Let Go…Let Peace Come In Foundation


 http://www.letgoletpeacecomein.org/

…….Sexually abused children face unprecedented challenges as they grow into adulthood.  This foundation was created to discuss and communicate those challenges and life altering effects with adult survivors from ages 18 to 100!

Research shows that regardless of whether survivors hold vivid, vague, or repressed memories of their childhood sexual abuse, the first step survivors must take is to understand the need for support and help to be able to LET GO… of the memories of the trauma, the shame, the fear, the isolation, and the one or multiple addictions they’ve developed over the years.  Once adult survivors can start to see and correlate how the sexual abuse caused their life of dysfunction and disassociation it is the foundation’s hope that they will start to live again and LET PEACE COME IN to their hearts and lives!



“We must start now to face this problem with courage, with resolve, and most importantly with honesty, especially in recognizing that damage has been done in our childhood and that it was not our fault.  We must then talk about it.  We must talk with someone who understands, someone we can trust, someone who will validate our story.  It will put us on the path to recovery, a path that will lead to a joyful and healthy life.  The more forgotten victims - the family members who lived with the actual victim- as well as victims, we can reach, the better our chance for a healthier world, not only physically, but mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.  We are all in this together.”

-Marjorie McKinnon

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The Black Church Must Do More Than “Just Say No” to Homosexuality


Religion
By Gwen Richardson   
Thursday, 02 July 2009
I believe there are three things the church in general, and the Black church specifically, should do to address the issue of homosexuality:

  • Be informed. Because there are many aspects of this issue that believers may find distasteful, some may shy away from an awareness of the current culture that is pervasive throughout our society. We, as believers, cannot put our heads in the sand and act as though these things are not happening. Our children and youth are confronting a powerful lure in terms of sexual perversion of all types. We must have some knowledge about the cultural challenges our children are facing.
  • Be supportive. As believers, we must offer homosexuals more than condemnation. Young people who are looking for a way out of the homosexual and bisexual lifestyles should be able to seek refuge and support at a Christian church. Just as many churches have programs for those who are seeking deliverance from alcoholism, drug addiction, smoking and other human frailties, a program for those who no longer wish to be bound by sexual sins should be considered.
  •  

  • Be vigilant. Despite the statements made by most gay activists to the contrary, they are indeed targeting churches for legal challenges to gay marriage and gay partnerships.
  •  

  • Christian believers, and those of other faiths, must know that this is not going to be an easy fight, but it is a necessary one. Being attacked and called names simply for standing up for one’s beliefs is never pleasant. But the early Christians had a much tougher fight than we have. We are blessed in that we do have the constitutional right to free speech without fear of government persecution.

Gwen Richardson is an author and entrepreneur who resides in Houston, Texas.

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Father sentenced to prison in incest case


A 36-year-old man was convicted of sexually assaulting his daughter and sentenced to 19-years in prison on June 26.

District Judge Robert Cheshire sentenced the man after a two-day trial.

The Advocate is not identifying the man because it would identify the victim.

He began molesting his daughter when she was 12 and continued to assault her for more than three years, according to a news release from District Attorney Stephen Tyler. He impregnated the girl while the family lived in Mississippi and tried to convince his oldest son to take the blame for the girl’s pregnancy, according to the news release.

The defendant fled to Victoria with his daughter and her child, where he was caught having sex with the girl. The family then fled to Louisiana and Oregon, Tyler said. In Oregon, the man was convicted of incest and sentenced to three years of probation.

Johna Stallings prosecuted the case.

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‘Father and daughter’ on incest charges


A woman who went overseas to meet her long-lost father is now on trial accused of incest.

The man is also on trial, but denies being her biological father.

The pair allegedly had a sexual relationship for more than 10 years. They met when she was almost 30 and he was in his late 40s, living in Britain.

On the first day of the couple’s trial in the Auckland District Court yesterday, Crown prosecutor Scott McColgan said that though they were consenting adults, if they had a sexual relationship it was “incestuous”.

The accused have interim name suppression.

Mr McColgan said that after the woman tracked the man down, she spent three weeks with him. When she returned to NZ, she split from her husband, then moved back to Britain.

She and the accused man eventually returned to New Zealand and lived in the house where the woman had lived with her husband and children.

Mr McColgan said they appeared to be “besotted with each other”. The woman sponsored the man when he applied for residency, telling authorities he was her biological father.

 After a complaint was made to police, officers searched their bedroom and found sex toys and pornography.

During a police interview, the man admitted the couple were in a sexual relationship but denied he was her biological father because he claimed the woman’s mother was sleeping around about the time she was conceived.

Asked who the father was, he gave two names -including his brother.

Mr McColgan said DNA samples were taken from the men and they were excluded as being the father.

However, DNA samples from the man showed he was one million times more likely to be the father.

Scientists would testify there was strong scientific support the accused were biological father and daughter.

When police spoke to the woman, she denied she and the man were in a relationship but said he was her partner and soulmate in other ways.

The woman’s mother told the court her daughter changed “overnight” when the man arrived on the scene.

At her daughter’s 30th birthday party, the man told her he wondered what it would be like to have both mother and daughter as the three danced. She was shocked.

A few months later she confronted the woman about the “unnatural” relationship.

The witness said the claims she was sleeping with several men at the time she conceived were “disgusting lies”.

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Daddy’s Worm


Please go to http://www.saveaaliyah.com/ to view horrific video of 3 year old describing Daddy’s member.

Warning this video is for mature audiences only. This is a very disturbing video of the child speaking of the abuse. In order to understand more of the video read about it here on saveaaliyah.com. This video was edited to fit the 1o min max. requirement. It is 27 min. in length and many of you had the chance to see the uncut version on myspace before the abuser had it deleted. Please help get this into the hands of someone that has the power to help baby Aaliyah. Our goal is to get this situation out of Placer County to have an unbiased full investigation, psychological evaluation, lie detector testing or any other evaluations deemed necessary to end this unjustice for Aaliyah. Only the predators witnesses were contacted during the investigations which is not normal proceedure for molestation cases. Immediate action was not taken when these reports were made contrary to the corrupt false statements of the Sgt of the Auburn Police Department. Just to show you how corrupt Placer County is read the Auburn Journal article below that has deleted about 98% of the witnesses statements testifying to the truth of the matter for Aaliyah and her mother. Placer County has something to hide all at the expense of an innocent child’s well-being. We will be posting the testimonies that the Auburn Journal won’t post. Placer County is not looking so good due to the blatant covering of the facts pertaining to this revolting unjustice. Below are different articles, videos, witness letters, phone interviews, etc. There is more coming… We ask that you please spread this website until Aaliyah is safe and contact us for advice, prayers, or ideas. All donations are going straight to an attorney for Aaliyah’s defense. Thank you all for your help.

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Save 3 year old baby Aaliyah


PLEASE SIGN AALIYAH’S PETITION TO GET HER OUT OF THE ABUSE: YOU MIGHT HAVE TO COPY AND PASTE IT INTO YOUR BROWSER FOR IT TO WORK CORRECTLY. THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR HELP:

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/help-save-aaliyah

 

 

Aaliyah Bedwell – An Update June 17

Posted on June 17th, 2009

by Simon Barrett in Society and Culture

http://www.bloggernews.net/121278 

My wife and I had the opportunity to talk to a close family friend last night. We were brought us up to date on the case. In the last court date (June 1) the judge stipulated that the attorneys representing both mother Connie Bedwell, and biological father Dustin Thompson needed to get together and arrange a visitation schedule. The threat was also put out, that if this could not be achieved within a couple of days then Connie Bedwell’s attorney should resort to an ex parte hearing.

Well 17 days later, nothing has been achieved. It is now 7 long weeks that Connie Bedwell has been denied access to her three year old daughter.

