The questions remain:

A Physician with superb training. But!

What did He know about Michael's recent medical history?

When did he know it?

What did He know about Michael Jackson's total pharmacy? When did he know it?

What did he do about it? When did he do it?

What difference would such knowledge and action correctly and timely applied have made?

In the final analysis, Isn't the patient's constitution and life-style the primary factors in longevity? Ruling out pandering--the responsibility is the patient's!

Genetics, Trauma, and Life Style are the three primary underlining causes of pre-mature death. Tom

This is surprising - but in the scheme of things - this is not at all surprising - but even illuminating

Thanks for printing this.

This confirms my experience that the Adventist church encourages a culture of greed and hanger ons who manipulate people for money.

The Adventist church rewards doctors who are in the professioni for money and position and title rather than for service.

This mentality of the shadowy hanger on who manipulates others for personal gain seems to be quite rife in the Adventist Church and this is why the Adventist Church has become such a turnoff.
There definitely seems to be a pattern here for sure

in many of the details mentioned in the article in addition to the fact of where the doctor interned etc.

It's this kind of drug pushing that you get when people

are propped up by the Church who value position, and title and money more than ethics, integrity and values.

I'm sure that in the Past there were even some Adventist pointing to Dr. Conrad Murray as to how he is such an exemplary successful example that is "better" than the locals.

The Adventist Church really does seem to be rife with this money hungry syncophantic, hanger on mentality.

Tom Zwemer: I can't remember if you said you were a medical professional or not - but I can only presume that you stated that "the responsibility is the patient's! " and basically completely exonerated the doctor of all responsibility

because Mr. Jackson is African American and perhaps you are a bit biased.

However, even the law notices that it is illegal to disseminate pharmaceuticals and medicines without a liscense in California

and it's also criminal to encourage an addict in their addiction.

To be an adventist -it is quite astounding that you would try to put all of the blame on Michael Jackson for where he found himself.

Michael Jackson is only the man in the mirror - and he mirrors a sick society.

A Eurocentric society which loathes African Americans and which hounded Michael Jackson with alot of unfounded rumours and lies also bears much responsibility for Mr. Jackson's death as well as the Doctor's who gave him these pharmaceuticals.

I could not imagine that a christian would attempt to justify a dermatologist for example prescribing "demoral" or a drug that should only be administered in a hospital by an anesthiologist. How crass.

Even Deepak Chopra - who is New Age and non-Adventist had the honesty and character and empathy to castigate the doctors who enabled Michael Jackson's addiction.

If this is what happened, it is simply wrong for a cardiologist to administer an anaesthetic, using oxygen tanks to an addict .

However, Tom Zwemer blames Michael Jackson

This just points to the bigotry and idiocy of much of Adventism

How can a Christian do this? How crass!

I'm not ready to chalk the anti-MJ sentiment around here up to race. While I agree that Jackson was victimized over his fifty years by the deeply-ingrained racism of American society, I have not seen evidence that those who frequent this site are particularly racist, though I admittedly have not been around very long. I think that the negative comments about Jackson are more due to the fact that a lot of Adventists:

1) Do not see art as a reflection of true humanity, instead getting hung up on a naughty word here and an innuendo there.

2) Simply do not know that much about Michael Jackson's life story and are relying on the bits and pieces they have heard through the media over the past couple decades. Perhaps if they knew more of his childhood - the exploitation and abuse - they would be a tad bit more forgiving of a man who was more mentally ill than he was evil.

Mike - thanks for your comment

The Adventists only report of the so-called "bad" about Michael jackson

However, the truth of the matter is that was a genius in his artistry

However, I would chalk much of his behavior up to being mentally ill as you stated

However, I would also like to note that I think that the larger American society that produced him is also mentally ill

I think many of the Adventists who denounce him are mentally ill

I don't know if many of the Adventists would be so kind -

it seems as if they criticize and demean anything African-American and yet don't do any mission work in these communities and also support practices that perpetuate de facto discrimination against African Americans.

Many African Americans myself included love Michael Jackson, grew up with his bubble gum innocent pop

but realized that he would have been better off with God as his anchor

I think MJ was a genius -yes, I do think he was mentally ill

but I also think that the average person in America who is bigotted is mentally ill as well.

After seeing Michael Jackson's life and what he went through

I would say that the world at large underestimates the incalculable suffering that all African Americans have gone through for over 300 years

How can a people go through 300 years of slavery, Jim Crow Discrimination, current discrimination and this not have an effect on some of its members

I think that the Adventist Church contributes to the Michael Jackson sort of suffering and self loathing when it depicts Jesus as only "white"

When we see Adventists only criticize African americans

and yet not do any substantial mission work in the African AMerican community,

this is essentially duplicating the concept of depicting white people as if they are deities are Gods as the Adventist Church does with its depiction of Jesus as only "white".

