Michael Jackson had converted to Islam in search of inner peace

Korean muslim army

Michael Jackson had converted to Islam in search of inner peace
By Khabrein.Info Correspondent,

New Delhi, June 27, 2009: Many people are wondering as to why Michael Jackson had converted to Islam. The fifty year old star who went on to become one of the most admired singers the world has produced breathed his last Thursday leaving behind millions and millions of fans who are grieving his death.

He is a phenomenon that is not likely to die with him. The same way that his music and albums are not going to die with him. He will be remembered for decades and decades to come.

MJ seems to have courted controversy even in his death. There were news last year that Michael Jackson had converted into Islam even though the singer had never confirmed the news. That is now giving rise to the confusion about Michael Jackson funeral i.e will he be buried or will he have a funeral.

A report in London Telegraph last year reported the conversion of the mega star. “The singer, who was raised as a Jehovah's Witness, converted to Islam in a ceremony at a friend's house in Los Angeles…He is said to have sat on the floor and worn a small hat while an imam officiated. ..According to The Sun, the ceremony took place while Jackson, 50, was recording an album at the home of Steve Porcaro, a keyboard player who composed music on his Thriller album” the Telegraph report said.

Even before he converted to Islam he had donated a huge sum for the construction of a grand mosque in UAE that he said would further the teachings of Islam.

His brother Jermaine who is also a convert had claimed the “Thriller” hitmaker had taken interest in the religion since Jermaine converted in 1989, and had been considering converting following his acquittal on child abuse charges in 2005.

Jermaine had said, “When I came back from Mecca I got him a lot of books and he asked me lots of things about my religion and I told him that it’s peaceful and beautiful.
The 50-year-old star had pledged his allegiance to the Koran in a ceremony at a friend's mansion in Los Angeles, the Sun reported.

At the time of his conversion Jackson reportedly sat on the floor wearing a tiny hat after an Imam was summoned to officiate. The star reportedly decided to adopt Islam while he was recording a song at the home of his friend where a Jehovah's witness was brought up to help him through the ceremony.

Michael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. The seventh child of the Jackson family, he debuted on the professional music scene at the age of 11 as a member of The Jackson 5 and began a solo career in 1971 while still a member of the group. Referred to as the "King of Pop" in subsequent years, five of his solo studio albums have become some of the world's best-selling records: Off the Wall (1979), Thriller (1982), Bad (1987), Dangerous (1991) and HIStory (1995).

In the early 1980s, he became a dominant figure in popular music and the first African-American entertainer to amass a strong crossover following on MTV. The popularity of his music videos airing on MTV, such as "Beat It", "Billie Jean" and Thriller—credited for transforming the music video into an art form and a promotional tool—helped bring the relatively new channel to fame.

Videos such as "Black or White" and "Scream" made Jackson an enduring staple on MTV into the 1990s. With stage performances and music videos, Jackson popularized a number of physically complicated dance techniques, such as the robot and the moonwalk. His distinctive musical sound and vocal style influenced numerous hip hop, pop and contemporary R&B artists.


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'I'm better off dead. I'm done': Michael Jackson's fateful prediction just a week before his death

By Ian Halperin

Whatever the final autopsy results reveal, it was greed that killed Michael Jackson. Had he not been driven – by a cabal of bankers, agents, doctors and advisers – to commit to the gruelling 50 concerts in London’s O2 Arena, I believe he would still be alive today.

During the last weeks and months of his life, Jackson made desperate attempts to prepare for the concert series scheduled for next month – a series that would have earned millions for the singer and his entourage, but which he could never have completed, not mentally, and not physically.

Michael knew it and his advisers knew it. Anyone who caught even a fleeting glimpse of the frail old man hiding beneath the costumes and cosmetics would have understood that the London tour was madness. For Michael Jackson, it was fatal.

I had more than a glimpse of the real Michael; as an award-winning freelance journalist and film-maker, I spent more than five years inside his ‘camp’.

Many in his entourage spoke frankly to me – and that made it possible for me to write authoritatively last December that Michael had six months to live, a claim that, at the time, his official spokesman, Dr Tohme Tohme, called a ‘complete fabrication’. The singer, he told the world, was in ‘fine health’. Six months and one day later, Jackson was dead.

Some liked to snigger at his public image, and it is true that flamboyant clothes and bizarre make-up made for a comic grotesque; yet without them, his appearance was distressing; with skin blemishes, thinning hair and discoloured fingernails.

I had established beyond doubt, for example, that Jackson relied on an extensive collection of wigs to hide his greying hair. Shorn of their luxuriance, the Peter Pan of Neverland cut a skeletal figure.


It was clear that he was in no condition to do a single concert, let alone 50. He could no longer sing, for a start. On some days he could barely talk. He could no longer dance. Disaster was looming in London and, in the opinion of his closest confidantes, he was feeling suicidal.

To understand why a singer of Jackson’s fragility would even think about travelling to London, we need to go back to June 13, 2005, when my involvement in his story began.

As a breaking news alert flashed on CNN announcing that the jury had reached a verdict in Jackson’s trial for allegedly molesting 13-year-old Gavin Arvizo at his Neverland Ranch in California, I knew that history had been made but that Michael Jackson had been broken – irrevocably so, as it proved.

Nor was it the first time that Michael had been accused of impropriety with young boys. Little more than a decade earlier, another 13-year-old, Jordan Chandler, made similar accusations in a case that was eventually settled before trial – but not before the damage had been done to Jackson’s reputation.

Michael had not helped his case. Appearing in a documentary with British broadcaster Martin Bashir, he not only admitted that he liked to share a bed with teenagers, mainly boys, in pyjamas, but showed no sign of understanding why anyone might be legitimately concerned.

I had started my investigation convinced that Jackson was guilty. By the end, I no longer believed that.

I could not find a single shred of evidence suggesting that Jackson had molested a child. But I found significant evidence demonstrating that most, if not all, of his accusers lacked credibility and were motivated primarily by money.

Jackson also deserved much of the blame, of course. Continuing to share a bed with children even after the suspicions surfaced bordered on criminal stupidity.

He was also playing a truly dangerous game. It is clear to me that Michael was homosexual and that his taste was for young men, albeit not as young as Jordan Chandler or Gavin Arvizo.

In the course of my investigations, I spoke to two of his gay lovers, one a Hollywood waiter, the other an aspiring actor. The waiter had remained friends, perhaps more, with the singer until his death last week. He had served Jackson at a restaurant, Jackson made his interest plain and the two slept together the following night. According to the waiter, Jackson fell in love.

The actor, who has been given solid but uninspiring film parts, saw Jackson in the middle of 2007. He told me they had spent nearly every night together during their affair – an easy claim to make, you might think. But this lover produced corroboration in the form of photographs of the two of them together, and a witness.

Other witnesses speak of strings of young men visiting his house at all hours, even in the period of his decline. Some stayed overnight.

When Jackson lived in Las Vegas, one of his closest aides told how he would sneak off to a ‘grungy, rat-infested’ motel – often dressed as a woman to disguise his identity – to meet a male construction worker he had fallen in love with.

Jackson was acquitted in the Arvizo case, dramatically so, but the effect on his mental state was ruinous. Sources close to him suggest he was close to complete nervous breakdown.


The ordeal had left him physically shattered, too. One of my sources suggested that he might already have had a genetic condition I had never previously come across, called Alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency – the lack of a protein that can help protect the lungs.

Although up to 100,000 Americans are severely affected by it, it is an under-recognised condition. Michael was receiving regular injections of Alpha-1 antitrypsin derived from human plasma. The treatment is said to be remarkably effective and can enable the sufferer to lead a normal life.

But the disease can cause respiratory problems and, in severe cases, emphysema. Could this be why Jackson had for years been wearing a surgical mask in public, to protect his lungs from the ravages of the disease? Or why, from time to time, he resorted to a wheelchair? When I returned to my source inside the Jackson camp for confirmation, he said: ‘Yeah, that’s what he’s got. He’s in bad shape. They’re worried that he might need a lung transplant but he may be too weak.

‘Some days he can hardly see and he’s having a lot of trouble walking.’

Even Michael Jackson’s legendary wealth was in sharp decline. Just a few days before he announced his 50-concert comeback at the O2 Arena, one of my sources told me Jackson had been offered £1.8million to perform at a party for a Russian billionaire on the Black Sea.

‘Is he up to it?’ I had asked.

‘He has no choice. He needs the money. His people are pushing him hard,’ said the source.

Could he even stand on a stage for an hour concert?

‘He can stand. The treatments have been successful. He can even dance once he gets in better shape. He just can’t sing,’ said the aide, adding that Jackson would have to lip-synch to get through the performance. ‘Nobody will care, as long as he shows up and moonwalks.’

He also revealed Jackson had been offered well over £60million to play Las Vegas for six months. ‘He said no, but his people are trying to force it on him. He’s that close to losing everything,’ said the source.
michael jackson this is it tour

Forced: Michael Jackson thought he was agreeing to 10 concerts at London's O2 Arena not 50

Indeed, by all accounts Jackson’s finances were in a shambles. The Arvizo trial itself was a relative bargain, costing a little more than £18million in legal bills.

But the damage to his career, already in trouble before the charges, was incalculable. After the Arvizo trial, a Bahraini sheikh allowed Jackson to stay in his palace, underwriting his lavish lifestyle. But a few years later, the prince sued his former guest, demanding repayment for his hospitality. Jackson claimed he thought it had been a gift.

Roger Friedman, a TV journalist, said: ‘For one year, the prince underwrote Jackson’s life in Bahrain – everything including accommodation, guests, security and transportation. And what did Jackson do? He left for Japan and then Ireland. He took the money and moonwalked right out the door. This is the real Michael Jackson. He has never returned a phone call from the prince since he left Bahrain.’

Although Jackson settled with the sheikh on the eve of the trial that would have aired his financial dirty laundry, the settlement only put him that much deeper into the hole. A hole that kept getting bigger, but that was guaranteed by Jackson’s half ownership of the copyrights to The Beatles catalogue. He owned them in a joint venture with record company Sony, which have kept him from bankruptcy.

‘Jackson is in hock to Sony for hundreds of millions,’ a source told me a couple of months ago. ‘No bank will give him any money so Sony have been paying his bills.

‘The trouble is that he hasn’t been meeting his obligations. Sony have been in a position for more than a year where it can repossess Michael’s share of the [Beatles] catalogue. That’s always been Sony’s dream scenario, full ownership.

‘But they don’t want to do it as they’re afraid of a backlash from his fans. Their nightmare is an organised 'boycott Sony' movement worldwide, which could prove hugely costly. It is the only thing standing between Michael and bankruptcy.’
Pop star Michael Jackson (centre) holds the hands of his two children Paris Michael, four, and son Prince Michael, five, with their faces covered during a visit to Berlin Zoo.

The source aid at the time that the scheduled London concerts wouldn’t clear Jackson’s debts – estimated at almost £242million – but they would allow him to get them under control and get him out of default with Sony.

According to two sources in Jackson’s camp, the singer put in place a contingency plan to ensure his children would be well taken care of in the event of bankruptcy.

‘He has as many as 200 unpublished songs that he is planning to leave behind for his children when he dies. They can’t be touched by the creditors, but they could be worth as much as £60million that will ensure his kids a comfortable existence no matter what happens,’ one of his collaborators revealed.

But for the circle of handlers who surrounded Jackson during his final years, their golden goose could not be allowed to run dry. Bankruptcy was not an option.

These, after all, were not the handlers who had seen him through the aftermath of the Arvizo trial and who had been protecting his fragile emotional health to the best of their ability. They were gone, and a new set of advisers was in place.

The clearout had apparently been engineered by his children’s nanny, Grace Rwaramba, who was gaining considerable influence over Jackson and his affairs and has been described as the ‘queen bee’ by those around Jackson.

Rwaramba had ties to the black militant organisation, the Nation of Islam, and its controversial leader, Louis Farrakhan, whom she enlisted for help in running Jackson’s affairs.

Before long, the Nation was supplying Jackson’s security detail and Farrakhan’s son-in-law, Leonard Muhammad, was appointed as Jackson’s business manager, though his role has lessened significantly in recent years.

In late 2008, a shadowy figure who called himself Dr Tohme Tohme suddenly emerged as Jackson’s ‘official spokesman’.

Tohme has been alternately described as a Saudi Arabian billionaire and an orthopaedic surgeon, but he is actually a Lebanese businessman who does not have a medical licence. At one point, Tohme claimed he was an ambassador at large for Senegal, but the Senegalese embassy said they had never heard of him.

