Come Clean? No need, but to recap...

Concerning my prior marriage. At one time or another, I have said all of the following (which pertain to my first marriage) in the clear, and in public. I will link to them as I find them to demonstrate this, but for now, this recap which is prompted by certain folks claiming I need to "come clean" with regard to my past. I already have, so it's not news. Nevertheless, I will pull it all together in one place so that it can be conveniently referenced.

What follows is the content of a letter to a good friend, slightly modified so as to remove personal information and protect certain persons privacy:

"TBM (who is almost certainly Prickett) is going after one of my children. Please understand that this is my STEP daughter. I am in all ways (except for paternity) like a father to her, and she, like a daughter to me.

Neither my wife, nor my daughter has sought the spotlight and do not publish. This is also true of my ex wife whom they are now going after as well. There is a lot of unresolved junk between my first wife and I, I for my part have done everything I could do to put those issues to rest and can do no more unless she does and I am at peace with the LORD concerning it and do not spend any time thinking of the matter, except when it comes up.

For that reason it takes me a while to run down to the vault of old memories and respond to accusations in that arena because I truly don't dwell on those issues until someone does a kind of 'aha' attack on my character.

I have stated in the past, publicly, the following:

A divorce always has one party primarily responsible for it, and in my divorce (without trying to duck responsibility I may have) was clearly my first wife's fault. Having said that I have reflected on my first marriage and pronounced myself a lousy husband. Not a cheater or a beater, but a lousy husband. I could have done better. Much better. I should have.

My wife (according to a counselor and witnesses of the marriage) started trying to break up the marriage approximately two years into the relationship that ended up lasting 15 years (officially).

For a period of time in the marriage it got physical. From about the second year to sometime in year 6 or 7 (maybe 8, probably not) there was shoving that went on. She started it. I regrettably participated. It is my position that this does not absolve me, I think men should be more responsible. Men have the greater physical power. At a point in time I resolved NEVER to touch anyone in anger ever again, and I never have. That was about 1987 or 1988.*

I do not wish to make excuses or diminish what has to be classified as violence, but the problem with the term violence is that it has massive dynamic range. My violence began with what you might call 'gateway' violence, and ended there before it got worse. I am, and was ashamed of myself, it was wrong, but I have not been violent since, and pretty much was not violent before that. Having said that my wife was the first violent person in the marriage, and she was the last, having jumped on my back and beaten me with her fists while trying to pull out my hair about a month before she threw me out of the house. She did this in front of the children.

The worst thing I did in that case was laugh. I had not touched her (shoved) since the time I resolved not to. Before I was married to her, I did not hit or shove. During the marriage I descended into the shoving sort of physicality, I quit, and haven't ever done it again. As I said, I am deeply ashamed of my failure. It is what it is though. I did not beat my wife, she did not seek a divorce for that cause. The restraining order information is frankly news to me. Perhaps she sought one and it was denied. I was never served with one to my recollection. I visited my children at our home (soon to be hers) during that time and picked them up and dropped them off there, I had several conversations there with my first wife, including one in her bedroom after she kicked me out.

I do know she spread the story that I was dangerous in the whole town of Fairfield MT, which is very small. For that reason after a period of time I always resolved to drive around and not through it so that no one could ever say they saw me there to give legs to her claims.

Additionally, I wanted at times very badly to 'cheat' on my wife, and on occasions, very seriously contemplated doing so, but did not. I say 'cheat' for the sake of convention. I have only been with two in my life, my first, and my second wife, and my first wife threw me out of the house prior to my meeting my second wife, though I met my second wife that very same day.

My first wife's lawyer was an amoral man. His name was Michael S. Smartt. He was fond of creating conflicts real or imaginary to then base his case upon them. Michael later became a Justice of the Peace, and spent all his time in his office, hiding his computer screen from his staff, surfing gay porn. He was drummed out of office, and later committed suicide in the basement of the Rainbow Motel in Great Falls. To say he was not a happy man, or at peace with his life was an understatement. He also was charged with extorting sex from other men that he had contact with in the penal system, in exchange for probation favors. That was my wife's attorney.

