So what's this deal about hockey-stud Levi Johnston's druggie ma having Sheriff Joe Arpaio's pink handcuffs slapped on her in an Alaska courtroom after pleading guilty for illegally possessing OxyContin, aka, "The Rush Limbaugh Drug"?
"`That's pretty,' Johnston said as a court officer placed pink handcuffs -- a gift from an Arizona sheriff -- around her wrists. Court officers can use their own handcuffs, and the pink ones are a trademark of Sheriff Joe Arpaio in Phoenix's Maricopa County, along with the pink boxer shorts he issues to jail inmates."
So, what, is Arpaio mailing out pink restraints on the county dime now? Not so fast, Joe-bashers. The explanation is a little more mundane. According to Megan Peters, spokesperson for the Alaska State Troopers, which oversees all court services officers, the cuffs were part of a gift package from some MCSO deputies, who were up in Alaska last year on official business.
Court services officer Pierre Burkett took the deputies fishing in their off time, and as a way of saying thanks, the officers sent Burkett some gifts from Cactus Country, including two pairs of pink handcuffs, an autographed poster of Sheriff Joe, and so on. Burkett uses one set of cuffs. His wife, a detention officer, uses the other set.
End of story? Pretty much.
(To read the rest of this article, just click the title.)
Okay so I guess that answers my question about the pink handcuffs, though I would still like to know just WHO determines which prisoners get the "Pretty in Pink" handcuffs. Is it just females? Is it random? Or is it specifically chosen for those who they want to make an example of?
Well anyhow that is not the most relevant part of this story. Much more relevant is Sherry Johnston's medical condition.
The woman suffers from severe pain due to nerve damage that resulted from surgery that requires, not one, but TWO different mechanical devices to block her pain on a constant basis. Here is the article from ADN:
Johnston said she is being treated for chronic pain by a device installed under her skin in her side that delivers very small amounts of medication directly into her spinal fluid. Another small machine, an "epidural stimulator," is installed on her lower back to block pain.
Now currently Johnston is residing in the Hiland Mountain Correctional Center.
According to my sources they are simply NOT equipped to deal with Sherry Johnston's level of medical need. If she does not have access to her own doctors and her medication she will suffer severe pain that can result in the kind of trauma that could end up killing her.
Now she plead guilty in the hopes that she could serve her sentence in her home and with access to necessary medical treatment. I believe this option is still on the table. But if it is they need to act on it as quickly as possible, because I do not believe that Sherry can last in prison for any extended period of time.
I have read in the comments section that many of you believe that Sherry deserves to be punished for her crimes. And usually I would agree, but there are extenuating circumstances which I hope will come out in the weeks to come.
And let me just add another tidbit for anybody who hopes the Johnston family will stay quiet about Sarah Palin secrets. If this woman ends up dead because of her time in jail, I can guarantee you that both Levi and Mercede will start talking so fast that the reporters will not be able to write it down fast enough. So it is also in Palin's best interest to keep Sherry Johnston alive and comfortable.
As much as I would like to blow this whole thing wide open, I do not want this mother of two to suffer one day of unnecessary pain to make that happen.
She could be under house arrest. With specific time for MD visits. That would be acceptable.Or, in a jail with good medical facilities.
ReplyDeleteShe needs to have some accountability for her actions.
Was she set up?
This whole thing stinks because of Bristol's involvement and is it true that Palin's son entered the military not because of love of country but because of a choice, jail or service?
I would like to see what sentence Palin' sister in law gets for breaking and entering with her child in tow?
I personally feel that it would help Sherry if the full story were to come out. Then people would understand what she was going through, including not only the pain and the divorce but the also the estrangement from her first grandson. It's also clear that the drugs issue is more pervasive in both families than is commonly known. I would urge you, if the story does not come out soon through Levi's revelations, to tell what you know. I believe it would be a relief for all concerned to have this out in the open, save Sarah of course. Perhaps it would be easier for the Johnstons if the source were a blogger -- it would take some of the heat off them.
ReplyDeleteThe GOP hypocrites - with Oxycontin/Viagra/LittleBoyProstitutionTripper Rush Limpballs leading the way, will use any method to get EVEN with someone who causes trouble for their Current Wicked Witch (or anyone else who gets in their way).
ReplyDeleteThe fact is, she is entitled to medically necessary treatment - even in jail. One trademark here in AZ is that in Sheriff Joe's jail more people die that pretty much any other jurisdiction. Our county has paid out LITERALLY millions of dollars in damages due to lost lawsuits due to inmate deaths. Our inmates are jailed in tents, in 115 degree heat (96 at night) even if they are NOT convicted and merely awaiting trial.
Sheriff Joe is basically a filthy animal - he persecutes every BROWN person he sees- he will arrest 500 people and winnow it down to 2 illegals. He never apologizes. He is quite simply a BASTARD (an OLD bastard)- people LOVE him here because he is nasty and brutal and that's what AZ loves.
