Just came across this photo….

Personally I find the photo eerily amazing.  Several MJ fans have raised money to purchase a fly-by banner for April 5th at the courthouse.  The above photoshopped photo shows how the banner will look flying over the courthouse. I really hope they go through with it.

I personally believe that Murray should be charged with 2nd Degree Murder not involuntary manslaughter.  There is nothing “involuntary” about giving drugs to a patient in a harmful way.  Michael Jackson needed to be treated for his insomnia not put to sleep with anesthesia. The prescription drug problem in this country is out of control. More and more doctors are enabling instead of treating.  These doctors need to be held responsible for their actions regardless of who the patient is or what they may have asked for.

I get that MJ played a part in all of this by requesting or going along with the sedation.  But ultimately it is the DOCTOR (if you can call Murray that) that gives the final approval and hands out the prescription.  In this case, it even goes a step further because Conrad Murray administered the drugs.  Murray should not only go to jail but he should lose his medical license – in all states not just California.

This whole situation is comparable to putting your pet to sleep.  The vet gives your pet an overdose of anesthesia and it slowly stops their heart. Now tell me MJ wanted that? I don’t think so. He just wanted to get some rest.

Anesthesia is a pharmacologically induced reversible state of amnesia, analgesia, loss of responsiveness, loss of skeletal muscle reflexes and decreased stress response. Deep sedation analgesia: “Drug-induced depression of consciousness during which patients cannot be easily aroused but respond purposefully following repeated or painful stimulation.” Patients may sometimes be unable to maintain their airway and breathe on their own.

Based on that definition, the caregiver (and I say that mockingly in Murray’s case) would and should be entirely responsible for the care and well being of the patient while that patient is under anesthesia.  Imagine if you underwent surgery and all the doctors left the room to make phone calls while you were under?  Left you there unsupervised without any monitoring devices? Left you as your heart decreased beats and your lungs stopped functioning?  That’s what Murray did.

Murray sedated Michael to a state of “drug-induced depression of consciousness during which patients cannot be easily aroused” and is now claiming he has no responsibility for that?  That is just bullshit.

Say what you will about Michael Jackson… no one deserves to be treated that way.  No one.

#Justice4MJ

And before you say this is just a celebrity problem, think about how many relatives in your own family have had issues regarding their doctor prescribing too much medication? I know both Rick and I have grandmothers whose doctors over-prescribed medication.

Both of our grandmothers (at the end) were so drugged out of their minds they couldn’t function. And in both cases, when confronted by the family their reaction was “My doctor prescribed this for me and I’m going to take it.”  Shit…  their mentality was simple “since a doctor prescribed it, it must be right?”  You can’t ever question your doctor.  He’s the doctor.

Most doctors do not take into consideration other drugs the patient may be taking or how these drugs will interact with each other.   I’ve seen it in my own family.  In the case of my Dad, the last weeks before he died, he had been prescribed Vicodin for his knees.  The prescription was so strong that he was basically drugged up for weeks – not functioning at all – he couldn’t stay awake for more than 30 minutes.  The final straw for me was when he fell asleep at the table during my girls 3 year old birthday party.  I told my mom (who was so close to the situation that she couldn’t see it) that this was NOT NORMAL – it was NOT RIGHT.  She needed to take him off the Vicodin or severely reduced the amount he was taking (that he had been prescribed).  She took him off it and he became lucid again and more like himself.

It’s so easy to say things like “Michael Jackson was an addict.” or “Michael Jackson ASKED for it.” or “Michael Jackson deserved it.” or “Who the fuck goes under anesthesia to get sleep and rest?”… I’ve said them all myself actually.  But after reading more about MJ (and not the tabloid journalism crap), I began to see that he was not the monster portrayed in the press and that all he really needed was someone to stand up to him and help him.

We as a society threw him away and now we as a society are saying he doesn’t deserve justice.  That just ain’t right.

We all deserve forgiveness, compassion, understanding and justice.  And so does Michael Jackson.

April 5th.

#Justice4MJ

Related posts:

1. Michael Jackson, forgive me…
2. We are the World – Michael Jackson Demo Version
3. This is It

This is the “We are the World” version they should release.  It’s all Michael.

The one for Haiti is awful…  Most of the people can’t sing or get a “Who the hell is that?” reaction.

Related posts:

1. Justice for Michael Jackson?
2. Michael Jackson, forgive me…
3. This is It

JUSTICE FOR MICHAEL

It has finally hit me. No more music. No more songs. No more dancing.  No more videos. No more albums. No more tours. He’ll never perform on another stage again. His children will never get to grow up with their father. It makes me sad.

Sony plans on releasing new music but it won’t have Michael’s stamp of approval on it.  It just won’t be the same.

Next week (April 5th) will be the beginning of Murray’s trial.  At this point, there really will be no justice even if he is found completely guilty.

It will never be the same.

I’m sorry that I had to lose him to remember how much I loved him.

#justice4mj

FORGIVE ME

Forgive me for not seeing the light until the darkness came; sunny days seem far away.

Forgive me for not keeping the faith; swift and sudden fall from grace.