The denigration of Michael Jackson and Reverand Whitee is part of the Adventist Church's subtle deificiation of white people as gods and black Americans as "evil."

The Adventists who depict Jesus as "white" as mentally ill as Michael Jackson and are evil because they persist with this even when they are told about it and told they are wrong.

Dearest Susie,

I'm not from North America or Europe. Neither am I a fan of pop-culture.I'd heard of Mike Jacko before his death, just! However, the question of his skin colour had not even entered my mind. (ie, I didn't know that his skin was any darker than mine). I had always dismissed his so-called music as like any other pop - rock idol.

All your huffing and puffing about racist reactions to Jackson mean absolutely nothing to me. They tell me a lot about you, however.

Dr Conrad Murray, bless his soul, was probably like so many other neophyte doctors - using LLUMC as a place for professional advancement, without any other connection to the Adventist church.

Your comments are racial and what does his skin color which he have to bleach have to do with whether or not your racist?

Your comments are derogatory and indicate alot about you

It has to do with your being an adventist and a bigotted person

Adventists such as yourself routinely exhibit racial hostility to African American culture and contributions to society and routinely denigrate the race.

I'm amazed that you dismiss and denigrate Michael Jackson and yet don't have any critical analysis of Dr. Conrad Murray

I don't think Dr. Conrad Murray's association with the Church is only passing

If it is true that Dr. Conrad Murray was implicated in giving MJ anesthesia and was feeding Michael Jackson's addiction,

I certainly think the Adventist Ethos encouraged this exploitation

Exploitation is obvious in your comments. You probably don't dismiss George Bush in which case you'd be a bigot

Also, Peter Marks - who are you to dismiss Michael Jackson and his artistry? I think it says something about you that you denigrate Michael Jackson and don't even mention that he was a humanitarian who donated alot and did alot for charity

He donated to the United Negro College Fund, he donated to Africa.

I'm sure that he's done more charitable work than you've done in African American communities and that the World Adventist General Conference has done in these communities

So your "dismissiveness" of Michael Jackson and your lack of criticism for his doctor with adventist affiliations is highly suspect but typical.

A christian is not so dismissive of human suffering and exploitation that Michael Jackson was the victim of as you are -and is not so dismissive of Michael Jackson's contributions to society including his humanitarian efforts.

Nelson Mandela recognized Michael Jackson as a humanitarian but of course, to you -you may even be the type of person who classifies Nelsson Mandela as a terrorist yet George Bush as great president.

You do realize that the majority of doctors in Adventists hospitals are not Adventists themselves, right?

Susie, I'm going to go way out on a limb and guess you had some bad experiences with Adventism in regards to your race. That's to bad, but Adventists did not invent racism. They are simply a small part of a larger population that by and large lives with the mistaken belief that this is a "post-racial" society. Most of the racism in America today is due not to a hatred for African-Americans, but to an ignorance of the fact that 300 years of institutionalized racism is directly responsible for many of the problems in African-American communities. So the racism of today is far less malicious than it is ignorant. That doesn't make it right, but it does mean that millions of people are keeping racism alive without even knowing it.

The way to improve our society is through education and a healthy racial dialogue between people of varying backgrounds...over the last couple of years we have seen issues of race discussed more and more openly and this is a good thing. But there is no quicker way chase away a receptive mind than screaming RACIST at someone, particularly in a case like this where it is such a stretch to chalk Adventist feelings on MJ up to race.

Once again...not saying that racism did not demonize MJ throughout his life...it certainly did. But Peter, Tom and the others...while I certainly disagree with a lot of their opinions on Jackson, said nothing that leads me to believe their thoughts are at all race driven.

Oh please,

Please forgive me if I am not the product of a racially divided society. Forgive me if I am not equipped with sensitivity sensors to detect political correctness or otherwise.

I have no brief to defend or attack Conrad Black. I just don't know enough to comment intelligiently, except to assert that he probably has had little to do with Adventists aside from his limited training at LLUMC.

You just don't get it! Do you Susie?

1) I'm not at all interested in pop-culture. To me Michael Jackson was an ugly [in all aspects] example of it.

2) I'm not American. I'm not European. I have no background to know whether I am politically correct or otherwise.

3) I will not be offering an opinion on Conrad Black, beyond what I have said.

We don't even need to discuss Murray's future medical career--there is none.

Legally, he administered a drug intended to be administered in a hospital where state-of-the-art life support and resuscitation equipment is present.

Any claim he might try to make that he underestimated the risk is negated by his extensive cardiology training. His training makes him a presumptive expert on just that.

It's pretty obvious to me that the Adventists criticize Michael Jackson because of rascism - Peter Marks is driven by bigotry in my opinion