City Room Press

A Dangerous Woman – Swallowed Whole by Patriot Act 181

2012-02-11T23:20:00.000-08:00

The following report is posted by Susan Lindauer at http://www.veteranstoday.com/author/lindauer/

I recommend this article for all to read. Susan Lindauer's story is more than just an interesting story, it will open your eyes to the danger of the Patriot Act as well as the barefaced attack on the Constitution.

Thomas Cain

Sunday, December 11th, 2011 | Posted at http://www.veteranstoday.com/author/lindauer/ by Susan Lindauer
A Dangerous Woman – Swallowed Whole by Patriot Act 181
Indefinite Detention at Carswell Air Force Base

by Susan Lindauer

Some things are truly unforgivable in a democracy.

A bill moving through Congress, authorizing the military to imprison Americans indefinitely, without a trial or hearing, ranks right at the top of that list.

I know—I lived through it on the Patriot Act.

When Congress decided to squelch the truth about the CIA’s advance warnings about 9/11 and the existence of a comprehensive peace option with Iraq, as the CIA’s chief Asset covering Iraq, I became an overnight threat.

To protect their cover-up scheme, I got locked in federal prison inside Carswell Air Force Base, while the Justice Department battled to detain me “indefinitely” up to 10 years, without a hearing or guilty plea.

    Worst yet, they demanded the right to forcibly drug me with Haldol, Ativan and Prozac, in a violent effort to chemically lobotomize the truth about 9/11 and Iraqi Pre-War Intelligence.

Critically, because my legal case was controlled by civilian Courts, my Defense had a forum to fight back. The Judge was an independent arbiter to hear my grievances. And that made all the difference.

If this law on military detentions had been active, my situation would have been hopeless. The Patriot Act was bad enough.

Former Attorney General Michael Mukasey

Mercifully, Chief Justice Michael B. Mukasey is a preeminent legal scholar who recognized the greater impact of my case.

Even so, he faced a terrible choice —declaring me “incompetent to stand trial,” so my case could be killed—or creating dangerous legal precedents tied to secret charges, secret evidence, secret grand jury testimony and indefinite detention.

Thus these tools from the Patriot Act’s arsenal of weapons against truth tellers could be used against all defendants in the U.S. Courts. The Constitution would be dead.

It was a hideous choice—The judicial farce was more ugly because it stamped me a “religious maniac” for believing in God—a ludicrous argument for rejecting a defendant’s demand for a trial.

It lined up beautifully, however, with Congress’ desire to bastardize the “incompetence” of Assets engaged in Pre-War Intelligence. Anything to escape responsibility for their own poor decision making.

To this day, it scorches my heart with rage and betrayal. It was unforgivable on so many levels. And it had nothing to do with fighting terrorism.

This was about fighting truth—and protecting powerful leaders in Washington determined to glorify themselves with phony patriotism and media fireworks in the War on Terrorism—a fantasy if there was one.

Those of us with the facts at our fingertips, who could expose leadership fraud and deceptions, had to be destroyed. I had three strikes against me.

    First off, I had personal knowledge of the CIA’s advance warnings about 9/11, and how Republican leaders thwarted efforts to preempt the attack.

Osama bin Laden the Al Queda Boogeyman - Created by Who?

Secondly, I had direct knowledge of Iraq’s contributions to the 9/11 investigation, and how Republican leaders rejected financial documents on early Al Qaeda figures like Ramzi Youssef and Sheikh Abdul Rahmon of Egypt and Sheikh al Zawahiri —who replaced Osama bin Laden as Al Qaeda’s leader.

That would have shut down the financial pipeline for terrorism, if Washington cared about results.

Finally, my team had successfully negotiated a peace framework with Baghdad that would have achieved all objectives in Iraq without firing a shot.

Oh I was a threat to the Washington elite, no doubt. Without the Patriot Act, the Cover Ups of 9/11 and Iraq would have failed.

Given normal due process, I would have shouted truth from the rooftops and exposed them all.

Let’s not mince words. Members of Congress who support laws like the Patriot Act and Military Detentions fear the American people deeply. They hate what America stands for.

Above all they fear exposure of their mediocrity as our leaders. They are desperate to hide their leadership failures.

    And so they commit Treason against us— savaging the liberties enshrined in our Constitution to safeguard their access to power, weakening our ability to challenge them openly, building a society of fear.

    They ply us with buzzwords—like “anti-terrorism” and “national security.” But they are the greatest threat facing our nation today. They are traitors among us.

Terrorism is a buzz-word to quiet outrage over this shredding of the Constitution. Most Americans don’t understand that the Patriot Act has expanded the scope of terrorism to cover any free political speech that challenges Institutions of Authority.

Acts of violence are not necessary. The possibility that free speech could weaken public trust in leadership qualifies as the New Sedition. Any political speech that provokes the People to think and question authority can be squashed as a threat to political control.

    I was no traitor. My life was dedicated to non-violence—and my specialty was anti-terrorism from 1993 to 2003. My bona fides were the best anywhere.

    I gave advance warning about the 9/11 attack, the bombing of the U.S.S. Cole in Yemen, and the 1993 World Trade Center attack.

FBI - Rank and File Generally Solid - But Politicians Interfere at the Top

When the FBI cracked open my computer, they found proof that my team had run one of the very first investigations of Osama bin Laden in 1998, before the Dar es Salaam/Nairobi bombings.

I started negotiations for the Lockerbie Trial with Libya, and preliminary talks on resuming weapons inspections in Iraq.

I was a very real threat to Republican leaders at the White House, however. I was guilty of possessing inconvenient knowledge powerful enough to persuade voters to throw a lot of deceptive politicians out of Congress.

Military detentions would push America farther into the abyss. First, it eliminates the need for charges against political defendants altogether.

And secondly, it transfers decisions about a defendant’s fate away from the oversight of a civilian Judge to a military Sentry and base commander. It’s a complete negation of the Courts.

At a practical level, there are consequences that Americans would never dream possible:

    • There’s no requirement for Military Officers to acknowledge that a prison exists inside a military base. Nor can Military officers be compelled to identify individuals who might be detained on the base.

    • There’s no guarantee an attorney would be assigned to the accused. Indeed, the Sentry and Commanding Officer would have full authority, individually, to decide whether attorney visits shall be allowed at all. Access to an attorney would be a matter of military discretion, including frequency and duration. The Military Commander or sentry could decide to prohibit an attorney from entering the base altogether, without specifying a reason.

This must be underscored. Civilian Judges provide a fail-safe for defendants under military auspices. Under the proposed law, that protection would be removed.

The Commanding Officer of the military base would assume full authority of the Court. The accused inmate would have nowhere to protest any aspect of the detention, or to move towards resolution.

    Susan Lindauer

    • Since the military alone decides who enters the base, the Sentry would have the power to reject visits by Family or Journalists, if they so choose.

    • In straight violation of the 8th Amendment of the Constitution, accused civilians would be denied the right to petition for bail.

