US Agents Steal Herbalist Greg Caton from Ecuador for Curing Cancer

Folks I write to you about a grave travesty of justice in the situation of herbalist Greg Caton. His wife Dr. Cathryn Caton writes her story below of Greg’s abduction from Ecuador, including the subornation of Ecuadorian officials. I ask you to read it, to visit their web site http://altcancer.com and Greg’s site http://meditopia.com, and read his story about the FDA destruction of their family business in Lake Charles Louisiana in 2003, his imprisonment for two years, his release, and their flight with their son to Ecuador to reestablish their herbal products business.

And I ask for your help, advice, influence, and any other action you can provide that might activate US Government officials to effect his release and return to his family.

I have known Greg and Cathryn since 1998, shortly after I created a web site devoted to using alternative means for curing cancer (http://cancercure.ws). Greg had developed a product known as Cansema, based on the attached Black Salve Patent. Cansema had proven 99% effective against skin cancer. Because Greg told people about it and sold it, the FDA crushed his business and jailed him. When he got out of prison, he moved the family to Ecuador in order to continue to make the product available. He contacted me by phone just over a year ago to tell me the FBI had sent agents to Ecuador to abduct him, and he had narrowly escaped. He reported the incident to the Ecuador Government and it expelled two US embassy employees for their complicity. Now, a year later, US Government agents suborned Ecuador officials and under the color of authority, just kidnapped Greg and whisked him back to the USA.

You can contact Cathryn by email at gregcaton at aol.com and by phone at 830 299 3427. If you can assist in any way in getting Greg released and returned to his family, please do it quickly.

----------------------

Posted on 11 December 2009 by Dr. Cathryn Caton

Bob...

The latest...

Greg and I received residential Visa's to live in Ecuador two years ago. We reopened Alpha Omega Labs in the summer of 2008 here in Ecuador legally. We received all the proper permits to manufacture and sell our herbal products at that time. Greg did have 1 1/2 years of probation left to serve of his probation. He did have permission to fly back and forth from the US to Ecuador. Because of the corrupt FDA agent, John Armand that had Greg arrested in 2003, we made a joint decision to just stay here in Ecuador.

In November of 2008, John Armand, the corrupt FDA agent that arrested Greg in 2003, illegally tried to kidnap Greg and have him flown back to the US. He failed.

Shortly after this attempt, President Correa of Ecuador had two US diplomats expelled from the US embassy here in Ecuador. President Correa was fed up with the corruption of these officials illegally bribing Ecuadorian police and officials and illegally kidnapping people and flying them back to the US... and not going through the legal extradition procedures.

Greg was arrested here in Ecuador at a planned license check point by Ecuadorian police on 12-2-09. False charges had been brought against him. The false charges were that Greg was here illegally and that we were selling herbal products illegally. At the first hearing before a judge, we proved our innocence and that the charges were totally false. The judge signed papers to have Greg released from jail. The police chief is over jail inmates as to if they are released or not. The police chief had already been pressured and bribed by the US. He signed paper work to deport Greg... illegally.

We appealed the police chief's decision. At the second hearing, the Judge froze and said he was not qualified to make a decision. A US consolate official was at the hearing. Some Ecuadorian Judges have residential Visa's is the US and do not want to piss off the US.

We filed another appeal and had this appeal approved. The hearing was scheduled for next Monday or Tuesday. I received a phone call from Greg this morning. He told me that what ever legal work we were doing was not working. He was at the airport getting ready to be flown out. I immediately called our assistant who called our attorney who called the new Judge. This new judge drove to the chief of police to release him of his authority. The Judge then drove to the airport to stop immigration from deporting Greg. They had him flying out on American airlines flight no. 952 from Guayaquil Ecuador to Miami Florida. The immigration officials heard of the Judge coming and put Greg on the plane. They told this Ecuadorian judge that had the legal paper work that Greg was not to leave the country, that he was on American property and could not be removed. The Judge talked to American airlines and they would not listen. The Judge talked to the airport tower to have the Americal airline flight stopped. American airlines and the pilot would not listen. The Judge called a general in the Ecuadorian military to have the plane stop and land in Quito... American airlines would not listen.

I have not heard from my husband since.

What the US did was totally illegal according to Ecuadorian law.

Greg is the writer in the family. He wrote about his case in an online book that he started...www.meditopia.org

Also, please read his newsletters that he posted on our website called the Ashwin's at

www.altcancer.com

We have to stand together to fight this evil. Anyone that has cured themselves naturally from any disease needs to stand up and tell their story. After Greg's arrest in 2003 by the FDA and our herbal company was shut down, one of the phone calls that we received was from a women that had cured herself of breast cancer using our products. She had tried to get her story told on the Opra Winfrey show. She was told that they could not air here story because they were supported by the pharmacuetical companies. So here is Opra Winfrey..one of the most influential, wealthy personalities on the planet... controlled by the pharmaceutical companies.

I challenge any one that has cured themselves naturally of any disease to stand up and fight and get your story told in the main stream media. We have to stand up and fight this evil.

Cathryn Caton,N.D.

Official Google Blog: Finding the laws that govern us

Official Google Blog: Finding the laws that govern us

Google has established Google Scholar (http://scholar.google.com) to help people with detailed scientific and academic knowledge.

Google Scholar should warehouse the entire contents of Jon Roland's http://constitution.org because, among other things, it contains the searchable, scanned Statutes at Large up through 2007. No government web site contains such a reference, to their everlasting shame.

Sealing Court Records – Hiding the Law from the People

Florida law and court rules provide a method by which people with criminal arrest records can expunge or seal the record of arrest because the arrest details can adversely affect a person's life without just cause. See Florida Rule of Criminal Procedure 3.692 and Section 943.059, Florida Statutes, and an associated petition here or here.

943.0581  Administrative expunction.

943.0582  Prearrest, postarrest, or teen court diversion program expunction.

943.0585  Court-ordered expunction of criminal history records.

943.059  Court-ordered sealing of criminal history records.

 

In 2007 The Supreme court added to Rule of Judicial Administration 2.420 procedures for unsealing civil records sealed, and it required the court give public notice of the sealing and the reason for it.  I have attached both the 2009 Rules of Judicial Administration and the Supreme Court ruling sc06-2136 for your reference.  And here I provide an excerpt from the rule.

 

When I read the below excerpt I feel dizzy, queezy, and diffident.  Why?  Because the Supreme Court seems to shilly-shally away from the issue of rank corruption in the courts.  Note the public disclosure exceptions, such as 2.420(c)(9)(A)(3)(i) "(i) prevent a serious and imminent threat to the fair, impartial, and orderly administration of justice"; (iii) " protect a compelling governmental interest"; or (vii) " comply with established public policy set forth in the Florida or United States Constitution or statutes or Florida rules or case law."  These justify sealing cases.

