Issue 56 – May 2004
S M A R T
(Stop Mind control And Ritual abuse Today)
P. O Box 1295, Easthampton, MA 01027-1295 USA E-mail: SMARTNEWS@aol.com
Issue 56 – May 2004
The purpose of this newsletter is to help stop secretive organizations and groups from abusing others and to help those who allege they have been abused by such organizations and groups. This newsletter is not a substitute for other ways of recovering from ritual abuse. Readers should use caution while reading this newsletter. If necessary, make sure other support systems are available during and after reading this newsletter.
Important: The resources mentioned in this newsletter are for educational value only. Reading the books cited may or may not help your recovery process, so use caution when reading any book or contacting any resource mentioned in this newsletter. Some may have a religious or other agenda that may be separate from your own recovery process. Others may have valuable information on the Masons and other organizations, but have triggers or be somewhat sympathetic to those organizations. Unless explicitly stated otherwise, the views expressed in this newsletter constitute expressions of opinion, and readers are cautioned to form their own opinions and draw their own conclusions by consulting a variety of sources, including this newsletter. Resources listed, quoted and individual articles, etc. and their writers do not necessarily support all or any of the views mentioned in this newsletter. Also, the views, facts and opinions mentioned in this newsletter are solely the opinions of the authors and are not necessarily the opinions of this newsletter or its editor.
Copyright 2004 – All rights reserved. No reproduction of any material without written permission from the editor and individual authors.
This issue of the smart newsletter was co-edited by Steve F. and others. SMART also wants to thank all those that have contributed resource information to the newsletter.
Next year’s ritual abuse conference information is available at http://members.aol.com/smartnews/smart-2004-conference.htm or by requesting it at the address above by regular mail.
Resources and Information
Please note: Listing of these resources does not necessarily constitute our endorsement of them. They are for educational value only and some may be heavy for survivors to read. Some of the conferences listed may not necessarily be safe for all survivors. S.M.A.R.T. recommends always bringing a support person to all conferences. If you are a survivor of mind control and/or ritual abuse, S.M.A.R.T. recommends that you try to bring a support person that is familiar with mind control techniques. LMS: article from ACHES-MC (Advocacy Committee for Human Experimentation Survivors – Mind Control) for unconsentually federally funded mind control as children or adults Canada contact Lynne Moss-Sharman, 230 Miles St. E. #3, Thunder Bay, Ont. P7C 1J6, lsharman@shaw.ca
Legal Information
Shockingly, Only 2% of Catholic Clergy Sexual Abusers Were Ever Jailed: A Demonstration that the Self-Policing of Criminal Behavior Will Never Work By Marci Hamilton hamilton02@aol.com 3/11/04 “There were some disturbing statistics in the John Jay College Report on sexual abuse by the Catholic Church’s clergy over the last 50 years….only 2% (3% were prosecuted and convicted but apparently, of those, a third either will not serve time, or have yet to serve time).” http://writ.news.findlaw.com/hamilton/20040311.html
Judge OKs Evidence in Lutheran Sex Case 4/9/04 By Bobby Ross Jr. Dallas (AP) “Plaintiffs suing a regional synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America in a sexual abuse case can present evidence about a top synod official’s three arrests on indecent exposure charges, a judge ruled….”Eliason’s own sexual addiction impaired and compromised his judgment as a decision-making officer of the synod, especially with regards to the fitness and prior misconduct of Gerald Thomas,” Edward L. Hohn, the plaintiffs’ lead attorney, said in court papers.” http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,1280,-3956700,00.html
Report: Accused L.A. Priests Still Active By AP 2/7/04 Los Angeles “At least 10 priests remain in active ministry in the nation’s largest archdiocese despite lawsuits that accused them of molesting children, a newspaper reports. Officials of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles justified their action by saying there is a lack of evidence supporting the allegations and citing, in some instances, their inability to interview the victims. The priests have denied wrongdoing and are not under criminal investigation.” http://www.newsday.com/
The Survivors Network Minnesota (SNMN) is a volunteer self-help organization of survivors of sexual abuse and their supporters. http://www.survivorsnetworkmn.org/
from LMS Some Priests Are Suing Their Accusers – Critics see a resemblance to a banned legal strategy for silencing opponents. Lawyer rejects the parallel. By Jean Guccione 3/5/04 “A priest formerly based in Los Angeles has taken an unusual approach in defending himself against an allegation that he molested a girl three decades ago: He has sued his accuser. A dozen or so such lawsuits have been filed nationally in recent years as the child sexual abuse scandal has spread across the Roman Catholic Church in the United States, according to experts who monitor clergy sexual abuse litigation….Winning isn’t necessarily the goal, some experts said. The suits adopt a decades-old legal strategy that has been used against activists and ordinary people who have spoken against developers, big property owners and other special interests….In a SLAPP suit, “the person who is accused of illegal activities turns the table on the accuser,” said attorney Mark Goldowitz, director of the California Anti-SLAPP Project and counsel for the woman who was sued for defamation in San Francisco. The lawsuits are “usually filed to retaliate or silence critics,” he said.” http://www.latimes.com
Sexual abuse by clergy leaves greater damage, experts say ‘Murder of the soul’ is one description of sexual abuse inflicted by priests. By Shirley Ragsdale April 4, 2004 “church officials, victims advocates and researchers agree: Children abused by clergy often suffer deeper damage than other victims of child sexual abuse.”The priest was an icon of the transcendent, and hence the abuse had consequences that went beyond the damage caused by similar cases of abuse not involving clergy,” Boston Archbishop Sean O’Malley said in January in a conference at Boston College on the impact of clergy sexual abuse. “The wound left by the abuse was not only to one’s psyche, but also to their spiritual life and identity.” http://desmoinesregister.com/life/stories/c5351764/23975169.html
Doc: Porter can’t control sexual urges By Jessica Heslam 4/7/04 “Convicted pedophile ex-priest James Porter failed sex offender therapy and was cited for “coming into contact” with male inmates’ “buttocks” at the Massachusetts Treatment Center in Bridgewater, a psychologist testified yesterday. The 69-year-old molester has mental abnormality and personality disorder and is at a “very high risk” to reoffend if he’s not secured, said Dr. John Daignault….Porter was sentenced to 18-to-20 years in prison in 1993 after pleading guilty to molesting 28 children, mostly 11- and 12-year-old boys, in the 1960s…Prosecutors are seeking to keep him locked up at a treatment facility as a sexually dangerous person….The doctor came to his conclusions based on numerous factors, including Porter’s “deviant arousal,” his failure to complete treatment, his tolerant attitude toward sex offenses and his inability to control his sex offender behavior despite repeated interventions “by the church” while a priest…In July 2002, Porter was cited for “denial” of his sex offender behavior and later removed from therapy.” http://news.bostonherald.com/localRegional/view.bg?articleid=3293
Psychologist testifies against Porter in Massachusetts court Taunton (MA) Telegram & Gazette AP Taunton, Mass. “Convicted pedophile priest James Porter was cited twice in 2002 for alleged sexual misconduct in prison, according to treatment records presented in court on Tuesday.” http://www.ncrnews.org/abuse/
New twist to abuse allegations 4/7/04 By Yvonne Martin “The allegations are cited among fresh charges laid by Christchurch police against two brothers and a priest from the St John of God Order….the trio, who face a total of 64 sexual abuse charges relating to their time working at Marylands, a former school for boys with learning and intellectual disabilities. Complaints have been received from former pupils dating back almost 50 years….Eighty-two former Marylands residents came forward claiming they had been abused after the Order published a hotline number in New Zealand. St John of God has also paid out more than $4 million in compensation to New Zealand complainants.” http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,2868191a6009,00.html
A Report on the Crisis in the Catholic Church in the United States. 2/27/04 The National Review Board for the Protection of Children and Young People. Established by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops “Church records indicate that 4,392 priests were accused of engaging in sexual abuse of a minor between 1950 and 2002. This number represents four percent of the 109,694 priests in active ministry during that time. There were approximately 10,667 reported minor victims of clergy sexual abuse during this period, and the Church expended more than half a billion dollars in dealing with the problem.”
Two Studies Cite Child Sex Abuse by 4 Percent of Priests by Laurie Goodstein 2/27/04 Washington “The totals depend on self-reporting by American bishops, the studies note, and many victims have never come forward out of fear or shame.” http://www.nytimes.com/2004/02/27/national/27BISH.html?ex=1078030800&en=f541802c836ca53f&ei=5030&partner=PRESSDEMO
also see Head of U.S. Bishops Vows to Stop Abuse By Rachel Zoll, AP Religion Writer Washington http://story.news.yahoo.com/
Church ‘shamed’ over sex abuse 2/27/04 http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/3491926.stm
List of Clergy Abuse News Article Websites http://story.news.yahoo.com/fc?cid=34&tmpl=fc&in=US&cat=Catholic_Church_Abuse_Scandal
Draft survey: 4,450 priests accused of sex abuse – New York (CNN) http://edition.cnn.com/2004/US/02/16/church.abuse/
How Serious Is the Problem of Sexual Abuse by Clergy? “Greeley’s 1993 Article and the Debate Surrounding It “On March 20, 1993, the Jesuit weekly America published an important article by Fr. Andrew Greeley on the sexual abuse crisis….Greeley’s article was notable for its blunt estimate that 100,000 people had been abused by priests-his numbers are still cited-and for his espousal of the victims’ cause: “I admit that I am on the side of the survivors.” http://www.bishop-accountability.org/resources/resource-files/timeline/1993-03-20-Greeley-HowSerious-Intro.htm
from LMS Church must pay for Nfld. sexual assaults by Kirk Makin Globe and Mail Update 3/25/04 “A Roman Catholic diocese in Newfoundland is vicariously liable for hundreds of sexual assaults one of its priests committed against young boys over a 30-year period, the Supreme Court of Canada has ruled. The court also found that two successive bishops were directly liable for their “failure to properly direct and discipline” Father Kevin Bennett during his prolonged sexual rampage. Father Bennett’s 36 victims will be paid by the diocese after a trial court determines the actual abuse each plaintiff suffered and how much they should be paid to compensate.” http://www.globeandmail.ca/servlet/story/RTGAM.20040325.wscoc0325_2/BNStory/National/
Church in Newfoundland willing to settle with sexual abuse victims – Canadian Press 3/26/04 “Corner Brook, Nfld. (CP) “Bennett, who was convicted during the early 1990s on more than 30 counts of sexual assault, spent about a decade on Newfoundland’s west coast before being transferred to St. Bernard’s and Terrenceville on the province’s Burin Peninsula. He left the church in 1989.” http://www.canada.com/maritimes/
Mass. Prosecutor Claims Abuse Cover-Ups Trudy Tynan AP “Springfield, Mass. – Prosecutors investigating child molestation claims against retired Springfield Bishop Thomas Dupre say other abuse may have been covered up during the cleric’s nine years heading a western Massachusetts diocese. “Our preliminary investigation indicates that a number of communications to the diocese regarding sexual misconduct by Dupre were concealed and never provided,” said Hampden County District Attorney William Bennett. Bennett said he is asking a grand jury to look into allegations of a cover-up.” http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/breaking_news/8118682.htm
Grand jury convened for Dupre case By Chuck Colbert “…two men accused him of sexually molesting them more than 25 years ago, when they were 13 and 12 years old. If the grand jury indicts Dupre, he would become the first prelate with criminal allegations against him to face prosecution in the sex abuse crisis, still rocking the region and nation. “I have determined that there is probable cause to support these allegations,” Hampden District Attorney William Bennett said…” http://natcath.org/NCR_Online/archives2/2004a/031904/031904j.htm
Monsignor says harm of abuse wasn’t recognized By John McElhenny 2/23/04 “Springfield – The temporary leader of the Diocese of Springfield…said in an interview yesterday that the scandal that has rocked the Catholic Church stems from a belief among some priests during the 1960s, ’70s, and ’80s that sex with young men was acceptable.” “Springfield Diocese….issued a report that said 30 of the 1,003 priests who served in its parishes during the last 50 years had been accused of sexually abusing 70 minors.” http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2004/02/23/monsignor_says_harm_of_abuse_wasnt_recognized/
National Catholic Reporter 3/26/04 Uncovering sex abuse in schools mirrors church experience By Dennis Coday “From 1991 to 2000, about 315,000 students per year experienced some sort of physical sexual abuse by a public school employee – mainly teachers, estimates Shakeshaft, a professor of educational policies at Hofstra University in Huntington, N.Y. There are about 47.7 million students age 6 to 18 enrolled in U.S. public schools. Shakeshaft told NCR that research has shown that only about 6 percent of victims report their abuse, so school authorities likely knew of fewer than 19,000 of these incidents. She estimates that 9.6 percent of all students in grades 8-11 reported sexual harassment by teachers, coaches, or other school employees. That included sexual remarks, jokes or gestures. About 6.7 percent of students reported harassment involving physical contact. About 56 percent of victims were girls. In 57 percent of cases, teachers were the reported perpetrators. Other cases involved other employees such as bus drivers and teachers’ aides. About 57 percent of offenders were males.”…Furthermore, Shakeshaft said that attempts by those in authority to conceal abuse, which caused such scandal in the Catholic church, may be evidenced within school systems. A 1994 study she did on disciplinary action against 225 public school teachers who admitted sexually abusing children in New York state found 15 percent were terminated and 25 percent received no disciplinary consequences. Of the rest, 39 percent left the school district, many with a positive recommendation to teach elsewhere, and the rest were informally reprimanded, she said. None were reported to the police or district attorney.” http://www.natcath.org/NCR_Online/archives2/2004a/032604/032604j.htm
from LMS Missing church funds probed – Amount is greater than first believed By AP, 3/15/04 “Falmouth – The amount of money missing from a Cape Cod church is far more than the $50,000 original estimate and may be as much as $800,000, parishioners were told yesterday. The Rev. Bernard Kelly, former pastor of St. Joseph’s Catholic Church, resigned last November about the same time he was sued by the Diocese of Fall River for allegedly misappropriating $50,000. He has not been criminally charged.” http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2004/03/15/missing_church_funds_probed/
Clergy Reporting Bill Passes Divided Senate 3/11/04 (AP) “After lengthy debate, the state Senate passed legislation Thursday that would require clergy to report suspected instances of child abuse, or face fines if they don’t report…The measure is already law in 37 states. The bill provides clergy members with immunity if they are incorrect, provided the accusations were not made in malice. It also would exclude confessions to priests or any other clergy.” http://www.wavy.com/Global/story.asp?S=1620300
Norwegian monastery investigated on sex allegations Carin Pettersson 3/26/04 “A monastery in the Oslo Catholic diocese is being investigated by members of the Vatican after sexual assaults were reported….According to information obtained by VG, the investigation may lead to relocation of one or several central persons within the Catholic Church in Norway….The priest is still practicing as a priest at the same location, while the student who claimed to be abused has left the monastery. Norwegian news bureau (NTB) http://pub.tv2.no/nettavisen/english/article206101.ece
L.A. cardinal keeps abuse cases secret ‘Formation privilege’ requires confidentiality, archdiocese argues By William Lobdell and Jean Guccione, Los Angeles Times 3/14/04 LA “Enmeshed in a battle to maintain the secrecy of church documents involving priests accused of molesting children, Los Angeles Cardinal Roger M. Mahony has adopted a legal strategy more aggressive than that of any other bishop in the country, according to scholars and attorneys. At the center of the fight are thousands of pages from priest personnel files that Mahony has succeeded for more than a year and a half in keeping from prosecutors, lawyers for victims and the public. Officials at the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles concede that the files include evidence that Mahony and other church leaders improperly handled cases involving abusive priests.”