    • Military prisoners might have limited rights to send letters or make phone calls to family or attorneys, at the discretion of the Commanding Officer. The military would have the right to keep a defendant totally incommunicado from the world.

    • An accused person would have no automatic rights to recreation outside of the cell. Prisoners could be locked in a 10 X 12 room 24-7, and denied the rights to exercise for one hour in a prison yard. That would be “indefinite,” too.

    • Like Bradley Manning, they could be forced to sleep almost naked with the lights on, under 24 hour surveillance, even in the absence of suicide threats.

Air Force - Shamed by the Partiot Act

Don’t bother arguing about it. One of the high points of my legal drama occurred when my fantastic and beloved Uncle Ted Lindauer—a family member— who happened to have 40 years of senior legal experience— jumped into my legal fray in a Herculean effort to restore my freedom.

Three Times Tenacious Uncle Ted Drove 700 Miles (1,000 kms) in Each Direction—from southern Illinois to Fort Worth, Texas.

He carried proper identification and proof of his legal standing. He was registered on my visitor’s list, and prison authorities understood that he was functioning as Co-Counsel for my Defense.

Carswell Air Force Base

On the first and second visits, Ted Lindauer arrived on the weekend during normal visiting hours. Nevertheless, the Sentry swore up and down that there was no prison inside Carswell Air Force Base, and I was not an inmate—

Horrified, Ted Lindauer requested to speak with the Commanding Officer on duty.

Confronted with letters mailed from the prison and Court documents signed by Judge Mukasey, nevertheless, the Sentry and Commanding Officer refused to back down. Both stubbornly denied that I was housed anywhere on their military base.

Carswell Air Force Base - 1986

On the second visit, the Sentry and Commanding Officer had a new excuse. Yeah, there was a prison on Carswell Air Force Base. But there were no visiting hours on weekends.

Other prison families stood close by. One after the other, the sentry granted them access to the base to visit their relatives detained at the prison.

Yet when Ted Lindauer, a 70 year old man with silver hair, stepped forward, the sentry guard refused.

Ted was furious. He told the Sentry we know some Generals, too!

He insisted on the sanctity of my rights to attorney access, and promised to file a complaint with Judge Mukasey to compel the military to allow this attorney visit to occur. He swore that he would return with U.S. Marshals. And by God, he was coming onto that base.

    Mercifully, there was a civilian Judge to back him up. Judge Mukasey raised hell. On the third visit, he did indeed order U.S. Marshals to flank Ted Lindauer at the front gates of Carswell Air Force Base.

US Marshalls Had to Confront US Military - Welcome to That World

Judge Mukasey waited in his chambers in New York ready to give the order. Only when U.S. Marshals stood before them, ready to forcibly enter the base, did Carswell back down.

They stopped pretending there was no prison, that I was not an inmate, and granted my Uncle—a family member and attorney— access to his client.

It’s a cautionary tale. The military is not equipped to handle this type of responsibility. It flies against all of their structure.

And it illustrates poignantly why a civilian judge is critical to protecting a defendant’s rights when the military has physical jurisdiction.

All of this was occurring at a critical juncture. At that moment, citing the Patriot Act, the Justice Department was arguing that I should be detained “indefinitely” up to 10 years—with no right to a trial or hearing.

    More horribly still, the Justice Department was demanding the right to forcibly drug me with Haldol—a rhinoceros tranquilizer—until I could be “cured” of knowing the real facts about Iraq and 9/11 and serious leadership failures in the War on Terrorism.

Witness had already told the FBI about my work as an Asset—and my team’s all important advance warnings about 9/11. The Feds understood very precisely what they were hiding—and who would be the losers in Washington, if my story was told.

Justice Comes - And Justice Goes

Because I was denied the right to a hearing, I was blocked from providing that validation to the Court— or the American public—something Republicans on Capitol Hill feared desperately.

Without a hearing, the Feds had free rein to savage my reputation with fantastic embellishments, portraying me as a religious maniac. (I freely confess that I have rock solid faith in God. However, the Justice Department played fast and loose with descriptions of my spirituality).

By the end of it, all of my Constitutional rights had been savagely violated.

They included my 1st Amendment rights to freedom of speech and religion; my 4th Amendment protections against illegal searches of my home; my 5th Amendment rights not to be forcibly interrogated by surrogates for the prosecution; my 6th Amendment rights to a speedy trial by a jury of my peers, with the rights to face my accusers and rebut accusations in a public Court of law.

    The Justice Department even violated my 8th Amendment protections against threats of torture, (forcibly drugging definitely qualifies).

To this day, I cannot believe such abuse could be possible in the United States. I’m a fighter, and I could not stop them. All the Constitutional protections that should have saved me were stripped away. It horrifies me today.

No American really understands the preciousness of Liberty until more powerful individuals in the government fight to take away those rights. Then in a blinding flash, you are awed by the magnificence of the Founding Fathers’ vision.

Are They Turning Over in Their Graves Now?

What they gave us was extraordinary. It must be protected from tyrants like those in Congress today. They are tyrants who fear and despise us. There is no ambiguity. They are against us.

President Obama must veto this bill or confess his hypocrisy as a champion of liberty. And members of Congress who support military detentions or the Patriot Act must be targeted for defeat in 2012.

They are the greatest threats facing this country today.They are traitors to freedom. They are Enemies of the Constitution. And they deserve to be branded Enemies of the State.

Susan Lindauer is the author of Extreme Prejudice: The Terrifying Story of the Patriot Act and the Cover Ups of 9/11 and Iraq.

"Looking for Someone to Blame? Congress Is a Good Place to Start."

2012-01-25T14:29:00.001-08:00

Politicians are the only people in the world who create problems and then campaign against them.

Have you ever wondered, if both the Democrats and the Republicans are against deficits, WHY do we have deficits?

When injustice becomes law

2011-12-18T20:42:00.000-08:00

When injustice becomes law,resistance becomes duty!

You have two choices, either lay down and take whatever your goverment throws at you, or stand up and fight back!

Guantánamo for US citizens?

2011-12-08T15:06:00.000-08:00

Guantánamo for US citizens? Senate bill raises questions

The Defense Authorization Act passed by the Senate this week could allow the US military to detain American citizens indefinitely. Civil libertarians are alarmed, and President Obama says he might veto it.

Guantánamo for US citizens?

Cory Farley: You can't out-crazy the far right

2011-05-08T11:30:00.000-07:00

One challenge of a weekly column is that when stuff happens, a lot of time can pass before you can comment. I may have a penetrating, opinion-changing, globally significant insight -- actually I have them all the time -- but when it finally appears in print, everybody says, "Jeez, Jon Stewart said that on Tuesday."

This week, time is on my side.

In an email to conservative friends shortly after President Obama announced that Osama bin Laden had been killed, I pretended to commiserate over the presidential triumph.

It was mostly a joke; I believe Americans should put minor differences aside and unite in this time of peril. But I'm an idealist, not an idiot, and I've watched them take unpatriotic joy in Obama's difficulties for two years.