 

Threat to orderly administration?  Protect a compelling governmental interest?  Comply with established public policy?  These exceptions let the judges seal any civil case they like because Public Policy seems averse to the idea of giving the people real due process and justice in courts, and when the judges want to hide that abuse, they seal the case, WITHOUT NOTICE to anybody.

 

Hey, what happened to "Comply with the Constitution and its limits on the powers of judges?"

 

Want an example?  The judge in the Florida 9^th Circuit Court, in FORECLOSURE case 2008-CA1018-0, just sealed the case to keep the inquiring eyes of the public (including people like Roger Tanner, who brought this to my attention) OUT of the case because of the dirty tricks they would learn in it.  The court ordered summary judgment in favor of the plaintiff without allowing the victim to do discovery or present evidence, and the clerk issued the execution order to the Sheriff to sell the property.  Because of the due process violations, the judge sealed the case, so we would not find out about it and report him to the bar and the House Committee on the Judiciary, demanding his impeachment.   This case smacks of racketeering between the judge, plaintiff, and plaintiff's attorney.  At the very least, the judge has violated 18 USC 1346 in committing honest services fraud.

 

I have posted an article below about the ruling regarding Supersealing – an obvious effort of courts wrongly to hide the truth from the public.

 

If we shall enjoy "open government" we must demand that our legislators remove from our Constitution ALL possibility of ALL exemptions from disclosure of public records. 

 

We must demand of our government the full and free disclosure of the entire contents of all court proceedings and public hearings, without exception.

 

 

Excerpt from Judicial Florida Administration Rule 2.420   (c) Exemptions. The following records of the judicial branch shall be confidential: (9) Any court record determined to be confidential in case decision or court rule on the grounds that (A) confidentiality is required to (i) prevent a serious and imminent threat to the fair, impartial, and orderly administration of justice; (ii) protect trade secrets; (iii) protect a compelling governmental interest; (iv) obtain evidence to determine legal issues in a case; (v) avoid substantial injury to innocent third parties; (vi) avoid substantial injury to a party by disclosure of matters protected by a common law or privacy right not generally inherent in the specific type of proceeding sought to be closed; (vii) comply with established public policy set forth in the Florida or United States Constitution or statutes or Florida rules or case law; (B) the degree, duration, and manner of confidentiality ordered by the court shall be no broader than necessary to protect the interests set forth in subdivision (A); and (C) no less restrictive measures are available to protect the interests set forth in subdivision (A). (d) Request to Make Circuit and County Court Records in Noncriminal Cases Confidential. (1) A request to make circuit and county court records in noncriminal cases confidential under subdivision (c)(9) must be made in the form of a written motion captioned "Motion to Make Court Records Confidential." A motion made under this subdivision must: (A) identify the particular court records the movant seeks to make confidential with as much specificity as possible without revealing the information to be made confidential; and (B) specify the bases for making such court records confidential. Any motion made under this subdivision must include a signed certification by the party making the request that the motion is being made in good faith and is supported by a sound factual and legal basis. The court records that are subject to a motion made under this subdivision must be treated as confidential by the clerk pending the court's ruling on the motion. Notwithstanding any of the foregoing, the court may not make confidential the case number, docket number, or other number used by the clerk's office to identify the case file. (2) Except when a motion filed under subdivision (d)(1) represents that all parties agree to all of the relief requested, the court must, as soon as practicable but no later than 30 days after the filing of a motion under this subdivision, hold a hearing before ruling on the motion. Whether or not any motion filed under subdivision (d)(1) is agreed to by the parties, the court may in its discretion hold a hearing on such motion. Any hearing held under this subdivision must be an open proceeding, except that any party may request that the court conduct all or part of the hearing in camera to protect the interests set forth in subdivision (c)(9)(A). The moving party shall be responsible for ensuring that a complete record of any hearing held pursuant to this subdivision be created, either by use of a court reporter or by any recording device that is provided as a matter of right by the court. The court may in its discretion require prior public notice of the hearing on such a motion in accordance with the procedure for providing public notice of court orders set forth in subdivision (d)(4) or by providing such other public notice as the court deems appropriate. (3) Any order granting in whole or in part a motion filed under subdivision (d)(1) must state the following with as much specificity as possible without revealing information made confidential: (A) The type of case in which the order is being entered; (B) The particular grounds under subdivision (c)(9)(A) for making the court records confidential; (C) Whether any party's name is to be made confidential and, if so, the particular pseudonym or other term to be substituted for the party's name; (D) Whether the progress docket or similar records generated to document activity in the case are to be made confidential; (E) The particular court records that are to be made confidential; (F) The names of those persons who are permitted to view the confidential court records; (G) That the court finds that: (i) the degree, duration, and manner of confidentiality ordered by the court is no broader than necessary to protect the interests set forth in subdivision (c)(9)(A); and (ii) no less restrictive measures are available to protect the interests set forth in subdivision (c)(9)(A); and (H) That the clerk of the court is directed to publish the order in accordance with subdivision (d)(4). (4) Except as provided by law or court rule, notice must be given of any order granting a motion made under subdivision (d)(1) as follows. Within 10 days following the entry of the order, the clerk of court must post a copy of the order on the clerk's website and in a prominent, public location in the courthouse. The order must remain posted in both locations for no less than 30 days. (5) If a nonparty requests that the court vacate all or part of an order issued under subdivision (d)(3), the request must be made in the form of a written motion that states with as much specificity as possible the bases for the request. The movant must serve all parties in the action with a copy of the motion. In the event that the subject order specifies that the names or addresses of one or more parties are to be made confidential, the movant must state prominently in the caption of the motion "Confidential Party — Court Service Requested." When a motion so designated is filed, the court shall be responsible for providing a copy of the motion to the parties in such a way as to not reveal the confidential information to the movant. Except when a motion filed under this subdivision represents that all parties agree to all of the relief requested, the court must hold a hearing before ruling on the motion. Whether or not any motion filed under this subdivision is agreed to by the parties, the court may in its discretion hold a hearing on such motion. Any hearing held under this subdivision must be an open proceeding, except that any party may request that the court conduct all or part of the hearing in camera to protect the interests set forth in subdivision (c)(9)(A). The movant shall be responsible for ensuring that a complete record of any hearing held under this subdivision be created, either by use of a court reporter or by any recording device that is provided as a matter of right by the court. (6) If the court determines that a motion made under subdivision (d)(1) was not made in good faith and supported by a sound legal and factual basis, the court may impose sanctions upon the movant. (7) Court records made confidential under this rule must be treated as confidential during any appellate proceedings. In any case where an order making court records confidential remains in effect as of the time of an appeal, the clerk's index must include a statement that an order making court records confidential has been entered in the matter and must identify such order by date or docket number. (e) Judicial Review of Denial of Access Request. Expedited review of denials of access to records of the judicial branch shall be provided through an action for mandamus, or other appropriate appellate remedy, in the following manner: (1) Where a judge who has denied a request for access to records is the custodian, the action shall be filed in the court having appellate jurisdiction to review the decisions of the judge denying access. Upon order issued by the appellate court, the judge denying access to records shall file a sealed copy of the requested records with the appellate court. (2) All other actions under this rule shall be filed in the circuit court of the circuit in which such denial of access occurs. (f) Procedure. Requests and responses to requests for access to records under this rule shall be made in a reasonable manner. (1) Requests for access to records shall be in writing and shall be directed to the custodian. The request shall provide sufficient specificity to enable the custodian to identify the requested records. The reason for the request is not required to be disclosed. (2) The custodian shall be solely responsible for providing access to records of the custodian's entity. The custodian shall determine whether the requested record is subject to this rule and, if so, whether the record or portions of the record are exempt from disclosure. The custodian shall determine the form in which the record is provided. If the request is denied, the custodian shall state in writing the basis for the denial. (3) Fees for copies of records in all entities in the judicial branch of government, except for copies of court records, shall be the same as those provided in section 119.07, Florida Statutes (2001)

