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I disagree with your suggestion that Hillary is out of luck here:

The Superdelegate system was put in place when it was found that sometimes the candidate with the most delegates might not be the "most electable" candidate in the general election -recall Jimmy Carter, anyone?

Therefore, since Hillary...

#1: Leads in POPULAR vote (West Virginia put her over the top)
#2: Is more experiences
#3: Has a better chance of beating McCain (as most polls suggest), and
#4: Is more correct on the issues..., then...

Whay shouldn't the remaining superdelegates back here as the party's nominee?

For further reading:

TITLE: "How Hillary Might Win + Who's at fault in FLA & MI"

Editorial

www.GordonWayneWatts.com/HowHillaryMightWin.html

or

www.GordonWatts.com/HowHillaryMightWin.html

:-)

I'm Gordon Watts, and I approve this message.

I agree - our *stupid* elected lawmakers here in Floridabroke the rules - the delegates should not be seated -it would invite other states to violate the rules.

http://www.GordonWayneWatts.com/HowHillaryMightWin.html
or
http://www.GordonWatts.com/HowHillaryMightWin.html

All the same, I think they *will* be seated. Observe:

http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20080427/BLOG01/394868371

http://www.radaronline.com/exclusives/2008/05/howard-dean-jon-stewart-daily-show.php

http://patterico.com/2008/05/03/howard-dean-florida-and-michigan-delegations-will-be-seated

http://www.thedailyshow.com/video/index.jhtml?videoId=167527&title=howard-dean&byDate=true

PS: My editorial is better...

"I'm Gordon Watts, and I approve this massage."

Here is a thoughtful commentary on the issues facing this situation:

How Hillary Might Win + Who's at fault in FLA & MI

Editorial

www.GordonWayneWatts.com/HowHillaryMightWin.html
or
www.GordonWatts.com/HowHillaryMightWin.html

PS: This was quite a surprise - I thought Florida and Michigan were done for regarding getting their delegates seated.