Her family needs to get a good lawyer and demand medical treatment. Especially since she has a spinal stimulator.
And where is LEVI in all of this? I'm sorry, this family is totally dysfunctional. He is allowing Sarah's paid flunkies to deny medical treatment - so he can write a book?
Good son, good job Levi. (I am NOT a fan of what she did, but her sentence was obviously punitive and not punishment).
Alaska ... wow - I thought we were bad.
Gryphen: Why would anyone in this family wait until she dies to take action?
ReplyDeleteWhat is wrong with these people?
"Burkett uses one set of cuffs. His wife, a detention officer, uses the other set."
ReplyDeleteI bet they do.
The handcuffs are intended for men. My sister-in-law lives in Phoenix, and we have heard for years all about Sheriff Joe. He's a sadistic f*&ker who forces his inmates to wear pink and has modeled his jail after Guantanamo Bay. Here's a link to the Phoenix New Times archive of coverage on him (http://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/arpaio), coverage that won them a Pulitzer prize.
It's nice to know he's spreading the love all the way up to Alaska. I'm so sorry for Sherry Johnston. No, she shouldn't be selling oxycontin, but this was a first offense, right? She doesn't deserve this.
I
I thought a Judge has absolute control over their court room. If they want to promote Sheriff Joe, they can by letting in what the pink handcuffs symbolize. Sheriff Joe is a political symbol and statement. The is no question about the politics involved. What this tells me is the Judge is allowing a political statement or to dumb to be on the bench. Code Pink could buddy up with the officers and send something pink. Would the Judge go with a symbol of Code Pink?
ReplyDeleteIf Sherry Johnston is not getting proper medical attention that is critical. Are you certain she is not in a medical facility? Her people need to come out right away and say exactly what is going on with her health. Someone must go to that prison and monitor. We have grand juries to do that. They make awful reports and few improvements. People do die and it costs the county when they get caught.
ReplyDeleteThere should be news conferences with doctors. This is not only about her name recognition. If a Bob Smith was being tortured and put in dire straights like this and the public learned about it, I hope someone would speak up. Where are the doctors?
I know of deaths in our local jail. I have heard of people without extenuating health conditions, they are only addicted to something. Withdrawal alone can kill a healthy person. If this was about punishing Sherry Johnston, she has been punished.
Now they are going for the cruel and unusual. It may happen everyday in Alaska and other prisons but this is a case with a name. Why isn't the real story getting out there?
Is there no one in all Alaska that has any knowledge about withdrawal? I know of person who went blind and others ended up with life long damages. How does that save money when they will need more medical care for life?
Of course, when people break laws they need to deal with the consequences. It is vital that more is learned about this whole arrest. It looks like she was set up and now the courts want to treat her as a dealer and not someone in pain who made a big mistake but was not actually a dealer. The informants were dealers, they aren't being punished. How do they feel about what they did and now it could kill one of their friends?
How come rush "execute all druggies" limbaugh only got a very minor slap on the back and Johnson is being treated like she killed someone?
ReplyDeleteFor Sherry Johnston it will be much more than suffering severe pain. Can't someone write about what happens to the body when a person goes through detox? In this case cold turkey. Her mental state and brain will be traumatized and every other organ will be effected. The results can be crippling or fatal. The Judge who allows pink hand cuffs also read all her physicians assessments. He is as diabolical as the old dungeon masters.
ReplyDeleteI think she was prepared to go to prison on her last court date. What did they tell her? That she would get 2 aspirin every few hours?
Here is a case where someone is cut off their highly addictive medication by an insurance company. Why isn't someone involved in the health care debate covering this story?
JOE SCHMIDT takes them off their medications, including oens with mental conditions. They freak out, go into pain and then after a week or two of being "clean" they administer what they are able. The idea of the DOC being in any position to care for anyone is rediculous. I'm suprised they don't use goose dung and blood letting routinely.
ReplyDeleteJoe Schmidt, the Sarah-appointee, does Jack Schmidt for those under his care and doesn't lobby on behalf of the prisoners which he should be doing. He says what is policy, but I don't see him drumming up support for his inmates or demanding tat the legal system not send him people who proably don't deserve prison time. Joe Schmidt is wasting his chance to do something good that ONLY he can accomplish in his possition.
Brendon Kelly of the Anchorage Press or another smart reporter (or blogger, hint) should go the prison once a week and talk to Sherry. They should find out how she is holding up or if her physical condition is deteriorating. It is very possible that she is NOT getting her pain medication. The prison system has different views on medical care from the "outside." The prisons don't care what the prisoners endure due to lack of medical care.
ReplyDeleteThen this reporter or blogger should publicize what they find out. Readers of this blog and others will keep a spotlight on how things are going at Hilland Mountain Correctional Center.
To begin with, is there a physician at the center, or does one rotate there periodically? How often does Sherry see the physician? Are they continuing her medication or did they take her off it? What medical care are they providing?