In mock sympathy, then, I offered a "starter list" of talking points for conservatives to deny the president credit without appearing to be traitors themselves. Suggestions:

1. Osama's death doesn't matter. He was only a symbol.

2. Killing him was a mistake. We've created a martyr.

3. The operation was faked. They happened to kill a tall Arab and switched his DNA for the Osama sample they had.

4. If we'd elected McCain, this would have happened long ago.

5. Credit should go to George W. Bush. When he announced "Mission Accomplished," bin Laden was so depressed he began an eight-year suicide plan.

6. Obama, by insisting the body be recovered for political purposes, needlessly endangered American troops. He should have used air strikes.

7. Obama, by using aircraft, wasted taxpayers' money. Nothing takes the place of boots on the ground.

8. The operation was a political ploy, cynically timed to coincide with "» with, uh "» Ah, they'll think of something.

9. It never would have happened if Donald Trump hadn't kept the pressure on.

10. World Net Daily, which pretty much invented the birther controversy, was poised to announce that Obama's long form birth certificate is a fake. He ordered the raid as a distraction.

11. Bin Laden was killed long ago and has been frozen until an opportune time to reveal him. That's why the president's speech was late -- the body wasn't completely thawed.

That was Sunday night. On Monday, the government made it an even dozen:

12. Bin Laden's body was buried at sea, obviously to prevent examination by experts, who would have exposed the hoax.

Now, some of this stuff is weird (though no weirder, I submit, than the birther controversy or the notion that Obama is a Muslim). I made up the list in three or four minutes and sent it to friends as a gotcha, part of a mutual harassment program that goes back to 2000 when his daddy's Supreme Court appointed young George president.

What's really weird, though, is that by Tuesday, as I write this, Nos. 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10 and 12 have been seriously presented by conservative bloggers or politicians as versions of the truth. Only McCain, the helicopters and flash-frozen Osama have escaped notice.

Don't try to out-crazy the far right. It's impossible.

Cory Farley is a freelance writer living in Verdi.

"Looking for Someone to Blame? Congress Is a Good Place to Start."

2011-04-18T08:58:00.000-07:00

Politicians are the only people in the world who create problems and then campaign against them.

Have you ever wondered, if both the Democrats and the Republicans are against deficits, WHY do we have deficits?

Have you ever wondered, if all the politicians are against inflation
and high taxes, WHY do we have inflation and high taxes?

You and I don't propose a federal budget. The President does.

You and I don't have the Constitutional authority to vote on appropriations.
The House of Representatives does.

You and I don't write the tax code, Congress does.

You and I don't set fiscal policy, Congress does.

You and I don't control monetary policy, the Federal Reserve Bank does.

One hundred senators, 435 congressmen, one President, and nine Supreme Court justices equates to 545 human beings out of the 300 million are directly, legally, morally, and individually responsible for the domestic problems that plague this country.

I excluded the members of the Federal Reserve Board because that problem was created by the

Congress. In 1913, Congress delegated its Constitutional duty to provide a sound currency to a

federally chartered, but private, central bank.

I excluded all the special interests and lobbyists for a sound reason.
They have no legal authority. They have no ability to coerce a senator, a congressman, or a President to do one cotton-picking thing. I don't care if they offer a politician $1 million dollars in cash. The politician has the power to accept or reject it. No matter what the lobbyist promises, it is the legislator's responsibility to determine how he votes.

Those 545 human beings spend much of their energy convincing you that what they did is not their fault. They cooperate in this common con, regardless of party.

What separates a politician from a normal human being is an excessive amount of gall. No normal human being would have the gall of a Speaker, who stood up and criticized the President for creating deficits. The President can only propose a budget. He cannot force the Congress to accept it.

The Constitution, which is the supreme law of the land, gives sole responsibility to the House of Representatives for originating and approving appropriations and taxes. Who is the speaker of the House? John Boehner. He is the leader of the majority party. He and fellow House members, not the President, can approve any budget they want. If the President vetoes it, they can pass it over his veto if they agree to.

It seems inconceivable to me that a nation of 300 million cannot replace 545 people who stand convicted -- by present facts -- of incompetence and irresponsibility. I can't think of a single domestic problem that is not traceable directly to those 545 people. When you fully grasp the plain truth that 545 people exercise the power of the federal government, then it must follow that what exists is what they want to exist.If the tax code is unfair, it's because they want it unfair.

If the budget is in the red, it's because they want it in the red.

If the Army & Marines are in Iraq and Afghanistan it's because they want them in Iraq and Afghanistan ....

If they do not receive social security but are on an elite retirement plan not available to the people, it's because they want it that way.

There are no insoluble government problems.

Do not let these 545 people shift the blame to bureaucrats, whom they hire and whose jobs they can abolish; to lobbyists, whose gifts and advice they can reject; to regulators, to whom they give the power to regulate and from whom they can take this power. Above all, do not let them con you into the belief that there exists disembodied mystical forces like "the economy," "inflation," or "politics" that prevent them from doing what they take an oath to do.

Journalist Charley Reese (now retired) was part of the Orlando Sentinel's staff for three decades between 1971-2001, during which time he (among other duties) penned a thrice-weekly column which was distributed to other newspapers nationwide by King Features Syndicate. During the 1980s Reese wrote the first version of an editorial opining that 545 people (i.e., the President of the United States, plus all the members of Congress and the Supreme Court) "are directly, legally, morally and individually responsible for the domestic problems that plague this country," and he has amended, updated, and republished that piece several times since then. The version cited above is taken from the 7 March 1995 edition of the Orlando Sentinel, where it ran under the title
"Looking for Someone to Blame? Congress Is a Good Place to Start."

Critics Of Big Sis/Wal-Mart Spy Campaign Branded Insane

2010-12-08T14:32:00.000-08:00

Critics Of Big Sis/Wal-Mart Spy Campaign Branded Insane
More than 230 Walmart stores nationwide launched the “If You See Something, Say Something” campaign today, with a total of 588 Walmart stores in 27 states joining in the coming weeks. A short video message, available here, will play at select checkout locations to remind shoppers to contact local law enforcement to report suspicious activity.

If banned books sound like something from the days of witch hunts, you'd be wrong.

2010-09-28T08:24:00.000-07:00

If banned books sound like something from the days of witch hunts, you'd be wrong. Saturday marked the start of Banned Books Week, an annual event that celebrates the First Amendment and the freedom to read. For the uninitiated, Banned Books Week is a time when we reflect upon challenges to the First Amendment and triumphs of freedom of expression. So celebrate your First Amendment rights this week and sit back, relax, and Read A Banned Book!

Is This Our New America?

2010-05-24T09:15:00.001-07:00

Government programs and private-sector data collection are destroying our privacy, pushing us towards a 24-hour surveillance society.

