Veteran's Day 2022: Hidden History of the War Machine

 Veteran's Day 2022 -- Never Forget

This photo of my mother was taken in a Washington DC photo studio. It's not dated, but going by the pictures I have of her, I believe it was before I was born. Most pictures I have of her are from passport photos or after she retired in 1993. I have none from when I was a year or so old to her retirement from Federal Civilian Service (that's the exact term used on various commendations I'm looking through). The last one is on her retirement in 1993, in thanks for 37 years of service. That makes her start date in 1956.

I've been dwelling on this last commendation all day. I was born in 1960. For all of my teenage and adult years, I have accepted and believed the story I was told. I have repeated it in discussions, probably here on Facebook as well. I had no reason to ever question the story or doubt it. As the story went, mom was in the USAF and had to get out when she was pregnant with me. Women could not be in the US Armed Forces and pregnant back in 1959-1960. Supposedly, my mother was re-entering the USAF a few months after I was born, but couldn't get her rank back so she chose to go civil service by 1961.

Of course there was more to the story. I always had nannies and my mother never stayed home with me during my childhood. Part of the story was that she was suicidal after finding out she was pregnant. She attempted suicide and was found in the bathroom and of course my father got her to the hospital. I think I was told the story to explain what I believed to be her mental health problems. This involved my parents separating and later getting a divorce. Supposedly it was an explanation albeit a negative one. But it was all LIES. What in the hell was the truth when such terrible lies were told to cover it up?

Yes, the dates do not fit. I have a large pile of papers to read, but I've been stuck on that one all day and night.

My mom was definitely in Korea during the Korean War. I know that because I have a DD 214 form saying it. My mother never spoke about it though and I only knew when the VA informed me back in 2016. So she was in the USAF. They tell me nothing beyond that.

My mother took me with her to Stuttgart and my father stayed in Belgium with SHAPE when I was either 9 or 10 years. She took me to Berlin, East Berlin, and a more rural area of East Germany a couple of times when I was 9-11 years. Once she left her purse on a bus in East Berlin. It had our passports in it. I recall the bus driver running after us as she pulled me with her to return her purse. A few years later when I questioned my mother as to why we were in East Germany back then, she told me she had to pick out a china pattern. I suppose I believed that for many years, even though it made no sense.

When I was 16 years, I recall her working in intelligence headquarters on Ramstein AB in Germany. It was a huge building and one day I went to get some money from her. I was unable to enter where she worked. It was on the 4th floor, behind a vault. I had to wait a long time for her to come downstairs after the military guard contacted her. Not long after that, I moved out. She was never there anyway. Not too much longer and she left Germany. I stayed.

Many years later, after my son was born, and was perhaps 3 or 4 years old, I left him at my mom's while I ran errands. When I returned, my father had Alex at his place (where I'm living now). I remember my father telling me to never, ever leave him alone with her. I questioned him, because let's face it... this makes little sense. He just repeated his earlier statement, adding, "Vicky, they wiped her mind a long time ago. Just promise you will listen to me." My father died without ever explaining anything about her to me. He died of a heart attack back in 1998.

A couple of my friends and relatives may have met my mom back in 1994, when I had the beach house. She came by with her friend Shirley a couple of times. I know we had barbecue, and I don't know how to barbecue, so definitely guys there... maybe Robert, maybe Raul and a couple of other friends. Well, Shirley was retired CIA. One day when my mom was annoyed with Shirley, I recall her saying that Shirley was CIA and "always thought she was better than me, they all did." I do know that my mother was DIA and when I reflect on her comment, I think it was a reference to the competitive atmosphere between CIA and DIA back then. Shirley was mostly blind, legally blind for sure. She later moved to the Villages (retirement community in Florida).

So what did my mother really do? Who is she? What did the US government do to her? How specifically did they "wipe her mind a long time ago"? When exactly was "a long time ago"? I have many old passports from her and she has a drastically different look in most.

Too many freakin' questions! 

 

I intended to post this on Veteran's Day 2022, and posted it a few days earlier on Facebook. Now I am posting it as a prelude to a lengthy post You will have to wait and see what the next blog post is about. I'm going to let this marinate here for a few days. Think about it when you read the next post. 

 

EDIT on 17 November 2022:

Someone asked me a question yesterday and I tried to explain it to her, but I don't think she got the point. She asked why I've been taking care of my mother for 12 years now when mom was never there for me. My response is simple...

Ah, but my mother was there for me as a child, as a teenager, as an adult, and always has been. I will admit that when I was younger, I didn't understand this and sometimes *punished* her for not being around by ignoring her calls or not responding when she sent me flowers or brushing her off in general, even disappearing for a week or more as a teenager. But all women are not the motherly type for one reason or another. Just because women have reproductive organs doesn't mean they have the capacity, the ability, or the desire to be mothers. We see women that killed their child in the news too often. Society needs to fix this perception that a woman is a lousy human being just because she's not loving and attentive to her children or doesn't want children. Women are more than baby machines. I suppose I thought that we were beyond these stereotypes in this century, but the recent battles with the SCOTUS says we are not any different in this regard than we were 100 years ago.

My mom may have left me with nannies and ran out the door to work, but she's always been there. If she knew I was sad, she sent me flowers. If I was far away, she jumped through hoops to make sure I had presents to open on my birthday, Christmas, Valentine's day, Easter, almost every holiday. She took me shopping and bought me nice clothes. If I asked for money she gave me what I needed. More than once she rescued me from bad situations. She was always a phone call away when I was barely reachable.

My mother loved me so much that she always made sure I was in the best care possible. As an adult I have been closer to my mother, but it was always a relationship with distance. There's so much that I didn't know about her until the last five or six years. The most interesting thing to me was in 2017 we were watching a movie on the AMC movie network and her eyes lit up, she was so excited, and emotional for the first time in a long while. The movie is, "The Last Time I Saw Paris" with Elizabeth Taylor and Van Johnson. She managed to tell me during the movie that she named me after the little girl in the movie, Vicky. I ordered a couple of DVDs of the movie, of excellent quality, and we watch it regularly. When the internet was out for a couple of days after power was restored last week, we watched it at least 5 times. It always makes mom smile.

I've learned more about my mother in the last 10 or so years than in all of my previous years. Not much in life is black and white... Life is full of lessons and surprises.

The Fragile Right and Censorship Today

As I read an article about Marjorie Taylor Greene using Facebook to harass David Hogg, ramble about Qanon conspiracy garbage, and incite riots, murders and sedition, I was amazed. The right-wing Trump supporters could get away with murder, or at least inciting it, on Facebook while those of us on the left are suspended or have accounts permanently disabled for innocuous comments. Yet they all still scream about freedom of speech and claim their rights are being violated ad nauseam.

I have been censored for decades, really since 1992, and I quickly learned the difference between censorship and freedom of speech or first amendment rights. What I dealt with back in the 90s was a clear violation of my first amendment rights. I did go to a couple of attorneys about it and one was the ACLU attorney for Central Florida at the time, but he wasn't interested because he was representing a strip club and claimed it was a conflict of interest.

Here's my October 1996 Sprint Publishing letter. For the record, the "clear and convincing case" the MBI made to Sprint Publishing involved setting up Sprint ad reps using vague word twisting and circle talk. They then took the "evidence" to Sprint's attorneys and threatened to takedown the entire company for racketeering (RICO). I addressed it thoroughly in my Memoirs book. 

I have one from Bellsouth Advertising too, but it doesn't mention the MBI and they voluntarily removed the category. No setup was necessary. 