This would be an interesting story. I know there are many Alaskans who would love to tell their story about their experiences in the DOC.
One trademark of sheriff Joe, is missing. If one wants a snack/green bologna now being served. Levi was hunting when his momma was sentenced.
ReplyDeleteChapter 807 of the Dept. of Corrections contains the rules on prisoner health services:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.correct.state.ak.us/corrections/pnp/sections/policiesinstitutions.jsf
Sarah...who?
ReplyDeleteI agree with the comment above that it would be better for all if the truth came from a blogger rather than a family member. Until the story is disclosed Sherry might be safer in the prison. Perhaps that was part of the plan to begin with.
ReplyDeleteSurely Rex knows the whole story and I'm sure he will see that she is not abused in any way. she holds all the cards now and Sarah has none.
Sherry's illegal doings do not merit the punishment that she has gotten. People who have been found guilty of manslaughter do less time. It seems to me that they threw the book at her. And most prisons will NOT medicate you as you had been before being convicted.
ReplyDeleteShe could be put under house arrest and wear an ankle (GPS) bracelet. This is vengeance, pure and simple.
And regardless of Sherry's arrest, the Palin details should and must be told. She is manipulating and dividing the Country even more now, especially with her 'Death Panels' statement. Palin knows it is a blatant lie. She wants to divide the Country worse than it is. It worked so well for King George II and KKKarl Rove..............
Remember Sen. John Cowdery? He was able to get sentenced to home confinement because of his medical condition. And I believe his Federal crime had affected more people than Ms. Johnston's.
ReplyDeleteAnd so the plot thickens.
ReplyDeleteThe pictures of Palin during her partial term prove she was not a pregnant governor. That deception should be exposed through the MSM. Palin should be called out for the deception. The Johnstons released pictures of Trig on two occasions; the first set a year ago, the last among the pictures of Tripp. Yet, no one interviewing the Johnstons asked why.
I feel sorry for Ms. Johnston. I wonder if her pain medication affected any of her decisions.
http://features.csmonitor.com/politics/2009/08/20/what-would-sarah-palin-want-with-rhode-island/
ReplyDeleteSomething's rotten here. I think some movers-n-shakers in Mat Su (I'm not necessarily saying the Palins and the Heaths) were embarrassed when Sherry went Outside and did the whirlwind talk show circuit. They had egg on their faces and the district attorney's office probably caught holy hell for it. So they made an example of her. Or there's something more nefarious at work. Therefore, Gryph, I look forward to you breaking the story wide open sometime in the near future.
ReplyDeleteWay over here in Ohio, I had read that she will not get the medical services she needs in prison and could essentially be facing a death sentence. I, for one do not believe she needs to be in prison and that a house arrest set up should be arranged for her. How hard is it for some to correlate pain and Oxy???
ReplyDeleteWould you please elaborate on one of the statements you made about Ms. Johnston's pain?:
ReplyDelete"If she does not have access to her own doctors and her medication she will suffer severe pain that can result in the kind of trauma that could end up killing her."
I can't figure out how she is in danger of something here killing her.
Gryphen, I am glad you are keeping up with this. Did I miss something? In your last update you said you got a tip and that it wasn't as bad as first thought. What did you mean? What is not as bad?
ReplyDeleteGryphen is there some way I can email you the part of my letter I wrote to Palin about the experiences I had in the prisons with regard to the lack of medical care and how dangerous it is? The whole letter is 50 pages long, but most of that is already in one email which I could forward to you. I am terrified for Sherry I have already been tortured by them myself. If she suffers they will not care, they may even laugh at her. They may enjoy it. Not all of them. They do not go by the inmates usual care, they decide what they will do and it is usually nothing. If you try to push the issue they threaten. It needs to be brought out into the light that inmates are being mistreated, especially the chemically dependent and mentally ill. This is all a violation of their own policy that says an inmate is suppose to get the same quality of care they would get outside of prison. It is also a violaton of the 8th amendment.
ReplyDeleteSo , now we will wait to see if Todd Palin's sister, Diane gets a comparable sentence. Remember...the serial burglar who took her young daughter with her to burlarize the same house time after time?
ReplyDeleteJoe Schmidt should not allow those pink andcuffs or anything reminiscent of Joe Arpaio any more than he should allow his officers to wear Nazi memorabilia.
ReplyDeleteJoe Schmidt is in a funny position. His inmates come in and whatever mediciations they are on, they go off, regardless of the sudden withdrawal affect they have on the persons.
He is dashing, but his use is surface. He looked hawt with XGuv Palin. The water is wet, but it has no depth! He doesnt' advocate for better conditions or say, "The legal system is clogging my busildings with people who don't belong here." He is not objecting to Cornell operating facliites for our inmates when they were involved in corruption up here. Why arent' they banned from taking care of ANY Alaskan, just as we ban former politicans from holding office if they have been found in corruption cases?
