Imagine...
On this date in 1980, former Beatle John Lennon was shot and killed outside his New York City apartment by a crazed and disillusioned fan, Mark David Chapman. Lennon was only 40 years old.
Chapman is still serving time at New York State's infamous Attica prison and I seriously doubt he'll ever get paroled (mainly due to the efforts of Lennon's widow Yoko Ono).
Here's a small tidbit of info you may or may not know about Chapman... as a teenager, he and his mother lived in DeKalb County and he was a graduate of Columbia High School.
First of all, why is it that if someone kills someone famous (John Lennon, Robert F. Kennedy, etc.), they will keep them in jail, but if they kill someone not-so-famous, they have a much better chance of getting paroled (assuming the sentence received was not "life without parole")? Somehow, that don't seem fair to the families of those not-so-famous victims who grieve over their loss just as families of the famous victims do.
As for Lennon himself...
While it was a tragedy that Lennon's life was cut short by a murderer and he was a talented musician in his own right, I do not believe that he was a saint. Instead, he was a hypocrite.
Why do I think he was a hypocrite? Here's the case...
Just before the Beatles' breakup, Lennon dumped his wife and son Julian (who would become briefly famous in his own right) for his lover Yoko Ono (whom many Beatles fans blame for the band's breakup, but I won't go there).
Lennon was a self-proclaimed "peace and love" activist whose songs such as "All You Need Is Love" (with the Beatles) and "Imagine" (his most well-known solo work) preached this gospel of his to the world.
The problem I see is the disparity between Lennon's words and his actions... especially regarding his relationship (or lack thereof) with his son Julian.
Julian, to this day, laments over the lack of love and compassion his self-proclaimed "peace and love" activist father showed him. Here is Julian's official statement from his own website:
"I have always had very mixed feelings about Dad. He was the father I loved who let me down in so many ways ... it's painful to think that his early death robbed me of the chance for us to know each other better."
This is something I am glad that I never, ever have to say about my father. If that doesn't show the hypocrisy of John Lennon, then what does?
While I disdain Lennon's hypocrisy, I do feel, however, that his killer, Chapman, should remain in prison for his crime and that the only way he should ever leave the confines of prison is in a pine box on the way to the graveyard. Then again, I feel that anyone who unjustly takes the life of another human being should receive the same treatment.
Finally, imagine... a world where personal morals, family values, and God reign. We will achieve that perfect peace when, and only when, that becomes a reality. I hope and pray for that to happen and I encourage you to do the same.
That's all for now. Thanks for visiting and please do so often.
Chapman is still serving time at New York State's infamous Attica prison and I seriously doubt he'll ever get paroled (mainly due to the efforts of Lennon's widow Yoko Ono).
Here's a small tidbit of info you may or may not know about Chapman... as a teenager, he and his mother lived in DeKalb County and he was a graduate of Columbia High School.
First of all, why is it that if someone kills someone famous (John Lennon, Robert F. Kennedy, etc.), they will keep them in jail, but if they kill someone not-so-famous, they have a much better chance of getting paroled (assuming the sentence received was not "life without parole")? Somehow, that don't seem fair to the families of those not-so-famous victims who grieve over their loss just as families of the famous victims do.
As for Lennon himself...
While it was a tragedy that Lennon's life was cut short by a murderer and he was a talented musician in his own right, I do not believe that he was a saint. Instead, he was a hypocrite.
Why do I think he was a hypocrite? Here's the case...
Just before the Beatles' breakup, Lennon dumped his wife and son Julian (who would become briefly famous in his own right) for his lover Yoko Ono (whom many Beatles fans blame for the band's breakup, but I won't go there).
Lennon was a self-proclaimed "peace and love" activist whose songs such as "All You Need Is Love" (with the Beatles) and "Imagine" (his most well-known solo work) preached this gospel of his to the world.
The problem I see is the disparity between Lennon's words and his actions... especially regarding his relationship (or lack thereof) with his son Julian.
Julian, to this day, laments over the lack of love and compassion his self-proclaimed "peace and love" activist father showed him. Here is Julian's official statement from his own website:
"I have always had very mixed feelings about Dad. He was the father I loved who let me down in so many ways ... it's painful to think that his early death robbed me of the chance for us to know each other better."
This is something I am glad that I never, ever have to say about my father. If that doesn't show the hypocrisy of John Lennon, then what does?
While I disdain Lennon's hypocrisy, I do feel, however, that his killer, Chapman, should remain in prison for his crime and that the only way he should ever leave the confines of prison is in a pine box on the way to the graveyard. Then again, I feel that anyone who unjustly takes the life of another human being should receive the same treatment.
Finally, imagine... a world where personal morals, family values, and God reign. We will achieve that perfect peace when, and only when, that becomes a reality. I hope and pray for that to happen and I encourage you to do the same.
That's all for now. Thanks for visiting and please do so often.
posted by Georgia Road Geek at
4:58 AM
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