Take the world of adult businesses for example and think back to Craigslist Erotic Services category... Do you have any clue how threatened Craigslist CEO and attorneys were by the Orlando MBI? Here are the letters with the thinly veiled threats.

The Original Attack on Craigslist Adult Categories

MBI to Buckmaster September 2007

MBI to Buckmaster November2007

Buckmaster to MBI November 2007

MBI to Buckmaster January 2008

MBI to Buckmaster March 2008

Remember Backpage indictments and federal takedown? Ever heard of Big Doggie? I could go on and on, but the bottom line is that what's published is controlled, at least in the US.

Do I need to link my post about PayPal permanently limiting and freezing my account because they claimed a book I published and sold using PayPal for payment processors was adult sexual material (It's not!)? Yeah, so only Amazon and Google can sell my books and I have not been able to since 2011. I was angry about the PayPal censorship because it was based on a lie, but it has nothing to do with freedom of speech or the first amendment. 

Censored By PayPal

The fragile right has worked to get Facebook to censor me for some time now. My account has been restricted four times this year for innocuous comments. This last 3-day suspension felt like I was slapped and told that I had better not dare to respond to the misinformation, hyperbole, and attacks constantly spread by this crowd; not even jokingly. It occurred on an article about the My Pillow guy's plight and I was repeatedly lectured about oppression and freedom of speech before making the comment.

 Truth be told, if I had any clue it would have resulted in yet another 3-day suspension, I would have said what I wanted to say: You're dumb as freakin' dirt! Stop your whining BS, go read a book, and take your pillow pal with you.

 

UPDATE on April 22, 2021 @12:45PM

First I must state that after watching the situation closely for the last couple of months, I must conclude that it is not left vs right as I initially believed. I'm updating this post as the topic is unworthy of another post.

Facebook a Tool of Manipulation and Nothing More

As if suspending accounts for a perceived violation of the Terms of Service was not enough, the new tool in the Facebook tool box is to simply block an account from commenting, posting, or any form of participation if the person is on a target list. If your account posts comments on articles that dispute the article itself or the establishment / government viewpoint you are next. A block pops-up that looks like this:

 

I'm sure I'm not the first target and positively not the last, but when it happened to me a couple of days ago it was the first time I saw it or heard about it. Perhaps they are testing it out on a handful of accounts and intend to fully implement the tool in the near future. I'm over social media in general, so just alerting the rest of you on the situation.

 

They're working with media and government on this... mark my words. While nothing I stated violated anything, I do recall the discussion that seemed to trigger it. 

UPDATE on June 18, 2021 @11:45PM

So, today my Facebook account was suspended for 3 days for the simple act of responding to a troll account with an image of a troll. It was on an article The Hill posted discussing Trump's opinion on why the US shouldn't boycott the 2022 Olympics in Beijing, and for the record, I also don't think the US should boycott. I commented that my opinion was at least as valid as Trump's on the issue and how irrelevant his thoughts are. My comment received a lot of likes and of course responses from a few trolls. One troll posted a couple of memes calling me a "Karen". I responded once with this...

Yes, that's it. You see, Facebook allows these Trump followers to create empty, blank accounts anonymously and troll any comments negative on their leader. They then report any and all responses immediately and see what sticks. My little response violated Facebook Community Standards of harassment according to Facebook. You've got to laugh; I did. 

Facebook has community standards? Wondering if A1 or these moderators are living under a rock OR if they're all set to an I love Trump setting. 

File this under Absurd Suspensions with the rest of this shit. 😉

Hmm I was able to share a post a minute ago, so perhaps a human reversed the 3 day suspension. No notification on this, but in past they usually posted a note saying sorry, but we made a mistake two weeks after the suspension. Yeah. 

 

Endearing the Snitches

I have been watching a disturbing trend lately that is worthy of addressing. Government informants are not only working to save themselves in criminal prosecutions and getting paid cash $s to do it, many are also playing to the media, writing books, offering consultant services and booking speaking engagements. At least in the days of Sammy Gravano and Henry Hill, the snitches and government informants hid not only from their victims, but also from the limelight. Their informant lies and drivel were not thrown in our faces.

I was first disturbed by this snitches in the limelight problem - and hey, I'm coining the term here, so consider this first source - late last year when Sabu, the snitch from the Jeremy Hammond / Anonymous prosecution came out publicly in mainstream news interviews. Next thing I knew, he was booking speaking engagements. What unadulterated flippin' audacity!

I admire Jeremy Hammond and resent Sabu from the bottom of my heart. Nothing I can do about Sabu's new-found fame in the media except to turn my back (and wallet) on any business that decides to insult the public with his paid presence. Anyone that knows anything about the snitch / informant part in the failed US criminal justice system and deplorable prison industry should join me on that. Sabu and the rest if his ilk are the dregs of this society and as they laugh and speak in news interviews, their victims suffer every day, all day.

Additional recent encounters with this obnoxious new phenomenon involve former players in the world of adult business that turned informant. I read an article the other day about Anna Gristina dealing with a probation problem over a picture. Of course the State of New York is making its play to lock her in a cage again. I did a Google search for her name to find more info on this new issue, but most recent articles that showed in search were about former hooker Rebecca Woodard, and she was bragging about how it was hard as hell to hook Anna Gristina as she played the role of snitch / informant.

Woodard wrote a book about her efforts as a hooker turned informant and has been interviewed in mainstream news numerous times. She apparently embellished the snitch role. I just did a search on Amazon and her stupid book isn't selling much with those damning reviews. You could get the hardcover copy for $.01 used, if you wanted one, but according to numerous reviewers, she can't form a decent sentence and you'll suffer boredom attempting to read it. Well, that's good news. Anna - 1, Snitch hooker - 0!

The next encounter was the result of a search on Heidi Fleiss. Heidi has always been an interesting person and I just wondered what she was up to these days. In the search results were numerous articles about former hooker Alexandra Datig. A search on Datig revealed much about her. Apparently she's an anti-marijuana crusader among other new occupations. Go to hell Datig; you're completely f'ing clueless.

Datig (of Heidi Fleiss fame - just so she knows why anyone at all would listen to a word she says) has also embarked on a new career as a victim, claiming that she was a victim of human trafficking. Good grief - escaping prosecution and being paid as an informant while working as a hooker for lots of $s wasn't enough for this informant / snitch - she has the audacity to claim victim of human trafficking status. Have you ever heard anything so absurd? Oh and of course she's writing a book about her life, as if anyone gives a rat's rear.

I thought these snitches were supposed to blend into the background, hide under aliases, and in general, stay in their little holes. Now we have to hear about the lot of them on a regular basis as they each turn into the new mainstream media darlings, limelight bound and standing to profit further from their dirty deeds while we're all forced to endure their stench repeatedly.

There are many more, of course.

Reporting for Jury Duty: Watching and Learning

Posting again from draft, mainly because the voir dire process matters, at least to Ghislaine Maxwell today and to me in the distant past!

 

On Wednesday, October 8, 2014, I had to report for jury duty here in Brevard County, Florida. I think anyone that's read this blog or knows me at all knows there's not a chance the state would put me on a jury, at least not for a criminal case. I do have certain personal obligations that would have allowed for an excusal for cause, but decided that I would at least attempt to meet my civic responsibilities.

It was an interesting day. I awoke at 4:30am and started the day by drinking two double espressos at home. I arrived at the Moore Justice Center in Viera around 7:30am and had my first cup of coffee almost immediately and followed-up with four or five more cups and a coke before making it to a courtroom around 1:30pm. Just so you understand, I slept less than 3 hours before doing all of that.