 

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Florida Supreme Court enacts interim rules for sealing civil records

04/27/2007

Saying the public's constitutional right of access to court records must remain inviolate, the Florida Supreme Court recently enacted emergency interim rules standardizing procedures for sealing court records in civil cases.

The rules include a prohibition on making case and docket numbers confidential and require clerks to post notices after a record is sealed. The rules, drafted by the Bar's Rules of Judicial Administration Committee, also set out procedures for challenging the sealing of records. For now, the rules only apply to civil cases and the court has directed the appropriate committees to continue to study rules for sealing criminal cases and to determine whether similar procedures are needed to address requests to seal appellate court records.

The court acted April 5 in Case no. SC06-2136.

"This report addresses highly serious concerns first identified by Florida news media reports about hidden cases and secret dockets, sometimes called 'supersealing,'" the unanimous court said. "These reports identified practices that, however unintentional, were clearly offensive to the spirit of laws and rules that ultimately rest on Florida's well-established public policy of government in the sunshine."

The court said it is "fully committed to safeguarding this right."

Urgency to take action was ignited last summer by news reports in The Miami Herald of hiding files in secret dockets in Broward Circuit Court, as many as 400 civil cases, some about divorces and domestic violence involving judges, lawyers, police officers, politicians, and television personalities. Following that investigation, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel reported "all traces of 272 criminal cases dating back to 1988 vanished from citizens' view." Problems began cropping up in other circuits, too.

The court said the new rules identify a narrow category of court records where public access is automatically restricted by operation of state or federal law or court rule, such as in child dependency cases.

"Otherwise, our rules strongly disfavor court records that are hidden from public scrutiny," the court said. "The rules provide only a limited veil that is restricted to a second category of court records where a set of carefully defined interests are involved."

The court said the amendments to Rule 2.420 provide a procedural vehicle for making circuit and county court records in noncriminal cases confidential under Rule 2.420(c)(9) and for unsealing court records that have been made confidential under that rule.

"Most significant for our purposes here, by mandating that the case number, docket number, or other identifying number of a case cannot be made confidential, the removal from public view of all information acknowledging the existence of a case is expressly not allowed," the court said.

The following are among the other procedures adopted by the court:

• A request to make court records in noncriminal cases confidential must be made by written motion.

• A public hearing must be held on any contested sealing motion and may be held on certain uncontested sealing motions.

• A sealing order issued by a court must state with specificity the grounds for sealing and the findings of the court that justify sealing.

• All sealing orders must be published to the public.

• A nonparty may file a motion to vacate a sealing order.

• A public hearing must be held on any contested motion to vacate a sealing order and may be held on certain uncontested motions to vacate.

• A court may impose sanctions on any party who files a sealing motion without a good-faith basis and without a sound factual and legal basis.

"These procedures, which are intended for use in noncriminal cases, are adopted in the same spirit of openness and transparency that has informed the court's case law and rules of procedure throughout its modern history," the court said. "Their adoption reaffirms our courts' commitment to ensuring that the public has proper access to court records and case information, and this will prevent a recurrence of the practices that gave rise to the present concerns."

The court, however, said the new procedures are not its final statement in this area.

"Given the importance of this issue, the court will continue to work with the appropriate committees to achieve uniform statewide procedures to address all aspects of this issue," the court said. "Specifically, as for criminal case records, we refer the matter back to the appropriate committees for additional study. We also refer to the appropriate rules committees the issue of whether procedures similar to those adopted here are needed to address requests to seal appellate court records."

The court noted that the procedures are only as good as the manner in which they are applied and enforced.

"In this respect, Florida's trial courts and court clerks are the first line of action," the court said. "We are confident that trial judges and clerks of court will remain ever vigilant of the courts' longstanding presumption in favor of open records."

— Courtesy The Florida Bar Journal

 

 

Florida Legislation Proposal Regarding Public Officers and Judges

By Bob Hurt, Friday, November 27, 2009

Overview

Problem

The people of Florida do not get reliable justice in the courts or when dealing with government in and of Florida. Florida seems to ignore the axiom that "the FOX shall NOT watch the henhouse," The people have no practical way of removing bad jurists, of bringing bad jurists to justice, of making bad jurists pay for injuring the people whose rights they have the responsibility of protecting, or even of knowing the identities of bad jurists

Data

The Supreme Court ruled that by swearing the public officers oath in Article II Section 5(b) ("II.5.b") of the Florida Constitution judges and justices had complied with statute. They ruled wrongly and the legislature must straighten them out. In reality F.S. 105.031 requires judicial candidates to swear the 876.05 candidate's loyalty oath and attest to having read the Judicial Code of Conduct. That constitutes a PREREQUISITE to candidacy for election or appointment, and therefore a qualification for holding office. Unfortunately, because of confusion in expression of the law, no judicial nominees ever swear the candidate's oath - government lawyers believe nominees don't fit the definition of candidates. Furthermore, the II.5.b oath contains the words "and Government" which makes public officers split their loyalties between the Constitution and Government (for they cannot serve both at the same time), and those words do not appear in the US Constitution Article VI oath, or the 4 USC 101&102 oath, or the F.S. 876.05 public employee/candidate loyalty oath. No law punishes violation of the oath by jurists. And, judges escape the requirement to have a bond because the legislature has the option of requiring it. Thus jurists cannot be "bound" to obey the oath as the US Constitution prescribes in Article VI Clause 3.

