From: owner-roc-digest@lists.xmission.com (roc-digest) To: roc-digest@lists.xmission.com Subject: roc-digest V2 #446 Reply-To: roc-digest Sender: owner-roc-digest@lists.xmission.com Errors-To: owner-roc-digest@lists.xmission.com Precedence: bulk roc-digest Monday, June 11 2001 Volume 02 : Number 446 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Sat, 9 Jun 2001 23:12:54 -0700 From: Bill Vance Subject: The New Yearly Census (fwd) From: Howard Rothenburg Subject: {SD-2} The New Yearly Census Date: Sat, 9 Jun 2001 23:39:22 -0400 (EDT) The American Community Survey: A New Census June 7, 2001 Friends of Liberty, International http://www.friendsofliberty.com/files/2001/06/07/04.htm Remember last year when the census sent you that long form that you had to fill out, or face being fined? This "nosy" approach to information about us angered a lot of people. It must not have angered them enough. The U.S. Census Bureau is attempting to emplament a new kind of survey that will replace the long form. Actually, it isn't new at all; it is simply done more often. How would you like to see your government officials come knocking at your door once a year to "gather information" of a personal nature about you? This new type of "census" does just that. Below is the exact description of "The American Community Survey" as taken from the U.S. Census Website: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ What is the American Community Survey? The American Community Survey is a new approach for collecting accurate, timely information needed for critical government functions. This new approach provides accurate, up-to-date profiles of America's communities every year. Community leaders and other data users will have timely information for planning and evaluating public programs for everyone from newborns to the elderly. The decennial census has two parts: 1) it counts the population; and 2) for the administration of federal programs and the distribution of billions of federal dollars, it obtains demographic, housing, social, and economic information by asking a 1-in-6 sample of households to fill out a "long form." Since this is done only once every 10 years, long-form information becomes out of date. Planners and other data users are reluctant to rely on it for decisions that are expensive and affect the quality of life of thousands of people. The American Community Survey is a way to provide the data communities need every year instead of once in ten years. It is an on-going survey that the Census Bureau plans will replace the long form in the 2010 Census. Full implementation of the survey would begin in 2003 in every county of the United States. The survey would include three million households. Data are collected by mail and Census Bureau staff follow up those who do not respond. The American Community Survey will provide estimates of demographic, housing, social, and economic characteristics every year for all states, as well as for all cities, counties, metropolitan areas, and population groups of 65,000 people or more. For smaller areas, it will take three to five years to accumulate sufficient sample to produce data for areas as small as census tracts. For example, areas of 20,000 to 65,000 can use data averaged over three years. For rural areas and city neighborhoods or population groups of less than 20,000 people, it will take five years to accumulate a sample that is similar to that of the decennial census. These averages can be updated every year, so that eventually, we will be able to measure changes over time for small areas and population groups. Goals of the Program The goals of the American Community Survey are to: ** Provide federal, state, and local governments an information base for the administration and evaluation of government programs. **Improve the 2010 Census. **Provide data users with timely demographic, housing, social, and economic data updated every year that can be compared across states, communities, and population groups. Why Are We Doing the American Community Survey? Data users have asked for timely data that provide consistent measures for all areas. Decennial sample data are out-of-date soon after they are published, about two years after the census is taken. Their usefulness declines every year thereafter. Yet billions of government and business dollars are divided among jurisdictions and population groups each year based on their social and economic profiles in the decennial census. The American Community Survey can identify changes in an area's population and give an up-to-date statistical picture when data users need it, every year, not just once in ten years. Communities can use the data, to track the well-being of children, families, and the elderly; determine where to locate new highways, schools, and hospitals; show a large corporation that a town has the workforce the company needs; evaluate programs such as welfare and workforce diversification; and monitor and publicize the results of their programs. The American Community Survey is conducted using the best mail self-response techniques of the decennial census combined with follow-up techniques that produce high-quality data. For households that do not respond by mail, the quality of data is improved by using well-trained, permanent interviewer staff using computerized interviewing, which incorporates edits into the collection process. Using a permanent coding staff provides additional improvements in data quality. As an on-going survey, the American Community Survey is a flexible vehicle, capable of adapting to changing