Could I have passed a Field Sobriety Test?

Judge Cathleen B. Clark controlled her courtroom well and she was nice - something I never thought I'd say about a judge. While I abhor the system she chose to work in, I admit that we need more like her instead of what we usually get. Judge Clark was liberal with both the state and the defense during voir dire, allowing more time for questioning of the jury pool than my own judge in my racketeering and conspiracy trial. Seriously. Perhaps equally as long as Paul Bergrin had to question the jury pool in his massive federal case.

By this point, you may realize that this was a DUI trial. As a longtime LEAP and NORML supporter, I really do not know what a Field Sobriety Test (FST) is, but I didn't want to sound completely clueless and ask. Well, I just Googled it and it's exactly what I thought it was, so that's a good thing. It's the test that cops give at a traffic stop if they think you are intoxicated - stand on one leg, walk and turn, check your eyes etc.... At one point the jury pool was asked if we could think of any valid reason not to submit to a FST as a driver. Most potential jurors came-up with at least one reason. I offered several in the course of the conversation. At the time, I thought a breathalyzer was a FST also, and perhaps it is, but can't find any info on it now.

I stated that I wasn't entirely sure that I could pass a FST at that moment. So much coffee / caffeine and so little sleep had me blurting out numerous thoughts as we progressed through the voir dire. If you know me at all, you know I'm weird enough to say what I really think just about anywhere. Of course I tried to guard my inclination to be too brutally honest at the wrong time as I believed the defendant might need someone like me on the jury, someone that knows what the state is really all about, someone that knows what time it is.

As it turned out, most of my fellow citizen jurors knew what time it was too. That's a good thing and I can only hope that the defendant was acquitted. He looked to be my son's age and I doubt that he would have taken it to trial if there wasn't too much at stake. I do not recall his last name or I'd look-up the case in the clerk's office online.

It was easy to figure out some of the issues with the case by the questions the prosecutor and the defense asked. I'll start by stating that the case should never have been filed to begin with. This seems to be par for the course in Brevard County, Florida. Cops here will arrest a ham sandwich and force the victim defendant to prove innocence or prove a negative, at least this holds true if you're not one of their informants. On the other hand, their informants get away with murder - literally.

Issues of the Case

Now this is my perception of the situation derived from the questioning of the jury pool and is not absolute. At the end of voir dire, I was excused (go figure), so I am not aware of all the facts:

The defendant refused Field Sobriety Tests.

The Palm Bay PD cops neglected to make a video recording.

The only witnesses were Palm Bay PD officers.

The defendant refused whatever plea deal the state offered.

The defendant did not intend to testify in his defense.

The state really had no case.

Much of the questioning in voir dire focused on potential juror trust of law enforcement and discussions were geared to reveal encounters and past experiences with cops. Good grief. For a moment, imagine me attempting to respond to some of these questions without mentioning my previous case and without lying. Not an easy tightrope to walk, especially when you have had as much caffeine as I did that day.

At one point there was no way around a response that I did not trust cops and would never give permission for anything for any reason, such as a FST or a vehicle search. But I was not alone in those thoughts, which was a learning experience for me. I didn't realize how many of my fellow citizens have suffered at the hands of an overzealous cop hellbent on locking them in cage or simply harassing them. It did take some time for most to open-up about their experiences and thoughts though and perhaps that's why the judge allowed so much time for voir dire.

So what did I learn?

Mainly I learned that the state will take anyone to trial regardless of the quality of the evidence. In my case they went for quantity versus quality. In this case it was just slim pickings. The state expected the jury to simply believe what the Palm Bay PD officers stated, with no corroborating evidence whatsoever. Now that's scary.

With such a flimsy excuse for evidence there's no way in hell I could have come-up with a guilty verdict. At the time, I was reminded of a joke:

How can you tell when a cop is lying? He opens his mouth and speaks.

When a cop is testifying they don't call it testilying for no reason. Cops falsify arrest reports and statements and commit perjury on the stand with impunity - that's a fact!

I always thought that DUI cases were based on scientific evidence, not the word of cops making their quota for the night. I stated something to this effect when the prosecutor was asking questions that reflected no evidence in the case. The prosecutor sort of brushed it under the rug. She was nice - certainly far more personable and nice than my persecutor, John Craft, formerly with the Statewide Prosecutor's Office and now an Assistant U.S. Attorney. She was not intrusive, but it was obvious that the state was shopping for a jury of cop-lovers.

If you believe cops just because they're cops, you would convict this defendant, but if you were me, well, he would have been acquitted or it would be a hung jury - take your pick. I don't care how long we all had to return to the courthouse, I'd never, ever convict on the word of a cop. I'm not that stupid. I learned what time it was long ago.

During voir dire there was a second prosecutor that spent most of his time on a laptop and pointing to stuff for the lady prosecutor as she questioned us. I must imagine that he was searching Google and Facebook for jury pool names, including my own. If he looked at my FB timeline, he probably saw this:

Rob Hustle - Call the Cops 

I also learned that the very great majority of jurors / citizens expect to hear from the defendant. Of course I already knew that from my own case. If the defendant doesn't fill-in the blanks for the jury, the prosecutor will. And yes, I testified in my defense in my case and was drilled and screamed at for most of an entire day by a very experienced (and overzealous) prosecutor. We had arguments and screaming matches while I was on the stand - literally.

So hopefully I got over my PTSD concerning the court people and courthouses by confronting the issues head-on with this jury duty. I even laughed with a cop today, which is a first in a long time (at least 12 years) for me. As reluctant as I was to go, I am happy that I did. I learned more than I'll say, but I'm one of those people that's always testing, searching for vulnerabilities, and I found what I was seeking.

I also met some nice people and had lunch with a couple of wonderful women. A big shout-out to Carolyn - it was great discussing Paris and the rest of Europe with you. Good times, no doubt. And a big hello to Noella, retired corrections officer... I've never encountered a corrections officer that was not nice to me - well, one of many when I was arrested - but I understand it's a job and a lifestyle. It was great to meet you both!   

For the record, I wouldn't Call the Cops if my neighbor was a serial killer!

A Discussion About Knock and Talks

Police usually use Knock and Talks to talk their way into a residence with lies, manipulation, and coercion. However, this tool in the law enforcement toolbox is not always to gain entry and can be used to intimidate a suspect into making a statement that would give the officer(s) probable cause to arrest.

The one thing that you can be sure of is that if law enforcement agents are attempting a knock and talk, it's because they do not have the evidence they need to make an arrest. I can guarantee that they do not want to talk to you for any reasons that could be beneficial to you. In fact, many law enforcement careers are based on lies and the manipulation of anyone they choose to target.

As my father taught me long ago, the police are not there to help you. Arresting people is their job. There is nothing in a law enforcement officer job description that even alludes to helping people. It's all about arrest and obtaining evidence to eventually arrest.

So why on earth would anyone ever speak to a cop or investigator that knocks on their door? Well, I think back to my own case when the infamous agent Brant Rose and another agent knocked on my mother's door wanting to discuss me. Unlike me, my mother used to care about what they neighbors think. The agents at the door got louder by the minute in their attempt to get invited in. She did invite them in so no one could hear the hallway conversations. The coercive knock and talk technique worked on her. Not that she said anything at all to them once they entered, but still... they did get to have a look around.

