So, Casey Anthony was found not guilty and sentenced today. My feelings regarding the case, I really don’t have one but have an opinion about it.
I didn’t follow the trial, I didn’t watch the trial, I did not watch any of the shows on the subject, I did not read other then the tidbits over heard during the nightly news, I did not allow myself to get emotionally involved with this case.
Although, most do not agree with the verdict, one thing is for sure, the jury did exactly what it was instructed to do based on the instructions they were given, from what I hear. They were supposed to convict her behind the reasonable doubt and not on public opinion, and they followed the law. We may want something but let’s not forget, things wont always turn out the way we want.
The laws are on the books to be followed. Well, most of the time.
The jury was sequestered for more than a month. They were not allowed to read or watch anything on the subject other then go to court and hear the testimonies. – Oh why does it sound like a segment of Big Brother to me? –
They made the decision and although difficult it may be, we need to accept it as The End, take the pieces and run into the sunset.
There are no winners in this case, just losers. A kid is dead and will never be brought back to life, a family has been jolted and will never be the same. The life of all those involved from the judge to the prosecutor, defense attorneys and the jury, will forever be transformed as their names will forever be attached to the case but it too shall pass.
As far as Casey is concerned, others will move on, do just fine but not her. She is forever and will forever be Casey, Casey Anthony. Life will change, it has changed.
She has become a pariah, a persona non grata, a misfit, an outcast with no place to stay or live. She may have a place to go but may need to hide from the predators, from those who may try to cause her harm. She may need to move away for her safety and sanity, if she still has any left.
I hope she has learned her lesson. I hope she goes into seclusion, move to lalaland, Timbuktu, reinvent herself; transform herself, become a better person, join the church for spiritual transformation and guidance, go to school, gain some knowledge and stop partying, take life serious.
She has become a free “prisoner”. A person who will only live free through the four corners of the walls, who will be looking at the sky more than she care to look. She will never be able to trust anyone, be able to freely go places because she will always be looking over her shoulder. She will never be that person or feel yesterday or know what tomorrow will be. As someone put it, “The jury made its decision, what are we gonna do?! Nothing, it is done!” and another person quipped, “She is all alone now”.
I am still perplexed, usuriously bewildered. I don’t necessarily understand but have reconciled with the fact that each of us is different and unique, and entitled to our own opinions. If I knew then what I know today, perhaps, I would have nicely asked my brief and atypical friend a few questions.
I was leisurely gliding through the booths two years ago, while attending Coconut Grove Arts festival, this is one of the biggest art festival in Miami and perhaps, in the country besides the Art Basel, when I heard this irrefutable squeak irritating voice.
I knew it from the back of my head. It reminded me of my parrot Jackie. I don’t really own a bird but for the purpose of this story, let’s pretend I have one.
I didn’t immediately jump to her graces like one mad fan because I didn’t want to intrude neither come across like one round the bend loony. I believe celebrities too need their time in the sun; they need to be left alone; they are after all humans just like any of us; so, if they are out grocery shopping, I don’t really need to know what they have in their shopping bag; if is bacon or bathroom tissue.
I am not an admirer. I used to watch her regularly on SNL and even though, she is an F-lister, I was nevertheless animated to spot a celebrity.
I danced in circles like a dog attempting to bite off his own tail. I was flying high as if I had won the lottery. Not!
I composed myself long enough pretending to be interested in the next booth merchandise, so to confirm I had the right person. Coy and dispirited, however, I quietly walked away. I have seen celebrities and can understand why people go gaga over a famous person. Perhaps, she was relieved that she was not interrupted and I for not having created a scene and made a full of myself. God, I can only image me making the six o’clock news over a washed up comedian.
She hasn’t done anything of artistic value lately, like a comedy tour or TV show. Last I saw her, she was on Celebrity Fit Club on VHI and that was it. So, I can’t understand why I was so bend on talking to her. Nevertheless, I was ecstatic. I guess I was just happy to have spotted a celebrity.
I moved through to other booths. I got to the end of the aisle and was on my back when I heard The Voice once again. I thought she was long gone by then. Perhaps, she was stalking me and not the other way around. This time, I was not ready to let her go; I was determined to meet her.
I stopped by the booth where she was and I acted as if I was checking the merchandise and was able to verify that it was indeed her. Amassing enough courage, I approached her as she was walking away.
“Are you Victoria Jackson?”, I asked.