customer needs. Once it is fully implemented, the potential is there to add questions of national policy interest or specialized supplements to help identify the situations of special population groups. How does the American Community Survey work? The American Community Survey: ** Uses the Master Address File (MAF), a complete listing of all residential addresses and group quarters in the country, for sample selection. ** Mails or delivers American Community Survey questionnaires each month to sample addresses. ** Uses commercial vendor lists to obtain telephone numbers for addresses that did not mail back their American Community Survey questionnaires and conducts telephone interviews. **Selects a one-in-three sample of the addresses still not interviewed and conducts personal interviews. **Improves the infrastructure for the federal statistical system by providing customized samples for subpopulations of interest, by providing the ability to increase sample sizes in the American Community Survey, and by providing a vehicle for collecting data on supplemental topics for population groups or specific geographic areas. Master Address File The Census Bureau maintains a national Master Address File (MAF). The MAF was constructed by a computer match of the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) Delivery Sequence File (DSF), the 1990 Census Address Control File (ACF), and the Topologically Integrated Geographic Encoding and Referencing (TIGER) files. Thereafter, periodic updates from the USPS DSF, census surveys, and field listing activities keep the MAF current. The MAF can be created automatically for all areas that have city-style address systems where the mail is delivered using these addresses. For areas that do not have a city-style address system, the Census Bureau creates a MAF by conducting an address listing operation. The MAF will be used as a sampling frame for the American Community Survey, as well as all of the Census Bureau's demographic surveys. A critical element in the overall success of the ACS is the ability to keep the Census Bureau's MAF up-to-date and accurate from year to year, especially in rural areas. The MAF serves as the main source of the housing unit sample for the ACS. In addition, the housing unit counts contained in the MAF play an important part in the editing, weighting, and data tabulation process. Thus, the overall accuracy of the MAF is a paramount concern. The need for an up-to-date MAF spawned the development of a new program called the American Community Survey - Coverage Program (formerly called the Community Address Updating System). This program, which is currently under development, has two major objectives: ** To obtain address information about new housing units and add those units to the MAF; and ** To correct and update the existing addresses in the MAF. Sample Selection Each month, we will select a systematic sample of addresses from the most current MAF for the American Community Survey. The sample will represent the entire United States. Each month, a sample will be randomly selected. No address will receive the American Community Survey questionnaire more than once in any five-year period. A larger proportion of addresses will be sampled for small governmental units (American Indian reservations, counties, and towns). The monthly sample size is designed to approximate the sampling ratio of Census 2000, including the oversampling of small governmental units. Data Collection The American Community Survey will be conducted using three methods of data collection to contact households: Self-enumeration through mail-out/mail-back; Computer Assisted Telephone Interviewing (CATI); and Computer Assisted Personal Interviewing (CAPI). ** Self-enumeration through mail-out/mail-back methodology - The self-enumeration procedure uses several mailing pieces: a prenotice letter, the American Community Survey questionnaire, and a reminder card. A replacement questionnaire will be mailed to addresses in the sample if the original questionnaire is not completed and returned to the processing office within the prescribed amount of time. Sample addresses that do not respond by mail will be contacted using the follow-up procedures CATI, CAPI, or both. ** Computer Assisted Telephone Interviewing (CATI) - The CATI operation is conducted approximately six weeks after the American Community Survey questionnaire is mailed. We will attempt to obtain telephone numbers and conduct telephone interviews for all households that do not respond by mail. Census Bureau telephone interviewing staff will conduct these interviews. ** Computer Assisted Personal Interviewing (CAPI) - Following the CATI operation, a sample will be taken from the addresses which remain uninterviewed. These addresses will be visited by Census Bureau field representatives, who will conduct personal interviews to obtain the information on the American Community Survey. Implementation The American Community Survey is being implemented in three parts: ** Demonstration period 1996-1998 ** Comparison sites 1999-2002 ** Full implementation nationwide starting in 2003 and continuing The American Community Survey demonstration period began in 1996 in four sites. In 1997, the survey was conducted in eight sites to evaluate costs, procedures, and new ways to use the information. In 1998, the American Community Survey expanded to include two counties in South Carolina that overlapped with counties in the Census 2000 Dress Rehearsal. This approach allowed the Census Bureau to investigate the effects on both the