all soul's day

I knew without planning it that the account was going to be finished on this day. That's not just serendipity, it's the architecture of fate. Rather than the dead burying the dead--part of why we have historical amnesia in this country--I, the living, am burying my part of Jeane. Why she picked me to assist her I believe is complicated. For one, I know she didn't want me pissing in the tent and preferred me pissing outwards. You could say she wanted to keep me on ice during the proceedings, most certainly a good possibility there. That means I was definitely onto something, maybe many fundamental somethings about her case. The problem was, not a lot of that was exculpatory. Such is life. Her suffering is over, ours continues until we meet our own endings, like a story. Anything ending tends to choke the best of us up, it's got a sadness to it that's part of the human condition. And so it goes. I'll probably even lay out a meal for her, and all of the people who I and my family have lost--who everyone has lost, because that's what All Soul's Day is about, remembering, honoring, and continuing on.

Postscript 11.03.12--And so it did, so mote it be, the circle is completed.

Monique Rawlings

Still waiting for an explanation from Jason Leopold about who you really are, and what you both were up to, specifically. I'm not coloring it as anything conspiratorial, criminal, but yes, I believe what you two were up to was unethical.

Oh yeah, and I thought I'd write your name a few more times online since it pisses you off, you asshole, fuck you very much. You might rank as one of the biggest phonies and assholes I've come across in my life, a real turd. You have a sense of entitlement that's absurd, and yes, it colors my view of Mr. Leopold that he was associate with a piece of excrement like you, you asshole, you little woman, you fake. Not only are you a sellout, you remind me what a antisocial personality disorder looks like in action.

Did I say you were an asshole? I did, but let's say it again: You're an asshole, but you know this every time you look in the mirror. It might not be conscious--you are an egomaniac, after all--but you know you're a joke. You did everything you could at key moments to consciously paint me in a bad light before Jeane. There was no call for it, and it was a betrayal of trust. How can you possibly call yourself a progressive when you stab someone in the back, not once, but twice?

The first time, and we were effectively out of an official agreement with Jeane, I emailed her asking to publish something that you and Jason clearly coveted. I don't even recall what the fuck it was, or care anymore, but you then sent out an email trying to define the situation in a way that absolutely inappropriate under the circumstances, you had an agenda, a selfish one, then had the audacity to turn around and project it onto me. That's classic manipulative behavior, and I have to wonder if you're sick. The other time was unbelievably petty, in our pointless conference call with that other fake and hustler, Sam Deskin. That's in the book, I won't reiterate here, but it was coming from someone who hadn't been asked to help by the defendant as I had, you had approached Jeane. You had no call or moral high ground, and in fact, are profoundly antisocial to do something of that order, unbelievable the temerity there.

My advice? Get help, now. Also, who are you, really? What are you? One thing I do know, and that's that you have no real sense of morality at all. And that's why I outed your ass. You then had the gall to be upset and angry when I did this after all you had done--the insults, the jabs, and finally, the two events I described above. Fuck you. Fuck your family that unfortunately bore and raised you, poorly I might add, though that might be your and the fault of your genes there. Finally, lastly, you have the most appalling grammar I have ever witnessed outside of Mississippi, or skid row, pathetic. You either never proof, or you can barely write. I'm sure that's never been a hindrance for you in the corporate world. Fuck you.

let the dead bury the dead release date & other issues surrounding the text

This is still up in the air. I'll be prepping a standalone site for the book. It should have an excerpt, no you cannot quote from it or republish without permission, period. Written requests will be fine, and granting use will be completely at the author's discretion. There is no middleman here.

On the media, interviews, reviews copies, etc.: There will be no advance copies, period, and serious inquiries only. Not to be a dick (or to be one to the right people), but I'm not made of money. No free rides, I would if I could. Also, the idea of someone reviewing a book on something so personal seems pretty laughable to me outside of the technical side--style, format, depth, things that are logical and sincere rather than someone playing games. You'll be kicked to the curb immediately the moment I detect you're fucking me around, it's not going to play. That written, I expect the mainstream media to go out of their way to ignore this book because so much of it is about them and how disgusting they truly are, you have no idea.

Even in death, they keep killing her, mark this. CNN is one one of the major offenders: they will occasionally throw a blurb out there on the case either in a crappy documentary on prostitution (often upscale, with the rich & powerful), and the results speak for themselves: a willfully superficial misrepresentation of the case to protect what it was really about, their usual mercenary MO.  For this reason, even were they to somehow contact me, they'd have an uphill battle on their hands, and that's putting it mildly. I don't expect to hear from any of them no matter how well the books sells.

You didn't just walk into McDonald's, and no, you cannot have fries with that. I don't value most of your opinions, because you weren't involved. I don't even value those of many others who were, as the book will make plain as day. Yes, they're my opinions, and they're more educated than yours about the case. The only people who probably know more are the former prosecutors and judges, and they're compromised. Don't expect anything honest out of most of them, and many of them cannot tell you anyway thanks to confidentiality agreements. My role was far looser, so I can tell more, much more. But, you don't care about the truth anyway, my whole point here and in the book...

On the cult of personality & writers: When I was a kid, over a generation ago in the 1970s, there was no access to the Internet by the general public. You frequently didn't know what an author looked like, what their life was like or where they'd been, and so on, unless you did a lot of looking and research, and that was costly. Now, it isn't, it's all a few keystrokes away. What's the same between then and now is the cult of personality, which I hate and view as part of the disease of this dying culture and nation. People to others for answers are at the top of my shit-list, so, don't come looking to me for any, that's not my job, it's everyone's. The individual has to look within. Fools don't, cowards won't, and I don't have time either, not one moment, so save the effort. I know almost every trolling approach too, so again, don't bother, I will detect it and you will be removed or ignored. If you don't take a hint, if you harass me, for whatever reason is in your head, as compromised as some of them are, law enforcement and the courts will be brought into play. I'm not fucking around ask people who know me, they'll tell you. They'll also tell you that if you cross the line far enough that I'll be coming for you until I'm satisfied.

