American Morning
We Listen – Your comments 7/1/09
Editor's Note: Wednesday’s American Morning audience felt Michael Jackson’s nurse, Cherilyn Lee, was not credible and was “trying to make headlines” for herself.
- Tracy: I am very up set that this nurse Cherilyn is trying to make headlines. Are we forgetting that Michael had tons of plastic surgery and was most likely given that drug? The reason why he ask for the medication is because he remembered it put him out while going under the knife. He probably did not realize how dangerous the drug was and just wanted that same experience. Stop making it seem like someone administered that drug while he was in his home. Unless, she was able to get a hold of the drug and gave it to him and is trying to clear her name. She did say she went to the emergency room, did she some how steal the medication and give it to him? Now that’s a story. I don't think that a respectable doctor would administer that drug while in the home, they are not stupid and they know the seriousness of the drug.
- David: I don't believe the nurse claiming MJ called her for drugs. Her story doesn't add up.
- Jeff: the nurse that came forward is lying she said in her first interview Michael asked her for the medicine and he would pay her and then in another interview she said he wanted her to more else find a another person to give him the medicine .she came forward because she feels guilty about something they better investigate this woman hard.
What do you think of Cherilyn Lee’s comments about Michael Jackson’s demands for drugs? Was she telling the truth? Is she trying to make headlines for herself?
Nutritionist: Jackson begged for sedatives for insomnia
LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) - Michael Jackson suffered from severe bouts of insomnia and pleaded for a powerful sedative despite knowing its harmful effects, a nutritionist who worked with the singer said Tuesday.
Cherilyn Lee, a registered nurse and nurse practitioner who first met Jackson in January to treat his children for a common cold, said she rejected his requests for Diprivan and informed him of the side effects.
"I told him this medication is not safe," Lee said. "He said, 'I just want to get some sleep. You don't understand. I just want to be able to be knocked out and go to sleep.'"
"I told him - and it is so painful that I actually felt it in my whole spirit - 'If you take this you might not wake up.'"
According to the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners, nurse practitioners "provide high-quality health care services similar to those of a doctor." They can also prescribe medications, according to the academy's Web site.
CNN could not independently verify whether Lee worked with Jackson.
Commentary: Bad idea for Honduran president to return
[cnn-photo-caption image=http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2009/images/07/01/intv.casas.zamora.art.jpg caption="Former vice president of Costa Rica says Zelaya's return to Honduras would make the political situation there worse."]
Leaders from nations in North and South America are telling those behind the recent coup in Honduras to put their deposed president back in power. President José Manuel Zelaya is vowing to return. What does this mean for the future of Honduras and Central America?
Former vice president of Costa Rica and senior foreign policy fellow with the Brookings Institution, Kevin Casas-Zamora spoke to John Roberts Wednesday on CNN’s “American Morning.”
John Roberts: President Zelaya is vowing to return. Originally it was going to be tomorrow. Now it looks like he’s not going to be back until at least Saturday. But Roberto Micheletti who's assumed the presidency there says if he sets foot in Honduras, he's going to be arrested, tried and thrown in jail. He’s really playing hardball here.
Kevin Casas-Zamora: My sense is that President Zelaya's idea of returning to Honduras immediately is probably a bad idea and it’s likely to make a bad situation worse. I think that some groundwork needs to be laid out before that happens. By groundwork I mean that the return to Honduras of President Zelaya won't solve anything in and of itself. There's got to be some kind of political deal brokered before the underlying issue is tackled and the underlying issue is how to make Honduras governable. Because in the end, it was not governable when President Zelaya was in power and it is not governable now due to the immense international pressure that the new authorities in Honduras find themselves under.
John Roberts: Zelaya was seeking changes to the constitution. He was trying to write them himself. He wanted another term in power but he has pledged that he's not going to pursue that any longer. Do you think that might open the door for his return? Or is Micheletti hanging on so hard and fast to power that he's never going to even let him back in the door?
S.C. Republicans want Sanford to step down
Some Republicans are calling for South Carolina governor Mark Sanford to resign. One of his closest political allies says Sanford is "incapable of leading."
The governor now admits he's "crossed the lines" with other women, and he's admitting to more encounters with his Argentine mistress this year. The state's attorney general wants Sanford's books reviewed, to make sure the public didn't pay for his affair.
Gina Smith is the reporter with the South Carolina newspaper "The State" who first broke the story. She spoke to Kiran Chetry today on CNN's "American Morning."
War over parking tickets
Do parking tickets make you mad? Listen up.
Washington, D.C. raked in more than $67 million in revenues from parking tickets last year – and in the first five months of 2009 has already taken in $45 million in fines.
Washington is cashing in on your, shall we say, "inability to park legally." D.C. issued 1,465,394 parking tickets last year – in a city with just under 600-thousand people.
"To say that D.C. has an aggressive ticket-writing campaign of picking motorists pockets would be an understatement," says Lon Anderson, AAA's mid-Atlantic representative.
It's a cash bonanza not lost on other cities. Last year, Dallas took in $5.2 million; L.A., $120 million; New York, $624 million. So many parking tickets are being issued, for lawbreakers it's become a sport.
And on TV the tension between ticket-giver and scofflaw has become war. The A&E reality show "Parking Wars," set in Philadelphia, pits real life, aggressive parking ticket agents against people who park illegally. The show has meant cash for Philly, but also some bad PR.
Prospective tourists have sent angry emails to Philadelphia tourism officials. One comment: "Hey I was thinking of coming to Philly. I hear all the great things that are happening there, I've seen their ads, but then I saw 'Parking Wars' and I don't wanna be treated like that, I don't want my car to be treated like that. I'm never coming to your city."
Meryl Levitz, president of the Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation, says the city came up with a new Web marketing campaign to combat the fear of aggressive ticketing.
But there is no such PR fear in Washington D.C. Parking officials have come up with yet another way to catch "illegal parkers." They've mounted cameras on street sweepers to snap scofflaws. That ticket will come in the mail, costing you $60.
A&E had no comment on the controversy in Philadelphia over "Parking Wars," but you'll see the show again in the fall after it wraps up production in Detroit.
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Pro-gun pastor says come armed to church
Editor’s Note: Kenneth Pagano is pastor of New Bethel Church in Louisville, Ky. On Saturday, he sponsored an “open carry celebration” at his church and encourages his congregation to embrace their Second Amendment rights by coming to church armed.
[cnn-photo-caption image= http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2009/images/06/30/intv.pagano.art.jpg caption="Pastor Kenneth Pagano is a gun rights advocate who encourages his parishioners to bring their firearms to church."]
By Kenneth Pagano
Special to CNN
One year ago I began thinking of creative ways that we as a church could host events that would give us opportunities to meet some new people and create venues with which we could share our faith in Christ. All things would be considered but everything would be implemented.
However, since I have been a sport shooting enthusiasts for as long as I can remember and a certified pistol instructor I came up with the idea of an open carry celebration.
As one who has been in public ministry for almost 30 years and having obtained my doctorate, I am not unfamiliar with theology or church history. Since I know that not all Christians are pacifists and that Christian pacifism in an option not a requirement, I knew this event was not unbiblical.
Being raised in New Jersey and familiar with the American Revolution, I knew that this event was not unhistorical. Pre-Colonial America had laws that required people attending worship to bring their firearms and ammunition or face a fine.
Being a certified concealed carry deadly weapons instructor with the Commonwealth of Kentucky Department of Justice, I knew this event was not illegal.
And being a former Marine who considers himself a patriot, I knew this event was not unconstitutional. I thought everyone knew these things. Boy was I wrong.
FULL POST
Filed under: Commentary • Gun rights • Religion