American Community Survey and the census due to having the two activities going on in the same place at the same time. In 1999, the number of sites in the sample increased to 31 comparison sites. The comparison with Census 2000 is designed to collect several kinds of information necessary to understand the differences between 1999-2001 American Community Survey and the 2000 long form. The comparison sites include various situations in which these differences are expected to be prominent. They were selected to have at least one site in each of 24 strata representing combinations of county population size, difficulty of enumeration, and 1990-1995 population growth. The selection also attempts to balance areas by region of the country, and seeks to include several sites representing different characteristics of interest, such as racial or ethnic groups, highly seasonal populations, migrant workers, American Indian reservations, improving or worsening economic conditions, and predominant occupation or industry types. The purpose of the comparison sites is to give a good tract-by-tract comparison between the 1999-2001 American Community Survey cumulated estimates and the Census 2000 long-form estimates, and to use these comparisons to identify both the causes of differences and diagnostic variables that tend to predict a certain kind of difference. In 2002, we will continue to collect data in the 31 comparison sites to maintain the continuity of the survey. In 2003, plans are to implement the American Community Survey in every county of the United States with an annual sample of three million housing units. Once the survey is in full operation, American Community Survey data will be available every year for areas and population groups of 65,000 or more beginning in 2004. For small areas and population groups of 20,000 or less, it will take five years to accumulate a large enough sample to provide estimates with accuracy similar to the decennial census. That means updated information for areas such as neighborhoods will be available starting in 2008 and every year thereafter. Data Dissemination An American Community Survey goal is to provide data to the users within six months of the end of a collection or calendar year. For states, populous counties, and other governmental units or population groups with a population of 65,000 or more, the American Community Survey can provide direct estimates for each year. For smaller governmental units or population groups (those with a population of less than 65,000), estimates can be provided each year through refreshed multi-year accumulations of data. Plans include the release of a microdata file each year patterned after the five percent Public Use Microdata Sample (PUMS) file of the 1990 decennial census records. The microdata file allows for two different units of analysis: housing unit and person. The microdata file includes as many records as possible and shows the lowest level of geography possible within confidentiality constraints. Users of the American Community Survey data can customize tabulations to examine the information in the way that best serves their needs. In addition, the American Community Survey will provide summarized data for population and housing estimates, cross tabulated by various characteristics, down to the block-group level. The summarized data will be similar to the Summary Tape Files (STF) of the 1990 decennial census records, and are designed to provide statistics with greater subject and geographic detail than is feasible or desirable to provide in printed reports. The microdata files, tabulated files, and associated documentation will be available on CD-ROM, as well as on this web site. The American Community Survey and the Federal Statistical System The American Community Survey offers a number of features that can improve the federal statistical system. They are: **Increased sampling options; **Flexibility in design and content; and **More frequent data for evaluation. Because the current federal statistical system is decentralized, surveys are conducted independently of one another. Each one must collect the same core data: number of occupied units, number of people, and the general characteristics of people. After these core data are collected, each survey focuses on its specific needs. The American Community Survey can provide better estimates of the core data as well as provide a vehicle for collecting some specific survey data, thereby reducing this duplication. The American Community Survey can screen for households with specific characteristics. These households could be identified through the basic survey, or through the use of supplemental questions. Targeted households can then be candidates for follow-up interviews, thus providing a more robust sampling frame for other surveys. Moreover, the prohibitively expensive screening interviews now required would no longer be necessary. State and local governments are becoming more involved in administering and evaluating programs traditionally controlled by the federal government. This devolution of responsibility is often accompanied by federal funding through block grants. The data collected via the American Community Survey will be useful not only to the federal agencies, but also to state, local, and tribal governments in planning, administering, and evaluating programs. Finally, the American Community Survey will provide more timely data for use in area estimation models that provide estimates of various concepts for small geographic areas. In essence, detailed data from national household surveys (whose samples are too small to provide reliable estimates for states or localities) can be combined with data from the American Community Survey to create reliable estimates for small geographic areas. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ To see the actual information on "The American Community Survey", you can visit the U.S. Census Bureau on the Web. - -- - ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- RKBA! ***** Blessings On Thee, Oh Israel! ***** RKBA! - ----------------+----------+--------------------------+--------------------- An _EFFECTIVE_ | Insured | All matter is vibration. | Let he who hath no weapon in every | by COLT; | -- Max Plank | weapon sell his hand = Freedom | DIAL | In the beginning was the | garment and buy a on every side! | 1911-A1. | word. -- The Bible | sword.--Jesus Christ - ----------------+----------+--------------------------+--------------------- Constitutional Government is dead, LONG LIVE THE CONSTITUTION!!!!! - ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 9 Jun 2001 23:13:51 -0700 From: Bill Vance Subject: Cooking the Books at Education (fwd) From: Howard Rothenburg Subject: {SD-2} Cooking the Books at Education Date: Sun, 10 Jun 2001 00:32:39 -0400 (EDT) Cooking the Books at Education Cliff Kincaid, Accuracy in Media Saturday, June 9, 2001 http://www.newsmax.com/archives/articles/2001/6/8/205728.shtml In Washington, during congressional debate over President Bush's "Leave no child behind" education initiative, Republicans have been arguing for an increase of 11 percent in spending by the Department of Education, while Democrats have been arguing for a 35-50 percent increase. The department currently operates on a budget of $44.5 billion a year. But the sad truth, which has escaped the attention of most of the major media, is that there is no real guarantee that any of this money will actually get to the students that may need it. This is because the Department of Education has been so mismanaged that it can't account for the money it is spending. The amount of missing, mismanaged or stolen money reaches $6 billion. Outright looting and embezzlement of Education Department funds by agency officials in the Clinton administration cannot be ruled out, as there was no security over the obligation and disbursement of federal funds. Officials of the agency may have conspired to "cook the books" and spend more money than Congress had appropriated. This would be a violation of the federal anti-deficiency act, which bars federal agencies from disbursing more funds than authorized by Congress. Stories about government waste, fraud and abuse are common, but the scandal at the Department of Education has reached a new and unprecedented level. This is an agency out of control. Yet the story remains largely untold. Recognizing the dimensions of the problem, Rep. Charles Norwood of Georgia has suggested the department be shut down until the problems are solved. Revelations of the limited investigations conducted so far include 21 Department of Education employees who wrote a total of 19,000 checks in one year, without getting approval from any other official, totaling $23 million; employees using agency credit cards to buy items such as computers, software, cell phones and Internet service that may have been diverted to personal use; and $1.9 million of Department of Education grants intended for two school districts in South Dakota diverted to buy real estate and luxury sport utility vehicles. Ignoring a Whistleblower At a recent background briefing in Washington, D.C., a member of the leadership of the House of Representatives was asked about the case of John Gard, the whistleblower from the Department of Education who has sparked the numerous investigations into the department's finances. The congressman had never heard of Gard. He was also not aware that the Department of Education had failed three straight audits and that the new secretary of education, Rod Paige, has expressed the hope that it may be able to pass an audit in about 18 months. This is the agency that Congress and the administration plan to give billions more dollars. It makes no sense. John Gard has not sought the attention of the media. However, this is no excuse for ignoring his sensational charges, which have been the subject of congressional hearings and an Office of Special Counsel (OSC) investigation. The OSC determined that his allegations of "gross mismanagement" to the tune of billions of dollars are true. When the OSC report was issued on Jan. 31, the Associated Press ran a good story about Gard and some of his charges. But it was published back on page 21 of the Washington Post. This is typical of how the agency's problems have been covered. Whistleblower Talks to AIM Gard was recently interviewed by Accuracy in Media, which has championed the cause of whistleblowers in the federal government. As damning as the OSC report was, Gard said it amounted to a whitewash because it failed to reveal the extent of the corruption. He told a harrowing story of how he battled to expose waste, fraud and abuse in the department only to be made the target of reprisal and retaliation, eventually being escorted from agency property by armed federal security guards. Gard was a systems accountant in the Office of the Chief Financial Officer. He exposed serious problems in the department's Grants Administration and Payment System (GAPS), under which dozens of agency employees were potentially able to funnel education department funds to their personal bank accounts