I disagree with the claim that "Hillary can not win": The Superdelegate system was put in place precicely for cases like here -where she may lead the popular vote and electability factor -but trail in "regular" delegates -do your research, and see editorial below... The Register is managed by Gordon W. Watts, editor-in-chief, who lost his pro se bid to save Terri Schiavo by a 4-3 margin in Florida's Supreme Court. Watts' case, {In Re: GORDON WAYNE WATTS (as next friend of THERESA MARIE “TERRI” SCHIAVO), No. SC03-2420 (Fla. Feb.23, 2003), denied 4-3 on rehearing}, is shown here and a saved copy is here. Florida Governor, Jeb Bush also tried to save Theresa Marie "Terri" Schindler-Schiavo's life before the same court. Bush's rehearing, unlike Watts', was denied by a 7-0 margin. Watts' experience and ability to speak with some credibility is shown by the fact that he did markedly better in his rehearing before the same panel than Bush. Governor Jeb Bush's case, {JEB BUSH, GOVERNOR OF FLORIDA, ET AL. v. MICHAEL SCHIAVO, GUARDIAN: THERESA SCHIAVO, No. SC04-925 (Fla. Oct.21, 2004), denied 7-0 on rehearing}, is shown: here and a save copy is here. Mr. Watts is also shown on page 17 of 25 in this Federal Court's opinion: Court Website Copy or Saved copy of case No. 05-11628. Related case here in the Tampa Tribune. More links are in the in the article and at the very bottom. How Hillary Might Win + Who's at fault in FLA & MI Editorial Last Updated: Sun. 18 May 2008. LAKELAND, FL (The Register) Wednesday, 14 May 2008 - I live in Fla, & I'm upset our votes in both REP & DEM primaries were reduced or not counted, but, honestly, our state DIDN’T follow the rules: We deserve what we got. As a Floridan, I'm thankful Hillary is "fighting for Florida's votes," but I think all the talk about Florida & Michigan is a DISTRACTION. Instead, if she ran a good campaign, she'd pick up the uncommitted superdelegates: In the process, Fla & MI would still be represented. Also, if she wants to do well with working class folk in the remaining rural states, she might wanna "tighten up" on two issues: #1 Country folk like their gun rights. If guns are outlawed, only outlaws can have guns. In Utah, for example, it's legal for students & staff to “carry” on campus, and guess what? There have been no shootings at Utah colleges. I wonder why! "Utah students hide guns, head to class" www.cnn.com/2008/US/02/20/cnnu.guns/index.html "Utah only state to allow guns at college" www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18355953 #2 While Hillary's health care policy isn’t as much tax-and-spend as Obama's, let's face it: Just about ALL politicians including George W. Bush are tax-and-spend liberals -especially Bush, with his prescription plan for seniors -a pork barrel boondoggle! THE CASE FOR HILLARY (A) Mrs. Clinton is very close (some polls put her ahead) in popular vote -for both primary -and even general election matchup against John McCain: PRIMARY NUMBERS: For example, this poll has Obama trailing Clinton 13,104,492 to 13,243,919 in popular vote with, of course, FL & MI, excluding caucuses: www.usaelectionpolls.com/2008/clinton-obama-popular-vote.html GENERAL ELECTION NUMBERS: Also, this poll indicates Clinton would beat McCain in a general election, 280 to 241 with 17 ties, while Obama would be defeated by McCain, 237 to 290, with 11 ties: http://dailybarf.typepad.com/daily_barf/2008/05/clinton-vs-mcca.html UPDATE: Late Wednesday, it was learned that West Virginia returns put Sen. Hillary Clinton ahead on the total popular vote in the Democratic Primary, as reported by ABC News - * CLINTON - 16,691,639 * OBAMA - 16,648,060 Source: http://abcnews.go.com/politics (Page visited on Fri. 16 May 2008.) End of Update. (B) The greater electability of Hillary (Rush Limbaugh was wrong here, folks) is clearly shown by the most updated polls show one thing: Claims that Hillary Clinton is "more electable" in a general election apparently have merit - It appears she indeed is more able to beat Sen. John McCain than Obama. (C) We know Sen. Clinton has far more experience than Sen. Obama. (She has been a senator longer and has had hands-on experience in the Whitehouse.) (D) Hillary is more in touch with American voters on the issues (isn't that all that really matters?), but (see above) even she has room for improvement. I'm not prejudiced because Obama's Black -in fact, I suggest that Hillary ask one of the following to be a running mate: * Ambassador Alan Keys * Dr. Ron Paul (although he's White, he's really a "minority" within the faltering Republican party: Most party leaders don't agree with his common