On Mark Capansky: I believe this little shithead has been harassing me. Any phony or actual cease and desists without a court order will be duly ignored. And, if I have to publish the book out of some Siberian shithole, I will, maybe even out of Iceland if necessary. I will not bow, because, unlike most of you out there, I have nothing to lose, and everything to gain.

However, if Mr. Capansky wants to explain why his number (or parents') was in the DC Madam's phone records, I'm all ears, and we can keep it off the record. On the other hand, if the dialog devolves into threats--if you even piss me off--it all goes online unredacted. I'm not fucking around here at all. If you want to fuck around, do it with the stupid women that are attracted to such a retard. By the way, I'm not jealous, as the book will make starkly clear. I don't share your hollow values and view America as a criminal, white supremacist nation, and hence, a large part of why it's crumbling, it's dysfunctional. This country sucks, you definitely suck, and go fuck yourself...

On writing a book that's non-fiction, true crime, & a historical document: I don't recommend it. There are no ground rules. Reconsider if it looks like it will take up a stage of your life. I was in my thirties when this began, now I'm rocketing towards the bad side of fifty, fuck you very much.

On literature: The book is very literary. For me, this isn't the usual approach. I do read a lot of fiction, but most of my reading is historical and non-fiction. I have been more of a student of history than anything else. A lot of reading in my life is packed into this book. The reader might find this not to their liking, or anything in-between--these are not my concerns, and unless it's constructive, I don't want hear your opinions beyond pointing-out factual errors, typos, and so on. The case, as the primary materials in the book will show, was riven through with literary references. I wasn't looking for them. They announced themselves. That brings me to...

Occult references & themes in the DC Madam case: These were also present and announced themselves. I wasn't looking for them. However, as Jesus said, for those who have eyes to see and ears to hear, and I do, and did. Most aren't attuned to this, I am, and once again, I'm not interested in the expressions of your egos, only in fact and truth, which the vast majority of you wouldn't know either were they to bite you in the ass extracting a pound of flesh. You couldn't miss this, especially considering the well-established fact that Jeane was fascinated by American Spiritualism (yes, seances, no, I am not a believer).

The case was archetypal on its own. I didn't see anything that wasn't there or implicit to it. Again, your opinions are irrelevant, and I don't care unless they augment and add something to the story, understanding, illuminate it more, whatever, but other than that, don't care.

On the former Pamela Martin escorts: I don't have a lot of respect for these women. Some wrong-headed types do for reasons that escape me, but I'm sure have to do more with gender and identity politics and wishful thinking. Once again, I don't care what you're opinions are unless you somehow had contact with them, know previously unknown aspects and facts about the case, or you have an angle on it I never considered for some of the aforementioned reasons. Beyond that, I don't care and don't want to hear your ego flexing, it won't play and I'll kick your ass to curb.

I'm sure most of my sources have withheld things from me--that's normal, human behavior. I'm not a believer in human nature or unicorns. We have tendencies. Those tendencies come out under certain circumstances and conditions. I'm intolerant of mythmakers and believers of myths. None of these women were saints. Yes, they were paid inadequately--welcome to the contemporary world, welcome to the United States and a world that's primarily ordered along patriarchal lines. I didn't make this world, you didn't, most of us didn't, and I'm not a supporter of it. In fact, I'm one of its victims, fuck you very much. You can beatify these ladies all you want, but when the truth came out, you'd look like the genuine fools with an opinion that you really are. Welcome to the human jungle, now think more often before you open your trap, or when you post something online. We all make mistakes. None of us is made of light, we all shit every morning, if we're lucky. That gut you have going is all the proof you should need that you're not a god. We're all imperfect, we all die one day, and the rest is games, lies, deceit, and horrendous, tragic, stupidity.

Insofar as I have been able to ascertain, no one, and I mean no one, has been able to find and interview these women and get some new relevant information from them, and to publish on it, nary a soul. Only one of them has come my way--allegedly, Andrea Detty who's alleged to be an alleged journalist now--and they may not even be one of them, perhaps a fake online identity, and of course, they weren't willing to convey anything of value whatsoever that I didn't already know. That's because, and this should be no surprise to anyone with their higher functions still intact, they were prostitutes and there's a reason why the term "lying whore" came into being, which I learned from direct experience in the case. Not one of them has had the courage and credibility to come forward and to follow through. One of them approached journalist Ken Silverstein during the proceedings, his moronic secretary lost the phone number they left (why not search of the phone calls that day at Harper's?), and they never reestablished contact. Thanks for fucking us, lady, but at least you tried. The rest stand as rats as far as I'm concerned, the real whores, not Palfrey, and they have earned this derision. Ever heard of confidentiality agreements with journalists, ladies? Quit kidding yourselves that you have credibility. Your silence speaks volumes.

On Jack Burkman of Focus on the Family & a lot more: There's an entire chapter devoted to dear Jack, as a template for the average Republican player in Palfrey's phone records. Expect fireworks. Expect what you suspected and knew--that he's a pathetic asshole, a scumbag, and a hypocrite.

On SAIC's presence in the phone bills and elsewhere: They're key to whatever was behind the case and the charges moving forward, not the actual solicitation by Jeane and the girls, which was what was really the incidental side of it. They're emblematic of the crisis in government today of runaway spending and war profiteering by contractors and politicians. They're connected to so many players in all this that it does have meaning to the case in ways that I never expected, not was looking for, but once again, there it was, winking at me over and over.

On the CIA's role in the case: This will get more of a factual airing than previously, although, regardless of what you might think of him, Montgomery Blair Sibley, Jeane's longest running counselor during the proceedings, has done a good job addressing in his own text, Why Just Her. I recommend it and consider both our accounts complimentary of each other. I'm not going to defend his public behavior. Federal District Judge Gladys Kessler granted wide-ranging subpoenaing power to the Palfrey defense that covered virtually the entire intelligence establishment. Ask yourself why the mainstream media never covered this, then go ask them, over and over again, until they cry uncle.

I'll have more to say later. Search the labels on this article for more. I cannot see a release date of later than late November, but no later than some time in December. That is all.

