I am Sick (and not from all the turkey)

OK, I can’t keep quiet about this. First of all, I should state straight up that I completely believe OJ Simpson killed his ex-wife and her boyfriend. I think the jury was blinded by a combination of being afraid that they would look racist and that horrible fascination our culture has with celebrities and athletes.
Who’d’ve thought that this could sink even lower? I don’t know where to begin with all of this—so I’ll just go straight to the horse’s mouth.

"This was an opportunity for my kids to get their financial legacy," Simpson said in interviews after the book deal was abandoned by its publisher. "My kids understand. I made it clear that it's blood money, but it's no different than any of the other writers who did books on this case."

HELLO?! It SO is different! For one thing, other people weren’t the actual murderers (and if you believe that OJ Simpson is really innocent, then you probably won’t want to keep reading). For another thing, other people wrote about the trial, or the arrest, or the evidence. They so didn’t write about how they “might” have killed people, and then gotten away with it in some sickeningly desperate attempt to stay in the limelight.

And the kids…I really canNOT get started on that. Actually, I think the whole situation was so horrible that I can see the children wanting to believe their father was innocent. But at least one of them is close to adulthood and I can’t believe that they would gain any peace of mind from a book that dredged up such painful events in such a terrible way. Why is this man allowed any contact with children? Plenty of us have been raised with no financial legacy, and have no illusions about leaving any wealth to our own kids, and have spent a great deal of our lives parenting in such a way as to provide a very different type of legacy for our children, one that I dare say will mean more and do more than cash. I suggest that Mr. Simpson spend some thinking about the legacy he already has given to those children.

"My kids would have been coming into a lot of money," he said, adding he desperately needs the cash because his retirement funds are dwindling.

Sad. I wonder, should I be writing a book? My parents have probably burned through my inheritance, I bet, and I’ve got nothing, either. Oh wait, I and MOST OF THE REST OF THE WORLD WHO ACTUALLLY GO OUT AND EARN MONEY AND MAKE IT JUST FINE!

Publisher Judith Regan has portrayed the book as representing "O.J.'s confession," and it reportedly contains a chapter where he explains how he could have committed the killings.
But the former football star says he didn't commit the murders. He said the book was ghostwritten.

"When I saw what he wrote, I said, 'Maybe you did it because they're saying the chapter contains things only the killer would know.' I don't know these things," Simpson said.

Simpson said Wednesday he never spoke to Regan until taping the TV interview.
"In the course of the interview I said, 'This is blood money and I hope nobody reads it,' " Simpson said.

I HATE bad liars. Lying is wrong, but really, if you’re going to do it, be consistent. If he desperately needs cash because his retirement funds are dwindling, why does he hope nobody reads it?! And it was ghostwritten? And he really didn’t know what the book said until just before the interview? Sorry, OJ, but are you really that naïve after all those years in the spotlight? Really? You never ONCE wondered what the book was about?

I also despise the glib way he talks about the whole event, even when it happened. From the beginning his attitude was so….wrong. His comments are insensitive, callous, cruel…I keep thinking about his children, who lost their mother, and have to watch their father carry on like this.

Simpson declined to say how much of an advance he received for the book, but said it was less than the $3.5 million (U.S.) that has been reported. He said the money has already been spent, including some he used to meet his tax obligations.
Simpson was acquitted of murder in 1995 but was later found liable for the killings in a wrongful-death suit filed by the Goldman family. Simpson has failed to pay the $33.5 million (U.S.) judgment against him in that case, and his pensions and his Florida home cannot be seized.

He said Fred Goldman has helped drain his finances with "frivolous lawsuits," including one he brought recently attempting to deprive Simpson of the commercial rights to his name. Although Simpson prevailed in court he said he spent $17,000 in legal fees.

Simpson, 59, said his NFL pension pays only $1,700 a month and the private pension he amassed during the days when he was a popular TV pitchman and sports commentator is being halved next month because he's had to dip into the principal.

Hmmmm…well, I’ve learned not to spend money before I actually have it. And, the median income in America (50% of the population is above and 50% below) is about $46,000 a year. I’m pretty sure that whatever “desperate” financial straits Mr. Simpson has found himself in, he’s better off than pleeeeeeeenty of his fellow Americans. I’d love to take a look at his house, his car, his wardrobe, his dining/entertainment expenses, his golf fees—in fact, I’d be more than happy to show him how to trim his grocery budget, how to cut clothing expenses for growing children, how to have a fun date without spending a lot—and I’ve got plenty of friends who do it better than I do. The murders aside, this is just another sad story of an athlete who was nothing more than what he could do on the field.

I probably won’t keep this on the blog for long—it’s really out of character for what I want to write about. But since I just came back from Thanksgiving dinner and was thinking again about all the blessings we’ve received and the things I still miss that I’m so thankful for in absentia…this is a sad sad reminder of a less than stellar aspect of our culture. Thank heavens someone finally had the common sense to pull the plug—unfortunately, it was the same organization that seemed to think this was a good idea to begin with. Can’t something be wrong just for its own sake, instead of waiting to find out whether “the public” approves or not?!

Note: Quotes are from an AP article online today.
© Associated Press 2006