The Senators and Representatives before mentioned, and the Members of the several State Legislatures, and all executive and judicial Officers, both of the United States and of the several States, shall be bound by Oath or Affirmation, to support this Constitution; but no religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States.

The people can obtain good and loyal performance of public officers ONLY under ALL of the following requirements by public officers:

1. They swear loyalty only to the constitution, and not to the government, without mental reservation or purpose of evasion, both before candidacy for election or appointment and after election or appointment, and
   
2. The law requires a bond of all public officers, and
   
3. The People can file claims against the bond for injuries suffered by public officers, and
   
4. The People can have a reasonable expectation of obtaining compensation for such injuries without going through virtually impossible impeachment procedures or crooked court proceedings, and
   
5. The law punishes violations of the loyalty oath by public officers.
   

 

Solution

Change the wording of the laws and Constituion of Florida, as show below. Yellow Highlighting shows additions and deletions. Strike-throughs show deletions. Underlines show additions.

Proposed Changes

To Florida Statutes

105.011  Definitions.--

(1)  As used in this chapter, the term "judicial office" includes the office of:

(a)  Justice of the Supreme Court.

(b)  Judge of a district court of appeal.

(c)  Judge of a circuit court.

(d)  County court judge.

(e) Senior judge.

(2)  A judicial office is a nonpartisan office, and a candidate for election or retention thereto is prohibited from campaigning or qualifying for such an office based on party affiliation.

(3) As used throughout the Florida Statutes, the term "candidate," including all forms of the term, means "candidate for election or appointment" and includes "nominee." The term "candidate for election" excludes appointment nominees from its meaning.

(4) The requirements in this chapter for candidates for election do not apply to nominees for appointment.

History.--s. 1, ch. 71-49; s. 1, ch. 72-310; s. 36, ch. 77-175.

 

105.031  Qualification; filing fee; candidate's oath; items required to be filed.--

(1)  TIME OF QUALIFYING.--Except for candidates for judicial office, nonpartisan candidates for multicounty office shall qualify with the Division of Elections of the Department of State and nonpartisan candidates for countywide or less than countywide office shall qualify with the supervisor of elections. Candidates for judicial office other than the office of county court judge shall qualify with the Division of Elections of the Department of State, and candidates for the office of county court judge shall qualify with the supervisor of elections of the county. Candidates for judicial office shall qualify no earlier than noon of the 120th day, and no later than noon of the 116th day, before the primary election. Candidates for the office of school board member shall qualify no earlier than noon of the 71st day, and no later than noon of the 67th day, before the primary election. Filing shall be on forms provided for that purpose by the Division of Elections and furnished by the appropriate qualifying officer. Any person other than a write-in candidate who qualifies within the time prescribed in this subsection shall be entitled to have his or her name printed on the ballot. This subsection shall not apply to judicial appointment nominees.

(2)  FILING IN GROUPS OR DISTRICTS.--Candidates shall qualify in groups or districts where multiple offices are to be filled. This subsection shall not apply to judicial appointment nominees.

(3)  QUALIFYING FEE.--Each candidate qualifying for election to a judicial office or the office of school board member, except write-in judicial or school board candidates, shall, during the time for qualifying, pay to the officer with whom he or she qualifies a qualifying fee, which shall consist of a filing fee and an election assessment, or qualify by the petition process. The amount of the filing fee is 3 percent of the annual salary of the office sought. The amount of the election assessment is 1 percent of the annual salary of the office sought. The Department of State shall forward all filing fees to the Department of Revenue for deposit in the Elections Commission Trust Fund. The supervisor of elections shall forward all filing fees to the Elections Commission Trust Fund. The election assessment shall be deposited into the Elections Commission Trust Fund. The annual salary of the office for purposes of computing the qualifying fee shall be computed by multiplying 12 times the monthly salary authorized for such office as of July 1 immediately preceding the first day of qualifying. This subsection shall not apply to candidates qualifying for retention to judicial office or to judicial appointment nominees.

(4)  CANDIDATE'S OATH.--

(a)  All candidates for the office of school board member shall subscribe to the oath as prescribed in s. 99.021.

(b)  All candidates for election or appointment to judicial office shall subscribe to an oath or affirmation in writing to be filed with the appropriate qualifying officer upon qualifying. A printed copy of the oath or affirmation shall be furnished to the candidate by the qualifying officer and shall be in substantially the following form:


State of Florida 

County of _____

Before me, an officer authorized to administer oaths, personally appeared  (please print name as you wish it to appear on the ballot) , to me well known, who, being sworn, says he or she: is a candidate for the judicial office of _____; that his or her legal residence is _____ County, Florida; that he or she is a qualified elector of the state and of the territorial jurisdiction of the court to which he or she seeks election; that he or she is qualified under the constitution and laws of Florida to hold the judicial office to which he or she desires to be elected or in which he or she desires to be retained; that he or she has taken the oath required by ss. 876.05-876.10, Florida Statutes; that he or she has qualified for no other public office in the state, the term of which office or any part thereof runs concurrent to the office he or she seeks; and that he or she has resigned from any office which he or she is required to resign pursuant to s. 99.012, Florida Statutes. 

 (Signature of candidate) 

 

 (Address) 

Sworn to and subscribed before me this _____ day of _____,  (year) , at _____ County, Florida. 

 (Signature and title of officer administering oath) 

 

(5)  ITEMS REQUIRED TO BE FILED.--

(a)  In order for a candidate for judicial office or the office of school board member to be qualified, the following items must be received by the filing officer by the end of the qualifying period:

1.  Except for candidates for retention or appointment to judicial office, a properly executed check drawn upon the candidate's campaign account in an amount not less than the fee required by subsection (3) or, in lieu thereof, the copy of the notice of obtaining ballot position pursuant to s. 105.035. If a candidate's check is returned by the bank for any reason, the filing officer shall immediately notify the candidate and the candidate shall, the end of qualifying notwithstanding, have 48 hours from the time such notification is received, excluding Saturdays, Sundays, and legal holidays, to pay the fee with a cashier's check purchased from funds of the campaign account. Failure to pay the fee as provided in this subparagraph shall disqualify the candidate.

2.  The candidate's oath required by subsection (4), which must contain the name of the candidate as it is to appear on the ballot; the office sought, including the district or group number if applicable; and the signature of the candidate, duly acknowledged.

