November 5, 2015


News Clips For The Day


http://www.cbsnews.com/news/former-member-of-world-of-life-christian-church-speaks-out-about-culture-of-violence/

Ex-member: Church at center of murder probe was "complete hell"
CBS NEWS
November 5, 2015

Play VIDEO -- NY church members charged with beating teens at "counseling session"


The "World of Life Christian Church" is now at the center of a murder investigation after two brothers were beaten there last month during what police describe as a so-called "counseling session."

The evangelical congregation has no affiliation with or oversight by any larger church organization.

A former member of the church - who also attended school with the victims - is opening up about the 13 years he spent there, reports CBS News correspondent Don Dahler.

"I went there around the time I was born 'til I was about 13," said Nathan Ames, who attended school with his three brothers inside the church, which occupies a converted high school building. He and his family attended the World of Life in New Hartford, New York until 2002.

Last month, police say six current church members viciously beat two teenage brothers with electrical cables for more than ten hours inside the sanctuary. Nineteen-year-old Lucas Leonard died. His 17-year-old brother Christopher was seriously injured. The boys' parents and sister were among those charged with assault, along with other church members. Investigators believe the brothers wanted to leave the church.

Ames says problems at World of Life began when the late founder, Pastor Jerry Irwin, and his family began to exert total control over their congregation and fear that if people left the church, they would no longer be "under God's will - then you can go to hell."

He says adults, including the aunt he lived with for a short time, were instructed to discipline their children if they misbehaved or did poorly on tests by whipping them.

"The year and a half I lived there, I went through complete hell," Ames said. "When I didn't pass a test or when I didn't get my homework done on time. Daily."

Ames equated the church to a cult.

"See, I was young and I thought that was normal. It took me many, many years to get out of that mindset," he said. When he was 13, his family was kicked out of the church. The Leonard boys, he said, were not so fortunate.

As for the victims' parents allegedly taking part in the beatings, Ames said it was all part of the church culture.

"They did whatever was told to them," Ames said. "These are people who got misled...and it went too far."

CBS News was unable to reach the church for comment. Nathan Ames has also been interviewed by detectives.

A grand jury will decide whether to indict the six members later this month on charges including murder and gang assault.



http://religiouscultsinfo.com/tag/stockholm-syndrome/

Stockholm Syndrome at WOFF? (1)
February 17, 2012


“During this last week, I heard the term “Stockholm Syndrome”. Though I had a vague idea what the term meant, I took some time to read more and found a very informative resource article titled: “Love and Stockholm Syndrome: The Mystery of Loving an Abuser” The article was four separate pages with the link to the first page found here- http://counsellingresource.com/lib/therapy/self-help/stockholm/ .

The article was written by Dr. Joseph M. Carver, PhD. The website was labeled as “Counseling Resource”.

For this series of posts, I will review the parts of the article that help explain how and/or why many members of Word of Faith Fellowship (WOFF) act as they do toward and in defense of the leader, Jane Whaley. We will review the characteristics of the Stockholm Syndrome and also hopefully gain some insight as to why many WOFF members cut-off and walk away from their family members and friends.

As the author introduces the subject, he begins by remarking when people make changes away from certain behaviors or destructive relationships, they sometimes look back and find it hard to believe they once had dark thoughts. They may even miss those negative controlling relationships. Why would this be? Socially it makes no sense to long for that which was destructive in your life. The answer may be found in understanding the Stockholm Syndrome.

In order to bring the question closer, how many times have WOFF members heard Jane brag that former members longed to fellowship with present members? She announced as some sort of endorsement or badge of validity that she must be doing something right! Ex-members still want to be around her as long as she didn’t “hit their sin”. Again, I believe the answers don’t validate Jane and her practices, but in truth, the answers point out just how destructive WOFF-life has been on many folks. Let’s continue.

During this last week, I heard the term “Stockholm Syndrome”. Though I had a vague idea what the term meant, I took some time to read more and found a very informative resource article titled: “Love and Stockholm Syndrome: The Mystery of Loving an Abuser” The article was four separate pages with the link to the first page found here- http://counsellingresource.com/lib/therapy/self-help/stockholm/ .

The article was written by Dr. Joseph M. Carver, PhD. The website was labeled as “Counseling Resource”.

For this series of posts, I will review the parts of the article that help explain how and/or why many members of Word of Faith Fellowship (WOFF) act as they do toward and in defense of the leader, Jane Whaley. We will review the characteristics of the Stockholm Syndrome and also hopefully gain some insight as to why many WOFF members cut-off and walk away from their family members and friends.

As the author introduces the subject, he begins by remarking when people make changes away from certain behaviors or destructive relationships, they sometimes look back and find it hard to believe they once had dark thoughts. They may even miss those negative controlling relationships. Why would this be? Socially it makes no sense to long for that which was destructive in your life. The answer may be found in understanding the Stockholm Syndrome.

In order to bring the question closer, how many times have WOFF members heard Jane brag that former members longed to fellowship with present members? She announced as some sort of endorsement or badge of validity that she must be doing something right! Ex-members still want to be around her as long as she didn’t “hit their sin”. Again, I believe the answers don’t validate Jane and her practices, but in truth, the answers point out just how destructive WOFF-life has been on many folks.

“On August 23rd, 1973 two machine-gun carrying criminals entered a bank in Stockholm, Sweden. Blasting their guns, one prison escapee named Jan-Erik Olsson announced to the terrified bank employees “The party has just begun!” The two bank robbers held four hostages, three women and one man, for the next 131 hours. The hostages were strapped with dynamite and held in a bank vault until finally rescued on August 28th.

After their rescue, the hostages exhibited a shocking attitude considering they were threatened, abused, and feared for their lives for over five days. In their media interviews, it was clear that they supported their captors and actually feared law enforcement personnel who came to their rescue. The hostages had begun to feel the captors were actually protecting them from the police. One woman later became engaged to one of the criminals and another developed a legal defense fund to aid in their criminal defense fees. Clearly, the hostages had “bonded” emotionally with their captors.”

There we have the background for the term. The author goes on to explain the term Stockholm Syndrome was a new label for what had been noted as emotional bonding with captors. “It had been recognized many years before and was found in studies of other hostage, prisoner, or abusive situations such as:
•Abused Children
•Battered/Abused Women
•Prisoners of War
•Cult Members
•Incest Victims
•Criminal Hostage Situations
•Concentration Camp Prisoners
•Controlling/Intimidating Relationships”

When I read this list, I saw I had begun down the right path to get some questions answered! The next statement gave one of the first answers to our question about WOFF-member behavior. I was a WOFF-member and while there did not understand my actions as well as the actions/reactions of other members. Here is one key: “In the final analysis, emotionally bonding with an abuser is actually a strategy for survival for victims of abuse and intimidation.”

After reading this statement, it began to make sense. I have written before how members including myself would go along to get along. We were seeking strategies for survival as well as hoping to keep intact those relationships that were near and dear to us. This will make more sense as we continue.