“Yes I am”, she said.
“I heard the voice and thought it was you but did not want to intrude.”
“That’s alright”, she said. “You are not interrupting.” Her response alleviated my nerves putting me at ease.
We began chatting while walking down the 1/2-mile stretch of the road back to our cars. Side-by-side conversing like two old pals, talking about art while I tiptoed with my line of questions.
We got to the place where we left our cars to learn that coincidentally we parked at the same location, at a lady’s front yard and separated only by two cars.
During our mini excursion, I learned that she was born and raised in Miami. Her father ran a gymnastic school. She moved back to the area after Saturday Night Live to marry a local policeman with whom she has two kids. Traveling around for comedic gigs suddenly became a piss as she was trying to juggle the family life and career; so, she decided to stop working to raise her kids. As she put it, she didn’t want her kids to be raised by “someone else”. She needed to see them grow up, be a part of their lives instead of “running around the country chasing the almighty dollar”, she said. She had the choice as I see it, and she made it and does not regret it one bit. These were her reasons and I am glad she could choose.
I brought up the Celebrity Fit Club on VHI throughout the exchange and wanted to know the experience was like. She told me that she had no issue with the producers flying her out there – Los Angeles – to lose weight and get paid for it. She was always up to it; the ever capitalist. Her statements now make a lot sense.
She enjoyed her time on the show, she said. It was fun and attested that all the drama we saw on TV was real; it actually happened. We talked about her career, her kids, her husband. I wanted to know what possessed her to marry a cup instead of an individual in the entertainment business. The response was never fully answered but I was satisfied and did not press her for more. True to form, after all that talk and I got into my car without ever asking her for an autograph or a picture. Not because I did not want to but because I simply forgot. How would I then be able to prove that I actually met Victoria?
I was disappointed I must confess. I drove straight home and let everyone know that I had just saw Victoria Jackson. “Vitoria who”? That seemed to have been the consensus reaction.
For me, she was just the lady I saw on the street, a person I struck a conversation with and not a celebrity. Someone I enjoyed chitchatting with for a few minutes and that was it. It was not until this past election, however, that I suddenly realized that not having her picture or autograph was not so bad after all.
I learned of Victoria Jackson the politician and the need to detach the individual from his or her politics became evident. I was no longer enchanted but disillusioned. I was like huh?! “How do you call a blonde who has lost 90% of her marbles?”
Most recently, she appeared in an array of talk shows, specifically the FoxNews Network, spewing some dumbfounded maniac ideas that made me think that perhaps, I was better off not having her as a “friend” and her picture, not worth a dime.
I was not in the prowl to judge her but was immediately turned off. How can a person be so scary, scanning and downright in the dark? Ok, let’s call it what it is, plain stupid. As she so eloquently stated, “My motivation is gone, because [Obama] will punish me if I’m successful. That’s how you start communism, is just take — Cuba. Obama wants to be Castro.”??? “Well, I’ve never been involved in politics. ‘Cuz it’s just neh neh neh, neh neh neh. But all of a sudden it was, it was: Oh, Hillary Clinton is a socialist, she wants to socialize medicine. Well, I’ll have to vote against her.”
Did she really believe that the President of the United States is communist and he is really coming after her money? What, does she have any left? What a goofball, but wait, there is more, “And then all of a sudden a communist appears! Out of nowhere! And that’s when I started to get involved. So I did research. Uh, black liberation theology, his church, is Marxist. And his professors are Marxist. Redistribute the wealth”
Not to be undone, she has elevated to the blogosphere world by posting a blog recently entitled “Down is Up, Unfair is Fair and Ignorance is Bliss” on Andrew Breitbart’s website that made me think that Hollywood is perhaps, one crazy community. When they point the fingers at the Hollywood types, are they perhaps referring to her and her types or Clooney, Jolie, Pitt and many others who do outstanding work with the poor and the needy? http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/vjackson/2009/07/07/ignorance-is-bliss/#more-178482
I particularly enjoy the part where she states, ““You know, I’ve been speaking at Tea Parties lately. No one seems to know or care that our country just turned Socialist.” She continues, “I continued, “It’s called ‘late-term abortion’. Now he’s going to kill sick people and old people. Did you know that Cap & Trade will allow the government to regulate how long we take a shower? And that the “New Health Plan”, happy, happy, will allow the government to decide who lives and who dies?””
