And then there were three.....and one of them is not Teresa Jeffs

Trying to see a plan in what Texas does (other than the making of splashy headlines) would drive anyone mad. After all that posturing and pleading the 5th in a deposition over Teresa Jeffs, Texas "nonsuits" Teresa Jeffs. My brain is breaking.

The Deseret News - "One of the most hotly fought custody cases is closer to ending. In a filing in a San Angelo, Texas, court on Monday, Texas Child Protective Services asked a judge to 'nonsuit' 17-year-old Teresa Jeffs, the daughter of FLDS leader Warren Jeffs."

To be honest, I don't honestly know what is going on. Did Malonis mess up that bad? Was this the plan all along? Is this an attempt to divert attention from something else we should be paying attention to? Does your chewing gum lose it's flavor on the bed post every night? Is there actually a method to the madness? Because wait, there's more.

"A CPS spokesman declined to speak about the dismissal, saying the agency does not talk about specific cases. Jeffs' court-appointed attorney, Natalie Malonis, said the case was not over, however."

Has some sort of strange curse been placed on our Wacky Natalie, where all she can say is "it's not over?"

"Malonis said she was served Monday with a new filing by Jeffs' mother, Annette, seeking to replace Malonis and accusing her of not doing what is in Teresa Jeffs' best interest."

Dare I say it? It looks as if Barbara Walther is hanging Natalie out to dry because this action looks coordinated. Perhaps someone with considerable legal acumen cleared their throats in Barbara's chambers Friday. Maybe the case is collapsing. I truly do not know but there are few formulations that make this look good for Texas. There are few formulations that make Ms. Malonis look sane. If I didn't think I knew them better, I'd say I heard the Ship of Fools that is Texas breaking up below decks. I feel a final plunge coming on.

Who's left now? Merrianne Jessop? Teresa Steed? Teresa Steed's Child? This shouldn't be that hard to find out. Maybe they'll nonsuit two more and we'll know it's just Merrianne Jessop.

It really looks like Barbara Walther had no idea that Natalie was that "out there" and is cutting her losses.

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More Thoughts on the Beautiful One, Naamah

Rick Beckman decides to go scholarly on my analysis of Cain, and his eventual offspring Naamah. Yes Alicia, I like the name too.

I've already decided that should I have another daughter (unlikely) that I will name her Naamah. It not only sounds beautiful, it means that. Check him out.

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Texas Emergency Information Requests go by carrier pigeon?

Rephrasing and refreshing the FBI/Ranger/CSPD April the 13th MYTH.

It often occurs to me I have not explained it well. Look at what has to be believed for the Texas Rangers to have contacted CSPD on April the 13th, 2008 regarding Rozita Swinton.

Figure this series of contacts MUST start early in the morning, so we'll do the hypothetical this way.

Texas Ranger Brooks Long wakes up, after a grueling 10 days of YFZ nonsense and looking for "Sarah."

He gets his morning Newspaper, coffee, breakfast, and sits down to enjoy a quiet Sunday Morning and says "OH (Bleep!)"

Picks up the PHONE, and calls NOT THE CSPD (because he has Colorado Springs cell phone numbers) but the FBI, in SAN ANGELO.

But WAIT! The FBI IS THERE! Someone is working late OR, (More Likely) Brooks calls an FBI agent he KNOWS at San Angelo. Apparently this is an EMERGENCY, BECAUSE...

The unknown FBI San Angelo Agent IMMEDIATELY DROPS EVERYTHING! He calls an agent in Colorado Springs who is AVAILABLE and ANSWERS! Keep in mind that in this total burning down emergency mode that has to exist for things to move this quickly, Brooks has not called CSPD, he's called the FBI, who also in this BURNING WEEKEND EMERGENCY MODE has called another FBI agent he just happens to know and be able to contact on the weekend. REPEATING. Brooks Long calls an FBI Agent HE KNOWS and KNOWS the after hours phone number of who then turns out to know, (coincidentally) the private after hours contact number for FBI Agent Steve A. Smith of Colorado Springs who just HAPPENS to be working on a Task Force in Colorado Springs with a Sgt. Sean Mandel, who he just happens to BE with, or whom he PICKS UP THE PHONE, (again, convinced of the BURNING EMERGENCY) and calls not HEADQUARTERS, but Sgt. Sean Mandel.

Now at least a Message, traveling through back channels and still carrying with it specificity and clarity and a tone of BURNING EMERGENCY passes to Sgt. Sean Mandel, who is getting this now FOURTH HAND and he creates yet another link in the chain. Sgt. Sean Mandel who clearly cannot go into CSPD offices because of his detached status on what is probably some "undercover" investigation with the FBI task force (this is a VERY convoluted strange path) picks up the phone or goes to SEE Sgt. Hugh Velasquez IN PERSON and now the FIFTH HAND emergency back channel message has reached an active member of the CSPD on duty on Sunday, Sex Crimes Task Force Member Sgt. Hugh Velasquez who then contacts SIXTH HAND, Detective Terry Thrumston.

Sgt. Hugh Velasquez then sends another message back down the line or contacts the FBI agent in San Angelo himself (this is now 7 or 8 uninterrupted phone contacts immediately attended to, no "unknown calls" screened out on a Sunday) and in addition to that, researches the phone numbers, on a the same day, and fingers Rozita Swinton. The FBI agent in San Angelo calls Brooks Long, who then calls Sgt. Hugh Velasquez (minimum 9 calls after hours among people in Law Enforcement on a weekend not all of whom KNOW each other) and Sgt. Hugh Velasquez says "Brooks, WE HAVE YOUR GIRL! HER NAME IS ___________!"

No.

I don't believe that happened that way. Do you?

No.

I don't believe that happened all on a Sunday, DO YOU?

That means the story is a lie, the contact between the FBI and the Texas Rangers about the phone call occurred earlier, the preceding week, not the week of the 13th, and the only believable day for that is Friday, April the 11th, 2008.

