The Fate of Jackson's Children

I have to wonder how Michael Jackson would feel about this.

Granted, Jackson's behavior was weird, but it has seemed to me, for a long time, that a lot of the blame for that belongs to his father, Joe Jackson. Michael Jackson said publicly, starting in an interview with Oprah Winfrey in 1993, that his father abused him and his brothers when they were growing up. His father confirmed the allegations in 2003.

So, here we are, less than a week after Michael Jackson's death, and a Los Angeles County Superior Court judge has granted temporary guardianship of his three children to his mother, Katherine Jackson.

Michael Jackson's parents live together. They've been married for nearly 60 years. If Michael Jackson's children will be living with their grandmother, it follows that they will also be living with their grandfather.

Joe Jackson is 80 years old now. Maybe he won't be inclined to abuse his grandchildren, particularly if he isn't trying to mold them into a lucrative performing act.

But who knows what may be going through Joe Jackson's mind? He addressed the subject of his son's children while answering questions about plans for a funeral/memorial service (there are no such plans as of yet), and he insisted that "We love those kids, too. We'll give them the education they're supposed to have."

But, truthfully, he seemed more interested in talking about a recording company venture of which he is a part.