sense) * Dr. Bill Cosby (yes, the actor is a "Dr." having earned his PhD in Education -bet ya didn't know that!) All 3 are men of integrity -and very qualified too. (Plus, all 3 are "minorities," who can offer diverse viewpoints.) * Lastly: A History Lesson * The superdelegate process was created when it was known that the candidate with the most pledged delegates might not be the best candidate in the general election (such as Jimmy Carter). Since the best candidate -or the one with the most popular vote -sometimes doesn't get enough delegates to win the primary, "superdelegates" who could vote their conscience, were added as a corrective factor. Accordingly, at present, most Superdelegates are still uncommitted. Thus, calls for Hillary to "bow out" are inappropriate. The "system" seems to be working -so far -so, people and press should chill out & let it work. CONCLUSION While I'm not a fan of Hillary, she'd still make a fine president, if she somehow gets in -but Hillary, once a Republican while in college, needs to get back in touch with her roots regarding the common man's issues. I plan to write in Dr. Ron Paul for this election, but if Hillary or McCain pick a "qualified" Vice Presidential running mate (hint, hint), and/or make some "course corrections" on important issues, I may change my mind -and vote for him (or her). This is my view. Do you agree? Last Updated: Sun. 18 May 2008. NEW: Neither the Florida Democratic Party nor the Republican Party of Florida is at fault for moving up the date of the primaries. So, if those rumours are not correct -and they aren't at fault, then "who did it?" Well, it looks like Michigan did the same thing as Florida, so let's just concentrate on Florida, to make things simple, OK? Florida's Legislature (that is, the lawmakers in the state house & senate) passed -by overwhelming majorities of both Democrats and Republicans in both houses -House Bill 537, which moved the date of the state's primary to January 29th, a week before the Democratic National Committee (DNC) rules permit: http://www.myfloridahouse.gov/Sections/Bills/billsdetail.aspx?BillId=35049 The earliest allowed date under DNC rules is February the 05th, 2008, aka "Super Tuesday," but Fla. Gov. Charlie Crist signed this bill into law. Apparently, the lawmakers' intent was to have a greater influence on the primary; they wanted to "make a splash" in the news media with their early primary. Well, they did, but not in the way they wanted: They got penalised by both the Democratic and Republican parties -the former stripping all Florida's delegates, and the latter stripping half our delegates. The Florida House, on May 03, 2008, passed this bill 118-0, and the Senate passed its version by a 37-2 margin on April 27, 2008, with almost all lawmakers of both parties voting in favour of the moving up of the primary dates. (TRANSLATION: There were *very* many stupid lawmakers in both Democratic and Republican parties.) Although both The Democratic Party and the Republican Party of Florida have a lot of members who are also lawmakers, the parties themselves were *not* at fault here -and neither were voters -and Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) was not at fault either. So, in conclusion, to those Democrat voters who want to "count Florida's votes," let me suggest this: If you persist in annoying the DNC, you might "win the battle, but lose the war" -you might cut off your nose to spite your face. If you really want to help Sen. Hillary Rodham-Clinton get the nomination, I would suggest this: Be polite and humble: Admit to the DNC that your elected leaders were inbred Florida morons who wanted to grease up yet another election in "we can't count the votes" Florida. Then, rather than asking that Florida's delegates be seated, instead respectfully ask the remaining undecided "Superdelegates" to review Sen. Clinton's candidacy on the merits (see above), and, in doing so, Florida' and Michigan's delegates would get meaningful representation. Remember: Humility before greatness -and pride before a fall. All you democrats do not have to follow my recommendations, but if you don't, polls suggest Sen. Obama gets trounced in the general election. With all due respect for Sen. Obama, I think Hillary Clinton is the more qualified, more experienced candidate, and here is common ground on which conservative Republicans (like me) and pro-Hillary democrats (like you) can agree. This is my view. Do you agree? Gordon Wayne Watts, LAKELAND, Fla, USA The Register web resources: | The AOL Mirror | GeoCities Mirror | Gordon Watts - personal website | | Gordon Watts alt. personal website |