To my friends on the east coast

I hope everyone's alright., safe, well. My guess is that Google is difficult to reach today for obvious reasons: people are freaking out and overwhelming the services. The same seems to be occurring on Twitter. My advice to people is not to post anything on sites like Twitter unless you have something reasonable and logical relating to the storm, that you're OK, details, etc.

Yes, I know that's asking far too much from the baboons from the Internet.

Nein, es wahrheit.

The book is finished, locked. 700 pages, counting title page, table of contents, and index. For the coloring and picture book crowd, sorry, Bernie Wrightson wasn't available to do a graphic novel version of the prose, very sorry. There will be no photos. Unlike Bugliosi's Helter Skelter, this is the real deal, a real historical account, and therefore, a part of the primary record of the case. No, this is true crime writing done with honesty, rather than being written by some shady cop, compromised D.A., or some other banal, money grubbing piece of shit.

"What a ride!" Jeane once emailed me, from Chicago, at O'Hare Airport between flights. This was fucking depraved in the context of what we'd been saying back-and-forth and when I was certain she was out of her fucking mind and suicidal. No one will ever know what this woman has put me through, and yet, I still pity her and mourn her death, for she was human, and they, her prosecutors and the U.S. Courts let her die.

Let me make this clear: You do not know as much as you think you do about this horrible case, the one that left a woman hanging by the neck by her own hand. I will terminate any conversation and/or interview the moment I detect someone's assuming that some mythical government operatives murdered Deborah Jeane Palfrey, because not only is it not factually true, it's completely baseless. Not one individual with an asshole (what they see in the mirror every morning) and an opinion (that has no value) has presented any solid evidence that Jeane was murdered. Her longest running legal counselor during most of the proceedings, Montgomery Blair Sibley, doesn't believe this "She were suicided" theory either, at least last I checked. Blair had a great deal of direct contact with Jeane, and I think he knows very well that there were some telltale signs. Maybe we miss things, I don't know, but I didn't from the moment I spoke with Palfrey on the telephone, this was someone rocketing towards imminent death. The book will address all of this in extremely graphic detail. Expect to shocked. No one will ever be as shocked as I was when I looked at the entire case and my experiences being involved in it, working for more than a few months doing general research for Jeane, advising her occasionally, offering my opinion when she hit me with questions, very specific ones mind you, and you should feel lucky for that. This book drained me of the last vestiges of my youth, and a whole lot more, but it was worth it. For a brief moment, we all charged the castles, and I'm not fucking around when I write castles, because we have a system of them in the US. (And yes, we can thank the American South for a lot of this.)

This book is bigger than me, and so are its themes. They're eternal ones. Until you confront power directly as I and others have, you just don't know the feeling of ecstasy it can bring, of liberation, a feeling of incredible elation that can only be called freedom. You have to liberate yourself, and we have to liberate each other. We still have a choice in America: Is going to be democracy, or tyranny? Jeane's case collided with the war on terror, she was in the thick of it, I am convinced. This wasn't merely a sex scandal, this was very big, bigger than you can possibly imagine. I can only hope that this account will stand as a document of the case and the era it took place in, a piece of the puzzle, part of a mosaic of our shared history, because this is a story that affects everyone directly, first in our pocketbooks. It's also a political testament. To have been part of a historical event was everything rolled into one. In the beginning, was the word.

Wahrheit oder Fiktion?

"And Jesus said unto them, Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and unto God the things that are God's," says Mark 12:17. The Gospel of Mark is considered almost universally to be the oldest of the New Testament gospels, the source of the rest of the synoptic gospels. It's also one of the most willfully misquoted and misunderstood (if not overlooked out of convenience) outside of the parable of the chances of a rich man getting into heaven and a camel passing through the eye of a needle. When you look at the majority of statements attributed to Jesus in the NT, most of them address that the priority is to care for the poor, the vulnerable--you can't miss it, yet many do because they're hatefully bonkers.

This is not a debate over whether Jesus was the son of God--I don't believe that and never have. That's irrelevant to me, unimportant like whether Paul Bunyan's Ox babe was blue or not, that's about mythology and missing the point because you're an asshole.

What did Jesus mean by the "render" comment? We've had the answer for almost two millennia now, right in front of our faces, just like the Nazarene's stupid disciples who almost never understood what he was going on about. God would have chosen a better lot than those dummies. When you look at orthodox Christianity's many flaws and horrific mistakes, look no further than these small-minded, patriarchal idiots. This was the best God could do? It had to be the Demiurge, but that's a bedtime story for another time. What did he mean? Common sense should be a guide here by posing a few questions: What did Caesar want? What did the Roman emperors want? First, they wanted taxes, but most of all, fundamentally, obedience to their rule and its proscribed laws. For the Jews, this was a tall order, because they had their own set or religious ones, hence why there were money changers in Herod's temple, for example, one of many, and frankly, not an especially big deal, more neurosis that became codified tradition. 

I think what Jesus said was pretty simple. Tell the Romans what they want to hear, go through the motions, but never give them your heart, never yield your soul. That's not a very difficult prescription for living under the occupation of another culture. To be sure, the Romans were brutal occupiers, we don't need to retread over that ground, it's settled. However, when it came to tolerance of indigenous cultures and religions, they weren't all that bad--better than what came after them in most cases in fact. There was a rub for the Jews: like all Roman subjects, they were supposed to acknowledge the divinity of the Emperor. After that, they could worship pretty much as they wished. Just as there's always some asshole heckling at a concert, this wasn't good enough for some people, and like the Christian martyrs that would come decades later, what they were about to engage in was pretty pointless: fighting an uphill battle nobody wanted over abstract concepts that weren't and aren't rooted in reality. When you're a fanatic, you do these things. Politics and religion were inextricably-linked in those days, and this is how one should read the synoptic gospels as well as the esoteric sects of Judaism and the region in that day in general.

Jesus wasn't telling anyone to take up arms here, quite the opposite. He was suggesting the power of ideas and how they cannot be killed, how people can basically lie to their oppressors and keep the lamp lit in their hearts and minds. Yet, so often, this quote is used as an excuse by authoritarian-minded fools calling themselves Christians (they aren't by a long shot) to obey authority under all circumstances, one more divine cop-out exhortation to blindly serve evil.