It is also possible that the FBI tipped the Texas Rangers after researching it themselves. Once we realize that the story is a lie, the true story is, well, just about anything.

What I can promise you is this did NOT start on the 13th. The inquiry into the phone numbers began earlier than that and the FBI doesn't want us to know when, and does not want us to know who was involved and does not want us to know whose idea it was.

Now, KNOWING that you've been lied to about all of this, do you believe that the FBI, upon completing their own search warrant on Thursday, April 10th, 2008, gets it in gear on the phone number issue on Friday, April 11th, 2008 and also this investigation is completed on Sunday, April 13th? Remember the path that has been documented has this minimum number of links, and players.

FBI Agent in San Angelo (working at SOMEONE'S request, not his own) calls an FBI Agent in Colorado Springs who HE DOES NOT KNOW, and WHO DOES NOT KNOW HIM.

THAT FBI Agent just HAPPENS to have a CSPD Sgt. on his task force.

THAT CSPD Sgt. contacts another CSPD Sgt.

THAT CSPD Sgt. contacts another Detective at CSPD.

SOMEONE get's back to the FBI in San Angelo.

I repeat, this does not all happen on a Sunday afternoon. It doesn't even happen on a weekend. It barely has enough time to happen on Friday.

Remember also that you have to believe that the FBI and Sheriff Doran and the Texas Rangers BELIEVE there is a Sarah, so they BELIEVE that they will find the owner of the phone, and trace it back to a member of the FLDS, but instead, they find Rozita Swinton.

Also, why does the FBI inquire of CSPD? WHY would you believe that the phone numbers were involved in a CRIME?

If you believe the phone numbers were involved in a crime, doesn't that suggest a database that was accessed?

Why wasn't that done right away?

WAS that done right away?

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Bloomin' Statistics and another record month.

Bigger! Better! More impressive!

The Modern Pharisee hit 5773 visitors per "Blogflux" for the month of January this year which was a greater number than ever by that measurement.

2009 also marks my switch to the more reliable inside measurement of Google Analytics for determining visitors. Per their measurements (which you have to figure are reliable, they own the space) there were considerably more. 7580.

So, from now on out the worldly success of this blog will be measured in terms of Google Measurements. From now on out, or at least until something else comes along.

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Kurt Schulzke looks at Judge Conn's order

"(Judge Steven) Conn is a funny man." Indeed he is, and another good writer, just like Warren's attorney, Michael Piccarreta. I was going to blog on this today, and might still do so, but Kurt at "Contraries" beat me to it.

"Judge Conn’s order is a significant procedural victory for Jeffs and, possibly, FLDS defendants in Texas courts whose attorneys, I am told, are (or soon will be) sifting through 12 terabytes of discovery data provided by Texas prosecutors. This order, if carried out, will force the State of Arizona to explain why evidence seized by Texas authorities at YFZ should not be suppressed in Warren Jeffs’ upcoming trial. The fact that Arizona is fighting the suppression hearing suggests weakness in both Arizona and Texas cases against FLDS defendants."

Read it all. I'm not sure I can observe relevant things, that good a attorney like Kurt, cannot show you himself.

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Natalie Malonis as Circus Clown, the Truth IS stranger than fiction.

Satire can never live up to real life. Willie Jessop, under oath: "Ma'am, if anybody needs meds, it's you."

When asked by Natalie Malonis if he was on meds (which she wasted an incredible amount of time on), Willie says no, but can you blame him if he wants to know if she is? I'm just going to post the transcript found at the San Angelo Standard-Times. I seriously had to verify this before posting it. I thought it was a joke when I first read it. Satire.

An excerpt from the Monday deposition of FLDS spokesman Willie Jessop by attorney Natalie Malonis.

Jessop is represented by Houston attorney Kent Schaffer. Malonis confirmed the details of this conversation, taken from a rough draft of the transcript obtained by the Standard-Times.

Natalie Malonis: OK. Do you recognize the woman in the blue dress at this table?

Kent Schaffer: I will confer with my client regarding (whether) he should exercise his privilege in regard to that question.

(Discussion off the record.)

[...]

Willie Jessop: Yes, I do.

NM: OK. And how do you recognize her?

WJ: By her blue dress.

NM: How is it that your recognize her? Where do you know her from? Or is it your testimony that you recognize the blue dress?

WJ: What was your question, ma'am?

NM: How do you recognize the woman in the blue dress?

WJ: Same way I would recognize anyone.

[...]

NM: Can you answer the question, please?

WJ: I recognize the individual.

NM: Objection: nonresponsive. Are you refusing to answer the question?

WJ: I answered your question.

NM: OK. How do you know the woman in the blue dress?

WJ: The question is vague. I don't know what individual you're looking at. I recognize you in a black dress. I recognize -

[...]

NM: The woman in the blue dress - there is only one woman in a blue dress at this table - how do you know her?

WJ: Are you asking if I know her name or what?

NM: Objection: nonresponsive. Can you answer the question, please?

WJ: I asked for clarification.

NM: Mr. Jessop, how do you know the woman in the blue dress? There is no way to clarify that question. It's clear.

WJ: You asking if I know her name?

NM: Objection: nonresponsive. Are you refusing to answer the question?

WJ: No.

NM: Then?

WJ: I've answered your question. You won't give me clarification.

[...]

NM: Objection: nonresponsive. Mr. Jessop, do you have a problem understanding conversant English?

WJ: Well, maybe you could give me some clarification. How do you know Mr. Schaffer?

NM: Objection: nonresponsive. Mr. Jessop, are you impaired mentally in any way today?

KS: I'm going to object to harassment of the witness.

NM: Can you answer the question? I can clarify that further. Have you taken any medications today?

WJ. No, I haven't taken medications.

NM: Okay. Is there a reason there was such a long pause to answer that question?

WJ: Just because of the harassment fact from yourself.

NM: Objection: nonresponsive. Did you have trouble recalling whether or not you took medication today?