Joe is the one person who can request these things, but he isn't and for this, while he may make out int he eman time, he will have to answer for this in the After Life. He will! So many people who he could have advocated for, demanded more funds for, and he sits on his fine tush pushing papers and flying around maintaining stautus quo.
Does anyone know who Hollis or Bob will replace him with? This should be considered.
sheffif joe is WHAT IS WRONG with American justice. EVERYONE in jail has been ARRESTED. NOT EVERYONE IS GUILTY. get it joe? didnt think so.
ReplyDeleteserial burglar in AK:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.adn.com/news/alaska/crime/story/906933.html
Yes, a side of me feels sorry for her; but I also don't know how many young clients she may have enabled. Many of us have been touched by the impact that the misuse of oxy has had on the young men and women in Alaska.
ReplyDeleteMaybe a release to a halfway house where her medical needs can more easily be met.
I am sure others have seen the devastation Oxy can leave in its wake. It is at epidemic levels in Alaska.
I can't muster up much sympathy after seeing so many of our kids that are being held hostage by Oxy...a drug that makes these young people think they can handle and quit anytime. Only anytime never comes. This addiction, like others, takes its toll on thousands of other Alaskans who are caught in the aftermath. I've seen several families bank accounts cleaned out and lives wrecked over this drug.
AKSusie
ReplyDeleteMrs. Johnston was on a Dr's heavy pain medication regiment. Someone else could possibly explain better. You don't just stop those medicines all at once. Even if she scaled down gradually before going into jail it can be life threatening.
We have a cold and cruel society. People die everyday during withdrawal. It happens in the jails where I live. Sometimes families sue the county jail. Other times they deteriorate and may die later. Why is it the pharmacueticals are so quick to put people on medications and no one takes time to learn about what some of them do when you get addicted? What a stupid uneducated country we live in. We're so quick to trust whatever a Dr. says and we'll take anything.
Take a young person under 30 with an addiction to heroin. When they go to jail and that is where they withdraw, they are also in danger. People can die during withdrawal. It is more common that they have some type of seizure.
Poor gal. She's a victim of bad health, an insurance company that wouldn't pay for her meds, relatives in the spotlight, and the War on Drugs. A quadruple whammy.
ReplyDeleteI put up something about this on my blog, here's the link:
http://luckyjean22.wordpress.com/2009/08/20/sherry-johnston-is-the-face-of-america/
Geez. I can't believe Sherry sitting in jail until Nov, when the sentence is "reviewed."
ReplyDeleteDid anyone else jump when they read that the people she sold the drugs to all go off because they turned witnesses against Sherry, and they bought the drugs with money from the auhorities. I suppose Rex knows all this. Sounds like entrapment to me.
Yes, Gryphyn -- tell all, asap. Let's start putting things right. A knock-out for Sarah (stay out of national dialogues like healthcare!), Sherry home with ankle bracelet, the start of closure for the kids, all of them.
Sherry J is a convicted drug dealer. If she were Sarah Palin's sister, the folks around here would sing a much different tune.
ReplyDeleteAKSusie: I think what Gryphen is trying to say is that Sherry has two medical devices for pain. One is a spinal stimulation which I believe circumvents the feeling of pain and the other a pump to pump medication into her spinal fluid for pain. I'm sure these two devices need to be checked and the one with medication "reloaded" (for lack of a better word) with more pain medication every so often. Maybe someone familiar with these two items can chime in? So without a Dr. to oversee and take care of her...it is basically risking her life.
ReplyDeleteAnd yes lets see what happens to Dianna Palin. Rehab maybe? Palins aren't going to let one of their own get in the prison system.
And lets not forget Joe Schmidt sarah's xlover from hi-school...he lets MRSA run crazy in the prison, Rape is not uncommon, its worse than a zoo! And As Celia has told us..NOBODY DOES A GODDAMN THING ABOUT IT!?!?
Why? Is this a trait of Alaska? Is it because the administration & whole government is entirely corrupt? A little of both it seems. Sarah picked her whole administration from 'Silla Bible church and the 'Silla high school year book and xlover's. And the people of Alaska some of them, don't give a shit...The ones that do have to get crazy, call, get groups together, go outside Alaska for help, To get someone to notice what's going on...and yes Vet people before you vote. Are they wingnuts?
Are they dark christian? right to life? anti gay? racist?
Don't vote for them!!!! I have read some people on these blogs that make more sense then some of these leg and Senator...! doodoodogan? Dyson?They are incompetent!Rude/stupid/uneducated!
You who write on these blogs from Alaska....Run for Governeor! Run for Leg!Run for Mayor! Did ya'll know Eddie Fucking Burke ran for Leg once???????
He didn't win, thank god, but I know some of you have brains and you need to run for positions to change Alaska.
So far Bob Poe is the only person I see, truthful and ready to makes some changes for the greater good in Alaska.
And I do think Sherry was "set up" by the wicked witch/bitch of Alaska.