Bishop O’Brien convicted in hit-and-run – Phoenix (AP) “Bishop Thomas O’Brien was convicted of hit-and-run Tuesday for leaving the scene after killing a jaywalking pedestrian with his car, a crash that ended his career as head of the Roman Catholic diocese. O’Brien is believed to be the first Roman Catholic bishop in U.S. history to be convicted of a felony. The 68-year-old bishop, who said he thought he hit a dog or was struck by a rock.” http://www.courttv.com/trials/news/021704_bishop_ap.html
from LMS Victims stayed quiet about abuse, trial told 2/12/04 “Mr. Murphy is the last of about 15 former Christian Brothers, a Roman Catholic lay order, to be prosecuted for sexual and physical abuse against former residents of the orphanage. The 74-year-old man of Yorktown Heights, N.Y., was charged Nov. 19, 1996, with six sex-related offences against former residents of Mount Cashel in St. John’s dating back to the 1950s and ’60s. He and six other men were charged with more than 50 counts of assault against 17 complainants.” http://www.globeandmail.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/TPStory/LAC/20040212/SPAN12/TPNational/Canada
from LMS Ottawa to appeal residential school ruling – Canadian Press 2/6/04 Ottawa “The federal government will appeal to the Supreme Court to overturn a B.C. judgment that put Ottawa solely on the hook for hefty native residential school settlements in the province, sources say.” “More than 12,000 plaintiffs are now suing for compensation. Ottawa has announced a $1.7-billion plan to speed out-of-court settlements, of which it will pay 70 per cent for proven physical or sexual abuse….Ottawa also faces a class-action lawsuit that, if certified, seeks up to $12-billion in damages for all forms of abuse, including loss of native languages and culture.” http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20040206.wschoo6/BNPrint/National/
Financier reported indicted in child sex case – Businessman jailed in Thailand awaiting transfer to Mexico Stacy Finz 4/6/04 “Thomas F. White, a 68-year-old financier with homes here and in Mexico, Thailand and Russia, is in a Thai prison awaiting extradition to Mexico, where he is to stand trial on 3-year-old allegations of child molestation, child prostitution and giving drugs to minors. Last month, a San Francisco federal grand jury charged White with producing child pornography and with conspiring to travel to other countries with the intent of having sex with juveniles, according to sources. They say White spent time in Thailand so he could have relations with under-age boys.” “”Child advocacy groups estimate that 2 million children worldwide are working in the sex trade, predominantly in third-world countries like Cambodia, Thailand, the Philippines, Costa Rica and Mexico.” http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2004/04/06/BAGBG610IH1.DTL
Plight of 300 shows extent of sex slavery By Elisabeth Wynhausen and Natalie O’Brien 3/23/04 “The plight of nearly 300 women trafficked to Australia as sex slaves was documented in a report released in Canberra yesterday. The report, the first in this country to detail hundreds of cases of sex trafficking, rebuts government claims there were only a handful of such cases. It was completed in six weeks by the anti-trafficking organisation Project Respect, and it identifies twice the number of cases of trafficking identified by the Australian Crime Commission.” http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,9059179%255E2702,00.html
Smuggled South Koreans Turn to Sex Slavery 3/21/04 Spokane, Wash. “Hundreds of South Korean women are working in the United States as sex slaves as payback to their human smugglers for sneaking them across the Canadian border into Washington state. The women are forced to pay off their $15,000 smuggling debt by working as prostitutes for organized crime rings in major American cities.” http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,114723,00.html
Up to 3,000 sex slaves in Israel – survey – Atira Winchester 2/10/04 “There are between 1,000 and 3,000 women in Israel who are subjected to sex slavery, and there is an intensive commerce in women in the country, say editors of the most recent survey conducted by the Knesset’s Center for Research and Information” http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/JPArticle/Printer&cid=1076393704912&p=1006688055060
‘No one could help me escape’ By Kim Wilsher 03/4/04 “Tens of thousands of unwanted Swiss children were sold in auctions or given away as cheap labour until the 1950s, according to a shocking television documentary which has forced the country to confront a dark chapter of its recent past. Many of the child workers, known as Verdingkinder (discarded children), ended up being beaten and sexually abused after passing under the auctioneer’s hammer in Swiss provincial towns.” “Historians estimate that as many as 12,000 children of poor families, some of them infants and many with unmarried or divorced mothers, were given away or sold during the 1930s.” http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2004/03/14/wswiss14.xml&sSheet=/news/2004/03/14/ixworld.html&secureRefresh=true&_requestid=25470
Children ‘sold for sex on the internet’ By Nick Allen 2/11/04 “Children are being sold for sex on the internet and then rated out of 10 by paedophiles…Some children have been sold by relatives and friends who advertised them online with indecent photographs. Pre-pubescent boys and girls are also being coerced into taking part in live sex shows screened on the web which dozens of people pay to watch.” http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/crime/story.jsp?story=490055
Former priest on probation now faces porn rap – Lisa Sandberg – San Antonio Express-News 3/25/04 “Carlos Lozano, a former San Antonio priest serving 10 years’ probation for sexually abusing young students more than a decade ago, was arrested at his home in Kingsville and accused of downloading pornography onto his home computer.” http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/metro/stories/MYSA25.02B.priest_probation_0325.1c6aff23.html
from LMS has graphic descriptions of crimes Police crack child-porn ring – Toronto officers help FBI to track down, rescue five children who were being sexually Abused – Curtis Rush 3/26/04 “Toronto police have helped the FBI to crack a major international child pornography ring and to rescue five children who were being sexually abused. One girl…rescued in Raleigh-Durham in North Carolina, was shown in computer images that were degrading and horrific in nature, police said.” http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1080299075872&call_pageid=968332188492&col=968793972154
from LMS T.O. tip breaks N. Carolina child porn ring 3/27/04 CARY, N.C. (AP) “An international investigation into child pornography resulted in charges against a North Carolina man who authorities said physically and sexually abused a six-year-old girl and an infant boy to create images he posted on the Internet. Brian Tod Schellenberger, 41, is scheduled for arraignment Monday in U.S. District Court in Raleigh, N.C., on four counts of sexual exploitation of children and one count of possessing child pornography, the News & Observer newspaper reported.” http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/World/2004/03/27/398711-ap.html
Child porn: 27 arrested in Spain By CNN Madrid Bureau Chief Al Goodman “Madrid, Spain “Police have arrested 27 people across Spain for allegedly distributing child pornography on the Internet, a Spanish Interior Ministry spokesman said….Spanish authorities uncovered video of children — some as young as five years old — taped in the United States, Sweden and Asia, according to a National Police spokesman.” http://www.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/europe/12/17/spain.porn/index.html
Illinois police uncover major child-porn ring By Susan Skiles Luke, AP Mount Vernon, Ill. 2/8/04 “Computers and CDs in the apartment held an enormous collection of child pornography. That led them to a child-porn ring they say involved a staff member of a boarding school for the learning disabled, a middle-school basketball coach and at least four others. Six men have been charged so far and police say more arrests are likely. The suspects invited troubled teenagers to parties, enticed them into sex and filmed it, said Mount Vernon Police Chief Chris Mendenall. In most cases, the teens appeared to be on drugs, he said. The adults then sold the films on the Internet.” http://www.adn.com/24hour/nation/story/1143098p-7959574c.html
This describes severe abuse. Note : This is only a small excerpt from the article and does not express all viewpoints presented. Kristine Lizabeth Jones F/k/a Freeda Jones and Paul Jones, Appellants V. Dorothy Lurie, Appellee No. 14-98-01097-CV Court of Appeals of Texas, Fourteenth District, Houston 32 S.W.3d 737; 2000 Tex. App. Lexis 8033 “In 1990, Kristine also told Dr. Lurie that her parents took her to “satanic rituals” where she was physically and sexually abused by other cult members. In August 1990, Kristine told Dr. Lurie that she had vivid memories of murdering and cannibalizing babies, and of being impregnated by her father. She told Dr. Lurie that she had more than one hundred “inner children,” or alternative personalities (“alters”), that told her about past abuses to her.” “”Kristine was diagnosed by all of her psychiatrists, and Dr. Lurie, as having multiple personality disorder (MPD) and major depression….Dr. Lurie said her treatment along these lines complied with the standard of care that a reasonable and prudent psychologist would do or refrain from doing under the same and similar circumstances…” (You will have to join this list to read the article.) http://www.topica.com/lists/mc/read/message.html?mid=909518786&sort=d&start=21922
Please note: This only mentions allegations made, please see the full post for the legal decisions. Has descriptions of severe abuse. State of Utah, Plaintiff and Appellee, V. Alan B. Hadfield, Defendant and Appellant No. 880234 Supreme Court of Utah 788 P.2d 506; 128 Utah Adv. Rep. 6; 1990 Utah Lexis 14 February 22, 1990, Filed….Defendant himself, along with his wife, had initiated treatment of his children by Barbara Snow because of allegations by other neighborhood children about widespread sexual molestation. Eventually, in Barbara Snow’s interviews with the Hadfield children and others, a total of at least fifteen adults and fifteen children were identified as participants in various unusual sexual activities, including instances of group abuse of children by adults. The activities described by the children involved satanic ritual, costumes and masks, photography equipment, men dressing in women’s clothing, and frequent episodes of playing with and consuming human excrement….In addition, the affidavit claims that several nearly identical allegations exist in several of these cases. Three of the cases allegedly include prominent reference to playing with, consuming, and bathing in human excrement. Pictures drawn by some of the children in treatment with Barbara Snow in two of the cases are claimed to be identical. Men dressing in women’s clothing and the use of costumes and masks were described by children in two of the cases. In three cases, the children described large groups of adults congregating for the purpose of touching naked children and referred to the use of candles and pentagrams for satanic rituals. The affidavit further alleges that no known connection exists between any of the cases except for the involvement of Barbara Snow and ISAT in the investigations and the inability of law enforcement to discover any corroborating evidence of the group activities (such as photographs, paraphernalia, etc.).” (You will have to join this list to read the article.) http://www.topica.com/lists/mc/read/message.html?mid=909560001&sort=d&start=21950
from LMS article has graphic descriptions of crimes – Woman called priestess of satanic cult says she’s changed – Inmate has served 15 years in prison in Mexico for ritual sacrifices of 13 people Dane Schiller, San Antonio Express-News 3/28/04 Mexico City “…Sara Aldrete more resembles a mall rat than the priestess of a border town cult that ritually sacrificed college student Mark Kilroy and a dozen other people.” http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2004/03/28/MNGGR5RF0E1.DTL
Paedophile expert jailed for abuse 3/16/04 by Mark Easton “”Depraved, corrupt and persistent” – a judge describing Stephen King, a 54-year-old paedophile from South London who was today jailed for seven years for grooming and sexually abusing three young girls.” “”It’s two years since the FBI sent police here names of people who’d paid for child porn on the internet but still thousands of those individuals have never had even a knock on the door. New figures released by the Home Office last night show that there were 7,200 names on the original list, reduced to 6,500 when duplicates were removed. Since then just over 1,200 have been charged and there have been 655 convictions so far BUT 2,400 people have yet to be visited.” http://www.channel4.com/news/2004/03/week_3/16_paed.html