WJ. Ma'am, if anybody needs meds, it's you.

[...]

NM: OK. Have you had any other mind-altering substances either ingested or imbibed in any way that would affect your cognitive abilities?

WJ: This is harassment.

KS: Answer the question.

WJ: No, I'm not on any meds.

NM: OK. Do you have a problem with your memory?

WJ: Just harassment.

KS: Just answer the question.

WJ: No, I don't.

NM: OK. I'm going to ask you again: How do you know the woman in the blue dress?

WJ: Are you asking her name? What are you wanting to know about her? I recognize her because of the person, (the) same way I would recognize you.

NM: Objection: nonresponsive. OK. I'm going to take the nonresponsiveness as a refusal to answer and ask another question.

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New York Federal Reserve Makes GOOD Investment.

Don't let the screen door hit ya in the wallet? How will our new Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner pay all those back taxes

The Politico - "Newly minted Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner’s finances got a recent boost, thanks to a plump $435,000 severance payment from his old employer – the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.

In addition, Geithner last year earned $411,000 as president of the New York Fed and got another $50,000 to $100,000 for unused vacation and comp time, according to a mandatory financial disclosure statement released by the Office of Government Ethics."

Just see it as the Federal Reserve Bank of New York getting rid of a guy that can't manage money. Looked at that way, it's a great investment.

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Would Sarah Palin have made this mistake?

ObaDude,

That's a Window. Hat tip to Brother Burge, whose take on this you simply have to see.

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"Fabulous Internet Riches" The Modern Pharisee Becomes a Professional Journalist !

Following a more sane path than brother Burge, I am beginning to realize the fabulous internet wealth available to me.

Yesterday, I hauled in a record $1.96 in earnings from advertisements placed on my blog. Month to date? $11.72.

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More Politics as usual, the question being: What is Politics as Usual?

The show must go on. You know, the show for us so we think something has changed, but nothing changes.

The Wall Street Journal - "Not a single Republican supported Mr. Obama's economic recovery package on the House floor Wednesday night. It passed 244-188, with 11 Democrats joining the Republicans.

The solid Republican opposition, led by House Minority Leader John Boehner (R., Ohio), raises questions about whether the new era of bipartisanship that Mr. Obama promised during the campaign is truly within reach, or if Washington remains stuck in its acrimonious ways. Most immediately, the vote may mean that Democrats have to make more compromises in the Senate version of the recovery package, which is scheduled for a vote next week.

In the Senate, a vote that falls short of 60 senators supporting a bill allows the opposition to filibuster, or block passage through indefinite debate. But some Republicans are signaling privately that they are reluctant to filibuster the stimulus package, and Senate Democrats appear to be reaching out more aggressively to address GOP concerns on the bill."

Hope for change? Not on your life, it's all for show. All of these men in the above vote are already campaigning for re-election in 2010. The Senate? Now there's a different matter. Roughly one third of the Senate changes over every two years and it's easier to find allies for this whoring bill when the principle of forgetfulness reigns. The idealist says, "They (voters) will Remember!" and the realist whispers "no, they will forget...."

So the demonstrators in the House wave the flag and we are inspired, to wake up next week and find just enough Senate Republicans defected, voted for cloture (allowing the vote) and then slipped back to the ranks of the faithful for our next show by voting against the bill as it passes. Along with about 8 democrats or so who are up for reelection in contested states. They were after all, for the bill, before they were against it.

As a lobbyist in the Montana Legislature in the early 80's I watched a bill go down to victorious defeat. The "Game" went back and forth as one side maneuvered to get ahead of the other one. We had the votes, we had victory, but the key was getting the bill to the floor for that vote in an effective form. As the debate drew to a close, an amendment was placed in the bill in committee that stripped it of it's enforcement clause, rendering it graffiti, not law.

The amendment failed in an open vote as procedure dictated it needed a majority vote to be added. The gallery erupted in thunderous applause and the acting President of the Senate that day, inexplicably (?) a member of the minority opposition, banged his gavel, and declared order. He then stated that he did not have a vote as Senate President, unless there was a tie, and promptly voted to add the emasculating amendment. The bill became a platitude and I thought not of outrage but of how inevitable it all was.

Vote counting is done out of the hallways. Votes are known before bills come to the floor, there are rarely surprises. President Obama's stimulus bill will almost certainly pass and for the public record, we will have most Republicans lining up ineffectively against it. But they could have (provided it passes) prevented it from coming to a vote, and they won't.

In Montana, in the 80's, we thought our representatives were voting for our bill, but they were voting against it since they all conferred behind the scenes and agreed on the outcome.

In Washington, this year, much the same situation will play itself out as our votes are cynically pandered for and the Idealist, going down to defeat will shout "The VOTERS will REMEMBER!" and I will be right at their side saying, "no, they will forget."

Prove me happily wrong by holding your representatives accountable. Change will be turning out everyone who voted for cloture on the stimulus bill, out on their ears when they come up for reelection, IN THE PRIMARIES.

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FBI Dallas Caught in a Catch - 22

According to Mark D. White, Media Relations, FBI Dallas, he can't comment on an ongoing investigation. But for him to NOT comment, there has to be an investigation, but he can't tell me anything about an ongoing investigation, but for him to invoke that

there has to BE an investigation. You see how it goes?

"There was only one catch and that was Catch-22, which specified that a concern for one's safety in the face of dangers that were real and immediate was the process of a rational mind. Orr was crazy and could be grounded. All he had to do was ask; and as soon as he did, he would no longer be crazy and would have to fly more missions. Orr would be crazy to fly more missions and sane if he didn't, but if he was sane he had to fly them. If he flew them he was crazy and didn't have to; but if he didn't want to he was sane and had to. Yossarian was moved very deeply by the absolute simplicity of this clause of Catch-22 and let out a respectful whistle.

'That's some catch, that Catch-22,' Yossarian observed.

'It's the best there is,' Doc Daneeka agreed."