3.  The loyalty oath required by s. 876.05, signed by the candidate and duly acknowledged.

4.  For candidates for election, the completed form for the appointment of campaign treasurer and designation of campaign depository, as required by s. 106.021. In addition, each candidate for election or appointment to judicial office, including an incumbent judge, shall file a statement with the qualifying officer, within 10 days after filing the appointment of campaign treasurer and designation of campaign depository or approving appointment nominee status, stating that the candidate has read and understands the requirements of the Florida Code of Judicial Conduct. Such statement shall be in substantially the following form: 

Statement of Candidate for Judicial Office

I,  (name of candidate) , a judicial candidate, have received, read, and understand the requirements of the Florida Code of Judicial Conduct. 

 (Signature of candidate) 

 

 (Date) 

 

5.  The full and public disclosure of financial interests required by s. 8, Art. II of the State Constitution or the statement of financial interests required by s. 112.3145, whichever is applicable. A public officer who has filed the full and public disclosure or statement of financial interests with the Commission on Ethics or, for candidates for election, the supervisor of elections prior to qualifying for office may file a copy of that disclosure at the time of qualifying.

(b)  If the filing officer receives qualifying papers that do not include all items as required by paragraph (a) prior to the last day of qualifying, the filing officer shall make a reasonable effort to notify the candidate of the missing or incomplete items and shall inform the candidate that all required items must be received by the close of qualifying. A candidate's name as it is to appear on the ballot may not be changed after the end of qualifying.

(6)  Notwithstanding the qualifying period prescribed in this section, a filing officer may accept and hold qualifying papers submitted not earlier than 14 days prior to the beginning of the qualifying period, to be processed and filed during the qualifying period.

(7) A certified copy of the Electors Oath and voter registration form.

(8) For judicial officers seeking appointment or election, a certified copy of the Bar Oath, a certified copy of the accredited Law College diploma, and a bar certificate of bar membership in good standing for each of the contiguous years preceeding and including the year of election or appointment required by law, and, for appointment candidates a certified copy of the certification of nomination by the appropriate Judicial Nominating Commission.

History.--s. 3, ch. 71-49; s. 36, ch. 77-175; s. 1, ch. 78-260; s. 5, ch. 79-365; s. 54, ch. 79-400; s. 17, ch. 81-105; s. 10, ch. 83-251; s. 1, ch. 89-152; s. 34, ch. 89-338; s. 5, ch. 91-107; s. 630, ch. 95-147; s. 2, ch. 95-156; s. 13, ch. 97-13; s. 13, ch. 99-6; s. 2, ch. 99-326; s. 2, ch. 99-355; s. 23, ch. 2002-17; s. 65, ch. 2005-277; s. 21, ch. 2005-286; s. 40, ch. 2007-30.

To the Florida Constitution, Article II

Note the text of the oath substantially mirrors the 5 U.S.C. 3331 Oath of Office.

SECTION 5.  Public officers.--

(a)  No person holding any office of emolument under any foreign government, or civil office of emolument under the United States or any other state, shall hold any office of honor or of emolument under the government of this state. No person shall hold at the same time more than one office under the government of the state and the counties and municipalities therein, except that a notary public or military officer may hold another office, and any officer may be a member of a constitution revision commission, taxation and budget reform commission, constitutional convention, or statutory body having only advisory powers.

(b)  Each state and county officer, before becoming a candidate for election or a nominee for appointment, and
before entering upon the duties of the office, shall give bond
as required by law, and shall swear or affirm before a person duly authorized under the laws of Florida to administer oaths, who shall make a certificate thereof
: 

"I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support, protect, and defend the Constitution and Government of the United States and of the State of Florida; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; that I am duly qualified to hold office under the Constitution of the state; and that I will well and faithfully perform the duties of  (title of office)  on which I am now about to enter. So help me God.", 


and thereafter shall devote personal attention to the duties of the office, and continue in office until a successor qualifies.

(c)  The powers, duties, compensation and method of payment of all state and county officers, including but not limited to judges and Supreme Court Justices, and penalty for violating the foregoing public officers oath, shall be fixed by law.

(d) Public Officers are charged hereby with the primary duty of enforcing the structure of and restrictions on Government, and of enforcing the rights guaranteed to the People, in and by the Constitutions of the United States of America and the State of Florida. All other duties of public office shall be deemed secondary to this primary duty.

(e) The legislature shall set the amount of the bond for all public officers in the amount of $1,000,000 for which the bonded officer shall pay the fee from personal funds, and define the method by which injured parties may file a complaint against the bond for injuries suffered from or because of the bonded officer and receive speedy and fair administrative adjudication of the bond. Officers who because of excessive complaints against the bond or awards of injury payments against the bond shall be denied bond shall thereupon cease performing the duties of office, and the Governor shall appoint a duly qualified successor or call for a special election of the successor in accordance with law.

(f) The legislature shall establish an independent special grand jury for each county, comprised of members of the jury pool having a 4-year college degree and no bar memberhisp, to review and decide upon all disputed claims against the bonds of public officers. The special grand jury shall without exception investigate and decide all claim disputes submitted to it by the bonding company or an injured party dissatisfied with the bonding company's decision. The special grand jury shall have the power to review all evidence, order revocation of the bond, set the amount of the damage award, and order the impeachment of any public officer removable only by impeachment. From the time of the order to impeach until final resolution by the Legislature, the subject public officer shall remain suspended from pay and performance of duties. Decisions of the special grand jury shall not be subject to judicial review.

 

Proof that Islamic Law Supports the Gospel of Jesus

But How will you teach that gospel to them?

Folks, the other day somebody sent me a Youtube link to Obama referring on various occasions to the “Holy Qur’an,” Islam, and Muslims. The video seemed to seek to prejudice people against Obama because of his adoration of Islam and identification with Muslims. We should feel no surprise at Obama’s affinity for Islam, for he spent his youth as a Muslim.

Christians typically feel disdain for Islam and Muslims because of the widely known Shi-ite jihadist efforts, terrorist in nature, such as the 9-11 destructions and many preceding terrorist atrocities.

It scares most Americans half to death to think that Muslims want to impose Islamic law on America.

Shari’a – Islamic Law

Islamic teachings encourage faithful adherents to worship God. The Qur’an, the ultimate source of Islamic law (Shari’a), also encourages social regulation, a domination of civil law by Muslim clerics. Unfortunately, clerics don’t agree much on Islamic law, arguing worse than the U.S. Supreme Court about its meaning and application. And Shar’ia doesn’t depend solely on the central holy book of Islam, the Qur’an (recital of Muhammad about Gabriel’s revelation to him) alone, but also upon writings about Muhammad and his comments by other authors. So, it can get confusing.

But maybe it won’t seem so fearsome to know that the Qur’an pronounces devout Christians and practicing Jews (“People of the book”) as Muslims, with some conditions. As you know Islam means “submission” to God, and Muslim “one who submits” to the will of God. Surely Christians and Jews can see themselves as Muslims according those definitions, since they do claim to submit to the will of God. They do, don’t they?