We are facing a flood of powerful new technologies that expand the potential for centralized monitoring, an executive branch aggressively seeking new powers to spy on citizens, a docile Congress and courts, as well as a cadre of mega-corporations that are willing to become extensions of the surveillance state. We confront the possibility of a dark future where our every move, our every transaction, our every communication is recorded, compiled, and stored away, ready for access by the authorities whenever they want.
Check out this video Ordering Pizza

Government of the Corporation, By the Corporation, and For the Corporation

2010-05-20T13:06:00.001-07:00

Just days ago, the Supreme Court made a destructive decision that reversed several decades of legal precedence used to protect the American political system from corporate influence. Its ruling in the Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission essentially gives wealthy corporations the power to buy elected officials. The Supreme Court justifies its ruling by claiming that the First Amendment gives for-profit corporations the right to use money to influence campaigns. This very controversial ruling threatens to destroy the fundamental fabric of democracy by allowing corporation power to unlimited influence over our nation’s political process.
This blatant attack against democracy puts corporate power over people. With wealthy corporations’ inequitable access to “monetary influence”, they will be able to drown of the voice American people- the exact people (not corporations) that the First Amendment was designed to protect. Gray Panthers stands firmly behind its vision to create a humane society that puts the needs of people over profits, responsibility over power, and democracy over institutions. As such, we are outraged at this ruling and will fight vigilantly against the injustice of this decision. Visit the Gray Panthers website.

City Room Films

2010-05-17T16:45:00.001-07:00

City Room Films' website is currently under construction and will be online in the next few days. The update will include City Room Films' new film projects.

Jonathan

Rescue Me! Where’s The Food!

2009-10-21T10:25:00.000-07:00

Written By Jonathan Israel
jonathan@cityroompress.com

Every city across America is faced with a severe homeless population. In the last five years, America’s homelessness has escalated thirty percent higher in every central city. Homelessness is no longer confined to major metropolises. Urban towns, small farming villages, country townships, and mountain rural communities have their share of homeless troubles.

Homeless people rely upon charitable organizations, such as Catholic Charities, churches, and private non-profit organizations, for a hot meal, a shower, and toiletries. Food and Care Coalition in Provo, Utah serve three meals a day, plus a sack lunch to Provo’s growing homeless population. Two years ago they averaged 700 meals a day. That figure has now risen to over 1000 hot meals, plus they provide dental, optical, and medical care.

They’re not alone. Catholic Charities states there is a vaunting increase in homeless people in America. For example, in Colorado Springs, Catholic Charities feed 700 to 800 people a day; compared to six months ago they averaged 400 to 500 homeless people. Charitable organizations that care for the homeless are faced with a mammoth financial dilemma. They are simply running out of money and food. Non-profit organizations rely on the generosity of private citizens, churches, private corporations, and the federal government.

Across America the current recession has largely affected freewill contributions. In most cases, donations are down fifty percent or more. With the rising cost of food, some grocery stores, such as, Safeway and KingSooper (United Grocers) have ceased disseminating meat products, milk, and juice to charitable organizations, except for expired bread and pastries. The reason: The federal government allows for grocery stores a much higher tax write-off if expired food is discarded rather than given to charities. Catholic Charities, Food and Care Coalition, Manna, and other homeless charities primarily rely on food donations from grocery stores.

The Obama Administration has significantly cut back funding to all charities, putting charitable institutions in a most difficult position to care for the homeless. All along, America’s “moneybags” live in marble palaces, and dine at recherché restaurants eating caviar and sipping Pertimali di Livo Sassetti. Year after year, these self-praising “economic whores” rob the middle-class out of what little money they earn. They’ve set themselves as kings over America’s middle-class and wretched misfortunate ones. How long will the poor allow America’s aristocrats to rule over them? A fresh wind is blowing across America: It is a revolutionary call to unity for economical equality for all peoples.

Texas Cop Tasers Old Lace

2009-06-15T15:37:00.000-07:00

Written by Jonathan Israel
Email: jonathanisrael@email.com

Kathryn Winkfein, a 72 year old grandmother ran afoul of Texas law on May 11, 2009 when she refused to sign a speeding ticket. Travis County, Sheriff Deputy, Chris Blaze, tasered Ms Winkfein for exercising her Constitution right not to sign a ticket for speeding. Deputy Blaze and Travis County Sheriff Department justified the deputy’s action, stating, “he feared for his life.”

It is true the frail old lady did refuse to sign the ticket and used foul language. She objected to the speeding ticket, claiming she was not speeding. Deputy Blaze provoked the situation further when he physically shoved the old woman, nearly knocking her off her feet. Ms Winkfein vehemently objected to being physically abused by the deputy. At that point, Deputy Blaze withdrew his weapon and threatened to shoot the 72 year old woman.

When Ms Winkfein continued her refusal to sign the ticket, Deputy Blaze decided it was time for a more drastic measure to enforce compliance. Deputy Blaze withdrew his taser gun, and shot the old lace with 50,000 volts of electricity. It was a proud moment for Travis County Sheriff Department. They arrogantly hailed the taser assault as being justified. The truth is Deputy Blaze could have subdued the elderly lady with one hand tied behind his back. She posed no threat to the officer, society, or herself. She was not in possession of a weapon of any kind, nor was there one in the vicinity of her vehicle.

Texas has a long standing anti-Semitic history with Jews. Unfortunately for Ms. Winkfein, Deputy Blaze’s action to taser her was triggered by his entrenched anti-Semitic viewpoints. His unacceptable justification for tasering this elderly lady was nothing more than police window dressing. Travis County Sheriff Department has validated Deputy Blaze’s brutal actions as justifiable; however, I am most positive the good citizens of Texas do not.

18,000,000 People Starve To Death Daily

2009-05-29T09:26:00.000-07:00

Written by Jonathan Israel
johnnyisrael@email.com

The World Heath Organization recently stated that 18 million people worldwide die of starvation daily. That’s 18 million people! The Counsel for the Center of Disease Control (CDC) has stated that over 11 million children in America go to bed hungry every night. The only meals they receive are school lunch vouchers. On the weekends, most do not have anything to eat. Americans as a whole have been blessed with the good life. We live in comfortable homes with manicured lawns, possess big screen televisions, eat the best of foods, wear fine apparel, we drive the best of automobiles, we own boats, luxury toys, and the more we acquire, the more we crave.

A very rich man had a big house with many servants. The rich man enjoyed life’s greatest paramount. He was the “big fish” in his community. There was a very poor man named Lazarus that sat daily under the rich man’s table expecting to eat the morsel of crumbs that fell to the floor. Lazarus was very sick; his body was covered with bleeding blisters. The rich man figured that by allowing poor Lazarus to scrounge for the measly crumbs that fell from his table that he was performing an act of kindeness.

Lazarus eventually died and so did the rich man. As the story goes, the rich man looked up from the flames of hell and saw Lazarus being comforted in the arms of his Heavenly Father. The rich man apparently was dismayed at this turn of events. After all, he believed he was being kind and generous by allowing Lazarus to eat the crumbs that fell from his table. The Lord saw it differently and told the rich man so. He reminded the rich man that while he had the opportunity to bless Lazarus, he squandered his blessings on his own selfishness.