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The Register is managed by Gordon W. Watts, editor-in-chief, who lost his pro se bid to save Terri Schiavo by a 4-3 margin in Florida's Supreme Court. Watts' case, {In Re: GORDON WAYNE WATTS (as next friend of THERESA MARIE “TERRI” SCHIAVO), No. SC03-2420 (Fla. Feb.23, 2003), denied 4-3 on rehearing}, is shown here and a saved copy is here. Florida Governor, Jeb Bush also tried to save Theresa Marie "Terri" Schindler-Schiavo's life before the same court. Bush's rehearing, unlike Watts', was denied by a 7-0 margin. Watts' experience and ability to speak with some credibility is shown by the fact that he did markedly better in his rehearing before the same panel than Bush. Governor Jeb Bush's case, {JEB BUSH, GOVERNOR OF FLORIDA, ET AL. v. MICHAEL SCHIAVO, GUARDIAN: THERESA SCHIAVO, No. SC04-925 (Fla. Oct.21, 2004), denied 7-0 on rehearing}, is shown: here and a save copy is here. Mr. Watts is also shown on page 17 of 25 in this Federal Court's opinion: Court Website Copy or Saved copy of case No. 05-11628. Related case here in the Tampa Tribune. More links are in the in the article and at the very bottom. How Hillary Might Win + Who's at fault in FLA & MI Editorial Last Updated: Sun. 18 May 2008. LAKELAND, FL (The Register) Wednesday, 14 May 2008 - I live in Fla, & I'm upset our votes in both REP & DEM primaries were reduced or not counted, but, honestly, our state DIDN’T follow the rules: We deserve what we got. As a Floridan, I'm thankful Hillary is "fighting for Florida's votes," but I think all the talk about Florida & Michigan is a DISTRACTION. Instead, if she ran a good campaign, she'd pick up the uncommitted superdelegates: In the process, Fla & MI would still be represented. Also, if she wants to do well with working class folk in the remaining rural states, she might wanna "tighten up" on two issues: #1 Country folk like their gun rights. If guns are outlawed, only outlaws can have guns. In Utah, for example, it's legal for students & staff to “carry” on campus, and guess what? There have been no shootings at Utah colleges. I wonder why! "Utah students hide guns, head to class" www.cnn.com/2008/US/02/20/cnnu.guns/index.html "Utah only state to allow guns at college" www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18355953 #2 While Hillary's health care policy isn’t as much tax-and-spend as Obama's, let's face it: Just about ALL politicians including George W. Bush are tax-and-spend liberals -especially Bush, with his prescription plan for seniors -a pork barrel boondoggle! THE CASE FOR HILLARY (A) Mrs. Clinton is very close (some polls put her ahead) in popular vote -for both primary -and even general election matchup against John McCain: PRIMARY NUMBERS: For example, this poll has Obama trailing Clinton 13,104,492 to 13,243,919 in popular vote with, of course, FL & MI, excluding caucuses: www.usaelectionpolls.com/2008/clinton-obama-popular-vote.html GENERAL ELECTION NUMBERS: Also, this poll indicates Clinton would beat McCain in a general election, 280 to 241 with 17 ties, while Obama would be defeated by McCain, 237 to 290, with 11 ties: http://dailybarf.typepad.com/daily_barf/2008/05/clinton-vs-mcca.html UPDATE: Late Wednesday, it was learned that West Virginia returns put Sen. Hillary Clinton ahead on the total popular vote in the Democratic Primary, as reported by ABC News - * CLINTON - 16,691,639 * OBAMA - 16,648,060 Source: http://abcnews.go.com/politics (Page visited on Fri. 16 May 2008.) End of Update. (B) The greater electability of Hillary (Rush Limbaugh was wrong here, folks) is clearly shown by the most updated polls show one thing: Claims that Hillary Clinton is "more electable" in a general election apparently have merit - It appears she indeed is more able to beat Sen. John McCain than Obama. (C) We know Sen. Clinton has far more experience than Sen. Obama. (She has been a senator longer and has had hands-on experience in the Whitehouse.) (D) Hillary is more in touch with American voters on the issues (isn't that all that really matters?), but (see above) even she has room for improvement. I'm not prejudiced because Obama's Black -in fact, I suggest that Hillary ask one of the following to be a running mate: * Ambassador Alan Keys * Dr. Ron Paul (although he's White, he's really a "minority" within the faltering Republican party: Most party leaders don't agree with his common sense) * Dr. Bill Cosby (yes, the actor is a "Dr." having earned his PhD in Education -bet ya didn't know that!) All 3 are men of integrity -and very qualified too. (Plus, all 3 are "minorities," who can offer diverse viewpoints.) * Lastly: A History Lesson * The superdelegate process was created when it was known that the candidate with the most pledged delegates might not be the best candidate in the general election (such as Jimmy Carter). Since the best candidate -or the one with the most popular vote -sometimes doesn't get enough delegates to win the primary, "superdelegates" who could vote their conscience, were added as a corrective factor. Accordingly, at present, most Superdelegates are still uncommitted. Thus, calls for Hillary to "bow out" are inappropriate. The "system" seems to be working -so far -so, people and press should chill out & let it work. CONCLUSION While I'm not a fan of Hillary, she'd still make a fine president, if she somehow gets in -but Hillary, once a Republican while in college, needs to get back in touch with her roots regarding the common man's issues. I plan to write in Dr. Ron Paul for this election, but if Hillary or McCain pick a "qualified" Vice Presidential running mate (hint, hint), and/or make some "course corrections" on important issues, I may change my mind -and vote for him (or her). This is my view. Do you agree? Last Updated: Sun. 18 May 2008. NEW: Neither the Florida Democratic Party nor the Republican Party of Florida is at fault for moving up the date of the primaries. So, if those rumours are not correct -and they aren't at fault, then "who did it?" Well, it looks like Michigan did the same thing as Florida, so let's just concentrate on Florida, to make things simple, OK? Florida's Legislature (that is, the lawmakers in the state house & senate) passed -by overwhelming majorities of both Democrats and Republicans in both houses -House Bill 537, which moved the date of the state's primary to January 29th, a week before the Democratic National Committee (DNC) rules permit: http://www.myfloridahouse.gov/Sections/Bills/billsdetail.aspx?BillId=35049 The earliest allowed date under DNC rules is February the 05th, 2008, aka "Super Tuesday," but Fla. Gov. Charlie Crist signed this bill into law. Apparently, the lawmakers' intent was to have a greater influence on the primary; they wanted to "make a splash" in the news media with their early primary. Well, they did, but not in the way they wanted: They got penalised by both the Democratic and Republican parties -the former stripping all Florida's delegates, and the latter stripping half our delegates. The Florida House, on May 03, 2008, passed this bill 118-0, and the Senate passed its version by a 37-2 margin on April 27, 2008, with almost all lawmakers of both parties voting in favour of the moving up of the primary dates. (TRANSLATION: There were *very* many stupid lawmakers in both Democratic and Republican parties.) Although both The Democratic Party and the Republican Party of Florida have a lot of members who are also lawmakers, the parties themselves were *not* at fault here -and neither were voters -and Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) was not at fault either. So, in conclusion, to those Democrat voters who want to "count Florida's votes," let me suggest this: If you persist in annoying the DNC, you might "win the battle, but lose the war" -you might cut off your nose to spite your face. If you really want to help Sen. Hillary Rodham-Clinton get the nomination, I would suggest this: Be polite and humble: Admit to the DNC that your elected leaders were inbred Florida morons who wanted to grease up yet another election in "we can't count the votes" Florida. Then, rather than asking that Florida's delegates be seated, instead respectfully ask the remaining undecided "Superdelegates" to review Sen. Clinton's candidacy on the merits (see above), and, in doing so, Florida' and Michigan's delegates would get meaningful representation. Remember: Humility before greatness -and pride before a fall. All you democrats do not have to follow my recommendations, but if you don't, polls suggest Sen. Obama gets trounced in the general election. With all due respect for Sen. Obama, I think Hillary Clinton is the more qualified, more experienced candidate, and here is common ground on which conservative Republicans (like me) and pro-Hillary democrats (like you) can agree. This is my view. Do you agree? Gordon Wayne Watts, LAKELAND, Fla, USA www.GordonWayneWatts.com or www.GordonWatts.com The Register web resources: | The AOL Mirror | GeoCities Mirror | Gordon Watts - personal website | | Gordon Watts alt. personal website |