“Every syndrome has symptoms or behaviors, and Stockholm Syndrome is no exception. While a clear-cut list has not been established due to varying opinions by researchers and experts, several of these features will be present:
•Positive feelings by the victim toward the abuser/controller
•Negative feelings by the victim toward family, friends, or authorities trying to rescue/support them or win their release
•Support of the abuser’s reasons and behaviors
•Positive feelings by the abuser toward the victim
•Supportive behaviors by the victim, at times helping the abuser
•Inability to engage in behaviors that may assist in their release or detachment”

Before we move on, let’s discuss a few of these symptoms. Also, it is worth noting that not every person inside WOFF is affected in the same manner by the beliefs and practices of the group. All are under the controls, but each is affected to different degrees according to where they are in the pyramidal structure and their individual make-up and personality.

“Positive feelings by the victim toward the abuser/controller” There is no doubt that positive feelings exist in many members toward Jane. This helps explain their ability to over look Jane’s outbursts of anger and/or other failings that are excused in some way as to avoid actually holding Jane accountable for her actions. Jane claims perfection. Only blind zeal would allow members to co-exist with such a fallacy.

“Negative feelings by the victim toward family, friends, or authorities trying to rescue/support them or win their release” Unless there is a break in the WOFF-controlled reality that many members live in, they do not see their release as something to strive for but something to avoid. Once WOFF members succumb to the WOFFness, their desire to leave is negligible. We will learn why as we review the meaning and characteristics of Stockholm Syndrome.

“Support of the abuser’s reasons and behaviors” Faithful WOFF members not only support Jane’s reasoning and behavior- many try to imitate Jane and take on her persona. It is sad to see. Also, the support of Jane is shown by the thousands of dollars WOFF members give to finance the WOFF-kingdom.

“Positive feelings by the abuser toward the victim” I have no doubt Jane has positive feelings towards her WOFF victims. Why? Because without followers – Jane would have no kingdom. She has no real idea how much of an abuser she is or how her faithful members are truly victims- seemingly in love with their captor.

“Supportive behaviors by the victim, at times helping the abuser” Do any former members doubt this? How many times do faithful WOFF members “help” Jane? Jane needs those in leadership to carry out her “revelations” on the sheep. Without her leadership team WOFF-dom would not be near as large.

“Inability to engage in behaviors that may assist in their release or detachment” In my opinion, WOFF members don’t make steps to assist in their release out of fear of Jane. If they break Jane’s rules, the price is too great. In order to assist in their own release, they would have to make contact with outsiders and/or former members. The threat of losing your eternal salvation by leaving WOFF is too great for many WOFF members to risk even entertaining the thought of life without Jane.

We continue with this passage from the resource article. It has been found that four situations or conditions are present that serve as a foundation for the development of Stockholm Syndrome. These four situations can be found in hostage, severe abuse, and abusive relationships:
•The presence of a perceived threat to one’s physical or psychological survival and the belief that the abuser would carry out the threat.
•The presence of a perceived small kindness from the abuser to the victim
•Isolation from perspectives other than those of the abuser
•The perceived inability to escape the situation

. . . . This meant losing a job, housing, relationships and maybe even transportation. There was no doubt that Jane exercised her power over members once she had you dependent on her for the basic provisions and emotional support. …. “The presence of a perceived small kindness from the abuser to the victim” The perceived small kindness was something as simple as Jane NOT going off on you for missing God or giving to sin or not telling on someone else who gave to sin. ….

“Isolation from perspectives other than those of the abuser” Isolation is a trademark of WOFF. The leadership is not ashamed and in some cases concerning children; they are rather proud how isolated their children are from “the world”. For them, “walking in God’s ways” equates to seclusion inside the WOFF-bubble.

“The perceived inability to escape the situation” We have mentioned it before, but, Jane uses fear to keep her members in her group. I personally witnessed many times Jane warning folks that they would suffer a horrible death, contract cancer or some other disease, lose their salvation, do drugs, become a drunk, go back to prostitution or worse if they left WOFF. Many young adults do not have the skills or means to support themselves outside the group. This dependency is all by design and makes their escape even more difficult- but, not impossible. . . . .”




CBS -- “A former member of the church - who also attended school with the victims - is opening up about the 13 years he spent there, reports CBS News correspondent Don Dahler. "I went there around the time I was born 'til I was about 13," said Nathan Ames, who attended school with his three brothers inside the church, which occupies a converted high school building. He and his family attended the World of Life in New Hartford, New York until 2002. …. "The year and a half I lived there, I went through complete hell," Ames said. "When I didn't pass a test or when I didn't get my homework done on time. Daily." Ames equated the church to a cult. "See, I was young and I thought that was normal. It took me many, many years to get out of that mindset," he said. When he was 13, his family was kicked out of the church. …. "They did whatever was told to them," Ames said. "These are people who got misled...and it went too far." CBS News was unable to reach the church for comment.”

Stockholm -- We continue with this passage from the resource article. It has been found that four situations or conditions are present that serve as a foundation for the development of Stockholm Syndrome. These four situations can be found in hostage, severe abuse, and abusive relationships: •The presence of a perceived threat to one’s physical or psychological survival and the belief that the abuser would carry out the threat. •The presence of a perceived small kindness from the abuser to the victim •Isolation from perspectives other than those of the abuser •The perceived inability to escape the situation …. I personally witnessed many times Jane warning folks that they would suffer a horrible death, contract cancer or some other disease, lose their salvation, do drugs, become a drunk, go back to prostitution or worse if they left WOFF. Many young adults do not have the skills or means to support themselves outside the group. This dependency is all by design and makes their escape even more difficult- but, not impossible.”


This article on the Stockholm Syndrome is long, but not a word in it is wasted. This is the longest explanation of the mysterious emotional attachment that abused people develop toward their abuser that I’ve ever read, and very enlightening. I am afraid the Stockholm Syndrome is present in many sexual relationships and family settings. Controlling people seek out people who want or like to be controlled. Several people I have known as peers have talked about how “strict” their parents were on them, and how that made them better people. They then carry the abusive form of relationships into their adult life. To see the whole thing, go to the website.

My United Methodist Church had absolutely none of the characteristics of WOFF or World of Life. These cult situations usually have a couple of things in common at least, which is the absolute control amounting to mind control, or “brainwashing.” The second is that they confiscate whatever worldly goods the members possess or gain as time goes on. The leaders are in it for the power rush they get and for the money. Never forget the money. We collected money for the church’s expenses and to build a new building, of course, but our pastor lived in a pleasant but modest wood frame house which the church owned and he didn’t drive a Cadillac. Our pastors, also, were never domineering, didn’t preach hell fire and damnation sermons, didn’t talk badly about any other race as some Southern churches do, didn’t encourage or incite a frightening group hysteria meant to inculcate “the holy spirit” by a deeply emotional “personal experience.” It was a contemplative and benign group. To me, churches should be like that.

