[lashbear]

Media can trial anyone and make anyone innocent or guilty without the need for a court. We all know that.

My own belief (and I'll just pop my 2c in here just to balance the scales) is that MJ was yearning to recapture the child within so badly. In part (a lot, actually) I understand where he came from. I spend a lot of time (way too much, in fact) trying to recapture the experiences, smells, tastes, feelings of the childhood I remember fondly (and also changing history for myself by re-writing unhappy memories too).

Do I wish I could have my own personal Disneyland in my backyard? One where I could go without being bothered by the press, and one I can fill with kids who appreciate it for it's innocence, it's fun, just the giddy in-the-moment times you have as a kid without worrying about where the family meals are going to come from, or who might be waiting to lop down the tall poppies?

You betcha.

Would I build a house where I could invite those kids who are sick, dying, or from underpriviledged homes to spend some happy days watching movies, having fun and forgetting their own sadness outside at home - just letting them know they can be happy and teaching them to carry the flame of happiness within when all without appears lost? I'd love to.

I'm not going to comment on any other stuff either, because there will always be the "nobody knows what went on behind closed doors" argument from plenty of folk - actually, let me just say that I believe this is the reason that he may have settled with the families: Without evidene one way or the other, if a child makes an accusation at the urging of parents in order to reap a large settlement, wouldn't you just settle out of court, rather than be found guilty by a media-biased jury (and you've all said a lot of people believe he was strange anyway, so why not just believe the kid, huh? - bias that would be easy to engender in the jury) , but I just wanted to say that I personally don't believe the Adult Child that was Michael Jackson meant to give those kids anything more than the Ohana love, support and happiness he so desperately wanted for himself.

End of soapbox.

Oh, Stoat wants to add: Who can't think of at least one person who hasn't at one time or another thrown money at a problem to make it go away quickly, even though they're not personally responsible for the problem? (My EG: Kevy at a certain dinner ?)