The Iraqi and Afghanistan war has cost America over a trillion dollars. We pump billions into useless projects that benefit only a few. Greed and more greed has become our model of standards. Our churches throw a few pennies in the poor bucket believing, just as the rich man, that we have fulfilled God’s service to humanity. Our self-centeredness separates us from the very blessings we seek from our Heavenly Father. How true the old adage loudly rings, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.”

Come Judgment Day, the Lord of Righteous Judgment will not adjudicate us for the wealth we enjoyed, but rather, how we administered our wealth to the poor. How dare we call ourselves Children of the Lord and close our eyes and ears to the cries of the hungry and poor. Shame on all of us! If America and the free nations desire to prove themselves as a benevolent, generous, kinder, loving nation, than each and every nation must rise up with financial aid to rid the world of hunger and starvation. Tell your pastor, rabbi, minister, Congressman, and those in charge to act immediately to rid the world of hunger. 18 million people a day are counting on it. If we fail God will judge us accordingly.

Looking Unto Jesus

2009-05-27T09:43:00.001-07:00

Written by Jonathan Israel
Email: jonathanisrael@email.com

God’s Word directs us at all times to keep our eyes on the Lord Jesus. In these troubling times Christians are paying special attention to terrorism, abortion, recession, money, material things, family issues, politics, candidates, judges, moral decay, and a host of other everyday problems. We’ve become so transfixed on national and world events rather than the “Good News” that we lost sight of the Cross.

Jesus told his disciples to “preach the Good News.” Preachers today have a new message, that is, they preach “how to get rich schemes” to what candidates to vote for. Jesus willfully went to the Cross to save the world from the condemnation of sin. The shedding of His blood was to cleanse us from unrighteousness; and to bring us into a perfect relationship with our Heavenly Father. Through Christ we have complete access to our Heavenly Father. Christ taught his disciples to pray for one another. He directed them to preach the “Good News” and to minister to the more unfortunate ones.

Yet, Christian’s are praying for money, power, and a myriad of selfish greed. The Lord has turned a deaf ear to our covetous prayers. We are in awe over the fact that His anointed presence has left the Church. And yet, we believers continue marching down “Selfish Lane” without giving a second thought as to God’s purpose for our lives. We’ve educated ourselves to know more about Him rather than developing an intimate relationship with our Heavenly Father.

The quandaries of today are not new ones. The Devil would have us believe that He, not Christ is in control of the world events. Yet, he has deceived the Church into believing that material things, money, wealth, avarice, lust, power, fame, and having a “righteous cause” to fight for are the keys for survival. He has swindled the Church out of her righteous inheritance of faith and trust. By focusing on world events, social issues, and the current political spectrum, our faith has soured into self-seeking fulfillment.

True faith desires to please Christ. Today’s Church adheres more to preaching the current political spectrum than the joys of entering into his anointed chamber room. I have often contemplated if the Lord has the audacity to equate today’s Church as His beautiful bride to be? The Church podium has cultivated into a political platform. She has danced to the voice of crime and punishment, moral laws, politics, and governmental regulations. Her weary face bears the marks of an angry, harden-bitter woman.

The Pharisees brought to Jesus a woman who was caught in adultery. They demanded that Christ sentence to woman to death, according to the Law of Moses. Christ responded, “You without sin, let him cast the first stone.” The law makers departed having been put to shame by their harden hearts. Christ then asks the woman, “Where are those that condemned you?” She admitted there was no one. He said, “Neither do I condemn you.” The religious political spectrum of the day demanded the death sentence. Christ offered the adulteress woman forgiveness. It is time for the Church to take her eyes off today’s religious political continuum; and fasten them on the Lord of mercy and forgiveness.

REAL vs. Nancy Pelosi

2009-05-21T12:48:00.000-07:00

Written by Jonathan Israel
Report for America Freedom Under Siege
email: americaundersiege@usa.com

In the last few months over eight police officers either have been murdered or wounded in the line of duty. Their deaths have raised the stakes over gun control; and the right for private citizens to own assault weapons. According to Newt Gringrich and the Renewing American Leadership (REAL) Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the House, are surreptitiously working behind the scene for gun control legislation.

REAL claims Nancy Pelosi and the Democrats are out to legislate gun control for all guns (including ones for hunting and sport events). REAL claim the right for private citizens to carry concealed weapons would basically end violent crimes in America. They say states that allow concealed weapon permits statistics show that violent crimes, burglaries, house break-ins, robberies, murder, assaults, inter alia are down considerably. They are wrong.

Out of the eight police officers murdered last month, two of the shooters had no criminal records. They murdered five of the police officers, and both were licensed with a concealed weapons permit. REAL claims that police officers across the board are in favor of private citizens carrying concealed weapons. That is absolutely false. Not when police officers are maliciously gunned down by outraged citizens for simple traffic stops.

REAL states that Nancy Pelosi is un-American for her stand against violent crimes, especially those that involve a gun. In truth, Nancy Pelosi and the Democrats are fighting to get guns off the streets. Their objective is to protect law enforcement and private citizens from harms way. However, REAL associates this kind of legislation as an attempt to destroy Americans’ rights to bare arms. Again this is ludicrous. The Speaker of the House is doing her job exactly the way Americans expect her to do.

Gun control is an essential tool to protect all Americans from rogue individuals that are bent on murdering the innocent. Without gun control violent crimes will continue to rise. The elderly, women and children are the ones that suffer at the hands of ‘good gun carrying citizens.’ Nancy Pelosi and the Democrats are making an effort to stop this madness. REAL and Newt Gringrich are openly promoting violent crimes by lobbying for gun activists. REAL is nothing more than window dressing for gun activists rights that place police officers, women, and childrens’ lives in harms way. Let’s stop this madness by supporting Nancy Pelosi and the Democrats efforts to control guns in America.

The Day of Grapes of Wrath Are Upon Us

2009-03-21T22:19:00.000-07:00

Written by Thomas Cain
thecainreport@gmail.com

California’s unemployment currently stands at 10.3%. That means one out of every ten adults is out of work. California has one of the highest rates of house foreclosures in the nation. Thousands of hard working citizens that once owned a home are homeless or in other terms are listed among the street people.

On the outskirts of the City of Sacramento there are nearly one thousand homeless citizens that have pitched tents along the Sacramento River. They are not your everyday common homeless people that roam the streets begging for food or shelter. These people were once the thriving citizens of Sacramento that, for no fault of their own, found themselves victimized by the biggest mortgage scam perpetrated in American history. Destitute with nowhere to go they turned to the only place they could call home: a makeshift tent city on the outskirts of their beloved City of Sacramento. Now, one would think that the City Council would be overjoyed that these hardworking people are not wandering the streets, but have a tent (if one could call a tent a home) to retire to. But this is not the case.