Mark D. White, Media Relations, FBI Dallas deserves some sympathy, he has taken to screening my calls and is "very busy." Of course for him to invoke the "no comments with regard to ongoing investigations clause, there has to be and investigation." For him to say there is no investigation means that a FBI agent did something "under the table."

WHY is the FBI in Dallas afraid to answer the question of whether or not there was a case opened by an FBI office in Texas to ask an FBI Agent in Colorado Springs about Rozita Swinton?

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Do I drive a Car? Merril invokes the fifth, citing the "Mann Act."

Hey, it's his right. Merril Jessop refuses to establish, himself, that he can drive a car. Why?

The San Angelo Standard-Times - "Jessop, a top leader of the polygamous Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints that runs the Schleicher County ranch, invoked the Fifth Amendment 267 times on questions as minor as whether he drives a car and as significant as whether his now-14-year-old daughter was involved in a sexual relationship with sect leader Warren Jeffs.

'Upon the advice of counsel, he's exerting his Fifth Amendment (rights),' Jessop's attorney, Amy Hennington, said early in the all-day Friday deposition. 'The basis is that there is potential state investigation still ongoing, as well as criminal investigations under the Mann Act out of the U.S. Attorney's office.'

The Mann Act prohibits the transportation of people across state lines for the purpose of sexual activity."

This sent Barbara Walther scrambling back to her office, to write an order. She will of course, find some justification for "compelling" Merril to testify. Thumbscrews anyone?

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Warren is getting his evidence hearing.

"IT IS ORDERED denying the State's Request for Hearing and Oral Argument Pursuant to Franks v. Delaware."

Found here.

The state has filed a Request for Hearing and Oral Argument Pursuant to Franks v. Delaware. The defendant has filed an opposition to Request for Hearing to Determine Whether Defendant is Entitled to an Evidentiary Hearing on Motion to Suppress. The latter pleading refers to, among other things, "the upcoming evidentiary hearing on defendant's Motion to Suppress".

The Court continues to be perplexed as to what exactly is the intent of the Sate regarding the Texas search. Although the State has not formally committed itself in any binding manner to the proposition that it will not use any evidence obtained in the Texas search, that was certainly their position advanced orally at the last hearing on October 28, 2008, and in writing in their response to the defense motion to suppress. The Court does not know whether they have changed that position or whether they are concerned that they will have to answer a defense allegation that evidence they feel was obtained independently from the Texas search was actually obtained as a result of that search. The court is aware that the State's position may have been solidified in one way or another by discovery proceedings which have taken place since the last hearing. The Court also wonders whether the State's position depends on which prosecutor is filing a certain pleading, but that is probably none of the Court's business.

It would appear that both parties are now acknowledging that the defense motion to suppress evidence seized in the Texas search will have to be ruled on. That motion raises several different issues, only one of which is the Franks v. Delaware issue. It is hard to imagine that the Court could rule on all those issues without having some sort of evidentiary hearing requiring the testimony of Texas law enforcement officers. Admittedly, some of the issues, such as whether there was probable cause for the issuance of the search warrant, would require nothing more than an analysis of the four corners of the search warrant and the accompanying affidavit. However, it is unlikely that the Court could rule on an issue such as whether the officers exceeded the permissible scope of the search warrant without having evidence presented regarding the scope of their actual search.

The State's most recent pleading almost seems to suggest that the Court will eventually address the defense motion to suppress in a piecemeal fashion, having separate evidentiary hearings and/or oral argument on each distinct issue raised in the motion until all issues are resolved. That seems highly unlikely. Assuming that a hearing is going to be held on the defense motion, an assumption that now seems increasingly warranted by the tenor of the most recent pleadings, the Court's desire will be to have a single hearing at which either party may present any evidence it feels relevant to the issues raised in the defense motion. The Court sees little advantage in having out-of-state witnesses make multiple trips to Mohave County when one would be sufficient. Depending on the State's intent regarding evidence seized in the Texas search, and, of course, on the Court's ruling on the motion to suppress, some of those witnesses may have to be making multiple trips to Mohave County anyway.

The Defendant has the burden of proof under Franks v. Delaware. It will therefore be the Defendant's obligation, not the State's, to "subpoena several witnesses to travel from the State of Texas to testify". The Court sees no justification or necessity based either on the law of facts applicable to this case or on a desire to manage this case more efficiently in having a preliminary hearing at which counsel can argue the question of whether an evidentiary hearing on the Franks v. Delaware should be held.

IT IS ORDERED denying the State's Request for Hearing and Oral Argument Pursuant to Franks v. Delaware.

At the last hearing on October 28, 2008, the Court suggested the possibility of setting some sort of status hearing to make sure that this case remained on track toward an eventual resolution. The Court was assured that time that it was not necessary to do so and that counsel would keep this case moving forward. The Court has no reason to question that assessment and is aware of recent discovery that has been undertaken. The Court is concerned, however, that it appears likely that at some time in the future it is going to have to schedule a potentially complex evidentiary hearing to resolve Defendant's motion to suppress evidence seized in the Texas search. The Court is amenable to allowing counsel to investigate fully the applicable issues that will have to be addressed at that hearing and recognizes from experience that interviewing witnesses before an evidentiary hearing will enable that hearing to be limited to the issues relevant to the motion to suppress rather than being a pretrial interview which the Court is forced to preside over. The Court would like the parties to be thinking about the logistics of the anticipated evidentiary hearing sooner rather than later.

IT IS ORDERED directing counsel to advise the Court in writing, by stipulation if possible, by no later than February 27, 2009, how they wish to proceed on the Defendant's motion to suppress. The Court does not particularly care whether it is advised that counsel want to hold off on scheduling the hearing, that counsel want a hearing set, that counsel agree to which issues need to be addressed at a hearing, that counsel agree what witnesses will be testifying, that counsel agree how long the hearing will take or even that counsel agree to schedule the hearing on a certain date.

