Cry me a river. Michael Jackson's father is blaming -- what else? -- American "racism" for his ghoulish son's persistent legal and personal problems.

 Joe Jackson reportedly told CBS News's "48 Hours":

This is just the United States. All the rest of the countries, all over the world, are proud of Michael. It's here we have the most trouble out of them. It is racism.

 Who is "them"? After millions of American record buyers of all races propelled Michael Jackson to unimaginable heights of fame and fortune during the past four decades, we are now supposed to believe that this nation's unparalleled societal intolerance for black people led to the King of Pop's fall from grace.

 Public revulsion over Jackson's descent into plastic surgery madness?

 "It's racism," if you believe Joe Jackson.

 The chimp and Elephant Man bone fetishes?

 "It's racism," if you believe Joe Jackson.

 The abnormal man-boy relationships and sleepover parties at the Neverland Ranch?

 "It's racism," if you believe Joe Jackson.

 Jackson's burka-covered children and baby-dangling abuse?

 "It's racism," if you believe Joe Jackson.

 Forget the Jackson family's blindness. Ignore Jackson's own bad judgment. Overlook the recklessness of star-struck parents who allowed Jackson to have such creepy, intimate contact with their children.

 It all comes down to "racism." And it's only in America. A successful black man in show biz just can't get a fair shake in this country, if you believe Joe Jackson.

 I wonder if Snoop Doggy Dogg agrees. Continued...