The “Church of Scientology,” is certainly one of these cults, and is the only one I have had a glimpse of from the inside. I took a room in a group house owned by a woman who was of very similar age and temperament to me and we became close friends. She was an ex-Scientologist. She retained some of the mental theories that she had been taught (indoctrinated, rather). She was, however, a strong-minded individual who did break away from them, she said because of the way they conducted the children’s nursery. She didn’t say so, but I wonder if they were beating the children or doing mind control on them.

I personally have never become a close member of such a religion, though in high school the fundamentalist and radical group Youth For Christ came into play. The school gave a Bible course, and the teacher introduced some of us into YFC, and two of my closest friends became committed members. I felt considerable pressure to “come to Christ,” from the group as a whole and also wanted to be of the same mind as my friends, but I simply was unable to do so. My mind does not “believe” certain kinds of things, because to me they just don’t sound like the truth, and in those groups the fear of hell is beaten into the young people’s heads. I just dropped out, but I also went to that teacher and told her that I didn’t like the way she was pushing her own personal religious beliefs on the students. She apologized to me, believe it or not. I do fear Bible or religion classes in the public school system, and am strongly opposed to what to me is brainwashing of young people who are not yet able to figure things out well enough on their own. The law puts people convicted of statutory rape or teacher/student sexual encounters in jail because of the inequality of personal strength between a teenager and a thirty year old. It should do so in these “cultlike” Bible classes as well.

I’m sure the dogmatic belief system of the Christian Church is the origin of Dodson’s much quoted statement in the character from Alice In Wonderland: “Alice laughed: "There's no use trying," she said; "one can't believe impossible things." "I daresay you haven't had much practice," said the Queen. "When I was younger, I always did it for half an hour a day. Why, sometimes I've believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast." That is very funny to me, but it is also sad.

I researched a therapist’s article on the psychology of “believing” unlikely things. It said that an analytical thinker finds it almost impossible to make that step which churches tend to call “the leap of faith.” Analytical people are pondering thinkers and they compare and contrast things all the time. When they are told the Biblical stories they are likely to reject them on the basis of their degree of truthfulness. To me, religion should be about self-knowledge, contemplation, empathy with others, a mature and confident form of gentleness, and above all about TRUTH. Evolution versus Creationism looks to me like the TRUTH.

The faith here is not the positivity and hopefulness that allows us to stride forward as adults into an unknown future, solving problems as we go; but instead the REQUISITE DISBELIEF in the processes and products of our own observations of life and critical thinking. To me that amounts to insanity. Luckily I broke strongly from that group. Of course I lost the closeness with my friends to some degree, though we are in touch today in a more distant way – we live 500 miles away from each other and have our own friends and churches. Still, old times together do form good memories and we are planning to get together this Christmas.





http://indefinitelywild.gizmodo.com/national-park-vs-national-forest-your-public-land-expl-1697581346

Why Congress Can Sell Off Our National Forests, But Not National Parks
Wes Siler
4/13/15

Photo: BLM


Republican senators want to sell your National Forests, Wildernesses and Wildlife Refuges. But they can't sell your National Parks, Monuments or Preserves. Here's how all the different types of public land are different. And why you should care.

Republican Senators Just Voted To Sell Off Your National Forests
Our public lands — including National Forests, wildlife refuges and wilderness areas — are arguably …[Read more on website above.]

Wait, What's This Got To Do With Politics?

As a recap, nearly the entire GOP senate just made a symbolic vote in order to demonstrate its resolve to sell-off some lands currently owned and administered by the federal government.

With little demonstrable will among constituents in their own states, the reason for this sudden interest in States' Rights is a bit puzzling. Until you realized that concerted campaigns for privatization are underway across western States thanks to funding and support from special interest groups like ALEC and Americans For Prosperity, otherwise known as ExxonMobil and the Koch brothers.

Under federal ownership, public lands enjoy a variety of strong protections that we'll explain here. Those same protections don't necessarily exist if ownership is transferred to individual states, potentially paving the way (possibly quite literally) for destructive exploitation by private industry or even the transfer of these lands to private ownership.

The fear is, the success of this budgetary amendment could lead to an actual push to put such an arrangement into law.

The argument for such a move is masked in small government, states' rights and good ol' fashioned capitalism, but rather than being a logical conclusion of conservative values, it instead clashes directly with the conservation movement that was begun by the Republican party's most famous leaders in order to protect our country's natural beauty and environment for future citizens. And, as a result, conservative organizations like Backcountry Hunters & Anglers are up in arms.

"Public lands are the fabric that binds America together," stated BHA executive director Land Tawney. "Nationally, an organized, concerted movement is underway to sell off and limit access to America's public lands and waters. These are not merely the actions of a lunatic fringe. Now is the time to double down and fight back against this ill-conceived idea."

Why Congress Can Sell Off Our National Forests, But Not National Parks

Types Of Public Land, Explained

National Park: Created by an act of Congress and signed into law by the President, National Parks are our most protected lands. Typically centered around an area of extraordinary national beauty, historical significance or natural importance, Parks are administered by their own agency — The National Parks Service — within the Department of the Interior. On the 84 million acres of National Park land, there's no grazing, mining, forestry, hunting or off-road vehicles allowed and regulations for visitors can be quite restrictive in terms of areas where you're allowed to camp, have a fire or bring your dog. But, priority is given to outdoor recreation and parks are probably the most accessible land in the country, with infrastructure in place to make pursuits like hiking, nature watching, paddling and similar uniquely accessible to the public at large.

If you're new to camping, the best advice I can give you is to visit a National Park. No matter which one you go to, you'll find beautiful views, clean facilities and an accesible, safe experience. As an experienced outdoorsman, I like knowing that National Parks have consistent rules and policies across the country; if I need a place to camp a the last minute, late at night, I know I can find that at a National Park and I know what to expect. The Parks Service charges a $10-25 entrance fee per car, an amount that can be paid upon departure if you arrive after the gate closes for the night and which is reinvested in maintaining and preserving the park. Or, do what I do and buy an annual pass for $80. That's a good deal and supports a good cause.

It is possible to disband a National Park, although doing so is exceedingly rare. Seven national parks have been closed in the system's 99-year history, with all of them going on to be included in other, significant conservation entities.

The National Park Service says over 298 million people visit its parks each year, that includes Monuments and Preserves. Its annual budget is nearly $3 billion. To put that in perspective, it's less than the cost of a single B-2 Stealth Bomber, adjusted for inflation from 1997 to 2015.

National Monument: Similar protections to a National Park and run by the Parks Service, but these can be created from federally-owned land by a proclamation from the President, without an act of Congress. That's a tool that can be uses to extend Park-level protection to an at-risk area, particularly during this era of political obstruction.

The first National Monument, Devil's Tower in Wyoming, was created by Teddy Roosevelt because he felt Congress was moving too slowly to protect it. Others include sites of significant historic or natural significance like the Statue of Liberty or the Gila Cliff Dwellings in New Mexico.

During his tenure, the President has established 10 new national monuments. Thanks Obama.