The next court date is scheduled for June 30, another two weeks. And it is merely a continuance. New Judge, same old stuff!

Dustin meanwhile has his attorney Sandra Amara trying to slap a $15k sanction on Connie for online transgressions. There is a supposed restraining order from Judge Kearney preventing Connie Bedwell from talking to the the press (and we here at BNN have made a point of not contacting her directly), however, no-one actually seems able to locate a ’signed’ version of this order. Attempts by the Bedwell family to obtain this information have been unsuccessful. Judge Kearney as you might recall removed herself from the case. The reasons for her decision remain conjecture. While I could offer some insider information, I suspect that my information would only cause more trouble for the Bedwell family.

What really surprises me about this case is that it is not happening in some no name town in a no name state, Auburn is a scant 40 miles from Sacramento, California.

A Florida based specialist Dr Saturley has offered his expertise to do a comprehensive family analysis, and he is offering this at no cost. Dr. Saturley has contacted the California authorities, and they have ‘green lighted’ the project. While the Bedwell family have signed on to the project, neither Dustin Thompson, nor his attorney have even had the courtesy to return his calls. Of course that is not surprising,  Dustin Thompson has no reason to comply to the request.

One has to wonder if the courts can force Dustin Thompson, and his intransigent lawyer Amara into agreement? Clearly the Thompson family have some pull in the area. Both Dustin and his father are county employees. And I certainly cannot forget the quote from the Auburn Journal “You have to remember that we have to keep in the good graces of the local police force”. This was the quote that Jan and I received from the reporter when we pressed her about the Bedwell case! At the time I was flabbergasted that a member of the press would say such a thing. That is akin to committing Hari Kari in the press world.

In fact this case has been extremely difficult to investigate. Dustin Thompson refuses to return our calls, and the closest we have got to Amara is her office gofer, who would take a question, go ask Amara, then come back with a ‘no comment’. Amara even took the opportunity to go on a fishing expedition. Needless to say she came up empty handed. I am sure that she will be reading this article, so I will reiterate what I have said before. If Dustin is being falsely accused, why are you so reticent to talk to the press? I would also like to know why Dustin Thompson will not agree to an independent assessment? In my mind an independent assessment could go far in resolving this case. Generally it is only the guilty that would refuse such an offer.

I know if I was being accused of heinous crimes against a small child I would welcome the opportunity to clear my name.

One of the more interesting court documents is one from Connie Bedwells’s chiropractor. I hear you say “What could that have to do with anything”. It shows a clear style. A style that has been well documented about Dustin, his past conduct is somewhat questionable, but it does seem to include quite a bit of violence. One of the strange aspects involves an incident while he was in high school. Although he was 18 at the time, the records are still apparently sealed, sealed as a juvenile. The incident concerned a serious beating of a younger student.

The letter from the Chiropractor can be read here. You can draw your own conclusions. Was Dustin involved?

Simon Barrett

From Editor - Further investigations reveal that the injury referred to in the letter from the Chiropractor is reputed to be as a result of Dustin Thompson slamming Connie’s head in the trunk of the car.

 

 

 

 

EDUCATE YOURSELF ON ABUSE: 

 

UNDERSTANDING THE BATTERER

http://www.thelizlibrary.org/liz/understanding-the-batterer-in-visitation-and-custody-disputes.pdf

 

UNDERSTANDING CHILD MOLESTERS

 by Eric Leberg  pg 86

 

Blaming the Mother 

The offender often blames people other than the victim. Most often, the offender will try to blame his wife or the mother of the victim. He will blame her in as many different ways as he will blame the victim herself, because he knows that people are often more willing to accept blame against the mother or wife than against the child. He will accuse the mother in a variety of ways: “She’s an alcoholic.” “She’s on drugs.” “She is sexually frigid.” “She was unfaithful.” “She never showed any interest in me.” “She’s mentally ill.” “”She’s always depressed.”  “She’s always tired, she’s too tired for anything.” “She’s violent. She battered me often.” “She’s hostile.” “She’s rejecting.” “She’s boring.” “She’s just angry because she was sexually abused.” “She hates men.” “She refused to satisfy me sexually. She left me with no choice, absolutely no sexual outlet!” 

The purpose of listing these blaming strategies is to let the reader know that when the sex offender tries to blame someone (you or someone you know), he is following a typical pattern that has been used by thousands of sex offenders before him. The  sex offenders attempts to blame others should be rejected. They are simply an effort to deflect attention and responsibility from himself.

As you read on the internet about Aaliyah’s case you will see her abuser try to call anyone attempting to help her and her mother “delusional,” “mentally ill,” or ”crazy.” You will also see random, insane, creative stories created by the pedophile himself posting as different people to deflect attention and responsibility from himself and his sexual abuse of the child. We ask that you not lose focus on the true focus which is Aaliyah’s safety and not further abusing the abusers victims with him. Thank you.

 

ANOTHER ARTICLE ON CHILD MOLESTERS

http://www.parmacityschools.org/safety/upload/UnderstandingProtectingChildrenMolestersPredators.pdf

 

WHY THE ABUSED PROTECT THE ABUSER:STOCKHOLM SYNDROME 

http://www.isaccorp.org/stockholm.asp

 

 

MORE INFORMATION ON AALIYAH’S CASE:

 

VISITATION EXCHANGES: REACTIONS TO FATHER AND MOTHER

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7VWzfM14Ha4

 

RADIO SHOW DISCUSSING ABUSE OF AALIYAH 

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/Simon-Barrett/2009/05/09/Aaliyah-Bedwell-Real-or-Memorex

 

SOME of the DOCUMENTATION OF ABUSE

http://childprotectioncommunity.com/blog.asp?action=details&page=41327&int_blogid=378

 

UPDATE: READ WITNESS LETTERS

http://childprotectioncommunity.com/blog.asp?page=41327

 

UPDATE: 5-3-09

RECENT PHONE INTERVIEW WITH CPC

http://childprotectioncommunity.com/blog.asp?action=details&page=41327&int_blogid=350

http://childprotectioncommunity.com/blog.asp?page=41327

 

 

FOR CONSTANT UPDATES GO HERE: 

 

NEWS PICKING UP AALIYAH”S CASE

 

http://www.bloggernews.net/121278

http://www.bloggernews.net/121246

http://www.bloggernews.net/121141

http://www.bloggernews.net/121107

http://www.bloggernews.net/121098

http://www.bloggernews.net/120991

http://www.bloggernews.net/120929

http://www.bloggernews.net/120856#comments

http://www.bloggernews.net/120742#comment-1199658

http://www.bloggernews.net/120708

http://www.bloggernews.net/120882

http://www.bloggernews.net/120862

http://www.bloggernews.net/120856

http://www.bloggernews.net/120845

http://www.bloggernews.net/120726

http://www.bloggernews.net/120726

http://www.bloggernews.net/120784

http://www.bloggernews.net/120899

http://www.bloggernews.net/120804

http://www.bloggernews.net/120810

 

 

 

 RADIO SHOW OUT OF TAMPA FLORIDA

THEBONEONLINE.COM 

http://www.btls.com/news/stories/save-baby-aaliyah.html

 

 

ARTICLE ABOUT PLACER COUNTY JUDICIAL MISCONDUCT AND CORRUPTION 


http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/43819/placer_county_judicial_system.html?cat=17

 

 

LOCAL NEWSPAPER WHERE THE MOLESTING TAKES PLACE

The mother was interviewed for an hour and a half with complete answers and full details to the case. The Auburn Journal told BloggerNews.Net that they had to stay in the good graces of the local police. Therefore details were left out and information supporting Aaliyah and her mother on the comment section were taken off by The Auburn Journal. Placer County spells corruption. To answer the question left out by AJ- the ONLY reason the child was taken from the mother was because the mother constantly told the court and proper authorities of what the child was saying about her father. It is documented in the court file on July 3, 2008.