In the last year my first wife and I were together, 1995, I was (in human terms) solely responsible for finding, retrieving and helping her second son (my step son) get help for his bipolar disorder. After successful resolution of that more than a year long crisis, both her, and her son (who I still care for very much) declared I had saved his life, my wife was particularly pointed about it holding me close to her and stating: 'You saved (his life), no one else could have done it, he knows it and says so, I know it, and all our friends know it. You are the greatest man I know. I cannot even stand next to you.'

Within a month, she wanted a divorce.

There are of course, many more details, some make me look better, others make me look worse. I know I could have done a great deal more to save my marriage, but I did not. If I have omitted anything it is because it would be a limited market chronicle of an obscure relationship that would fill a volume the size of "The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich."

From the State of Montana's perspective, the divorce was final in November of 1996. I had not lived under the same roof as my wife for a year. I did not contest the divorce, though I showed up for the hearing. Her lawyer asked for sole custody of the children and as a result of my not resisting, got it.

I sent her a letter in 2001 stating I was divorcing her and had communicated many times to her that I did not regard the Civil divorce as valid, until I made a decree of divorce. That may have been the basis for her restraining order, an order I was not aware of and never tested.

Nevertheless, it is now clear to me that though she has remarried (the basis of my letter of divorce), I still care about her. I have not publicly expressed anger about the invasion of my stepdaughter's life until now, nor have I expressed much anger over their past threats to "out" my first wife, but now that they have, I feel a very strong desire to protect her as well. I would advise those using her name publicly that she has not been legally connected to me for 14 years. To drag her into this is to place yourselves in peril from a woman who knows how to defend herself in a court of law. Proceed at your own risk, but I don't think you will find her willing to discuss the matter."

I have always been forthcoming about this matter, and will be so long as I draw breath and possess the memory necessary to recall it.


*This apparently is being seen by some as an admission of a 5 year period of continuous violence.  It was intermittent, not continuous.  It was punctuated by incidents like my wife kicking a door down.  Eventually I saw there were only two ways out.  Escalate, or quit.  My first wife came from a violent home where the answer was "escalate."

Another reason for mentioning who started it is NOT to fix blame.  As noted, I blame myself, however few the incidents were, or however "light" in terms of force they were.  They were my fault, entirely.  Inevitably though, someone asks "why did you shove her, even if it was only a few times?"  The answer is not that I spontaneously started shoving my wife, she shoved me (not an excuse for my behavior) and I chose entirely on my own, to respond in kind.  It was a terrible and stupid, sinful choice.  All I am saying is that I didn't just start shoving my wife because I was angry with her, or for some other reason.

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And he does not deny, most importantly, that he is TxBluesMan

I got a letter from someone purporting to be Gregory Prickett:

"September 22, 2010



Mr. Scott Ledbetter

(redacted)



Mr. Hugh D. McBryde

(redacted)



Mr. William J. Medvecky

(redacted)



Sent via: E-Mail



Gentlemen:



I have recently been made aware that your weblogs “Ye Olde Journalist” (http://mrscottyl.blogspot.com), “Modern Pharisee” (http://hughmcbryde.blogspot.com), and “Free the FLDS Children” (http://www.flds.ws) contain false and defamatory statements about me.



You have published the following false statements and / or substantively similar statements; if not immediately retracted, these false statements will damage my personal and professional reputation and interfere with my ability to conduct my business in the community in which I live and practice my profession:



1. Any statement or implication that I, directly or by omission, participated in the use of excessive force.



2. Any label such as “Rent-a-cop” or similar terminology as applied to me.



3. Any statement, implication, or reference to my having possession or distributing “kiddie porn” or child pornography.



4. Any statement or implication that I am a pedophile or sexual deviant.



5. The statement “We filed a complaint against TBM, who we know wrote all of the FLDS information on the Wiki site for filing info under different, false names (A violation of Wiki rules) and this was his (The Pricks) response to that complaint” or any statement of substantially similar substance.



6. Any statement or implication that any family members of mine are involved in publishing FLDS related materials on the internet or elsewhere.



7. Any statement or implication that I have distributed or disclosed protected health information in violation of any Privacy Act.



8. Any statement or implication that I have used University equipment, property, the University’s name, or my position in violation of any state or federal rule, regulation, or statute.



