Weekly Analysis 4- Assignment 4-1

The death of Jett Travolta on January 2nd, 2009 was sad news to us all. It is hard to imagine anything worse than loosing a child, and even celebrities have this tragedy happen. I can't personally relate to loosing a child, but my older sister died at 14, and nothing has ever amounted to that pain and suffering felt. So how would I feel if someone was trying to extort money from my family during the beginning stages of our loss? I would be furious and unforgiving. Sadly enough, John Travolta is in court fighting against two men who try are accused of trying to take his money by tricking him into signing a document. Tarino Lightbourn, a paramedic, and former Bahamian Sen. Pleasant Bridgewater -- who also is Lightbourn's lawyer -- are charged with trying to extort money from Travolta after his son Jett's death from a seizure on January 2 (CNN.com, 2009).

Apparently Jett was taken by ambulance to an emergeny room and then pronounced dead. During the ambulance ride, Lightbourn asked Travolta to sign a statement releasing the ambulance company from liability."I received a liability of release document. I signed it. I did not read it. Time was of the essence," Travolta testified.Travolta testified that he later learned about a demand for $25 million. If he didn't pay, "stories connected to that document would be sold to the press," the actor said."The stories would imply the death of my son was intentional and I was culpable somehow" (CNN.com, 2009).

The case has recently been declared a mistrial because of the behavior of a juror. The jury had been deliberating for almost 8 hours without a verdict, before the mistrial was announced by the judge. Travolta's lawyers believe that is a sign that the case was heading towards a guilty verdict considering that if the verdict was not guilty the deliberating process wouldn't have already been so long.

I was just personally overcome with shock that if in case these two men are guilty, how greedy and sick minded they must be. Are we as people so hungry for money that we would go to such lengths as to tricking a griefing man into signing a paper to make ourselves rich? The last thing John Travolta's family should be dealing with less than a year from their sons death is a trial to protect their money and dignity to not give in to criminals.

I can't and won't believe that the average human being would have even thought of commiting such an act, while a family was struck with grief. It seems that this is a common issue arising in our culture. Bernie Madoff stole millions from people, and will die behind bars because of it. David Letterman was being blackmailed in order to keep office affairs out from public ears, and decided like Travolta to fight against those seeking to become rich by criminal acts. These actions in my opioion are no different that trying to robb a bank. I think people get this ultimate fantasy built up in their minds that money is a cure all, and with it life will become so much better. I think it's sick and sad, and I wish the best to the Travolta's and every other person who stands up and fights against someone trying to take what is not rightfully theirs.

CNN.com/entertainment. (2009). Travolta 'disappointed' over etortion mistrial.
Retrieved: October 23, 2009, from http://edition.cnn.com/2009/SHOWBIZ/Movies/10/22/travolta.extortion/