I, on the other hand, do not give a flying crap about how loud they get in the apartment building hallway and that is where they stayed when a similar attempt was made on me around 10 days ago. No cop will ever enter anywhere I live without a search warrant. As a matter of fact, when MBI agents came to arrest me in the false and created case back in November 2001, at my home in Orange County, the first thing I stated to them at the door was that they did not have my permission to search. They screamed that I was under arrest and shoved me back inside, but they sure as hell did not get the benefit of searching!

So to conclude here: Knock and talks can be utilized by law enforcement to gain entry to a residence or just to talk to a person or a suspect to get information they will later use to arrest. What we do know for sure is that cops do not bother with knock and talks if they have evidence (probable cause) to arrest - they simply arrest and then attempt to manipulate the party into a statement while in custody - because in-custody manipulation is so much easier for them.

If law enforcement officers ever show-up at your door attempting a knock and talk, call an attorney. After all is said and done, we have few rights left in this country, but we always have the right to shut-up and not hand them what they need to get an arrest warrant. Words can be twisted and conversations manipulated and they're definitely not stopping by to help you.

The Surveillance State

From October 2001, with the passing of the USA Patriot Act, forward to date, surveillance in the US has proliferated beyond our worst and wildest nightmare. I knew this as it happened and thanks to recent document releases to the public by various parties, I am finally vindicated. Not that I needed vindication for my many statements over the years, but I am ecstatic that the rest of the country has finally awakened.

I jump up and down with glee that no one can call me paranoid anymore as so many people have over the years. If you do not understand my feelings on this, it's only because you've never experienced the severe harassment and abuse that I did for years prior to my November 20, 2001, arrest and then in the years that followed, but it seriously worsened as I awaited trial. Of course all of this included being called a "conspiracy theorist" and paranoid by every moron I encountered.

I am only sorry that Suzanne Irmischer Redfern (Dusty from the book) is not alive today to experience her own vindication. Dusty and I suffered through so much between my arrest and the trial and no matter where we turned, no one believed us. The MBI told anyone that would listen that we were both paranoid, crazy, and none of it ever happened. Well, it happened alright - from helicopter chases on I-95 to GPS tracking to illegal wiretapping to stolen mail to secret break-ins in both our homes and much more.

People often wonder how I can still be so angry today - more than 10 years after my acquittal by the jury. Well there you have it... There's nothing like knowing all of this shit and being called paranoid every time you attempt to discuss it anywhere with anyone. Perhaps it's even worse when people act like they believe you, yet dismiss all that you say while pretending to agree. For a very long time the only thing I said about it in response to MBI lies was I know what you did. A person can only take so much. Denial is a river in Egypt, or so they say. The MBI has many member agencies, including the DEA, the FBI and a list of others and are not simply a random good ole boy Florida agency.

You can read about much of what I suffered in Memoirs. Today you'd have to have your head buried in sand to not believe my story. I offer special thanks to Edward Snowden and WikiLeaks and the many people that they've worked with along the way for the enlightenment of the general population in the US.

Today when I venture to the comment section on most news articles related to the surveillance state it is clear that people get it - they really get it - and they're all mad, save a few random government sock puppets paid by that surveillance state. And every single day there is more information coming out about what they've been doing to us, the people, all of these years.

So what have we all learned in the last few months? Really there is so much that it would be impossible to list in a blog post, but you can start by reading documents on a couple of websites:

On 4 September 2013, WikiLeaks released Spy Files 3, but 1 and 2 are also important. This should keep you in reading material for some time:

Spy Files 3

A website that I have visited regularly since 1997, frequently posts documents that that reveal the truth on a lengthy list of topics. There are so many interesting documents that I do not want to devote attention to any specific ones:

Cryptome

If you did read the book about my story, you're aware that the story begins with my pursuit of the telephone line blocking issues and the topic is expounded throughout as the situation evolves. I have accumulated some additional information since the publishing of the book and I will state that there was a defense contractor involved. I have no documents to prove this though and therefore I'm not throwing the name out there. It would be wonderful to find documents on the subject before I die. If someone out there comes across such important information, I'd truly appreciate a heads-up on it - I think I have earned that much.

No matter though - really I am just happy that people are finally waking-up and smelling the coffee as more abuse is exposed every day. I love it.


Edited on 7 Sept. 2013 @5am.

Close Guantanamo Camps Now

There is currently an operation underway to demand that the concentration camps at Guantanamo Bay be closed forever. Truth be told, this offshore hellhole should never have been opened to begin with and it is a disgrace to anyone in the world that has a sense of reasoning and fairness. There has never been justice for anyone in any of these camps and it is far past time to close its doors forever and release all prisoners.

President Obama made a promise prior to the 2008 election and now we need to demand that he keep that promise. You know what they are doing to the prisoners in the Guantanamo Bay camps and your silence makes you complicit.

For more information on how you can do your part to demand this dump be closed forever, visit:

We are closing Guantanamo Bay for good

I can tell you that after 5pm EST the White House stops answering telephone lines and there is no system in place to leave messages except via the fax #. Please make your calls on Monday, 20 May 2013, if you have not already. This operation is supposed to be 17-19 May, though it should be extended until the camps are closed. Please sign the petition if you have not already.

There are those that blame Congress for blocking President Obama's intended closing of the camps, but I do not buy it. If you do, then dial your congressman today, tomorrow, and every day until GTMO is closed.

The existence of this offshore concentration camp is an outrageous slap in the face to US citizens and the rest of the world. Demand it be closed forever!

Scary Bad Cops in Hernando County Florida

This was previously posted with the title, "Overzealous Scary Cops in Hernando County Florida" and is being reposted due to several requests. I removed it in my big post purge in August 2012. It was originally an early (March) 2011 post, so this did not actually happen last night. Back by popular demand: (UPDATE at the end on January 8, 2014)

Last night my son and a friend had a frightening encounter with several (4) Hernando County Sheriff's Office deputies out in the rural area referred to as Ridge Manor, Florida. Either three or four patrol cars arrived at the scene with a total of 4 deputies. My son was driving a Toyota Prius and had the vehicle papers and his valid driver's license to hand the deputy and was puzzled as to the reason for the stop as he is ever so careful not to commit any sort of traffic infraction whatsoever.

Alex has learned to just stay a smart distance from cops and has been taught to understand that a police officer is more powerful than the POTUS. One must fear that a cop could plant drugs or shoot them dead as the result of a simple traffic stop in Florida.

The only time I shake is if I am being pulled-over by a cop as there is no telling what will happen next. No one wants to die at the hands of a whacko cop that later claims to have seen a weapon and trust me, it happens too often in Florida. And we aren't even Black. I fear for the Black motorist in this lousy state – refer to my posts on former officer Frank Carter of the Melbourne Police Department.

Alex was driving at a speed of 52 mph and the speed limit before the stop was 60 mph, so he knew the pull-over had nothing to do with speeding. The car is almost new and sure didn't have any light out or faulty equipment issue. Knowing that he had done nothing illegal or even incorrect, he had his friend dial me the minute that he heard the siren and had the brights in his face as the cop turned around to come after him. The second that police vehicle #1 got behind my son, vehicle #2 and vehicle #3 (and possibly a #4) appeared from nowhere and were also behind him with flashing lights on.

Alex pulled to the grassy area on the side of the road right next to the intersection of Croom Rital Rd. and Kettering Rd. in Hernando County, Florida. I was on the phone with his friend at that point. This is exactly what happened next and Deputy #3 and Deputy #4 remained in the background throughout never saying anything to them. [my thoughts and Alex's descriptions are in brackets]:


Unknown Deputy #1: License and registration

Alex: Yes sir. May I ask why we were pulled over?