The last time I checked, Jesus never said, "Give the boss man a blowjob," only to tell the asshole what he wants to hear and to go on doing what you would anyway out of view. But hey, that's must just be me. I must have missed that after I got kicked out of Sunday school for asking too many questions...

Never

Never trust a man, woman, or child that tells you not to look back. They want you to forget their transgressions and the ones they have planned for next Tuesday.

Who's the sincerest of them all? Not you, sunshine

Both major parties, Republican and Democrat, are sincere--1% sincere. OK, I was wrong: The Democrats get the whole sum.

Ronald Reagan Hologram to Address 2012 RNC Convention in Tampa?

That's great, lovely. I was in a mall in Chicago in 2002 and they had a static hologram (didn't move, like the real one, and just as intelligent) of St. Ronnie's well-coiffed-and-empty head. That wasn't the first time I'd seen one: the Museum of Science and Industry had the one Salvador Dali did of Alice Cooper's head, with an exposed brain, so I knew he had one, his own conservatism aside. Holograms aren't very convincing up close--the Cooper one was greenish, and it photographed badly. I believe it was made in 1973, when the Watergate hearings were reaching a crescendo.

That Ronnie-the-vegetable one, however, was impressive. They'd shot a close-up of him that had close to a 3/4s wraparound of his head. Every hair (the fucker had dandruff and trout eyes), every pore, every liver spot, every wrinkle, and every glint from his Irish eyes (yes, they were-a'-smil'in, yes) was there in incredible photographic detail. Now, from some angles, sure, the color spectrum started to shift, and it looked transparent--a hologram. Of course, for laughs, I was miming the same moves that put John Wilkes Booth into the annals of history, really milking it for a friend, a lot of yuck-yucks. And yes, there were laughs, 9/11 (the American public) hadn't ruined things as badly, there hadn't been enough time for that yet.

Fox News (entertainment for the emotionally challenged) is throwing around a rumor of a yet-to-be-revealed speaker at the tail end of the GOP mosh pit in Tampa, after all the lawful demonstrators have been brutally, criminally beaten and pepper-sprayed by dirty cops and private security, and after most of the drinking and whoring has sated the...uh, bought press, the delegates, candidates, incumbents, and key SuperPAC donors, maybe a few Rotarians, heh. Because I think their corruption is, in the words of one of the Founding Rapists, self- evident. Why bother writing about it? Because someone in the back row couldn't hear last time, so shut up you loud-mouthed assholes in Section A seating, you animals, you rabble, Jesus. 

So, they had this two-dimensional Tupac on stage not more than a few months ago, and creepy it was dear readers. From what I could see, an actor's body was composited with footage of Shakur's face from a variety of visual sources, but it could have been modeled from imagery too and made lifelike. Either way, the head was generated, the body was not, making this a sentence that was destined to be written one day. Top that, Cybermen. You know, the GOP isn't doing anything new here, as always, but putting out their usual historical revisionism onto vulnerable people who don't know shit about where the country's been in the first place.

They've been flogging everyone with this moronic, delusional (delusions of adequacy, Republicans aren't even that) "no new taxes" bullshit for over 30 years. What does it say about someone when they keep falling for it again and again, expecting different results? Those are gamblers stabbing in the dark, looking for what? A Leader, a dictator, to tell them what to do, and that's a lot of Americans who harbor these authoritarian tendencies, many of whom have convinced themselves otherwise. The old models of male-headed authoritarianism are at a crossroads. These clowns down in Tampa are at a funeral wake, America died long ago, back when they sold out after the sixties and became the most irresponsible citizenry in modern history. Watergate gave millions of Americans what they always wanted: an excuse to no longer be engaged in the political process. Voter apathy gave us Ronald Reagan and while it probably won't give us Mitt Romney, it's given us weak and compromised candidates for well over a generation. That's the fault of the public, and so is the decline of the unions, out of selfishness, laziness, and stunning stupidity.

Everyone knows that a computer generated hologram of a dead corrupt president isn't going to change the fact that everyone owns a piece of this economic and political crisis, no one is immune, not me, not anyone. The wealthy, the criminal management class, and the politicians own the lion's share of this. Every branch of government is to blame. From this, one should get that we have a fundamental flaw in how our society is ordered, what it's centered around. Now go have fun watching the dead guy who gave us a lot of this crisis, the one with the CGI stick rammed up his ass.

Definite September release of DC Madam account

Ed.--This has been a long time coming. The book is ready. There will be a standalone site for it. There will be a brief except, some background, a bio, and various links.

A Few Words on Writing a Non-Fiction Book: expect to lose at least a few years of your life if it's going to be worth a shit on any level. When artists in a variety of mediums refer to their works as their children, they aren't fucking around. It's accurate, the unvarnished truth. Never envy writers, not even the wildly successful ones, because most of them are doing it to keep the Devil from biting their ass. I share that with them now, and life certainly won't ever be the same.

You ask yourself, "Am I telling too much about myself, or too little?" and because of how personal it all is, no one can tell you the answers, you're it, you're on your own.

This kind of an undertaking requires incredible care, more time than you ever imagined possible, keeping you up nights, bringing worry, even illness, it's terrible. But, if you've been involved in an event of significance, invested so much of yourself in it that it hurt, there's no other option but to get it out of your system, and that's why this book was going to be written and slaved over until it reached a state that brings with it closure. That was the main reason to write this account.

On the Title and Cover Art: I'm only giving you part of the title. It's Let the Dead Bury the Dead, with a subtitle to be revealed later on, for security reasons. The title comes right from Palfrey's, yes, the little horse's mouth (look up the origin of her surname) and from a comment by my former co-researcher when we were working for Jeane's defense. Both were stated in a context that rendered it incredibly callous, cold, just more of the joys that involvement in the case inflicted on me, I'm Mark Twain now.