By this letter, demand is hereby made that you immediately and prominently retract in writing each and every of the foregoing false statements and substantively similar false statements. Demand is further made that you immediately cease and desist from making further false statements about me. Your failure to immediately retract the statements pursuant to this notice will be regarded as an intentional and malicious course of conduct designed to harm me.



Demand is hereby made that any you immediately cease and desist further release of private matters of a non-public nature. Your failure to immediately cease such activities pursuant to this notice will be regarded as an intentional and malicious course of conduct designed to harm me.



Each or all of you have communicated false, defamatory and abusive statements about me to individuals at my place of employment. These statements will damage my professional reputation and interfere with my ability to practice my profession, now and in the future. Demand is hereby made that you immediately cease and desist from communicating at my place of business and that you immediately cease and desist from making further false or abusive statements about me. Your failure to immediately cease making statements pursuant to this notice will be regarded as an intentional and malicious course of conduct designed to harm me.



Regards,







Gregory J. Prickett"

Oh Puh-Leeeeeeeez

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Stamp Out This Nonsense

Here's Johnny. Wanna play Big Boy?  Let's Dance.

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"Hubris"

The Fall of Reynolds has weighed in.

Linking to their post has nothing whatsoever to do with being linked to here, by The Fall. I am a humble man. :)

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The Pharisee Stops by to Visit Texas (FLDS News Explodes!)

Extra! Extra! Read all about it, the Pharisee is in Texas on this Big Day.

I continue to have limited blogging ability. It's because in my new job I am rarely in a place where I can blog. There is no restriction on my doing so from my new employer but it's always one thing or the other, I have the time, but not the access, the access but not the time, both time and access but literally no power. Computers love power.

Toes has uncovered the strong possibility that Blues is either someone else (making me WRONG again!)(well, not really) that is related to Greg J. Prickett. Read all about it.

Blues has closed his/her/their blog, which you all probably know by now.

Bill Medvecky reveals that when the Rock of Sacred Identification was cast into the Dark Anti FLDS Bat Cave, the winged rats started flying in all directions.

Ain't life grand?

To me, "TxBluesMan's" identity has always been a way to get behind the curtain. The Blogger(s) were either important power players, or being fed by them as fronts. It appears now that the latter is true with Bill's claim (believe me it's well founded) that the Texas AG's office is materially involved:

"Who would have thought that an Assistant Attorney General of the State of Texas would have not only jeopardized her Bar License, but will result in the overturning of all of the convictions made so far for giving opposing council (At the time), illegal access to States Evidence.

Personally, I DO NOT believe Ms. Goodman worked alone. I would not be surprised in the least if barbie knew what she was doing at the time. The likelyhood that she took it upon herself to supply Natalie with the States evidence without Nichol’s knowledge and/or approval is also slim. Did good old Ironsides know? Probably."

If provable (I have no doubt that someone in the Texas AG's office was helping, along with others), this news should implode the states cases and blow up at least some if not all of their convictions. I honestly don't know how it affects the plea bargained cases since they preserved their right of appeal, and I in my humble opinion don't see how this news affects appeals, directly.

Here's how it might work: Now that the State's surrogate Ms. Malonis and one of the AG's office have put themselves in jeopardy, the highly politicized judiciary of Texas will suddenly decide to "hear" the evidence appeal, and find (shock) that the Evidence was collected illegally. There will be some conference (all verbal and off the record) in which the State of Texas suggests to FLDS attorneys that they drop the chase of their Cavalcade of Criminal Civil Servants and back of the prosecution of private parties, that the appeal will be expedited and upheld. The FLDS will probably take it. For the rest of our sakes I would hope they would role the dice and tear down the criminal house of Texas LE, but they probably will not. My guess is they will settle for damages and go home. Warren will shortly be a free man if this is the case.

In analyzing Ms. Malonis' sudden departure as attorney for Bruce Wisan and for Carolyn Jessop, all I can say is you don't stop when you're winning, unless really, you just lost big behind the scenes. An attorney jumping off the horse in midstream is either unethical, or the result of unethical behavior. We can assume the latter is the most likely explanation.