Misguided: Michael Jackson showed no sign of understanding why anyone might be legitimately concerned about him sharing a bed with young boys

Tohme’s own ties to the Nation of Islam came to light in March 2009, when New York auctioneer Darren Julien was conducting an auction of Michael Jackson memorabilia.

Julien filed an affidavit in Los Angeles Superior Court that month in which he described a meeting he had with Tohme’s business partner, James R. Weller. According to Julien’s account, ‘Weller said if we refused to postpone [the auction], we would be in danger from 'Farrakhan and the Nation of Islam; those people are very protective of Michael'.

He told us that Dr Tohme and Michael Jackson wanted to give the message to us that 'our lives are at stake and there will be bloodshed'.’

A month after these alleged threats, Tohme accompanied Jackson to a meeting at a Las Vegas hotel with Randy Phillips, chief executive of the AEG Group, to finalise plans for Jackson’s return to the concert stage.

Jackson’s handlers had twice before said no to Phillips. This time, with Tohme acting as his confidant, Jackson left the room agreeing to perform ten concerts at the O2.

Before long, however, ten concerts had turned into 50 and the potential revenues had skyrocketed. ‘The vultures who were pulling his strings somehow managed to put this concert extravaganza together behind his back, then presented it to him as a fait accompli,’ said one aide.

‘The money was just unbelievable and all his financial people were telling him he was facing bankruptcy. But Michael still resisted. He didn’t think he could pull it off.’

Eventually, they wore him down, the aide explained, but not with the money argument.

‘They told him that this would be the greatest comeback the world had ever known. That’s what convinced him. He thought if he could emerge triumphantly from the success of these concerts, he could be the King again.’

The financial details of the O2 concerts are still murky, though various sources have revealed that Jackson was paid as much as £10million in advance, most of which went to the middlemen. But Jackson could have received as much as £100million had the concerts gone ahead.

It is worth noting that the O2 Arena has the most sophisticated lip synching technology in the world – a particular attraction for a singer who can no longer sing. Had, by some miracle, the concerts gone ahead, Jackson’s personal contribution could have been limited to just 13 minutes for each performance. The rest was to have been choreography and lights.

‘We knew it was a disaster waiting to happen,’ said one aide. ‘I don’t think anybody predicted it would actually kill him but nobody believed he would end up performing.’

Their doubts were underscored when Jackson collapsed during only his second rehearsal.
Michael Jackson and Lisa Marie Presley

Hidden life: It was 'clear Michael Jackson was gay' but he married twice, firstly to Lisa Marie Presley, above

‘Collapse might be overstating it,’ said the aide. ‘He needed medical attention and couldn’t go on. I’m not sure what caused it.’

Meanwhile, everybody around him noticed that Jackson had lost an astonishing amount of weight in recent months. His medical team even believed he was anorexic.

‘He goes days at a time hardly eating a thing and at one point his doctor was asking people if he had been throwing up after meals,’ one staff member told me in May.

‘He suspected bulimia but when we said he hardly eats any meals, the doc thought it was probably anorexia. He seemed alarmed and at one point said, 'People die from that all the time. You’ve got to get him to eat.'’

Indeed, one known consequence of anorexia is cardiac arrest.

After spotting him leave one rehearsal, Fox News reported that ‘Michael Jackson’s skeletal physique is so bad that he might not be able to moonwalk any more’.

On May 20 this year, AEG suddenly announced that the first London shows had been delayed for five days while the remainder had been pushed back until March 2010. At the time, they denied that the postponements were health-related, explaining that they needed more time to mount the technically complex production, though scepticism immediately erupted. It was well placed.

Behind the scenes, Jackson was in rapid decline. According to a member of his staff, he was ‘terrified’ at the prospect of the London concerts.

‘He wasn’t eating, he wasn’t sleeping and, when he did sleep, he had nightmares that he was going to be murdered. He was deeply worried that he was going to disappoint his fans. He even said something that made me briefly think he was suicidal. He said he thought he’d die before doing the London concerts.

‘He said he was worried that he was going to end up like Elvis. He was always comparing himself to Elvis, but there was something in his tone that made me think that he wanted to die, he was tired of life. He gave up. His voice and dance moves weren’t there any more. I think maybe he wanted to die rather than embarrass himself on stage.’

The most obvious comparison between the King of Pop and the King of Rock ’n’ Roll was their prescription drug habits, which in Jackson’s case had significantly intensified in his final months.

‘He is surrounded by enablers,’ said one aide. ‘We should be stopping him before he kills himself, but we just sit by and watch him medicate himself into oblivion.’

Jackson could count on an array of doctors to write him prescriptions without asking too many questions if he complained of ‘pain’. He was particularly fond of OxyContin, nicknamed ‘Hillbilly heroin’, which gave an instant high, although he did not take it on a daily basis.

According to the aide, painkillers are not the only drugs Jackson took.
michael jackson

Performer: Michael Jackson was unable to dance and sing like he once could due to his illnesses

‘He pops Demerol and morphine, sure, apparently going back to the time in 1984 when he burned himself during the Pepsi commercial, but there’s also some kind of psychiatric medication. One of his brothers once told me he was diagnosed with schizophrenia when he was younger, so it may be to treat that.’

His aides weren’t the only ones who recognised that a 50-concert run was foolhardy. In May, Jackson himself reportedly addressed fans as he left his Burbank rehearsal studio.

‘Thank you for your love and support,’ he told them. ‘I want you guys to know I love you very much.

'I don’t know how I’m going to do 50 shows. I’m not a big eater. I need to put some weight on. I’m really angry with them booking me up to do 50 shows. I only wanted to do ten.’

One of his former employees was particularly struck by Jackson’s wording that day. ‘The way he was talking, it’s like he’s not in control over his own life any more,’ she told me earlier this month. ‘It sounds like somebody else is pulling his strings and telling him what to do. Someone wants him dead.

'They keep feeding him pills like candy. They are trying to push him over the edge. He needs serious help. The people around him will kill him.’

As the London concerts approached, something was clearly wrong. Jackson had vowed to travel to England at least eight weeks before his first shows, but he kept putting it off.

‘To be honest, I never thought Michael would set foot on a concert stage ever again,’ said one aide, choking back tears on the evening of his death.

‘This was not only predictable, this was inevitable.’

On June 21, Jackson told my contact that he wanted to die. He said that he didn’t have what it would take to perform any more because he had lost his voice and dance moves.

‘It’s not working out,’ Jackson said. ‘I’m better off dead. I don’t have anywhere left to turn. I’m done.’

Michael’s closest confidante told me just two hours after he died that ‘Michael was tired of living. He was a complete wreck for years and now he can finally be in a better place. People around him fed him drugs to keep him on their side. They should be held accountable.’

Michael Jackson was undoubtedly a deeply troubled and lonely man. Throughout my investigation, I was torn between compassion and anger, sorrow and empathy.

Even his legacy is problematic. As I have already revealed, he has bequeathed up to 200 original songs to his three children, Prince Michael, aged 12, Paris Katherine, 11, and Prince Michael II (also known as Blanket), seven. It is a wonderful gift.

Yet I can reveal that his will, not as yet made public, demands that the three of them remain with Jackson’s 79-year-old mother Katherine in California. It promises an ugly row.

Ex-wife Deborah Rowe, the mother of the eldest two, has already made it clear to her legal team that she wants her children in her custody, immediately.

The mother of the third child has never been identified. I fully expect that it will emerge that the children had a ‘test tube’ conception, a claim already made by Deborah Rowe.

Michael Jackson may very well have been the most talented performer of his generation, but for 15 years that fact has been lost to a generation who may remember him only as a grotesque caricature who liked to share his bed with little boys. Now that he’s gone, maybe it’s time to shelve the suspicions and appreciate the music.


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The Wall Street Journal ( JULY 2, 2009)
Michael Jackson's Music Sales Reclaim Top of the Charts
By ETHAN SMITH

Sales of Michael Jackson's music have skyrocketed since he died suddenly last Thursday, returning the late pop star to the top-selling spot he held more than once during his career.

U.S. retailers sold 415,000 albums by Michael Jackson in the four days following his death, according to Nielsen Co.'s SoundScan, compared with fewer than 10,000 copies in the previous full week. More than half of those album sales were digital downloads made on services such as Apple Inc.'s iTunes and Amazon.com Inc.'s AmazonMP3.

In addition, the artist sold more than 2.3 million digitally downloaded songs since his death. That compares with 37,000 song downloads during the previous week.
Albums of the Jackson 5 sold 32,000 copies since the singer's death, compared with about 1,000 during the previous full week.

Mr. Jackson currently occupies the top nine spots on the SoundScan catalog chart, which tracks albums released more than two years ago. His most-popular albums in the past few days have been: "Number Ones," "The Essential Michael Jackson" and "Thriller."

The increase far surpasses the jump in Nirvana sales following lead singer Kurt Cobain's suicide in April 1994. The band's four studio albums sold a total 68,000 copies the week after Mr. Cobain killed himself, according to contemporary SoundScan reports, up from 29,000 copies the previous week.

Mr. Jackson's "Thriller" is routinely ranked as one of the two best-selling albums in U.S. history, with 28 million copies shipped to retailers nationally, according to the Recording Industry Association of America. The Eagles' "Their Greatest Hits 1971-1975" has shipped 29 million copies, according to the RIAA.

The Day Michael Jackson Died ( 25 June 2009)

Excerpt from CNN

Michael Jackson dead at 50 after cardiac arrest

* NEW: Marlon Jackson: Manager said doctor was at Michael's home Wednesday night
* NEW: Jackson said he wasn't feeling well Wednesday, brother says
* A Jackson family attorney says Michael Jackson collapsed this morning
* Security blocking all entrances to emergency room, people crying outside


(CNN) -- Entertainer Michael Jackson died after being taken to a hospital on Thursday after suffering cardiac arrest, CNN confirmed.

A Los Angeles fire official told CNN that paramedics arrived at Michael Jackson's home after a 911 call.

Lt. Fred Corral, the Los Angeles County Coroner said Jackson was pronounced dead at 2:26 p.m. Thursday.

He also said Jackson was unresponsive when he arrived at the hospital.

Brian Oxman, a Jackson family attorney, said he was told by brother Randy Jackson that Michael Jackson collapsed at his home in west Los Angeles, California, Thursday morning.

Family members were told of the situation and were either at the hospital or en route, Oxman said.

"I can only tell you that the family members are crying," Oxman said.

Fire Capt. Steve Ruda told CNN a 911 call came in from a west Los Angeles residence at 12:21 p.m.

Ruda said Jackson was treated and transferred to the UCLA Medical Center.

Law enforcement officials said the Los Angeles Police Department robbery-homicide department opened an investigation into Jackson's death. They stressed there is no evidence of criminal wrongdoing.

Still, officials said they would conduct interviews with family members and friends. The Los Angeles County Coroner will be conducting an autopsy to determine the cause of death.

CNN Analyst Roland S. Martin spoke with Marlon Jackson, brother of Michael Jackson.

"I talked to Frank Dileo, Michael's manager. Frank told me that Michael last night was complaining about not feeling well. He called to tell him he wasn't feeling well.

"Michael's doctor went over to see him, and Frank said, 'Marlon, from last night to this morning, I don't know what happened.' When they got to him this morning, he wasn't breathing. They rushed him to the hospital and couldn't bring him around."

The music icon from Gary, Indiana, was known as the "King of Pop." Jackson had many No. 1 hits and his "Thriller" is the best-selling album of all time.

Jackson was the seventh of nine children from a well-known musical family. He is survived by three children, Prince Michael I, Paris and Prince Michael II. Video Watch Jesse Jackson share memories »

Jackson's former wife, Lisa Marie Presley, said she was "shocked and saddened" by Jackson's death. " My heart goes out to his children and his family," she said.

At the medical center, every entrance to the emergency room was blocked by security guards. Even hospital staffers were not permitted to enter. A few people stood inside the waiting area, some of them crying. iReport.com: Your Michael Jackson tributes

A large crowd gathering outside the hospital, could be seen on video footage.

Some of Jackson's music was being played, said Oxman. The sounds of "Thriller" and "Beat It" bounced off the walls.

"It is one of the most unbelievable, surreal scenes I have ever experienced," Oxman said. Video Kingston: Jackson "a legend" »

Outside Jackson's Bel Air home, police arrived on motorcycles. The road in front of the home was closed in an attempt to hold traffic back, but several people were gathered outside the home. Video Sharpton: Jackson "was a trailblazer" »

Jackson had some legal troubles later in his career.