National Preserve: Also protected by the National Park service, Preserves are designated by Congress, but are unique in the National Park system in that they allow some controlled use for hunting, fishing and resource exploitation. What's allowed on each Preserve and how it's controlled or regulated is defined in the enabling legislation and is unique to each.

National Forest and Grassland: Created by the Land Revision Act of 1891, these are managed resources where stuff like hunting, logging, mining and grazing are permitted, but regulated by the United States Forest Service, a division of the Department of Agriculture.

This designation is the result of lobbying by Abbot Kinney, Theodore Lukens and other Los Angeles business owners who saw damage flowing downstream from the San Gabriel Mountains due to intensive ranching and mining.

National Forests cover 190 million acres or 8.5 percent of the United States' land area. They're awesome places to recreate due to their protected nature, but permissive regulations. This is where you can go hunting, hang out with your dog or explore vast areas on your dirt bike. Transferring ownership of the lands to individual states would reduce the protections they enjoy, increase exploitation of their resources, open the door to private ownership of them and potentially reduce or eliminate access for sportsmen, campers and the general public.

32 million people visit National Forests each year for recreation and Forest Service states that economic activities on its land "contribute $36 billion to America's economy each year supporting nearly 450,000 jobs."

National Wildlife Refuges: These do what they sound like, providing habitats for native species of animals, plants and fish. They're managed by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service and cover 150 million acres, providing home to 700 species of birds, 220 species of mammal, 250 types of reptile and amphibian and over 1,000 different types of fish. These are managed use lands that permit and control hunting and fishing, as well as many types of outdoor recreation, including OHV use.

45 million people visit National Wildlife refuges each year, generating $1.7 billion in and creating 27,000 jobs for local economies.

National Wilderness: Defined as, "an area where the earth and community of life are untrammeled by man, where man himself is a visitor who does not remain…an area of undeveloped Federal land retaining its primeval character and influence, without permanent improvements or human habitation, which is protected and managed so as to preserve its natural conditions." These can exist across other types of public land or exist on their own, so they're administered by the National Park Service, Forest Service, Fish and Wildlife or the Bureau of Land Management as applicable. There's 110 million acres of Wilderness in the United States, most of which exists within National Forests.

Created by the National Wilderness Act of 1964, these areas (designated by Congress) enjoy an extraordinary level of regulation for visitors that exceeds even that of National Parks. You can visit them on foot or horseback, but you can't have a fire and must pack out all trash. Having said that, there is managed use for hunters, fishers and across other types of recreation, so long as they're non-invasive. No development of any kind is allowed, including road building, but there is some grandfathered use by miners and farmers who use some parts of the land for grazing.

Goals of the National Wilderness Preservation System include air and water quality as well as habitat for threatened and endangered species. As some of the most unspoiled and remote land in the country (if not the world), these areas can be difficult to visit; numbers of people who do are not collected and it's probably safe to say that many parts of the system go unvisited altogether.

Bureau of Land Management: Originally dubbed, "Land no one wanted," the BLM administers land that was left behind after the Homestead Act because no one settled it. Making up 247 million acres of nearly one-eighth of the country's total land area, BLM land covers vast swaths of the American west.

155 million acres of that is used for grazing, while the BLM also administers everything from coal leases to lumber to mining. Protections vary by area, but are generally minimal and permissive. I often visit BLM land in California to shoot guns and they can also be used for hunting, camping, off-highway vehicles and most other recreational stuff.

The BLM's mission is, "to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of the public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations." And it earns significant revenue through that management, dividing its $6.2 billion annual revenue between federal and state governments and Native American tribes.

Top photo: Bureau of Land Management

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COMMENTS

Mad-Dawg-J
Wes Siler
4/13/15 5:59pm
There is nothing wrong with periodically reviewing the status of various parcels of land. If land is under BLM control because "no one else wanted it," it only makes sense that it be sold off if someone does decide they want it.
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Joel Hruska
Mad-Dawg-J
4/13/15 6:06pm
Sure. Except you should be aware that this isn't being done in good faith or with a balanced appeal in mind. These are legislative actions supported by groups with an explicit interest in selling off or despoiling the land.

Given that the conservation movements great *success* was in preserving millions of acres for vital wildlife species, the preservation of fisheries and wild living spaces for animals (both the types we hunt and the types we don't), and the natural beauty of the land itself for the continued enjoyment of Americans, it makes equal sense to look on this attempt to throw caution to the wind with a great deal of skepticism.

33
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Range42
Mad-Dawg-J
4/13/15 6:48pm
Because since the establishment of the BLM and decision to retain these lands in federal ownership, their value as open space, wildlife habitat, watersheds, etc has become fully recongnized. It are these values that conflict with the mining and energy development values that are driving this latest attempt at development of these lands.
4
Reply

AttackBunnies88
Nick
4/13/15 6:19pm
Wow that perfect circle of development is insane.... though I'm not sure about your point?

Are you saying that public land is important because it preserved this mountain or that if there were more public land then this mountain wouldn't be completely surrounded by farms?
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Nick
AttackBunnies88
4/13/15 8:21pm
These threads have already done an great job of establishing why undeveloped land is important. I am just saying that if we want anything to remain that way, it needs to be legally protected. This image is the best representation of that necessity I have seen.
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“As a recap, nearly the entire GOP senate just made a symbolic vote in order to demonstrate its resolve to sell-off some lands currently owned and administered by the federal government. With little demonstrable will among constituents in their own states, the reason for this sudden interest in States' Rights is a bit puzzling. Until you realized that concerted campaigns for privatization are underway across western States thanks to funding and support from special interest groups like ALEC and Americans For Prosperity, otherwise known as ExxonMobil and the Koch brothers.”


ALEC and Americans For Prosperity, in my opinion, should be declared seditious, as their goal is to take over the US government, at least as a practical matter. Read about them and the Koch brothers on the Internet. Go to their website to see what their goals and methods are, and their link to the Kochs. They are a threat to democracy, or republicanism, as I conceive them to be, and against the best interests of the American people. There will be little distinction between the US and Nazi Germany if they get their way. Their website as at http://www.alec.org/, but the Wikipedia article on their actions is more instructive.