How did this all start? I can't say that I did it. Such connections have been suspected for a long time, but the strategy is indeed mine (though probably not exclusively so). Find someone in the "Blues" camp. Paint the target. Get target lock and tone. Watch 'em scatter and start taking names.

My "Unnamed Source" (who may be named anytime he/she wishes) was researching "GregJackP" (Prickett) and his connection with another Wikipedia user/editor identified as Natalie Malonis. As you may know, I take the position that "Climate Change" as "anthropogenic" is a myth. From what I can tell, my unnamed source doesn't see it that way. The fact though that I was involved in a "WikiWar" and got banned (here comes the silver lining) and the fact that I blogroll anti anthropogenic climate change blogs made my blog the result of a Google search. And my source read all about it.

And started putting two and two together.

And emailed me Friday, September 10th and asked if he/she could call me. I emailed the source my phone number, and it went from there. So on Sunday the 12th, I blogged a picture of Greg Prickett and asked "WhoDat?" I wasn't going to do that but the unnamed source (who was not doing what they were doing at my bidding or knowing who I was) had already called Greg. He had been alerted.

The source and I have since become friends and we talk often.

Shortly before that I had given all the information to a variety of real "operatives" having also immediately disclosed the information to people who could communicate it to the FLDS. The strategy switched from "sneak up behind them" to "shock and awe" and watch the rats scatter while taking inventory of their identities and their incriminating behavior.

It now appears that people on the "other side" are talking to save their skins and the 10,000 piece jigsaw puzzle suddenly began to take shape and the rest of the pieces of course, started to fall in place. Believe me, a selfish part of me would have been tempted to keep the story close to the chest until more parts of the puzzle fell in place and published a big piece on my blog (the seagull mentality, mine mine mine) but this has never been about me so as I said, I distributed the information and those various cooperative independent "operatives" went to work with their God Given unique and similar talents.

Naming Toes,Bill Medvecky, Da Vulture and Scott Ledbetter doesn't paint the whole picture, they were just the ones who have been public about their involvement, but the list is longer.

In the end what I hope and pray for is a total discrediting of the various local, state and national law enforcement agencies involved. I would hope that a legalization of polygyny grows out of this. I would like for those that proposed the fate of the FLDS, to go to jail.

Jail you say Hugh? I thought you did not approve of jails.

I don't, but Biblically the most apt punishment for false witnesses and conspirators of that sort, was to receive the punishment they intended for their intended victims. So, jail it is. I don't think that will happen, but that's the not quite fully banished idealist in me.

I encourage you to go and visit the Jury Bulletin Board Blog (FLDS Texas)* and see the monster in it's death throes. It's ugly.

I have a lot of thoughts on the matter, some will no doubt go stale while I am forced to wait for my new assignment. If they are still apropos when I change duties in a week, I'll share them with you. Otherwise I continue to pray for my FLDS friends, Warren Jeffs included, that their complete release come soon and as part of the bargain, that their lands be restored to them, and a damage settlement be offered and given to them by all who persecuted them in LE.

* Work down the page from where this takes you. The first post might be about me, or someone else, or several people. After a while it's about me. Again. Why would they be so furious with someone who incorrectly identified Blues and is setting himself up to be the fool again?

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My opinion? Yes: GregJackP = UNT Sgt Greg Prickett = TxBluesMan of "Coram Non Judice"

A week ago you'd have found me about 98% sure, but as you know, I've made an ass of myself before on this topic.

I will be removing posts soon that suggest anyone else was "da Blues."

Without his confession, it's hard to say all doubt has been removed, but if Greg isn't Blues, then Blues stole his "CV" and Greg hasn't the sense to realize the trouble Blues has gotten him into.

I called Greg today. He denied everything, but didn't threaten me like cops do when they have the high ground. That's probably because he can't afford to do so. Then he hung up. GOTCHA!!

We (meaning the politically ecumenical group of persons "Blues" has ticked off) got together over all things on global warming. We don't agree. Blues & I do agree, but we could all agree his methods were unfair & outrageous. TxBluesMan has that effect on people. He rubs so many diverse people the wrong way that they end up liking each other, when normally they might be at each others throats. Thanks Blues. You've made me a bunch of friends I wouldn't have even sought, and I am a better man for it.