He was acquitted of child molestation charges after a well-publicized trial in Santa Maria, California, in March 2006.

Prosecutors charged the singer with four counts of lewd conduct with a child younger than 14; one count of attempted lewd conduct; four counts of administering alcohol to facilitate child molestation; and one count of conspiracy to commit child abduction, false imprisonment or extortion.




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Jackson was star the world could not ignore


LONDON, England (CNN) -- Michael Jackson had a level of hero worship on a par with Elvis Presley or the Beatles but he was the first black star to inspire such a massive following around the world.
Michael Jackson courted controversy in 2002 when he dangled his son over a hotel balcony in Germany.


Total worldwide sales of more than 350 million records over his 40-year career give just a hint of the adoration there was for the "King of Pop." The fact that his death came on the eve of a comeback tour in London will leave his devotees feeling even more bereft.

While his career -- and wealth -- had waned greatly in recent years, there was still enough support for the concerts to sell out at a rate of nearly 40,000 an hour. Fans from as far afield as Japan, Germany and Dubai queued to buy their tickets.

Steve Greenberg, founder and CEO of S-Curve Records, was a disc jockey in Tel Aviv, Israel, when "Thriller" first dropped and witnessed first-hand how Jackson became an international icon.

His was a global appeal, Greenberg said, among fans and artists worldwide.

"He was as big in the Middle East and Southeast Asia as he was in America and Europe," Greenberg said. "He had that universality that not many people had. The Beatles had it, Muhammad Ali had it, but not many other people have had it."

Jackson was known for far more than his music though. Speaking after his death in Los Angeles was announced, U.S. civil rights campaigner Rev. Al Sharpton paid tribute to the work of a "trailblazer" in helping people around the world through his charities.

Sharpton added that the song Jackson co-wrote with Lionel Richie, "We Are the World," a 1985 charity single that raised an estimated $50 million for famine relief in Africa, ushered in Live Aid and the era of celebrity philanthropy.

Jackson was the supreme showman who had an unrivalled knack of grabbing headlines. From his precocious abilities as the 11-year-old singer in the Jackson 5 to his legendary "moon-walk" dance, the star craved attention, and was rarely disappointed. Video Jackson "as big as it gets" »

But in the years after his colossal 1982 hit album "Thriller" and its 1987 follow-up "Bad," much of the focus did not cast him in a good light.

In 1996 the lead singer of Pulp, Jarvis Cocker, caused a furor at the Brit Awards in London when he invaded the stage during Jackson's performance of "Earth Song" in protest "at the way Michael Jackson sees himself as some kind of Christ-like figure with the power of healing."

Jackson failed to see the humor in Cocker's mockery, responding that he was "sickened, saddened, shocked, upset, cheated, angry" by the protest. He also alleged that Cocker had attacked children on stage, something that the Pulp singer denied. But many in the music industry backed Cocker, who was arrested but later released without charge.

The theme of children was one that continued to haunt Jackson. In 2002 he caused a public outcry by dangling his baby son Prince Michael II from a third-floor hotel balcony in Germany before the world's press. He later said he regretted the incident.

And in a 2003 interview with British journalist Martin Bashir that was supposed to repair his image around the world, the singer revived allegations of child abuse when he said of sharing a bed with a young boy: "It's a beautiful thing. It's very right, it's very loving. Because what's wrong with sharing a love?"

A warrant was issued for his arrest on charges of sexually molesting 12-year-old Gavin Arvizo. Jackson surrendered himself to police amid a media furor.

In the 2005 trial conducted in the glare of the world's media spotlight, Jackson was cleared of child molestation charges. Following the trial, Jackson's finances took a hit and he was forced to sell his Neverland ranch in California.

He later kept a low profile in the United States and spent time in Britain, where his friends included psychic spoonbender Uri Geller and Harrod's owner Mohamed Al Fayed, and also in Bahrain.

But in November last year, Jackson was sued by an Arab sheikh at the High Court in London for $7.7 million. They parted "amicably" after agreeing a settlement.

Jackson had been invited with his children and entourage to Bahrain by the king's son, Sheikh Abdulla bin Hamad Al Khalifa, who lavished money on Jackson and built a recording studio, which he believed would be used to record albums by Jackson using material the sheikh had helped to write.

But Jackson insisted there was no valid agreement and that the sheikh's case was based on "mistake, misrepresentation and undue influence." He said sums of money paid out by the sheikh were "gifts."

As fans around the world mourn it is likely Michael Jackson will be remembered as a musical hero -- but also a man with human flaws.
____________________________________________________


Michael Jackson remembered as 'consummate entertainer'

(CNN) -- Following is a sampling of reactions from Michael Jackson's friends and admirers to his death:
The Rev. Al Sharpton says people around the world should pary for Michael Jackson and his family.

The Rev. Al Sharpton says people around the world should pary for Michael Jackson and his family.

Russell Simmons, pioneering hip-hop artist:
"Michael Jackson was my generation's most iconic cultural hero. Courageous, unique and incredibly talented. He'll be missed greatly."

Lisa Marie Presley, musician and Jackson's ex-wife:
"I am completely shocked and saddened by Michael's death. My heart goes out to his children and his family."

Jim Henke, vice president of exhibitions and curatorial affairs at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum:
"Michael Jackson was one of the most creative and successful recording artists of the last 40 years. He became an instant star when he was only 11 years old, fronting the Jackson 5. His solo career was so extraordinary that he became known as the King of Pop. Few other artists of his era reached the peaks that he did, both in terms of sales and critical acclaim. His legacy will live on for a long, long time. We join the world in mourning the loss of this twice-inducted member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame."

John Landis, director of Jackson's "Thriller" and "Black or White" music videos:
"I was lucky enough to know and work with Michael Jackson in his prime. Michael was an extraordinary talent and a truly great international star. He had a troubled and complicated life and despite his gifts, remains a tragic figure. My wife, Deborah, and I will always have great affection for him."

Dick Clark, television and radio personality:
"I knew Michael as a child and watched him grow over the years. Of all the thousands of entertainers I have worked with, Michael was THE most outstanding. Many have tried and will try to copy him, but his talent will never be matched. He was truly one-of-a-kind."

Brooke Shields, actress:
"My heart is overcome with sadness for the devastating loss of my true friend Michael. He was an extraordinary friend, artist and contributor to the world. I join his family and his fans in celebrating his incredible life and mourning his untimely passing."

Celine Dion, singer:
"I am so devastated by this terrible news. From the beginning of my career, he was my idol in show business. He was a genius and an incredible artist! I remember when I was growing up and watching him on TV, and all his videos...I had his poster on my wall...he was so amazing...his singing, his writing, his dancing. ...It's unbelievable that he's no longer with us."

Quincy Jones, conductor, composer, arranger, trumpeter:
"I am absolutely devastated at this tragic and unexpected news. For Michael to be taken away from us so suddenly at such a young age, I just don't have the words. Divinity brought our souls together on "The Wiz" and allowed us to do what we were able to throughout the '80s. To this day, the music we created together on "Off The Wall," "Thriller" and "Bad" is played in every corner of the world and the reason for that is because he had it all ... talent, grace, professionalism and dedication. He was the consummate entertainer and his contributions and legacy will be felt upon the world forever. I've lost my little brother today, and part of my soul has gone with him."

The Rev. Al Sharpton, civil rights activist:
"A friend of Michael's for the last 35 years, I call on people around the world to pray for him and his family in the hour. I have known Michael since we were both teens, worked with him, marched for him, hosted him at our House of Justice headquarters in New York, and we joined together to eulogize our mutual idol, James Brown. I have known him at his high moments and his low moments and I know he would want us to pray for his family."

Linda Johnson Rice, chairman and CEO of Ebony:
"I am deeply saddened by the news of one of the world's greatest and most influential entertainers, Michael Jackson. He was unquestionably an incredible and unique talent for the world to enjoy. I, along with my mother and father, John H. and Eunice Johnson, were extremely fortunate to have a great relationship with the Jackson family.

"In our hearts he will always be the The King of Pop, and I will personally miss him."

Neil Portnow, CEO of Recording Academy:
"Rarely has the world received a gift with the magnitude of artistry, talent, and vision as Michael Jackson. He was a true musical icon whose identifiable voice, innovative dance moves, stunning musical versatility and sheer star power carried him from childhood to worldwide acclaim. A 13-time Grammy recipient, Michael's career transcends musical and cultural genres and his contributions will always keep him in our hearts and memories. We are deeply saddened by this tragic news and our hearts go out to his family and to music lovers around the globe who mourn this great loss."

Wyclef Jean, Haitian musician, actor:
"Michael Jackson was my musical god. He made me believe that all things are possible, and through real and positive music, he can live forever! I love Michael Jackson. God bless him."

Gloria Estefan, singer:
"The two great losses that we have felt today can only be balanced by the beautiful things that they left behind in our world. Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson will live forever in my heart as unforgettable and eternal."

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Mystery surrounds Michael Jackson's sudden death
Reuters, Jun 26, 2009 6:38 am PDT

One day after Michael Jackson's sudden death, speculation was already turning on Friday to what killed the 50-year-old "King of Pop" just weeks before his long-awaited series of comeback concerts.

Jackson, a former child star who became one of the best-selling pop artists of all time before a descending into a strange and reclusive lifestyle, died on Thursday afternoon at a Los Angeles hospital, where he had been rushed in full cardiac arrest after collapsing at his nearby rental home.

His passing was front page news around the world, airwaves were filled with his greatest hits from "Thriller" to "Billie Jean," social networking sites were bombarded with messages and tributes from fans and musicians continued to pour in.

"It's so sad and shocking," said former Beatle Paul McCartney. "I feel privileged to have hung out and worked with Michael. He was a massively talented boy man with a gentle soul. His music will be remembered forever."

Few details were known about the circumstances surrounding Jackson's death, but the entertainer was reportedly unconscious and not breathing by the time he arrived at UCLA Medical Center, and doctors were unable to revive him.

His body was flown by helicopter from the hospital to the coroner's office late on Thursday.

Brian Oxman, a spokesman for the Jackson family, told CNN on Thursday the family had been concerned about his health and had tried in vain to take care of him for months.

"Michael appeared at rehearsals a couple of times, he was very seriously trying to be able to do those rehearsals," Oxman said of Jackson's preparations for a series of 50 concerts that were scheduled to begin in London in July.

"His use of medications had gotten in the way, his injuries which he had sustained performing, where he had broken a vertebrae and he had broken his leg from a fall on the stage, were getting in the way," Oxman told CNN.

Authorities have scheduled an autopsy for Friday. But they cautioned it could take weeks to determine a cause of death, which will likely have to wait for the return of toxicology tests. Those tests will determine if Jackson had any drugs, alcohol or prescription medications in his system.

Detectives from the Los Angeles Police Department's Robbery Homicide division searched Jackson's home in the upscale Holmby Hills neighborhood of Los Angeles at the behest of Chief William Bratton. But they called the investigation an "every day" event.

TAINTED TALENT?

Jackson dominated the charts in the 1980s and is considered one of the most successful entertainers of the past century, with a lifetime sales tally estimated at 750 million records, 13 Grammy Awards and several seminal music videos to his name.

"Michael was and will remain one of the greatest entertainers that ever lived," said Motown Records founder Berry Gordy, Jackson's first label boss.

"He was exceptional, artistic and original. He gave the world his heart and soul through his music."

But Jackson's reputation as a singer and dancer was overshadowed in recent years by his increasingly abnormal appearance, and bizarre lifestyle, which included his friendship with a chimp and a preference for the company of children.

He named his estate in the central California foothills Neverland Valley Ranch, in tribute to the J.M. Barrie's Peter Pan stories, and filled it with amusement park rides and a petting zoo.

Jackson was twice accused of molesting young boys and was charged in 2003 with child sexual abuse. He became even more reclusive following his 2005 acquittal and vowed he would never again live at Neverland.

Facing a battered reputation and mountain of debts the Wall Street Journal reported ran to $500 million, Jackson had spent the last two months rehearsing for the London concerts, including Wednesday night at the huge Staples Center arena, home to the Los Angeles Lakers basketball team.

Despite reports of Jackson's ill-health, the promoters of the London shows, AEG Live, said in March Jackson passed a 4-1/2 hour physical examination with independent doctors.

"I can't stop crying over the sad news," Madonna said in a statement. "I have always admired Michael Jackson. The world has lost one of the greats but his music will live on forever."