American Legislative Exchange Council
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) is a nonprofit organization of conservative state legislators and private sector representatives that drafts and shares model state-level legislation for distribution among state governments in the United States.[4][5][6] According to its website, ALEC "works to advance the fundamental principles of free-market enterprise, limited government, and federalism at the state level through a nonpartisan public-private partnership of America's state legislators, members of the private sector and the general public".[undue weight? – discuss][7]

ALEC provides a forum for state legislators and private sector members to collaborate on model bills—draft legislation that members may customize and introduce for debate in their own state legislatures.[8][9][10] ALEC has produced model bills on a broad range of issues, such as reducing corporate regulation and taxation, combating illegal immigration, loosening environmental regulations, tightening voter identification rules, weakening labor unions and promoting gun rights.[11][12][13][14] ALEC also serves as a networking tool among state legislators, allowing them to research conservative policies implemented in other states.[13] Some of these bills dominate legislative agendas in states such as Arizona, Wisconsin, Colorado, Michigan, New Hampshire, and Maine.[15] Approximately 200 model bills become law each year.[11][16] Many ALEC legislators say the organization converts campaign rhetoric and nascent policy ideas into legislative language.[8]

ALEC's activities, while legal,[17] received public scrutiny after being reported by liberal groups in 2011 and after news reports from outlets such as the The New York Times and Bloomberg Businessweek described ALEC as an organization that gave corporate interests outsized influence.[11][12] Resulting public pressure led to a number of legislators and corporations withdrawing from the organization.[neutrality is disputed]

. . . . In the 1980s, ALEC opposed U.S. disinvestment from South Africa, a movement to put pressure on the South African government to embark on negotiations with a goal of dismantling apartheid.[26] In 1985, ALEC also published a memo that opposed "the current homosexual movement", portrayed homosexuality as a result of a conscious choice, and said that pedophilia was "one of the more dominant practices within the homosexual world".[27] ALEC spokesman Bill Meierling discussed the document in 2013 and said that ALEC does not draft model bills on social issues, and added, "I'm also sad that the critics would not acknowledge that organizations change over time."[27]

Duane Parde served as the executive director from December 1996 to January 2006.[28] Lori Roman, who served in the same role from 2006 to 2008, had an imperious style that led to financial difficulties and the departure of two thirds of ALEC's staff.[8] According to Dolores Mertz, then a Democratic Iowa state representative and chairwoman of the ALEC board, ALEC became increasingly partisan during that period, with Roman once telling Mertz "she didn't like Democrats and she wasn't going to work with them."[29] Ron Scheberle became executive director in 2010 after acting as a lobbyist for Verizon Communications (previously GTE) and as an ALEC board member.[17][30]

By 2011, the number of ALEC legislative members had reached 2,000, including more than 25 percent of all state legislators nationwide. Approximately 1,000 bills based on ALEC language were being introduced in state legislatures every year, with about 20% of those bills being enacted.[

2011 to present

Prior to 2011, ALEC's practices and its ties to specific pieces of legislation were little known outside of political circles.[31] In July 2011, The Nation published a series of articles produced in collaboration with the Center for Media and Democracy (CMD) that showcased some of the ALEC model bills and described ties to the Koch family, and CMD launched a website "ALEC Exposed" that documented more than 800 of ALEC's model bills, the legislators and corporations that had helped to draft them, and the states that enacted them.[31] The joint effort, and particularly its coverage of ALEC's push for tough voter ID laws, prompted the advocacy group Color of Change to launch a public campaign to pressure corporations to withdraw their ALEC memberships.[31]

The criticism among media outlets and political opponents was that ALEC was secretly subverting democratic institutions to further the aims of its corporate benefactors.[31] Oregon state representative and ALEC member Gene Whisnant said in December 2011, "We're getting a lot of attention saying we're trying to destroy the earth and everything on it."[8] ALEC viewed itself as promoting public-private partnerships for the advancement of free market principles.[31] ALEC senior director of membership and development Chaz Cirame said, "The hook about some conspiracy or some secret organization is a lot better story than one about bringing state legislators together to talk about best practices around the country."[8]

Opposition to ALEC continued in 2012. That year ALEC was the subject of an Occupy movement protest, an Internal Revenue Service complaint by Common Cause, and calls for attorney general investigations in several states.[32][importance?][neutrality is disputed]

The shooting of Trayvon Martin on February 26, 2012 led to increased public attention on "Stand-your-ground" gun laws that ALEC had supported.[31] Color of Change launched a new campaign in April to pressure ALEC's corporate members to withdraw.[33] More than sixty corporations and foundations, including Coca-Cola, Wendy's, Kraft Foods, McDonald's, Amazon.com, General Electric, Apple, Procter & Gamble, Walmart, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and the medical insurance group Blue Cross and Blue Shield dropped support of ALEC in the ensuing weeks or let their memberships lapse.[34][35][36][37][38][39][40][41] Thirty-four legislative members also left ALEC.[42]

ALEC responded by releasing a statement describing efforts by its critics as a "campaign launched by a coalition of extreme liberal activists committed to silencing anyone who disagrees with their agenda".[31][43] Conservative political commentator Ben Shapiro wrote that liberals intimidated ALEC by "wielding the corpse of Trayvon Martin" as part of a broader anti-capitalist push.[44] Doug Clopp of Common Cause credited ALEC Exposed for the successful campaign, saying that "for 40 years you couldn't get the kind of accountability we're seeing now because ALEC, its members, its legislators, its bills were secret."[31]

Former Visa Inc. lobbyist,[45] Newt Gingrich aide, and GOPAC executive director Lisa B. Nelson succeeded Scheberle as CEO of ALEC in 2014.[46]

In late 2014, a number of technology-oriented companies such as Google, Microsoft, Facebook, Ebay, and Yahoo! announced that they were ending their ties to ALEC. Multiple companies cited environmental concerns as a point of contention with the organization.[47] Google head Eric Schmidt remarked that ALEC was "just literally lying" about recent global climate change.[48][49][50][51] Yahoo!, Uber, and Lyft also announced withdrawals later that same week.[51][52][53] Occidental Petroleum and Northrop Grumman also cut ties with ALEC.[54] In response to Northrop Grumman's departure, an ALEC spokesperson said, "Like any other membership group, membership in ALEC ebbs and flows, and in 2014 we gained far more private-sector members than we lost."[55] T-Mobile and BP severed ties with ALEC in 2015.[56][57]





http://www.cbsnews.com/news/tapeworm-may-have-spread-cancer-cells-in-man/

Tapeworm may have spread cancer cells in man
By AMY NORTON HEALTHDAY
November 5, 2015

Photograph -- Three adult specimens of the H. nana parasite, also known as dwarf tapeworm. CDC/GEORGIA DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH
Play VIDEO -- "Monsters Inside Me" host talks grossest parasite he's encountered
Related article -- Surgeons remove live parasite from California man's brain


Cancer cells transmitted from a common tapeworm appear to have caused cancer-like tumors in a Colombian man with HIV -- the first known case of what's called "malignant transformation," U.S. health officials are reporting.

The parasite -- known as Hymenolepis nana, or the dwarf tapeworm -- is the most common human tapeworm worldwide, particularly in developing nations. At any given time, up to 75 million people carry it, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

People can become infected with dwarf tapeworm eggs when they eat food contaminated with mouse droppings or insects, or ingest fecal matter from people carrying the parasite.

Usually, the invasion causes no symptoms, but in some people, the dwarf tapeworm can continue to reproduce itself in the intestines, according to the case report.

In the case of the man with HIV, CDC scientists suspect that his weakened immune system allowed the dwarf tapeworm to thrive unchecked. From there, mutations may have accumulated in some tapeworm cells -- essentially causing cancer in the parasite -- and those cells eventually caused cancer-like tumors in their human host.