 

http://auburnjournal.com/detail/114617.html?content_source=&category_id=&search_filter=&user_id=&event_mode=&event_ts_from=&event_ts_to=&list_type=&order_by=&order_sort=&content_class=”1&sub_type=&town_id

 

 

EVERY SECOND A CHILD IS PHYSICALLY AND SEXUALLY ABUSED. HELP BREAK THE SILENCE OF PHYSICAL AND SEXUAL ABUSE AND FIGHT BACK! 

 

PLEASE HELP AALIYAH 

Please help Aaliyah.  I would like to ask those of you in California (and elsewhere) to take the time to write emails and letters to the following about this case.Ask for a REAL investigation into this case of apparent child abuse of Aaliyah Bedwell, a 3 year old child in Placer County, California. Please reference the following in your letters or emails:

 

- SAVEAALIYAH.COM- a video of the child speaking of suspected child molestation called “Daddy’s Worm”.  Found on and YouTube at

www.youtube.com/watch?v=krihOkBsEt4 or saveaaliyah.com- copies of sworn statements of witnesses and family members at the Child Protection Community website -
http:/www.childprotectioncommunity.com/blog.asp?page=41327 o 

Here is a link to send an inquiry directly to the Crime Victims Services of the California Attorney General’s office. It is the fastest way to ask for help for this child at a state level, including an investigation of judicial malfeasance/misconduct:

 

http://ag.ca.gov/victimservices/contact.php 

Here is the info to contact the Placer County District Attorney to request a REAL investigation:Link to the Placer County District Attorney page:

http://www.placer.ca.gov/departments/da.aspx 

Bradford R. Fenocchio
County District Attorney
10810 Justice Center Drive Suite #240
Roseville, CA 95678
(916) 543-8000
(916) 543-2550 fax
Email the departmentHere is the phone number for the Placer County Child Protection Services : They are completely useless but here is their information anyway.
 
530-889-7650 Auburn
530-784-6000 Roseville

Here is how you can contact the California Judicial Review Board about the Judge in this case-
this county has a real problem with it’s Judicial system! 

 

Judge Jeffery Penney

Judge Frances KearneyComplaints must be submitted in writing. The Commission cannot accept complaints over the telephone or submitted by e-mail.

WRITTEN CORRESPONDENCE:
Commission on Judicial Performance
455 Golden Gate Avenue, Suite 14400
San Francisco, CA 94102

This child needs help, and it only takes a few minutes to write a letter, or send an email, or send a fax. Please, all of you that live in California, make the extra effort to contact these officials. Out of state contacts are also welcome, but politicians pay attention when constituents write!

Please visit http:/www.fightcps.com/, they may be able to help find resources

 

 

 

You can read a portion of the mothers documentation of the abuse on the “about us” page.

 If you are a:

  • Private Investigator 
  • Polygraph Testing expert 
  • Police officer
  • Psychologist
  • Lawyer
  • Judge
  • Child advocate
  • Sheriff
  • The Media
  • Expert on pedophiles/child molesters and/or abuse

and/or know someone that  can help, please contact us.

Please continue to spread saveaaliyah.com and help raise funds for the defense of Aaliyah. The money is being used to go towards an attorney to present this video to the court- the judges have never seen it!! Your prayers, help and support are greatly appreciated.

 

FOR THE PEOPLE THAT CANT UNDERSTAND WHY WE WOULD POST THIS ON THE INTERNET, ASK YOURSELF WHAT WOULD YOU DO IF YOUR CHILD WAS SAYING AND DOING THESE
THINGS AND THE PEOPLE THAT ARE SUPPOSED TO PROTECT YOUR CHILD ARENT? WHAT WOULD YOU DO IF YOU AND YOUR CHILD’S LIVES WERE BEING THREATENED? WOULD YOU SIT THERE AND WAIT UNTIL ONE OF YOU WOUND UP DEAD? OUR CHOICES AT THIS POINT ARE TO SIT HERE AND DO NOTHING AND TAKE THE CHANCE OF OUR LITTLE BABY’S LIFE BEING TAKEN OR TAKE THE SAME CHANCES AND DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT… WE ARE DOING SOMETHING ABOUT IT.   WE HOPE IN SAVING AALIYAH THAT OTHER CHILDREN CAN BE SAVED AS WELL FROM THIS TYPE OF CORRUPTION AND/OR LACK OF KNOWLEDGE IN THE SYSTEM.

IF YOU ARE WANTING TO HELP, PLEASE DO!!! AND THANK YOU TO ALL OF YOU THAT HAVE. SORRY FOR THE WAIT FOR SOME OF THE EMAILS TO GET ANSWERED, PLEASE BE PATIENT, THERE ARE MANY COMING IN! 

 

This is the mother Connie and baby Aaliyah. Please help get her out of the abuse and bring her home safe.

 

 

 

 BLOGGERNEWS.NET

Cara Bedwell said,

in May 5th, 2009 at 8:39 pm

I am Cara Bedwell, Aaliyah’s Aunt (the one in the video). There is so much to say and I don’t even know where to start. I worked in the afternoon at the time and Connie worked in the evening so a few nights during the week I would watch Aaliyah make her dinner, give her a bath and put her to bed. The Pedophile had visitation with Aali and would take her for 1 to 4 hours and bring her home. Aaliyah had grown to have a relationship with him throughout his supervised visitation. Approximately May of 2007 he had knocked on the door and she ran away, so I picked her up and opened the door. I handed him the baby bag and she was crying, as I tried to hand her over to him she was screaming, digging her nails into me, fighting to get away from him and was holding on for dear life! I looked at the pedophile and every ounce in my body was telling me not to give her to him because she had never acted that way before! He grabbed her from my arms and left.
Almost everytime he had come to pick her up after that time she has screamed, dug her nails into us, pulled out her eyelashes while crying and running away to not have to go to him. Most of the time she wouldn’t even look at him. We even have some of these exchanges on video.
A little over a month later I was giving Aaliyah a bath one night and found three bruises on her. That was the first out of 11 cps reports.
From that moment, up to the time they took my niece away from my sister, Aaliyah has done and said all that i am about to tell you.
* Multiple times she has stated daddy and grandpa give her owies and hit her. She has stated where they hit her, and how they are always mad and angry.
* Aaliyah has put a pillow over my lap, sat next to me and put pillow over her lap and said, “We need to be safe from daddy.”
* She has told me multiple times her dolls and stuffed animals are crying, scared, bad and dead. Her whole world revolves around being safe.
* She no longer wanted to use her potty after we had already gotten her out of diapers even to this day she is in diapers from his abuse towards her.
* Aali stated multiple times daddy hurts her pee pee and her butt hurts.
* She has horrific nightmares that last all night long sometimes. She screams and doesn’t want the light off or even want to sleep in a bed. She uses a flashlight to protect her in the dark and would tell us it is safe with the lights on.
* She constantly would cry and say she didn’t want to go to daddys house and that he was bad, mad and hits her. She would come home brainwashed thinking he was a parrot and spoke of grandpa how had two split personalities that she called grandpa and papi.
* When we got Aali back from his house she never wanted her pants changed or her clothes taken off for her bath. She had never use to do that. She use to love bath time!
* She came home with a bruise on her lower back and forehead. She explained to me twice how daddy kicked her and she acted out how she flew and bonked her head on the table!
* She is scared of men because of the abuse.
* When she falls down she starts crying and runs and hides like she’s in trouble or like someone did it to her.
* She has been afraid of worms because of the abuse we just didnt understand why until later when she made disclosures about daddy’s one eyed hairy worm.
* She has told us to kiss her baby with our tongue. She would lick us when she would come home from him.
* She would tell us how daddy hits her and he had to hit her but she is not supposed to tell mommy but she is supposed to tell grandma.
*She has told us that grandma doesnt love her anymore because she watches grandpa(the mean personality) hit her and she doesnt help her. She has explained that after he hits her grandma cries and says sorry to her. She has mentioned her little cousin cries also.
* I’m sure most of you have watched the “Worm”
video. That should say enough in itself. There have been numerous times of her complaining how daddy’s worm hurts her tongue. She has said he doesnt like her boobies because their too small. She has tried to stick objects up her vagina. She would state gross in pee pee and daddy hurts her under her poo bear diaper.