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_______~~~Book/Movie Review of The DaVinci Code, by Dan Brown~~~_______ Thank you for your feedback, Mr. Blonde; I concur that it is a good movie -and somewhat toned down from the hot-and-heavy book. To that end, I have made some updates (as seen below). The updates are easy to follow -they're in Dark Red and in italics like that. --GORDON aka "Gww1210" on this board:

http://GordonWatts.com/DaVinci.html

http://Members.AOL.com/gww1210/myhomepage/DaVinci.html

http://www.GeoCities.com/Gordon_Watts32313/DaVinci.html

*_ Book Review (UPDATE: and Movie Review) of The DaVinci Code, by Dan Brown _*

Book Review and         Movie Review of:         THE         DAVINCI        CODE         XX*X*X**               XXXX  Novel by: DAN BROWN Reviewed by: G. W. Watts

WELCOME, Visitor: Please Turn on your computer speakers & maximize 3-D Stereo Enhancement for best sound!

The DaVinci Code opened in theatres nationwide / worldwide on Friday, 19 May 2006. (Film based on Dan Brown's book by the same name.) Register editor-in-chief, Gordon Watts gives a review of Dan Brown’s book -and newly released movie, “The DaVinci Code.”

LAKELAND, FL (The Register) Tuesday, 23 May 2006 -- Reviewer, Watts, has read the entire 489-pages paperback edition published by Anchor Books, A Division of Random House, Inc., New York. (The 454-page edition, published by Doubleday , however, is generally cited in other book reviews. Citations below shall be from the 454-page edition.) The book was “very interesting” according to Watts, who claimed it was “well-written, by a seasoned pro, whether or not it is actually based on fact.” While Watts says the book is “more fiction than fact,” he concurred with other reviewers in the assessment of this fast-paced thriller and says he enjoyed the story and felt he got his money’s worth -and recommends everyone get a copy to enjoy -and to challenge critical thinking and analysis skills.

In addition, Watts has also seen the movie based on the book (starring Tom Hanks, Audrey Tautou, Ian McKellen, and Paul Bettany; Directed by Ron Howard and Screenplay by Akiva Goldsman), and it is said that the movie was "also very interesting" and fairly faithful to the book. Without revealing how it ends, Watts makes several points about differences between the movie and book: Audrey Tautou is not a tall redhead, as her character is depicted in the book, but instead, a brunette of average height. Also, Ian McKellen, who played Leigh Teabing, is not a fat, plump character as the book shows. Other minor changes were made and some shall be mentioned below -without spoiling the end.