Jackson was born on August 29, 1958, in Gary, Indiana, the seventh of nine children and first performed with his brothers as a member of the Jackson 5.

His 1982 album "Thriller" yielded seven top-10 singles. The album sold 21 million copies in the United States and at least 27 million internationally.

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Michael Jackson's wonder years: Leading The Jackson 5, he moved music industry to a new beat

By Jim Farber
DAILY NEWS MUSIC CRITIC - Saturday, June 27th 2009, 4:00 AM Corkery/News

Michael Jackson bore the confident gait, vocal range and unfailing charisma of a star from an astonishingly early age.

Pop has never known a greater prodigy than Michael Jackson.

By age 9, he already served as the commanding focal point of his talented group of brothers, three of them his senior.

While barely out of toddlerhood, Jackson bore the confident gait, vocal range and unfailing charisma of a star. Before he even reached puberty, he would achieve that status - in the extreme.

The first recordings Jackson made with his family were cut in 1967 for the local label, Steeltown, located close to their hometown: gritty, working-class Gary, Ind. Within one year, those raw songs, and a brief tryout for Motown's Suzanne de Passe, would be enough to convince label czar Berry Gordy he'd found a group capable of bringing to his enormously successful business a whole new level of creativity and excitement.

The first single released by Motown of the Jackson 5 - 1969's "I Want You Back" - put the label's trademark catchy soul sound into italics. A hyperbolic blast of pop, the song pumps along at a dizzying speed, marked by a manic stop-start rhythm, topped by Jackson's quickly escalating cries. The song wasn't just a pop marvel. It begged a nagging question: How could a boy of 11 know a need this deep? The wonderment of it all drew older fans to the child, as surely as his character and charm entranced those closer to his own age.

The string of singles that followed in dizzying succession - "ABC," "The Love You Save" and "I'll Be There" - rank among the most catchy and exciting recordings in the last half-century of pop. Yet none would have jumped out of the speakers with as much verve were it not for the spark of Jackson's voice.

He used it to great effect, not only blended with those of his brothers' but in solo works, including the yearning single "Got to Be There" and a pitched remake of Bobby Day's "Rockin' Robin."

Though still a boy, his voice nailed a great range of feelings. The wisdom and implicit experience in his singing rivaled that of adult pop-soul icons, from Sam Cooke to Marvin Gaye.

Jackson also served as an ideal teen idol with his adorable looks, easy demeanor and eager fashion sense. From the moment the group began, he and his brothers held the imagination of all young listeners - yet none more than African-Americans, who saw in Jackson a role model of success, grace and talent that they could carry their entire lives.


The following year, he unveiled his signature "moonwalk" dance move, gliding across the stage and setting off an instant trend, while performing "Billie Jean" during an NBC special.

In 1994, Jackson married Elvis Presley's only child, Lisa Marie, but the marriage ended in divorce in 1996.

"I'm so very sad and confused with every emotion possible. ... This is such a massive loss on so many levels, words fail me," Presley said in statement.

Jackson married Debbie Rowe the same year and had two children, before splitting in 1999, and he later had another child with an unidentified surrogate mother.

He is survived by three children named Prince Michael I, Paris Michael and Prince Michael II, known for his brief public appearance when his father held him over the railing of a hotel balcony, causing widespread criticism.

(Editing by Dean Goodman, Anthony Boadle and Matthew Jones)
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Mark Steel: The macabre details of Michael Jackson's death

One reporter told us the news from LA was 'truly a JFK moment'

Wednesday, 1 July 2009

Within minutes of the first reports, it was clear the world was going mad. The reporter on Radio 5 Live told us the news from Los Angeles "was truly a JFK moment". Because the sense of shock and grief were identical, in one case millions feeling a new era of civil rights and peace had been cruelly snuffed out; in the other, the realisation we would never again see a man go "Yow" while spinning in a circle.

From the tone, you expected the next reporter to say: "I think it's much more momentous than that, and feels like the Norman victory at the Battle of Hastings, or even the collapse of Roman civilisation into warring feudal tribes."

Then came the messages: "Judith from Luton has texted to say nothing matters any more so she's going to convert her Facebook page into a suicide cult. Well, Judith, I think we all feel that way and wish you the very best of luck with that project."


Then the newspapers started, with 63 pages devoted to pictures of painkillers and articles about the impact of "ABC" on linguistic theory, and agony aunts advising how to console an orphaned monkey. It seemed every bit of every paper had to be dedicated to him, so the chess puzzle would go "Today, in honour of Michael, the pawns are allowed to move one square backwards as long as they make it look like they're going forwards. And both players can be on the same side, as the black pieces are allowed to pretend they're white."

And the crossword would be full of clues like "Tennis queen who loses her King is not my lover. 6,4."

At one point on Friday evening, while in a bar in Runcorn, I noticed a huge TV screen was displaying tributes, and for a whole minute it told us: "Amanda Holden says 'I'm thinking of his family on this sad day'." Well that must have been a comfort to them. But presumably this kept going all day, so eventually it was displaying messages such as "Mick McCarthy, the manager of Wolverhampton Wanderers, says, 'I'm absolutely gutted. I haven't felt this bad since I was relegated with Sunderland in the 2002-3 season. Rest in peace, Michael'."

And it's still going on. The front page of yesterday's Daily Mirror showed a picture of Michael, declaring that it was taken on the morning he died, and asking in huge letters "So what went wrong?" It certainly is a mystery, how anyone that dies in the evening can have been alive in the morning. Presumably, inside it carried on, "Our investigations have revealed that he may have been living RIGHT UP TO THE MOMENT HE DIED. But still the authorities have provided no explanation."

One music journalist on Radio 5 Live told us "he was the most influential pop musician ever," and on Radio Four we were told he was "more influential than any other soul artist, including James Brown". And this is where the madness springs from, because they seem to confuse record sales and celebrity status with influence. For example, James Brown's "influence" cannot be measured just in retail units, but from the impact of him yelling to people categorised as officially inferior, "Say it out loud, I'm black and I'm proud." Whereas Jackson's attitude towards his colour was slightly less forthright. Still, he could at least have made an effort and sang, "Say it's apparent, I'm almost transparent."

Michael Jackson aimed solely to make people dance, which is a fine aspiration, and he was himself a fantastic dancer. But while he provided a catchy soundtrack to the early 1980s, truly influential dance music has created more than a hypnotic beat, it has made its audience want to dance to express itself, finding pride in its colour, sexuality or youthfulness that is restricted in other areas of society and transform the world beyond the dancefloor,

Jackson, though, was tragically hollow, shich may be why his main influence was on combining music with new technology, firstly by transforming videos into mini-feature films, then by becoming the subject of the world's first globally mass-texted useless jokes.

So, as the media assured us the universe was in mourning, most of the planet's JFK moment will mean always remembering where you were when you read a contrived question that could arrive at the punchline "Don't blame it on the boogie".
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July 3, 2009
Michael Jackson: The evolution of a musical genius (by David Alston)

Michael Jackson accepts the 1981 American Music Award for Favorite Male Vocalist and R&B Album of the Year for “Off the Wall.”

Having been snubbed at the Grammys that year, he was determined to win the honor. The fact that his talent is now celebrated and he himself cherished around the world predicts his music will never die. And now that his creativity has ceased, perhaps we’ll better appreciate the love he showed his people, all people, with lyrics reflecting a high political consciousness and little known but generous support for those doing good in the ‘hood, such as YMCAs and Boys and Girls Clubs. – Photo: David Alston’s Mahogany Archives
Michael Jackson accepts the 1981 American Music Award for Favorite Male Vocalist and R&B Album of the Year for “Off the Wall.” Having been snubbed at the Grammys that year, he was determined to win the honor. The fact that his talent is now celebrated and he himself cherished around the world predicts his music will never die. And now that his creativity has ceased, perhaps we’ll better appreciate the love he showed his people, all people, with lyrics reflecting a high political consciousness and little known but generous support for those doing good in the ‘hood, such as YMCAs and Boys and Girls Clubs. – Photo: David Alston’s Mahogany Archives
On Thursday, June 25, 2009, the world received the shocking news that King of Pop Michael Jackson was on his death bed. By 2:26 that afternoon the much repeated international rumor had become a heartbreaking fact. Musical genius and King of Popular music Michael Joseph Jackson had died at the age of 50 in his Los Angeles home of cardiac arrest, or heart failure, on the eve of his first major tour in 16 years.

Jackson was found in his bedroom unconscious Thursday afternoon by his live-in personal cardiologist, Dr. Conrad Murray. It has been alleged that Dr. Murray tried to resuscitate the music legend with a lethal prescription shot when it was discovered that Jackson was not breathing and had no pulse.

Dr. Murray, an African American, who had an aide call for an emergency ambulance while he franticly tried to give Jackson CPR, can clearly be heard on the recently released 911 call shouting in the background, “They need to come NOW.” The call indicates that Jackson may have been dead or slipping away before the ambulance ever arrived at his Bel Air estate.

Sources close to Jackson reported that Dr. Murray was hired by Jackson, at a cost of $150,000 a month, when it was discovered the star had emphysema and a rare form of skin cancer, which was “draining his energy.” It is not clear what practice Dr. Murray came from, or if he was certified by the medical board to practice in California, but some reports indicate Murray was needed to keep Jackson in shape for the much anticipated “This Is It” concert tour set to kick off this month at London’s 02 Arena. Despite negative media attention regarding Michael’s health and financial issues, Jackson himself was said to be “eager to get back to my fans.”

Michael was said to be under a litany of pressure to perform and raise cash to help with his financial obligations. Jackson had already started auctioning off numerous personal items including the original glitter glove worn on 1983’s Motown 25 and the Neverland Ranch gates, when what had originally started out as 10 dates at famed Wembley Arena in London grew in demand to 50 cross country shows starting July 13, at the 02 Arena in Britain. The shows were expected to bring in well over $200 million if successful. It has also been reported that All Good Entertainment promoters filed a lawsuit against Jackson’s managers to push the star to tour the states first.

With a career spanning four decades, Michael Jackson became a mega superstar surpassing his peers to become one of the most popular and charismatic entertainers in music history. Michael captured the attention and hearts of music lovers around the world by utilizing a soaring vocal range and inventing mesmerizing dance moves unmatched by his competitors then and now.

The legacy Michael Jackson leaves cannot be understated. Along with his brothers Jermaine, Tito, Marlon and Jackie, the original Jackson 5 would sign with Motown in 1969, thanks to the help of Gladys Knight and Bobby Taylor, and become one of only two groups ever to be personally managed by Motown founder Berry Gordy. With Gordy’s help they would produce four consecutive No. 1s: “I Want You Back,” ABC,” “The Love You Save” and “I’ll Be There.” The Jackson 5 with Michael on lead would shatter the sound and color barrier in a way that had not been seen since the 1950s produced Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers.

For the first time in music history there were five gifted Black adolescent boys showcasing their natural looks and talent in all its glory without having it suppressed, ignored or dismissed by mainstream white America. With Michael’s first appearances on the Hollywood Palace and Ed Sullivan in 1969, the world witnessed a magic that would not be ignored. In essence he became a new ambassador for a generation of Americans of African descent who longed to achieve the success they had previously been denied based solely on the color of their skin.

Throughout his career Michael openly paid homage to those who had influenced and paved the way for his arrival. From Little Richard, Jackie Wilson, Fred Astaire, Diana Ross to his idol, James Brown, Jackson made it his mission to acknowledge their contribution to his craft by liberating himself from the stereotypical images placed upon him in a white controlled society.

When the Jackson 5 left Motown in 1975, it was Michael who asked Berry to allow his bothers to retain their name and be allowed to write songs. When the verdict was “No,” Michael said fine, “We’ll go elsewhere and be ‘The Jacksons’ because I built that name, not you.”

By the time Michael collaborated with Quincy Jones during the filming of “The Wiz,” neither of them knew their work together on Michael’s landmark 1979 “Off the Wall” album would send them into the stratosphere. “Off The Wall” would be Michael’s official declaration of independence.

The 10 songs on this album would become timeless masterpieces and spawn four Top 10 singles, including the No. 1s “Don’t Stop Till You Get Enough” and “Rock With You.” This album would take Michael out of the bubble gum soul genre of music and establish him firmly next to peers like Diana Ross, Bruce Springsteen, Stevie Wonder, Barbra Streisand, Paul McCartney, Rick James and Marvin Gaye as a bonafide singer songwriter.