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The Mysterious case of Gregory J. Prickett

There are of course, more than one of them in the world, some are Dentists for instance. But who is this one?

Bad Precedent (#106995)
by Gregory J Prickett on March 12, 2007 at 1:35 PM
According to Spitzer, we must always adhere to precedent, even if terrible and clearly out of line with the Constitution.

If this were the case, then Plessy v. Ferguson (1896) stating that "seperate but equal" was constitutional would still be the law of the land. Obviously this is not the case, due to Brown v. Board of Education overturning that decision.

In a like manner, in Betts v. Brady (1943), the Supreme Court held that Betts did not have a right to appointed counsel in his robbery trial. Thankfully this was overturned by Gideon v. Wainright (1963) and Escobedo v. Illinois (1964).

Bad precedent is just that - bad - and can easily be overturned.

As a side note, Spitzer ignores the facts that the cases he claims are clear and decisive are anything but that.

Presser v. Illinois does not address the question of an individual right to keep and bear arms, stating "Whether a State may not prohibit its citizens from keeping or bearing arms for other than militia purposes is a question which need not be considered..." If it doesn't address the question Mr. Spitzer, then there is no precedent established.

In a like manner, Mr. Spitzer misconstrues the other decisions, but I won't list all the details.

This one writes like TxBluesMan, of Coram Non Judice. When there is a Police Sgt. at the University of North Texas and a Wiki editor by the name of GregJackP who posts seemingly from UNT and "TxBluesMan" who has precisely the same background and interests as GregJackP, you wonder. Is there another Greg J. with a last name starting with P at UNT or is Sgt. Prickett the same person as TxBluesMan. At least, one of the people behind the persona.

Inquiring minds want to know.

Blues has of course closed his blog, making it hard for us to compare writing styles.

Inquiring minds dare him to open it up again.

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WhoDat?

Who is that handsome man in blue from Texas? He is the subject of a recent lawsuit for police brutality (excessive force, aiding and abetting by um, not doing anything). Rumor has it he is a big Prickett.

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On not blogging and blogging again (Wazzup?)

It is fair to say, "I told you so."

On July 29th I said I was probably going to be "out of it" or take a "hiatus" for a bit. Of course the characterizations of that post began immediately. In some quarters it was said I "quit." Other people simply didn't read down the page. In the latter case I realize I'm not the beginning and end of their day, so I get it. Pretty much outside my immediate family, I'm not the beginning or end of anyone's day. In the former case, all I will say is "you wish."

As far as months go to take a dive into the idle side of the pool in blogging, August is a good one. Government never illustrates how important it is in our lives than in August when those bums decide to take time off. Having injected themselves into every aspect of our lives, when they take a vacation (no one can interrupt their plans, you see both how annoying they have become (that's the importance part) and how useless they are.

If you're moldering in Jail, you're going to keep doing that, if you need a Government agency which has made themselves a Machiavellian necessity, you're out of luck. In short it's clear in August how much Government dominates our lives and the news, and in some ways it reveals tragically how little they are really necessary. It's a great time to not be blogging and I wasn't.

Your Modern Pharisee will (God willing) successfully transition from an Automotive Finance Manager to "Something Else" by about the third week of this month. The end date for my training is a little murky. It sorta depends on my progress and the availability of work which my employer really doesn't want to discuss in detail with me. That's ok.

Once again to the great disappointment of my detractors, I have cleared the hurdles of background checks that were in this case the most extensive I have ever endured and come out smelling like a rose. No my dear opponents, there's nothing criminal in my past lurking around waiting to be found. It was kinda fun in retrospect to deal with the one issue of "my arrest" in Ocala Florida back in the 90's. It ended up with Florida saying "what arrest, there ain't no stinking arrest." Someone had listed a bogus arrest in a database by a company that has it's headquarters in....

....wait for it....

Dallas Texas.

Hmmmmm.... Maybe I didn't remember "my arrest" because it never happened.

Ya think?

You think, I'll wonder.

I keep warning that the focus of the Modern Pharisee will be shifting, and then I kinda don't shift. There are reasons.

For one, I love politics but it's so futile. I've promised to write on the topic, so I guess I should, but again, it's so futile.