That, at least, is the theory, according to Dr. Atis Muehlenbachs, one of the CDC researchers who reported on the case in the Nov. 5 New England Journal of Medicine.

"There's still a lot we'd like to learn," Muehlenbachs said.

The story began back in 2013, when doctors in Colombia asked the CDC for help with a puzzling case.

A 41-year-old man with HIV had come to them suffering from fatigue, weight loss, fever and coughing. CT scans revealed growths in his lungs, liver and adrenal glands.

But biopsies from the man's lung tumors showed something bizarre: The tumors were cancer-like, but the cells were tiny.

"They were way too small to be human," Muehlenbachs said. "They were actually about 10 times smaller than a human cancer cell."

The tumor cells also seemed to be fusing together, the researchers found -- a behavior not normally seen in human cells.

Ultimately, after a nearly three-month search for the root of the man's illness, the CDC team found dwarf-tapeworm DNA in the patient's tumor cells. Three days later, the man was dead. The tumors didn't directly cause his death (kidney failure did), but they did contribute to his decline, Muehlenbachs said.

It's not clear how or why the tapeworm cells became malignant and ultimately caused tumors in their human host, Muehlenbachs noted.

"We'd also like to know how common this is," he said. "We think it's rare, but we don't know how rare."

A severely compromised immune system is probably necessary to set the stage, according to Muehlenbachs: The patient in this case had not been taking medication to suppress his HIV infection, and he had very low numbers of infection-fighting T cells.

But since both HIV and dwarf-tapeworm infection are common in the developing world, the case raises concerns, the CDC team said: Similar cases, if they do occur, could be misdiagnosed as human cancer.

A red flag, Muehlenbachs said, would be tumor cells that seem impossibly tiny.

And how should doctors treat tapeworm-derived tumors? No one knows, Muehlenbachs said, but conventional cancer treatments might work.

The case is unique in that cancerous cells appear to have been transmitted from the tapeworm itself. But researchers have long known that some chronic infections, including certain parasites, can raise the risk of human cancers.

And that's how this case ties into a larger picture, said Dr. Len Lichtenfeld, deputy chief medical officer for the American Cancer Society (ACS), in Atlanta.

"We know that infections can cause cancer," Lichtenfeld said. "Hepatitis B and C can lead to liver cancer, HPV (human papillomavirus) can cause cervical cancer."

There are even some parasitic infections that have been linked to an increased risk of developing cancers of the bladder and bile ducts, according to the ACS.

Researchers don't know the precise mechanisms behind those infection-cancer links, though.

"The elegance of the science they used in this case is impressive," Lichtenfeld said. "The tools they used to get answers weren't available just a few years ago."

The achievement, according to Lichtenfeld, raises the possibility that those same tools could be used to better understand the relationship between various infections and cancer.

On a more everyday level, Muehlenbachs said, the case underscores the importance of avoiding dwarf tapeworm infection. For the typical American, he said, that means being careful about hand-washing and consuming safe water and food when traveling to countries where the parasite is widespread.




“Cancer cells transmitted from a common tapeworm appear to have caused cancer-like tumors in a Colombian man with HIV -- the first known case of what's called "malignant transformation," U.S. health officials are reporting. …. Usually, the invasion causes no symptoms, but in some people, the dwarf tapeworm can continue to reproduce itself in the intestines, according to the case report. In the case of the man with HIV, CDC scientists suspect that his weakened immune system allowed the dwarf tapeworm to thrive unchecked. From there, mutations may have accumulated in some tapeworm cells -- essentially causing cancer in the parasite -- and those cells eventually caused cancer-like tumors in their human host. …. "There's still a lot we'd like to learn," Muehlenbachs said. The story began back in 2013, when doctors in Colombia asked the CDC for help with a puzzling case. A 41-year-old man with HIV had come to them suffering from fatigue, weight loss, fever and coughing. CT scans revealed growths in his lungs, liver and adrenal glands. But biopsies from the man's lung tumors showed something bizarre: The tumors were cancer-like, but the cells were tiny. "They were way too small to be human," Muehlenbachs said. "They were actually about 10 times smaller than a human cancer cell." …. The tumor cells also seemed to be fusing together, the researchers found -- a behavior not normally seen in human cells. Ultimately, after a nearly three-month search for the root of the man's illness, the CDC team found dwarf-tapeworm DNA in the patient's tumor cells. Three days later, the man was dead. The tumors didn't directly cause his death (kidney failure did), but they did contribute to his decline, Muehlenbachs said. …. And how should doctors treat tapeworm-derived tumors? No one knows, Muehlenbachs said, but conventional cancer treatments might work. The case is unique in that cancerous cells appear to have been transmitted from the tapeworm itself. But researchers have long known that some chronic infections, including certain parasites, can raise the risk of human cancers.

“Researchers don't know the precise mechanisms behind those infection-cancer links, though.” Scientists have known that viruses cause some cancers since I was in my twenties, in other words, 1970 or so. I expect the “precise mechanism” here to be an infecting virus or something smaller, but it would be fascinating if a cancer cell from a tapeworm can link together with one from a human and “exchange DNA,” as is said nowadays of some bacterial cells. In other words, rather than being a diseased human or tapeworm cell, it may be capable of life of a sort on its own as a separate life form -- the parasite has a parasite, so to speak. This was a really fascinating article, and a great step forward medically, potentially. There’ll probably be some updates from science that will be reviewed in news sources, so I’ll keep my eyes open for them.




http://www.cbsnews.com/news/sanders-does-about-face-on-clintons-private-email-controversy/

Sanders does about-face on Clinton's private email controversy
By REBECCA SHABAD CBS NEWS
November 5, 2015


Sen. Bernie Sanders is shifting away from comments he made about Hillary Clinton's personal email account at the first Democratic presidential debate when he said voters are "sick and tired" hearing about her "damn emails."

"You get 12 seconds to say these things," he said in an interview with the Wall Street Journal about his original comments at the Oct. 13 debate.

But Sanders indicated in the interview that he didn't intend to give Clinton a free pass.

"There's an investigation going on right now. I did not say, 'End the investigation.' That's silly....Let the investigation proceed unimpeded," he said.

Sanders said there are "valid questions" if her email account compromised classified information or foiled public records requests.

It's quite an about-face from the original comments at the debate a few weeks ago," which his campaign manager Jeff Weaver has said was entirely off the cuff.

"Let me say something that may not be great politics. But I think the Secretary is right. And that is that the American people are sick and tired of hearing about your damn e-mails," Sanders said during the debate, drawing the loudest applause that night.

The Vermont independent has been losing ground to Clinton in recent polls, especially in the key early voting state of New Hampshire. In response, Sanders has been criticizing Clinton's record.

He said, for example, that he voted in 2002 against authorizing the invasion into Iraq. While Clinton did vote in favor of that authorization, she later called it a "mistake."

"It is important to see which candidates have the courage to cast tough votes, to take on very, very powerful interests," Sanders told the Wall Street Journal.

