I’m saddened to have learned of the death of Playmate Anna Nicole Smith today. She had been rushed from a hotel room to a hospital in Hollywood, Florida. I send my best wishes to surviving family and friends.
Since a blog is an ideal medium for tentative first thoughts about any breaking news story (and since I believe Smith would have understood my wish to attract attention through any medium), I’ll use the rest of this post to voice my opinions with “opportunistic” spontaneity.
If her death turns out to have been from an accidental drug overdose of any kind, I hope nobody uses it rhetorically to restrict the right of the people to self-medicate. That’s not in the United States Constitution, but it arguably should be. We should be ashamed of ourselves that at least one military dictatorship has been more free than we in this area.
Like many rock stars, athletes, and Saturday Night Live cast members, Smith was known not to take good care of herself all the time. If this tendency contributed to her death at 39, I hope that the bereaved will forgive it graciously. That same recklessness probably enabled her to pose for Playboy, which has surely earned her a place in Valhalla.
Naturally, The Playboy Blog [not necessarily work-safe] has beautiful memorial posts of its own.
A related story: Yesterday was the fifth anniversary of the untimely death of Miss December 1994, Elisa Bridges.Labels: DruPo, MorPa, OthBlo, PM
Posted by Brian Sorgatz at 3:16 PM
Brian Sorgatz left this comment at February 8, 2007 3:20 PM
Point of grammar: The word than is not a preposition but a subordinating conjunction. Therefore, my use of we rather than us after it is justified in this instance.
Salihah סליחה صالحه left this comment at February 11, 2007 11:19 AM
"That’s not in the United States Constitution, but it arguably should be"
Interesting point. And I do also believe that sane adults should be able to self-medicate. However, as the Founding Fathers believed, if we start to spell out every single right, soon we will lose any and all rights that we do not spell out. I believe we should leave it as is and just start learning, upholding, enforcing, and further demanding the rights that we already have...as they should cover everything when truly respected.
As I teach my US Citizenship students, when you become a voter, you become the boss of your nation. US Government is a servant to the People. Seems like some folks in DC are forgetting that.
Salihah סליחה صالحه left this comment at February 11, 2007 11:27 AM
PS...although Vahalla seems to have it's perks, I'd think Smith would prefer Jannah
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jannah
Endless mock battles, roasted boar, and getting drunk might not be so fun for someone not born to a Norseman.
I think a playgirl would prefer Jannah. Bliss and paradise eternal sounds much more fun than a bunch of drunken Klingon sympathetics. But then, I didn't know Smith. Maybe that's her idea of paradise. lol
Brian Sorgatz left this comment at February 11, 2007 1:02 PM
Salihah,
In other words, the right to self-medicate is already covered, at the very least, by the Ninth Amendment: “The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.”
With a smile, I concede your point about the relative merits of the two paradises. But I still think I had good reason to name Valhalla specifically. Like the Klingon Sto-Vo-Kor, it implies a distinct glorification of boldness for its own sake. Some find this attitude irresponsible, anti-intellectual, or shallow, but those of us with sensation-seeking personalities can dig it.
left this comment at February 12, 2007 11:08 AM
sms anna nicole smith was a very beatuifal woman
Shelly left this comment at February 13, 2007 6:15 PM
I also feel bad about the whole Anna Nicole saga. Enjoyed your blog
Jane Lake left this comment at February 14, 2007 1:52 PM
Wow! You really need to take a step back on this one. I know Playboy is your thing, but there is no honor in Anna's life and how she chose to live it. If you caught her reality tv show, you will have just a glimpse of the lack of respect that she portrayed towards her family and friends.
Dying at 39 is not normal. You have to try to do a combination of a dozen stupid things to make that happen. Combine that with your son dying at 20 with a very similar ridiculous combination and you have a couple of wasted lives.
Preaching about self-medication rights and censorship is completely lost when you use statistically improbable cases as the basis for your arguments.
Brian Sorgatz left this comment at February 14, 2007 2:19 PM
Jane,
Maybe her memory is worthy of love even if she didn’t know how to show respect to the people around her. Maybe even the sin of not being normal is forgivable. Please think it over.
“Statistical improbability!” said the prohibitionist pot to the libertarian kettle. It’s the drug warriors who keep committing that fallacy.
left this comment at February 14, 2007 6:25 PM
Jane,
everyone has their own opinions, but honestly this is a blog for the memory for Anna...Yea Anna was in the news and there quite a bit, but did anyone stop and reflect that she was only human, we all have our faults and that is what makes us all unique and our own person, I am quite sure you have your own misgivings, we all do!!!
Brian,
Kudos for the blog I love Anna since day one.
"M"
Brian Sorgatz left this comment at February 15, 2007 3:22 PM
Jane,
I’m glad that you’ve accepted my challenge. Let’s dance!
Simon left this comment at February 17, 2007 3:27 AM
It's not often that I agree with JL, no offense JL, I rarely agree with anyone, but Anna's life is nothing to celebrate. Sure, we can throw in euphemisms like 'self medicate' but the facts still remain. Rather than celebrate the life of Anna we should be challenging the social systems that led her to become the person she was.
Simon.
Brian Sorgatz left this comment at February 17, 2007 9:42 AM
Simon,
Why can’t we both challenge and celebrate at the same time? She was the best kind of person she could be under the circumstances. Isn’t that enough to celebrate?
Simon left this comment at February 17, 2007 5:13 PM
Why can’t we both challenge and celebrate at the same time?
I agree, but is that what you're doing? I've nothing personal against Anna.
We never hear that much about your celebrity's exploits down here in Australia so I've not much to base an honest personal opinion of her on anyway.
Simon
left this comment at March 2, 2007 3:10 PM
May your soul rest in peace and may you rest with your son. You will be missed
Brian Sorgatz left this comment at March 2, 2007 3:20 PM
Anonymous,
What does that mean?
left this comment at June 17, 2007 1:26 PM
Anonymous (3/2/07) apparently was addressing his/her comment to Anna. A msg like that, I think, would be most appropriate for Anna's page at Find-a-Grave.
Anna wanted to be like Marilyn Monroe, & in many ways she was. Both were blonde. Both showed the world that women don't have to be stick-thin to be centerfolds. And both died young. Although neither was the kind of woman I would have married, I'm sure they both appreciated hugs & kisses, like most women I meet at bars do. (Those who knew Anna said so of her on Larry King's show shortly after her death.)
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Brian Sorgatz left this comment at February 8, 2007 3:20 PM
left this comment at February 12, 2007 11:08 AM