or their friends and associates without being caught. The system was such that it was impossible for the department to monitor who was tapping into the money and how much was being diverted. It may be a stretch to say that all $6 billion was funneled out of the department in this way. Some may have been wasted or mismanaged. On the other hand, Gard asks the central question, "Where did the money go?" The system was so open to abuse that it may be impossible to determine how much money was stolen and by whom. In one sensational incident, Gard found unsecured checks lying on top of an employee's desk and reported the matter to the Office of the Inspector General of the department. These checks could have been cashed by the employee for personal use. For blowing the whistle, Gard said he was attacked by the then-chief financial officer, Donald Rappaport, as a "spy" who could not be trusted. In a filing with the OSC, which is part of the public record in the case, Gard's lawyers also say that agency employees who helped cover up the agency's "mismanagement, waste of funds and potential fraud activity" were rewarded with "enhanced job assignments, promotions, awards, recognition or enhanced office space." Gard said his concern all along has been that the agency obey the laws of the United States. He believes agency employees have violated several federal laws on financial record keeping and other related matters. He is still being paid, but he has no assigned duties. He spent most of his time on his lawsuit against the department. He is willing to return to the department under the Bush administration and try to help solve the problems which have plagued the agency. But his offer to do so has been ignored Gard emphasizes that he is not advocating the elimination of the department but wants to see the funds that are disbursed recorded properly and accounted for. He has said, however, that the problems are so large that the department should be placed under the supervision of a special master appointed by a federal court or put into receivership. This has been done in the past with grossly mismanaged agencies of the Washington, D.C. city government. Paige Turns the Page The corruption problem is so massive that Secretary Paige was forced to hold a press conference on April 20 specifically on fraud and mismanagement in the department. Putting a happy face on the problem, it was at this event that he said his hope was that the agency could pass an audit in 18 months. Paige also announced that Deputy Secretary-designate Bill Hansen and Undersecretary-designate Gene Hickok would head a reform effort. Hansen has been approached by one of Gard's lawyers about Gard helping try to clean up the mess. Gard said he hasn't heard anything back from Hansen. At the press conference, Paige suggested the problem in the agency involved the mismanagement or loss of only $450 million, and that $250 million of that had been recovered. The $450 million figure was put forward at an April 3 congressional hearing, where the agency's inspector general testified. The hearing was covered by the Associated Press, the Washington Times on page 6, and the Washington Post back on page 21. This event also featured a discussion of the agency's failure to pass three consecutive audits. However, the evening news programs of the three major networks completely ignored the hearing. But Gard emphasizes that this $450 million figure is far too low. The AP and the Washington Post have noted a discrepancy with the Department of Treasury's accounting of what the Department of Education has spent that amounts to $6 billion over the last three years under Secretary Richard W. Riley. Gard believes this is a more accurate figure reflecting the true amount of how much money is missing or unaccounted for. Again, this is because there was no security over the disbursement of federal funds when the agency implemented GAPS. Gard says that, despite the change in administrations, there's still a reluctance to tell the American people about the full extent of the problem because both major parties want to spend more on education. Officials at Paige's news conference claimed that financial problems are going to be addressed through the installation of a new software program, Oracle Federal Financials. Gard told us that this would not solve the GAPS disbursement and security problems. Gard said the Oracle software may resolve some accounting problems if it is installed correctly. He said he knew of one federal agency that had used it properly. Ironically, it had been installed at the Corporation for National Service by one of his former associates at the Department of Education, after he had been relieved of his duties. The Department of Education has been without a chief financial officer for two years and it is apparent that the agency has had a very difficult time finding a new one. The agency has been without an assistant secretary for management for five years. This suggests the problems are simply too large to be addressed and that the agency may not be salvageable Honor Gard President Bush has called upon federal employees to "disclose waste, fraud, abuse and corruption to the appropriate authorities." Gard did just that and has suffered for it. He is suing the Department of Education. Gard should be compensated for the damage to his career. President Bush should restore Gard to his previous position or even promote him. If Secretary Paige wants to make sure that Department of Education money is used to "teach children," he should take the initiative himself