He also questioned Clinton's position on Wall Street while touting his own record of leading the fight against the deregulation of the financial sector.

"I have been walking the walk, not just talking the talk," he said. "People should be suspect of candidates who receive large sums of money from Wall Street and then go out and say, 'Trust me, I'm going to really regulate Wall Street."

A poll released by Suffolk University/Boston Globe a few days after their first debate found Clinton was deadlocked with Sanders in New Hampshire after he had been leading there for weeks.

A poll released Monday by the Wall Street Journal/NBC News found 62 percent of Democratic primary voters in New Hampshire said they support Clinton for the nomination compared to 31 percent who said they would back Sanders.




"You get 12 seconds to say these things," he said in an interview with the Wall Street Journal about his original comments at the Oct. 13 debate. But Sanders indicated in the interview that he didn't intend to give Clinton a free pass. "There's an investigation going on right now. I did not say, 'End the investigation.' That's silly....Let the investigation proceed unimpeded," he said. Sanders said there are "valid questions" if her email account compromised classified information or foiled public records requests. …. "I have been walking the walk, not just talking the talk," he said. "People should be suspect of candidates who receive large sums of money from Wall Street and then go out and say, 'Trust me, I'm going to really regulate Wall Street." A poll released by Suffolk University/Boston Globe a few days after their first debate found Clinton was deadlocked with Sanders in New Hampshire after he had been leading there for weeks. A poll released Monday by the Wall Street Journal/NBC News found 62 percent of Democratic primary voters in New Hampshire said they support Clinton for the nomination compared to 31 percent who said they would back Sanders.”

Most people will fight when their back is up against the wall. That time, apparently, is now. Presidential races do get bloody in nearly all cases as time passes, even between the members of the same party. The GOP debate was in the news last week and now this. Let him be. He has to put up a fight, because Hillary Clinton most certainly will. Besides, he’s fighting for a cause, and many Democrats think that from Bill Clinton forward, the party got soft, lazy and corrupted by Big Business money just as the Republican Party is. I liked most of what Clinton did, but some of it wasn’t helpful to the “little man,” as the Democrats should be. Let’s face it, after a certain point, they aren’t Democrats at all, but lacking in their idealistic faith in Democracy.

Clinton was what I call pragmatic, which to a degree is a good thing in that it allows the level of cooperation that we need today and produces independent thought. Some pragmatism would be welcome to me now. Political gridlock is getting boring. However, Clinton presided over the “three strikes” sentencing law which is the cause of unnecessary and unjust misery in many cases; he was also not particularly attentive to the civil rights issues nor to the position of the poor. As for Hillary, Sanders’ recent slam against her “luck” on Wall Street purchases could be a sign of Republican-like financial savvy and possibly values. The old crusading zeal for aid to the poor and Middle Class, education for the masses, better racial and class relationships, etc. has been lacking or reduced since the 1970s. It cooled down and became timid after that. Some of the Democrats became afraid to call themselves liberal. Joe Lieberman had to drop out of the party and become a Republican. Sanders may be “unelectable” because conservative citizens fear the “Socialist” taint, but he is courageous and what I call a “real Democrat.” He’s a breath of fresh air to me. See this article on Hillary’s increased wealth: http://money.cnn.com/2015/10/13/INVESTING/HILLARY-CLINTON-WALL-STREET/INDEX.HTML




http://www.cbsnews.com/news/ben-carsons-unusual-theory-about-pyramids/

Ben Carson's unusual theory about pyramids
By Erica Brown and Ellen Uchimiya
November 4, 2015

NAPLES, Florida -- Ben Carson stood by his long-held belief about ancient pyramids in Egypt, that they were used to store grain, rather than to inter pharaohs.

Asked about this Wednesday, Carson told CBS News, "It's still my belief, yes."

The subject came up when Buzzfeed published a 1998 commencement speech delivered by Carson at Andrews University, a college founded by Seventh-day Adventists.

"My own personal theory is that Joseph built the pyramids to store grain," Carson said. "Now all the archeologists think that they were made for the pharaohs' graves. But, you know, it would have to be something awfully big if you stop and think about it. And I don't think it'd just disappear over the course of time to store that much grain."

How Ben Carson's Seventh-day Adventist faith has helped his campaign

In the same speech, he went on to say, "[W]hen you look at the way that the pyramids are made, with many chambers that are hermetically sealed, they'd have to be that way for various reasons. And various of scientists have said, 'Well, you know there were alien beings that came down and they have special knowledge and that's how--' you know, it doesn't require an alien being when God is with you."

Polls: Ben Carson leads the field; Clinton widens lead over Sanders
Carson reiterated to CBS News that "the pyramids were made in a way that they had hermetically sealed compartments....You would need that if you were trying to preserve grain for a long period of time."

What Carson has in mind here is the seven years of plenty in Egypt, referred to in Genesis, when "Joseph stored up grain in great abundance like the sand of the sea, until he stopped measuring it, for it was beyond measure." In the Bible, Joseph fed Egypt and the rest of the world during the seven years of drought that followed.




"Ben Carson stood by his long-held belief about ancient pyramids in Egypt, that they were used to store grain, rather than to inter pharaohs. Asked about this Wednesday, Carson told CBS News, "It's still my belief, yes." The subject came up when Buzzfeed published a 1998 commencement speech delivered by Carson at Andrews University, a college founded by Seventh-day Adventists. …. In the same speech, he went on to say, "[W]hen you look at the way that the pyramids are made, with many chambers that are hermetically sealed, they'd have to be that way for various reasons. And various of scientists have said, 'Well, you know there were alien beings that came down and they have special knowledge and that's how--' you know, it doesn't require an alien being when God is with you." …."


First of all, there are NO SCIENTISTS who say that alien beings came here and built all the beautiful and majestic things that are left over from those early times. That only comes from the National Enquirer and various conspiracy theorists. Many Americans think that because the builders were living 15, 000 years or so ago, they were primitive. Everything I’ve read about early man shows that though there were primitive elements to their religion (human or animal sacrifice is almost universally considered primitive), their intellectual capacity was every bit as good as ours today. Neither space aliens nor the active hand of a god was necessary to build Stonehenge or the pyramids.