With this album, Michael had reignited the emotional connection with old fans and introduced himself to new record buyers with a spark that had been missing in the past. Though industry big wigs treated him as just another “Black artist,” fans didn’t.
During the 1987 “Bad” album era, Michael Jackson’s lightening skin was said to be caused by the skin disease Vertiligo. – Photo: David Alston’s Mahogany Archives
During the 1987 “Bad” album era, Michael Jackson’s lightening skin was said to be caused by the skin disease Vertiligo. – Photo: David Alston’s Mahogany Archives
By now Jackson was starting to distance himself from his brothers when it became clear they didn’t have the vision to grow in other directions as he did. I remember reading interviews in Jet and Right On! in the early 1980s when it was obvious Jackson wanted to branch out. It was also clear he felt obligated to his brothers and father, Joseph Jackson, who had “discovered” him and placed him on the road to success, but Jackson knew he would never reach those heights unless he broke away from a cycle that was killing him emotionally and artistically.

It should be noted the beginnings of Jackson’s inner turmoil started around this time, for he would have to fight to get his next solo project recorded, released and promoted correctly, as well as fight to keep the Jacksons as a group a competitive commodity. With producer Quincy Jones again at the helm of 1982’s monster hit, “Thriller,” Jackson and Jones consciously set out to force the entertainment industry to take notice of the musical genius of Michael Jackson. It seems to have worked, for the album made it into the Guinness Book of World Records, which named “Thriller,” with over 40 million units sold, the best selling album of all time.

Black culture as created by African Americans has always been pop culture – how boring would America be if it weren’t for the influences of Black people! – but Michael Jackson made being Black in America acceptable during a time when prime time television refused to show Blacks unless they looked like “Good Times” rejects, and MTV only played videos by artists that looked like Rod Stewart.

Michael and Prince were the first Black artists to break that social barrier and make a new generation of children proud to be Black. Despite this major coup, MTV had to be threatened with non-service of other videos before they would play Jackson.

Michael didn’t just moonwalk his way into our hearts, he wrote about social issues of the day: From his duet with sister Janet titled “Scream” comes: “Tired of injustice/ tired of the schemes/ I’m kinda disgusted/ so what does it mean?/ Kicking me down,/ I got to get up/ … (Janet) You’re sellin out souls but/ I care about mine/ I’ve got to get stronger/ And I won’t give up the fight … Oh my God, can’t believe what I saw/ As I turned on the TV this evening/ I was disgusted by all the injustice/ All the injustice/ (Michael) All the injustice/ (News Man) ‘A man has been brutally beaten to death by/ Police after being wrongly identified as a/ robbery suspect. The man was/ an 18-year-old Black male.’/

(Michael) With such collusions, don’t it make you wanna scream.” And the classic “Money,” where he states, “Anything for money/ lie for you/ die for you/ even sell my soul to the devil.”
Taken at Michael’s very first Motown photo session in 1969, this photo shows his natural cheek bones, almond shaped eyes and his love for hats. – Photo: David Alston’s Mahogany Archives
Taken at Michael’s very first Motown photo session in 1969, this photo shows his natural cheek bones, almond shaped eyes and his love for hats. – Photo: David Alston’s Mahogany Archives
He wrote meaningful songs that sometimes got lost in the politics that I personally feel were set up to destroy his legacy and contribution to entertainment industry as a whole, for we finally had a Black man accomplishing what no other person had ever done. This is the man who wrote, “I’m here to remind you they don’t really care about us,” during his infamous 1993 child abuse court case.

Some reports have stated that Michael was too frail and weak to complete his massive upcoming tour. Some claims have the star weighing only 112 pounds at the time of his death, which is what he weighed in 1984. Some reports even have him strung out on the prescription drug Demoral, which he sings about on 1997’s “Morphine,” a track featured on the “Blood on the Dance Floor” CD. Jackson must have had one of the fastest autopsies in history, leaving absolutely no chance for a Walt Disney-style later day save!?

Love him or hate him, we will never again see a star with the power, presence and magnitude of Michael Jackson; he managed to accomplish in his lifetime what very few individuals have been allowed to do. Jackson put his mind, body and soul into his work, capturing the spirit of music like a heartbeat.

He wore his feelings on his sleeve, showing his extreme distress regarding the state of the world and the plight of his brothers and sisters. He was a passionate entertainer and charity giver. Michael was so loved by fans he became part of the American vocabulary. If you were caught performing certain dance moves, people would say, “Hey, you’re doing the Michael Jackson.”

If you ever want to know anything about Michael Jackson, all you have to do is listen to his music, for he left you a play by play description of what was truly going on in his life. Just listen to “Unbreakable” from his last studio project, “Invincible”: “You try to stop me, but it won’t do a thing/ No matter what you do, I’m still gonna be here/ Through all your lies and silly games I’m a still remain the same/ I’m unbreakable.”

Plans to put Jackson’s body on display for a public viewing this Friday at Neverland Ranch have been canceled as the family seeks a more accessible venue. Katherine Jackson has been named executor of Michael’s estate and guardian of his three children, who were home at the time of his death. The children are to remain with Mrs. Jackson per his request according to Jackson’s will.
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FLASHBACK

Michael Jackson's O2 shows to be his 'final curtain call'
• The singer announces 10 dates at the O2 Arena in July, his last ever shows in London
• Thursday 5 March 2009 18.14 GMT

Michael Jackson took to the stage at London's 02 Arena earlier today to tell screaming fans that his forthcoming shows in the capital would be "the final curtain call".
As reported earlier this week, the 50-year-old singer was speaking at an event to confirm his first series of full concerts in over ten years. His 02 Arena residency will begin on July 8 2009 and will run for 10 nights.
In characteristic fashion, Jackson was over an hour and a half late in making his announcement. After a brief introduction from presenter Dermot O'Leary, Jackson appeared on stage in a black and silver sparkling jacket and with just a touch of swagger in his step. "I love you so much," he told the crowd, waving peace signs and smiling. "Thank you all". He then began chanting "This is it! This is it!" along with the crowd.
"I just want to say, these will be my final show performances in London. This will be it, when I say this is it I really mean this is it." After a pause, he told the crowd: "I'll be performing the songs my fans want to hear, this is it, I mean this is the final curtain call, ok?"
Jackson then said "I'll see you in July" before departing the stage. The 2,000-strong audience was made up of reporters, camera crews and a large contingent of fans.
The singer hasn't performed a full concert since he was cleared of child abuse charges in 2005. His return to the stage is said to have been prompted by financial woes, and an auction of his personal possessions is set to take place in April this year.
Tickets for the 10 date tour go on sale at 7am on Friday 13 March 2009. Presale information is available from michaeljacksonlive.com and by texting MJ to 81707. Prices start at £50, £60 and £75.
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Mad rush for Jackson's funeral

5 Jul 2009, 0118 hrs IST, AGENCIES

LOS ANGELES: The website set up for Michael Jackson’s fans to register for the Tuesday memorial service received more than 500 million hits
within an hour of its launch, the organizers said.

The website www.staplescenter.com, which was launched on Friday, received more than 500 million hits as Jackson’s fans rushed to register for the tickets to the July 7 event at Los Angeles Staples Center.

The website was set up to prevent duplicate registrations from being accepted for the massive ceremony, a news release from the Jackson family said. The 17,500 tickets will be distributed for the event and a draw will determine the names of the attendees, the Los Angeles Times reported.

The draw will select 8,750 names, and those people will receive two tickets each and wristbands on Monday. The 11,000 tickets will be for seats at Staples Center and 6,500 for seats at Nokia Theatre, where the live feed will be broadcast.

Meanwhile, the city officials have asked Michael Jackson’s fans to avoid coming to the Staples Centre for Tuesday’s memorial unless they have the tickets. The city officials are bracing up for a major security drive to handle a massive crowd as thousands of Jackson devotees are expected to descend on the Staples Centre despite the organiser’s announcement that only people with a ticket will be allowed inside the venue.

The law enforcement agencies are expecting that anywhere from 250,000 to 700,000 people may try to reach the venue for the Tuesday memorial.

The service will be live-streamed on television and on the Internet, and there will be no funeral procession, AEG, the owner of the Staples Centre said.
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Jackson and mother Katherine had unbreakable bond
AP, Jul 7, 2009 4:56 am PDT

When ABC wanted to make a miniseries about the Jackson family's life in 1992, Michael Jackson had one major requirement before he would give his blessing: Someone beautiful had to play his mother.

The pop superstar adored Katherine Jackson, who ended up being portrayed by Angela Bassett in the miniseries. Jackson's will designates her as the guardian of his three children, and she, along with his kids and children's charities, inherit his family trust, according to a source who requested anonymity because the person was not authorized to speak about the matter.

Katherine Jackson had sought to retain control of Jackson's assets, but a judge ruled Monday that attorney John Branca and music executive John McClain had been designated in Jackson's 2002 will as the people he wanted to administer his estate.

Jackson died June 25, deeply in debt. But a court filing estimates his estate will be worth more than $500 million.

He had a fractious relationship at times with various family members and other confidants, but friends say Jackson saw his mother as the one flawless, angelic constant in his life.

A Jehovah's Witness, Katherine Jackson, 79, is universally described as a gentle, loving matriarch who has doted on her family and fought to keep them united through tough times.

Born Katherine Scruse, she was reared in Chicago and overcame polio as a child (she still walks with a slight limp). She married Joe Jackson at age 19, and they had 10 children (Marlon Jackson had a twin who died shortly after birth) in nearby Gary, Ind.

Katherine and Joe Jackson are still married and recently marked their 60th anniversary. But their relationship has long been difficult and they have not lived together for years, according to a close friend of the singer who did not want to be identified because the person was not authorized to discuss the family.

Though it was Joe Jackson who managed Michael Jackson and his brothers to early stardom, Michael credited his mother with giving him his vocal gifts. He described her as a pianist and singer in her own right who was the first to identify and encourage her children's musical talents.

"Every child thinks their mother is the greatest mother in the world, but we Jacksons never lost that feeling," Jackson wrote in "Moonwalk," his 1988 autobiography. "Because of Katherine's gentleness, warmth and attention, I can't imagine what it's like to grow up without a mother's love."

Michael Jackson's three children have not had their biological mothers in their lives. But people close to the Jacksons say Katherine Jackson has an incredibly close relationship with her grandchildren, perhaps more than anyone else in her late son's life.

"She was never out of favor (with Michael), so she was able to spend a lot more time with the kids than anybody else," said J. Randy Taraborrelli, a friend of Jackson and author of the biography "The Magic and the Madness."

Katherine Jackson was by her son's side through some of his greatest triumphs and tragedies, from his stunning "Thriller" success to his 2005 acquittal of child molestation charges.

"They just loved each other unconditionally," said Taraborrelli. "Even when he was illogical in some of his decisions ... she didn't care, she just defended him and supported him without reservation his entire life."

Michael Jackson lived with his mother, along with siblings Joe, Janet and LaToya, at the family's Encino, Calif., compound until he was almost 30. After he moved to his vast Neverland estate, his mother remained part of his inner circle.

L. Londell McMillan, who is part of the legal team representing Katherine Jackson in her bid to control Jackson's estate, said Jackson trusted his mother completely and wanted to make sure she was always well provided.

"Michael would often say to those of us in his life, 'Please make sure you help me to protect and take care of my children and my mother Katherine,'" McMillan said.

Rob Goldstone, a former Jackson publicist who spent time on the road with him during his 1989 "Bad" tour, described him as "a momma's boy. He loved his mom."

"The one thing that was very apparent that everywhere we went, he would want to go shopping and buy something, and his mom was the one he wanted to buy something special for," he recalled.

Jackson's relationship with his mother was the opposite of what he had with his father, who managed Michael and his children's careers until they reached adulthood and business ties were severed.

Michael Jackson had a complicated relationship with Joe Jackson. He had described his father as physically and emotionally abusive. Even the sight of Joe Jackson would sometimes make Michael so nervous he would vomit, the son had said.

Joe Jackson was the parental figure who spent the most time with Jackson during his formative years. Katherine Jackson didn't go out on the road with the Jackson 5, staying at home to raise LaToya, Janet and Randy.

But the mild-mannered mother would stand up to her husband and defend their children when she thought things were getting out of control, Taraborrelli said.

"She's very strong, and a very powerful woman who would stand up to Joe," he said. "That's the only reason why it worked. ... She had the tenacity to defy him when it really mattered."

Though the pair do not live together, their lives are still intertwined. Ten years ago, they filed for bankruptcy, listing nearly $24 million in debts that included court judgments, auto loans and credit cards. Court records show the only valuable asset listed was a house in Las Vegas then valued at $290,000.