The cover will be posted on the book's website. It's based on a medieval woodcut of a hanged woman being tormented by demons. In the original, the expression is dour, slack in the mouth a little. I gave the woman a bit of a grin to underscore the very real perversity of the case and its conclusion. I've had to include significant social, cultural, and historical context so that my involvement makes some kind of sense. This was an international story with many different players, too many. Insofar as I've been able to ascertain, no one has established meaningful contact with any of the former escorts from Pamela Martin & Associates, not even Ken Silverstein last time I asked him within the last couple years. Someone posting her claiming to be Andrea Detty asked why I wasn't talking to any of the girls, which is a loaded question if ever there was one. You tell me. See how that works, or rather doesn't? I've posted comments and statements on here several times asking some of the former escorts to come forward, but we're talking hookers here folks, so what do you expect? A lot of bullshit yammering, nothing constructive.

None of these women have much motivation to talk. If they do, they're going to find themselves in a world of shit, that is, if they're not there already. The new and old fixers, the appointees wrecking our government and negating the rule of law, these AUSAs, these scum at the DOJ, would nail their asses to the floor on some trumped up charges. Then again, they might just harass them until they cry uncle, make their lives hell, like Brandy Britton's.

They're not talking, get over it and yourself, whoever the commenter was. I don't believe it was Detty, but if it was, her question was calculated in a way that's very suspicious. Was she Jeane's Judas? I have no idea. But I think there was one, it wasn't just the stupidity of mailing USPS Money Orders at a Postal Station--laundering it that way, through the mails, and using all their services. They ever hear of Western Union or 7-11s? Jesus, people, I'd be a better criminal than that shit, you gotta be kidding me, but that's the truth, from the trial transcripts. These girls should have bypassed Jeane's instructions to buy and send like that, gone and gotten a Slurpee, a Playgirl, and mailed it from anywhere else. You can't tell me that Palfrey wasn't protected in DC, no way, she wasn't even a good criminal. You see, USPS Inspectors busted her ass in San Diego that first time around, in the early 1990s. Get the drift? You will after reading my book.

I don't say this about my writing often and am my own worst critic. But I have to say that this is a good book, a solid account done with incredible effort to get things right. If I'm wrong, I'm wrong, but I have to lay all my cards on the table. After I got involved, there was no other choice, it was always waiting at the end. No one can be 100% correct about these kinds of things, the criminal underworld and the secret world of spycraft.

Caligulaugh

It was once written by one of the great Roman chroniclers that the insane emperor Caligula once remarked after his football team lost (brutish athletes liked molesting adolescent boys then too) that, were he able, that he'd cut the throats of the Coliseum audience, collectively, if only they had one throat. They'd been rooting for someone else it seems. I think a simple collective pimp-slap (with rings on) would have been adequate, or instructed the Praetorian Guard to inoculate them with laryngitis, yo.

Series: FORTUNE COOKIE EXEGESIS TIME

Ed.(Wood)--Because it requires little effort with more "BOOM!", I decided the time has come to unravel the annoying Mystery Cult that is the fortune cookie. Hey, fuck decorum and other Latinate wording for the dumbshow crowd. After consuming a variety of tasty Americanized Chinese dishes, after gorging, and gorging (I don't eat like this, but many fat-assed A'murkans do), heading to the neighborhood vomitorium, then going back for sixths, the pigs go and eat a fortune cookie too. So do I, not that I gorge, and I'm not obese or from Mississippi, the worst state in the nation.

And so, there comes the fortune, encased by what would never normally pass the muster as a real cookie. For some weird-assed reason, simpletons read these fortunes thinking (if you want to call it that, I don't) this shit can somehow come true, or that it's unique, sage fucking advice of some kind for the yokels who are more superstitious than an ancient Sicilian peasant woman.

Nonetheless, the cookies occasionally do actually make some kind of sense--certainly more than the people who think the advice and aphorisms (look it up) have some bearing on their cowardly way of unliving. Great, fine, whatever. I'm not even going into the "Lucky Number" bullshit, since that's yet more irrational pap for magical thinkers, crazies, and of course, the mooks. I don't normally enjoy the role of "Satan-the-accuser," but hey, this shit invites it, people invite it when they flap their gums too much. Americans have turned it into a pastime.

And so, without any adieu whatsoever, because no one's paying me for this shit except Dennis Marrero (thanks):

"Your present plans are going to succeed."

Uh, shit--how did they know? OK, I was planning to mount (heh) Schlieffen Plan attempt #3, it's true. This time we decided to burn down the Louvre, demolish the Arch de Triumphe, turn the Bastille into a whorehouse, and make a pinata our Napoleon's carcass, I admit to this, kidding aside folks, and this time the trains will run on time and be able to be recalled.

Stratfor settles on security breach (document)

Ed. (my name is not Ed)--This is all she wrote. Wikileaks published many thousands of emails from the private intelligence firm, Strafor, in December of last year after hackers caused a security breach and made off with them, and so on. This is the settlement between the soon-to-be-defunct firm and various plaintiffs who were compromised. Enjoy...

IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE EASTERN DISTRICT OF NEW YORK A class action settlement involving Stratfor's online service will provide benefits to those who qualify. A court authorized this notice. This is not a solicitation from a lawyer. ·         There is a class action concerning whether Stratfor Enterprises, LLC, Strategic Forecasting, Inc, and George Friedman (together called "Stratfor") improperly contributed to the loss of personal information that occurred when Stratfor's servers were illegally hacked in December 2011. ·         A proposed settlement has been reached with Stratfor (the "Settlement") and is pending Court approval. ·         Under the terms of the Settlement, you may be eligible for certain benefits if you qualify ·         Your legal rights are affected whether you act or do not act.  Read this notice carefully. YOUR LEGAL RIGHTS AND OPTIONS IN THIS SETTLEMENT: ASK TO BE EXCLUDED Get no compensation. The only option that allows you to individually sue Stratfor over the claims resolved by this Settlement. OBJECT Write to the Court about why you don't agree with the Settlement. GO TO A HEARING Ask to speak in Court about the Settlement. DO NOTHING Receive benefits, if eligible. Give up rights. ·         These rights and options-and the deadlines to exercise them-are explained in this notice. ·         The Court in charge of this case still has to decide whether to approve the Settlement. If it does, and after any appeals are resolved, benefits will be distributed to those who qualify. Please be patient. QUESTIONS? CALL 1-866-322-4455 TOLL FREE, OR VISIT WWW.StratforSettlement.COM BASIC INFORMATION 1.   Why was this notice issued? 2.   What is this lawsuit about? 3.   Why is this a class action? 4.   Why is there a Settlement? WHO IS IN THE SETTLEMENT 5.   How do I know if I am part of the Settlement? 6.   I'm still not sure I'm included. THE SETTLEMENT BENEFITS-WHAT YOU GET IF YOU QUALIFY 7.   How do I qualify for compensation? 8.   How  can I receive the benefits? 9.   When would I receive the benefits? 10. What am I giving up to get a benefit or stay in the Class? EXCLUDING YOURSELF FROM THE SETTLEMENT 11. How do I get out of the proposed Settlement? 12. If I don't exclude myself, can I sue the Defendants and the other Released Parties for the same thing later? 13. If I exclude myself, can I get compensation from this Settlement? THE LAWYERS REPRESENTING YOU 14. Do I have a lawyer in this case? 15. How will the lawyers be paid? If so, how much? OBJECTING TO THE SETTLEMENT 16. How do I tell the Court if I do not like the proposed Settlement? 17. What's the difference between objecting and excluding? THE COURT'S Settlement Fairness HEARING 18. When and where will the Court decide whether to approve the proposed Settlement? 19. Do I have to come to the hearing? 20. May I speak at the hearing? IF YOU DO NOTHING 21. What happens if I do nothing at all? GETTING MORE INFORMATION 22. Are there more details about the proposed Settlement? BASIC INFORMATION 1.    Why was this notice issued? A Court authorized this notice because you have a right to know about a proposed nationwide settlement of this class action with Stratfor, including the right to claim benefits and about all of your options before the Court decides whether to give "final approval" to the Settlement. If the Court approves the Settlement, and after any appeals are resolved, benefits will be distributed to everyone who qualifies. This notice explains the lawsuit, the Settlement, your legal rights, what benefits are available, who may be eligible for the benefits, and how to receive the benefits. United States District Court Judge Denis R. Hurley in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York is overseeing this class action. The case is known as Sterling et al. v. Strategic Forecasting, Inc. et al. Case No. 2:12-cv-00297-DRH-ARL.  The entities who sued are called the "Plaintiffs," and the parties they sued are called the "Defendants" or "Stratfor." The Settlement includes these Stratfor Companies: Stratfor Enterprises, LLC, Strategic Forecasting, Inc., Stratcap Management Company, LLC, and Stratfor Holdings, LLC and their officers and directors. 2.    What is this lawsuit about? The lawsuit generally claims that Stratfor took improper action or improperly failed to take action both leading up to the hack and after the hack of their servers and Stratfor's improper actions or omissions contributed to the theft of customer's personal information, specifically their credit card numbers. Stratfor has denied all of these claims and maintains that they did not act wrongfully or unlawfully. 3.    Why is this a class action? In a class action, one or more people called "Class Representatives" (in this case David Sterling and Sterling & Sterling, Inc.) sue on behalf of individuals who have similar claims. All these individuals are a "Class" or "Class Members."  A court resolves the issues for all Class Members, except for those who exclude themselves from the Class. 4.    Why is there a Settlement? The Court did not decide in favor of the Plaintiffs or Stratfor. Instead, both sides agreed to settle in order to avoid the cost of a trial, and the people who qualify will get compensation. The Class Representatives and their attorneys believe the Settlement is best for all Class Members. The Settlement does not mean Stratfor admits any wrongdoing. WHO IS IN THE SETTLEMENT? To see if you are eligible for benefits from this Settlement, you first have to determine if you are a Class Member. 5.    How do I know if I am a Class Member? The Class includes all individuals who were current or former subscribers to the Stratfor Service as of December 24, 2011. The Settlement excludes (1) Stratfor, or any entity in which Stratfor has a controlling interest, and its respective legal representatives, officers, directors, employees, assigns and successors; (2) the judge to whom this case is assigned and any member of the judge's staff and immediate family; and (3) any person who, in accordance with the terms of this Agreement, properly executes and submits a timely request for exclusion from the Class. 6.    What if I am still not sure if I am included? If you are not certain whether you are included in the Class, you may call the Settlement Administrator at toll free number 1-866-322-4455 with questions. THE SETTLEMENT BENEFITS-WHAT YOU GET IF YOU QUALIFY 7.    How do I qualify for compensation? The Settlement will compensate eligible Class Members for Stratfor's alleged improper actions or omissions in relation to the theft of customer's personal information. To qualify for a benefit you must be a Class Member and have been a current or former paying subscriber to the Stratfor Service as of December 24, 2011, whose credit card number Stratfor had on file on December 24, 2011, and whose credit card information was obtained by third-parties due to the breach of Stratfor's computer storage systems. Benefits to persons who qualify will be calculated as follows: If you were a current or former paying subscriber to the Stratfor Service on December 24, 2011, and you had credit card information on file with Stratfor on December 24, 2011, and your credit card information was obtained by third-parties due to the breach of Stratfor's computer storage services, you are eligible for one month of access to the Stratfor Service, valued at $29.08, free of charge. If you were a current or former paying subscriber to the Stratfor Service on December 24, 2011, and Stratfor had your credit card number on file on December 24, 2011, and your credit card information was obtained by third-parties due to the breach of Stratfor's computer storage systems, you are eligible for an "e-book" entitled "The Blue Book" published by Stratfor, valued at $12.99, free of charge. If you were a current or former paying subscriber to the Stratfor Service on December 24, 2011, and Stratfor had your credit card number on file on December 24, 2011, and your credit card information was obtained by third-parties due to the breach of Stratfor's computer storage systems, you are eligible for a per-capita distribution of any monetary relief obtained (after costs and attorneys' fees) from Stratfor's Business and Management Indemnity Policy with Scottsdale Indemnity Company ("Scottsdale Action") as further explained in the subsection III(F) of the Settlement Agreement. If you were a current paying subscriber or you were a former subscriber who re-subscribes, you will receive the additional benefit of Stratfor's enhanced services, which will include the engagement of information technology (IT) companies, IT developers, and providers of IT data migration and development, to ensure the future safety of Stratfor subscribers.  