Unless you have had or have chronic pain you cannot judge her, especially if her medical ins. was suddenly "cut off" one can only wonder about that also..too...!
joedo30below:
ReplyDeleteHeh! palinista from c4p, tell me what do you add to this conversation this "party"?
What about Dianna Palin..Todd's sister who is on drugs and robbed a house with her little daughter waiting for her?
What do you think, hmmmm Mr. smartness? Maybe you need to go spew your bullshit with juju at peeland. Oh be sure to take this back with you...
SARAH IS NOT WRITING HER FACE BOOK! SOMEONE ELSE OF HIGHER INTELLIGENCE IS. I HAVE TESTED IT.
Her speeches run about 7th-8 grade. These are running higher. She is not writing them!!!!
3:48 Anonymous
ReplyDeleteIt is too bad there is not more information about the situation in Wasilla. It is not the only place with a chronic teen drug problem, but it is famous for the worst of teens and Sarah Palin leadership.
I have not seen oxy abuse that I know. I have seen what meth will do and other street drugs. I spent years with a Pharmacist and around a hospital and know that the most professional in the medical fields can be addicts. It is all life ending eventually and can be a slow miserable road.
It is not acceptable to sell to teens. Johnston knows and accepts that. A halfway house or ankle monitoring at home is sufficient. Imo there is no way she should have gone into lock up for 3 months.
Before people go off about how bad selling to teens is they also need to see what the teens are like and what the whole drug vibe in Wasilla is like. I hear it is a pill popping mad doped up area for teens. They are a bunch of party animals, spoiled brats that feel entitled and have a sick attitude about their right to be wasted. I don't see Johnston as the problem as far as enabling. Those teens have parents and other adults that are far worse enablers. Johnston didn't effect the addictions of the informants. I bet they were more experienced users and dealers. I don't know if they were using or what when they were working for the police. They probably were still using. They may have carte blanche to deal oxy because the police will leave them alone now.
It looks like the average age for teens to start using in Wasilla is about 12 or 13. I don't know how long Willow has been at it but she was photographed in Juneau at age 15.
The informants were probably 16 to almost 18. They had been using for years. Don't forget they were dealers. I'm sure they enable more teens then Johnston ever could.
I think what happened was when they got a shipment and they were busted they were offered the deal to get out of jail.
They wouldn't want to set up their peers or other teen dealers. So an older person, probably their friends mother would be better than ratting on a friend their own age.
That is terrific luckyjean @ 4:35 PM that you are writing about Johnston's predicament. She also represents alot of unseen victims. If they want to save money in the health care industry they will address what is going on with with prescription drugs.
I don't know where she went for pain or what doc got her hooked.
Didn't the police say that Dianna Palin's 4 year old went into the house? She could have been shot dead. I don't know how many other burglaries she did with the kid but one is bad enough. Todd's brother has a criminal record. That family has deep seated issues that will continue to creep out. Track, Bristol and now Willow. It is definitely not over. People are asking where is Sarah and what kind of rehab would she be doing. The lunatic that gave the quitter speeches would not be quiet if it weren't a life changing major event. If she shows her face again we'll know if it was plastic surgery or rehab.
ReplyDeleteOf course it was wrong for Sherry to sell her medications just as it was wrong for me to take them from the lock up at the hospital, but there are health problems and mitigating circumstances for both of us. We also both had people who lets say would have taken pleasure in our getting into trouble. If I was in WA or most other places I would not have been charged with a crime. I would have been given a chance to get better. Sherry should have gotten probation with a lot of hoops to jump through. The judge could have possibly wanted to do that, but our legislators have passed laws for mandatory sentencing. Her attorney wants her to be on home detention, the judge in my case recommended it for health reasons and it never happened. The DOC does as it damn well pleases, to hell with the 8th amendment. I don't know what her health problems are. The descriptions we have been given do not really make sense to me probably because they are being offered by non medical people. I choose to deal with my pain in non-narcotic ways because I fully understand what addiction does to my body and most important to me my brain. I do not buy into the current BS the medical profession is spouting about use of narcs for pain not leading to addiction It is addiction plain and simple. That said, there are some who will have to lead their lives on narcotics for pain. Everyone experiences pain differently and some conditions are unbearable. By the current medical definition I would not be a addict. I say that is BS, but being an addict is nothing to be ashamed of. It is a medical condition which is treatable by recovery or the ingestion of opiates. I posted the second part of a letter a wrote Palin which describes what I went through in the prison system. I have been planning on restarting this blog which began about the workplace bullying at the hospital there and go in a different direction discussing civil rights and politics. Here is the link http://frozenjustice.blogspot.com/
ReplyDelete7:06 PM
ReplyDeleteAnonymous said...
"People are asking where is Sarah and what kind of rehab would she be doing. The lunatic that gave the quitter speeches would not be quiet if it weren't a life changing major event. If she shows her face again we'll know if it was plastic surgery or rehab."
If Palin was a addict with her psychological makeup she would be in denial about it until the day she dies. She would never go to rehab. She may just be somewhere detoxing in secret. You know like how alcoholics use to go away for their nerves.