What has been learned about technology in ancient Greece, and other places such as India, China, the Middle East, especially where there were cities and concentrated wealth, is mind boggling. Read about the steam based mechanism that opened and closed a temple door in ancient Greece, the computer-like calculating device called the “Antikythera mechanism” that was found in an old shipwreck from the Classical Greek period, and the amazing stone buildings from the chamber tombs of Europe and the Mediterranean to Stonehenge and Avebury, which are all from an even earlier period -- the Neolithic. As far as we can prove, and perhaps wrongly assume, there was relatively little knowledge of engineering, etc. etc. Those things are enough, to me, to close the discussion. Mankind has always been technically smart. Unfortunately we have never been as socially smart as I would like us to be, hence the great uprising of “conservative” thinking right now which is little more than greed and classism. PS, I will not vote for Ben Carson, ever. I was watching him hopefully until I heard some of the things he said. He's a step above Trump, but not in my view qualified to be President of the US.




http://www.cbsnews.com/news/detective-illinois-cop-who-killed-himself-sought-hit-on-village-manager/

Detective: Illinois cop who killed himself sought hit on village manager
By CRIMESIDER STAFF CBS/AP
November 5, 2015

Photograph -- A defaced memorial sign for police Lt. Charles Joseph Gliniewicz was placed outside the police department in Fox Lake, Illinois, Nov. 4, 2015. CBS CHICAGO
Play VIDEO -- How a Illinois cop went from hero to zero
Photographs – Marrin and Gliniewicz


FOX LAKE, Ill. - Months before an Illinois police officer staged his suicide to look like murder, prompting an expensive manhunt that put his community under siege, he tried to find a hit man to kill a village administrator he feared would expose him as a thief, a detective told The Associated Press on Thursday.

Det. Chris Covelli said Lt. Charles Joseph Gliniewicz sent a text in April asking a woman to contact a "high ranking gang member to put a hit on the village manager." Gliniewicz also texted that perhaps the hit man could "plant something" on the manager, Covelli said.

Investigators found small packages of cocaine in the manager's desk, "not linked to any case that we could find," and believe Gliniewicz may have sought to frame the manager, Anne Marrin, as a drug criminal before she exposed him as an embezzler, the detective said.

"We never found any explanation why those drugs were in his desk at the police station," Covelli said.

Marrin, the village's first professional administrator, was auditing Fox Lake's finances, including the Police Explorers program that authorities say Gliniewicz secretly embezzled from for seven years.

CBS Chicago reports that on Wednesday, Marrin said Gliniewicz threatened her as she began her audit of the Explorer program, which is used to train young people who may be considering a career in law enforcement.

Gliniewicz's wife, Melodie, and one of their sons, D.J., are also caught up in the probe, said the official, who was briefed on the investigation. The official spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the investigation publicly.

The family - the couple had three other children - issued a brief statement Wednesday through their attorneys in which they said they were still grieving but which didn't mention the finding that Lt. Gliniewicz took his own life or that he had been stealing from the youth program. The attorneys, Henry Tonigan and Andrew Kelleher, didn't immediately respond to voicemail and email messages sent Thursday seeking comment.

Melodie Gliniewicz helped her husband run the Explorer program, in which he put young people interested in law enforcement careers through sophisticated training exercises. In a newspaper interview weeks ago, D.J. Gliniewicz, who is in his 20s, angrily dismissed suggestions that his father took his own life.

On Sept. 1 - the day he died - Gliniewicz radioed in that he was chasing three suspicious men into a swampy area. Backup officers found the Army veteran's body about 50 yards from his squad car.

Authorities launched a large and costly manhunt for the suspects, but the only arrest it yielded was of a woman accused of calling in a false lead. As the probe into Gliniewicz's death stretched on, suspicion grew that he had killed himself. Along the way, investigators were careful to say they continued to treat it as a homicide investigation, though they couldn't rule out suicide.

On Wednesday, investigators confirmed those suspicions, saying the 30-year police veteran meticulously staged his own suicide to make it look like he died in a confrontation with several suspects. Lake County Major Crimes Task Force Commander George Filenko, who led the investigation, said Gliniewicz had the kind of intimate knowledge of crime scenes needed to pull it off and that it was clear he did it intentionally to mislead investigators.

Investigators said they believe Gliniewicz killed himself because his criminal activity was about to be exposed. Up until the day he died, a new village administrator was pressing him to see the Explorer program's books as part of a village-wide audit.

Recovered text messages and other records now show Gliniewicz embezzled from the program for seven years, spending the money on mortgage payments, travel expenses, gym memberships, adult websites, withdrawing cash and making loans, Cmdr. Filenko said.

His precise motive for trying to make his death look like a homicide remains unclear. Asked whether a suicide would prevent his family from receiving benefits, Filenko said he didn't know. Gliniewicz may also have been concerned with preserving his reputation.

"Gliniewicz committed the ultimate betrayal," Filenko said Wednesday. "We completely believed from Day One that this was a homicide."

There was a huge outpouring of grief after Gliniewicz's death in Fox Lake, the village of about 10,000 residents about 50 miles north of Chicago where the 52-year-old officer had long been a role model. That good will was replaced by a sense of betrayal on Wednesday, with public works employees cutting the blue ribbons that residents had tied to trees and poles as a tribute to their slain hero. Signs around the small town that had praised the officer known as "G.I. Joe" suddenly disappeared, replaced in one instance by a poster that labeled him "G.I. Joke."

"It's breaking my heart," said Mark Weihofen, a 41-year-old school bus mechanic. "There is a 'We love you, Joe' sign that I pass by every day. ... It was already down."

Kathy Pederson, a single mother who considered Gliniewicz a father figure to her son in the Explorer program, said she felt profound disappointment.

"You never thought he was this kind of man," she said.



“Det. Chris Covelli said Lt. Charles Joseph Gliniewicz sent a text in April asking a woman to contact a "high ranking gang member to put a hit on the village manager." Gliniewicz also texted that perhaps the hit man could "plant something" on the manager, Covelli said. Investigators found small packages of cocaine in the manager's desk, "not linked to any case that we could find," and believe Gliniewicz may have sought to frame the manager, Anne Marrin, as a drug criminal before she exposed him as an embezzler, the detective said. "We never found any explanation why those drugs were in his desk at the police station," Covelli said. …. CBS Chicago reports that on Wednesday, Marrin said Gliniewicz threatened her as she began her audit of the Explorer program, which is used to train young people who may be considering a career in law enforcement. Gliniewicz's wife, Melodie, and one of their sons, D.J., are also caught up in the probe, said the official, who was briefed on the investigation. The official spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the investigation publicly. …. Along the way, investigators were careful to say they continued to treat it as a homicide investigation, though they couldn't rule out suicide. On Wednesday, investigators confirmed those suspicions, saying the 30-year police veteran meticulously staged his own suicide to make it look like he died in a confrontation with several suspects. Lake County Major Crimes Task Force Commander George Filenko, who led the investigation, said Gliniewicz had the kind of intimate knowledge of crime scenes needed to pull it off and that it was clear he did it intentionally to mislead investigators. …. Asked whether a suicide would prevent his family from receiving benefits, Filenko said he didn't know. Gliniewicz may also have been concerned with preserving his reputation. ….

Public servants in small towns do tend to be well known individuals and highly trusted. When their deceit is exposed as it was here, the public anger can be very great. I’m sorry for the son who was very distressed by the suicide finding, and the misery that the family will be living from now on, but the wife was apparently involved with her husband in the scheme. I suppose he couldn’t hide the financial infusions into their bank account, and told her, and she liked the extra money also. I tend to think of criminals as being men, but of course there are women’s prisons full of those who have been caught in everything from drug use or child abuse to murder. This is a sad story of small town America living a good life on the surface, but with corruption underneath. Not all corruption is big city crime.