Now that Katherine Jackson has been granted temporary guardianship of her grandchildren, some wonder what influence Joe Jackson might play in the grandchildren's lives. A person with knowledge of the situation, who asked not to be identified because the person was not authorized to talk about the relationship, said the children have a loving relationship with their grandfather, but said that Katherine Jackson would be their primary caregiver.

The Rev. Jesse Jackson said she has already assumed that role, shopping for clothes for her grandchildren over the weekend.

"She's doing very well," he said Sunday. "She is the matriarch of this family. She is so deep in her religion. She has a real insulation, not an isolation, kind of a spiritual, so she sees her family in the broader sense and all of them kind of gravitating a certain way to mom as they were."

:

AP video journalist Mark D. Carlson contributed to this report from Los Angeles.
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'Smile'
Charlie Chaplin's Theme Music for 'Modern Times' - 1936
Lyrics by John Turner and Geoffrey Parsons - 1954


'Smile' was the theme music for Chaplin last silent picture 'Modern Times' in 1936. It became officially 'Smile' when John Turner and Geoffrey Parsons added lyrics to Chaplin's composition in 1954. Nat 'King' Cole recorded the song and it became a hit!

Cole's recording reached the #10 position on the Billboard Charts in 1954.

Over the years, it became a standard which many artist have recorded including Tony Bennett, Barbara Streisand, Michael Jackson and Rob Stewart. Latest to record 'Smile' is Robert Downey Jr. on his 'The Futurist' CD. Downey played Charlie in the movie 'Chaplin'.

There are people who may heard this song but still not know the melody was originally Charlie Chaplin's. You will know it quickly if you watch 'Modern Times'.

Other Chaplin music includes Academy Award winning score from Limelight and 'This Is My Song' from 'A Countess of Hong Kong'.

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Week Ending July 5, 2009: All Michael, All The Time
Posted Wed Jul 8, 2009 11:47am PDT by Paul Grein in Chart Watch

Michael Jackson has three of the five best-selling albums in the U.S. for the second week in a row. Number Ones sold 339,000 copies this week and would have held at #1 on The Billboard 200 if catalog albums were eligible to compete on that chart. (The 2003 compilation sold a little more than twice as many copies this week as NOW 31, the album that holds the #1 spot.) Thriller sold 187,000 copies and would have jumped from #3 to #2 if catalog albums were invited to the party. The Essential Michael Jackson sold 125,000 copies and would have dropped from #2 to #5. (Billboard excludes catalog albums from the big chart on the theory that new albums need the spotlight the chart provides more than past hits do.)

Jackson's catalog of solo albums sold 800,000 copies this week, up from 422,000 copies last week. (This was the first full week following Jackson's death on June 25. Last week's total reflected just four days of sales.) Billboard reports that 82% of the Jackson albums sold this week were CDs (vs. digital downloads). Last week, 43% of the Jackson albums sold were CDs. I think this shows that on a special album, people want the CD as a keepsake. (What a retro concept!)

Jackson's total song download sales this week, including hits with his brothers, stand at 2.2 million downloads, down just a little from 2.6 million last week. A total of 47 songs that feature Jackson are listed on the Hot Digital Songs chart. (This is down just a bit from last week's eye-popping total of 50.)

Number Ones racked up the biggest weekly sales total in Nielsen/SoundScan history for a catalog album (excluding Christmas albums). Jackson also held the old record, which he set in February 2008, when Thriller 25 sold 166,000 copies in its first week. Number Ones also posted the biggest one-week sales tally for an album by a deceased performer since the Notorious B.I.G.'s Duets: The Final Chapter debuted in December 2005 with first-week sales of 438,000.

Number Ones has sold 564,000 copies so far this year, which puts it at #18 on Nielsen/SoundScan's running list of the best-selling albums of 2009. If it keeps going like this, it could topple Taylor Swift's Fearless as the #1 album for the year-to-date. (Fearless has sold 1,352,000 copies since Jan. 1.) This will (in all likelihood) be only the third time in Nielsen/SoundScan history that an album by a deceased performer has ranked among the year's top 10. 2Pac's All Eyez On Me was the #6 album of 1996 (he died on Sept. 13 of that year). The Notorious B.I.G.'s Life After Death was the #6 album of 1997 (he died on March 9 of that year).

Number Ones holds at #1 on the Catalog Albums chart. (Catalog albums are albums that are more than 18 months old, have fallen below #100 on The Billboard 200 and don't have a current radio single.) Jackson owns the entire top 10 this week, counting a Jackson 5 album. The Essential Michael Jackson holds at #1 on the Digital Albums chart. The collection sold 53,000 digital copies this week.

This is the third time that Thriller has posted sales of 100,000 or more units in a week in the Nielsen/SoundScan era (which dates to 1991). As noted above, the album sold 166,000 copies when a 25th anniversary edition was released in February 2008. It sold 101,000 last week, in the aftermath of Jackson's death. Thriller is the only the second catalog album (again, excluding Christmas albums) to top the 100,000 sales mark more than once since 1992. It follows the Grease soundtrack, a 1978 blockbuster that came back strong in the mid-1990s. The John Travolta/Olivia Newton-John tune-fest topped the 100,000 sales mark twice in December 1996 and again in April 1998, when the movie was re-released theatrically.

Jackson has five songs in the top 10 on Hot Digital Songs this week: "Man In The Mirror" at #2, "Billie Jean" at #4, "Thriller" at #5, "The Way You Make Me Feel" at #7 and "Beat It" at #10. Later today, I'll post a Chart Watch Extra in which I count down Jackson's 40 most songs with the most cumulative paid downloads. The list shows which of Jackson's songs have best stood the test of time-and which haven't.

Pop Quiz: To get you in the mood, here's a good (but seriously tough) Jackson trivia question. What do these three songs have in common: "Rock With You," "Human Nature" and "Man In The Mirror." Answer below.

Jackson is selling around the world. In the U.K., The Essential Michael Jackson moves up to #1, dethroning Number Ones (which drops to #3). In Japan, King Of Pop vaults from #43 to #6.

In a Chart Watch Extra (here's the link), I told you that Michael Jackson has had 17 #1 hits on the Hot 100 (combining Jackson 5 and solo records). Let me add that he has also had five #2 hits. Twice, he peaked at #2 behind hits that went on to be Billboard's #1 single of the year. That was the fate of the J5's "Never Can Say Goodbye" (which got stuck behind Three Dog Night's "Joy To The World," the top hit of 1971) and his own "Rockin' Robin" (which ran up against Roberta Flack's "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face," the top hit of 1972). The J5's "Mama's Pearl" peaked at #2 behind the Osmonds' "One Bad Apple," which was created in the mold of the early J5 hits. His other #2 hits were the J5's "Dancing Machine" and his duet with Paul McCartney, "The Girl Is Mine."

U.S. Military Presence in Mainland Japan and Okinawa

U.S. Military Presence in Mainland Japan and Okinawa

Ichiyo Muto (People’s Plan Study Groups)- An Excerpt

There are approximately 90 U.S. military facilities including major military bases throughout mainland Japan and Okinawa, with an area total of 3,130,000 sq.meters, 75% of which are in Okinawa. They are concentrated in a few areas (prefectures), 37 in Okinawa, 15 in Kanagawa, 11 in Nagasaki, and 7 in Tokyo. About 52,000 U.S. troops are stationed in these bases, 26,000 in mailand and 25,000 in Okinawa (2001). In mainland Japan, the largest contingent is the air force with 6,600 and that in Okinawa marines (15,500).

The U.S. armed forces in Japan, together with U.S. forces in South Korea, are subjected to the Pacific Command located in Hawaii though the Command located at Yokota Airbase in Tokyo also functions as an auxiliary command for the forces deployed all over Japan. The forces deployed to Japan are not a separate complete military unit but integral part of the Pacific Force as the largest of the four U.S. joint forces with a vast jurisdiction extending from the U.S. western coast and the whole of the Pacific Ocean through the Indian Ocean to the eastern coasts of Africa.

The main U.S. bases in mainland Japan include Misawa airbase in Aomori Prefecture up in the north of Honshu Island, Yokota Airbase in Tokyo, Yokosuka naval base in Kanagawa Prefecture, Atsugi base in the same prefecture, Iwakuni marine base near Hiroshima, and Sasebo naval base in Nagasaki Prefecture. Also there are munitions depots, communication bases, port facilities, warehouses, military barracks, residential estates.


1960 Security Treaty and SOFA

Defeating Japan in WWII in 1945, the United States, placed Japan under occupation, took over Japanese military bases and used them as the frontline bases of the Cold War. These bases were intensely used in the 1950-53 Korean War as the attack posts in the immediate rear of the war front. The U.S. in the first years of occupation wanted to demilitarize Japan as its potential military adversary and drafted the postwar pacifist Constitution which was welcomed by Japanese people, but it reversed its policy by 1950 and ordered remilitarization and created a “police reserve force” that later developed into the world’s budgetary second largest Self-Defense Forces.

The U.S. placed Okinawa under its direct military rule, willfully confiscated Okinawan people’s land for construction of huge strategic bases in main island of Okinawa and nearby Iejima Island, centering on the Kadena airfield.

In 1951, the San Francisco Peace Treaty was signed, ending occupation for mainland Japan in 1952, but that treaty separated Okinawa from Japanese sovereignty and surrendered it to U.S. military rule. Okinawa remained U.S. military colony until 1972 when it was “reverted” to Japan.

Simultaneously with the peace treaty, another treaty called Japan-U.S. security treaty was signed, allowing continued presence of U.S military forces in the Japanese territory. U.S. continued to hold and freely use the bases secured under occupation.

The 1952 security treaty was revised in 1960 into a treaty of relatively bilateral nature, to jointly meet armed attacks at either party and for security in the Far East. The treaty stated, “for the purpose of contributing to the security of Japan and the maintenance of international peace and security in the Far East, the United States is granted the use of its land, air, and naval forces of facilities and areas in Japan.” This treaty is up to now the legal ground of the stationing of U.S. forces and U.S. use of bases in Japan. Simultaneously with the security treaty, the status of force agreement was made, giving privileges and prerogatives to the U.S. military personnel and use of Japanese facilities.

Though SOFA states that the U.S. bears all expenditures incurred by the maintenance of U.S. armed forces in Japan, the Japanese government since 1987 began to meet increasing portions of U.S. costs, reaching more than $6 billion in 2001 in “host nation support.”


Anti-Base Movements

During and immediately after the occupation, expansion of U.S. military bases was met by vigorous opposition movements of local communities with the national support of progressive movements such as students’ and workers. The movements successfully prevented base expansion or base area enclosure in most major cases (Uchinada, Myogi, Tachikawa, all in the 1950s). Local farmers’ opposition movement to U.S. and Japanese live shelling exercises on the skirts of Mt. Fuji, begun in the 1950s, still continues.

The 1960 struggle against the conclusion of the revised security treaty was the largest national political struggle against military ties with the U.S. and all anti-base movements participated in it.

During the Vietnam War period, new peace and anti-war movements grew rapidly, and their action was frequently targeted against U.S. military bases, in many cases through direct action. The best known is the whole community action against U.S. Sagamihara weapons depot from which tanks were being transported to Vietnam. Students’ and citizens’ movements massively mobilized in this period to protest the entry of U.S. aircraft carriers, deployment of new weapons (Tomahawk missiles etc.)

After the Vietnam War ended, anti-base movement has been sustained mainly by local action groups around the base areas, which are loosely networked across the country and working to support Okinawa people’s anti-base struggles. The forms and styles of action are manifold and wide-ranged. Aside from general mobilization and street demonstration on the issues of bases, some of the collective action styles include:

- Monitoring the activities of the base such as troops movement on a daily basis and reporting to the community and other anti-base groups (e.g. Yokota airbase, extremely low altitude flights monitored by widespread networks)

- Demonstrating, picketing, over particular action of the U.S. military, most typically activists riding rubber boats demonstrate at sea against entry and/or departure of U.S. fleet on combat missions (e.g. Yokosuka, Kure, Sasebo)

- Conducting sustained campaigns of local community groups, including litigation, against particular hazards such as noise and pollution (Atsugi base by groups in Yamato city)

- Community-wide sustained campaigns opposing new U.S. base-related projects, using local elections (Zushi city community opposing the construction of U.S. military housing estate at the cost of national preserve; local movement elected opposition mayors)

- Using powers of local autonomy to restrict free use of facilities by U.S. military (most typically the Kobe formula – Kobe municipality bans entry of ships into Kobe port unless they previous present no-nuclear weapon certificates; because of this system, no U.S. warships have been able to enter the port so far).

