ÿþ<html> <head> <meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html;charset=iso-8859-1"> <title>OnlineColumnist®.com: Putin Punishes Georgia</title> <meta name="generator" content="Adobe GoLive 4"> <style type="text/css"> .style3 { height: 68px; } .MsoNormal {} h1 {margin-bottom:.0001pt; page-break-after:avoid; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; font-weight:normal; text-decoration:underline; text-underline:single; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; } .style4 { font-size: large; font-weight: bold; font-family: Arial; } .style5 { font-size: x-large; font-weight: bold; } </style> </head> <body bgcolor="white" vlink="black"> <center> &nbsp;<table cool width="624" height="2719" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" gridx="16" showgridx gridy="16" showgridy> <tr height="79"> <td width="133" height="118" rowspan="2" valign="top" align="left" xpos="0"> <a href="aboutdiscobolos.html"><img height="110" width="62" src="images/discobolos.logo.transp.gif" border="0"></a></td> <td width="7" height="118" rowspan="2"></td> <td width="482" height="79" colspan="2" valign="top" align="left" xpos="140"><img height="75" width="450" src="images/banner.GIF"></td> <td width="1" height="118" rowspan="2"></td> <td width="1" height="79"><spacer type="block" width="1" height="79"></td> </tr> <tr height="39"> <td width="182" height="39"></td> <td width="300" height="39" valign="top" align="left" xpos="322"><a href="aboutdiscobolos.html"><img height="14" width="267" src="images/divisionofNEW.GIF" border="0"></a></td> <td width="1" height="39"><spacer type="block" width="1" height="39"></td> </tr> <tr> <td width="624" colspan="6" valign="top" align="left" xpos="0" class="style3"> <table border="0" width="100%" bgcolor="black" cellspacing="0"> <tr> <td> <table border="0" width="100%" bgcolor="#99ffcc" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="4"> <tr> <td align="center"> <div align="left"> <a href="index.html"><font face="Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular" size="2"><strong> HOME</strong></font></a><font face="Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular" size="2"><strong> &#8226; <a href="articlesindex.html">ARTICLES</a> &#8226; <a href="books.html">BOOKS</a> &#8226; <a href="teflon.html"> THE </a><a href="teflon.html">TEFLON</a><a href="teflon.html"> REPORT</a> &#8226; <a href="mailto:letters@onlinecolumnist.com"> REACTIONS</a> &#8226; <a href="aboutdiscobolos.html">ABOUT DISCOBOLOS</a></strong></font></div> </td> </tr> </table> </td> </tr> </table> </td> </tr> <tr height="2"> <td width="133" height="2"></td> <td width="489" height="2576" colspan="3" rowspan="2" align="left" xpos="133" content valign="top" csheight="2573"> <p class="style4">Jackson&#39;s Doctor Charged</p> <p><b><font face="Arial,Geneva,Helvetica">by John M. Curtis</font></b><font face="Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular"><b><a href="books.html"><br> </a></b></font><font face="Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular"><b> (310) 204-8700</b></font></p> <p><font size="2" face="Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular"><i>Copyright Feb. 9, 2010<br>All Rights Reserved. </i></font>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </p> <p class="MsoNormal"> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<span class="style5">A</span>fter seven long months since 50-year-old King of Pop Michael Jackson met his untimely death June 25, 2009, his personal physician Dr. Conrad Murray was finally charged by the Los Angeles County District Attorney with involuntary manslaughter.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>LA County Coroner ruled Aug. 24, 2009 that the Grammy Award-winning singer died of  acute propofol intoxication, administered by Murray for Jackson s alleged insomnia.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Charging that Murray acted  unlawfully, and without malice [to] kill Michael Joseph Jackson, the DA took a conservative path with a lower burden of proof than charging the 56-year-old Grenada-born doctor with voluntary manslaughter or second-degree murder.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Murray faces a maximum of only four years in prison, should the DA get a conviction.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span> We ll make bail, we ll plead not guilty and we ll fight like hell, said Murray s Criminal Defense Attorney Ed Chernoff.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <![if !supportEmptyParas]>&nbsp;<![endif]><span style="mso-tab-count:1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span>Los Angeles DA officials interviewed at least 10 medical experts before charging Murray with involuntary manslaughter, something, in this particular case, requires a finding of gross negligence.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Deaths from anesthesia are infrequent but do occur in the routine practice of anesthesiology, where powerful chemicals are used for controlled sleep during painful medical procedures, typically inpatient and outpatient surgeries.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>While the coroner ruled the Jackson died of a propofol, trade-named Diprivan, overdose, Murray s defense hinges around Michael s use of other tranquillizers also found in his blood, including two benzodiazepines, lorazepam and midazolam, trade names Ativan and Vesed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Inadvertent drug overdoses took the lives of 36-year-old Fifties actress and sex icon Marilyn Monroe, Aug. 5, 1962 and more recently 39-year-old supermodel Anna Nicole Smith Feb. 8, 2007.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <![if !supportEmptyParas]>&nbsp;<![endif]><span style="mso-tab-count:1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span>While there were suspicious circumstances surrounding the deaths of Monroe and Smith, Jackson s death was far more cut-and-dried.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Unlike the two Hollywod stars, Jackson s death occurred at the hands of his personal physicians, neither trained nor certified in performing outpatient or inpatient anesthesia.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>No matter how bedeviling Jackson s alleged insomnia, the use of a propofol drip was an entirely unconventional way to treat sleeplessness, especially as an outpatient treatment, in or outside a medical facility.