and immediately put Gard back to work. But Gard's name was never raised during Paige's news conference. That's a strange way of encouraging employers to expose corruption. Yet, without Gard back at the department, it will be hard to have any confidence that the financial problems will be solved. The only reporter at the press conference who seemed familiar with the extent of the corruption was George Archibald of the Washington Times, who produced a page two story for that paper. Archibald has an understanding of the agency, having worked there under the president, Ronald Reagan, who wanted to abolish it. - -- - ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- RKBA! ***** Blessings On Thee, Oh Israel! ***** RKBA! - ----------------+----------+--------------------------+--------------------- An _EFFECTIVE_ | Insured | All matter is vibration. | Let he who hath no weapon in every | by COLT; | -- Max Plank | weapon sell his hand = Freedom | DIAL | In the beginning was the | garment and buy a on every side! | 1911-A1. | word. -- The Bible | sword.--Jesus Christ - ----------------+----------+--------------------------+--------------------- Constitutional Government is dead, LONG LIVE THE CONSTITUTION!!!!! - ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 9 Jun 2001 23:15:12 -0700 From: Bill Vance Subject: Norm Olson on CNN 7:30 EDT Monday 11 June 2001 (fwd) Date: Sat, 9 Jun 2001 22:20:04 -0700 Subject: Norm Olson on CNN 7:30 EDT Monday 11 June 2001 From: David Lindstedt CNN has invited Norm Olson to a return engagement Monday night about 7:30 Eastern. Last time, in Washington, he was interrupted by "breaking news" (OJ's attempt to slide his own murderous hand into his own blood-dried-shrunken glove.) This time he hopes there'll be no interruptions. He also hopes that Bill Press sits in the liberal seat so that Olson can tell him, "You CAN'T handle the truth!!!" No more nice guy. Pussycat Patriots who strive to be politically correct, socially acceptable, and squeezeably soft, need not waste their time watching. Just explain Olson's attitude as "Norm forgot to take his meds." Norm Olson - -- - ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- RKBA! ***** Blessings On Thee, Oh Israel! ***** RKBA! - ----------------+----------+--------------------------+--------------------- An _EFFECTIVE_ | Insured | All matter is vibration. | Let he who hath no weapon in every | by COLT; | -- Max Plank | weapon sell his hand = Freedom | DIAL | In the beginning was the | garment and buy a on every side! | 1911-A1. | word. -- The Bible | sword.--Jesus Christ - ----------------+----------+--------------------------+--------------------- Constitutional Government is dead, LONG LIVE THE CONSTITUTION!!!!! - ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 11 Jun 2001 08:50:31 -0700 From: Bill Vance Subject: due process in Idaho (fwd) From: sthomson@spinn.net Date: Sat, 09 Jun 2001 12:09:49 -0600 Subject: {slick-d} due process in Idaho Former McGuckin Family Attorney Blasts Idaho Prosecutor From Edgar J. Steele Attorney at Law 6-9-1 PRESS RELEASE - IMMEDIATE Sagle, Idaho Thousands wouldn't believe you, Phil, but don't worry... I do. SANDPOINT Idaho - The time has come to directly address the many false representations made about the McGuckin case by local government, as personified by the Prosecuting Attorney, Phil Robinson. By way of doing so, Edgar J. Steele, the McGuckin Family Lawyer-in-Exile releases the following open letter, since Mr. Robinson refuses to communicate with him in private. Dear Phil, Well, it's been a pretty wild ride so far, hasn't it? Guess you didn't expect it to turn into quite the media circus that it has become. Of course, if those kids hadn't possessed the moxie to defy your storm troopers, this whole affair would have gone down without a hitch, with nobody the wiser, wouldn't it? I can appreciate why you might be worried now, particularly since you swore, under penalty of perjury before Magistrate Heise, to so many things that so many people now claim are so false. Like that business about there being no power to the house? Northern Lights, the utility company, said it was hooked up and working all along, but they must be mistaken. They don't seem to believe you, Phil, but don't worry I do. And about the kids starving and having no food in the house? The people at the Food Bank, who gave them 200 pounds of food the week prior, don't seem to believe you. Nor do the good people at Bonner General Hospital, who examined the kids after being holed up in the bathroom of that little house for five days while under siege from their own government, yet pronounced them to be in good health. But don t worry, Phil... I believe you. And about that lily pad soup you said the kids were cooking up in their back yard over the camp fire? I know many people have researched it and claim it's not true because lily pads are poisonous and the kids would all be dead now, so they must not believe you, either. Don't worry, though, Phil I believe you. And about the husband, Michael, dying of malnutrition and dehydration, the same things you say the kids are suffering from? I hear that Mr. Coffelt, the coroner, has now recanted and says the death certificate is wrong, that Mr. McGuckin actually died as a result of multiple sclerosis, so he must not believe you, either. But don't worry, Phil I do. And about that pack of marauding, vicious dogs? Lots of people, including the vet and the receiving animal facility seem to think there's a lot fewer than 27 and that many of them are actually puppies, to boot, so they