If you do not exclude yourself from the Class and remain a Class Member (as explained in Questions 12 and 13), the only benefits you could ever recover from Stratfor on any claim released in this Settlement are described in the above paragraphs.  If you believe you are entitled to or want to seek a recovery larger than that described above, you must exclude yourself from the Class through the procedure described in Question 11 below. 8.    How can I receive the benefits? If you do not opt out of the class and are eligible to receive benefits, and the Settlement is given final approval, you will be contacted by Stratfor to receive your benefits. 9.    When would I receive the benefits? Benefits will be made available to eligible Class Members after the Court grants "final approval" of the Settlement, and any appeals are resolved. If the Court approves the Settlement after a Settlement Fairness Hearing on September 28, 2012 (see the section "The Court's Settlement Fairness Hearing" below), there may be appeals.  It's always uncertain whether these appeals can be resolved, and resolving them can take time. Please be patient during this process. In addition, you can check the website or call the toll free number listed below in order to get a status update on the final approval of the Settlement, the claims administration process, and when the benefits will be made available. 10.  What am I giving up to get a benefit or stay in the Settlement Class? If you stay in the Class, you will agree to "release and discharge" Stratfor as described in Section IX of the Settlement Agreement and Question 10.  More specifically, Class Members will release the "Released Parties" (as defined below) for all "Settled Claims" (as defined below), including "Unknown Claims" (as defined below).  The Settlement Agreement is available at www.StratforSettlement.com. "Settled Claims" means any claim, Unknown Claim, allegation, right, demand, action or cause of action for damages of any kind (including, but not limited to, compensatory, consequential, special, statutory, exemplary or punitive), injunctive relief, penalties, administrative remedies, or other form of relief based upon any statute, common law principle, rule or regulation of any governmental, regulatory or self-regulatory authority or organization or any other legal theory whatsoever, whether known or unknown, asserted or unasserted, latent or patent that (i) is, has been or could have been asserted by the Releasing Parties against the Released Parties arising from or relating to any of the matters, events or facts alleged in the Action and/or (ii) arises from or relates in any way to an alleged unauthorized disclosure to, or unauthorized acquisition by, any Person on or before December 24, 2011 of any information provided to Defendants by Plaintiffs and/or Settlement Class Members, including but not limited to claims based upon any statements or alleged misrepresentations or omissions in Defendants' privacy statement and/or any alleged increased risk of identity theft or actual identity theft. This release does not release or purport to release any claims of any governmental entity.  Upon the final approval of the Final Settlement, each Class Member shall be subject to and shall be bound by the Final Judgment, and shall be conclusively deemed to have expressly waived and released any and all Settled Claims that he, she, or it has or might have against Released Parties arising from or in any way related to any acts or omissions which have been alleged or which could have been alleged in the Action by the Plaintiffs on behalf of themselves or on behalf of the Settlement Class, on behalf of a putative class or by a Class Member, to the full extent of res judicata protections. Provided, however, that the Settled Claims do not include any claim for enforcement of this Agreement and/or the Final Judgment. Included within the Settled Claims are Unknown Claims. "Unknown Claim" means any claim arising out of newly discovered facts and/or facts not now known but which could reasonably be discovered, and/or facts found hereafter to be other than or different from the facts now believed to be true.  The Settled Claims defined above, include all Unknown Claims.  Upon the final approval of the Final Settlement, each Class Member shall be subject to, and shall be bound by the Final Judgment, and shall be conclusively deemed to have expressly waived and released any and all Unknown Claims that he, she, or it has or might have against Released Parties arising from or in any way related to any acts or omissions which have been alleged or which could have been alleged in the Action by the Plaintiffs on behalf of themselves or on behalf of the Settlement Class, on behalf of a putative class or by a Class Member, to the full extent of res judicata protections. "Released Party(ies)" means Defendants, their predecessors, successors, assigns, their past, present and future parents, subsidiaries, affiliates, divisions, departments, and all of the past, present and future officers, directors, employees, stockholders, partners, agents, servants, successors, attorneys, auditors, consultants, representatives, and subrogees, of any and all of the forgoing.  It is expressly understood that Scottsdale is not a Released Party. Unless you exclude yourself, you are staying in the Class, and that means the Court's orders in this case will apply to you and legally bind you.  Therefore, if you do not exclude yourself from the class and remain a Class Member, you will be giving up your right to sue Stratfor individually on any of the Settled Claims described above, including the Unknown Claims. If you have any questions, please visit the website or call the toll-free number.  EXCLUDING YOURSELF FROM THE SETTLEMENT If you are a Class Member and you want to keep the right to sue Stratfor about the issues in this case or the Settled Claims, then you must take steps to remove yourself from the Settlement Class. This is called excluding yourself from-or is sometimes referred to as "opting out" of-the Settlement Class. If you want to preserve a right to pursue an independent legal remedy against Stratfor, you must exclude yourself from this Settlement by following the procedures described below. 11.  How do I get out of the proposed Settlement? If you are a Class Member and you want to exclude yourself from the Settlement, you must send a letter by mail stating that you want to be excluded from the Settlement Class in Sterling et al. v. Strategic Forecasting, Inc. et al.  You must include the case number (2:12-cv-00297-DRH-ARL), your full name, address, telephone number, email address, and signature.  You must mail your request for exclusion postmarked by August 15, 2012 to: Exclusions Stratfor Settlement Administrator c/o BMC Group P.O. Box 2002 Chanhassen, MN 55317-2002 You cannot exclude yourself on the phone, by email, or at the website. Please understand that with only one exception, only you can request exclusion from the Class.  