There is so much more I can’t even begin to explain…it has been going on for two years now this May. There is so much intricate detail to this situation and the authorities dont seem to care to even talk to a single person who has witnessed all of Aaliyah’s behavior, bruises and statements. Aaliyah was never coached, she would be telling us right out of his arms and in the car on the way home from the exchanges.

That video is just a speck of what Aaliyah has said. I have seen the changes in her character from never wanting to go to the pedophiles and now she is now stuck with him. Connie has every right as a mother to protect her child when her baby is saying and doing these things! I have seen so much and have been disgusted with this so called “justice system” not stepping in to help or talk to anyone who has seen my niece’s cry for help and instead giving my niece to an alcoholic who has a long history of abuse. He used to be on supervised visitation for his alcohol abuse and abuse towards Connie and abuse towards Aaliyah when she was 4 weeks old. He even has a previous criminal record. Connie is a great mother and puts Aali’s needs before her own and will stand up for the truth no matter what.

It is heartbreaking that she is 3 yrs. old and has to go through more trials than most people do in a lifetime!
I want to thank everyone who has been supportive and has helped spread aaliyahs story to try to bring my sweet little niece justice. Please continue to pray for her safety! Thank you both for taking the time to investigate and give us witnesses a chance to be heard for Aaliyah’s sake.

- Cara Bedwell

 

Cara Bedwell said,

in May 5th, 2009 at 9:04 pm

And Darrel is my sisters boyfriend. The pedophile started abusing Aaliyah because he found out through stalking my sister at our apartment that she began dating someone else. Abusers think their victims are their possessions. In the pedophiles mind Connie and Aaliyah are his property that he thinks he can do whatever he wants with and that they are his to control. Aaliyah is all he has left of Connie to use to try to control her. I actually believe in his sick mind he is molesting Aaliyah because he thinks in his own twisted way he is having a sexual relationship with Connie. He is obsessed with her. He told her when she was pregnant that he hoped she would get stretch marks all over her entire body so that nobody would ever want her again. The pedophile is like another Scott Peterson that charms the heck out of everyone. He threatened to kill Connie while she was pregnant with Aaliyah. This guy is a complete utter sicko. Most of the outrageous lies started around the internet are straight from the peds mouth. He is an extremely skilled liar and has managed to fool people that he isnt abusing her even when her bruises were right in their face. He has managed to talk his way out of the worm video. When she came home with the bruises the first time that were in the shape of a hand grabbing her and a larger bruise across her thigh and hip were so obvious as to how she would have got them. The bruises from when he kicked her in the back were obvious there were two opposite forces hitting her. She had one bruise across her back that she complained about for almost two weeks. We thought he had broke her tail bone because she kept grabbing it saying it was hurting. He wants to talk like we just had her x rayed for no reason. You cant get your child x rayed unless a doctor does a referral which Aaliyah’s pediatrician did luckily she didnt have any broken bones. He is sick, sick, sick, and he is good at keeping it behind closed doors. After everything he has done I hope the truth is exposed to a point he cant deny the facts and play off of all of the “professionals” here in Placer County that dont have the brains to keep up with the games of pedophile.

Cara Bedwell said,

in May 5th, 2009 at 9:14 pm

The saying is so true… where there is smoke there is fire!! The entire nation should be able to see the smoke coming from the whole State of California because the whole County of Placer is on fire!!

 412:May 2, 2009, Darrel Payne, California
In response to #165– As you said there are parts of the story that the mother has not shared… First off- how she had to move to Alaska with her family a few weeks after her daughter was born because the father abused the mother WHILE she was holding their newborn baby- or how he pulled a baseball bat out on her and would not let her leave with her baby. She also forgot to mention that she tried to let the father have a “normal” relationship with his daughter- but when the daughter started returning from him with bruises on her arms and legs she became worried. Or when suddenly the daughter would start screaming and run away from him the instant she saw him or heard his voice, how she would pull her eyelashes out screaming while digging her nails into her mothers back holding on with every ounce of strength she had to not go with him. She forgot to mention how her daughter would NEVER look him, or her grandpa in the eyes when they exchanged custody, she would always look at her mom or stare at anything but him. She never mentioned how his attorney is married to one of the two family law judges in the county that is hearing the case- that his attorney knows everyone in the county and is friends with them and they have never once looked at the evidence before making a judgement against her. She must have forgot to state how many times her daughter BEGGED and PLEADED not to go to his house, how she would always ask me to go to my house instead of his! She also forgot to mention how her daughter was seeing a psychologist for play therapy after you-oops I mean him- started molesting his daughter- and that the psychologist said that there was definitely abuse going on with the father. It’s a plain out lie on your part about what the professionals said about her… Im sure you have read the psych report as well as I have, and NOWHERE in it does it ever say she is diagnosed as narcissistic, delusional, and borderline schizophrenic– but it does say that she is in the top third of intelligence in the nation, and COMPLETELY FIT TO BE A MOTHER. For you to twist and lie about that is completely dishonest- but what would we expect from someone who is “friends” (I say friends because I’m sure that this is not the sick father himself writing the comment…) with someone who thinks its ok to abuse women and molest children, especially their own child! Why would you spend so much time writing this comment trying to make her look bad- but spend only one quick second saying anything about the video? Is it that the fact a two year old who says her daddy puts him worm in her mouth and it makes her cough… and it tastes yucky, and he HAS TO WIPE IT OFF WITH LIKE A NAPKIN!!! SOUNDS LIKE YOU KNOW THERE IS NO WAY TO FIGHT THAT IN COURT AND YOU ARE GOING TO DO ANYTHING YOU CAN TO KEEP THAT VIDEO OUT OF COURT! Anybody with half a brain can CLEARLY see what this sweet little girl is talking about- it’s funny that you can offer no excuses for it! Im sure that your comment is out of desperation, trying to get anyone on your side- but you are realizing people are not blind and the truth will come out eventually and you will get what you deserve… I am not scared to use my real name as I know I have seen the truth and am speaking the truth- as I have been dating the mother for over two years and have witnessed everything the daughter has told us, and I have witnessed how AMAZING of a mother she has been, and how your daughter completely changed attitudes towards you about the time the bruises started showing up… Ohhh and I looked up the name Ann Cloter from texas- she died a few years ago- thats pretty low to use a dead woman’s name…