Son Wants Man to Stay in Prison 2/26/04 The witness insists that he was molested by his father. Others have recanted testimony that helped to convict the man 19 years ago. By John Johnson 2/26/04 Bakersfield “A man who has spent the past 19 years in prison for crimes he says he didn’t commit faced his greatest obstacle to freedom Wednesday: his son. As John Stoll sat at the defense table, Jed Stoll, a grim-faced 25-year-old carpet layer from Maryland, testified that his father repeatedly molested him when he was a child….Prosecutors in 1984 contended the elder Stoll was the leader of a ring of molesters and child pornographers who abused at least a half dozen children in their middle-class neighborhood. Investigators said adults gave children drugs, then filmed sex parties with them, though no film or pictures were ever found. The hearing to determine whether Stoll should get a new trial or win his freedom was called after four of the six original alleged victims recently came forward to say they were never touched….The fifth alleged victim testified in January he has no memory of abuse, making Stoll’s son the key witness.” http://www.latimes.com/
from LMS Judge won’t let convicted Bakersfield child molester post bail Brian Skoloff, AP 3/15/04 “”In Bakersfield alone, 46 people were arrested in eight alleged child molestation rings. Thirty were convicted, eight had their charges dropped and eight struck plea deals that kept them from prison. Twenty two of the 30 convictions were later reversed for reasons including legal technicalities, prosecutorial misconduct or faulty jury instructions.” http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/news/archive/2004/03/15/state1714EST0111.DTL
City Decides Abuse Victim Is Not to Blame By Robin Pogrebin 4/7/04 “New York City and the Boys Choir of Harlem alleged in court papers recently that a 12-year-old boy who was sexually molested by a counselor at the choir’s school was responsible for his own abuse. But the city said yesterday in response to inquiries that it would withdraw the allegation.” http://www.nytimes.com/2004/04/07/nyregion/07choir.html?ex=1082314058&ei=1
American Boychoir School Drops Lawsuit Concerning Former Student’s Website By David McNutt 5/14/03 “The American Boychoir School has dropped a lawsuit regarding an internet site run by a former student of the school that highlights allegations of sexual abuse at the institution. John W. Hardwicke Jr., 45, of White Hall, Md., launched the website — www.americanboyschoir.com” http://www.towntopics.com/may1403/story2.html
Feminist Daily News Wire – Rumsfeld Orders Investigation into Sexual Assaults on Female Soldiers 2/11/04 “regarding male soldiers assaulting and abusing female soldiers who were also denied adequate counseling and medical care during duty in Iraq and Kuwait….According to the Washington Post, 88 cases of sexual misconduct have been reported over the past year in areas where the Central Command operates, including Iraq and Kuwait. Thirty-eight female officers say they have been sexually assaulted in Kuwait and Iraq, of which 12 reported the assaults to the authorities.” http://www.feminist.org/news/newsbyte/uswirestory.asp?id=8273
from LMS Local woman targets military – Launches $3M sex suit by Sean McKibbon, Ottawa Sun 3/4/04 “A Statement of claim in a lawsuit launched by a former member of the Canadian military contains shocking allegations of her recovered memories of sexual assault and other abuse at the hands of three course instructors. The Ottawa Woman – who is seeking just under $3 million in damages from the Department of National Defence – alleges in December 1985 she was beaten, sexually assaulted and denied food as unsanctioned punishment for allegedly allowing another member of the Forces to copy an exam paper. In the document filed with the court last week, she alleges the Forces did not have adequate policies or measures to protect female members and says she was offered inadequate postings after she suffered a nervous breakdown as a result of the alleged abuse. She also accuses the military of creating an environment that “fostered silence.” She says she suffered post-traumatic stress disorder as a result and blocked the events from her mind, experiencing flashbacks of the experiences since being under the care of a doctor at the Montfort Hospital.” http://www.canoe.ca/NewsStand/OttawaSun/News/2004/03/04/369311.html
from LMS Has graphic details of abuse. Quiet lives with dark secrets 2/7/04 By Geoff Cumming with Reporting by Phil Taylor, Jo-Marie Brown, Ainsley Thomson and Eleanor Black “The police are facing an unprecedented crisis over allegations of rape against officers….Louise Nicholas was getting on with life. She had buried her memories of repeated rapes by policemen in Murupara, a gang-rape ordeal in Rotorua, the baton, the inquiries which ran into brick walls.” http://www.nzherald.co.nz/storydisplay.cfm?storyID=3547941&thesection=news&thesubsection=general
Group: 2 Sex Offenders Among U.S. Troops By Robert Gehrke AP 3/5/04 Washington “There are at least two serial sex offenders among the U.S. troops in the Middle East, an advocacy group has told the Pentagon. The Miles Foundation, a support group for military sexual assault victims, said 83 servicewomen stationed in the Middle East have reported being raped or assaulted in the last 18 months.” http://www.newsday.com/
Rapes Reported by Servicewomen in the Persian Gulf and Elsewhere By Eric Schmitt 2/26/04 Washington 2/25/04 “There have been 112 reports of sexual misconduct over roughly the past 18 months in the Central Command area of operations, which includes Iraq, Kuwait and Afghanistan, military officials said.” http://www.nytimes.com/2004/02/26/national/26MILI.html
Reports of Rape in Pacific Spur Air Force Steps By Eric Schmitt 3/9/04 Washington “At least 92 accusations of rape involving Air Force personnel in the Pacific were reported to military authorities there from 2001 to 2003, according to a new study by the service. The findings, which surprised some top Air Force officials, also singled out serious flaws in the reporting of sexual assault claims and assistance to victims.” http://www.nytimes.com/2004/03/09/politics/09MILI.html?hp
Air Force launches investigation of sexual assaults at Texas base by John W. Gonzalez 2/13/04 “A team of Air Force and Pentagon investigators is being dispatched to a North Texas military installation where numerous sexual assaults were reported last year, U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison said….Sheppard Air Force Base near Wichita Falls….At a Wichita Falls counseling center, as many as 25 female Air Force members from Sheppard complained of being sexually assaulted by Air Force men in a one-year period, Hutchison said, citing a published report.” “…The women implicated 40 Air Force men in their assaults and accused some of them of participating in gang rapes, the newspaper reported, adding that few of the cases were prosecuted.” http://www.chron.com/
also see Two Dozen Military Women Report Rapes On Texas Air Force Base 2/13/04 Wichita Falls, Texas http://www.thekansascitychannel.com/news/2845018/detail.html
Air Force reviewing 69 assault cases 2/26/04 “Washington, Feb. 26 (UPI) “A team of Air Force investigators are reviewing 69 alleged sexual assaults that have occurred since 1996, to determine whether they were handled appropriately by base authorities.” http://www.upi.com/view.cfm?StoryID=20040226-063338-1848r
from LMS Abuse charges mar image of Dakota County home day care Mary Lynn Smith, Star Tribune 3/12/04 “Michael J. Schmit, 54, has been charged with sexually assaulting a girl who attended his wife’s home day care.” http://www.startribune.com/stories/462/4659600.html
from LMS ‘I try to avoid leaving the house’ The mysterious murders of hundreds of young maquiladora women are subsiding, Paul Knox reports from Ciudad Juarez. But a star-studded protest march to mark Valentine’s Day highlights the public’s fear that justice has yet to be done By Paul Knox 2/14/04 “There are at least half a dozen theories about motives for the killings. There is talk of “narco-satanic” cults, of killing as an organized-crime initiation rite, of pornographic film sessions, of sex orgies orchestrated by prominent drug traffickers, of gang rapes by joyriding rich kids, of protection by powerful local figures.” http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/ArticleNews/TPStory/LAC/20040214/MEXI14/TPFocus/
Man says he killed 20 boys – Ritual sex slayings perplexed Brazil for 13 years By Andrew Downie, Rio De Janeiro, Brazil “Police have arrested a man in connection with the ritual sex slayings of 20 boys, bringing to end a macabre murder mystery that plagued the country for more than a decade. Police in the northern state of Maranhao announced that Francisco das Chagas confessed to killing the boys between 1991 and 2003….Police in neighboring Para state want to question him concerning the whereabouts of 10 youngsters who were either killed or disappeared there. However, human rights groups following the case were reluctant to accept the police’s version of events and expressed reservations over the tactics used to secure Chagas’ confession. They also questioned previous police work and the future of three people already jailed or awaiting trial for carrying out some of the killings.” http://www.chron.com/
Rwandans Are Struggling To Love Children of Hate By Emily Wax 3/28/04 Kigali, Rwanda “Her pregnancy was not conceived in love, or in a casual encounter. It was what women in Africa call a pregnancy of war. In 1994, during Rwanda’s genocide, she was one of an estimated 250,000 women raped by Hutu militia groups. She survived three years of sexual slavery in the militia’s forest encampments and emerged with a son and pregnant with a daughter. Today they are known as les enfants de mauvais souvenir, the children of bad memories. More than 10,000 children were born of rapes during the genocide, according to victims’ groups. They are the living legacy of a time of death, in which an estimated 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus were slaughtered in 100 days.” http://www.washingtonpost.com/
article describes severe abuse – Defence wants psychologist in Satanist trial 7/6/03 “An alleged Satanist, accused of abducting and molesting three young children, would not have a fair trial unless the Legal Aid Board was forced to pay over R40 000 for a psychologist, the Pretoria High Court heard on Wednesday….Williams argued that the court did not need a psychologist to tell it that children were open to suggestion and could be influenced. He said it was not relevant if Classen had the profile of a paedophile. The question was simply if he had done it or not….Classen has denied guilt on ten charges of abducting, raping and molesting a seven-year-old girl and her two older brothers over a period of months in 2000. The children testified in gruesome detail that they had been subjected to Satanist rituals. Hugo, however, argued that the children’s evidence about events that included 30 child murders, body parts being kept in cupboards and even meetings with the fictional character ET was the product of their imagination and could not possibly be accepted.” http://iafrica.com/news/sa/254323.htm
This has graphic descriptions of crimes. Mozambique ‘human organ’ nun dead 2/27/04 A Brazilian nun has been found dead in Mozambique after some of her colleagues said they had exposed an organ trafficking network. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/3493016.stm
describes abuse – Organ traffickers ‘threaten’ nuns 2/23/04 “Four Catholic nuns say they have received death threats after exposing an organ trafficking network allegedly operating in northern Mozambique. The traffickers are said to target the sex organs of children, which are sold to make magic charms. The nuns from the Sisters Servants of Mary Immaculate order say they have gathered evidence of the trade. They say they have spoken to victims who managed to escape and photos of dead children with missing organs. ‘Orphans targeted’ Ritual murders have been reported in many African countries, as some witchdoctors say using human organs in magic charms makes them more powerful. These are believed by some to bring financial or sexual success to those who use them.” http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/3483581.stm
Organ trafficking story ‘created out of nothing’ Jordane Bertrand | Nampula 3/16/04 “A Danish woman and her Zimbabwean husband accused of trafficking human organs in Mozambique say they have been persecuted for eight months most probably in a bid to grab land.” http://www.mg.co.za/Content/l3.asp?ao=32748
This article has graphic details of crimes. Alarm at Liberian ritual killings 3/19/04 “Hundreds of Liberian women have taken to the streets of the capital, Monrovia, protesting against a recent wave of ritual killings at the capital.” http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/3551355.stm
article has graphic descriptions of violence ‘Rape is OK. It helps us to train people’ 2/29/04 “Hilary Andersson, of the BBC’s Panorama programme, reveals how thousands of youths are being taught to rape, maim, torture and kill in Zimbabwe’s terror training camps – and now Robert Mugabe intends to make the camps compulsory for all the country’s young men and women.” http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2004/02/29/wzim129.xml&sSheet=/news/2004/02/29/ixnewstop.html
This has graphic descriptions of crimes. Man kills two girls and abuses their bodies in occult ritual Hong Kong 2/12/04 “A 40-year-old man charged with the gruesome killing of two Hong Kong girls was said to have confessed to sexually abusing their corpses as part of a black magic ritual to create ghosts to haunt his estranged wife.” http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/asia/story/0,4386,234829-1076623140,00.html