IT IS ORDERED directing the Clerk to bring this file to the Court's attention by no later than March 4, 2009. (initialed)

The Court at that time will be inclined to adopt any stipulation reached by counsel, within reason. If no agreement has been reached, and the Court does not by any means rule out the likelihood that counsel will be unable to agree, it will be the Court's intent to set this matter for an evidentiary hearing and oral argument on the Defendant's motion to suppress. The Court will be inclined to schedule that hearing as it would a jury trial. In other words, the hearing would start on a Tuesday at 9:30 a.m. and proceed on a daily basis running 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. with an hour for lunch until the hearing was completed. The Court would clear its calendar to enable it to complete the hearing. If the hearing were unable to be completed in one week, it would resume the following Tuesday. In scheduling the hearing the Court would seek input from counsel as to a time that would be convenient to their schedules and would set the hearing far enough off to secure the attendance of any necessary witnesses."

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Just A Reminder. It's FLORA DEPOSITION DAY!!

What would be better than Merril and Willie taking the fifth?

Flora taking the fifth. Oh please, please, please. It would be the equivalent of the Titantic striking an iceberg. If Flora takes the fifth for anything in regards to the raid at YFZ, then the State's case will start to crumble. It will be a gash to the hull to large for the ship to stay afloat, it will sink. Slowly, and in Arizona first, but it will sink.

Of course if she just answers questions possibly without a lawyer, that will be fun enough. Willie and Merril taking the fifth does not hurt their case, they're on defense. Flora taking the fifth means there is some unspoken truth underlying the circumstances surrounding the YFZ raid last April. It may insulate Ms. Jessop from harm, but it will severely damage the State's case.

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I have to admit it's getting better, it's getting better, all the time.

Sometime today this blog will pass the visitor totals from last month.

Since November, The Modern Pharisee has been showing regular gains in readership. January will also mark the month that I will begin to measure results from Google Analytics data, as opposed to Blogflux. Blogflux, while consistent in it's data measurement technique has occasional outages and seemed to miss some data at the end of last month and the beginning of this one.

Right now by Blogflux measurements I have had 4844 visitors for January 2009. By Analytics standards there have been 6444. I continue to be amazed, and thank you for your support.

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Does the press possess the courage to report the FLDS story?

Let me say first that without the reporting of the Salt Lake Tribune, the Deseret News, and to some extent (unconsciously) the San Angelo Standard-Times, the blogosphere around the FLDS controversy would be nowhere.

Having said that, they've settled into a sort of sing song complacency that is infuriating. It is more than difficult as a blogger to be the source of real news in this story. I for instance, am in New England, Bill Medvecky is in Florida, Kurt Schulzke is in Georgia. We're not reporters, yet some of the key events are having original reporting done on them by the bloggers.

Contrast for instance this story, in the Deseret News about two hours ago.

"Only eight children remain under court oversight as the custody battle over the children from the Fundamentalist LDS Church's YFZ Ranch withers away.

Texas Child Protective Services confirmed to the Deseret News on Tuesday that a total of 431 children have now been dropped from court jurisdiction in the ongoing child custody case. The children belong to three mothers, CPS officials said."

But this is old news since Free the FLDS Children reported this story 72 hours earlier. Perhaps with so few children left, and their release from oversight being so regular in the last four months we've become desensitized but this is big news. Five is one of the biggest number drops in the total recently. In addition, it represented almost 40% (38.4) of the remaining total. How long did it take for one (only one) member of the main stream media to report this story? THREE DAYS.

Since Bill was accurate in his reporting of this story it stands to reason his inside sources have him correctly reporting this one as well;

"After last evenings rant on a friends blog by Natalie, whereby she, as an Officer of the Court, named children involved in the CPS 'Investigation' and sent copies of the testimony of Merril Jessop to the blog to purposely inflame any possible Jury Pool against him, (Judge Walther) wasn’t too happy with her girl wonder and bitched her out loud enough to be heard in Peggy’s Office.

I’m sure (Barbara Walther) would have loved to, but neither Willie nor Merril are sitting in jail tonight for contempt of Court, but Natalie is going to have to go out tonight and buy a much larger pair of knee pads to keep barbie happy in the future."

If remotely true, this set of basic circumstances seems to suggest that Natalie Malonis is the active agent of Barbara Walther in the courtroom (news in and of itself) and confirms what a bad choice for stooge she is, and what a loose canon as well.

In addition, there is this bit of news over at Contraries, which if I understand it correctly, is what Bill refers to as "a friend's blog." An extensive section of transcript from the deposition in which Ms. Malonis, goes after the "Teresa Jeffs" child issue. Malonis as gone back and forth, but mostly towards the notion that she does think there is a child, until confronted pointedly, and then she says it's just a hypothetical that we could imagine to be true about other children.

All of this is news.

Then there is my own humble effort to expose a lie hidden in an affidavit to create the warrant to arrest Rozita Swinton, about which the Deseret News bravely says in the same article;

"Hundreds of children were taken into state custody in April when law enforcement and CPS caseworkers went to the YFZ Ranch outside Eldorado, Texas, to investigate a phone call of someone claiming to be a pregnant 16-year-old in an abusive, polygamous marriage. The call is believed to be a hoax, but authorities claimed to have found other signs of abuse on the ranch."

Oh puh-leeeeez. There are so many other ways to write that last paragraph that say so much more and still preserve the paper's position with regard to liability. They could for instance touch on the length of time it is taking to "investigate" charges against a woman who is known to own the phones from which those calls came. After all, it's in the affidavit.

Speaking of which, my own little contribution over the last week or so to the "reportage" on the story has been to reveal that the affidavit attached to the CSPD warrant of April 16th, 2008, is cleverly contructed to promote a falsehood which the press dutifully reports on as fact to this day. That falsehood is that Texas in the person of Ranger Brooks Long called CSPD and talked to Sean Mandel on Sunday, April 13th, 2008.

That is simply false.