For another, the pickings in the FLDS cases are now slim. The phase of appeal in Texas will begin soon as some of the plea bargains facilitated appeal, since they preserved the right of appeal. Men "convicted" of their crimes in those cases plead "no contest" and essentially agreed with the state that if the state were allowed to present certain evidence a jury would convict them and it was useless to fight that inevitability. They did however state that they'd like the benefit of appeals, and since the transcript of a plea bargain is short, those cases have gone straight to appeal. As with the cases of the children where one favorable ruling sent all the children back, one successful appeal of the warrant in any FLDS case will void every conviction obtained so far.

That brings me to the nascent status of Warren Jeffs as a victim or martyr or even hero. He could go either way at this point. Essentially a martyr is a victim of a particular narrow variety. Warren could just be another wave tossed victim drowning in his oppression, or he could be a martyr for his cause. I hope at least for the latter. Increasingly Warren S. Jeffs whose trail of dismissed charges and overturned convictions is looking like a man wronged.

Without meaning to insult his legal help, he doesn't have what is generally recognized as the best legal minds in the country helping him. They are good lawyers to be sure, and they may even be great lawyers. His religion's pilfered coffers don't offer the image of a man with unlimited funds hiring the best attorneys money can buy who in turn would produce an OJ/Johnnie Cochran type verdict. His attorneys' track records are poor in his case in the first few rounds. They lose, and then they fight back. Then they start winning.

The bottom line is that Warren can be portrayed, if portrayed skillfully, as being downtrodden, victimized, persevering and being willing to suffer martyrdom for a cause. That cause can be extended in it's relevance to all of us, again, if the portrayal of Warren and his travails are accurate and if they are sold to the media in terms of what he does for all of us. Warren Jeffs can be everyman fighting the limitless power of the state to bend laws and processes for the purposes of destroying both a man and the faith he represents. If this can be done, he is at least a martyr. If he can live through this, and win, he can be a hero. Ultimately most of us need heroes, not martyrs. Martyrs die for a cause, Heroes win and allow us to believe we can "fight the power/the man/city hall" and live to tell about it. Really, that's what most of us want to do. If forced to fight for a good cause we want to win or have our champion win and live so that we can go back to living our anonymous lives. Anonymous lives of personal freedom. That in a nutshell is what Warren and the FLDS represent at this time. A focal point for personal and religious freedom in a free country.

The last matter of housekeeping is the progress of the "new denomination." I am beginning to transition into a "pastoral" role but the denomination is not formed yet. The small group of people I am involved with want urgently to remain in the places we were planted and seek and pray to God that this be so. This involves submitting to the existing authorities in the churches we are attending if we are still in them. The process that a month ago could have taken a week or two weeks has stretched out into a much longer period of time, but seems to be entering an end game that will have a nucleus of persons in those churches, "unchurched." That will be when we start.

As a consequence the new denomination will begin, again, God willing. It will begin as essentially a cloned version of the Orthodox Presbyterian denomination with a rewrite of the Westminster Confession of Faith's chapter 24 and a sort of WCF convention call to address other perceived deficiencies of the Confession. The proposed new wording of point one in Chapter 24 will be: "Marriage is to be between one man and one woman. It is it lawful before the LORD for a man to have more than one wife, but not for woman to have more than one husband, at the same time." The old wording was: "Marriage is to be between one man and one woman: neither is it lawful for any man to have more than one wife, nor for any woman to have more than one husband, at the same time." Other unisexed language with regard to divorce will be changed and screeds against "Papists" will be deleted. Other than that the WCF will remain intact and the Book of Church order used by the OPC will be adopted. Everything will be examined ultimately, but that is the first order of business and the basis of our separation from existing denominations. As soon as the denomination is large enough, the "Convention" to examine the WCF and book of church order will be held.

This will become my primary task. My job will become for funds, not personal fulfillment (though I do like my new job) much as Paul was a tentmaker. I will follow and comment avidly with interest and commitment when it comes to FLDS cause. It think it has widespread impact in preserving and restoring our liberty if the cases go their way. I have committed to the FLDS to be in prayer for Warren's release and the overturning of the convictions of the men in Texas. I will offer them up in prayer to God that this be done, if it be his will. I think if it is not his will to do so, the days will be dark for all of us.

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