- Filing lawsuits about the unconstitutionality of Japan’s “host nation support” for U.S. military (Tokyo and Osaka);

- Ad placing campaigns on issues of bases, military exercises, withdrawal U.S. marines (Yufuin group’s ad in New York Times etc.)


=== People’s Plan Study Group ===

Address: Sunrise Shinjyuku 3F, 2-4-15 Okubo, Shinjyuku-ku, Tokyo 169-0072 JAPAN

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U.S Bases in Okinawa

Masahiro Shimada (Anti-War Landowners’ Association for the Protection of Rights and Properties)


1. Overall Picture−Its History

　Okinawa is an archipelago located between Taiwan and Japan. It consists of some 160 islands extended in an area of 400 km. from south to north and 1,000 km from east to west. Of these 160 islands, 49 are inhabited with the population of 130 million. The subtropical climate makes Okinawa a pleasant place to live with flowers all round the year. Okinawa was invaded in 1609 by a feudal Japanese clan ruling Satsuma in Kyushu. In the following 400 years, Okinawa tried to survive while threatened by the vested interests of the big nation. Now Japan imposes area-wise 75% of the US bases it hosts on Okinawa, which is only 0.6% of its territory. The reality is an eloquent expression of the marginalization of Okinawa by Japan and the colonial relationships on it maintained by Japan and the US. At present, plans are being carried out to construct yet new bases (Henoko Marine Base, the transfer of Naha Naval Base to Urasoe Port (for capacity expansion), and facilities for training for urban hostilities). This is causing Okinawa people’s anger.


Battle of Okinawa

The battle of Okinawa was the last ground battle fought between the US Forces and Japanese Armed Forces. After intense air raids and shelling from warships, US Forces began landing from the Kerama Islands in the west of the Main Island in late March, 1945. Thus “the hell of hells” as described by the US Troops began. The 110,000 Japanese troops including the 35,000 untrained recruiters assigned to defend Okinawa with poor weapons had to cope with the U.S. force of 540,000 with overwhelmingly superiority. 180,000 US soldiers landed on Okinawa and began the battle that destroyed every single thing on the island during the subsequent three months. With this “Iron Typhoon” more than 200,000 soldiers and civilians died including one quarter of the Okinawa population.,US casualties counted 12,000. The US Forces began constructing new bases on the island in order to prepare the attack on the Main Island of Japan. This was the beginning of the US program of using Okinawa as its forward base for the containment of the spread of communism. But bases and buildings constructed in the initial perid of US occupation were simple and provisional.

　

Construction of Permanent Bases

In the 1950s, the construction of permanent bases began with a special budget earmarked for the purpose. In 1952, San Francisco Peace Treaty was signed simultaneously with the Japan-U.S. Security Treaty. In return for Japan’s independence, the U.S. placed the archipelago south of Amami Oshima Island under its administration. In 1953, the Amami Islands were returned to Japan but Ryukyus were retained under U.S. administration, and Okinawa was left with the US bases all over it. The establishment of the People’s Republic of China and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea alarmed the US as signs of rapid expansion of communism in Asia. The Cold War accelerated the consolidation of the bases in Okinawa. This also signaled yet another beginning of the history of sufferings of the people of Okinawa.


Confiscation of land (the Whole Island Struggle)

　The outbreak of the Korean War further drove the US Forces to construct new bases. Though the US had practically converted the whole island into one big base, the Korean War urged the US to construct stronger forward bases to control the whole of Asia. People of Okinawa who had barely recuperated from the “Iron Typhoon” had to face another typhoon. Land confiscation began in a village called Isahama and spread all over. In some cases the US prohibited farming under the excuse of mosquito outbreak. The paddy fields and farms carefully cultivated were bulldozed before harvesting. At Isahama, at dawn fully armed soldiers arrived with bulldozers and filled fields with sand from the ocean. The green rice plants were buried in salt water and sand. People who were not allowed to harvest resisted but in vain. In Iejima, several American soldiers entered a house and asked for matches to set fire and the house was burnt while the residents did not have time to take their belongings out. People deprived of their basic rights to live went around the island asking for support. Their action was dubbed “Beggars’ March” as the marchers had nothing at all to own and suffered from a terrible inhuman situation. Some of the dislocated people, after moving from place to place in the island, migrated to South America. The land confiscation begun during the Korean War continued to the Vietnam War. The period was characterized as the period of people’s struggle for land.

U.S Rule of Okinawa

The presence of the US bases was the only problem Okinawa suffered from. The US military controlled judiciary, legislature, administration and economy, and that enabled the U.S. to arbitrarily confiscate people’s land. Okinawa did not have its own jurisdiction. The US owned the majority of share of banks and electricity. The governor, the supreme administrator, was appointed by the US Force. In June, 1945, after the Battle of Okinawa ended with the extermination of the Okinawa Garrison, the US Navy began ruling Okinawa. In July, 1946, the US Army took the navy government over. With a view to introducing an American style democratic governance to replace Japan’s emperor system, the U.S. held in September, 1945, elections of mayors and city councils. Woman suffrage was recognized. The army government lasted till 1950 when USCAR （US Administration of Ryukyu Islands）was set up. With this, the policy to construct bases was intensified. USCAR arbitrarily created legal systems to forcefully confiscate land. Their highhandedness caused much anger and protest from the people. Anti US sentiment spread all over the island. To handle this situation, the US introduced a high commissioner system to rule Okinawa. This system lasted until 1972 when Okinawa was returned to Japan. The last high commissioner was the sixth. The economic system of Okinawa became totally dependent on the bases. In 1958 the currency was changed to US dollars. Till then, the currency was B-yen which was a kind of military scrip.

2. Return of the Bases

　For its size and functions the US bases in Okinawa are a monster in Asia. In 1945, the bases were meant to attack Japan. With the rise of socialist states, the bases became a stronghold against communism. They were forward assault bases during the Korean War. During the Vietnam War, Okinawa served as a crucial forward supply base. This is what Okinawa was till 1972. With the demand of each situation and reality, the bases in Okinawa changed its functions provided with new equipment, facilities and new deployment of military personnel. During the war against Japan, the only task needed was to fix the existing airfields to fly B29 bombers to the mainland. Much energy was spent to handle the civilian population, many of them taken as prisoners of war. With the rise of the People’s Republics of China and North Korea, the circumstances changed. Bases were strengthened as an anti-Communist stronghold, accompanied by adjustment of functions in terms of equipment and force posting. Nuclear weapons, ground-to-air missiles, new communication systems, and fighter plane squadrons were introduced. The army intensified tank trainings and live test-shelling of Nike ground-to-air missiles targeting China was also conducted. Under the heavy impact of the Korean War, plans to construct stronger bases were energetically pressed forward.

While the USCAR wanted to get its American style democracy accepted in Okinawa, the people did not swallow it, but on the contrary intensified their resistance against land confiscation. Faced by this situation, the US intensified its oppressive military rule, claiming that Okinawans were not mature enough for self government.

Under this iron-fist rule land confiscation continued. As the U.S. launched the Vietnam War, Okinawa was turned into the launching base of B52 bombers to attack North Vietnam. Maki Supply Base became the biggest logistic base in this war, from which war materials, military vehicles and tanks were daily shipped to Vietnam and into which tanks broken in Vietnam were carried for repairs. The Vietnam War became part and parcel of Okinawa people’s daily life.

Throughout this period, Okinawa severed as the largest anti-Communist Cold War fortress in Asia equipped with powerful antennas and ultrasonic spy planes. The Nixon Doctrine was declared, but the bases in Okinawa continued to be the U.S.’s strategic outpost in Asia.

The return of Okinawa to Japan in 1972 was arranged in exchange for the Japanese government’s guarantee that the strategic functions of Okinawa for the U.S. would be preserved. Even so, Okinawa faced a new situation. The rule of Okinawa shifted from the early military rule to the direct U.S. rule and then to the Japanese rule. The US presence in Okinawa now became one taken care of by its host country, Japan, based on the Japan-US Security Treaty.

The Japanese government guarantees that the U.S. would continue to securely use the bases in Okinawa and shared the common understanding with the U.S. that people’s demands should be met as long as this guarantee was honored. This agreement provided that nuclear weapons be removed from Okinawa at the expense of the Japanese government.

Also, the army units in Okinawa were replaced by marines. The principal U.S. forces in Okinawa shifted to the Air Force based in Kadena airfield, marines and army special forces. The Japanese Diet passed a resolution calling for the reduction and consolidation of the US bases in Okinawa.

The presence of the marines has come as a further burden on Okinawa people. They alternated on shore and on sea duty on the Seventh Fleet every six month. The marines are storm troopers, and they proved a new threat to local people. Militarily, their operation covers a vast area from the Cape of Good Hope in Africa through Australia to the Pacific Ocean. With the joint exercises with Japan’s Self Defense Forces, the marines are equipped to respond to any occurrence from the Korean peninsula to the Middle East. The aircraft in Okinawa was shifted from F4 Phantom to F15 Eagle and E3A planes with emphasis from air-to-ground attacks to control of the air. Also, intensified were reconnaissance flights by SR71 along the continental coasts. The standard uniform was change from the jungle-camouflaged combat fatigue to a brown uniform designed for desert battles. The marines are an armed entity proud to go anywhere on the planet. The US base in Okinawa looms as a patron god to protect the US interests in Asia. At the same time, the US presence in Okinawa has much to do with Japan’s militarization.

The heavier its presence, the more serious the danger the U.S. military poses to the people in Okinawa. Okinawa people experienced increasing cases of U.S. military-caused accidents and crimes. The rape of a girl in 1995 was a typical example. The incident happened just when the Japanese government was examining plans to help overhaul 50-year old U.S. bases in Okinawa into modernized, function-rational bases at the Japanese government cost. Under the impact of the rape incident and the rising anger of the Okinawa people, the Japanese and U.S. governments created a structure called SACO (Special Action Committee) for readjustment and consolidation of the bases in Okinawa. The local government of Okinawa made it clear that no such plan would be accepted by the Okinawa people unless it included reduction of the bases. With this pressure, SACO had to discuss adjustment, consolidation, and reduction. SACO submitted its final report in December, 1996, but the report did not refer to reduction but proposes moving the locations of bases within the island. The needed reduction did not occur. The major plan that came from SACO was the construction a huge offshore marine base with 2,500 meter-runways off the coast of Henoko, part of Nago city, as the alternative to Futenma base that was to be abolished. The intention is to help marines to unify the functions of an airport, marine’s port of sally, and training facilities by the establishment of this new base. Though the U.S. communication units are withdrawing, the Special Forces, the Marines and the Air Force are being strengthened.


3. People’s Struggle and Resistance

Struggle on the Prefectural Road No 104

From 1973, the U.S. military closed prefectural road No. 104 that passes through Camp Hansen for firing exercises using 105mm and 155 mm howitzers. Live shells were shot over the road. The residents denied the use of the road indispensable to their daily life organized protest action against this exercise, joined by peace organizations and labor unions. Finally they entered the impact area and forced the U.S. to suspend the exercises. The strategy worked and the protesters continued occupying the impact area, sometimes braving the danger from the shells dropping around them. In September, 1976, the movement was forced to change the strategy when some of the members were arrested under the special criminal law earlier enacted for the implementation of the security treaty. The struggle, however, continued until the locations of the shelling exercises were transferred to five different places in mainland Japan.


2.4 General Strike

On November 19, 1968, at the height of the Vietnam War, a B52 bomber loaded with bombs on its way to North Vietnam crashed right after taking off the Kadena Base. The incident gave a rise to a large campaign to demand the withdrawal of B52 bombers from Okinawa. The US government, however, insisted that this was not a major accident. The Japanese government stated that it had no intention to demand of the U.S. the removal of B52 bombers. In Okinawa, many protest actions mainly organized by labor unions continued. For the first time, the Union of Military Base Workers (Zengunro) came up with a resolution demanding the withdrawal of the bases. It became clear that neither the US government nor the Japanese government had a correct understanding of the people of Okinawa. As people’s awareness about the critical reality of Okinawa grew stronger, many local governments of the islands came up with resolutions against the bases. In 1968, the Okinawa people obtained the right to elect their administrative representative and Mr. Yara Chobyo, president of militant teachers union, was elected the first governor. Up to then, the chief executive officer was appointed by the U.S. As local people’s organizations, women’s movement and other groups continued demanding the withdrawal of B52, many unions decided to organize a strike. The “Prefectural People’s Joint Struggle Coalition for Life” was formed by over 140 organizations and the struggle headed toward a general strike. The US issued High Commissioner’s Order to ban the strike, but that was counterproductive. As the struggle spread all over the islands, the Japanese government had to take heed of it. The General Council of Trade Unions of Japan (Sohyo), the largest labor federation in mainland Japan, also began to take action. But this formation got split over the issue of general strike. Those against general strike, claiming that an informal commitment had been made to give the date of B52 withdrawal, maintained that the governor’s position should be protected. Others insisted on the need of the strike. The protest action scheduled for February 4 was carried out without this division overcome.