Keeping in mind that the "raid" ended with evidence collection by the FBI (and maybe some more Texas activity) on Thursday, April the 10th, 2008, the date of April the 13th is a strange one, and not even a date substantiated by the players involved.

First of all, it's a Sunday. You don't have an Government job because you want to work weekends folks, so if you do work weekends, you don't buy troulbe on weekends. Nobody calls up from one FBI office or Police station to another on something that can wait, on a weekend.

Second, it was the FBI who contacted the FBI but the FBI agent who spoke to me personally whose story was corroborated by the CSPD Sgt. can't even tell me it DID happen on a Sunday. he "doesn't recall." "It could've been earlier" and he "doesn't recall" how he was contacted and "he didn't open a case" and I have since talked to the FBI in Dallas, and they won't comment on the fact that at one end or the other, the FBI was supposed to have opened a case, when one FBI agent requests information of another regarding a crime.

No case. No comment, and it would appear that Ranger Philip Kemp, at the very least was on record as having requested information of the FBI on the Rozita Swinton Phone Call Matter on Friday, the 11th.

I'm sorry, but this is big. You don't go through elaborate trails to hide nothing, yet it appears that this is what the FBI did.

Either Law Enforcement has either deliberately postponed looking into the Rozita Swinton matter until the raid was done, or they are covering up, in advance, the researching of where the phone calls came from. Why pray tell do you cover up carefully the investigation of something you don't know? Isn't one of the answers that you do know?

At this point Mark White of the Dallas FBI office won't even confirm to me if a case was opened to investigate the phone numbers. If Agent Steve A. Smith was lying to me (unlikely), a case should have been opened on one end or the other. The only reason Mark White won't tell me is that he either does not want to confirm the request made of Steve Smith, or he doesn't want to let us know that the FBI tried to investigate Rozita Swinton completely "off the record."

All of these things are news. The last one might even show that the FBI and Texas both knew that there was a Rozita Swinton, and that she was calling, during the raid. Maybe even right up to the point where Sheriff David Doran is standing at the gate to YFZ, wanting desperately to get in, and willing to say anything to do that.

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Good Grief! This is Brainwashing?

The other half of the story of "Escape." Carolyn's Daughter "went kicking and screaming."(Photo by Trent Nelson, Salt Lake Tribune)

The Salt Lake Tribune - "Betty said traumatic years followed as she struggled to cope with mainstream society and fought with her mother.

Their arguments, she said, centered on her desire to live according to the sect's principles and her mother's determination to keep her from the faith, her father and her extended family.

'I was such a representation of everything she hated so much,' Betty said.

On July 2, 2007, Betty turned 18. Two days later she returned to the sect, celebrating what she now calls her own independence day."

As soon as she had the chance, Betty went back. Brainwashing or not, I know of no way to effectively deal with the upbringing of these people. As has been said before, who would decide what religion was a cult, and which one was over the edge and went too far?

And another thing. If they're happy, then should we interfere? Whatever issues Carolyn had, she resolved them by leaving as others have. Betty chose her father and her former life when she had the chance.

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What Slish is this?

How cold is it? It's so COLD, they don't even have a word for it. (Picture from the "Gulf News").

"Snow covered the Jebel Jais area for only the second time in recorded history yesterday. So rare was the event that one lifelong resident said the local dialect had no word for it."

I just love this blog. It makes me smile every time I read it.

RAS AL KHAIMAH (United Arab Emirates) - "According to the RAK Government, temperatures on Jebel Jais dropped to -3°C on Friday night. On Saturday, the area had reached 1°C.

Major Saeed Rashid al Yamahi, a helicopter pilot and the manager of the Air Wing of RAK Police, said the snow covered an area of five kilometres and was 10cm deep.

'The sight up there this morning was totally unbelievable, with the snow-capped mountain and the entire area covered with fresh, dazzling white snow,' Major al Yamahi said.

'The snowfall started at 3pm Friday, and heavy snowing began at 8pm and continued till midnight, covering the entire area in a thick blanket of snow. Much of the snow was still there even when we flew back from the mountain this afternoon. It is still freezing cold up there and there are chances that it might snow again tonight.'

Aisha al Hebsy, a woman in her 50s who has lived in the mountains near Jebel Jais all her life, said snowfall in the area was so unheard of the local dialect does not even have a word for it. Hail is known as bared, which literally translates as cold. 'Twenty years ago we had lots of hail,' said Ms al Hebsy. 'Last night was like this. At four in the morning we came out and the ground was white.'

Jebel Jais was dusted in snow on Dec 28, 2004, the first snowfall in living memory for Ras al Khaimah residents."

Originally published in "The National." It's worth a peak since there is a slide show with the article.

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Dude, Where are my Props?

A self appointed "expert" has compiled a list of the top 60 "Church Blogs."

And I'm not on it. Hmmmm. If you've got a list, why 60? That's because the next 40 would be laughably unknown, or too hot to handle, so offhand, I'm going to guess that it's because my "Church Blog" is too hot to handle.

TOP CHURCH BLOGS (as of January 17, 2009)