This case describes abuse. State of Connecticut V. Stephen Spiegelmann (AC 22726) Flynn, Bishop and McLachlan, Js. “The defendant argues on appeal that the trial court acted improperly by (1) allowing certain pornographic materials and testimony regarding such materials to be entered into evidence although the victim had not specifically identified them, (2) admitting prejudicial hearsay under the constancy of accusation doctrine, thereby depriving the defendant of a fair trial, and finally (3) permitting prosecutorial misconduct during cross-examination of the defendant and during closing argument, thereby depriving him of a fair trial. We are not persuaded and therefore affirm the judgment of the trial court.” http://www.jud.state.ct.us/external/supapp/Cases/AROap/AP81/81ap151.pdf
all accusations are alleged – Georgia Supreme Court Orders Juvenile Court to Act on Child Abuse Case (part II) “Atlanta Archbishop Donoghue and the Leadership Council for Mental Health, Justice, and the Media join more than 30 others in a battle to protect two sexually abused Cobb County girls…Dozens of prominent citizens today filed a petition in the Cobb County Juvenile Court to protect two sexually abused girls who for over four years have been forced against their will by the Georgia Superior Court to live with their sexually abusive father in Marietta. Today’s action was in response to a December 1, 2003 decision by the Georgia Supreme Court [Titelman et al. v. Stedman (S03A1159)] to order the unwilling Juvenile Court to act on the case.” http://www.wendytitelman.com/news.html
Ruling on hearsay evidence guts cases – Prosecuting abuse and domestic violence will be harder after the Supreme Court’s affirmation of the right to face an accuser 03/11/04 Robin Franzen “One of the most defense-friendly U.S. Supreme Court decisions in years, underscoring the right to cross-examine witnesses, could severely thwart the ability of prosecutors to try certain sensitive cases of domestic abuse and child abuse. Legal authorities…said Wednesday that it could gut prosecution of cases in which victims often refuse to testify at trial – domestic violence being a prime example – and limit the use of co-defendants’ statements in the prosecution of other cases. The 9-0 opinion potentially disallows hearsay evidence that courts had increasingly allowed as exceptions during the past 25 years and boldly reinforces a defendant’s right to confront witnesses under the Sixth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.” http://www.oregonlive.com/
Mind Control and Experimentation
Survivorship co-sponsored by S.M.A.R.T. – The Second Annual East Coast Conference on Ritualistic Abuse for survivors, their allies, and therapists May 8, 2004 at the Friends Meeting House 43 Center St, 2nd floor, Northampton, MA. Speakers will include Jeannie Riseman, MSW “Evaluating Therapists and Therapy” and Neil Brick “My Journey Toward Healing” $50.00 if pre-registered, $60.00 at the door – limited income: $30.00 if pre-registered, $40.00 at the door. Send check or money order payable to: Survivorship, 3181 Mission Street #139, San Francisco CA 94110-4515 questions – office@survivorship.org
Survivor web site with information on ritual abuse and DID http://www.lynnsart.net/
This has graphic descriptions of abuse. Ritual Abuse-Torture is a Human Rights Violation Leading Canadian Ritual Abuse Torture experts, Jeanne Sarson and Linda MacDonald, Directors of Persons Against Ritual Abuse-Torture, w, will participate in this United Nations discussion along with Dr. Randall D. Martin, Director of Trauma Studies and Services at New York Psychiatric Institute, Attorney Helen McGonigle, and Dr. Dana Raphael, Director of Human Lactation Center. Sarson and MacDonald having been researching ritual abuse-torturer for twenty years. They have interviewed victims and followed their lives as they have attempted to recover from the horrors of ritual abuse-torture….Literature indicates that ritual abuse-torture is a transnational crime involving perpetrators in countries such as the United States, Australia, Great Britain, Europe, and in most conflicts in Africa.
Christine Dolan, Founder of the International Humanitarian Campaign Against the Exploitation of Children, says, “If there is a conflict in Africa, you can bet that there is ritual abuse torture – Children forcing other children to kill, and in some cases, such as in the Congo and in Sierra Leone, children are forced to film their killings and bring the evidence to their guerilla leaders in order to prevent themselves from being killed….Homayra Sellier, President of Innocence in Danger of Geneva, Switzerland…which specializes in fighting child pornography on the Internet has found of cases of ritual abuse torture throughout Europe. “We have cases where parents have trafficked their own children, forced them into sex rings, pedophile rings. The psychological damage to these children is overwhelming.”…RAT is a family/group which involves organized violence structured into brutal dramas involving all forms of torture. Forms of torture include: Pedophilic torture begins and ends at an age desirable to the RAT pedophile. Pedophilic torture can begin with infants. Physical tortures cause extreme and excruciating pain, fear and terror of being killed, extreme exhaustion and/or permanent loss, disability, and/or disfigurement. Sexualized torture involves using objects and/or animals, forced nakedness, and group rapes. Mind-spirit torture causes torment and distorts beliefs and values, thoughts, emotions, perceptions, behaviors, and worldview. Schooling normalizes human evil beliefs and actions into family/group “rituals and ceremonies” using ritual drama – magic, symbols and connotations of all-powerful figureheads. Programming via mind-altering drugging, hypnosis, mind-control, trained dissociation, humiliation, degradation, objectification, inhumane experimentation, and dehumanization, are other examples. Exploitation includes pornography, sex and/or drug trade, and/or forced physical labor trade. Terrorization is defined as life-threatening acts – ham or actual – that create intense paralyzing fear in their victims, forcing victims to engage in the atrocities ritual abuse-torturers demand of them….According to Jeanne Sarson, “Perpetrators do what they do to dominate by inflicting totalitarian power and control and to terrify the victim into silence which protects perpetrators, to satisfy their needs and desires for cruel and inhumane pleasure and entertainment, and/or for greed and profit by engaging in the exploitation of their victims.” http://events-trade-shows.press-world.com/v/60491.html
describes crimes – More Charges in Fresno Family Slaying – 4/7/04 By Juliana Barbassa AP Fresno, Calif. – A man accused of killing nine of his children was charged Wednesday with 33 new counts, all alleging long-term sexual abuse and some dating as far back as 1988. “The new charges against Marcus Wesson include multiple counts of continuous sexual abuse and forcible rape against females who lived with him….Wesson, 57, already is charged with murdering eight children ages 1 to 17, as well as a 25-year-old daughter who police said was the mother of one of the slain children….Police have not disclosed a motive in the killings, but said Wesson may have engaged in incest and polygamy.” http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20040407/ap_on_re_us/fresno_slayings_1
Nine people found dead in California home, suspect in custody 3/13/04 AP “Fresno, Calif. “Dyer said the victims probably were Wesson’s children. “There may have been some type of ritual involved,” he said.” http://www.startribune.com/stories/484/4662049.html
Has descriptions of severe abuse – Murder by rite – James Hall – Mbabane, Swaziland 2/17/04 “Ritual murder is a fact in Swaziland….says Robert Dube, a businessperson in the capital city, Mbabane. Dube says his views are shared by most of his country’s people. “Ritual murder” is the imprecise name given to gruesome killings where no ritual is involved. “The victim is usually easily overpowered – a child, or a widow – and killed usually by hired killers,” says Vusie Masuku, spokesperson for the Royal Swaziland Police Force. Body parts of the murder victims are then “harvested”….The parts are then brought to a witch or sorcerer, who combines them with other ingredients to make a potion that brings “invulnerability” to the user. “It’s a form of sympathetic magic – the life force of the victim is sacrificed to give power to the user,” says Dr Thandie Malepe, director of the National Psychiatric Centre in Manzini, the commercial capital of Swaziland.” http://www.mg.co.za/Content/l3.asp?ao=31341
Man hit by stray bullet in KKK initiation ceremony 11/26/03 “A bullet fired in the air during a Ku Klux Klan initiation ceremony came down and struck a participant in the head, critically injuring him, authorities said. Gregory Allen Freeman, 45, was charged with aggravated assault and reckless endangerment in the incident that wounded Jeffery Murr, 24….The man who was being initiated was blindfolded, tied with a noose to a tree and shot with paintball guns as Freeman fired a pistol into the air to provide the sound of real gunfire, Sheriff Ed Graybeal said.” http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/11/25/1069522613252.html
Eyewitness to a killing Participant in ritual says he had seen the accused use prank as part of initiation many times without incident by Samuel Bruchey 3/12/04 “The induction ceremony in the basement of the Masonic lodge on Monday in Patchogue began as it had hundreds of times before for decades. All the old props were in place. Bear traps. Rat traps. A replica guillotine. The wooden plank.” “”Susan James said yesterday she didn’t want any of the Masons to attend the wake that was held for her husband yesterday afternoon at Lucia & Orlando Funeral Home Inc. in Patchogue. She turned down their offer of a special Mason funeral for her husband and has asked that his lodge “brothers” stay away from the funeral scheduled for today.” http://www.newsday.com/
A Ritual Gone Fatally Wrong Puts Light on Masonic Secrecy Patchogue, N.Y., 3/9/04 “The initiation rituals at the Masonic lodge here had been bathed in secrecy over the years…A new member of the Fellow Craft Club, a select group within the lodge, would sit in a chair while an older member stood 20 feet away and fired a handgun loaded with blanks. That ritual went terribly wrong inside Southside Masonic Lodge No. 493, in a basement littered with rat traps, tin cans, a 9-foot-tall guillotine, and a setup designed to mimic walking a plank. The shooter, a 76-year-old Mason, Albert Eid, was carrying two guns, a .22-caliber handgun with blanks in his left pocket, and a .32-caliber gun with live rounds in his right pocket. He reached into his right pants pocket, pulled out the wrong gun and shot William James, a 47-year-old fellow Mason, in the face, killing him, the authorities said.” http://www.nytimes.com/2004/03/10/nyregion/10shot.html?ex=1079917338&ei=1&en=c0912c19c48ee9d3
Man Killed During Initiation at Masonic Lodge 3/9/04 Patchogue, N.Y. “”We don’t use pistols,” Steve Mayo, who described himself as a senior deacon of the lodge, told reporters Tuesday. “This is not a Masonic ceremony where we bring pistols.” However, Fitzpatrick said members told police the rite involving a gun goes back at least 70 years. Mayo said the Monday night ceremony was an initiation into the Fellow Craft, which is the second degree within the multilevel Masonic system.” http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,113691,00.html
This article has descriptions of abuse. Fred West linked to the occult 2/22/04 By Caroline Wheeler “Serial killers Fred and Rose West shocked the world with an horrific murder spree that claimed at least 12 lives….an expert’s claims that they were devil-worshippers whose victims were human sacrifices. Renowned Irish author Jim Cairns says new evidence shows the pair may have been part of a Midland black magic ring. Mr Cairns has previously exposed a satanic sect operating in Kilkenny which he claimed had been responsible for the disappearance of a number of young people. He also wrote the book Disappeared Off The Face Of The Earth about his firsthand experiences of witches’ covens in Northern Ireland. Now he is writing a book about the Wests, which will claim that they may have been involved in ritual killings at Gloucester’s Cromwell Street – along with others who have never been brought to trial.” ttp://icbirmingham.icnetwork.co.uk/0100news/0100localnews/content_objectid=13977451_method=full_siteid=50002_headline=-Fred-West-linked-to-the-occult-name_page.html
This page may be heavy for survivors. Australian Government Mind Control Abuse and Survivorship page http://agmcsurvivorship.esmartdesign.com/index.htm
Information on mind control is at http://www.wanttoknow.info/mindcontrol and http://www.wanttoknow.info/mindcontrol10pg
This site contains information on Judaism, Conviction List: Ritual Child Abuse, Audio Tapes, Clinical Pages, Legal/Law Enforcement/Government – Conviction List: Ritual Child Abuse – Illinois Public Act #87-1167 – Ritualized Abuse of a Child – Exclusions, Penalties, Definition – Illinois Public Act 90-0088 – Ritualized Abuse of a Child, Ritual Mutilation – Idaho Statutes: Ritualized Abuse of a Child – Exclusions, Penalties, Definition – Severe Animal Cruelty in Ohio Emphasizes Importance Of Felony Animal Cruelty Laws and Survivor Organizations/Resources .” “”A 1993 survey by the American Bar Association’s Center on Children and Family Law determined that 26 percent of prosecutors nationwide have handled cases involving “ritualistic or sexual abuse.” (Ross, 1994). The ritualistic aspects of the crimes often are not presented in court but are clearly indicated in the victims’ accounts.” http://theawarenesscenter.org/ritualabuse.html