Put your finger on the law

But you know me. I always want to “put my finger on the law” as Richard Cornforth has taught pro se litigation trainees for many years. And so, I have dug up for you the law in the Qur’an whereby Muhammad tells Muslims of all kinds that they had better believe the gospel of Jesus, OR ELSE they will suffer “painful retribution in this world, and in the Hereafter.”

Excerpts from the Holy Qur’an

I have provided two translations of Surah 3.055-057 for your reference, you can download the whole book in pdf form here if you want to study the matter in depth.

Qur’an Translation by Dr. Rashad Kalifa

003:055 Thus, GOD said, "O Jesus, I am terminating your life, raising you to Me, and ridding you of the disbelievers. I will exalt those who follow you above those who disbelieve, till the Day of Resurrection. Then to Me is the ultimate destiny of all of you, then I will judge among you regarding your disputes.

003:056 "As for those who disbelieve, I will commit them to painful retribution in this world, and in the Hereafter. They will have no helpers."

003:057 As for those who believe and lead a righteous life, He will fully recompense them. GOD does not love the unjust.

Qur’an Translation by E. H. Palmer

When God said, "O Jesus! I will make Thee die and take Thee up again to me and will clear thee of those who misbelieve, and will make those who follow thee above those who misbelieve, at the day of judgment, then to me is your return. I will decide between you concerning that wherein ye disagree. And as for those who misbelieve, I will punish them with grievous punishment in this world and the next, and they shall have none to help them." But as for those who believe and do what is right, He will pay them their reward, for God loves not the unjust.

What does all this mean?

It means that you have proof that Muslims should obey the teachings of Jesus as a matter of LAW, not as a matter of whim, convenience, or religious preference. You see, Christians feel powerfully about their Jesus-related beliefs, but they know better, in recent years, than to shove those beliefs too rigorously onto others. I mean, you can hardly find a hard core Baptist preacher any more who slams his flock with hellfire and damnation from the pulpit.

Muslims, however, believe the Qur’an is the basis for Islamic law, and that some provisions have a mandatory nature. You could consider anything promising “painful retribution” now and in the hereafter somewhate mandatory. If Muslims want to establish Shari’a in America, they will have to obey the teachings of Jesus, as rule number one.

Well of course that won’t have such a great effect all at once because you know how well Christians obeyed Jesus during the Crusades in 1100, and again during the Inquisition in 1400, and in the witchhunts in America and Europe in 1600.

But it does constitute a pretty good start, doesn’t it?

Now, if we can only get them to admit what Jesus taught specifically in his gospel…

Say, how well do YOU know what he taught in his gospel? If you don’t know, how will you show and tell your fellow Muslims. How, then, will THEY know, and how can they OBEY THAT LAW?

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Bob Hurt
2460 Persian Drive #70
Clearwater, FL 33763
+1 (727) 669-5511
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The Pantomimes of Liars

The other night after Maria went to bed I watched Quentin Tarrantino's movie True Romance, an action-packed flick about unlikely romance, adventure, mob violence, and a one-time-only drug deal that got a lot of people killed. The cast of characters included Christian Slater, Patricia Arquette, Gary Oldman, Dennis Hopper, Christopher Walken, and James Gandolfini, and a few other notable actors. Yeah, I loved the show. I have seen it several times and I look forward to the next time. Two thumbs up.

In the film Slater, a comic book store manager, meets Arquette, a hooker, in the movie theater. They fall in love, get married, and he goes to her pimp, Oldman, to collect her personal belongings. He gets into a huge fight and kills Oldman and his Negro thug minion. Slater grabs some suitcases and goes home. He discovers that one suitcase contains a lot of bagged white powder. The couple stops to see Slater's dad, Hopper, to borrow some traveling money, then rushes off to LA to sell the drugs and enjoy a honeymoon.

In the next scene, mafia capo Walken arrives with crew at Hopper's trailer house and asks Slater's whereabouts. It seems that Oldman had taken Slater's driver license before Slater killed him, and Slater had left it at the crime scene. After tying up Hopper, Walken inquires about Slater's and Arquette's whereabouts and destination. Hopper denies knowing anything, whereupon Walken says to Hopper...

"Sicilians are great liars. The best in the world. I'm Sicilian. My father was the world heavy-weight champion of Sicilian liars. From growing up with him I learned the pantomime. There are seventeen different things a guy can do when he lies to give himself away. A guy's got seventeen pantomimes. A woman's got twenty, but a guy's got seventeen... but, if you know them, like you know your own face, they beat lie detectors all to hell. Now, what we got here is a little game of show and tell. You don't wanna show me nothin', but you're tellin me everything. I know you know where they are, so tell me before I do some damage you won't walk away from."

Here, watch the "Sicilian scene"...


According to my understanding, a mime actor mimics facial expressions and body movements, while a pantomime actor mimics expressions, body movements, and speech mannerisms. It seems to me that all good lawyers and students of the law should know the pantomimes of a liar by heart. It really can help when interrogating witnesses. In fact, it can help anyone when interacting with people in general. So I ask: What ARE these pantomimes?

Before I get into the answer, I point out that I consider all lie-detecting techniques a highly subjective art form. During an actual interrogation, one might want to tell the subject something similar to what Walken said about the pantomimes and let the subject know that his reaction to the interrogation has already revealed some of them. This might just demoralize the subject sufficiently to get the subject to start telling the truth.

I did a little digging and came up with the LIAR PANTOMIMES below. 

To interpret the pantomimes with greatest accuracy, observe the key behavior of the liar within the first 5 seconds after a stimulus such as asking a question. Take note of any deception indicator in that behavior. In particular take note of clusters of two or more deception indicators where the second and subsequent indicators occur within or AFTER the first 5 seconds, for those make deception intensely likely.  And it might help to note the immediate facial expressions that flash by in, say, a tenth of a second, for the deceiver might tend to portray a fixed facial expression that the flash betrays.

Also, remember that you can most easily detect liar pantomimes if you know how the subject behaves during normal conversation before beginning the interrogation. You can learn even more by asking the subject questions about a touchy or embarrassing incident that you know about, but the subject does not know you know about.  In other words, soften the subject up, put the subject at ease, notice how the subject normally acts in pleasant conversation, ask innocent questions, then ask sensitive questions and observe the subject's behaviors for each. 