Editor's Note: The original version of this review stated that Watts had only read the book. Since publication, Watts has also seen the roughly two-and-a-half-hour movie -in its entirety -at a local theatre in Lakeland, Florida. Watts commented to this writer that it was difficult to sit through such a lengthy movie without having a bathroom break, but careful planning allowed the viewing from almost 10 O'Clock pm until about 12:21 at the Lakeland Square Cinema. Watts suggested that avoiding all food and excess beverages several hours before show time is an important factor. All updated material below shall be in italicized dark red font.

The book (and movie) are generating loads of controversy because author, Dan Brown makes claims that this fiction book, which takes swipes at the Bible as we know it, is actually based on fact:

“All descriptions of artwork, architecture, documents, and secret rituals in this novel are accurate.” Source: Dan Brown, The DaVinci Code (ISBN: 1-4000-7917-9; New York: Anchor Books, 2003), the “FACT” page between Acknowledgements and Prologue; Last Paragraph. Also, Brown, when questioned by Borders, responded as follows:

“How would you describe The Da Vinci Code to someone who hasn't read any of your previous novels?

Dan Brown:…One of the many qualities that make The Da Vinci Code unique is the factual nature of the story. All the history, artwork, ancient documents, and secret rituals in the novel are accurate, as are the hidden codes revealed in some of da Vinci's most famous paintings.” (Source: http://bordersstores.com/features/feature.jsp?file=browndan)

Is, however, The DaVinci Code factual? Watts looks at three standards (which may have been pioneered by American philosopher, James Rachels) to evaluate this claim:
     1) Does the DaVinci Code agree with known fact?
     2) Does the DaVinci Code agree with itself? (Is it “self” consistent?)
     3) Does the DaVinci Code agree with gut feeling? (Intuition’s inner voice alone is not enough, but, taken together with #’s 1 and 2 above, gives a “big picture.”)

TEST #1: Does the DaVinci Code agree with known fact?

The DVC says the church were misogynic women-haters:
CLAIM: The DaVinci Code’s claims that “powerful men in the early church ‘conned’ the world by propagating lies that devalued the female and tipped the scales in favor of the masculine [and waged] a campaign of propaganda that demonized the sacred feminine…” Source: Dan Brown, The DaVinci Code (ISBN: 0-385-50420-0; New York: Anchor Books, 2003), page 124 of the 454-page edition. Brown also claims that “The power of the female…posed a threat to the rise of the predominately male church, and so the sacred feminine was demonized and called unclean [by] a church that had subjugated women…and forbidden the pagan reverence for the sacred feminine.” (Source: Brown, The DVC, pages 238-239)
UPDATE: The movie, while making similar claims, as the book, that the Catholic Church tried to propagate woman-hating propaganda and put together a woman-hating Bible in the Council of Nicaea, does not seem to make such a direct attack as does the book -based on the way the movie presents the issue. However, the movie does seem to claim -or suggest -the same thing as the book's quotes above.

FACT: The “early church” as we know it (Peter, Paul, Jesus, etc.) did *not* devalue women: For example, while women normally were not allowed to be a witness in court or participate in religious functions in that era, we have Mary Magdalene being one of the first people to tell the disciples of the risen Jesus (John chapter 20) -and we have numerous cases of women participating in Jesus’ ministry and the ministries of Peter and Paul. Furthermore, Paul the Apostle *clearly* tells his readers that both the husband *and* the wife are to be treated with love and respect. (1st Corinthians 7:3-4) Peter tells his readers in Acts 2:17 that both our sons *and* our daughters shall prophecy. Lastly, if we are to understand the “early church” to mean the early Christian leaders who put together the Bible, then we see that they did *not* edit out Old Testament sections of the Bible mentioning Deborah the Prophetess (Judges, chapter 4 & 5), or the Joel 2:28 passage, quoted by Peter in Acts 2:17 above, mentioning both sons *and* (female) daughters. Proverbs, chapter 31, is certainly *NOT* a Bible of a “women-hating” church. Of course, both Ruth and Esther have books named after them. That should erase any doubt at the absurdness of Dan Brown’s claims above. (After history showed us that “professional pundits” and “experts” got it wrong in claims that Mel Gibson’s “The Passion of the Christ” would incite Jews to anger, perhaps we should “think twice” before believing “experts” a second time, when they speak of Dan Brown’s book as historical “fact.” Will we ever learn?)

TEST #2: Does the DaVinci Code agree with itself?

