Notoriety

While the word "notoriety" can be used to mean fame or renown, most often it's synonomous with dishonor or infamy. To a greater or lesser extent, the latter usages apply to the three major stories of the last week, which coincidentally ended a tumultuous first half of 2009.

MARK SANFORD
It took some doing but the heretofore little known South Carolina governor has one-upped his many hypocritical holier than thou "family values" (now there's a slogan!) GOP brethren such as Mark Foley, Larry Craig, David Vitter and John Ensign along with several right-wing "preachers" by singing Don't Cry for Me Argentina to his Evita (a.k.a. Maria) while literally and figuratively taking a hike from family, gubernatorial duties, etc. The 2012 Republican field of presidential possibilities has been so seriously reduced that TNB hears that Dick Cheney may be resuscitated, both literally and figuratively. Of course, the Democrats have Eliot Spitzer, John Edwards (and Bill Clinton) but at least they don't generally pretend to be saintly.

MICHAEL JACKSON
The legend of the roller coaster life of the wondrously talented but remarkably flawed King of Pop will only grow with time. Already the conspiracy theories are being promulgated. To no one's shock, it is now being "revealed" that Michael was not the biological father of his three children. If you could ever peek behind their disguises (one has to feel truly sorry for these kids who have never interacted with other children along with everything else that has gone on) it was obvious that they are 100% white. Skin diseases or whitening or whatever does not change reproductive genes. There are also questions as to whose fertilized eggs were used. Just the beginning! The only comforting news is that the two relentless camera hogs, Jesse Jackson (no relation) and Al Sharpton (no relation) are hard at work, just helping the family.

BERNARD MADOFF
The most telling part of the sentencing, along with the understandable venting by some of the many victims of the King of Fraud, was that the judge received no letters of support from family or anyone. This too is understandable, since just about anyone who ever knew Uncle Bernie, even those who might have been enablers or worse (see J. Ezra Merkin, Walter Noel, Robert Jaffe and others who will soon be totally ruined) was screwed by him. An amazing "talent" which as so often happens with criminals could have been put to positive uses. Maybe as a diplomat, dealing with say Iran's President Amadinejad, who (once he got over some ethnicity issues) would have been eating out of Bernie's hand or at least stuffing oil revenues in our pockets.

Almost too much notoriety for 7 days. Hopefully, July 4th fireworks will seem much quieter.