also see from LMS Thousands of Jehovah’s Witnesses Abused, Groups Say AP 3/28/04 Nashville “Present and former Jehovah’s Witnesses who claim they were sexually abused by congregation leaders gathered in their first national caucus…sharing grievances about the religion’s handling of abuse complaints and discussing legal strategy. William Bowen, former leader of a Kentucky congregation of Jehovah’s Witnesses, said…that more than 6,000 alleged sexual abuse victims have contacted a group he founded in 2001 to express “outrage at being silenced by the bad institutional policies” of the faith.” http://www.washingtonpost.com/
Jehovah’s Witnesses Hold Sex Abuse Caucus – Jehovah’s Witnesses Who Claim to Have Been Sexually Abused Hold Their First National Caucus AP Nashville, Tenn. 3/27/04 “A key participant was Kimberlee Norris, an attorney from Fort Worth, Texas, whose firm represents 47 alleged abuse victims in civil cases against Jehovah’s Witnesses organizations and individuals. Since getting involved in 2002, she said, she has spoken with more than 2,000 victims.” http://abcnews.go.com/wire/US/ap20040327_625.html
From LMS – Suit accuses church official of abuse – 4 say Jehovah’s Witness church hid crime; man a convicted child molester 2/19/04 Steve Hart “Four former members of the Jehovah’s Witnesses have filed a lawsuit in Superior Court, contending they were sexually abused by a church official in Sonoma County during the 1980s and the church covered up the crime. The lawsuit names two Sonoma County congregations of the Jehovah’s Witnesses and Donald L. Glew, a former church member who was convicted in 1989 of four counts of child molestation. Glew, now 52, was sentenced to 14 years in prison. According to the lawsuit, Glew was a church leader in Santa Rosa and Petaluma who used his position to gain access to young children of church members. He started molesting two of the plaintiffs when they were infants, the suit alleges. The other alleged victims were 1 and 5 years old when Glew started molesting them” http://www.pressdemocrat.com/local/news/19jehovah.html from LMS Annandale church isn’t liable in abuse suit Pam Louwagie 3/10/04 “A Jehovah’s Witnesses congregation in Annandale, Minn., isn’t liable if one of its members sexually abused two child congregants more than a decade ago, a Minnesota Court of Appeals panel ruled Tuesday. Though congregation elders had received a prior complaint of abuse and didn’t immediately report it to authorities, according to the ruling, the organization wasn’t responsible for protecting two of its members who claim they were abused by the same person later….in an opinion written by Judge Robert Schumacher and decided with judges Bruce Willis and Wilhelmina Wright, the court ruled that the organization didn’t have control or custody of the girls when the alleged abuse happened.” http://www.startribune.com/
“Utah Polygamists Buy Compound in Rural Texas….Flora Jessop checked this lead out and discovered that indeed the names and business entities that had been established in El Dorado closely match names and business entities known to be polygamists with close ties to Warren Jeffs, the…leader of the largest polygamist ‘church’ in the United States, the FLDS or the Fundamentalist Latter Day Saints.” http://www.childpro.org/
2 runaways hiding again – They fear being sent back to Colorado City By Nancy Perkins Deseret Morning News – Colorado City, Ariz. “Two teenage girls who ran away from their Colorado City homes last month are in hiding again, this time from the Arizona officials who are trying to help them. The girls, who were placed in Arizona protective custody after Flora Jessop, an anti-polygamy activist, drove them one night from Utah to Phoenix, are now the focus of a search by Arizona officials.” “Most of the residents in the twin border towns of Colorado City and Hildale, Utah, are members of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Polygamy is a central tenet of the FLDS Church, and most children grow up in homes with strict moral codes of conduct and little contact with outside media or influences.” http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,590044655,00.html
from LMS Polygamy on the Border “Tucked up against the Vermilion Cliffs on the backside of the desert wilderness that is Zion National Park, Colorado City and Hildale may appear to be the land time forgot. Men, women and children, wearing clothing reminiscent of pioneer days, have cut themselves off from TV, the Internet and much of everything else considered to be everyday conveniences of modern life. No matter where they’ve settled in North America, people who believe that plural marriage is a bedrock principle of their faith have never found respite from the law. ” http://www.sltrib.com/specials/polygamy/
Experts: Toxic tests on humans can be justified – Study for EPA lists under what conditions AP 2/20/04 “Washington – Dosing volunteers with toxic pesticides and pollutants for scientific purposes is justified only under strict conditions and with careful review, a National Academy of Sciences panel said Thursday….Erik Olson of the Natural Resources Defense Council said he was very troubled by the report. “We find it gravely disturbing,” he said, that toxic chemicals could be tested on humans and that the government would use the results of such tests done by industry in the past.” http://msnbc.msn.com/id/4314918/
Woman judge ‘ran sex ring that killed boy aged five’ By Hannah Cleaver in Berlin 3/1/03 “A woman former lay judge in a youth court in Germany is thought to have headed a child abuse ring that murdered a five-year-old boy. Police have arrested 12 men and women thought to have abused the dead boy, his friend, now aged seven, and an even younger girl and possibly other children.” http://www.news.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2003/03/01/wgerm01.xml&sSheet=/news/2003/03/01/ixworld.html
Judge tells of murder plots to block Dutroux investigation by Ambrose Evans-Pritchard in Arlon 3/5/04 “The Belgian judge who saved two young girls from Marc Dutroux’s paedophile dungeon broke down in the witness box yesterday, alleging high-level murder plots to stop his investigation into a child-sex mafia. Jean-Marc Connerotte choked in tears on the fourth day of the trial, describing the bullet-proof vehicles and armed guards needed to protect him against shadowy figures determined to stop the full truth coming out. “Never before in Belgium has an investigating judge at the service of the king been subjected to such pressure,” he said. “We were told by police that [murder] contracts had been taken out against the magistrates. As the danger mounted, emergency measures were taken.”…He alleged that “organised crime methods” were used to discredit his work and ensure that his investigation ended in “judicial failure.”” http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2004/03/05/wdut05.xml&sSheet=/news/2004/03/05/ixworld.html
Dutroux not working alone, jury told 3/2/04 “Brussels – Suspected child murderer Marc Dutroux was not working alone but was part of a network, the public prosecutor at his trial in Arlon told the jury on Tuesday. Reading out a 56-page statement summing up the events leading up to Dutroux’s 1996 arrest, Royal Procurer Michel Bourlet said Dutroux was not an “isolated predator”. Bourlet argued that Dutroux’s co-defendants, Belgian businessman Michel Nihould, his ex-wife Michelle Martin and his former sidekick Michel Lelievre, all stand accused of helping him kidnap six young girls, four of whom later died….the court could consider certain documents linked to a separate and ongoing investigation into whether Dutroux was indeed part of a bigger criminal network.” http://www.expatica.com/source/site_article.asp?subchannel_id=48&story_id=5215
Defence raise satanic cult 3/3/04 Arlon “Lawyers for alleged Belgian child killer Marc Dutroux on Tuesday evoked satanic cults, unreliable or missing witnesses and troubling forensic evidence in their defence of the serial rapist. Presenting a nine-page written statement at the trial in Arlon, southeast Belgium, Dutroux’s lead lawyer Xavier Magnee insisted that his client could not have acted alone in the abductions, rape and murders of several girls.” http://www.news24.com/News24/World/News/0,,2-10-1462_1492439,00.html
also see Dutroux: I was child sex ring pawn 3/3/04 Arlon, Belgium http://www.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/europe/03/03/belgium.trial/index.html
Jurors make their excuses as Dutroux goes on trial Paedophile’s murder case is too traumatic, judge is told – Ian Black – Arlon 3/2/04 “Lawyers predict Dutroux will seek to blame his co-defendant Mr Lelievre, 32, and the fourth suspect, Mr Nihoul, who face charges of kidnapping and complicity in the crimes. Mr Nihoul, 62, is said to have organised sex parties for the Brussels social elite. It is his involvement that has kept alive suspicions that Dutroux was part of a much bigger operation.” http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,3604,1159999,00.html
Truth ‘will be hidden’ in Belgium killer trial By Stephen Castle – Brussels 2/29/04 “Belgium’s biggest trial in living memory opens tomorrow, as a poll showed that almost nine in 10 of the nation’s citizens doubted that the truth would emerge about the rape, incarceration and murder of a string of young girls.” http://news.independent.co.uk/europe/story.jsp?story=496271
Belgian serial killer Dutroux goes on trial 2/26/04 By Gilles Castonguay – Brussels (Reuters) “Belgium’s Public Enemy Number One, self-confessed killer and child rapist Marc Dutroux” http://www.reuters.co.uk/newsPackageArticle.jhtml?type=worldNews&storyID=464960§ion=news
The devil’s work 2/22/04 “Marc Dutroux…His job, he says, was to abduct girls to order, and make them available for abuse by others who remain not only at large but – in many cases – in important public positions. Many believe him, and point to the extraordinarily long time – seven years – that it has taken to bring him to trial, and the catalogue of failures in the handling of the case as evidence of a vast establishment conspiracy to cover up the truth.” “The informer, Claude Thirault, offered detailed evidence, including that Dutroux had built a concrete bunker under his house to hold his victims. He further described the kind of girls Dutroux was looking for. They should not be too well-developed physically, but slender, with long hair – the kind of girls who would always look a little younger than they were. How did Thirault know all this? Because Dutroux had offered him £3,500 for each such girl he could procure. No serious attempt was made to investigate Thirault’s allegations. No special surveillance was mounted on Dutroux’s home. His bank statements – now known to have contained regular payments of up to £20,000 at a time.” http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2004/02/22/wbelg22.xml&sSheet=/news/2004/02/22/ixworld.html
also see Belgian child murder trial finally starts 2/27/04 http://news.scotsman.com/international.cfm?id=228192004
from LMS Convicted killer blamed for Atlanta child murders seeks new trial 2/24/04 “The man blamed for killing 24 young Atlanta blacks wants a new trial based on his claims that members of the Ku Klux Klan were responsible for the deaths and that evidence used against him was unreliable.” http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/news/archive/2004/02/24/national1810EST
0837.DTL
Deposition on Cold War weapons testing contradicts Pentagon by David Goldstein, Knight Ridder Newspapers Washington 1/9/04 (KRT) “A former top official of secret Cold War testing of defenses against chemical and biological weapons has undercut Pentagon denials that servicemen were treated as unwitting guinea pigs. In a recent deposition, J. Clifton Spendlove, a microbiologist who served as technical director of the military program known as Project 112, contradicted past Defense Department statements that the servicemen “were not test subjects, but test conductors.” “There were occasionally human samplers, and that’s what these people were,” said Spendlove, who acknowledged the subjects were not informed of details of the tests. Project 112 was a series of 134 land- and sea-based experiments conducted by the military between 1962 and 1973 on ways to use unconventional weapons and how to defend troops against Soviet arsenals. The tests took place in a half-dozen states, along with Canada, Great Britain and Panama.” http://www.centredaily.com/mld/centredaily/news/7675574.htm
Resources on Experiments Performed by the Atomic Energy Commission and the Dept of Defense http://www.gpc.peachnet.edu/~shale/humanities/composition/assignments/experiment/atomic.html
The Pentagon’s Secret Scream Sonic devices that can inflict pain–or even permanent deafness – are being deployed. By William M. Arkin ….3/7/04 South Pomfret, Vt. “Marines arriving in Iraq this month as part of a massive troop rotation will bring with them a high-tech weapon never before used in combat – or in peacekeeping. The device is a powerful megaphone the size of a satellite dish that can deliver recorded warnings in Arabic and, on command, emit a piercing tone so excruciating to humans, its boosters say, that it causes crowds to disperse, clears buildings and repels intruders.” http://fairuse.1accesshost.com/news1/latimes87.html
