This Michael Jackson post is actually about the people of Iran

When news broke yesterday that Michael Jackson had died, I thought to myself, "Wow, Michael Jackson is dead. Crazy."

Within seconds the following thoughts proceeded:

• If I was an Iranian protestor being shot at right now while fighting for my rights, I would be really pissed at the media right now. This would be worse news for me if I was one of them.
• Hey, wasn't this the guy who was repeatedly accused of child molestation, mutilated his own face and dangled his infant child over the balcony of a building? Did I just hear him described in heroic terms just because he could dance and just died unexpectedly? Weird how that happens when famous people die...
• Well, I guess it was unexpected to a point. Anyone who saw pictures of him in the last several years probably shouldn't be too stunned that he had some serious health issues that could reasonably lead to death. Really, it's not weird that someone with that lifestyle died in this manner, though it is unfortunate.
• Jackson did have some fun music (though I have never wanted to buy it). I was reminded when my neighbors started blasting it last night. I get it. He was a HUGE celebrity. It's news.
• But I'm still more concerned about the Iranians and how this could effect their cause in a global sense, even though our media isn't. Nor are some of my Facebook friends, though I theorize some of those same people probably never gave much thought to the news from Iran, let alone know what Iran is.
• That makes me angry.
• I'm over the gratuitous Michael Jackson coverage and celebrity worship. It's out of control.

In fact, there are a lot of things I'm more concerned about: Iran, Neda's family, North Korea, our troops overseas, Darfur, the kids waiting to be sponsored through Compassion International, our economy and the frightening government overreach that will only make it worse, cap and trade, thousands of unborn babies being killed each day in the US through abortion, etc. The list goes on, but you get the idea.

Today, I hoped people would get a grip on life and mourn the loss of Jackson with some self-control and perspective. Congress did what they've become too good at doing and ruined any hopes quickly by using taxpayer funded time to praise Jackson's "grace" and "mercy," punctuated with a moment of silence. Click here to watch video of them working hard on the Hill. What losers...

Then, I turned on Fox News to hear a host say they have breaking news that Elizabeth Taylor reportedly collapsed at the news of Jackson's death. I'm not making that up. That was "news" today.

I had to dig past the Jackson coverage today to find the real breaking news at ABC news:

A senior cleric on Friday urged Iran's protest leaders to be punished "without mercy" and said some should face execution — harsh calls that signal a nasty new turn in the regime's crackdown on demonstrators two weeks after its disputed election.

Hard-liners have ordered long sentences and hangings before, and some fear those awaiting trial by a judiciary whose verdicts reflect the will of supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei could face the most severe punishments the Islamic system can dish out.

"Anyone who takes up arms to fight with the people, they are worthy of execution," Ayatollah Ahmed Khatami, a ranking cleric, said in a nationally broadcast sermon at Tehran University.

I'm not the only one concerned about the coverage today. Some blogs and websites understand; just don't turn on the television. The Daily Beast is running an article with the headline "Will Jacko Doom Iran?" Click here to read the entire piece:

Rubin cited Sudan as an example of where international pressure, encouraged by heavy media coverage, helped force the government to significantly reduce violence.

“It's a sad commentary that celebrity still trumps national security in news coverage, but that’s the world we live in,” he said.

It's not just Rubin at the right-leaning American Enterprise Institute who has voiced concern. National-security blogger Spencer Ackerman, a prominent commentator on the progressive side, also raised the issue on his site.

“I think we can agree that the Iranian regime benefits from the media rush to memorialize, explore and reflect upon Michael Jackson and his legacy,” Ackerman wrote in a blog post last night. In an e-mail interview, Ackerman told the Beast that “anything that takes up Twitter bandwidth away from [the Iran election] is bad for the opposition, and anything that distracts the cable networks from showing images of the crackdown is similarly bad.” He added that the international media distractions could give the regime "more room to violently suppress its opposition during a critical phase.”

Look, I don't care if fans are out having their own gatherings to remember his music. I don't care if the radio stations and MTV play his music all day long. That's where the attention belongs. It does not belong in Congress on the taxpayers' dime, and it is no longer breaking news deserving of 24 hour, full banner coverage. There are more important stories for the media to focus on. Tonight, I'm giving my personal attention to the stories of women living under the repressive and violent Iranian regime. I'm going to see The Stoning of Soraya M. You should too. You can't bring Michael Jackson back, but you can become more educated about the ongoing situation in Iran and repressed people around the world, and we can stand with those fighting it to make a difference in people's lives right now.