Sacramento City Council has sternly warned these unfortunate citizens that they must vacate and pack up or face arrest. As one City Council Member put it, “We will not tolerate “these people” camping along the riverfront much longer.” So what is happening? The City has authorized local and county law enforcement to harangue and berate these poor people. Law enforcement go from tent to tent asking for identification and demanding for the homeless victims to produce a camping permit. Of course there is no camping permit because the City of Sacramento does not authorize any. On failing to provide a camping permit these victims of society must immediately pack up their wives and children and leave the only place they can call home.

John Steinbeck vividly described such heartless atrocities in his book, “The Grapes of Wrath” In the late thirties Oklahoma farmers and migrant workers were forced to leave the security of their homes due to drought which has come to be known as the “Dust Bowl” era of the thirties and forties. By the thousands Oklahoma migrant workers headed out west to secure work in the agricultural fields of the Golden State of California. Instead of finding honest employers the “Okies” as they were known, were cheated out of their wages, forced to live in filthy rat infested migrant tents, with no running water or toilet facilities, and survived off of broth chicory coffee.

They were often beaten by law enforcement officers, their women were raped, their children wallowed in body waste, and they lacked medical care. The poor souls that complained about their ill treatment, the camp guards would come in the middle of night and physically terrorize the whole family, including the children. What meager belongings the migrant workers possessed were often damaged or destroyed at the hands of the cruel camp guards. The elderly and small children died from disease or starvation. It was an oppressive and shameful era of American history. Yet some seventy years later America continues its repressive assault on the poor, the neglected homeless people, and the housing market victims. The only difference is the Dust Bowl era has a new name: The Mortgage Scandal of America.

We call ourselves a compassionate nation, and yet over eleven million children in this nation go to bed hungry every night. Hundreds of thousands of war veterans are homeless with nowhere to turn to for help. The poor get poorer while the rich gorge themselves off the misery of America’s unfortunate victims of society. America once a kindhearted, compassionate nation has willfully abandoned society’s underprivileged, depriving them of the golden opportunities of a God-fearing nation. Truly, John Steinbeck’s Grapes of Wrath has once again found its way into the black heart of corporate America’s greed governed by corrupt politics whose primary desire is ill gotten gain at the expense of the poor.

The Passover Meal by Jeannie Cole

2009-03-21T20:00:00.000-07:00

The following of the Passover Meal was written by Jeannie Cole of West-Ark Church of Christ. Ms. Cole explains the Passover Meal and its significance in terms that are easily understood. Passover (Seder) will be upon us in the next few weeks, Ms. Cole's message is timely and enlightening in helping non-Jews understand the true meaning of Passover.

Jonathan Israel
City Room Press

EXODUS 11-12
The Passover Meal

The Passover meal that the Israelites held in Egypt was unique from all the Passover meals held since. Before the first one, they were to sprinkle the blood of the lamb on their doorposts and lintel, and they were to eat it in haste. It has since evolved, maintaining many of the same customs, as well as adding a few. You are familiar with the one in Exodus 11-12. Let's look at how it is usually done today.

Every year before the Passover, an Orthodox Jewish family will eat up as much as possible all the foods in their house not processed or packaged for the Passover. This is to remove all the leaven from the house - any fermented grain product, starter dough, breads, cakes, cookies, yeast, (baking soda and baking powder). What cannot be eaten is sold to a non-Jew. Not only can a Jew not eat any leaven during Passover week, he can't have it in his house or even own any leaven. They do usually go and buy back their products after the festival. Leaven is an emblem of sin, corruption. Paul refers to it as that in 1 Corinthians 5:6-8.

The final search for leaven is made the night before the Passover (PESAH). Traditionally a candle, feather and bag are used for this final search. Every member of the family is to participate in this search. Every nook and cranny of every floor, shelf, cupboard is inspected for the minutest grain of bread crumbs or leavening. Any dust found is swept up with the feather (like a broom) into the bag for fear it might contain a grain of leavening. Traditionally, 10 pieces of leavened bread are hidden throughout the house and the ritual is not complete until the family has found the 10 pieces. All that was found is burnt the next morning before the Passover begins.

Cooking for the Passover meal is an extremely complicated procedure. Everything used during the preparation - refrigerator, stove, counter, sink, etc., is thoroughly scoured before beginning. Because some minute speck of leaven might be left unnoticed on some utensil, some Jews find the easiest way to prepare their meal is to have a special set of dishes, silverware and cooking utensils reserved only for use during the Passover. Some cover their burners so that no Passover pot touches the parts of the stove used every other day.

The SEDER (SADER) - the Passover meal - is the central celebration of the Passover. It's origin stems from our text today. The entire extended family is to come together. They go through the meal and the retelling of the story in first person as if they had been one of the slaves freed from Pharaoh's bondage.

This book, the HAGGADAH, is the text for the SEDER. Everyone present would have a copy of it. It contains all the blessings, order for eating, telling of the Exodus story from slavery through the plagues, crossing of the Red Sea, giving of the Law, and to the giving of the land of Canaan. There are also songs and psalms to be read, etc.

Seder Table

(Assemble around table -- don't eat yet.) All recline around the SEDER table, because reclining around the table was a sign of a free man. Everything on the table has a significance.

On the SEDER plate there is:

Hard boiled egg - symbol of the suffering and oppression in Egypt. Everything else in boiling water becomes soft or disintegrates. But an egg becomes hard, like the Israelites. The more it is boiled, the harder it becomes. An egg also symbolizes New Life.
Roasted shankbone of lamb - reminds them there had to be blood sacrificed to save their lives.

Bitter herbs - horseradish - reminds them they were servants to slavery.

Greens - parsley, celery - symbol of coming of Spring which brings hope.

Salt water - reminds them of the tears they cried in Egypt.

Haroset - nut, apple, cinnamon, wine mixture which has the appearance of straw in remembrance of the mortar used to build the Treasure Cities for Pharaoh. It is symbolic of the hope of freedom that enabled their ancestors to withstand the bitterness of slavery.

Matzah - the unleavened bread that reminds them of the haste with which they left Egypt.

After the drinking of wine and washing of the hands the greens are dipped into the salt water and eaten.

Then the bread on the SEDER plate is broken. Half remains on the plate, half is hidden for the dessert. This is to keep the interest of the children. Children are to find it and keep it till the end of the meal when the leader redeems it in exchange for the promise of gifts. Throughout the service many things are incorporated to keep the interest of the children. The most important thing is the telling of the story of the Exodus to the children.

The telling of the story of the Exodus includes everyone's favorite part - the 4 questions, asked by the youngest child present.

Why on this night do we eat only mazzah, which is unleavened bread?
Why on this night do we eat bitter herbs especially?
Why on this night do we dip the parsley in salt water and the bitter herbs in haroset?
Why on this night do we all recline at the table?

The leader replies to the child:

Indeed, this night is very different from all the other nights of the year, for on this night we celebrate one of the most important moments in the history of our people. On this night we celebrate their going forth in triumph from slavery into freedom.