　

Struggle of Military Base Workers (Zengunro)

　The struggle of those who work at the US bases was another threat to the US Forces. The Union was much affected by mass dismissals of its members, but they rose in struggle for two demands -- the removal of the bases and cancellation of mass dismissal, apparently demands contradicting each other. The Zengunro did not have the right to wage a strike and so resorted to the legal tactic of simultaneous paid leave taking. But that developed into a 48 hour strike, and then to 120 hour strike. The gate to the base’s nuclear weapons area was　closed by the striking picketers, who were threatened by armed GIs. The situation was extremely tense. The US Forces prohibited the soldiers from going out of the bases. Merchants doing business for GIs, upset by the loss of customers, stoned the strikers. The incident showed the complexity of the Okinawa situation.


Koza Riot

　On December 20, 1970, a vehicle driven by an American soldier hit an Okinawan. The Military Police who rushed to the site paid no attention to the victim and tried to carry away the car to the base. Around 1,000 people surrounded them and protested. The frightened MP started fired warning shots. As the angry people closed in, the MPs ran away firing shots. The soldier responsible for the incident was beaten up. More and more people gathered and started burning the vehicles nearby such as army trucks, MP jeeps and cars with yellow plates that indicated the US ownership. Towards the midnight, the crowd kept growing. One group burned police boxes while the other went to Kadena Base. They broke the gate and set fire on the filing cabinets and the American school. Armed soldiers fired tear gas. Helicopters also sprayed tear gas over the masses. This group was pushed outside by the armed soldiers while the other headed towards the U.S. headquarters. By the dawn, they all dispersed. Some 80 cars were destroyed. 19 were arrested and many wounded. The police applied the crime of riot but could not prosecute any of them. They were charged with other crimes and punished. There was no damage recorded to persons or properties of Okinawa.

In those days, 63% of Koza (present Okinawa city) was occupied by the bases. Koza’s economy was 80% dependent on the bases. On one hand, Koza flourished “thanks to” the war in Vietnam. On the other hand, Koza suffered much by the crimes committed by the GIs. Koza Riot in a way was a natural outcome of this situation. The US government still remembers the fear caused by Koza riot. Though it was a spontaneous riot, there was a certain order and discipline observed by all who joined it.

There was another incident that indirectly led people to riot. On September 18, 1970, a drunken GI driver killed a woman in Itoman-city in the south of the main island. The military court found him innocent on December 11 by reasons of lack of evidence. After 1970, violent crimes committed by American soldiers rose to 1,000 every year. They included homicides, rapes and burglaries. The number of U.S. soldier-caused traffic accidents was over 3000 a year. All the crimes were handled by the MPs who concealed evidence. The accused were tried by closed military courts and declared either innocent or given minor punishments.


Struggle to Demand the Withdrawal of Poisonous Gas

In July, 1969, the leak of VX nerve gas from a container in Kadena Base was discovered. The discovery led people to organize action. The US Forces organized a plan called “Operation Red Hat” to transfer the gas to Johnston Island in the Pacific. On December 20, the day before the Koza Riot, there was a big gathering of the Okinawa people to demand withdrawal of poisonous gas. All these incidents served as the background against which the Koza riot exploded.


Association of Anti-War Landowners

　After 1972 when Okinawa was turned over to Japan, more and more people of Okinawa began articulating their firm conviction that the US should not continue using their land. This was the time to take back the land “plundered at gun points and with bulldozers.” As Okinawa became part of Japan, the land unilaterally confiscated during the U.S. rule now became subject to regulations linked to the Security Treaty. This meant that from now on it was the Japanese government that was to conclude contracts with the owners of the land tracts used as bases and then lease them to the U.S. When it came to the making of contracts, over 30,000 landowners refused to sign contacts. This action led to the formation of the Anti-War Landowners’ Association for the Protection of Rights and Properties. The Japanese government, however, ignoring the will of the Okinawa people, passed a fixed-term law (five years) called “the law of temporary use of public land” that allowed the US Forces and Japan’s Self Defense Forces to use land for their bases without the consent of the landowners. People criticized the Japanese government that accepted the confiscation by the US Forces by bulldozers and armed violence. The government tried to complete all contracts in the prescribed period of five years, but found itself in a bizarre situation because of the resistance put up by the anti-war landowners. They refused to sign the contracts, and so the U.S. occupation of their land areas lost legal grounds. May 15, 1977 was the last day of the term of the legislation, and the Diet was in a chaotic situation over what to do with this issue. The landowners picketed the US bases and those of the Self Defense Forces in Okinawa. The SDF having lost the legal base had to open their base gates to the proper owners. The landowners since their land was confiscated in 1945, were able to touch it after 32 years. They touched the land, enjoyed picnic lunch and felt as if the long lost children suddenly had come back to them. The US opened gates in some bases. The proper owners entered there and planted vegetables. They had been their farmlands before confiscation. US soldiers stood by watcging. The situation in Kadena Base, the largest in Far East, was different. The gates were firmly closed and refused the entry of the landowners. The illegal occupation lasted four days. The Japanese Diet, once again ignoring the will of the landowners, extended the term of the law. The landowners felt that they had done something important to neutralize Japan-US Security Treaty. Their struggle based on their conviction that no piece of land should be rented for war had a strong impact on both governments. The experience of the Four Days consolidated the anti-war struggle of Okinawa.

The anti-war landowners have since been under the tenacious pressure of the government to change their attitude. The struggle continues at the court but the judicial system of this country is also hard on people who demand justice. The number of anti-war landlords has visibly decreased since. To support the remaining anti-war landowners, the Association of One-Tsubo Landowners has been formed. Their struggle continues.

　

4. Wars in which Bases in Okinawa were Used as Mission Launching Bases

Korean War, Vietnam War, Gulf War, Invasion of Afghanistan, and Iraq War. (During the occupation of the U.S. Embassy in Iran, C-130 Transport planes were sent from Okinawa in the hostage rescue operation. The mission was a failure).


Violence against Women under Long-Term U.S Military Station in Okinawa

Suzuyo Takazato (Okinawa Women Act Against Military Violence)



1. Impacts on Women and Children by the US Military Bases in the Community

The Status of Forces Agreement stipulated in the Article 6 of the US-Japan Security Treaty assures favorable conditions of US military personnel including freedom of movement outside the bases. The US military bases occupy about 20% of the main island of Okinawa where 27,000 soldiers are stationed together with their families and dependents of more than 20,000. Their military training, lives, education opportunities and recreations are safely provided on the bases guarded by the fences and gates. Contrary to their assured safety, lives of women and children of local community have been targeted of violence for the past 58 years.


A. The end of WWII (1945) to the eve of Korean War – Rampant and indiscriminate crimes against women

When the Battle of Okinawa, a fierce battle described as “ iron storm” was over, the US soldiers started to randomly attack women in Okinawa.

1.

Two to six soldiers abduct one woman at gun or knife point.
2.

After gang-raping a victim, she would often be given to other groups of soldiers to gang-rap.
3.

Soldiers did not hesitate to kill or severely injure those who tried to help victims.
4.

Assaults can happen any places including in the field, on streets, around wells, by the water, in front of families.
5.

Assaults often showed brutality. Women with infants on her back were raped and killed. Victims’ ages range from 9 months old to 60’s.
6.

Victims gave birth. In the four years after the end of the World War II, 450 children were identified to have been fathered by the GIs.
7.

Perpetrators were mostly not apprehended, left unpunished.

B. Vietnam War – Violence was turned to women working around the bases.

Women working around the bases were often the target of violence by the soldiers who returned from the battle fields of the Vietnam War. They brought back fear and anger from the battle fields. Rape cases were rampant. Three to four women were strangled to death yearly. In the survey conducted in 1969, about 7,400 women worked in the sex industry. These women earned dollars in the still economically poor society. They were forced to sell sex because of a large amount of loan imposed on them in the forced managed prostitution. Many of these women experienced to be nearly strangled to death more than once, experience that left many of them suffering from trauma.


C. Present: date rape―“consensual” violence

After the end of the Vietnam War, the US military changed its policy from drafting to volunteer. In reality, however, volunteer only induced “poverty draft” in which poor population such as African American and Hispanic increased. The economic power declined. The rape by three US soldiers in September, 1995 shows a close proximity between the bases and local communities. Soldiers meet women at night clubs or at the beach, invite them to the bases where they can go shopping at PX for better prices. They invite them to their luxurious apartments on the bases which was build by the “sympathy” budget that the Japanese government provides This is how the crime of “date rapes” are committed now, in the disguise of “consensus.”


2. Impacts of September 11 Incident

As the training and security of the bases intensified, crimes committed by the US soldiers increased after 9.11. Changes within the operation caused by the Wars on Afghanistan and Iraq clearly have affected their transfer and training. For example, in the rape and assault case in August 2003, the perpetrator could have gone back to the US had there been no war, but his station was extended by 6 months, during the time, he committed the crime.


3. The Most Serious Concerns Faced by the Cmmunity

1.

Sixty percent of the US military stationed in Okinawa consists the Marine Corps. Eighty percent of the Marines are young soldeirs, between 18 to 22 years old, who are stationed in Okinawa for only 6 months. Sixty percent of the crimes by the US military is committed by the Marines. They bring young women to the bases easily where more crimes are committed. Contrary to increased poverty among young soldiers, they enjoy luxurious facilities built by the sympathy budge of the Japanese government. Current conditions make it more difficult for victims to accuse perpetrators.
2.

In recent cases, perpetrators of assaults and attempted assaults tend to be increasingly confrontational at trials. In the assault case of June 2001, in which a soldier raped an Okinawan woman at a parking lot of a commercial area, the perpetrator, a special service unit soldier, who has been stationed in Okinawa for four years, never withdrew his insistence on “consensual sex.” The verdict of the Japanese court admitted the victim’s assertion that she was raped, yet, the difficulty faced by the victim in this case implies a possibility of unwillingness of victims to come forward fearing retaliation by the US military.


4. Local Initiatives

Okinawa Woman Act Against Military Violence have engaged in our own activities as well as solidarity actions with “the citizens coalition to remove US bases from Okinawa and to achieve world peace” to which over 30 groups belong.

Achievements

o

Women’s transnational networks have developed such as East Asia-US-Puerto Rico Women’s Network against Militarism. This is a movement of women from the United States, the country who sends the troops, and women from host nations of the US troops have worked together to create authentic security system from a perspective of the human rights of women and children, criticizing militarized security.
o

We have gained deeper and wider recognition of the relationship of violence against women in war time, in the present conflicts, under long-term military station, and around the military bases through working with women in VAWW-NET, International Women’s Tribunal on Military Sexual Slavery Japan held in December 2000, Public Hearing on Crimes Against Women in Recent Wars and Conflicts also held in December 2000.
o

Due to our actions, the video-link system and supporter system when a victims of sexual violence testifies was adopted at the court.
o

Younger generations of women have developed community activities.

Issue and Analysis

o

After 9.11, militarization has been accelerated by the military attacks on Afghanistan and Iraq by the United States. This situation goes against our hope for a world of non-violence and peaceful coexistence. The presence of US military in Okinawa could be even more solidified by the “carrots and stick” of the Japanese government policies: Stick being the Special Measures Law on the land use of the US military that justifies originally unlawful expropriation of the land; carrot being government subsidies to local communities. Militarization of daily lives has also been accelerated.
o

Existing movements should be further pursued. Also, community development under local initiative, address to create a sustainable coexisting society with respect to diversity should be pursued.

*

We shall seek for revising SOFA and the US-Japan Security Treaty from a gender perspective. Revising SOFA does not mean acceptance of the US bases on our land. It is to limit violation of the human rights of women and children by the military. If the SOFA should be truly equal between the US and Japan, the bases should not be able to exit. The unequal treatment due to the difference between jurisdictions of the US and Japan should be eliminated.

=== Okinawa Women Act Against Military Violence ===