The Guardian – Pentagon used US citizens to test chemical and biological weapons 2/18/04 “The US Defence Department, in response to questions from Associated Press, has admitted that during the 1962-1973 period the Pentagon conducted chemical and biological weapons experiments using American soldiers and sailors as guinea pigs. The secretive tests involved 5842 soldiers and sailors – many of whom did not know what they were involved in. The experiments were designed to determine the effectiveness of biological and chemical agents in combat and methods to protect troops from attacks. An untold number of civilians also may have been exposed during some of the tests on the troops.” http://www.cpa.org.au/garchve04/1171pentagon.html
Germans Protest Radio-ID Plans By Kim Zetter 2/28/04 “Activists in Germany…will protest the use of radio-frequency IDs and various plans by businesses to track consumers. Their efforts already forced one of the largest retailers in Europe to back down this week from a trial run of the tags….Activists recently discovered RFID chips embedded in the store’s customer loyalty cards.” http://www.wired.com/news/business/0,1367,62472,00.html
Testimony of Garry Scarff vs. Scientology (plaintiff) http://www.caesar.elte.hu/Koz-Hely/scarff.txt
Journal Articles
Many of the journal abstract excerpts and quotes in this section of the newsletter came from the backlash_ology@yahoogroups.com listed as BO For info. write backlash_ology-owner@yahoogroups.com
Geraldo Rivera’s interview with Jesse Friedman “Busting the Kiddie Porn Underground” February 23, 1989 – Geraldo! “The whole show was devoted to exposing the extent of the problem of child porn in America. The Friedman case is used as a prime example. Geraldo Rivera interviews Jesse in prison. Jesse confessed to Geraldo that he and his father abused 17 children (he was convicted of only abusing 13) and stated that even more children witnessed the abuse. Jesse described his own abuse by his father which started at around age 8 (his father would fondle him while reading him bedtime stories) and progressed to sodomy. Jesse told in explicit detail how he and his father abused the children during computer classes and Jesse helped “keep the children in line” during the classes. When asked why the children never told, Jesse replied: “For the same reason I never told.” Jesse went on to reveal that he and his father threatened the children by telling them that they would “hunt down” their parents and burn their houses down if they talked. Several parents of the the victims are interviewed. They note that the Friedmans also threatened to send explicit sexual pictures of the children to area newspapers and television stations. Jesse explains that child porn was his father’s “hobby” and admits that he posed for 100s of photographs and videos in which he sexually abused the children. Geraldo notes that Jesse told him the names of some of his father’s friends with whom he traded child porn. Jesse’s attorney, Peter Panera, is interviewed. He tells how he and Jesse made a special trip to Wisconsin to visit Arnold Friedman in prison to convince him to reveal where he had hidden the photos and videos of the children. Arnold refused to reveal what he had done with them, despite the fact that it would have helped gain lenacy for his son. Ms. Friedman also appears on the show. She suggests that the case against her son has been exaggerated.” http://www.leadershipcouncil.org/Media/CTF/Bib/bib.html
has graphic descriptions of abuse – Victims break their silence 2/29/04 by Victor Manuel Ramos “All these years later, he can still close his eyes and feel the haunting stare of the wiry young man who he said started fondling him a few weeks into computer classes when he was 10 years old. Jesse Friedman, then 17 or 18, was supposed to be teaching the boy – assigned the name “Gregory Doe” by law enforcement officials – how to convert the basic binary language of the Commodore 64 computer for use on his own Apple IIc. “Uncle Jesse” – as Gregory was told to call him – was showing him other things as well, he recounted. Right there in the middle of the class, out among the other students in the basement room of Arnold Friedman’s Great Neck home, Gregory Doe said the abuse started when Jesse Friedman slid his hand onto his thighs and started rubbing. He told Gregory to relax then groped him some before reaching inside his pants.” “In 1987, Gregory was one of the 17 boys who told Nassau law enforcement officials that they had been abused at the Friedmans’ home on Piccadilly Road….”I see this media circus that Jarecki has generated to promote this film as an unjustified and cynical attack on the defenders of these children and therefore supportive of those who would victimize them,” she said.” “”Gregory Doe said he does not need hypnosis to remind him of what the Friedmans did to him. His family sent him to a private therapist after he provided his statement to police but prior to his appearance before the grand jury. The therapist used hypnosis, he said, to try and get him to the point where he could talk about what had been done to him without throwing up. He said Jesse Friedman abused him first, followed by Arnold and Goldstein, and that he was made to undress, assume sexual positions and perform and receive oral sex. The most horrid abuse took place during one-on-one makeup sessions when he was left alone with Arnold Friedman. He said both father and son committed forcible sodomy on him multiple times. He said Arnold and Jesse made him and others play leapfrog naked. Galasso, the retired chief detective on the case, said Gregory’s interview with Newsday was consistent with his original statement to police.” “Diagnosed in his preteen years, Gregory said he has persistent rectal bleeding from the abuse. Memories aside, the physical scar will never let him forget. “This is the constant reminder I live with every day,” Gregory said, “that I was abused.” http://www.newsday.com/news/local/longisland/ny-friedman0229,0,2239959.story?coll=ny-linews-headlines
“Capturing the Friedmans”: Examining the Myths Behind the Movie “The assertion of suggestive therapy practices is contradicted by a statement by the two main clinicians who worked with the victims in the Friedman case. Dr. Sandra Kaplan and Dr. David Pelcovitz of NorthShore University Hospital in Long Island, both of whom are well-known experts in the field of psychological trauma, provided group therapy for the Friedmans’ victims. Drs. Kaplan and Pelcovitz emphasize that hypnosis was never used in the treatment of these children and that no therapy was offered until after all forensic evidence was gathered by the police (Pelcovitz, personal communication with Dr. Joyanna Silberg, January 11, 2004).” http://www.leadershipcouncil.org/Media/CTF/Myths/myths.html
2 victims’ advocacy groups protest documentary on abuse by Prentiss Findlay, The Post and Courier 3/2/04 “The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences received thousands of letters from two victims’ advocacy groups protesting its Oscar nomination of the documentary “Capturing the Friedmans,” a local advocate said. From Darkness to Light founder Ann Lee said members of her group and the group Stop Family Violence wrote some 18,000 letters about the content of the film…” “Our biggest concern is that (the documentary) really highlights what we feel like are huge myths in and around sexual abuse – (that) if children were really being molested then they would tell while it was going on, (and that) they are making it up coming forward years later.” http://charleston.net/stories/030204/wor_02findlay.shtml
Capturing the Friedmans’ victims ask Academy to deny documentary Oscar By Deepti Hajela AP 2/17/04 “New York – Two men whom Jesse Friedman pleaded guilty to sexually abusing as boys have written an open letter to Academy Awards voters, speaking out against the Oscar-nominated documentary about the Friedman family….”If this film does win an Oscar, it will be won at the expense of silencing the plaintive voices of abused children once again, just as our own voices were silenced 16 years ago by the threats and intimidation of our tormentors, Arnold and Jesse Friedman,” said the letter.” http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/features/20040217-1908-film-denyingthefriedmans.html
Film undermines efforts to fight child abuse By Jennifer Freyd 2/29/04 “We are in serious denial, as a culture, about child abuse and its brutal costs – both to our youth and to our nation. The latest sign of our collective denial is the nomination of a seriously flawed film for an Oscar.” “A film that pretends to be neutral in order to reinforce a biased viewpoint can be more powerful than one that openly takes an advocacy position. The practical impact of the film has been to discredit the victims, to create confusion about the conviction of the perpetrators and to generally support the mistaken view that people often are falsely convicted of child abuse.” http://www.registerguard.com/cgi-bin/printStory.py?name=ed.col.freyd.0229&date=20040229
Abuse experts assail movie 2/23/04 Marina Pisano “Some child-abuse experts say the film hurts children by misleading the public about crimes against children and helping “create an environment that keeps victims silent.” In “Capturing the Friedmans,” director Andrew Jarecki weaves together many interviews with old 8 mm home movies and videos to tell the story of admitted pedophile Arnold Friedman and teenage son Jesse….”The film gives the impression truth is elusive and maybe the Friedmans didn’t molest boys. It leaves out information that, if included, wouldn’t leave that doubt,” says Joyanna Silberg, child psychologist and vice president of the Leadership Council on Child Abuse and Interpersonal Violence. Abbey Boklan, the now-retired Nassau County judge who presided over both cases, has raised concerns, too, insisting there are no doubts about the Friedmans’ guilt. “There never was an issue as to whether they were guilty or not. To me it (the film) is deliberately slanted.” http://www.mysanantonio.com/salife/stories/MYSA1131888.xml.4182b4.html
Paul Vitello – Two Friedman victims send message 2/24/04 “Most compelling of all, he has lent his moral support – though he insists not his money – to a legal appeal to overturn the 1989 sexual abuse conviction of Jesse Friedman, whose case is at the core of the film. Jarecki says Jesse, who with his late father, Arnold, ultimately pleaded guilty to molesting 13 boys during computer classes in their Great Neck home, were victims of an overzealous prosecution by Nassau County authorities and a public hysteria concerning alleged child sex abuse….To the extent that Jarecki’s film purports to show a miscarriage of justice, however, it seems to tilt into fiction. Will that matter when the awards are given out Sunday?” http://www.newsday.com/news/columnists/ny-livit243684239feb24,0,4488684.column?coll=ny-news-columnists
Victims Say Film on Molesters Distorts Facts By Sharon Waxman 2/24/04 Los Angeles “Capturing the Friedmans, “…Mr. Jarecki, the director, “ignored and hid evidence that Jesse was guilty and didn’t reach out to actual victims, because I never heard from him,” said the mother of one of 13 victims. Her son gave grand jury testimony against Jesse Friedman in 1987. The New York Times has agreed to protect her identity and her son’s. Mr. Jarecki said in an e-mail interview that he had tried to reach each of the 13 accusers of Jesse Friedman…” “They (the victims) wrote: “We did not lie. We did not exaggerate. We were never hypnotized to tell our stories.” They said the director had twisted the facts in the film to make it appear that they had.” “”Four other victims who have retained a lawyer to fight Jesse Friedman’s motion to vacate his guilty plea also criticized the film. “I don’t see the film as a representation of any type of investigation that was done,” said…Marinello…lawyer, who said the four men did not want to be interviewed.” http://www.nytimes.com/2004/02/24/movies/oscars/24FRIE.html?ex=1078587559&ei=1&en=66d6bb422a83a77d
Tim Robbins Mystic River Oscar Acceptance Speech “In this movie, I play a victim of abuse and violence and if you are out there and are a person that has — had that tragedy befall you, there is no shame and no weakness in seeking help and counseling it is sometimes the strongest thing that you can do to stop the cycle of violence.” http://oscar.com/oscarnight/winners/win_33171.html
from LMS A Mother’s Ordeal Forces Britain to Review Crib Deaths by Lizette Alvarez 2/8/04 Salisbury, England “Angela Cannings spent 20 months in prison, convicted of smothering two of her babies, before an appeals court declared it was all a grave mistake – the murder charges, her trial, her conviction and her life sentence.” “Ms. Cannings’s case has called into question the testimony of Sir Roy Meadow, a prominent pediatrician who was the first to suggest in 1977 that some mothers induce illness in their children to draw attention to themselves.” “”Sir Roy, as a witness for the prosecution, told the jury, “The diagnosis for me, the clinical diagnosis, would be this was characteristic of smothering.” But he had never seen the babies or interviewed the parents and, as the appellate court pointed out, there was a dearth of evidence: no cause of death could be determined; there was no sign the babies had been injured; and there was no history of parental violence or abuse.” http://www.nytimes.com/2004/02/08/international/europe/08BRIT.html?pagewanted=print&position=
Petitions are circulating in California for the “Sexual Predator Punishment and Megan’s Law Expansion Act” slated for the November ballot. The Initiative will increase punishments for sexual predators, especially repeat offenders, and publish the Megan’s Law database on the Internet. If interested, please contact the Lara Marie Foundation at LaraMarie1111@aol.com.