I am "in the dark" about what has happened to Sherry Johnston, but I also have an intrathecal pain pump (the one with the medications that are delivered into the spinal space) and a spinal cord stimulator. The pain pump needs to be filled on a schedule, and if it isn't, yes, the patient WILL go thru severe withdrawals and possibly die. She needs to have a constant line of contact with her treating physician and allowed to have "break-thru" pain meds as needed. Without the monitoring, she's in for some serious problems. How can it be legal to withhold the medications her body need (because a person DOES become physically addicted to the meds) and get away with it? Nobody has the right to condemn anyone being treated for severe chronic pain unless they have or had it in their lives. Otherwise, they're just blowing hot air. Please don't condemn her-she's just exercising her RIGHT to have her pain put under control. Access to her Dr is vital and necessary.
ReplyDeleteTo say one is hooked or addicted to pain meds is a little like saying you are addicted to high-blood-pressure meds or insulin for diabetes or any other drug one needs and that is legitimately presecribed. Without those drugs, one's body would not do well. There might not be withdrawal symptons in the same way, but it certainly is true that one becomes dependent on meds that one needs.
ReplyDeleteAnon1:25 and Anon 3:54
ReplyDelete1:25-Thanks for the info on the spinal pump,I don't think Sherry is somewhere that will take care of her, I hope Rex is on top of this. I'm sure the prison could give a crap about "break through" pain...She really needs to be in a Medical Facility, if there is such a ting in Alaska?
Anon 3:54 Well said.
anon at 1:25 am said:
ReplyDelete"The pain pump needs to be filled on a schedule, and if it isn't, yes, the patient WILL go thru severe withdrawals and possibly die. She needs to have a constant line of contact with her treating physician and allowed to have "break-thru" pain meds as needed. Without the monitoring, she's in for some serious problems."
"How can it be legal to withhold the medications her body needs (because a person DOES become physically addicted to the meds) and get away with it?"
It can be legal to mistreat people because our laws have not evolved very fast. Laws are
"behind the curve" of leading edge thought and truth.
Celia Harrison said "The DOC does as it damn well pleases." Amen. As someone mentioned, the judge must follow Alaska law in setting the sentence. The judge has no control over Sherry's treatment in prison. The Dept. of Corrections has ALL the control.
Corrections Departments attract a "special" type of employee. They are the opposite of warm and caring. I hope Alaskans will check on Sherry's status and publicize what they find. If Joe Schmidt knows that his treatment of Sherry will be examined by the public, maybe he will keep her safe.
Rex should have Tank visit her every week and find out what's going on.
I maintain that an ankle bracelet in a half-way house is appropriate. I've had a birds eye view of how addictive this drug is and how manipulative the users become in order to maintain their habit. Oxy is worse than heroin - to distribute it in anyway contributes to the problem with the youth who are enlisted to get addicted. There is no remorse in the offenders when they are addicted and believe me when I say that supplying oxy to anyone is as bad as holding a gun to someone's head. I think gryphen needs to do more research.
ReplyDeleteA friend of mine who had an operation last year recently received a phone call from a distant acquaintance. The woman who called my friend was omeone she knew from an old bar she sometimes hung out at year ago.
ReplyDeleteThis woman kept asking my friend if she had any extra pain medication because of her operation and kept insisting that she MUST have a few extra pills sitting around after her hip operation, surely? My friend didn't take pain meds post-op so she was honest and told the woman she didn't have any extra pills sitting around.
What was scary is that the woman on the phone kept pressuring my friend to sell her some medication, telling her how she could make $20 a pill or $100 a bottle, and how she had heard my friend was having financial difficulties, and didn't she want to make some extra money?
My friend just told me yesterday about this phone call. Thank God she 1) didn't have any extra pills sitting around and 2) she wasn't tempted by the extra money (which she sorely needs.) After reading about Sherry Johnston's situation and how she was potentially set up, I just about screamed at my friend when I heard about that phone call. I told her that someone might be trying to set her up, and at the very least, don't EVER entertain a conversation like that in case the authorities are snooping around.
I was feeling very paranoid for my friend, and the more I asked her about this phone call, the more she mentioned some things about the acquaintance which made me think that the woman might have already been trying to get a deal from a judge because she was already arrested on DUI or drug use....trying to set my friend up in exchange for a lesser sentence. The acquaintance was NOT a trustworthy or good person, always in trouble, hung out with a lot of bad people, etc.
I'm SO glad my friend didn't have any pills! I had to explain to her the whole problem with underaged prescription drug abuse and drug about of prescription meds in general - she's an older woman (70) and didn't realize all this crap is going on now.
So if you have a friend or family member being treated for something, with some meds sitting around, and also if that person has money troubles - please look out for them ! They could be receiving phone calls like this from weird people who could easily get them in trouble and suck them into the whole underworld of prescription drug dealing, without really understanding what they're doing. See, my friend is of the generation that came through the pot and mind-altering drugs of the 60's, and also drinking from the 50's, but she didn't even have a space in her head to understand the concept of people abusing prescribed medication because she'd never heard about it before.
