As many look to legal aspects while presuming the guilt, innocence, incompetence or accidental conduct by Conrad Murray perhaps it’s time to reflection what state Michael Jackson was in when he prepared for fifty concert shows in London.
I went to the library to search out regulations and standards of law in regards to an array of questions that swirled through my mind concerning the Conrad Murray trial. As I sorted through selections of law books in the same section I came upon some pertaining to drug use, which ironically one caught my attention holding the title of Tranquilizer, Barbiturate and Downer Drug Dangers. This particular book was constructed of information concerning what is commonly knows as “uppers and downers.” It opened reviewing the life and demise of Judy Garland infamous for her role as Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz. To my surprise it seemed almost parallel to the tragedy that overtook Michael Jackson. Garland a child mega star who was catapulted to the heights of stardom at a young life and continued to deliver to the ever thirsty demands of Hollywood throughout. It discusses how “studio Drs.” gave her pills as her hectic schedule began to wear her down.
The book states how they gave Garland “uppers” to give her energy for filming and to keep her weight down which left her so high she could not sleep at night. They then gave her “downers” to cause her to sleep. The most disturbing portion of this to me was that she was said to have told people her drug troubles began when she was about 14 and that “she even thought the studio might have tried to hide drugs in her food so that she would not know how much she was taking.” This was during a time they claimed not to know the pills could be addictive or dangerous. Is this eerily similar to what happened to Jackson?
Reports say that Jackson died from an acute overdose of propofol, a sedative he was given after being unable to sleep for many hours after having taken many other pills to aid in sleep. Michael Jackson had become a chronic insomniac in which he’d received many prescription medications in efforts of helping him to sleep being so desperate eventually taking propofol. Before June 25th his already fragile weight had drastically declined perhaps due to excessive rehearsal or perhaps to the medications he was being given such as Garland and many other Hollywood celebrities who are no longer with us.
Michael Jackson’s fans get enraged as people assert that he was a “drug addict” but a list of ailments show the cultural icon was in need of an array of medications. Jackson himself was opposed and fearful of becoming an addict and often resisted suggestions of taking prescriptive medications due to a very good understanding of the perils his predecessors faced.
The book “Tranquilizer, Barbiturate and Downer Drug Dangers” informs readers of the differences between drug users, abusers, those who become dependant and those who become addicts. It specifies that drug addicts are those who become addicted to drugs and their focus is on their next hit. A distinct contrast is those who become dependant and in need of certain drug medications given them to function as they normally would do becoming dependant on them not only to help their ailment but also to function as they normally would have. A drug user was defined as anyone taking a drug for an ailment and an abuser as one who did not need the drug for medical reasons but chose to take for other affects. Jackson it seems suffered from chronic insomnia and though he may have become dependant on the sleep aids it seems he was not an addict due to his history of seeking escape from the use of medications.
It is speculated that as Garland had become dependant on sleep aids she had also developed a tolerance requiring her to continually up the dosage in order for the drugs effects to work. It appears this could also have been the case with Jackson, that he developed both a dependency and a tolerance for sleep medications and after many attempts of upping dosages he eventually resorted to propofol. Many assume that Garland did not commit suicide but overdosed. That while in efforts of obtaining sleep she took more pills since her body had developed a tolerance and needed greater dosages to present results since though her body required more pills to sleep, the amount for sudden death remained the same and no one was there to help her.
Was Conrad Murray like the “studio Drs.” who issued “uppers” and “downers” to Garland? His defense is that he was trying to help Jackson and nothing he gave him should have caused his death.
Questions swirl through my mind like Garland’s character Dorothy’s cyclone trip took her away from Kansas. I wonder who was caring for Michael Jackson, what took place that fateful night, if more people than Murray are responsible for his not being here and if so, how far do their tentacles reach. I have even wondered if investigators involved in the case are covering up facts and to what length would these officials go to prevent others from being aware of their involvement. From Murray to the D.A. it seems my mind races with thoughts of corruption.
I along with many of Jackson’s fans and supporters wonder why this man was charged with involuntary manslaughter, having never been cuffed and was almost instantaneously released when officials allowed him to turn himself in at the airport court house being released on very little or before any bail had been paid. I wonder why it seems official reports have been redacted during preliminary hearings perhaps aiding in Murray’s defense. I also wonder why was jury selection for Murray’s trial originally set beyond a date that was sufficient to law for a speedy trial then changed to an earlier date. Having read through law books I also wonder why is it that the judicial history for jurors have been 6 at the least requiring a totally unanimous vote and 23 at the most, yet judge Pastor has said he’s planning what he calls a 27 pack of jurors. How hard will it be to have 27 people come to verdict and how easy would it be to have a hung jury? Are the courts stacked in favor of Murray and if so is that because they did not care about the life of Michael Jackson? A worse thought is that there could be a payoff streaming straight through the system “cause like Dorothy it seems I’m not in California anymore and nothing is as it seems.
We’ve all seen movies no doubt with corrupt judges, attorneys, district attorneys and or detectives; could this be the case here? Though in my personal opinion judge Pastor comes across as the nicest judge I’ve watched in a courtroom I still feel something is going on and can only seek God on what to believe and say.
I’m searching for truth and determined to find it. I don’t have Dorothy’s companions at my side nor am I seeking an empty handed wizard for answers, but countless Jackson fans and supporters from all walks of life are in these efforts with me conducting research and giving ourselves to prayer . We wont rest until we know the truth and find justice having the one and only true living God at our side. We will find truth by God’s Holy Spirit.
Sharon B. Sidney
2/22/11
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