Study: 1 in 8 Iowa women a rape victim By Jason Kristufek, 2/4/04 “They estimate that 145,000 Iowa women, or 12.7 percent, have been raped, which is slightly lower than the national average of 13.4 percent.” http://www.amestrib.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=10916509
Basu: 1 in 8; where’s the outrage? By Rekha Basu 02/15/04 “The report says 60 percent of the 145,000 Iowa women who have been raped were under 18 when it happened.” http://desmoinesregister.com/opinion/stories/c5917686/23520601.html
Canadian Website on Child Abuse http://www.breakingthesilence.com/
Explanations for the Decline in Child Sexual Abuse Cases (NCJ 199298) January 2004 – OJJDP Crimes Against Children Series, Bulletin, 12 pages Finkelhor, D., Jones, L. M. “Discusses the decline in the number of sexual abuse cases substantiated by child protective service agencies between 1992 and 2000.” http://ojjdp.ncjrs.org/publications/PubAbstract.asp?pubi=11458
On-line Resources on Victimization of Males http://www.leadershipcouncil.org/Media/CTF/male2/male2.html
Links to Organisations in Ireland http://oneinfour.org/links/
Neurobiological consequences of childhood trauma Nemeroff CB J Clin Psychiatry 2004; 65 Suppl 1:18-28.\ “There is considerable evidence to suggest that adverse early-life experiences have a profound effect on the developing brain. Neurobiological changes that occur in response to untoward early-life stress can lead to lifelong psychiatric sequelae. Children who are exposed to sexual or physical abuse or the death of a parent are at higher risk for development of depressive and anxiety disorders later in life. Preclinical and clinical studies have shown that repeated early-life stress leads to alterations in central neurobiological systems, particularly in the corticotropin-releasing factor system, leading to increased responsiveness to stress. Clearly, exposure to early-life stressors leads to neurobiological changes that increase the risk of psychopathology in both children and adults. Identification of the neurobiological substrates that are affected by adverse experiences in early life should lead to the development of more effective treatments for these disorders.” Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA 30322-4990, USA. cnemero@emory.edu
State of Washington, Respondent, V. Charles ‘Chuck’ Noah, Appellant. David L. Calof, d/b/a Family Psychotherapy Practice of Seattle, Respondent, V. Francie Casebeer, Appellant, James Joyce; Charles ‘Chuck’ Noah and June Noah….No. 41241-8-I Consolidated with No. 43048-3-I Court of Appeals of Washington, Division One 103 Wn. App. 29; 9 P.3d 858; 2000 Wash. App. Lexis 2380 September 11, 2000, Filed….Noah and Casebeer were involved in activities protesting Calof’s work in repressed memory recovery. Calof secured an antiharassment order against Noah. Noah was found in contempt for violating the antiharassment order. Noah challenges the antiharassment order and his conviction for contempt on the grounds it violated First Amendment rights including free speech, the right to picket, and the right to photograph Calof in public. We hold an antiharassment order may place enforceable limits of First Amendment rights as needed to enforce the no contact provisions of the order. We affirm the antiharassment order and his conviction for contempt.” You will have to join this list to read this post. http://www.topica.com/lists/mc/read/message.html?mid=909567689&sort=d&start=21975
“Predators : Pedophiles, Rapists, and Other Sex Offenders – Who They Are, How They Operate, And How We Can Protect Ourselves and Our Children” by Anna C. Salter PH.D. pub. by Basic Books, Perseus Books Group, New York, NY ISBN 0-465-07172-4 quotes from the book “The Department of Justice estimates that on average, there is one child molester per square mile in the United States.” “The average child molester victimizes between 50 and 150 children before he is ever arrested (and many more after he is arrested.)” p. x “The Bureau of Justice Statistics reports that fully 15% of rape victims are younger than twelve.” p. xi
Url for medline searches http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?CMD=Limits&DB=PubMed
The Way Back machine – Browse through 30 billion web pages archived from 1996 to a few months ago. http://www.archive.org/web/web.php
Multiplicity, Abuse & Healing Network – DID & Healing On Site Articles http://www.m-a-h.net/library/did-heal/index.htm
life support – the child prostitution and pornography survivor writing collective http://www.lifesupportcollective.org
Childhood Adversities as Risk Factors for Alexithymia and Other Aspects of Affect Dysregulation in Adulthood – Cornelis G. Kooiman, Sonja van Rees Vellinga, Philip Spinhoven, Nel Draijer, Rutger W. Trijsburg, Harry G.M. Rooijmans – Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics 2004;73:107-116 “”Maternal and paternal parenting styles were moderately correlated with alexithymia and depression. The paternal parenting style was also correlated with dissociation. Optimal parenting of one of the parents had a buffering effect on the degree of alexithymia, but not on the severity of other forms of affect dysregulation. The effect of sexual or physical abuse did not add to that of parental parenting style in terms of predicting affect dysregulation. However, a positively perceived maternal parenting style was found to have a buffering effect in terms of the degree of alexithymia, if sexual abuse had also taken place.” cgkooiman@lumc.nl http://content.karger.com/ProdukteDB/produkte.asp?Aktion=ShowAbstract&ProduktNr=223864&Ausgabe=229842&ArtikelNr=75542
Psychiatry 64(4) Winter 2001 p.319 The Contribution of Early Traumatic Events to Schizophrenia in Some Patients: A Traumagenic Neurodevelopmental Model John Read, Bruce D. Perry, Andrew Moskowitz, and Jan Connolly “The current diathesis-stress model of schizophrenia proposes that a genetic deficit creates a predisposing vulnerability in the form of oversenstivity to stress. This model positions all psychosocial events on the stress side of the diathesis-stress equation. As an example of hypotheses that emerge when consideration is given to repositioning adverse life events as potential contributors to the diathesis, this article examines one possible explanation for the high prevalence of child abuse found in adults diagnosed schizophrenic. A traumagenic neurodevelopmental (TN) model of schizophrenia is presented, documenting the similarities between the effects of traumatic events on the developing brain and the biological abnormalities found in persons diagnosed with schizophrenia, including overreactivity of the hypothalamic -pituitary -adrenal (HPA)axis; dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin abnormalities; and structural changes to the brain such as hippocampal damage, cerebral atrophy, ventricular enlargement, and reversed cerebral asymmetry. The TN model offers potential explanations for other findings in schizophrenia research beyond oversensitivity to stress, including cognitive impairment, pathways to positive and negative symptoms, and the relationship between psychotic and dissociative symptomatology.” http://www.childtrauma.org/CTAMATERIALS/Psychiatry_02.pdf
from LMS Why identical twins stop being identical – Because DNA ‘epigenetics’ has kicked in…by Paul Taylor 3/20/04 “But at the age of 19, their lives took dramatically different paths. Malcolm was stricken with schizophrenia and suffered from hallucinations and delusions….It may even explain how personality is shaped in early infancy. Epigenetics is the study of gene regulation – or what turns genes on and off. Researchers speculate that twins can be born with the same DNA, but undergo subtle changes in which different genes are activated, giving rise to different medical conditions.” http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/ArticleNews/TPStory/LAC/20040320/TWINS20/TPFocus/
[Child sexual abuse: a study among 892 female students of a medical school][Article in Chinese] Chen JQ, Han P, Dunne MP. Zhonghua Er Ke Za Zhi. 2004 Jan; 42(1):39-43. “A cross-sectional survey was carried out among 892 female students from a medical school by anonymous self-administered questionnaire during Oct. 2002….Among 892 female students, 25.6% reported having experienced CSA (any one of 12 forms non-physical contact and physical contact CSA) before the age of 16 years. The median age at first episode was 12 years. Comparing the rates of CSA of female students in different parents’ education level, between one-child in a family and more than one-child in a family, among rural area, county and city, there were no significant differences. Compared to the students who had not experienced CSA, the students who had experienced CSA reported higher levels of depression…lower levels of health status self-evaluation…; higher proportion of subjects who reported drinking alcohol and having ever smoked during the past 30 days…; a higher percentage engaged in sexual intercourse…; ever seriously considered attempting suicide…, making a plan about how would attempt suicide…, being threatened or injured by someone with a weapon such as a knife or club on school property …, being involved in physical fight…during the 12 months preceding the survey.” Institute of Child and Adolescent Health, Peking University, Beijing 100083 China.
Notes From The Controversy – Ethics Complaints Filed Against Prominent FMSF Board Member – APA Declines To Investigate “In December 1995, two women filed ethics complaints with the American Psychological Association (APA) against Elizabeth Loftus, PhD, regarding her published statements about two legal cases involving delayed memories of sexual abuse. Citing procedural considerations, however, the APA has declined to investigate the women’s ethics complaints. Jennifer Hoult (a concert harpist living in New York) and Lynn Crook (a Washington State consultant) each filed separate complaints with the APA, alleging that Loftus mischaracterized the facts of their legal cases in published articles. Both women brought successful civil suits because of the sexual abuse that the fathers (and the mother, in Crook’s case) perpetrated against them during their childhoods. At their trials, they presented corroborative evidence that met the requirements for judicial proof of their allegations.” http://fmsf.com/apa-complaint.shtml
from BO Childhood maltreatment as a risk factor for adult cardiovascular disease and depression. Batten SV, Aslan M, Maciejewski PK, Mazure CM. J Clin Psychiatry 2004 Feb; 65(2):249-54 “Childhood maltreatment was associated with a significant increase in cardiovascular disease for women only and with a significant increase in lifetime depression for both genders. A history of childhood maltreatment removed the natural protection against cardiovascular disease for women and depression for men. Although depression and cardiovascular disease were correlated, depression did not contribute to the prediction of cardiovascular disease in women when controlling for history of childhood maltreatment.” Women’s Health Research at Yale and Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Conn.
from BO Remembering emotional events. Burke A, Heuer F, Reisberg D. Mem Cognit 1992 May; 20(3):277-90. “Our results indicate a small role for retention interval in moderating emotion’s effects on memory. However, emotion had markedly different impacts on different types of material: Emotion improved memory for gist and basic-level visual information and for plot-irrelevant details associated, both temporally and spatially, with the event’s center. In contrast, emotion undermined memory for details not associated with the event’s center.” Psychology Department, Reed College, Portland OR 97202.
This website has information on dissociative disorders. http://www.empty-memories.nl
Memories are harder to forget than currently thought 3/15/04 Philadelphia “….Their findings challenge the prevailing notion on how memories are stored and remembered – or that a recalled memory could be altered or lost as it is “re-remembered.” “Current theories of memory state that the act of remembering turns a stored memory into something malleable that then needs to be re-encoded,” said K. Matthew Lattal, a postdoctoral researcher in Penn’s Department of Biology and a co-author of the study. “We show that the act of retrieving an old memory and then putting it back into storage is a different process than creating a memory in the first place. Unfortunately, it could mean that ‘erasing’ traumatic memories is not as simple as one might hope. The study will be published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science.” Greg Lester glester@pobox.upenn.edu University of Pennsylvania http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2004-03/uop-mah031504.php
Habitual self-mutilation in Japan. Matsumoto T, Azekawa T, Yamaguchi A, Asami T, Iseki E. Psychiatry Clin Neurosci. 2004 Apr; 58(2):191-198. “The purpose of the present study was to clarify the relationship between bulimic behavior, dissociative phenomenon and sexual/physical abuse histories in Japanese subjects with habitual self-mutilation….Habitual self-mutilation is likely to coexist with depression, bulimia, and dissociation. Such patients frequently have clinical features similar to those of ‘multi-impulsive bulimia’. Evidence supports the association between habitual self-mutilation and sexual/childhood physical abuse in Japan.” Department of Psychiatry, Yokohama City University School of Medicine, Yokohama, Kanagawa….