Deputy #1: We received a complaint of objects being thrown out this window at the vehicle behind you.

Alex: I don't know what you're talking about. We didn't throw anything.

Deputy #1: I'm going to be real with you. I'm a dickhead who doesn't give a fuck about anything. I don't have time for fucking games. If I find out one of you is lying I'm going to seize this vehicle and everything in it and you're both going to jail. The vehicle behind you has a witness, the vehicle behind them, that is willing to write statements. [took driver's license and car paperwork and walked back to his vehicle] [I heard the entire conversation - the deputy was loud, but not screaming like an angry Marine as some do]

[within a couple (3) minutes]

Deputy #1: Passenger out of the vehicle. [brought my son's friend to side of deputy's car]. [I heard this].

Friend described: [The deputy asked what happened here and friend told him the story]

What really happened: We were behind a car driving about 15 mph under the speed limit. There was no lane to pass him, but two other vehicles went around both of us. I waited until there was a second lane to pass and went around the slow driver. The driver attempted to run me off the road by speeding-up as soon as he saw I was trying to pass him. I passed him anyway by speeding-up. He was right on my rear and turned on his brights and this went on for about five minutes. He pulled-off and about 10 minutes later I am being pulled-over, but have no idea why.

The friend thought the cop asked him to empty out his pockets and was starting to do this when 3 deputies went for their weapons and 1 grabbed him by the shoulder and shoved him against the car. The deputy told him to place his hands on the car and then patted him down, placing his hands in friend's pockets, and searched him. Scared him to death.

Deputy #1: Mr. -------

Alex [got out of car and walked towards deputy #1]

Deputy #2: GET OFF THE PHONE! [I heard this]

Alex: It's my mother. What...

Deputy #2: GET OFF THE PHONE NOW! You're 18. Hang it up.[I heard this]
[I had instructed my son to ask the deputy's name and where/what police department he was with as my son had no idea where they were specifically at that time]

Alex: Yes sir. [he hung-up on me]

Deputy #1: Your buddy over here admitted everything so you want to be smart as well and go ahead and confess to what happened.

Alex: [repeated story of what actually happened]

Deputy #1: Do you have any weapons, guns, drugs, hand grenades [?] paraphernalia?

Alex: No sir.

Deputy #1: PUT YOUR HANDS ON THE CAR! [deputy starts going through Alex's pockets and searching him and looked through his wallet]

Deputy #1: Do you have any drugs, weapons, guns, paraphernalia, hand grenades, or dead bodies [?] in the vehicle? So then I have permission to search, right? [exact quote]

Alex: Yes sir.

Deputy #1: Turn around and face my partner. [Alex no longer had any visual of vehicle] [deputy searched for about 4 minutes]

Deputy #2: [starts asking both Alex and friend questions]. [He pointed at a vehicle and asked both at the same time if they recognized it and both responded “no it doesn't look familiar”.

Deputy #2: What are you doing way out here?

Alex: Visiting a friend.

Deputy #1: [pulls out posters and flyers from back seat]

Deputy #2: Why do you have all of those?

Alex: I do some promoting for Club Firestone.

Deputy #1: [walks to his vehicle] You might want to stay in Merritt Island boys and don't come around here again. We are a bunch of fucking pricks who don't give a shit and will cause you some fucking problems. [Deputy threw Alex's driver's license in the grass]

Alex: [we got back in our vehicle and noted Deputy #1 walked to the vehicle that we couldn't identify].


So what in the hell is going on in Hernando County? Apparently they sure do not want anyone that doesn't live there entering the area. My son has had many traffic stops for no reason whatsoever, but none as scary as this one because they really do not know the area at all and even though he has met cops that were screaming like Marines throughout the encounter, they do not normally threaten to seize a vehicle and take the driver and passenger to jail – this is the unique issue here. Of course the search demand was because they expected to find drugs.

I have since dialed the non-emergency number for the Hernando County Sheriff's Office and the operator was helpful. She stated that the deputy that made the stop (deputy #1) is Deputy Genovese. She was unable to locate any information for the other deputies or did not offer the information if she did.

To Deputy Genovese with the Hernando County Sheriff's Office:

I have taught my son to always fear cops as truly you are more powerful than the POTUS and capable of absolutely anything. You prove my point. I also taught him to never give a police officer permission to search, no matter that there is nothing illegal or even incorrect in the vehicle. However, when I heard your threat of seizing the vehicle and taking them both to jail, I knew (from your own words) that you are indeed a total prick capable of anything and since we all knew there was nothing illegal in the vehicle, I told my son to agree to any search prior to him hanging-up the phone.

This is the United States and no one should be coerced into a search and threatened as you did to these two late last night (1am). Do you think you own Hernando County? Do you believe that you actually have the authority to tell any motorist to never return to Hernando County? Guess what prick – you don't own shit and I'll drive through Hernando County any fucking time I want to.

My son really feared that you would plant something in the vehicle (drugs). Why did you instruct him to turn around and face your partner so that the vehicle was no longer in his line of vision? That is something I have never run into and it shouldn't be considered legal.

I will offer a short scenario of the events to follow if you had taken them to jail last night:

Of course I would attempt to bond them out immediately, but not knowing anything about how it all works in Hernando County, well, I may or may not have been successful. No matter what, I would have them out on Monday before the morning was over. Each of them would then be filing a false arrest suit against you, the unknown deputies that joined you, and the Sheriff of Hernando County.

This is not a lawsuit worthy encounter and this is the last you'll hear of us Deputy Genovese, but someone needs to take some of your power away. Cops like you are why I have instilled it in my son's mind that he should never trust any cop anywhere for any reason. You really are a fucking prick – you said it.


Added on 26 December 2012:

I must wonder if Deputy Genovese is stil employed by the Hernando County Sheriff's Office. If he is, I also blame the sheriff and the county - they have had almost 2 years to get rid of his bad cop ass.


UPDATE on 8 January 2014:

Apparently the Hernando County Sheriff's Office do not discipline or fire Deputy Louis Genovese as him and his gang of thug cops attacked this poor man in his own home long before the traffic stop discussed in this post. I hope the Hernando Sheriff and these pigs (literally) pay this man every $ he's filed suit for!

I had such a sinking, uneasy feeling that night. Glad my son said "yes" to his coerced demand to search. This article is about a gang of criminals and here's to hoping their police toys are taken away forever. Where's the DOJ criminal civil rights division? Get these thugs off the street and cage them like the rabid animals they are:

Brooksville man sues Hernando deputies for $10 million

You can't even imagine the sinking feeling I had when I heard this freak accusing my son and threatening both him and his friend out in the middle of nowhere Hernando County, Florida. You just can't imagine. Where is the DOJ??? Read this poor man's Complaint against the Hernando County Sheriff's Office and 4 thugs that parade as cops:

Michael Pratt Civil Rights Complaint

Every single one of these deputies must face criminal charges!

The Children of Tomorrow

The song Wind of Change written by Klaus Meine of the Scorpions references the "children of tomorrow" with hope for a better future. For me it signifies German reunification, as it did for the Scorpions when it was written, as far as I am aware. I spent my later childhood, teenage and early adult years in Germany and the destruction of the Berlin Wall was a significant moment in time for me, though I was in the US by then (9 November 1989 is a recognized date).



As an adult in the US, when I watched areas of the Berlin Wall picked apart one piece at a time on television, I cried and cried. There was so much hope for the future back then and it was the end of Checkpoint Charlie, a crossing that I had gone through numerous times as a child.