PEDOPHILE?S attorney wrote #165. - Her twisted, distorted misrepresentations and outright lies aimed at the mother on behalf of the pedophile and his family. With this in mind, readers should examine its veracity in light of one having to have your attorney write their slur, clandestinely in the shadows, so the Pedophile clan could post under numerous false names including the name; ?ANN CLOTER? a woman who?s been dead for two years in Texas. Pedophile?s attorney resides in Placer County, California. This letter originated from there and was posted to various sites. Pedophile clan, are you people so ignorant that you dont know your ISPN # is traceable? (GIVE THAT SOME THOUGHT) Isn?t that right, ?Dave?, ?Ann Cloter?, ?youareliars?, ?itdoesnotmatter? ?Iamamotheroftwo? and #675 and all the other various lying, rumor spreading posts? All of which come from only five people. Further poof, compare the writing styles of the five compared to ?ANN CLOTER #165?, you can clearly see the ?pedophile clan? collectively, are not capable of such methodical writing. Each of their posting to discredit the video and the mother, traces back to the city where Pedophile lives, written by the Pedophile and his family clan and friends. (what a shocking surprise!) Which leads us to; If what Pedophile?s attorney is saying about the mother is the truth, why didn?t Pedophile?s attorney put her real name on the petition to stand up and be counted for her “innocent client”? Could it be because attorney?s are held account able for what they say and do by the California Bar Association. This brings to mind the saying; ?How do you know an attorney?s lying? ?.THEIR LIPS ARE MOVING! Pedophile?s attorney tells the tale from the shadows, crafting the ?spin of diversion?. When attorneys can?t speak to the facts and specifics of the evidence, they change the subject from evidence of the crime, to attack, malign and destroy the credibility of victims and witnesses? IT?S THE ALWAYS PREDICTABLE STRATEGY OF THE GUILTY! Pedophile?s attorney?s attempts to shift the readers thoughts from the appalling retched disgust of the ?pedophile?s? acts of sexual molestation of his 26 month old baby daughter, through a spin of twisted, distorted misrepresentations and lies for false perception of the mother rather than address the evidence. All designed to discredit the mother, bring support to the idea that the baby was coached to say all these things. COMMON SENSE SHOWS THAT TO BE IMPOSSIBLE! Pedophile?s attorney presents no evidence whatsoever to back up her deceitful spin! She hopes you?re unaware that all evidence submitted to the court is served to opposing parties. She to would have possession of evidence that she?s misleadingly requesting from the mother. A correct question to her and the pedophile is; WHERE ARE ALL THE HOURS UPON HOURS OF VIDEO THAT SHOWS THE MOTHER COACHING THE BABY THAT YOU CLAIM EXISTS AND THE COURT HAS REJECTED AS BEING COACHED??? If it exists as she so adamantly claims, she should have a copy or can get a copy from the court. When you find your copies, be sure to post it on the internet and prove us ALL liars! You know and we know it doesn?t exist so quit the spin and dispute Aaliyah?s accusations with facts not fallacious fantasy! ?If you can?t dazzle them with brilliance ? Baffle them with B.S.? The rule the pedophile clan operates under!?. SO BACK TO THE DADDY?S WORM VIDEO EVIDENCE?I ask the ?DADDY?S WORM VIDEO? viewers to give careful, examining, detailed thought to how one would go about coaching a 26 month old child to describe; a penis, how her ?DADDY? has her touch it, all the descriptive sequential acts of fellatio even describing how ?DADDY? cleans up her mouth and face after the fact, in 27+ minutes of uninterrupted video? This in conjunction with Aaliyah?s symptomatic nightmares and fears related to her described traumas. Explain how that would relate to what the baby saying, ?DADDY?S WORM? hurts my tongue_ ?DADDY?S WORM? hurts my mouth?_ ?DADDY?S WORM? hurts my throat?_ ?DADDY?S WORM? makes me cough?_ ?DADDY?S WORM? tastes yucky_ ?DADDY? wipes it off with like a napkin, all in the context of ?DADDY?S WORM? How is it that she can accurately describes male genitalia, ?It has one eye and hair like on my head?. NOT like Baby Einstein?s two eyed, green and orange worm! Ask yourselves, what has caused her to be so terrified of Baby Einstein?s worm and now all worms! She NEVER once says it Baby Einstein?s worm that does any or all these horrific things to her! She consistently says its? ?DADDY?S WORM?! Explain her intense dislike of father and grandpa? Yes the ?professionals? say she has a good and healthy relationship with her father?. Have any of these ?professionals? ever considered that she?s been beaten into submission and non disclosure, by people 3 time her size and 100 times her strength, with no one she can look to for protection? Not even grandma! Of course while under threat she?s going to perform to her father?s dictates. Why at every visitation does she beg her mother, ?take me home with you to your house?. This sweet, beautiful, innocent baby has been mentally, physically and sexually abused for over two years now. That?s 2/3rds of her life! The pedophile is doing everything he can do to silence her through physical abuse, threats and indoctrination to confuse, intimidate and silence her crying out for help. AALIYAH WE STILL HEAR YOUR CRIES and were fighting for you with all our might and with all we have! We love and miss you Pooky, you?ll be coming home to Mommy & Darrel soon, with many thanks to THE THOUSANDS OF GOOD, DESCENT, DISCERNING people who hear your cries too. I love you and miss you. Pop Pop. PLACER COUNTY THIS CHILD IS IN A REAL AND PRESENT DANGER OF GREAT BODILY HARM, FAR GREATER THAN WHAT SHE HAS ALREADY BEEN SUBJECTED TO! REMOVE THIS CHILD FROM OUT OF THE HANDS OF HER ABUSERS IMMEDIATELY & FOREVER! AFTER THEIR CONVICTIONS, PROSECUTE THEM TO THE FULLEST EXTENT OF THE LAW! 

UPDATE FOR YOU ALL SO VERY CONCERNED: THE CHILDS ABUSERS ARE ATTEMPTING TO TRY TO GAG THE MOTHER FROM GETTING HER DAUGHTER ANY KIND OF HELP OR SUPPORT. SHE IS TEMPORARILY NOT ABLE TO HAVE PICTURES AND THE VIDEO UP HERSELF. SO WE ALL FIGURED SINCE THERE IS SUCH A MASSIVE  AMOUNT  OF PEOPLE AWARE OF THIS SITUATION THAT BACK THIS MOTHER AND CHILD 100 PERCENT, WE ALL DECIDED WE WILL JUST DO IT FOR HER. AALIYAH’S ABUSERS CANT SILENCE THE THOUSANDS OF US THAT HAVE HEARD AALIYAH’S OUT CRY FOR HELP. THE MOTHER HAS TAKEN THE PICS AND VIDEO DOWN AND WE ARE PUTTING IT ALL BACK UP. NO CHILD SHOULD EVER HAVE TO GO THROUGH THIS…EVER.  PLEASE HELP THEM, NO DONATION IS TOO SMALL.  THANK YOU TO THOSE CONTACTING NUMEROUS PEOPLE TO TRY TO FIND US HELP. THANK YOU!

“UNDERSTANDING CHILD MOLESTERS” By Eric Leberg

The setup is a pattern of all behaviors that a child molester uses to create oppertunities to molest children. He carefully lays the ground work to avoid detection and disclosure in advance, before he begins molesting. He continues to strengthen his elaborate plans after molestation has begun by manipulation others, usually without their awareness, to make molesting easier. In his mind, everyone, adults and children alike, are the enemy with the power to send him to prison if they catch him and reveal his sexual abuse of innocent children. He sets up the victim, the victim’s mother, neighbors, relatives, professional colleages, fellow church members, and others, each in a deliberate manner, because everyone of them has the potential to catch him and turn him in. The setup consumes nearly all of his waking hours and is the motivation behind nearly everything he does. With practice, often years of practice, he becomes quite skillful. Thus those around him usually fail to notice and understand his motive: child molestation.

Child molesters can setup virtually an entire community.

Ironically he can paint a picture of himself as the victim who is willing to suffer to spare his family any grief. He may even believe, in his own distorted way, that he actually is the victim and that others should feel sorry for him for suffering on behalf of his family.

By maintaining his pleasant meek appearance while making himself out to be the victim, he can usually be persuasive. He will be curtious, helpful, agreeable to most requests or concerns, and will generally project an air of confidence mixed with personal indignation that he is being treated unfairly.