Now you have baselines for comfortable and uncomfortable responses.  This makes you better able to discern deception anomalies during interrogation.  Those anomalies constitute clues that the subject wants to hide the truth from you.  Note that Hopper established a baseline by asking whether Hoper had seen Slater.  He immediately knew when Hopper lied because the neighbors had already told Walken about having seen Slater's purple Cadillac in Hopper's driveway.   So, Walken punished Hopper's lie by smacking him in the face.  Then, Walken forewarned Hopper about the pantomimes, creating in Hopper a nervousness that made him more likely to confess.

Incidentally, I believe Tarrantino made up that comment about women having twenty pantomimes and men having only seventeen. As you will see, I found more than a score, and some I could subdivide even more.  

LIAR PANTOMIMES

1. A liar will limit or stiffen physical expression, with few arm and hand movements. The liar will move hand, arm, and leg toward his own body in order to take up less space and become harder to see.
2. A liar will avoid making eye contact with you when lying to you. While the liar may have no ability to hold a gaze for any length of time, a sociopath liar might look you in the eyes without difficulty for a long time.
3. A liar tends to touch the face, throat, and mouth, and touch or scratch the nose or behind an ear. A liar will not likely touch the chest/heart with an open hand. The liar covers the mouth as if to cover the lie.
4. A liar botches the timing between emotions gestures/expressions and words. Example: Someone says, “I love it!” when receiving a gift and then smiles after making that statement, rather then at the same time the statement is made.
5. A liar's gestures/expressions don’t match the verbal statement, such as frowning when saying “I love you.” Microexpressions may flash on the liar's face that do not comport with the liar's verbal responses.
6. A liar limits expressions to mouth movements, instead of using the whole face, when faking emotions (like happy, surprised, sad, awed ). Normally a non-liar involves the whole face when expressing emotion - jaw/cheek movement, eyes and forehead push down, etc.
7. A liar, if not a sociopath or psychopath, feels guilty and can become aggressive or unduly concerned at the questioner or a third party. An innocent person will often go on the offensive, but a liar will become defensive. Or, the accused may become the accuser by pointing the finger and projecting the misdeed elsewhere. The liar may overreact by immediately behaving angry and defensive, perhaps to try to force a change of subject or to make the interrogator submit to the liar's story.
8. A liar feels and acts uncomfortable facing his questioner/accuser and may turn his head or body away. The liar may fidget a lot and generally look uncomfortable.
9. A liar might unconsciously place objects (book, coffee cup, etc.) between himself and the interrogator.
10. A liar will use the interrogator's words to make an answer to the question. When asked, “Did you eat the last cookie?” The liar answers, “No, I did not eat the last cookie,” or "Are you asking me if I ate that cookie?"
11. A liar betrays falsehoods by making denial statements without contractions: “ I didn’t do it” implies greater truth than “I did not do it.”
12. A liar sometimes avoids “lying” by not making direct statements. They imply answers instead of denying something directly.  "I would not do that," instead of "I didn't do it."
13. A liar, feeling guilty, may speak more than normally, adding unnecessary details to convince the interrogator… silence or pauses in the conversation make a liar feel uncomfortable. The liar may start talking way too fast or completely change pitch or tone of voice.
14. A liar may leave out pronouns and speak in a monotonous tone. In a truthful statement the liar will emphasize the pronoun as much as or more than the rest of the words in a statement.
15. A liar may make exclusionary statements like "not really" or "for the most part" instead of flatly denying or affirming a potentially incriminating question.  Or the liar may use convincing filler words like "frankly" or "honestly."
16. A liar will strive to convince the interrogator with words instead of merely conveying information, and still avoid answering the question.
17. A liar may garble words or speak them softly, and make errors in grammar and syntax. In other-words, the liar will muddle sentences rather than emphasize them.
18. A liar will feel a desire to leave the area so as to escape further notice or scrutiny, and may look toward possible escape routes or fabricate an excuse like "I have to go to the bathroom again."
19. A liar will often exhibit different mannerisms while lying than during normal conversation - any slight changes can have significance. For example, a person trying to remember a detail might normally look upward, but look downward when lying.
20. A liar willingly and with relief changes the subject, while a non-liar tries to return to the original subject. A liar may avoid the subject by making sarcastic or humorous remarks.
21. A liar tends to blink frequently as though unconsciously hiding thoughts, but revealing them instead. Note that some people blink a lot normally when not lying.
22. A liar sometimes raises the eyebrows to compensate for the tendency to blink. This by itself does not prove lying, but it tends to signify defensiveness. Liars seem to have trouble avoiding this indicator to lying.
23. A liar may play dumb. “What are you talking about?” or “Why would you say that?” and of course looking appropriately shocked and confused.
24. A liar, needing more time to think, may stammer and pause in between comments as if trying to gather thoughts. Look for a subtle "thinking time" delay between asking the question and obtaining the answer - the delay can suggest lying.

I'd love to give proper credit to the tireless researchers in homes, businesses, universities, interrogation rooms, and laboratories throughout the world who studied human behavior and documented these liar "tells." But frankly I don't feel the urge to research that.

I remind you that legendary humorist Mark Twain once said three kinds of liars exist - liars, damned liars, and statistics. You might want to read my article on the subject here:

http://bobhurt.blogspot.com/2007/08/is-your-word-your-bond.html

A New Look at "The Way to Happiness"

A New Look at "The Way to Happiness"

Introduction - Why Others Need Encouragement on the Way to Happiness

The Lawmen newsletter deals with law and associated topics.  This message concerns an associated topic, for a very good reason which I shall reveal.  And I encourage you to read this to the end, for there I shall give you very special treat, one that you will probably want to share with those whom you love.

Most people interested in the Lawmen newsletter postings have some sincere interest in the law and in using it for good purposes.  And many recipients have had, do have, or anticipate having some difficulties with the law, either because of abuse by some public employee (police, judge, state attorney), or because of some dispute over an alleged violation of law that causes difficulties and troubles in life.

I write now to defuse and disable some of those difficulties by pointing out

The Way to Happiness.  

With this "way" as a backdrop in a person's life, the person actually survives more successfully, and becomes better able to "flourish and prosper."  So this topic should interest you and those precious to you.

Religion, Common Sense, or What?

Many, if not most, people connect morality with religion, and use religion as a way of understanding and achieving happiness. I think that all well and good, except that people often get confused over the differences between religious dogma and simple common sense.

After all, we don't need "orders from God" to tell us not to steal, murder, falsely accuse, covet another's relationships and possessions, disrespect our parents, and revere God.  We do not need a "Ten Commandments" to know that we should strive to know and love God as our "heavenly" parent, love one another as brothers and sisters, serve one another unselfishly and lovingly, and strive to let truth, beauty, and goodness characterize our pursuits on this world.  We don't need an array of religious philosophers, seers, prophets, angels, and messengers from God to tell us the Golden Rule of "do unto others what you would have others do unto you." 