The DVC first claims that the church demonized the pagan symbols, but then later claims that the church adopted those pagan symbols as their own. Which is it, Dan Brown?
** FIRST CLAIM: Dan Brown‘s character, Robert Langdon states: “As part of the Vatican’s campaign to eradicate the pagan religions and convert the masses to Christianity, the Church launched a smear campaign against the pagan gods and goddesses, recasting their divine symbols as evil…Poseidon’s trident became the devil’s pitchfork, the wise crone’s pointed hat became the devil’s pitchfork, and Venus’s pentacle became a sign of the devil.” (Brown, The DVC, page37)
** SECOND CLAIM: Brown’s character Langdon also claims that: “virtually all the elements of the Catholic ritual - the miter, the alter, the doxology, and communion, the act of ‘God-eating’ - were taken directly from earlier pagan mystery religions.” (Brown, The DVC, page 232)
UPDATE: Watts: The movie, as I recall it, made no comments either way about pagan symbols or elements of the Catholic rituals, as does the book. All the same, the book's claims should be evaluated for accuracy and consistency.

** CONCLUSION: Dan Brown is delusional if he thinks that we should accept him making sense here: Which is it, Mr. Brown: Did the Church trash and demonize the pagan symbols, or, instead, did they merely steal them for all of their rituals? ** The DaVinci Code does not even agree with itself. **

TEST #3: Does the DaVinci Code agree with gut feeling?

The DVC says that almost 400 years after Jesus’ death, an emperor ordered a recall of the current Bibles circulating.
CLAIM: The DaVinci Code states as follows: “Because Constantine upgraded Jesus’ status almost four centuries after Jesus’ death, thousands of documents already existed chronicled His life as a mortal man. To rewrite the history books…Constantine commissioned and financed a new Bible, which omitted those gospels that spoke of Christ’s human traits and embellished those gospels that made Him godlike. The earlier gospels were outlawed, gathered up, and burned.” (Brown, The DVC, page 234)
UPDATE: Watts: I don't recall the movie saying anything about actually recalling or gathering up and burning Bibles worldwide. However, the movie did say (through its main characters) that Constantine rewrote the Bible to change Christ from man to God by de-emphasizing His human traits, similar to the claims made it the book -and quoted above.

REALITY CHECK: After four centuries? Constantine was somehow able to do a recall of HUNDREDS or THOUSANDS of Bibles which were circulating after about 400 YEARS --all around the known world? What do you think he was? God? Earth calling Dan Brown: This is impossible!

MORE FACTUAL ERROR:
FURTHERMORE: This emperor “financed a new Bible, which omitted those gospels that spoke of Christ’s human traits?” Is Dan Brown also illiterate and unable to read? Even a grade school kid knows that the New Testament gospels speak clearly of Jesus’ human traits: Jesus was happy to spread good cheer and blessings (Matt. 14:27; also Matt. 25:34), Jesus was sad (John 11:33-36), Jesus was angry (Mark 11:15-17; also Matt: 25:41), as well as hungry (Matt. 4:2; Luke 4:2), and also physical fatigued at times (Luke 8:23). Let’s not forget Jesus also experienced the “human traits” of pain and death on the cross -much pain, I might add. (Lastly, what about Isaiah, chapter 53, which describes a *very human* Christ Jesus? Obviously, Constantine did not recall this book either.) Dan Brown’s claim above is obviously not factual, for either New Testament or Old Testament.

If Dan Brown fails and flunks these simple tests, can he really be trusted with heavy claims of conspiracy regarding the Bible? Jesus married? No credible evidence has come to light, and the Bible is arguably the most studied book in history. After all of Dan Brown’s blunders so far, we can not trust him against a solid record, as is the Bible.
UPDATE: Watts: Besides the observation I made above (that the Bible has been more researched and studied than any other book in history), Dr. Jay Dennis (of the Lakeland, Florida based "First Baptist Church at the Mall") suggests in his recent May 21, 2006 sermon that the Bible has also been highly persecuted -not only surviving persecution (a good "defense," I estimate), but also changing lives in a positive way (a good "offense," I would term it). Between the survival of both scholarly research and heavy persecution -while changing lives, the strong endurance of the Bible is a testament to its quality -and hints at its Divine authorship.

However, Dan Brown’s book, claimed to be factual by its author, makes further claims.