 AND PLEASE IF ANYONE SEES POSTINGS OUT ON THE INTERNET OF “SOMEONE” CALLING THE MOTHER “CRAZY”, “MENTALLY ILL” OR THAT SHE HAS Münchausen syndrome PLEASE FORWARD THAT HERE TO SAVEAALIYAH.COM, BECAUSE IT IS THE PEOPHILE HIMSELF UNDER FAKE NAMES. WE WOULD LIKE TO KEEP THAT AS EVIDENCE. HE HAS A COPY OF HER PSYCH EVAL AND KNOWS IT ISNT TRUE. ABUSERS ALWAYS CALL THEIR PARTNERS BY THESE TITLES. THANK YOU!!

 

      !

 BREAK THE SILENCE OF SEXUAL ABUSE

 

 

Save Aaliyah
PO BOX 610455
ROSEVILLE, CA. 95678
CA
United States
ph: HELP END THE ABUSE
fax: NEVER GOING TO SILENCE US ALL
pleasehelp@saveaaliyah.com

 

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my sister sent this to me……Its good news on Michael Jackson


The statement below was found on MaryMary’s facebook page:
 
Last night we received some good news from Terri McFaddin-Solomon who is good friends with Sandra Crouch. Three weeks ago Sandra and Andre’ spent some time with their close friend, Michael Jackson. Michael asked Andre` to play, “It Won’t Be Long And We’ll Be Leaving Here.” Michael then prayed with Sandra and Andre and accepted Christ into his heart. Now he’s singing in the heavenly choir.! Our hearts rejoice!  –MaryMary

This is unverified by me.  Dr Due

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Court ban over 8-year-old ’stripper’


A judge has banned a stripper associating with the daughter of her new boyfriend after a complaint the eight-year-old danced nude at her grandparent’s Christmas celebrations.

But a senior National Party figure has backed the erotic dancer in a family court battle between the girl’s parents over custody.

The professional stripper who cannot be identified for legal reasons formed a relationship with the father of the eight-year-old last year. The businessman had an informal custody arrangement with the girl’s mother, a primary school teacher, which allowed him to see his daughter every second weekend.

But the girl’s mother told Sunday News she approached Child Youth and Family after the eight-year-old began exhibiting “bizarre overt sexual behaviour”.

The matter went to the Family Court, which in March issued an interim parenting order banning the businessman’s girlfriend from seeing the girl. The order permitted the father to see his daughter only “on the condition that [the child] is not to be in the company of [the stripper] until further order of the Court”.

In her affidavit to the family court, the girl’s mother said of the eight-year-old’s actions at the Christmas party: “She started strip dancing in front of the family.

“She was told off immediately. She then took her underwear off and threw them up into a tree.

“She then jokingly flashed her private parts to some of her cousins.

“[The girl] has never done anything like that before.”

The woman said when she spoke to her former husband about the impromptu strip dance, he told their daughter: “A body is beautiful and something that we should not be ashamed of.”

In her affidavit, the furious mother said she wanted her eight-year-old “to be a little girl”.

“We would not allow her to wear provocative clothing,” she wrote.

She claimed her daughter was “starting to behave in a way that is not normal behaviour”. She blamed both her former husband and his girlfriend for this. “I feel that [the father] has lost his way with respect to our parenting of our daughter,” she wrote.

The mother said the eight-year-old had told her, after returning from the home shared by her father and the stripper, that the dancer “has nude photographs of herself on the walls and the ceilings in the bedroom”.

A lawyer, appointed by the Family Court to act for the child, said in her April 20 report there was concern “about the direct effect [on the child] of viewing or being exposed to adult material”.

But in her affidavit to the court, the stripper said she was careful to separate her personal life from her erotic dancing.

She said when the eight-year-old first stayed at her and the girl’s father’s house, she had a Hannah Montana poster and Barbie toys set up for her.

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“I put away anything that could be seen as potentially risque … (thigh-high boots, and outfits).”

The stripper obtained character references for the court.

One support letter came from National’s Hamilton East electorate chairwoman Megan Campbell, who said: “[The stripper] is truly one of the good people in the world. She is warm, loving, caring, responsible, kind, trustworthy and dependable.”

Campbell added: “I understand there has been concern that there are nude photos or images [of the stripper] in the house. I have never seen anything of this nature … [she] is always so very careful to keep her working and private lives separate.”

Hamilton East MP David Bennett said last night he was unaware of the case: “She wrote this letter in her personal capacity.”

The stripper refused to comment but her businessman boyfriend said the stress of the case was likely to cause him to separate from her. “It is just getting too much,” he said.

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Julie Lyons’ “Holy Roller” — CC interview


Hey y’all, I’m in Cambridge today, but I’m posting this to the site on last Friday — through the magic of Movable Type software, I can paste this in and schedule it to post in days to come. Woo.

Today marks the release of a terrific book: “Holy Roller” by Julie Lyons, my Dallas friend and journalism colleague. It’s Julie’s memoir of how she got saved in a black Pentecostal church in impoverished southern Dallas (she’s white, and middle class), and how she and her family became immersed in living the life of black Pentecostals. It’s an extraordinary spiritual testimony. Julie writes frankly of race and religion, the power of the Holy Spirit to change lives dramatically, sexual abuse in the black church, her own struggles with same-sex attraction, the power of Pentecostalism versus most forms of American Christianity, confronting the demonic in Africa, and much more. I spoke with Julie at length about her book just prior to publication. Our lengthy conversation is below the jump. You won’t want to miss this.

How did a nice white middle-class ex-Evangelical girl like you end up worshiping in a black Pentecostal church in a poor part of Dallas?

Spiritual desperation. I wanted to find a church where I could see evidence of God’s power. I read about this Jesus in the Bible who healed the sick, cast out demons, and freed people from horrible spiritual conditions. And it seemed like in the churches I grew up in, the good people got gooder, but the bad people stayed bad. I didn’t understand why people’s lives weren’t getting changed, and why folks looked the other way when there was pretty grievous sin stuff going on right in front of their faces.

Well, that’s my really pious answer. I ended up at a specific black Pentecostal church–The Body of Christ Assembly, in South Dallas–because I lied to my editors at the Dallas Times Herald, where I was a cops reporter. I pitched this story about inner-city pastors praying for crack addicts, and how some of them were getting instantly freed from their addictions, and how I knew some of these preacher guys. But I didn’t know anyone.

My editors were really excited about the story idea, so I had to find these preachers real quick. Just so you know, the idea wasn’t a total fabrication, because I ran into a preacher who prayed for crack addicts in my previous job with The Seattle Times. But when I went looking for someone in Dallas, I got thoroughly lost. I’d only lived here a few months. I ended up on a one-block street in drugland, and the first preacher I talked to was Pastor Fredrick L. Eddington, Sr. And it turns out he prayed for crack addicts. And some of them got healed.

Basically, God saved my butt. I got my story, and it went Sunday A-1.

Now I share the same pews with the people I met so long ago. My husband and I have been members of The Body of Christ Assembly for 19 years. Our son has grown up there.

What do white Christians generally not understand about the black church? Conversely, what do black Christians not get about the way white Christians think and worship?

In the black Pentecostal church, it’s not how much you know about God. It’s whether you believe what you know.

You might not find too many Bible trivia contest winners in my church, but you will find people with transformed lives. They met Jesus one day, and they have never been the same. I have worshiped alongside former crack addicts, alcoholics, criminals, and prostitutes. You will also find people with less spectacular stories, people like I used to be: a bratty, self-centered girl who suffered from depression and other stuff and was a bit of a flake besides.