We intuitively know that we should organize and perpetuate a sane, humane, and virtuous family, community, government, and civilization by yielding some of our sovereignties to higher-level government for the good of all, and by making and keeping sensible agreements with others.  Most of us know those as plain common sense, don't we?

And anyone should see that the above common sense maxims or precepts DO constitute the goals (or fall within the embrace) of "religion."  

Wikipedia defines religion this way:

A religion is an organized approach to human spirituality which usually encompasses a set of narratives, symbols, beliefs and practices, often with a supernaturalor transcendent quality, that give meaning to the practitioner's experiences of life through reference to a higher power or truth... The term "religion" refers to both the personal practices related to communal faith and to group rituals and communication stemming from shared conviction. "Religion" is sometimes used interchangeably with "faith" or "belief system,"^[2] but it is more socially defined than personal convictions, and it entails specific behaviors, respectively.

Wikipedia unduly clouds the subject.  I define "religion" differently.  

"True religion is a wholehearted devotion to some reality which the religionist deems to be of supreme value to himself and for all mankind."

In other words, religion means "devotion to supreme values."

Seen this way, a supposedly irreligious mother and father seek to protect children from danger express "religion" because they believe in their hearts and with all sincerity that parental care and protection of children have supreme value to the family and possibly to civilization. 

The Urantia Book explains the impact of religion on the individual this way, in part:

     "The accepted supreme value of the religionist may be base or even false, but it is nevertheless religious. A religion is genuine to just the extent that the value which is held to be supreme is truly a cosmic reality of genuine spiritual worth.

     "The marks of human response to the religious impulse embrace the qualities of nobility and grandeur. The sincere religionist is conscious of universe citizenship and is aware of making contact with sources of superhuman power. He is thrilled and energized with the assurance of belonging to a superior and ennobled fellowship of the sons of God. The consciousness of self-worth has become augmented by the stimulus of the quest for the highest universe objectives--supreme goals." The Urantia Book , Paper 100, "Religion in Human Experience." Topic 6, "The Marks of Religious Living." Page 1100.

I shall always use the word religion as "devotion to supreme values" to avoid confusion and to adhere to common sense.

The Connection between Religion and Law

A noble set of laws constitutes an integral part of the sublimest sense of the human's religion impulse.  Sensible laws provide rules of "live and let live" behavior that increasingly incorporates respect for the dignity of others with an obligation to personal responsibility as our civilization evolves.  

We have developed such a comprehensive system of laws in the United States.  These laws sometimes seem unreasonably to interfere with personal liberties (like the considered right not to wear a seat belt).  But they have evolved because modern Americans have developed a social conscience that holds in high esteem behaviors deemed valuable and necessary to achieving and maintaining what I call "balanced happiness."

While I might not want to buckle up my seat belt, I know from personal experience and observation that without it, a traffic crash can injure or kill me or my precious family. That would also crush me with guilt if I lived through it.  I don't want anyone to suffer such devastation.  So I agree to buckle up and make everyone in my car do so, ultimately because my love for them drives me to do so.  That comes from common sense, of course.  Buckling up also has a religious aspect because I supremely value the safety of  those I love and I have developed a devotion to supreme values.  

In that respect, I am a religionist.  And I believe every subscriber to the Lawmen newsletter has the same status.

As you should now see, fostering a practical set of laws constitutes the "living" of one's most personal religion.  That at least partly explains why the Old Testament, the Koran, and  other even more ancient religious texts propound laws by which people should live.  And it explains why Jesus of Nazareth told his followers a new "law:" 

"A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another."  Holy Bible, King James Version, New Testament, John 13:34

Details of The Way to Happiness

You could say that the foregoing presents "the way to happiness" in a nutshell.  I think it does.  But  many people, particularly children and those beset by, beleaguered with, and befuddled over problems, need a more succinct, codified explanation of the way to happiness.  They need one of common sense that does not suffer the constrictions of the dogmas of "organized religion" so that it will appeal to all, whether Christian, Jew, Muslim, Shinto, Hindu, Buddhist, or Animist.   

Well, I have found one such explanation, and I present it to you now.  You will find it at the following web site.

http://www.TheWayToHappiness.org   

I discovered this most recently when my wife handed me a little booklet entitled "The Way to Happiness." She had picked it up in the One Stoppe Shoppe near our home in Clearwater, Florida.  She asked that I give it to our niece, a woman of 40 years who doesn't particularly seem to need it.  While waiting to drive our niece to the airport, I sat down and read the booklet.  It took me a couple of hours.  I loved its simple, clean message, and most of all I enjoyed the "flow" of it. 

You see, the author, a rather famous philosopher and science fiction buff, couched the lessons not as a lecture telling the reader "you have to do this and that," but rather as encouragement for the reader to get others to do the behaviors that lead to happiness.  In this way, the author goes into league with the reader to help the reader take part in creating a better world through the simple things in life.

And by the way, the author, decades earlier, wrote two basic rules for happy living, from which most of the principles in the booklet descended. I paraphrase them as:

1. Don't overwhelm others, and
   
2. Don't become overwhelmed by others
   

Right in the middle of The Way to Happiness booklet, in keeping with the above principles, the author encourages the reader to get people to obey laws and take an active role in creating and perpetuating good government.  Throughout the booklet the lessons encourage good and considerate personal behavior and excellent community spirit.

I think all of you will enjoy this utterly superb little booklet.  I encourage you to obtain copies and give several to each of your friends and children so they can hand them out to their friends and associates.  You can form family home activities surrounding the little lessons in the book, and thereby get support from the author in bringing greater responsibility, nobility, and respect for the law to our land.

The above link contains a video that beautifully presents the lessons.  You can buy a DVD of the video lessons and let family and friends watch it for an uplifting experience.  

I encourage you to check it out, and act on your best wisdom.  If you like the message and the manner of presentation, then you probably should support the effort to get it out to others.  Its lessons, internalized, will make children and adults into better family members and citizens, for it does propound "supreme values" for the people of our land.

And, incidentally, you might want to contact Linda or Paris at the One Stoppe Shoppe to express any appreciation you might feel for their generous donation of copies of The Way to Happiness booklet to the public.  I consider them a precious blessing to our community, our nation, and our world.

One Stoppe Shoppe 
http://www.onestoppeshoppe.com
411 Cleveland Street 
Clearwater, Florida 33755 
Phone: 1-800-262-3353 
Fax: 727-449-0888 
E-Mail: sales at onestoppeshoppe dot com

Please forward this message far and wide.

Sincerely,

Bob Hurt 
2460 Persian Drive #70 - Clearwater, FL 33763
+1 (727) 669-5511
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