1. Tim Challies [Rank 4.83]
AR 151,747 ___ BS 582 ___ GP 5 ___ GRS 3,604 ___ TA 1,109 ___ TIL 5,179
2. Between Two Worlds / Justin Taylor [Rank 7.33]
AR 152,069 ___ BS 228 ___ GP 5 ___ GRS 2,437 ___ TA 1,335 ___ TIL 8,684
3. Stuff Christians Like / Jon Acuff [Rank 9.33]
AR 283,778 ___ BS 526 ___ GP 4 ___ GRS 3,596 ___ TA 1,024 ___ TIL 7,130
4. Out of Ur [Rank 9.83]
AR 12,169 ___ BS 338 ___ GP 5 ___ GRS 1,132 ___ TA 546 ___ TIL 2,621
5. The Resurgence / Mark Driscoll [Rank 11.00]
AR 178,120 ___ BS 126 ___ GP 5 ___ GRS 2,237 ___ TA 1,176 ___ TIL 5,784
6. GetReligion [Rank 11.67]
AR 125,516 ___ BS 274 ___ GP 6 ___ GRS 906 ___ TA 684 ___ TIL 2,566
7. Swerve / Craig Groeschel & Bobby Gruenewald [Rank 11.83]
AR 93,973 ___ BS 333 ___ GP 5 ___ GRS 593 ___ TA 641 ___ TIL 3,098
8. Pyromaniacs / Phil Johnson [Rank 12.00]
AR 324,560 ___ BS 288 ___ GP 5 ___ GRS 1,164 ___ TA 615 ___ TIL 3,905
9. Ragamuffin Soul / Carlos Whittaker [Rank 12.67]
AR 309,252 ___ BS 280 ___ GP 4 ___ GRS 2,040 ___ TA 953 ___ TIL 5,939
10. The Evangelical Outpost / Joe Carter [Rank 15.50]
AR 340,360 ___ BS 238 ___ GP 6 ___ GRS 1,213 ___ TA 335 ___ TIL 2,989
11. Church Marketing Sucks / Brad Abare & Kevin Hendricks [Rank 16.33]
AR 239,868 ___ BS 160 ___ GP 6 ___ GRS 1,819 ___ TA 436 ___ TIL 2,240
12. Internet Monk / Michael Spencer [Rank 16.33]
AR 297,600 ___ BS 205 ___ GP 5 ___ GRS 523 ___ TA 622 ___ TIL 5,749
13. Desiring God / John Piper [Rank 16.50]
AR 43,865 ___ BS 389 ___ GP 3 ___ GRS 3,664 ___ TA 1,153 ___ TIL 4,935
14. Perry Noble [Rank 17.33]
AR 556,912 ___ BS 277 ___ GP 4 ___ GRS 1,847 ___ TA 690 ___ TIL 3,422
15. Tall Skinny Kiwi / Andrew Jones [Rank 17.50]
AR 589,474 ___ BS 360 ___ GP 5 ___ GRS 996 ___ TA 509 ___ TIL 2,302
16. Monday Morning Insight / Todd Rhoades [Rank 21.33]
AR 240,792 ___ BS 453 ___ GP 4 ___ GRS 922 ___ TA 283 ___ TIL 1,607
17. Church Relevance / Kent Shaffer [Rank 23.33]
AR 369,485 ___ BS 134 ___ GP 5 ___ GRS 1,576 ___ TA 252 ___ TIL 1,152
18. FlowerDust / Anne Jackson [Rank 23.50]
AR 410,152 ___ BS 115 ___ GP 5 ___ GRS 430 ___ TA 529 ___ TIL 2,273
19. Leading Smart / Tim Stevens [Rank 25.00]
AR 775,255 ___ BS 346 ___ GP 4 ___ GRS 951 ___ TA 446 ___ TIL 1,881
20. Steven Furtick [Rank 26.00]
AR 738,114 ___ BS 344 ___ GP 4 ___ GRS 533 ___ TA 529 ___ TIL 2,184
21. Emergent Village [Rank 26.17]
AR 564,952 ___ BS 121 ___ GP 5 ___ GRS 402 ___ TA 492 ___ TIL 2,271
22. Vintage Faith / Dan Kimball [Rank 26.50]
AR 1,177,968 ___ BS 255 ___ GP 5 ___ GRS 1,032 ___ TA 356 ___ TIL 1,431
23. Adrian Warnock [Rank 27.00]
AR 541,574 ___ BS 131 ___ GP 5 ___ GRS 800 ___ TA 229 ___ TIL 1,669
24. Dr. Albert Mohler [Rank 27.00]
AR 137,288 ___ BS 47 ___ GP 5 ___ GRS 3,589 ___ TA 254 ___ TIL 608
25. Without Wax / Pete Wilson [Rank 27.17]
AR 525,866 ___ BS 90 ___ GP 4 ___ GRS 585 ___ TA 640 ___ TIL 2,293
26. 22 Words / Abraham Piper [Rank 27.67]
AR 509,277 ___ BS 118 ___ GP 4 ___ GRS 1,066 ___ TA 347 ___ TIL 1,652
27. Reformissionary / Steve McCoy [Rank 28.33]
AR 797,465 ___ BS 191 ___ GP 5 ___ GRS 805 ___ TA 239 ___ TIL 1,396
28. THEOOZE / Spencer Burke [Rank 29.00]
AR 353,519 ___ BS 161 ___ GP 5 ___ GRS 281 ___ TA 289 ___ TIL 1,093
29. Jesus Creed / Scot McKnight [Rank 31.50]
AR 3,810 ___ BS 80 ___ GP 6 ___ GRS 250 ___ TA 223 ___ TIL 670
30. Ed Stetzer [Rank 32.67]
AR 50,826 ___ BS 180 ___ GP 4 ___ GRS 968 ___ TA 0 ___ TIL 2,269
31. Think Christian [Rank 32.83]
AR 500,482 ___ BS 48 ___ GP 6 ___ GRS 1,677 ___ TA 146 ___ TIL 759
32. Mark D. Roberts [Rank 36.33]
AR 380,577 ___ BS 74 ___ GP 5 ___ GRS 343 ___ TA 152 ___ TIL 716
33. Brian McLaren [Rank 37.50]
AR 642,094 ___ BS 364 ___ GP 5 ___ GRS 347 ___ TA No Data ___ TIL 1,693
34. Tony Morgan [Rank 37.50]
AR 410,780 ___ BS 107 ___ GP 4 ___ GRS 12 ___ TA 471 ___ TIL 2,672
35. Worship Matters / Bob Kauflin [Rank 37.50]
AR 774,336 ___ BS 72 ___ GP 4 ___ GRS 558 ___ TA 324 ___ TIL 1,110
36. Eugene Cho [Rank 37.67]
AR 454,657 ___ BS 54 ___ GP 4 ___ GRS 361 ___ TA 239 ___ TIL 1,330
37. 9Marks / Mark Dever [Rank 37.83]
AR 444,224 ___ BS 155 ___ GP 4 ___ GRS 35 ___ TA 300 ___ TIL 1,834
38. Ben Arment [Rank 37.83]
AR 2,053,728 ___ BS 212 ___ GP 4 ___ GRS 555 ___ TA 218 ___ TIL 1,543
39. Evotional / Mark Batterson [Rank 37.83]
AR 808,885 ___ BS 285 ___ GP 4 ___ GRS 1,114 ___ TA No Data ___ TIL 2,241
40. Relevant Magazine Blog / Cameron Strang [Rank 37.83]
AR 174,788 ___ BS 16 ___ GP 6 ___ GRS 1,749 ___ TA 112 ___ TIL 273
41. JollyBlogger / David Wayne [Rank 38.50]
AR 891,681 ___ BS 186 ___ GP 4 ___ GRS 397 ___ TA 192 ___ TIL 728
42. Scott Hodge [Rank 38.67]
AR 2,652,840 ___ BS 277 ___ GP 4 ___ GRS 582 ___ TA 181 ___ TIL 1,142
43. Dave Ferguson [Rank 40.83]
AR 1,527,926 ___ BS 180 ___ GP 4 ___ GRS 410 ___ TA 177 ___ TIL 755
44. Pomomusings / Adam Walker Cleaveland [Rank 42.33]
AR 299,619 ___ BS 64 ___ GP 3 ___ GRS 222 ___ TA 341 ___ TIL 2,235
45. Pure Church / Thabiti Anyabwile [Rank 42.50]
AR 1,863,579 ___ BS 71 ___ GP 4 ___ GRS 673 ___ TA 203 ___ TIL 1,176
46. Gary Lamb [Rank 46.50]
AR 8,447,548 ___ BS 161 ___ GP 4 ___ GRS 373 ___ TA 165 ___ TIL 1,144
47. Ed Young [Rank 46.67]
AR 1,085,380 ___ BS 72 ___ GP 4 ___ GRS 512 ___ TA 143 ___ TIL 522
48. Catablog / Jesse Phillips & LV Hanson [Rank 47.00]
AR 397,649 ___ BS 30 ___ GP 4 ___ GRS 300 ___ TA 133 ___ TIL 406
49. Don Miller [Rank 47.00]
AR 726,122 ___ BS 115 ___ GP 4 ___ GRS 1,032 ___ TA No Data ___ TIL 662
50. Bill Kinnon [Rank 47.33]
AR 1,834,496 ___ BS 75 ___ GP 4 ___ GRS 150 ___ TA 165 ___ TIL 1,651
51. DJ Chuang [Rank 47.33]
AR 589,848 ___ BS 56 ___ GP 5 ___ GRS 149 ___ TA 102 ___ TIL 379
52. Mark Beeson [Rank 47.33]
AR 1,463,284 ___ BS 90 ___ GP 4 ___ GRS 335 ___ TA 114 ___ TIL 687
53. More Than Dodgeball / Joshua Griffin [Rank 47.33]
AR 995,899 ___ BS 46 ___ GP 4 ___ GRS 274 ___ TA 181 ___ TIL 713
54. Church Communications Pro / Cory Miller & James Dalman [Rank 47.67]
AR 221,952 ___ BS 127 ___ GP 4 ___ GRS 80 ___ TA 53 ___ TIL 326
55. Kem Meyer [Rank 47.83]
AR 1,150,435 ___ BS 251 ___ GP 3 ___ GRS 658 ___ TA 174 ___ TIL 571
56. Drew Goodmanson [Rank 50.67]
AR 556,756 ___ BS 56 ___ GP 4 ___ GRS 183 ___ TA 58 ___ TIL 503
57. The Digital Sanctuary / Cynthia Ware [Rank 51.33]
AR 867,429 ___ BS 71 ___ GP 4 ___ GRS 347 ___ TA 90 ___ TIL 246
58. Collide Magazine Blog / Scott McClellan [Rank 52.17]
AR 589,172 ___ BS 98 ___ GP 4 ___ GRS 104 ___ TA 88 ___ TIL 218
59. Mark Waltz [Rank 55.00]
AR 3,976,063 ___ BS 95 ___ GP 4 ___ GRS 263 ___ TA 67 ___ TIL 612
60. Reformation 21 [Rank 56.17]
AR 5,850,759 ___ BS 14 ___ GP 5 ___ GRS 724 ___ TA No Data ___ TIL 2,260

