiana. Batesville is the largest American manufacturer of caskets. A decade ago or so, they acquired Marsellus Casket Co., the premier casket manufacturer of hardwood caskets in the U.S. Presidents Kennedy, Reagan, and Ford are all buried in Marsellus caskets. Aurora Casket Co., of Aurora, Indiana is the second largest manufacturer of American caskets. Aurora acquired Clarksburg Casket Co., the runner up to Marsellus as fine hardwood caskets. The Promethean is a 14 karat gold plated casket with a dark blue velvet interior and a hand-polished, mirror finish. The wholesale cost alone is around 25k.