don't seem to believe you. Can you imagine? Now, I saw them myself the other day and thought they were pretty small and could have sworn many of them were wagging their tails, but I just figured it must be some breed of midget fighting dog. Don't worry, Phil I'm with you on this one, too. And about the house being filthy and strewn with dog feces? Well, I'm absolutely sure you're right about this, and it's a good thing that, once the kids were out of there, you had your people in there taking pictures without wasting time to get a search warrant, to prove it. I know there are those doubting Thomases who say the kids had the dogs inside with them during the siege so your jackbooted thugs (not a phrase I would ever use, of course) wouldn't shoot them and, of course those vicious, huge, marauding canines couldn't be expected to use the toilets because the water was off, so of course there was a huge mess, with dog feces everywhere. I'm sure it was like that all along, just like you said, so don't worry, Phil I believe you here, too. And about the kids being poorly educated? Well, we all know how inadequate home schooling is after all, the only reason home-schooled kids are taking top honors in all the national spelling and geography bees is because they sit at home, 24 hours a day, boning up just for those things and ignoring the really important stuff that is taught in the government schools these days. Yep, Phil, I'm with you all the way on this one, too. And about me being disbarred? They haven't told me about it yet and, when I called them to discuss the ethics of what you have been doing and saying, they said they didn't know anything about my being disbarred, so the people at the Idaho State Bar don't seem to believe you. But I'm sure you're in contact with those who are really in the know, so, don't worry, Phil I believe you on this one, too. And about me being fired by JoAnn McGuckin? Well, of course, you have issued orders to everybody, including the Sheriff (isn t he an elected official, by the way?), that I'm not to be allowed even to talk with any McGuckin family member by telephone and I am not to be told when the secret hearings about the kids take place, so of course I have to take your word for this one, as well. But I know you wouldn't lie about something like this, Phil. And about JoAnn being held incommunicado despite Magistrate Heise's recent order? Well, we all know she is stubbornly refusing to sign that O.R. release paper, thereby admitting that she is guilty and that she will stay away from her own children, so of course you can't just let her go. We all understand that, Phil. And, of course, since she is pretty fragile mentally and extremely susceptible to being unduly influenced, there are those who say you and your minions have been keeping her that way until she falls in line. But don't worry, Phil , because I know you would never stoop to that sort of thing I believe you. And about the public defender, Mr. Powell, being in your pocket? There are those who say, because he was a Shoshone County PD before he came here and because he's kind of hurting for money (his words, not mine) and would be doing much better financially if he was one of your assistants, that he is carrying your water on this case. I think that is a simply scurrilous suggestion and refuse to believe one word of it, even though he also refuses to let me talk to JoAnn. Don't worry, Phil, I believe you on this one, too. And about your pushing for $100,000 bail for JoAnn, even though her public defender hadn't gotten around to seeing to her interests, and getting it without a struggle from Magistrate Heise, even though you and I both know how difficult it is to get bonds like that for murderers? I know you, Phil, and I am absolutely certain this is true. And about your being sorry you didn't have JoAnn arrested during her husband's funeral? I have no doubt whatsoever about this one, Phil. I realize you have a powerful motivation to ensure that everything you swore to before Magistrate Heise is shown to be true, since you gave up your unqualified government official immunity when you chose to testify yourself. That's the problem with actually swearing out your own arrest warrant, of course, and why so many district and prosecuting attorneys know better. I know, however, Phil, that everybody who says that is why you are pushing the above things with such a vengeance is just being mean-spirited, because you would never allow your self interest to come into play in a case involving a citizen. Thousands wouldn't believe you, Phil. But don't worry - because I do. Sincerely, Edgar J. Steele Edgar J. Steele Attorney at Law 102 South Fourth Avenue, Suite C Sandpoint, Idaho 83864 Admitted in Idaho, Oregon, Washington & California (208) 265-5329 fax (208) 265-4153 steele@plainlawtalk.com - -- - ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- RKBA! ***** Blessings On Thee, Oh Israel! ***** RKBA! - ----------------+----------+--------------------------+--------------------- An _EFFECTIVE_ | Insured | All matter is vibration. | Let he who hath no weapon in every | by COLT; | -- Max Plank | weapon sell his hand = Freedom | DIAL | In the beginning was the | garment and buy a on every side! | 1911-A1. | word. -- The Bible | sword.--Jesus Christ - ----------------+----------+--------------------------+--------------------- Constitutional Government is dead, LONG LIVE THE CONSTITUTION!!!!! - ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - ------------------------------ End of roc-digest V2 #446 *************************