That exception is that a request for exclusion may be submitted on behalf of deceased or incapacitated Class Member by his or her Legally Authorized Representative.  While your lawyer may assist you, your lawyer cannot request exclusion from the Class on your behalf. Requests for exclusion that are on behalf of a group or class of persons are invalid and ineffective. 12.  If I do not exclude myself, can I sue the Defendants and the other Released Parties for the Same thing later? No. As explained in Question 10, unless you exclude yourself, you give up any right to individually sue Stratfor for the claims that this Settlement resolves. You must exclude yourself from this Class to individually sue Stratfor over the claims resolved by this Settlement. Remember, the exclusion deadline is August 15, 2012. 13.  If I exclude myself, can I get compensation from the proposed Settlement? No. If you exclude yourself, you cannot get compensation from the proposed Settlement. THE LAWYERS REPRESENTING YOU 14.  Do I have a lawyer in this case? The Court appointed Napoli Bern Ripka Shkolnik LLP to represent you and other Class Members as "Class Counsel." You do not have to personally pay Class Counsel. If you want to be represented by your own lawyer, and have that lawyer appear in court for you in this case, you may hire one at your own expense.  If you have questions about the Settlement or anything contained in this notice, you can visit the website or call the toll-free number.  15.  Will the lawyers be paid?  If so, how much? Class Counsel will file a petition for an award of attorneys' fees and costs. The Court will determine the amount of the award, but the total amount cannot exceed $400,000 less the costs of administering this Settlement, plus 1/3 of any recovery from the amount recovered from the Scottsdale Action. OBJECTING TO THE SETTLEMENT If you are a Class Member, you can tell the Court if you don't agree with the Settlement or some part of it. 16.  How do I tell the Court that I do not like the proposed Settlement? If you don't want the Court to approve the Settlement or want the Court to modify a portion of the Settlement, you must file a written objection in the case with the Eastern District of New York and send by email and physical copy to Plaintiffs' Counsel and Defense Counsel as noted below. You must include the name of the case (Sterling et al. v. Strategic Forecasting, Inc. et al.), case number (Case No. 2:12-cv-00297-DRH-ARL), your full name, address, telephone number, your signature, the specific reasons why you object to the Settlement, and whether you or your attorney will appear at the Settlement Final Approval Hearing (See the section on the "Court's Settlement Fairness Hearing" below).  The objection must be mailed and delivered to the following addresses on or before September 07, 2012: Court Filing Address HON. DENIS R. HURLEY U. S. District Court Eastern District of New York Long Island Courthouse 100 Federal Plaza Central Islip, NY 11722-4438 Plaintiffs' Counsel: Hunter J. Shkolnik Adam J. Gana Napoli Bern Ripka Shkolnik, LLP 350 Fifth Avenue, Suite 7413 New York, NY  10118 Hunter@napolibern.com agana@napolibern.com Defense's Counsel: Bill Cobb Jackson Walker L.L.P. 100 Congress Avenue, Suite 1100 Austin, Texas  78701 bcobb@jw.com You do not need to go to the Settlement Fairness Hearing to have your written objection considered by the Court. At the Settlement Fairness Hearing, any Settlement Class Member who has not previously submitted a request for exclusion from the Settlement Class may appear and be heard, to the extent allowed by the Court, to state any objection to the Settlement or Plaintiffs' Counsel's motion for reimbursement of expenses. Any such objector may appear in person or arrange, at that objector's expense, for a lawyer to represent the objector at the Hearing. 17.  What is the difference between objecting and excluding? Objecting is simply informing the Court that you don't like something about the Settlement. You can object only if you stay in the Class. Excluding yourself is informing the Court that you don't want to be part of the Class. If you exclude yourself, you have no basis to object because the case no longer affects you. If you do not exclude yourself from the Class, and object to the Settlement, you will be a member of the Class.  If you object, you will not have another opportunity to exclude yourself and you will be bound by any judgment entered by the Court. THE COURT'S SETTLEMENT FAIRNESS HEARING The Court will hold a hearing to decide whether to grant final approval of the Settlement. You may attend and you may ask to speak, but you don't have to. 18.  When and where will the Court decide whether to approve the proposed Settlement? The Court has scheduled a Settlement Final Approval Hearing at 3:00 p.m., on September 28, 2012, at the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York, Alfonse M. D'Amato United States Courthouse, 100 Federal Plaza, Central Islip, NY 11722.  At this hearing the Court will consider whether the Settlement is fair, reasonable and adequate. At the Settlement Fairness Hearing, the Court also will consider the applications of Plaintiffs' Counsel for attorneys' fees and costs. The Court will take into consideration any written objections submitted in accordance with the instructions. The Court also will listen to Class Members who appear and speak at the hearing; but decisions regarding the conduct of the hearing will be made by the Court. After the hearing, the Court will decide whether to approve the settlements. We do not know how long these decisions will take. You should be aware that the Court may change the date and time of the Settlement Fairness Hearing. Thus, if you want to come to the hearing, you should check with Plaintiffs' Counsel before coming to be sure that the date and/or time has not changed. 19.  Do I have to come to the hearing? No.  If you are a member of the Class, Class Counsel will represent you and will answer any questions that the Court may have. But, you are welcome to come at your own expense. If you send an objection, you don't have to come to Court to talk about it. As long as you filed and mailed your written objection on time, the Court will consider it, but Class Counsel will not argue your objection on your behalf.  You may also pay your own lawyer to attend, but it's not necessary. 20.  May I speak at the hearing? If you object to the Settlement, you may appear and speak at the Settlement Fairness Hearing. Persons who intend to object to the Settlement and who desire to call witnesses to testify or to introduce exhibits into evidence at the Settlement Fairness Hearing must submit a written objection as provided in the response to question 16, and must provide the identity of any witnesses they may call to testify and exhibits they intend to introduce into evidence at the Settlement Fairness Hearing. You cannot speak at the hearing if you excluded yourself from the Settlement Class. IF YOU DO NOTHING 21.  What happens if I do nothing at all? If you do nothing and are an eligible Class Member, you will receive benefits as described in Question 7. GETTING MORE INFORMATION 22.  Are there more details about the proposed Settlement? This notice summarizes the proposed Settlement. More details are in a Settlement Agreement.  You can get a copy of the Settlement Agreement at www.StratforSettlement.com. You may call the toll-free number listed below or visit the website or write to the Claims Administrator at: Stratfor Settlement Administrator c/o BMC Group P.O. Box 2002 Chanhassen, MN 55317-2002

---

If you wish to UNSUBSCRIBE from future email from the Settlement Administrator about this case, please click here.