As a teenager I had friends from the East - East Germany, Poland, Hungary, Yugoslavia, and Russia. A lady by the name of Helena that I lived with used to bring people from different places home and really I had no clue where she found them, but it was cool to get to know people from other cultures. Not to generalize, but all of the people I met from Poland sure could drink wodka (vodka).

Helena taught me to speak German using comic books and television. There was little on tv in English. I recall US Armed Forces Europe station that had a couple of shows a week from the US, but that was about it back in the 70s. There was one show that was famous in the US called "Family" and in German it was, "Eine Amerikanische Familie," and many Germans I knew back then thought that this is how American families in the US were in real life. Sort of funny when you think about it and completely Hollywood. lol

There was so much hope for the future back then, during the Cold War. I have decided that cold wars are far better than hot ones as we have going today. At least millions of people were not killed and it was more spy games than anything else. I feel little hope for the future today, though this may be my age (52) speaking; I doubt it though because I do not know anyone that has much hope for the future. Those in their 20s today (in the US) see little to look forward to. Life is different.

This little walk down memory lane is the result of the terrible US military mess that's been going on for over 10 days now. I think about these people involved and realize how very different they are, how everything is about luxury and money, money, money. Most people are so fake today. They accept war, death, drones, Guantanamo camps, extraordinary rendition, US prison camps in remote and faraway places, wiretaps without warrant, and so much more without much thought. Of course all of the people are not like this, but few dare to speak in our population, if they are concerned.

What really gets me is that so many consider this freedom and the US a free country with all sorts of freedoms. Hell, they obviously need to get out and see the rest of the world. Believe me, I would if I could. I'd be out of here in a NY minute, as the saying goes, and I'd never come back again.

I suppose that prior to this current fiasco, I thought that these people really believed the BS they talk publicly about war and terrorists etc... I figured they were all just plain ignorant to the fact that illegal invasions of sovereign nations create terrorists. When I realized that really it is just one big flippin' party circuit, well, it was enlightening. Even they do not believe what they state publicly. It's all about big bank accounts and money - lots and lots of money.

No, I do not feel bad at all about ridiculing their groupies. The fact is that that woman in Tampa (yeah you already know her name) was allowed to ride the coattails of highest ranking military / CIA officers in the US. She got to sip champagne, fly on a special US military jet, and use the non-profit categorization to party - somewhere around $43K was spent on "entertainment" - while claiming to do some sort of cancer research and sucking-up to the top brass in the country and attemping to put together $multi-million deals. According to her, US General sought her assistance. Meanwhile, people like me have no access to any health care whatsoever.

Bradley Manning suffers in some crappy US government hellhole because he exposed the root of the big party and what they really do. Jeremy Hammond suffers in some federal lockup because he's accused of exposing the flourishing intelligence community of Stratfor, while they're all paid the big$s to spy on all of us. Well, their spying sure bit them all in the ass last week, now didn't it? I bet they wish there were checks and balances in place now, don't they?

When the people looked to President Obama for answers about the fiasco, the first thing he did was thank everyone involved for their exemplary service. Sort of makes you want to puke, doesn't it?

I will always love the song by the Scorpions, but all hope is lost in my eyes and the children of tomorrow have nothing good to look forward to in the future. As long as all of the major participants in this War on Terror are raking in the big$$$$s and partying on military jets, they have no reason or desire to end it. As long as the groupies flock to the war party, that party will live on without ending.

On that note dear blog readers, I will be taking leave of this blog for some time. I may return in a week or a month or never.

On the Culture and Acceptance of War

Life has changed so much since September 11, 2001, that sometimes it is hard to remember how it used to be. Over eleven years have passed and the people have been inundated and indoctrinated by mainstream media to the point that today war and killing is not only acceptable, it is believed admirable and appreciated by the great majority. Oh how I long for the days of yesteryear when diplomacy, offering a helping hand, and questioning motivation were the traits admired in our citizenry. The inquisitive mind was appreciated - not attacked.

Today it is the soldier, the recent veteran, Navy SEALS, the Army wives, and in general, anyone that has served the US military forces in Iraq, Afghanistan, or elsewhere in the Middle East on its mission to disrupt, pummel, and kill an entire civilization and that benefits financially and receives and expects thanks for their dirty deeds on a daily basis.

Yesteryear was so different. The era when my parents joined the military was one in which truth prevailed, no one expected thanks, and the great majority that joined did so to escape poverty at home. The military was a great thing for my parents and both joined to see the world, learn about new cultures, and earn a decent living with many benefits. Neither of them expected you to pat them on the back every day and thank them for their service. Yes, prior to September 11, 2001, most people that joined the military did so to have a better life and had no issue admitting that fact. They were thankful for opportunities afforded by the military.

Things have changed, and not for the better. Following that fateful day in 2001, we had gang members from inner cities, bigots and racists, and people that needed a way out of the poverty they were destined to joining the military forces. I'm sure there were a few good guys in there somewhere, but they were not the majority by any level of measurement. While some may be secretly thankful for the change in destination, the great majority would prefer that those refusing to thank them for their service (like me) in the War on Terror were dead.

The people that claim to defend our freedoms today actually helped the US government bury any real freedoms forever. Our culture is all about war and death today. As former president G.W. Bush stated in September of 2001, "Either you are with us, or you are with the terrorists." Blind obedience was what he demanded from the American people and over time it is exactly what he has received for the most part. The rest of us with questioning personalities were labeled terrorists, criminals, traitors, and agitators.

Mainstream media is to blame

I read an article several days ago in which the writer brought-up the importance of media in forming thoughts of the citizenry in the pro-war culture we exist in today and I cannot locate it - if I find it I'll link it herein. Anyway, shortly after September 11, 2001 (November 20th), my time was occupied by my arrest and the subsequent harassment by agents of the Orlando MBI. I had little time to think about what anyone was doing in the Middle East until after my trial and acquittal in January of 2003. I rarely watched television and I have not changed even today. Indeed, I was preoccupied.

Back in early 2003, before I took a long trip to South Texas, I was working with a friend on occasion as a caregiver for an elderly woman when my friend needed a night off or had some other reason that she couldn't be there. The woman that she took care of was named Marianne. Well, Marianne had the television on all night long and she'd sit in her chair, watching CNN, and cheering the embedded reporters and the military soldiers they traveled with in Iraq. Marianne was an armchair warrior like so many others in the US. After watching it for a short while, I couldn't take it anymore and stopped helping my friend.

The entire idea of embedded reporters sucked-in so many that were previously disconnected from the invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan. For many of them, it was not much different than a game - like so many of those Xbox and Wii war and soldier games. Probably half of the country became armchair warriors during the years of embedded reporters. There is an entire generation that is growing-up with a war and death mentality that society has yet to deal with; good luck with that.

I mentioned Army wives in the second paragraph herein and it was included as a result of the tv show, "Army Wives" that seems to have taken over the Lifetime channel. I used to enjoy an occasional movie on Lifetime, such as, "The Interrogation of Michael Crowe," but these days the good ones are few and far between. I have never watched that show about Army wives and imagine that it has no interest except from, well, Army (include all military branches) wives to be general. Who gives a rat's behind? Not me. Some have jobs, but most live off of their husband's war pay (i.e. the American taxpayers).

Yeah, that last thought will result in yet unknown backlash, but whatever - if the shoe fits. It is a culture that appreciates, profits from, and even loves war. Somehow being called a traitor by any one of them diminishes the word in general. Yeah, we are all traitors because we do not support your war machine money tree. Right. How dare we abhor and speak out against killing and death! Get indignant because it fits the created mold.