I am glad you asked the questions you did, for the story of this night was just what I wanted you to know. Although the Haggadah we are reading tells this whole story, and if you listen carefully you will surely learn it, I should like to tell you here, in a few words, the answers to your questions.
~ Why do we eat only mazzah tonight?

When Pharaoh let our forefathers go from Egypt, they were forced to flee in great haste. Now, they had prepared dough for bread to take on their journey, but the Egyptians pressed them to hasten out of the land. So they snatched up their dough, and fled, and had no time to bake it. But the hot sun, beating down on the dough as they carried it along with them, baked it into a flat, unleavened bread which they called mazzah. That is why we eat only mazzah on Pesah.

Why do we eat bitter herbs on Pesah night?
Because our forefathers were slaves in Egypt, and their lives were made bitter. That is why we eat bitter herbs on Pesah night.

Why do we dip herbs twice tonight?

You have already heard that we dip the parsley in salt water because it reminds us of the green that comes to life again in the springtime. We dip the maror, or bitter herbs, in the sweet haroset as a sign of hope; our forefathers were able to withstand the bitterness of slavery, because it was sweetened by the hope of freedom.

Why do we recline at the table?
Because reclining at the table was a sign of a free man in olden times; and since our forefathers were freed on this night, we recline at the table.
After the symbolism is explained the story of the Exodus is told. It can be read straight from this book, but more than likely the leader will go around the room asking everyone to reconstruct a part of the story. [What do you remember about your leaving Egypt?] Each person will tell a part as if he had been a slave and as if he had actually witnessed the plagues and as if he had actually crossed the Red Sea on dry ground and then watched Pharaoh's army drown.

The hands are washed again, a double blessing is given on the matzah, and it is eaten. Then the horseradish is eaten straight or is dipped into the sweet haroset.

Or, a sandwich is made with matzah and horseradish and haroset, or perhaps a little bit of lamb is included with the sandwich.

[A Passover style meal is served and eaten at this point.]

Mrs. Needham and the Metro Jr. High girls made our matzah bread for us this morning. Listen while I read to you some of the restrictions on making this bread in order for it to be kosher for a real Jewish Passover.

The wheat is watched from the time of harvesting until the final baking to insure that no water, heat, or other natural processes cause it to begin fermentation. . . The utensils used for making it are washed every eighteen minutes. . . . The flour must be absolutely dry, and stored in a cool, dark place. . . . The water must be drawn from a spring and allowed to settle overnight in a cool, dark place. . . .
Then the matzah bread for dessert is redeemed from the children with presents and eaten.

The meal ends and Psalm 126 is read. [Read.] The ceremony goes on with more reading, singing and praising God.

[If time allows--] Let's relate this to us as Christians. Jesus initiated our Lord's Supper from this first Passover meal. Let's look at some similarities.

God initiated this Passover meal before the events took place that it was to commemorate. Jesus initiated the Lord's Supper commemorating His death and looking forward to His resurrection before the events took place.

God told Moses for them to take a lamb four days before its slaughter. Christ entered Jerusalem on Sunday - four days before His crucifixion. Both took place on the 14th day of the month Abib.

Israelites were to sacrifice a male lamb one year old - in the prime of his life - when he was at his strongest. Jesus was about 33 years old - pinnacle of earthly strength and maturity.

Male lamb was to be without blemish. Jesus is our example of perfection and sinlessness - without blemish.

Lamb is patient, noiseless and submissive to death as was Christ.

Exodus 12:6 - whole assembly of the congregation of Israel were to kill their lambs. This was not done by a priest. Everyone was to witness and be responsible for the death of the lamb. Just as we are all responsible for the death of Christ on the cross. It was our sins that crucified Him.

The blood of the lamb was to be put on the two doorposts and lintel so that they might be passed over when death came to Egypt. It is the blood of Christ that keeps us from everlasting death.

Lamb was to be roasted whole - no broken bones. Christ was crucified and died with no broken bones - even though the soldiers were sent out to break His leg bones to hasten His death.

The meal was to be eaten with bitter herbs to remember the bitter slavery, suffering and hardships in Egypt. During the Lord's Supper we are to remember Christ's hardships and suffering.

Eaten with unleaven bread. Leavening is a form of corruption, sin, impurity. Paul gives us the spiritual application in 1 Corinthians 5:7-8. We are to be unleavened - clean out malice and evil from us. Jesus alludes to this in Matthew 16:6-12 when He says beware of the leaven of Pharisees and Sadducees.

The Israelites were to eat in haste with their shoes on, staff in their hand and ready to go, looking forward to their future as free men. We as Christians are to be ready to go - watching and waiting for Christ to come - looking forward to our future in heaven as men free from sin.

The Israelites put the blood on their doorposts several hours before midnight. The passing Egyptians must have thought that peculiar and ridiculous. It made them vulnerable to the spiteful Egyptians. But the blood of the lamb protected them from death.

We are to accept Christ as our Passover Lamb and let his blood protect us. We are perpetually being saved from the hand of the destroying angel when we have Christ's blood on our doorposts.

What does it mean to have Christ's blood on our doorposts?

It is the act of perpetually having a badge that can be seen, experienced, spit upon, and being made vulnerable like the Israelites were vulnerable with blood on their doorposts for the Egyptians to see and laugh, and revile.

It also means cleaning up our act, diligently searching for corruption and sin present in our lives - like the Jews meticulously cleaning their house of leaven with a candle and a feather.

It means doing everything that God commands us.
As we continue our study of Exodus, we shall observe many other things that are typical of Christ and the deliverance He has brought all men.

Jeannie Cole
West-Ark Church of Christ, Fort Smith, AR
Ladies Bible Class, Fall 1989

AIG Rips Off American Taxpayers

2009-03-16T21:35:00.000-07:00

Written by Jonathan Israel
Johnny@cityroompress.com

A few days ago AIG reported giving their management team 167 million dollars in bonuses after receiving nearly 180 billion dollars bailout money from the federal government. AIG promised the Obama Administration they would use the bailout money wisely; and not use the money for expensive gifts, trips, vacations, or bonuses. They lied. Immediately after getting their greedy hands on billions of bailout money, they cryptically doled out the millions among the upper management. Once again big corporation swindled the taxpayers out of billions for their own self-indulgence.

Between nine million to eleven million children in this country go to bed hungry every night. There are approximately two million to three million homeless children that wander the streets at night seeking food and shelter. Yet the federal government has done little to ease their pain and suffering. They will never see a financial bailout or even the most modest financial rescue. Their future for a decent life remains dire, if not hopeless. At the same time the Fat Cats at AIG are gorging themselves with the best that taxpayers’ money can buy.

AIG pilfered millions at the taxpayers’ expense. Giving themselves million dollar bonuses in a time of recessions is not only disgraceful it’s criminal. President Obama promised the American people change to the way the government does business. If the President is serious about change, then his administration should seek criminal charges against everyone who paid themselves bonuses with taxpayers’ money. Americans are sick and tired of corporate thieves dipping their greedy hands into the taxpayers’ coffer while laughing in our face. The time has come to put these criminals behind bars.

