Focus on troops’ sacrifice

During coverage of Michael Jackson’s death, CNN reported in passing that American troops were engaged in a “major offensive” in Afghanistan.

Whether one considers Jackson a prince or a pervert, he was nothing more than an entertainer who squandered millions of dollars supporting a most peculiar lifestyle. There is not one service man or woman who is not possessed of 100 times the character of this so-called “pop icon.”

Fourth of July coverage no doubt will focus almost exclusively on Jackson’s funeral while thousands of service men and women are engaged in a “major offensive” in a war to root out those who would enslave or kill us.

We must remember the sacrifices of the brave men and women in uniform at home and abroad who work tirelessly to preserve our freedom. Every day young men and women return with the scars of battle, and some return to grieving families in flag-draped coffins.

Ignoring the sacrifice and privation of America’s sons and daughters engaged in a “major offensive” in a faraway land in order to cover the funeral of this bizarre little man is shameful.

Thomas McGarry

Spokane