Forgive me for breaking you; oh God, he’s drifting away.

Forgive me for beLIEving the lies; the T.V. screen don’t make it factual.

Forgive me for trippin; world hunger, no cures, corruption, police brutality, drug addiction

Forgive me for not defending against the slander; everybody wants to read all about it.

Forgive me for not being there; just let me be.

Forgive me for not lending my voice; lie for it, kill for it, die for it

Forgive me for invading; respect’s not given it’s earned.

Forgive me for seeing exactly what I wanted to see; get away from me.

Forgive me for being so damn disrespectable; what do you want from me?

Forgive me for not standing; they were kicking me.

Forgive me for injustice; why can’t I see?

Forgive me for not trusting; L.O.V.E. ain’t what it used to be.

Forgive me for not caring anymore; left for reasons unexplained.

Forgive me for judging; heart of stone.

Forgive me for giving in; just do the things I say.

Forgive me for my abandonment; promised me forever.

Forgive me for not making a change; words are not enough.

Forgive me for not beLIEving; ghosts in the mirror.

Forgive me for the blood on the stairs; who gave me the right?

Forgive me for not giving a damn; is it too late?

Forgive me for hurting you; can’t conceive it.

Forgive me for being a stranger; don’t walk away.

Forgive me for not smiling; my heart is broken.

Whatever happens; don’t let go of my hand.

Related posts:

1. Justice for Michael Jackson?
2. We are the World – Michael Jackson Demo Version

When I walked into Walmart today, I saw the Michael Jackson’s “This is It” DVD right in front.  I have been waiting for this to come out and was going to pick it up from Amazon.  But when I saw it right there, of course, I could not resist and bought it.

I fully admit it… I am a big Michael Jackson fan.  I don’t know why his death hit me so hard.  But it did.

It was not shocking or even surprising to me but just incredibly sad.  The week(s) following his death I was glued to the TV watching MJ as much as possible.  I watched various Jackson tributes and shows and all his videos and played his music all the time… I even read his updated biography this past July.  I don’t know why I was so MJ crazed but I was.

My kids now know who he was and even my 5 year old can recognize his music and his face.  This is something that I thought I’d never to admit to anyone.  I’m not one of those crazy Michael Jackson fans though (you know the ones I’m talking about) but I must admit that I have been borderline fanatical about him over the past months.  I thought about going to see “This is It” in the show but ended up passing on it knowing I was for sure going to buy the DVD.

BUT…   I also know that Michael was a broken person.

In the end he just could not overcome his personal problems and it ultimately killed him.  I don’t know if he was guilty of the pedophile crap but I do know that he did nothing to stop the madness surrounding it.  And instead, he did things to amplify the perception of guilt.  He could have “normalized” himself enough to end that witch hunt.

But he didn’t.

It’s almost like he relished in the pain of it.  He wanted his personal life to be the poster child for “look at me, my life sucks, take pity on me” while he wanted his professional life to be “I am on top of the world, hear me roar.”  That’s a dangerous combination.

Right after his death, I wanted to know where his family was in all this.. where was the intervention?  I mean come on… when you write songs that have the lyrics of

Relax
This won’t hurt you
Before I put it in
Close your eyes and count to ten
Don’t cry
I won’t convert you
There’s no need to dismay
Close your eyes and drift away

Demerol
Demerol
Oh God he’s taking demerol
Demerol
Demerol
Oh God he’s taking demerol

He’s tried
Hard to convince her
To be over what he had
Today he wants it twice as bad
Don’t cry
I won’t resent you
Yesterday you had his trust
Today he’s taking twice as much

Isn’t he screaming for help here?  And that wasn’t even a recent song… it’s off his 1997 album.  He was standing in a crowded room of “friends” screaming at the top of his lungs for help so why didn’t someone help him?

I’ve been watching the Jackson Family Dynasty show since it came out a month or so ago.  Wow… is that family fucked up.  I think they really thought that show was going to help the public perception of the Jacksons.  It did anything but.   All it showed was how all of them are so wrapped around their own personal desires and egos.  It’s all about me, me, me… no wonder these people couldn’t help Michael.  They are lost themselves.  It’s very similar to how Paula Abdul thought her reality show would “help explain how mistreated she was”. Instead that show is the likely catalyst for why she is no longer on Idol.

So why didn’t anyone else help Michael?  Someone, anyone?? I think people did actually try to help him.  But the hard reality of it is that he didn’t really want to be helped.  Any broken person must WANT to be helped – truly helped – if it’s going to work.  Eventually the people who were really in his corner – the ones truly looking out for his best interests – either gave up or he threw them away.  It’s definitely a tough place to be in as I’ve learned in my own personal life.

Was Micheal broken?  Yes.  For a very long time.

Was Michael the best performer EVER?  Absolutely! And he’ll be for a very long time.

I’m definitely looking forward to watching “This is It” later tonight.  I’ve heard it’s amazing.  And I know for sure that I’ll cry.

Related posts:

1. Justice for Michael Jackson?
2. Michael Jackson, forgive me…