CBS has booted Janet Jackson from the Grammy Awards (search) telecast this Sunday. Patti Labelle will take her place as a presenter. And CBS is right in holding Ms. Jackson accountable for the debacle last Sunday.
Bad behavior must be confronted. And for far too long, it has not been in our popular culture. Time after time, people excuse bad behavior by pointing to worse behavior. That is intellectually dishonest and leads to no standards at all.
As "Talking Points" mentioned, the Janet Jackson situation is a huge loss for the secular movement in America because now everybody knows that anything goes in our culture. And people are starting to get angry.
Those of you who are older than 35 can remember a country where Janet Jackson, if she did what she did, that couldn't have happened. If she flashed say, back in the '60's, her career would have been ruined, and she might have even been arrested.
Now we are more progressive, but all the secularism is redefining the country. And I think it's dangerous. The society of 300 million Americans without discipline or standards will fall apart, period.
Now the secularists did gain a victory in Massachusetts. Gay marriage will become legal in the Commonwealth this coming May, but the law of unintended consequences will definitely kick in.
Number one, there will be a federal constitutional amendment defining marriage as between a man and a woman. That will override any state court decision. Number two, Senator Kerry will be put on the defensive, even though he doesn't even support gay marriage. And number three, activist judges who defy the will of the people will now become objects of discussion and sometimes scorn. These people have hidden in the weeds for years. Now they're going to be exposed.
So all the happy faces over the gay marriage deal may not be so happy one year from today. The polls say 66 percent of Americans oppose gay marriage. I believe the will of the people will prevail in this case, but there's still an open question whether the will of the people will prevent the secularization of America. That war will be ongoing.
And that's The Memo.
The Most Ridiculous Item of the Day
In Miami, the Janet Jackson exposition has already been felt. A prisoner was in the process of listening to charges when he ripped off his clothes. Bailiffs then led him away.
There's no explanation for his conduct other than a rumor that he's a big Justin Timberlake fan. But we have not been able to confirm that. Of course, it could be ridiculous.
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