Speaking generally about the black church, it has always held a different status in the community. For decades it was the only place where black Americans could be treated with dignity, ascend to positions of influence, and worship Jesus in their own way. In the Midwestern town where I grew up, I didn’t know anyone who aspired to be a preacher. But this is a common aspiration in black communities, for better and for worse. Some wonderful, gifted, compassionate people find their way into ministry, with or without a seminary education. But a fair number of people with stunning talent but zero character make it into the pulpit too. So, I tell white people not to be overly impressed by the incredible worship and preaching in black churches. If there isn’t a godly man or woman behind it, it’s all noise.

What is it that black Christians don’t understand about white Christians? That they don’t preach the way they often do (sedate, linear, and dressed in Hawaiian shirts) and worship the way they do (broomsticks up their backsides) because they’re inherently “boring” or because they lack passionate faith. White people, especially where I grew up, tend to be reserved, and they take more of a didactic approach to Scripture. But they’re just as passionate in their way.

Not long ago, I was talking with a mainline Protestant theologian who is fascinated by Pentecostalism, both professionally and as a believer. He told me he really does believe that Pentecostals are connecting with the power of God in a way that mainline Protestants and other churches have lost. Yet it was my impression that he has to be careful about the people he says that to. What have you seen in your years as a Pentecostal Christian, and where does the fear and mistrust of Pentecostals come from?

For years, Pentecostals were identified with a lack of formal education, low socio-economic status, loosey-goosey doctrine, a lot of whooping and hollering and out-of-control tongue-speaking. Now that Pentecostalism is basically sweeping the world–it is the mainstream of evangelical Christianity, by sheer numbers–Protestants as well as Catholics have been forced to re-examine the stereotype. Pentecostalism has appealed to the terribly oppressed and the poor because they can tap into a Jesus who is powerful enough to totally change their lives–and he doesn’t play favorites. He can pull someone out of poverty. He can give dignity to the despised. The power of the Holy Spirit exceeds the evil forces that are accepted as a fact of life in much of the developing world, and Pentecostals believe we’re engaged in a cosmic struggle between good and evil, which corresponds to the realities of people living in Africa, Central and South America, and the persecuted church.

I have seen a fair amount of what we call “fakin’ and shakin’” in Pentecostal circles–as well as emotionalism, and an emphasis on spectacular spiritual “gifts” at the expense of godly character and sound doctrine. The things for which we’re criticized are more prevalent than I’d like to admit. But I’ll take a powerful, life-changing Jesus any day over the tepid, sad savior I was introduced to as a child in the Reformed and mainline churches my family attended.

You write openly about your lonely childhood, and your struggle with same-sex attraction. Where did your attraction to women come from? How did you conquer it? What challenges to the church does the greater acceptance of homosexuality pose — and how should the church respond?

I don’t know where my attraction to women came from. I remember it as early as 7, when I knew nothing about sex, much less homosexuality. It wasn’t a “choice” for me.

I do know this: I had a deep wound of rejection, as do many other people who experience same-sex attraction. This wound can come from sexual abuse, being abandoned by a parent, being ridiculed, or feeling like you were totally different from everyone around you. In my case, I had a terrible, crippling fear of not being loved. It shaped my life in profound ways. For whatever reason, I craved affection from a woman.

When you reach adolescence, those cravings become eroticized. That’s when you do have a choice, if you’re a follower of Jesus Christ. When the hormones start raging, you can go with the out-of-control sexual thoughts, or do the same thing heterosexual Christian kids are taught to do–channel that sexual energy in another direction until you get married, and “take captive” those thoughts and fantasies with God’s help.

I had enough of a desire to please God that I fought those same-sex erotic thoughts. I didn’t act on them. I was actually more attracted to men in terms of the sex act itself. But that deep desire for affection from a woman remained, and if I’d given it free rein, I’m sure it would have led to a sexual relationship at some point.

I got free of same-sex attraction through prayer. A Christian counselor who believed in the power of the Holy Spirit prayed that a “curse of sexual perversion” be broken off of my family. It felt like the power of same-sex attraction was sapped in that instant. It has taken me much longer, however, to deal with the wound of rejection. God has brought me to a place of wholeness through being loved without reservation by my husband, Larry, and through intimate friendships with two spiritually mature Christian women.

I think the acceptance of homosexuality poses an extraordinary challenge to the church. There is a dividing line today between those sectors of Christianity that accept the Word of God as the final authority for all matters of life and doctrine, and those that don’t. And there is a dividing line between those churches that believe Jesus Christ has the power to transform a person’s life–including their sexuality–and those that don’t. I don’t think you can have a more fundamental challenge to the church than questioning who Jesus is and what you deem Truth.

We need to reclaim Jesus’ transforming power. If you can’t offer that power to someone who wants to be free from same-sex attraction–and, by the way, this power is always rooted in love–you’d best keep your mouth shut.

In “Holy Roller,” and in your work for the Dallas Observer, you were absolutely scathing about sexual abuse in the black church, and how the exalted role of pastors within black American Christianity served to cover up criminal and immoral sexual behavior. What did you see, and what kind of reaction did you get once you started writing about it?

Well, let me say this. If readers of “Holy Roller” think I’m hard on the black church concerning sexual immorality among leaders, just know that I pulled my punches. The problem is far worse. There is this misapplication of a Bible verse in the black Pentecostal churches–”touch not mine anointed”–that says you shouldn’t criticize or expose a man or woman of God who’s fallen into serious sin; you should just go in your private “prayer closet” and beg God to deal with them. This belief has allowed a whole lot of abuse to go more or less unchecked.

I wrote a bunch of stories for the Observer about Sherman Allen, a black Pentecostal pastor in Fort Worth who used to be affiliated with the Church of God in Christ, my former denomination. Allen allegedly was involved in all kinds of immorality, perversion, and occultism. It did sting me when COGIC people called me things like “Judas” and a “demon.” The Apostle Paul said we’re supposed to expose the deeds of darkness, and I did that through old-fashioned investigative reporting. It was astonishing to me–and still is–that many church people showed more concern for Allen and his calling as a preacher than for the many, many women and men he victimized.

One of the best lines in the book is your quoting Diane Eddington, your pastor’s wife, confronting sexual sin among women in the congregation directly: “Ain’t no penis in the world worth going to hell for!” You see that over and over again in your congregation: this strong sense that the life of faith is a struggle, and that we have to be accountable to each other. You write that the concept of “holiness” is not taken seriously, or as seriously as it ought to be, by Christians outside of Pentecostalism. Talk about that, and your sense of how the broader church in America confronts sin in the lives of its members.

My theology isn’t terribly sophisticated. When the Word of God says “be holy as I am holy,” and that “no man will see God” without holiness, that sends a chill up my spine. I was pretty much taught growing up that you have this magic moment of salvation, and from that point on, you’re OK with Jesus. You can go on doing the same sinful stuff, and your salvation is secure. I don’t believe that anymore.

When a person turns to God and repents of their sin, there should be a visible change in their lives. John the Baptist taught that; Jesus taught that; the apostles and writers of Scripture taught that. When the Spirit of Jesus lives inside you, you are continually drawn toward holiness. It is a struggle at times, because our natural minds and bodies enjoy a lot of things having to do with sin. It is only through a life of discipline–of prayer, meditation on the Word of God, worship, and making yourself accountable and transparent to godly leaders and friends–that the Spirit assumes a greater place of influence in your life than what we call the flesh.

Pentecostals emphasize the work of the Holy Spirit, so they’re well-acquainted with the Spirit’s role in shining a light on the areas of sin in our lives and prodding us toward greater devotion and holiness. The great thing is that the Holy Spirit gives us a power boost to overcome particular sins. God doesn’t just leave us high and dry with an impossible demand that we be holy; he gives us the power to live that way. If we want it bad enough.