Don't let your friends or loved ones get set up by the drug pusher/seller types - watch out for them!
I was very touched by reading about Ms. Johnston's plight and wondered if there is a way to send mail to her while she is being held? I wanted to support her in some way. Thank you.
ReplyDelete7:46 AM
ReplyDeleteEveryone can agree more research is a must. Not only about the drug OxyContin and other drugs, it would be productive to have a clear perspective on Wasilla and the long time drug problems. Why does a small community have so many young users and where are the statistics about the problem? What is done to help children as young as 12 from starting to drink? The acceptance of teen parties and drinking can't help. Teens do experiment, why does Wasilla allow them to be so out of control? What looks good about showing the world those kids that look younger than 12 while sick or drunk? The states former leader has children that are shown using and how do they handle it? Denial. That is not helping.
Rush Limbaugh is the most famous oxy addict. It would be a lesson if he could open up and tell what hell he went through. The truth. His helpers told a few things, but it is not the same as when an addict comes clean and opens up. They are never cured but that is when they start healing.
No one is saying oxy is not among the worst of prescription medications. Withdrawals do make out of control unreasonable people who will do most anything. There are people who become addicted through their Dr. There are others who use recreational street drugs and are addicted that way. The end addiction is the same nightmare however one gets there. I don't know what Dianna Palin was using when she and her daughter were stealing, but it was a bad drug. We need research and more information.
Is there a problem with looking at the medical profession that contributes to the oxy trouble? The "drug war" philosophy is a failure and costs taxpayers a ton of money. The people who successfully take prescribed drugs like oxy for years will have diseased organs and that will cost the health care system and taxpayers tons more money. The cycle is destroying our country. As despicable as dealers are, most of them are not as bad as ignoring the real culprits. If we really want to improve our country and make it a better place for the kids.
I agree that the ankle bracelet is appropriate for Sherry Johnson. I do think it was excessive and cruel to take her to prison instead of allowing bail and an ankle bracelet. The pink handcuffs seems juvenile at best. It is the symbol of the worst kind of cruelty and ignorance. Any Judge that allows that in a court room needs to be questioned and taken off the bench for incompetency if he doesn't know what is behind the symbol.
We need much more research. If you have more prehaps Gryphen will do a guest post?
Here are a few articles:
ReplyDeleteOxycontin named as new drug of choice in Wasilla Alaska
http://www.inquisitr.com/12705/oxycontin-named-as-new-drug-of-choice-in-wasilla-alaska/
As I understand Sherry Johnston was not manufacturing oxy.
Efforts made to start statewide prescription-drug database February 22nd, 2009
http://www.adn.com/news/alaska/crime/story/699165.html
...man selling prescription painkillers to Fort Wainwright soldiers... got his pills via legitimate prescriptions,
Wasilla man charged with burglarizing Palmer businesses April 8, 2009
http://community.adn.com/node/140337
Police say a Wasilla man who wanted money to buy OxyContin has been arrested for burglarizing two downtown Palmer businesses.
Troopers dub Mat-Su area the meth capital of Alaska
http://www.juneauempire.com/stories/030805/sta_20050308002.shtml
2003
The experts need to do more regarding public awareness. The highly professional Dr. Cathy Baldwin-Johnson comes to mind.
She was appointed to positions, was given awards and is an expert on the abuse that occurs with addicts. She would know about her success and what works in her community.
http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2009_08/019497.php#1572473
We now know from her own physician, Dr. Cathy Baldwin-Johnson, that Gov. Palin
Trooper Says Election Delayed Sherry Johnston Alaska Drug Case
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x3659469
10:41 AM Thank you for sharing that. I agree that your friend was being set up by acquaintence. You are right. There are generations that can't comprehend what is going on. I can't comprehend it all, but a little. The MSM needs to do more to alert elders and all of us.
ReplyDeleteI would not want to end up in prison if I was a snitch, how do they stay clean after they put someone like your 70 friend away? Does the law go on protecting a snitch when they know they are using and likely to be dealing? That is one of the things about this matter that bugs me. The two snitches. I guess most of Wasilla knows who they are. I know a few suspects. One is a big lush with lots of other behavior that is crazy and illegal. Something is working on this suspect because they are now in one of the clean as a whistles phases. I think they will crack because they do have a conscience. They don't stay clean for long.
You might try Hiland Mountain Correctional Center to send her mail. I hope Mercedes or someone will start a site were people can send well wishes and productive information. This is something that people feel and many have or know of someone in a like place.
why can;t I copy and paste from email to here? I have nothing but trouble trying to view this site...
ReplyDeletecensorship ALIVE & WELL
ReplyDeleteSent: Monday, August 24, 2009 9:34 PM
ReplyDeleteSubject: sherri johnston
I have been a fan of this blog... but I am sorry to say,
um, I to have re-emphasize that Sherri Johnston
KNOWINGLINY and WILLFULLY broke the law...