Has graphic details of abuse. Searching For Angela Shelton 3/10/04 “”However, Angela says her father wanted their “sex education” kept secret – and he made sure they knew it. “Aside from being molested, he also beat the blank out of us. You know, we were bare butt, belts, the whole nine yards,” says Angela. For five years, the abuse went on, and so did the silence – until one day, in 1981, Stephen told his real father the horrible truth about what his stepfather was doing: “Dad called Social Services immediately, and they picked me and my sister up from school.” http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/03/09/48hours/main604910.shtml
J.J. Freyd’s Trauma, Memory and Betrayal Trauma Research Articles, Chapters, Papers including : Freyd, Jennifer J. (1994). Betrayal trauma: Traumatic amnesia as an adaptive response to childhood abuse. Ethics & Behavior 4 (4) 307-329. Abstract: Describes psychogenic amnesia as an adaptive response to childhood abuse based on betrayal trauma theory. Why amnesia is a response to childhood abuse, the cognitive architecture of these dissociations, why and how traumatic amnesia occurs, and the implications of these findings are discussed. Victims may need to remain unaware of the trauma not to reduce suffering but rather to promote survival. Amnesia enables the child to maintain an attachment with a figure vital to survival, development, and thriving.” http://dynamic.uoregon.edu/~jjf/traumapapers.html
14th National Conference on Child Abuse and Neglect – The Relationship of Adverse Childhood Experiences to Adult Health Status http://nccanch.acf.hhs.gov/profess/conferences/cbconference/fourteenth/presentations/ahdc/index.cfm
Psychiatric News March 19, 2004 Volume 39 Number 6 c 2004 American Psychiatric Association p. 59 Clinical & Research News – PTSD Program Breaks New Ground in Canada Joan Arehart-Treichel “Canada offers an inpatient treatment program for adults with posttraumatic stress disorder….The program, which is underwritten by Canada’s universal health insurance system, runs six weeks. It has been in existence for a decade and, to date, has treated some 3,000 PTSD patients, from child-abuse survivors and motor-accident victims to peacekeepers who have witnessed atrocities.” Http://pn.psychiatryonline.org/cgi/content/full/39/6/59
Posttraumatic stress disorder and fMRI activation patterns of traumatic memory in patients with borderline personality disorder. Driessen M, Beblo T, Mertens M, Piefke M, Rullkoetter N, Silva-Saavedra A, Reddemann L, Rau H, Markowitsch HJ, Wulff H, Lange W, Woermann FG. Biol Psychiatry. 2004 Mar 15; 55(6):603-11. “The purpose of this study was to investigate neural correlates of traumatic memory in BPD with and without posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI)….Analyses for all subjects revealed activation of orbitofrontal cortex areas in both hemispheres, anterior temporal lobes, and occipital areas. In the subgroup without PTSD, activation of orbitofrontal cortex on both sides and Broca’s area predominated. In the subgroup with additional PTSD, we observed right more than left activation of anterior temporal lobes, mesiotemporal areas, amygdala, posterior cingulate gyrus, occipital areas, and cerebellum…Dependent on absence or presence of additional PTSD, different neural networks seem to be involved in the traumatic memory of patients with BPD….Center of Psychiatry and Psychological Medicine…, Gilead Hospital Bethel, Bielefeld, Germany, Bielefeld.”
Psychiatric News March 19, 2004 Volume 39 Number 6 c 2004 American Psychiatric Association p. 61 Clinical & Research News – Brain Activation May Explain PTSD Flashbacks “Joan Arehart-Treichel PTSD subjects appear to process traumatic memories differently from subjects without PTSD. This difference may help explain why people with PTSD tend to recall traumatic memories as visual flashbacks, while those without the disorder recall verbal narratives. When persons with posttraumatic stress disorder remember trauma, right areas of their brains tend to be activated, whereas when individuals without PTSD remember trauma, left areas of their brains are apt to be aroused, according to a study reported in the January American Journal of Psychiatry. The study was headed by Ruth Lanius, M.D., Ph.D., an assistant professor of psychiatry at the University of Western Ontario in London, Ontario, and an affiliate of the Robarts Research Institute.” http://pn.psychiatryonline.org/cgi/content/full/39/6/61 The full article is at http://ajp.psychiatryonline.org/cgi/content/full/161/1/36?
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and Associated Features as Predictors of Revictimization and Perpetration with Samples of Adults Abused During Childhood By Anne Marie Dietrich…A Thesis …The University of British Columbia…Women were significantly more likely to report revictimization, and male inmates were significantly more likely to perpetrate against others. Whereas PTSD and Somatoform Dissociation are the strongest dynamic predictors of any sexual or physical revictimization, Impaired Self Capacities are more often associated with revictimization by intimate partners in particular. Trauma-specific dissociation was associated with a decreased risk of revictimization, whereas peritraumatic and trait dissociation did not enter predictive models. Posttraumatic sequelae were not associated with increased risk of physical perpetration with these samples; however, IASC scores were associated with an increased risk of sexual perpetration and victim-based cognitive distortions were associated with decreased odds of sexual violence. These findings provide partial support for the Complex PTSD (Herman, 1992a) construct. ” http://www3.telus.net/trauma/Dissertation.pdf
Medical Disorders as a Cause of Psychological Trauma and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder – Elizabeth Mundy; Andrew Baum – Curr Opin Psychiatry 17(2):123-128, 2004. c 2004 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins “As the study of psychological trauma and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has evolved, it has broadened to include non-traditional stressors or situations that share characteristics of the criteria for psychological trauma but differ in important ways….Because research on trauma has shown that the types of events that cause or enable PTSD are more common than uncommon (e.g., rape, assault), the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) 4th edition has changed criterion A of PTSD by omitting the description of the stressor as ‘outside the range of normal human experience’. Instead, criterion A now requires that the individual’s experience in response to the stressor must include intense fear, helplessness or horror.” http://www.medscape.com/
Neurocognitive deficits and history of childhood abuse in schizophrenia spectrum disorders: Associations with Cluster B personality traits. Lysaker PH, Wickett AM, Lancaster RS, Davis LW. Schizophr Res 2004 May 1; 68(1):87-94. “Cluster B personality traits have been detected in persons with schizophrenia, at a rate exceeding that of the general population. Unclear, however, is how to account for such high rates of Cluster B traits….Pearson correlation coefficients revealed that higher levels of histrionic and narcissistic traits were related to poorer neurocognition while higher levels of narcissistic traits were negatively correlated with childhood physical abuse. Higher levels of borderline traits were uniquely related to the report of childhood sexual abuse while higher levels of antisocial traits were related to higher levels of childhood physical abuse….” Roudebush VA Medical Center and Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA.
“This website provides current information on research and intervention with families experiencing both child maltreatment and woman battering. The intent is to link both research and practice to develop collaborative multi-disciplinary models for working with families experiencing both forms of abuse. Studies suggest that in 30% to 60% of all families where women are being beaten, their children are also the victims of abuse by the same perpetrator.” http://nccanch.acf.hhs.gov/frames/frameset_a.cfm?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Emincava%2Eumn%2Eedu%2Flink
from BO A positron emission tomography study of memories of childhood abuse in borderline personality disorder. Schmahl CG, Vermetten E, Elzinga BM, Bremner JD. Biol Psychiatry 2004 Apr 1; 55(7):759-65. “Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is a common psychiatric disorder, which is linked to early stressors in many cases; however, the impact of traumatic events in the etiology of BPD is still unclear. This pilot study was conducted to measure the neural correlates of recall of traumatic memories in women with and without BPD….Dysfunction of dorsolateral and medial prefrontal cortex, including anterior cingulate, seems to be correlated with the recall of traumatic memories in women with BPD. These brain areas might mediate trauma-related symptoms, such as dissociation or affective instability, in patients with BPD.” Department of Psychosomatic Medicine (CGS), Central Institute of Mental Health, Mannheim, Germany.
from BO Vantage point in traumatic memory. McIsaac HK, Eich E. Psychol Sci 2004 Apr; 15(4):248-53. “Persons with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) spontaneously recalled the traumatic event that led to their condition from either a field or an observer vantage point….Observer trauma memories were also experienced as less emotional and anxiety provoking than field trauma memories.” Harbor UCLA Medical Center.
The impact of a history of sexual abuse on high-risk sexual behaviors among females attending alternative schools. Buzi RS, Tortolero SR, Roberts RE, Ross MW, Addy RC, Markham CM. Adolescence 2003 Winter; 38(152):595-605. “Having a history of sexual abuse substantially increased sexual risk behaviors. Adolescents reporting a history of sexual abuse, compared to those who did not report such a history, were significantly more likely to have initiated sexual activity (intercourse) before age 14, to have had three or more sexual partners in the last 3 months, and to have had a history of sexually transmitted diseases. These associations remained significant after controlling for age, ethnicity, and family income. Depression and substance abuse did not explain the association between sexual abuse and high-risk sexual behaviors. It seems reasonable to conclude that adolescents with a history of sexual abuse have greater difficulty practicing safe sexual behaviors than do those who have not been sexually abused.” Teen Health Clinic, Baylor College of Medicine, One Baylor Plaza, Houston, Texas 77030, USA. rbuzi@bcm.tmc.edu
Summary – Child Maltreatment 2002 “For calendar year 2002, an estimated 1,800,000 referrals alleging child abuse or neglect were accepted by State and local child protective services (CPS) agencies for investigation or assessment. The referrals included more than 3 million children, and of those, approximately 896,000 children were determined to be victims of child abuse or neglect by the CPS agencies.” “”More than 80 percent of perpetrators were parents. Other relatives accounted for 7 percent and unmarried partners of parents accounted for 3 percent of perpetrators. The remaining perpetrators include persons with other (camp counselor, school employee, etc.) or unknown relationships to the child victims….Female perpetrators, mostly mothers, were typically younger than male perpetrators, mostly fathers. Women also comprised a larger percentage of all perpetrators than men, 58 percent compared to 42 percent…Nearly 29 percent of all perpetrators of sexual abuse were other relatives, and nearly one-quarter were in nonrelative or nonchildcaring roles. In addition, less than 3 percent of all parent perpetrators were associated with sexual abuse.” http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/cb/publications/cm02/summary.htm http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/cb/publications/cm02/index.htm
Sex-offender treatment queried – Jail programs had little effect on whether freed inmates reoffended, new study shows By Jane Armstrong 3/31/04 “Vancouver – Treating sex offenders in custody for their deviant urges has little impact on whether they go on to commit sex crimes – or other offences – after they’re freed, according to a new study. The study, which is sure to reignite the debate about whether sex offenders can ever be safely rehabilitated, traced a group of 724 sex offenders serving federal prison terms in British Columbia beginning in the early 1980s. Of these, 403 received treatment, while 321 did not. After 12 years, the criminals who underwent a treatment program in jail had slightly lower repeat records, but the differences were so negligible that researchers said they had no significance. For example, 21.1 per cent of sex offenders who received treatment went on to commit another sex crime, compared with 21.8 per cent of those who were not treated. Another 42.9 per cent of treated criminals committed violent crimes after release, compared with 44.5 per cent for offenders with no treatment. For other crimes, the repeat rate was 56.6 per cent for treated offenders versus 60.4 per cent for those who weren’t counselled. “It is reasonable to conclude that the overall [treatment] program did not have any meaningful effect on recidivism rates,” said the study, co-authored by psychologist Karl Hanson and published in the Canadian Journal of Behavioural Studies.” http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/ArticleNews/TPStory/LAC/20040331/TREATMENT31/TPScience/
Stability of recall of military hazards over time. Evidence from the Persian Gulf War of 1991. Wessely S, Unwin C, Hotopf M, Hull L, Ismail K, Nicolaou V, David A. Br J Psychiatry 2003 Oct; 183:314-22. “A questionnaire-based follow-up study assessed 2370 UK military personnel, repeating earlier questions about exposure to military hazards….Gulf veterans reported more exposures over time (no significant rise in the Bosnia cohort). In the Gulf cohort only, reporting new exposures was associated with worsening health perception, and forgetting previously reported exposures with improved perception. We found no association between physical health, psychological morbidity or post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms and endorsement or non-endorsement of exposures.” King’s Centre for Military Health Research, King’s College London, UK. s.wessely@iop.kcl.ac.uk