I was once told by a Catholic priest, a former missionary to Africa, that if you don’t believe in the existence of the demonic, Africa will cure you of your naivete. The parts of “Holy Roller” about the mission trip your church took to Africa were riveting to me. Why is spiritual warfare so much more out in the open in Africa? And with African Christianity growing so fast, what does the Western world have to learn from Africa’s Christians?

Many if not most Africans have been immersed in the reality of demonic forces from the day they were born. In Botswana, where we ministered, children are often dedicated to demonic entities. Many people consult practitioners of witchcraft to obtain some semblance of control in their lives–over money, marriage, illness, and so on. So people overtly engage and grapple with these forces, effectively inviting them into their lives. That doesn’t happen quite as often in the Western world.

These demonic forces destroy people’s lives. They are very real. They are always attached to some kind of sin or misfortune. They must be expelled in order for a believer in Jesus Christ to experience what we Pentecostals call a “victorious” life–a life free from domination by sin and darkness.

I have met African Christians who think Americans are clueless about the spiritual realm, and about the battle that’s going on there. They believe that our approach to faith is foolishly rational, and that this is one of the reasons why so little supernatural power is evident in our churches. Certain sin conditions–uncontrollable sexual compulsions, for example–must be dealt with on the demonic level. There is a spiritual force behind them, to the point where the individual feels powerless to change. Africans have much to teach us about the reality of the spiritual world.

If you look at Jesus’ ministry, he cast out quite a few demons, and this was among “churched” people–the Jews of his day. We tend to forget that.

Finally, your Bible Girl column on the Dallas Observer’s website was extraordinarily candid and brave about faith and your personal struggles. You took an incredible amount of abuse from readers, too, who couldn’t seem to deal with the fact that the editor of the city’s alternative weekly was a practicing Pentecostal Christian. You left the Observer, though. What’s happened to you since then? What lessons do you have to offer to Christians in mainstream journalism? Are you going to write Bible Girl again?

I stepped down as editor of the Dallas Observer in order to have time to write the book without cheating my family. Since then, I have also been free to spend more time in ministry. I go door to door in the streets of South Dallas with an evangelism team. We’re out there to win souls for Jesus, plain and simple. We pray with people, invite them to church, and deal with material needs as we identify them. I also teach and preach. I have been to Botswana and South Africa three times in the last 10 months as part of my church’s ministry team, and I’m hoping to go back there this summer. I couldn’t have done that if I were still editor.

Christians in mainstream journalism need to learn their craft and live their faith openly. That’s all I have to say about that for now, and that’s a lot.

I’d like to revive Bible Girl, and in fact I’m looking for a proper venue to host it. Bible Girl still has a lot to say. And like my pastor said the other day, the hatas just make me greata

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CVS: Condoms Vs Shoplifters


A coalition of labor unions is criticizing CVS pharmacies for locking up condoms in some of its stores. The group, Change to Win, says that putting the rubbers behind glass means that young people will be less likely to ask for them, while CVS counters that the locked case means less people will steal the condoms. They also charge that CVS locks up condoms more often in communities of color.

“We do know from studies that free access to condoms cuts down on sexually transmitted infections,” said Neerav Desai, MD, assistant professor of pediatrics at the Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt University in Nashville. “For someone that has any hesitation about use, this could be another reason for them not to use condoms.”

CVS says that the practice is done solely to deter shoplifting and that stores where the condoms are locked up also have some available in the open.

With my background in retail and loss prevention in stores in poor neighborhoods, my knee-jerk reaction is, “CVS isn’t out to give away condoms or make it easy to shoplift from their stores. It’s a business. Big deal. Free condoms are for the health clinics and bars to distribute.” I decided to do a small experiment to see how local CVS pharmacies handled the problem since I live in a neighborhood with large amounts of people of color. Here’s what I found:

Within 10 blocks of my house in Indianapolis, there are two CVS’s and a Kroger with a pharmacy. I went to all three to check out the condom status. I talked to employees in all three locations to check out how their store policies worked and how the policy seemed to impact condom sales and shoplifting.

CVS Location #1

The condoms weren’t locked up and were readily available on the shelves.

I spoke with the pharmacist who told me she assumed that they would be put under lock and key soon because they were one of the highest theft items in the store. The rubbers are located within eyesight of the pharmacy counter, but that section isn’t open 24 hours. According to her, young people of color are the usual shoplifters of condoms, but are also the group most likely to be caught attempting to shoplift other items too.

CVS Location #2

The condoms were locked behind a case on the shelves. Pregnancy tests, lubricants, and other sexual health items were also behind glass.

I went to the pharmacy and said, “I’d like to buy some condoms.” The pharmacist, an older gentleman, was very professional and led me to the shelf, unlocked the case and said, “Grab the ones you want.” I picked out the cheapest box there (Lifestyles X2 - “Lubricated Inside + Out To Intensify Sensitivity and Sensation!) and paid for it while chatting up the pharmacist.

When I asked why the condoms were locked up, he told me it was a recent step by the store to prevent shoplifting. As with the other CVS, he said condoms were one of the most commonly stolen items before being put behind a case. Since they’d been locked up, the problem had been solved. He suggested that perhaps the thieves were going to the nearby Kroger to loot the condom selection. Again, young people were the usual suspects, but not just young people of color. Instead, he thought it was about a 50/50 mix of Caucasian vs Latino/black youths.

When I asked how many people were buying condoms now, his answer shocked me. He told me I was the first person to ask to buy condoms since they went under lock and key. He was very concerned about young people being afraid to ask for condoms and other sexual health items. After I pointed out how the company had been losing money on the shoplifted items, he agreed that it was a problem but didn’t think the current store policy was the best solution. He didn’t have one of his own, however.

Kroger Pharmacy

The Kroger we shop at is in the same shopping center as the second CVS location. The condoms are kept behind glass under the pharmacy counter (not behind the counter - the case faces out to the public at floor level). I spoke with a pharmacy tech that I know from shopping at the store and he was particularly candid.

He told me that while the condoms and lube were kept behind glass, they left the cases unlocked during pharmacy hours. He recognized that they were commonly stolen and admitted that they had watched young people kneel down to the case and pocket condoms without stopping them. He acknowledged that rubbers were a high theft item, but said the store’s general attitude in this situation was that it was better to keep the shelf lightly stocked and lose some packages than to force young people to ask for the items directly.

What’s the Solution?

Obviously this isn’t strictly a CVS issue and I think Change to Win is a little misguided in shaming CVS without offering a workable solution to an industry-wide problem. The chain is in business to make money off health-related items. If its sole concern was preventing diseases and curing ailments, they’d give away all of their medical supplies and medications. It’s not their job to make sure youths can shoplift their inventory with impunity or to ensure that sexually active young people are mature enough to ask for contraceptives without embarrassment.

On the other hand, there is an undeniable issue surrounding getting young people to protect themselves and their partners during sex. Unplanned pregnancies and STDs are a common issue in our local community - especially in poorer (not necessarily communities of color) neighborhoods. With less education and less available spending money, condoms are often the last thing on the list for purchase. Still, there are at least three places within a mile of my house that give away free condoms; they can be found for free easily.

So what’s the solution? It seems that these two conundrums are opposite, but I firmly believe that CVS employees are concerned about access to condoms just as HIV/AIDS activists don’t want CVS to suffer financial loss. While the quoted article says CVS stores also keep some rubbers on the shelves without locking them up (arguably saying it’s okay to shoplift those condoms), I didn’t see any outside of the case in the second CVS location.

Should CVS give away condoms as well as sell them? Would anyone buy them if you can get them for free at the same location? Or should the store strictly concern itself with what concerns its shareholders - the bottom line? I’d love to see your thoughts on the issue.

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