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Murray was neither trained nor certified in anesthesia.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Had he had any training in anesthesia, he would have known that it s reserved for properly trained doctors in well-equipped facilities with proper monitoring equipment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>But wherever it s performed, it s not done to treat insomnia.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Murray s case crossed over the malpractice line beyond the realm of involuntary manslaughter.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <![if !supportEmptyParas]>&nbsp;<![endif]><span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><span style="mso-tab-count:1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span> Murray s behavior following Jackson s death on the morning of June 25, 2009 was also highly suspicious, apparently finding him unconscious and non-responsive but waiting over an hour before calling 911.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>UCLA emergency doctors performed heroic measures after Jackson stopped breathing for nearly two hours, before pronouncing him dead at 2:36 p.m..<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Murray admitted to Los Angeles Police Dept. investigators that he administered propofol to Jackson at 11:00 a.m. but didn t check back until at least noon, eventually calling paramedics at 12:21 p.m.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>LA County DA s case against Murray now revolves not around the specific timeline but about Murray s gross negligence causing Jackson s death.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>At least 10 medical experts told the DA that Murray s propofol-based insomnia treatment constitutes egregious malpractice, since it s not within his expertise or appropriate standard of care.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <![if !supportEmptyParas]>&nbsp;<![endif]><span style="mso-tab-count:1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span>Arraigning Murray today in Los Angeles Superior Court at 1:30 p.m., he was required to post only a measly $25,000 bail bond.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Murray s attorney Chernoff argued that the 56-year-old doctor was not a flight risk due to the extent of his cooperation and nature of the DA s charges, ruling that the defendant acted  unlawfully without malice [to] kill Michael Joseph Jackson. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Malice under the law involves proving  intent, something the DA determined they would have a hard time convincing a jury.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>When you consider the outrageous treatment for insomnia of using a propofol drip, any jury would have strong thoughts about Murray s intent.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Shortly after Michael s death, his sister La Toya insisted the family would pursue criminal and wrong death charges against anyone responsible for Michael s death.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>While the DA finally acted, the family can t be happy with the watered-down charges.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <![if !supportEmptyParas]>&nbsp;<![endif]><span style="mso-tab-count:1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span>Los Angeles DA Steve Cooley took the easy way out charging Murray with involuntary manslaughter.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>There s nothing  involuntary about a licensed physician acting so flagrantly irresponsible in causing a patient s death.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Murray s defense will no doubt involve Jackson s past drug abuse up until his June 25, 2009 death.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Despite finding other drugs in Jackson s system, Jackson died at the hands of a grossly negligent physician, inventing his own treatment for insomnia.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>It s not accidental or involuntary when a doctor steps outside the bounds of conventional practice, experiments on his patients and causes their deaths.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Murray invented a dangerous treatment for Jackson s insomnia, set up a makeshift operating room without proper equipment in Jackson s home and administered a  lethal injection. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>Calling it involuntary manslaughter is just plain wrong.</p> <bAbout the Author</u> <bAbout the Author</u> <bAbout the Author</u> <bAbout the Author</u> <bAbout the Author</u> <p class="MsoNormal"> <b>John M. Curtis</b> writes politically neutral commentary analyzing spin in national and global news.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </span>He s editor of OnlineColumnist.com and author <i>of <a href="books.html">Dodging The Bullet</a></i> and <i><a href="books.html">Operation Charisma</a></i>.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> &nbsp;</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> &nbsp;</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> &nbsp;</p> </td> <td width="1" height="2576" rowspan="2"></td> <td width="1" height="2"><spacer type="block" width="1" height="2"></td> </tr> <tr height="2574"> <td width="133" height="2574" valign="top" align="left" xpos="0"><img height="172" width="111" src="images/johninframe3.jpg"></td> <td width="1" height="2574"><spacer type="block" width="1" height="2574"></td> </tr> <tr height="1" cntrlrow> <td width="133" height="1"><spacer type="block" width="133" height="1"></td> <td width="7" height="1"><spacer type="block" width="7" height="1"></td> <td width="182" height="1"><spacer type="block" width="182" height="1"></td> <td width="300" height="1"><spacer type="block" width="300" height="1"></td> <td width="1" height="1"><spacer type="block" width="1" height="1"></td> <td width="1" height="1"></td> </tr> </table> <table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="2" width="597"> <tr> <td><font size="1" face="Arial,Geneva,Helvetica"> <hr noshade size="1"> </font><a href="index.html"><font face="Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular" size="2"><strong> Homecobolos> <p><font size="2" face="Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular">©1999-2005 <a href="aboutdiscobolos.html"> Discobolos Consulting Services, Inc.</a><br> (310) 204-8300<br> All Rights Reserved. </font></td> </tr> </table> </center> </body> </html>