The Information Game

Sometimes the information game is a game of misinformation as it is with Alex Jones. Jones and people like him killed the real 911 truth movement with wild, unsubstantiated theories, often referred to as conspiracy theories. As a result, anyone that doubts any information disseminated by the US government and its representatives today have the label of 'conspiracy theorist' or 'crazy lady'.

As if demanding to know where NORAD was on that fateful day that changed our society forever is somehow a conspiracy theory. As if knowing the real-time futures and options trade information for the time period surrounding that day can be categorized as theory at all. As if finding passports of the alleged terrorists in the rubble remaining or picturing jets hijacked with box cutters is not a conspiracy theory. Not all of us fell off of the turnip truck somewhere in Idaho.

Along came Bradley Manning, accused whistleblower extraordinaire. How dare he help the American people to be more informed and know precisely what these warriors are really doing in their name. How dare he. Go ahead - be indignant and call him the traitor of all traitors because it fits the mold you have created. We are supposed to be like the image of the three monkeys and remain silent while murder, death, and the end of an entire civilization takes place in our name. We dare not speak lest we also be called traitor. Yup, you've got the system down to a perfection and this is your time to shine.

Of course none of that real and accurate information could have been disseminated without the involvement of those real journalists and publishers that had no interest in embedded reporters from CNN et al. of past. Today we also have the information advantage of hacktivists and an entirely different culture that is sick and tired of lies, murder, drones, and armchair warriors. Yes, you can apply that 'traitor' label as we expect you to, but it won't shut anyone down on the topic. We know that the true meaning of the label was diminished long before you entered the game and is utterly meaningless today, at least as it relates to the actual definition.

So pull out those angry, indignant sock puppets and promote your cause, which is little more than money in your bank account. You may fool most of the people, but many are drugged these days so that's not any sort of accomplishment. You will never fool all of the people.

Oh how I long for the days of time past.

Drug War Failure: The Case of James Martin Malone

While researching in PACER last night I decided to download numerous documents in the James Martin Malone case. Malone was a fugitive for 22 years and lived in Ecuador until his arrest earlier this year. He originally went to trial in the case, but fled before the trial was over and the jury acquitted him on one count and convicted him on the other. On 26 September 2012, he was sentenced to 262 months (almost 22 years) in federal prison.

Here is a man that lived a productive and peaceful life in Ecuador for almost 22 years while a fugitive only to be brought back to the US at great expense to be incarcerated for the next 20+ years at an even greater expense. I am curious how much money was spent to arrest and extradite Malone to the US. There should be an accounting of expenditures for all of those involved. If you read Drug War Profiteers not the usual suspects, then you'll have an idea where all of the money ended-up.

James Martin Malone had a relatively minor role in a case sensationalized to support a government agenda. In short, he was a part of a set-up by a DEA confidential informant (CI). To understand his actual part, refer to pages 5-6 in this document:

Malone objection to presentence investigation 31 May 2012

If you have read the relevant two pages, you're now aware that Malone did not actually import the cocaine and had no part in the importation. His co-defendant in the case and the CI were the importers and Malone just picked-up his co-defendant at the marina, some of the cocaine was loaded into his trunk, and then they drove to the co-defendant's home. He was arrested the following day. Basically, Malone was just a driver that transported the co-defendant and his drugs to a residence.

Somehow the government managed to justify charging Malone with conspiracy to import cocaine. If actually importing the cocaine there is a 20 year mandatory minimum sentence. The statute reads 20 to life for the particular count of importing cocaine, but Malone was acquitted in trial on that. The jury verdict never attributed a specific amount of cocaine to Malone and that alone should eliminate the 20 year sentence. It is possible that the sentence will be overturned on appeal, but if it is not, it's probable that Malone will die in a US prison.

I have seen far too many of these mandatory minimum drug conspiracy cases to remain silent and have been a supporter of Families Against Mandatory Minimums (FAMM) since its inception in the early 1990s. Often it is the low-level participant that ends-up with the most serious sentence. Participants at higher levels usually have enough information and assistance to exchange for much better deals.

In this case, there is little doubt that the CI was caught-up in his own serious charges and turned informant, setting-up an unknown number of people for the agents. There is no CI named in any of the documents and never will be; however, the entire scenario fits a CI that I used to know. All of the elements are there: the year of 1989; Moore's Island in the Bahamas; transported to a Miami marina.

The CI that I used to know (long story) was working for the DEA in Miami and setting-up people to import cocaine from Moore's Island area in the Bahamas to Miami via cigarette boats. Remember those? He had been busted in the Bahamas in a messy case involving a freighter commissioned by a group of Colombians and faced a life sentence when he began working with the DEA. Of course he took everyone down with him, and a couple are serving life sentences. In the end and as a result of his substantial assistance, he served just under 10 years in a US prison under an alias.

So anyway, here is James Martin Malone living a peaceful life in Montanita, Ecuador with his wife and now adult child when he was arrested. There are numerous letters in support for Malone in the case file and he was a family man, entrepreneurial business owner, contractor, and often helped the indigenous people in the area. The man was a peaceful surfer. Now he is remanded into custody to live the rest of his life in a US prison, unless the sentence is overturned on appeal, but even then there's little doubt that he would face at least 10 years.

This case elicits various emotions including sadness and anger. Malone is far from alone. The US War on Drugs has, undoubtedly, sucked more lives down the proverbial drain than there are deaths as a result of using those drugs. The so-called cure is far worse than the problem.

Updated on 9 November 2012 @3am:  Mr. Malone (Martin) has contacted me. He has a blog set-up by his family with his contact information for friends that wish to contact him: James Martin Malone

Martin is currently in a federal facility in downtown Miami, but expects to be transferred in the next week or two to a Central Florida facility. If you want to contact him via snail mail, it is best to wait until the transfer is complete. I will update this post and I'm sure the information will be posted on Martin's blog as well.

The Truth about Censorship in America

Censorship in the US has not really changed in the last 20 years and only the medium used to promote the censorship agenda has changed. With the world on the internet, gathering like-minded people to a specific cause is easy and can earn money at the same time. What else could state and federal agents and prosecutors ask for? Built-in groups to further the agenda of censorship online is easy today and it actually works. For a primer on internet censorship, read: Internet Censorship

Conformity and the Community

With the anti-adult business agenda you simply find groups that believe life should be as you want it to be and your way is the only acceptable way and stomping the First Amendment into oblivion is a simple task. What sort of groups think the way you need them to think? Let's see – most are based on religion and the classic religious-based nuclear family model. They do not care that you or I are single or divorced or that the couple next door actually enjoys partner swapping. If you do not see it their way, you're just wrong.

Today we have online communities that are made-up of people that think alike. Some of these online communities have become useful tools in the anti-adult business agenda. They want to create and enforce the rules for you and I and the rest of the world, but they also enjoy making money$$$ while doing it. It's a win-win situation for these sort of groups. The like-minded will spend money and spread the word.

One such ad-filled internet community has 12,605 Likes on Facebook at this minute. It's called The Good Men Project, but according to WHOIS data, a woman is behind it. Her name is Lisa Hickey and the company is Good Men Media Inc. of Belmont, Massachusetts. If you'd like her contact information (email and telephone number), please feel free to contact me, or just look in WHOIS yourself. They even publish a book: The Good Men Project: Real Stories from the Front Lines of Modern Manhood by Good Men Foundation.