... after reading all of this tom foolery feeling so sorry for sherri johnston, I am beginning to wonder if the progressives on this blog haven't lost it, as in their ever lovin minds...
Sherri Johnston KNOWINGLY and WILLFULLY broke the law, not one, not two, but SIX times....
she did it knowing she had 2 minor children to support and a grandchild on the way...
she did it DURING the campaign of her son's future MIL... who was running for the VICE PRESIDENCY of the USA! not to mention a melanoma away from the Presidential desk....
COME ON people... she KNEW what she was doing...
as reported by Megan Holland in the ADN on 12/24/08....
I QUOTE:
"An affidavit, prepared by the Alaska State Troopers, says Johnston repeatedly sold OxyContin using text messages to direct customers to department store parking lots where they paid and she delivered. But in one message, according to the affidavit, Johnston complained that unusual media and other public attention was cramping her business: "Hey, my phones are tapped and reporters and god knows who else is always following me and the family so no privacy," Johnston wrote in a text message to a customer.""
Which proves that she was dealing DURING the campaign.... AND smacks of SECRET SEVICE presence.... hell-the-f*ck*allo!!!!
to further quote the above referenced article...
"Johnston is charged with six counts of misconduct involving a controlled substance -- essentially sale and possession. The affidavit says she "did admit to selling her Oxycontin pills to (an informant)."
The affidavit, dated Dec. 22, details how troopers used two informants to collect evidence that Johnston sold OxyContin on Oct. 11, Oct. 22 and Nov. 26. The informants had been arrested themselves on a drug charge and agreed to help trap Johnston. "
Which further substantiates she was selling drugs DURING the campaign....
GIVE me a break here sympathizers... she not only made SIX drug deals she did it at the peril of her family during a period of time that was under supreme scrutiny... we are talking major dumbass behavior here...
and then we have the benefit of google... as best I can tell, a first time charge such as Ms Johnstons comes with an automatic sentence of 5 years... so ~harsh~ wouldn't be an appropriate word to use to describe her sentence... NORMAL would be more like it...
I can empathise to a certain degree in regard to her physical pain... but, I don't find it in my heart or in the law to excuse her from her sentence, based on that that alone.
She BROKE the LAW and did it KNOWINGLY and WILLFULLY... and if or until we change the law, I think she should serve her sentence in PRISON, like the rest of her ilk.
I just don't get where the sympathy for this drug dealing, child neglecting sk*nk is coming from... and I am as about as "librul" as they come....
Anonymous 10:52 AM
ReplyDeleteSelling to kids is terrible. I'm not for breaking laws. As I understand Sherry Johnston's case is almost over. She will know how it goes in 3 months. Murderers can get out on bail while waiting for sentencing. Whatever opinions we hold, it is the Judge who has the final word on determining her sentence.
Due to the circumstances around this case I don't entirely know what to think or feel for Sherry Johnston. It looks like she was set up. Far worse criminals have gone free when they were set up.
I need to know more about the whole matter. I've known drug addicts, they can be as crazy as a loon and do the most awful dangerous things. Otherwise nice people, professionals, even doctors and nurses, teachers can all be Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. You can read about Rush Limbaugh on OxyContin, he acted like someone who should do life in prison. Sherry Johnston is not something to defend. It happened, she got caught and she is paying her dues.
Wasilla is a small town. There are a disproportionate amount of drug dealers and kids on drugs. Those dealers are the ones I'd hope people will focus on. Don't forget the informants who set Sherry Johnston up were drug dealers, they are most likely adults now. They could easily be dealing to kids right now. It would be good to know more about the entire drug enforcement matters in Wasilla. Do the police not have the money to do an adequate job? Do they go after some dealers and let others go free? Is the problem in law enforcement why drug addiction is so serious for the teens of Wasilla? How many dealers do the police arrest in the area and how do those cases compare to the Johnston case? Are there a large numbers of informants in the small town? What happens to them after they are working for the police?
Does Wasilla need more treatment centers? Where are all the drug troubled kids going to go? To prison?
We barely escaped a serious threat to our country and the world when McCain/Palin ran for an elected office. Someone who could have ended up as President if a frail old man died could be in the White House. Sherry Johnston's case is connected to that election system. We need to know if they are crooks and played dirty. Was she set up by a campaign? Were they playing by the campaign rules?
How much of a set up was it? Is there more to why Sherry Johnston was taken off of the OxyContin in the first place?
Sarah Palin certainly appears to be working for the insurance industry now. She and Todd were involved in some funny business with Troopergate. It is possible people repeat patterns.
In the present Sherry Johnston is not doing anything to kids. The people who care about the kids in Wasilla need to get involved with the situation as it is now.
Everyday kids are using drugs and being sold drugs by the dealers that are still working the Wasilla territory. Someone is getting rich off of it.