I enjoy the revisiting of his music and talent, even though I never was a real fan. However, I very quickly sickened of the intermix of gossip surrounding the details of his death, family, and estate.

Michael Jackson again - just turning over to KCRW; it was never like this when a real giant died Ray Charles. I don't remember anyone suggesting a Ray Charles day. It's so hypocritical when you talk of him like this after all the fun most people made of him when he was alive; he was the butt of comedians for years now you should let him rest in peace.

We're sick of the MJ coverage! You are establishing KPCC as the intellectual lightweight of public radio!

Michael Jackson will be remembered for his complete life, the eccentricities of his personal life, as well as the greatest-selling pop album (Thriller) in history. As Quincy Jones noted in his eulogy in the LA Times (7/30/09) the sensational news over Jackson was all static; his music from albumms like "Off the Wall," "Thriller," and "Bad" will be always be remembered.

Y'know, Thriller hit when I was in high school. I should be deeply affected by Michael Jackson's death, I suppose.

But for myself, I always found him a little creepy, even back then. For all his success and for all the scandals -- whatever the truth behind them -- he was obviously a damaged person.

I guess I was never able to get past that sense of feeling sorry for him enough to give him the kind of adulation other people obviously felt.

This MJ coverage is NUTS way over the top STOP IT

No LIVE BROADCAST of the Memorial Service

STOP IT STOP IT

Jackson again? Goodbye

Here in California, we are eliminating health services to our needy.
Our educational system is being starved and our children ignored.
Our public services are being evicerated.
Our public servants ignore our needs in the name of ideology.

KPCC has spent more time in the last week on Michael Jackson than on the total of all our real problems in the lastmonth.

He was a good entertainer. Can we please move on?

While I think Palin resigned to focus more on a possible 2012 campaign, resignation is a rushed and wrongheaded decision, and the logic she gave for it is shaky at best (considering the ensuing disruption to Alaskan government). Democrats are probably hoping for Palin to run in 2012, as they know that Palin's influence does not extend much beyond the socially conservative base of the Republican party. Perhaps Palin would do well to reflect on her own chances before doing anything.

Sarah Palin's announcement was replete with hurt feelings, hostility to 'enemies' who dare hold her to account, and incoherent. In this, it is perfect for her base, who are fearful of and resent the America-that-is, and who don't care too much for rational thought, believing it the tool of élites and other NewYorkJew types.

Hi Larry,

I think Palin resignation was totally in keeping with Palin philosophy - crazy.
Somehwere in her brain this move makes perfect sense, but I personally find it appalling that someone who quits on their State just when they need leadership the most would even consider running for even hogher office.

As a Republican, Sarah Palin's rambling resignation speech made me long for the relative clarity of Lewis Carroll's "Through The Looking Glass." I wasn't inclined to vote for her before, and her choice to seemingly bail from her responsibilities makes me even less inclined to do so now. If anything, I feel she needs MORE experience actually working through problems and finding solutions.

Sarah Palin:

The entire Palin episode is a joke.

She is undereducated and inarticulate. She is immature and thin-skinned. She has not demostrated any capacity to govern, her hometown, her state or The United States of America. She is a hypocrite, a liar and an embarrassment. She is not a viable leader.

She is nothing...zip, zero...an empty shell.

America needs and deserves better than to even have her as a consideration of leadership in this county.

Isn't it moose hunting season?

Sarah Palin is an EMPTY blouse !!!

One thing the discussion has ignored: Part of Sarah Palin's appeal is/was to Republican women. Apart from her politics, she comes across as a strong, charismatic figure. You can't ignore them as a force in the primaries.

Why is Governor Palin stepping down any different that President Obama spending virtually his whole terms as a Senator, not doing work as a Senator but running for President? I have never understood why all these politicians can keep their jobs but go about doing another full time job. They should have to resign to run for some other office. What Governor Palin did was pretty honest thing to do both for herself and for her state but since she is who she is, she'll be held to a different standard.

To Rex....
That's ANIMAL cruelty, man. Elephants are ALREADY in season...
Leave the mooses be.

I am sorry to say that I strongly disagree with what
Paige had to say:

"One thing the discussion has ignored: Part of Sarah Palin's appeal is/was to Republican women. Apart from her politics, she comes across as a strong, charismatic figure. You can't ignore them as a force in the primaries."

Republican women should have been appalled...and, DEMANDED better for their party. Palin's strength was to spew venom? And charismatic? Oh please!
I'm not looking to charisma to deal with North Korea, Iran, Russia, China as well as massive economic problems.

Mr Waxman: Please make a logical argument against the merits of a single-payer system--aside from the lobbyist money against it. If you can't, why don't you make a courageous stand and support it? How will private insurers ever be able to compete without excluding high-risk people?

Sir... what about costs for small businessmen ??

Health insurance costs are soaring up and up yearly at over 13% .. and it will soon become impossible to provide same for its employees and self-business owners.

As a physician and a supporter of a single-payer system I must disagree. A half a loaf is worse than nothing. Having the taxpayer pay more for the sick and poor directly and through supplements of the private insurers will cost more and still leave un- and underinsured.

Sarah Palin: If I were a Republican woman I would be insulted that this is my party can do to promote diversity. I am sure, no positive, that there are intelligent Republicans (I know I am laughing as I write this...oxymoron?) who are women. Forget this court jester.
MJ. Enuf. ok he made dance music, he wore gloves, he denied everything about himself. he made lots of money, he slept with boys. Hey maybe he was a Republican too! When I find out he donated half of his estate to charity, well I might reconsider. Until then, who is paying for the traffic jam downtown?
Healthcare: why do people vote against their own self interest? I will never understand why people hold on to the idea that their insurance company is their friend. We have all heard the horror stories...here is one that is just ridiculous-in the "because they can". My father(87) just received a notice from Blue Cross telling him that a lab test from 10/12/2005 will not be paid. Oh, he can appeal. Really? 4 years?
Give me Single Payer.
Sure those private companies are great....oh wait, AIG, Countrywide, Lehman, yeah, hold on to those ideas that dont work and screw the majority.
I do not have insurance: purchasing it is prohibitive-age and pre-existing. I guess I'll just throw myself on the emergency room floor when my time comes-dont worry it wont be much of a loss, I am not in power or rich-not much of a loss.

Good afternoon,

When will the podcast/streaming audio be published today? I understand your struggles with the new site architecture (and believe me, having been there and suffered through, I share your pain!), but I missed a substantial piece of the live broadcast... So I'd like to catch up this PM. Please let us know. Anyway, best of luck. Marco

I take exception to Drew Schnur's idea that Todd Purdham's article on Palin in Vanity Fair wasn't "balanced." This idea of "balance" to show that a journalist isn't "biased" is what's wrecked investigative reporting. If Palin was a trainwreck, why can't that be reported?