Time, not columnist, will judge Jackson

Conservative columnist Cal Thomas (July 5) says that Tony Bennett's music has a better chance of longevity than Michael Jackson's. Time will tell, but Thomas' smug attitude reminds me of the comments older people made back in the 1960s.

They dismissed the Beatles music as a fad, saying it would never last. My late grandmother was one of them. She hated The Beatles and their "long hair" (which looks short by today's standards) and preferred Lawrence Welk. I imagine Thomas watching Lawrence Welk reruns today on PBS.

Nobody can foretell which celebrity's fame will last and which will fade. The two most famous people in America in the late 1950s were Arlene Francis and Arthur Godfrey, names unknown to anyone under 50 years of age today.

Still listening to Rudy Vallee's music, Thomas

Martin Dessures

Central City