One must wonder if Lisa bullied her husband into the entire enterprising venture; at least I do. Actually I also must wonder if she has a husband. Oh and this group is no friend to the LGBT community either as was made obvious by a read of several articles on the website. Really people that state the stuff I read on that site have a religion/family-based agenda. The Orlando MBI also has a religion/family-based agenda, so this is something I'm used to.

So why am I picking on this outfit? Because they chose to target adult business online and me, Vicky Gallas. I suppose that the major difference between Lisa Hickey and her gang of thug supporters and me is that I do not pressure Google to remove their listings or their blog. I have no desire or need to censor them and if I did, I wouldn't be telling you about the little censorship project.

Read Sex Trafficking on Google to understand where I am coming from on this topic. Around the middle of the article you will see several lists of example links. My Blueprint Blog is example #4 in the Google Blogspot example list in the middle. The article was written by Raymond Bechard who also started an anti-prostitution Political Action Committee (PAC) called Men Against Prostitution and Trafficking.

The main problem is that Raymond obscures the meaning of sex trafficking with the claim that all escort services are prostitution and all prostitution is sex trafficking. So according to Raymond Bechard, anyone that owns an escort service is a sex trafficker. I have a real fucking problem with such misinformed statements. The next problem is that Bechard uses his misinformation in attempt to eliminate anything adult from the internet. We already have filters available to those that do not want to come across any sort of adult website in search results.

Guess what jack-ass? Not all of us are a part of the classic nuclear family. I resent your hardline attempts to censor out all that is adult using the sex trafficking tool. Many of us have grown children and many others have no children and many more just are not into censorship. There is a First Amendment in this country for reason. Stop trying to censor out anything you do not like using misinformation!

Make no mistake: Google is under attack by groups like this that pursue the anti-adult agenda. They work better at censorship than the internet firewalls in China. Haven't you noticed that the internet has been missing a lot of information and many adult websites lately? I have, and it is the main reason that I am back. Someone has to argue with those that profit by furthering an anti-adult agenda and who better than me?

I had to take a break from this blog for several reasons. I do recall making statements in reference to posts that were coming soon on specific topics and I will do my best. I can't promise daily posts, but I have returned. 

Adult Business Prosecutions: From Southwest Companions to Classy DC Escorts

Anyone that has read this blog before is already aware I am not offering an unbiased middle-of-the-road take on adult business prosecutions in the US. I am almost always on the side of the defense; however, I only cover cases in which I have some reason to believe there's more to the story.

To me it was obvious that the Southwest Companions prosecution in Albuquerque, New Mexico was fraught with serious issues and selective. I felt similarly regarding the Classy DC Escorts case, though for different reasoning. If you followed my blog during the Orlando conspiracy trial of 11 defendants from Eastern Europe that was originally dubbed a “Russian sex trafficking ring,” then you are aware that I was appalled at every aspect of the prosecution and often stated so in my posts that included case documents.

Most posts from that Orlando conspiracy trial were removed at the request of a couple of defendants' family members. The request was granted because the 11 defendants were all around 25 years old and must be able to have a life when each returns home to Moldova, Ukraine, and Russia. In my opinion, those family members didn't stop and think that the only other articles out there still refer to it as a “sex trafficking” case and I was the last stop on the train to reality and truth. Mainstream newspapers rarely, if ever, go back and admit to offering incorrect information or remove that info.

I never did take a minute at the end of that Orlando conspiracy case trial and sentencing to congratulate each and every defendant involved. These people were from Eastern Europe, yet when faced with charges that could have given each one of them 5 to 50 years in a US prison, they all took it to trial. There were six defendants convicted by the jury and five acquitted. They all have more nerve than most people I have ever encountered in the US. It takes nerve and guts to take such a case to trial. This is my final post about this case:

Orlando Conspiracy Case Sentences

In the last couple of days, and especially today, many readers are arriving on this blog with the search term “Southwest Companions”. Hell, I was busy congratulating David Flory when I first saw that all charges had nolle prossed back in late August of 2011. This may have been premature, but not really when you think about it. I ripped the Albuquerque P.D. a new one in one post a long time ago. In the last post written on the case, I considered it all to be one great mystery.

There was news on the Southwest Companions prosecution yesterday and a blog reader provided a link in comments on the last article. Now other newspapers and blogs have picked-up on it and discussed it. A judge named Stan Whitaker ruled in favor of the defendants in the case: Dated prostitution law puts case on hold. Yeah, on hold forever the way I read the ruling. There's a prosecutor trying to save face and win the next election along with a bunch of overzealous cops involved, so I won't say much more.

The most recent case that I have tackled is the Classy DC Escorts case. In a sense I was truly disappointed when I found out that even the photoshop lady, Jennifer Churchill, chose to make a guilty plea. When I felt that personal disappointment, I was not aware of the specific deal that she made. She pleaded guilty to the equivalent of a traffic infraction and received a $500 fine. Not even a flippin' misdemeanor! Anyone with a brain would plead with a deal like that on the table.

This goes to show how weak the case was as it related to Jennifer Churchill. However, most of us are aware that a jury could go either direction and Alexandria, Virginia has a conservative and often government related population. If everyone on the jury had contracted or worked for the government in some capacity, well, it could have easily resulted in a guilty verdict on any count. So a deal involving a plea to the equivalent of a traffic ticket, is truly a deal.

Often we forget to mention the attorneys involved in these case. There are many heroes and many more duds. While I won't name the duds because I cannot be sure of what occurred during the course of the case, I will indeed be naming the heroes. In the Classy DC Escorts case there is a law firm that represented Jennifer Churchill pro bono.

The attorney that defended Churchill in the case is a trial attorney and not a plea bargain attorney as so many that I have encountered in Central Florida are. If not for the excellent deal offer, Churchill would have definitely gone to trial. Kerri Ruttenberg of Jones Day believed in her client and fought until the fight was over and her client prevailed. Jones Day has attorneys all over the world and is not limited to the Alexandria, Virginia area.

I have so much more to say about attorneys that are heroes, including Kerri Ruttenberg, that the topic deserves a post of its own. Expect to see such a posting in the next week.

In my last post on this blog, I stated that I intended to get away from posting about adult business prosecutions and target other forms of injustice in the future. First and foremost on my mind is the DOJ prosecution of former attorney Paul Bergrin. I will tell you that I have been targeted over my posts on the Paul Bergrin debacle, so if I didn't really believe in the man, I'd have skipped it long ago.

Just this last week I was threatened (in so many words) with a prosecution in comments on the last nj.com article about Bergrin. According to the commenter, my blogs and my books are all illegal and a “promoting prostitution” prosecution is in my future. I, of course, told the party to give it his/her best shot, but that this blog and my others have been up for several years and no one has succeeded yet. I believe that party to be a part of the prosecution and/or investigation. This was far from the first threat leveled at me in reference to that case and it is all too apparent that someone involved would like to end my blogging forever.

There is some time before the next Bergrin trial starts and that is my sole reason for not posting anything else about the case at this time. I do not scare easily and really I no longer give a rat's ass who threatens me with what. I'm just beyond being concerned. They need to tell it to someone that cares.

Do expect me to continue posting about adult business prosecutions in the future. I will be clearing-up discussions on past and present cases and looking closely at several that I have paid little attention to, including the New York High Class prosecution that is approaching trial in NY, the All Perfect Tens case that is approaching trial in South Florida, and the Anna Gristina case in NY. 

Mentioning Gristina – Justice Juan Merchan needs to be thrown off the bench. Hopefully Anna Gristina will be released before today is over and we can thank the Appeals Court for that.