Prosecuting AIG for fraud, conspiracy to defraud, treachery, and theft by deception would send a clear message to money hungry predatory corporations that the American people will no longer tolerate corporate gluttony. AIG’s criminal actions are outrageous, despicable, and inexcusable. AIG greedy thugs deserve nothing less than a raucous jail cell in some seedy prison with a burly guy named Bubba. Now that is what I call change!

Hello Santa Claus, Goodbye Jesus

2007-12-24T16:59:00.001-08:00

Written by Johnny Israel

The Sunday before Christmas, I attended a nationally known denominational church whose history is embedded in charismatic gifts of the Holy Spirit. This particular denomination’s core belief is in the gifts of the Holy Spirit, and baptism of tongues and fire. However, I was soon disappointed in the Christmas service. The pastor failed to mention Jesus, Christmas, or the birth of Christ one time in his message. The message’s central theme was on the building project and the money needed for said project. Not to mention that not even one scripture was even quoted during the service. It reminds me of Paul the Apostle to the Church: “When you should be on the meat of the Word, you are still on milk.”

There was no worship or inspirational prayer. There was no Christmas or festive decorations, or anything that assumed the Christmas spirit. Instead, the church invited Santa Claus as its honored guest. The sad part was that Santa received more recognition on Jesus’ birthday than the Son of God.

In these troubling times, the Church is in much need of a spiritual revival. The world is sitting in the valley of dry bones without the presence of God's Spirit. Never before in its history has the Church faced moral decline, spiritual vacuum, and political corruption as it has now. Whenever Santa Claus becomes the honored guest in God’s house, the Holy Spirit has no other recourse than find a new house to abide in. The Lord is searching for people to worship Him with all their heart and souls. Today’s Church has become nothing more than a ‘social club’ for the gathering of the saints. If the Church is going to survive these troubling times, it must return back to its first love, and give preeminence to the Lord Jesus Christ in worship, prayer, and assembly. Hello Santa Claus, Goodbye Jesus.

Scam Artists Posing As Legitimate Literary Agents

2006-04-27T14:57:00.000-07:00

Written by: Johnny Israel

Most aspiring writers have experienced, at least once, there are a lot of unscrupulous companies on the Internet posing as legitimate literary agencies, when in reality the literary agency is nothing more than window dressing to steal the aspiring writer’s money. The scam is embedded in all forms of literary representation from novel writers to screenplay writers. Here is how the scam works.

The agent or agency advertises on the Internet they are looking for potential screenplays to represent to film producers. The agent asserts representing various screenwriters from various backgrounds with successful sells to production companies they have a working relation with. They advertise, “There is no reading fee, no do we charge a fee for our services. We get paid when we sell your screenplay. What we look for in writers is their potential. By following our guidelines, we can enhance your writing skills.” Sounds like any legitimate literary agency... almost. As you will see, this is all a ruse to swindle the writer from his money.

Their first suggestion is to have the writer send them his or her screenplay via email. Once they receive the screenplay, they will email the hopeful writer, acknowledging they have received it. Of course they say they need at least seven days to review his or her play. The seven days waiting period is to have the writer believe they have carefully scrutinized and read every word of your play.

After the seven days, the writer get another email from the agency stating, “Your screenplay has potential for a sale. However, after carefully reviewing it, our professionals determined it needs some work.” It is at this point they suggest a professional writer they work that will critique the writer's play for a small fee ranging from $100 to $500. All he or she needs to do is provide them with a valid credit card, cashier check, or wire the money directly into their account. As soon as they receive the money they send the writer, via email, a contract for representation. The contract is usually for valid for 60 to 90 days. The agency then informs the writer it will take 3 to 6 weeks to critique his or her screenplay. After the critiquing, they email the writer again, stating, “your play has potential for a sale, but also requires further doctoring before we can show your script to potential buyers. The “script doctor,” they claim, is an outside person that has no connection to the agency, but is someone that is personally acquainted with the agency. They only work with the best “script doctors” in the business. And for a fee ranging from $200 to $1,500 the “script doctor” will polish the final draft in preparation to show to their list of contacts. The “script doctor” needs 4 to 6 weeks to doctor the screenplay. The end result: by the time the writer's screenplay gets critiqued and doctored, his or her 90 days for representation has expired. That means, the writer's contract with the agent or agency is now moot. The worse part of this scam is the writer has no clue that the agent is the same person critiquing and doctoring his or her screenplay. Most of the time, the writer's screenplay ends up worse off or no better than before the critiquing and doctoring, and he or she out the money they sent to the agency.

Even more sordid, the agent and/or agency have never sold a screenplay to any recognized film producer or production company. Their scam solely preys on the aspiring writer’s hopes in getting his screenplay sold. Unfortunately, there are hundreds of scam artists on the Internet posing as legitimate agents, preying on aspiring writers. Here are a few things you should look for in selecting an independent agent or agency to represent you. Is the agent or agency a member of the The Association of Author's Representation. The AAR has specific guidelines that registered independent agents must adhere too. Association of Authors Representatives

“The AAR believes that the practice of literary agents charging clients or potential clients for reading and evaluating literary works (including outlines, proposals, and partial or complete manuscripts) is subject to serious abuse that reflects adversely on our profession. For that reason, the AAR prohibits its members from charging reading fees.”

However, be aware, some unscrupulous agents have been known to become a member of the AAR. The AAR will investigate complaints of unscrupulous agents registered as members of their association.

Firstly, check with AAR to see if the agency or the agent is a registered member. You can also check with the Better Business Bureau in their area for any complaints file with their department. Also, you may find additional information about said agencies through their state consumer affairs. Secondly, ask the agent to provide you with a current telephone number and street address of their business. If they tell you to send all correspondence to their post office box, tell them you would like to have a street address for your records. However, be advised, most fraudulent agencies use email as their source of correspondence. Thirdly, have the agent provide you a list of producers and production companies they have sold too. Fourthly, have the agent provide a list of screenplays they have sold. Include in your query a list of writers they represent. Fifthly, most reputable agency contracts are anywhere from 3 to 7 years. Anything shorter than three years should be a red flag of a potential problem. If you are in question about the contract have an entertainment lawyer review the contract before signing it.

Sixthly, never send money to an agent or a agency that promise results for a sale. No legitimate literary agency can guarantee a script sale. No legitimate agency will ask for money to critique your screenplay, nor will they ask for money to doctor your script. Legitimate agencies that are interested in representing you will make the necessary suggestion for changes in your script, without charging a fee. As a rule-of-thumb, most legitimate agencies, will not ask for you to email them your screenplay. And lastly, never pay any agent or agency a reading fee to read your screenplay. Again, Legitimate agencies never charge a reading fee. Your screenplay either has potential for a sale or it does not. If it does, your agent will work with you to make the necessary changes without charging a fee. If your play does not meet their standards, they will let you know they are not interested.

Johnny Israel writes for City Room Press.