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Discovering Oil in Isreal

First of all, a hat tip to "The Barking Moonbat." This is just too cosmic comic. From World Net Daily

;

"Noble Energy, a New York Stock Exchange-listed company, has discovered an estimated more than 3 trillion cubic feet of natural gas in three high-quality reservoirs drilled in the company's Tamar No. 1 well in the Mediterranean Sea, about 56 miles off the Israeli northern port of Haifa.

Noble Energy drilled the Tamar No. 1 well to a depth of about three miles, beneath 5,500 feet of water.

The find is significant for those who believe the Bible indicates Israel is sitting on a massive oil reserve that would reshape the geopolitical structure of the Middle East.

The find also lends support to the abiotic theory of the origin of oil that holds oil is created naturally within the mantle of the earth, not by biological origins."

This is a Funny God I serve. Two birds with one stone and that being only the two I saw? On one level you can't stop the side splitting chuckles that come from Israel finding a new petroleum reserve and tipping the balance even further in favor of supply in the Middle East. A richer Israel? A poorer Iran? I can wake up every day and laugh about that one.

At the same time proving an "abiotic theory of the origin of oil" would send me to bed every day chuckling. Time and time the Bible has proved to be a great archeological tome. Looking as closely as possible to where it seems to say "dig" generally yields positive results. If the Bible says it's there, and we look, we eventually find. The Bible says the earth is a young woman, not an old one. Maybe she's still cranking out oil as a geological byproduct, and not baren after all.

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