Bravo! Let’s clap! Am I entitled to think or call her ignorant? Perhaps but she is also entitled to her opinion. Should I then categorize or call anyone who believes this country is heading to communism or this President is communist, stupid? Perhaps, I am also entitled to my opinion.
Dearly departed, we are gathered here today to witness the end of a soap opera. Yes, after 72-year run, don’t hate, they started on the radio, one of my favorite soaps is gone; dead, like yesterday’s meat. Procter & Gamble Co., they owed the show, decided to hit the snooze button and pulled the plug and now no more. Capiche, kaboom, done and, I am feeling the pain.
Once upon a time we were brothers, sisters, cousins, hoomies, suitemates, roommates; we were attached to the hips, to the joints to the… whatever. We were in this insatiate, passionate, love/hate relationship that could have killed both us. I had no boundaries and at one point called the almighty God to have pity and save me from my own misery.
I needed rehab, no not that kind, pronto as I was obsessed and could not live without it. It taught me how to speak English, literally, no joke. My English professor suggested it and the newspaper as mechanism to better the idiom and it proved to be interesting. I got hooked on (CALGON, please take me away!) the revolving solar system of never ending stories of soapoperas, las hot calientes novellas. Too bad there were no popcorn.
And so it begun, my adventure, my love affair many moon lights ago.
I used to watch all of them on CBS; Guiding Light, it was on at 3:00PM at the time, alongside The Young and Restless at 12:30PM, Capitol at 1:30, which met an early demise and was later replaced by The Bold and The Beautiful, As The World Turns at 2:30PM followed by Guiding Light, every day, every night, rain or shine, whenever I could, religiously.
I used to schedule my life around it; watch it after school, after work, after whatever. When I could not watch it live, I would tape it (that was before we heard of TIVO and videos on demand) and watch later on the day, regardless of the time.
I used to muscle everyone and everything so to not miss one episode and be forced to catch up later. I used to be it and it used to be me and we understood each other like one more bottle of beer or a cigarette. Don’t hate!
I lived with Billy, JB, Josh, Shane, country oil boys who rattled Springfield – the fictitious city; the Bauer family and their annual Thanksgiving barbeque for as long as I can remember.
Reva was my girl dough. She was exciting, the life of the party, a no nonsense kind of girl. She was crazy like a fox and all of that in a bag of chips.
As many stories go on soaps, there were their shares of craziness. C’mon, it would not be a novella if it lacked that aspect. Reva married JB who was dad’s to Billy and Josh because Josh did not man up enough to her; then, after so many wranglings, she finally married Josh – the love of her life – to divorce him later to marry Billy, Josh’s older brother who sensed the weakness on his “little brother” and went in for the kill; and as if it was not enough, she divorces Billy after he begun drinking and went back to Josh who attempted to humiliate her but could not help but take her back…. Oof, I am tired just writing about it.
Riva had two kids, breast cancer, went to jail, was hit by a car and lived to see another day, went through menopause, died – yes she did, twice, went over a bridge in some Caribbean island to appear later, to marry JB once again until his death and then Josh. Reva, please stop, I am getting intoxicated! Oh and Mindy, who was Billy’s spoiled daughter.
Then there were the Bauer’s, a family of cool doctors, Ed, Maureen and Rick. They dealt with drug abuse, breast cancer, drinking issues, I mean so many crazy stuff that my head was spinning.
The Spaulding’s, the rich and crazy bunch led by madly in love Beth and Phillip, Alan – every town has its villain and he was it but somehow Beth found her way to her father in law.
Guiding Light was what it was; a distraction, a fairy-tale, make-believe, a delight and I enjoyed every minute of it. I knew its stories and its characters, and it surrounded me. We parted ways only when its schedule was changed to make room for The Doctors show and I lost interest, and it succumbed to the old man disease, ratings, with no possibility of reruns. I mean, soapopera at 10:00AM, please!
Let’s not forget the many actors who paraded its screen and are now stars: Hayden Panettiere, before she became an heroine and was this six years old cutie as an apple and Riva’s daughter, Angela Basset, Mia Long, Calista Flockhart, Kevin Bacon, Taye Diggs, Billy D. Williams and many others. They all went through the Guiding Light’s school.
Today, it sits as yesterday’s story; one more episode in a life of a character in the life of Springfield but it is not the character; it is Springfield. I will miss it and it will never be the same. So long.
ludlum drive 
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