UPDATE: Watts: In addition to incorrectly claiming Jesus' human nature was hidden by the Church, Brown also makes claims that Christ was not divine. While this is harder to prove or disprove, Dr. Dennis also suggests in that 05-21-2006 sermon that a mere man would not die for a lie. "Pastor Jay," as he is called, hints that even a mad man would not claim he was very God if it meant his execution and very painful death. This, Dennis says, is proof that Jesus was the Christ and long-prophesied Messiah of the Jewish nation (and world). Taken together, it would seem, then, that Dan Brown makes false claims about both the Church and about Jesus of Nazareth. Pastor Jay, in his sermon, "What Jesus thinks about The DaVinci Code," relies heavily upon Biblical scripture to make his arguments and prove his points about what Jesus might think about this or other subjects. This is O.K. for the Bible-believing Christian, but this is insufficient for people who don't believe that the Bible is authored by God Almighty. To prove a point, however, to Bible skeptics, one must resort to other proof, and God is not lacking in "self-evident" proof. This is why I made additional truthful claims and endeavored to prove them, that is, so I would be able to "...be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh..." (1 Peter 3:15, KJV)

CLAIM: “Historians [could not] confirm the authenticity of the Bible [because] History is always written by the winners.” (Brown, The DVC, page 256)
UPDATE: Watts: I don't recall this quote in the movie.
REALITY CHECK: Many of the Heroes of our Bible were *certainly* not “winners”: The nation of Israel, God’s chosen people constantly fell from grace and “sinned against the Lord” in both the Old and New Testaments; King David, a man after God’s own heart, committed adultery with a married woman and ordered the assassination of her husband -to cover up the affair. (2nd Samuel, chapters 11-12) Both Peter and Paul certainly made a lot of human mistakes, both before *and* after being “saved.” Lastly, Jesus, the “number one” hero of the Bible, was not always a “pretty boy” winner: He endured a lot of pain, and He asks us to follow his own example (John 13:15) and pick up our cross and follow Him (Matt. 10:18; 16:24; Mark 8:31; 10:21; Luke 9:23), and even do greater works than He did Himself (John 14:12)!
UPDATE: Watts: Although it should be apparent by the "Warts and All" nature of the Bible -a historical record that does not cover up or hide mistakes, Dr. Jay Dennis also made a point that I initially missed: Attempting a cover-up is next to impossible. Pastor Jay points out in his sermon that no matter how hard a conspiracy attempts to do a cover up, you can't stifle the truth forever: If there had been anything to Mary Magdalene's relationship with Jesus (a very hard-to-contain hot potato), it would have come out long ago. This is a good intuitive proof to justify claims that the Bible is right -and that Dan Brown is wrong -and thus not totally trustworthy regarding other claims. Dr. Dennis does make the theological point, however, that JESUS was indeed married -married to His bride, the Church (probably referring to Revelations 18:23, John 3:29, and related scriptures), in His role as Bridegroom.

CLAIM: Brown claims that “the predominately male Church…demonized and called [the sacred feminine] unclean…[and] created the concept of ‘original sin,’ whereby Eve tasted the apple and caused the downfall of the human race. Woman, once the sacred giver of life, was now the enemy.” (Brown, The DVC, page238)
UPDATE: Watts: The movie at least hints at the same.
FACT: The “Church” as he calls it, sanctioned the Bible as we know it, including the part where it says that both Lucifer and Adam played a part in the fall of man -not just Eve. (Genesis, chapter 3; 1st Corinthians 15:21-22, 45; Romans 5:14; Acts 26:18)
CONCLUSION: Dan Brown is again wrong in his claim that the Church demonized women. The church laid the blame on *all* mankind (man and woman) for sin, and demanded both man and woman be treated with love and respect. Dan Brown is on a witch hunt, and he’s fishing, but he won’t catch anything.

CLAIM: “The earlier [Gnostic] gospels were outlawed, gathered up, and burned.” (Brown, The DVC, page 234)
UPDATE: Watts: The movie makes reference to the "Gospels" of Phillip and Mary, and Leigh Teabing is quoted as saying that the Church performed a coverup of these book and kept Mary Magdalene's role secret and hidden. However, I don't recall that the movie suggests any of these documents were gathered up and destroyed -and that they did a coverup. For all I know, Teabing may have meant that the church merely got the original documents and prevented recopying and publication, thus making the mass gatherings and mass burnings unnecessary. FACT: Evidence is strong that most scholars, both Christian and non-Christian date the Gnostic gospels to around A.D. 250-350, and the Greek originals on which the Coptic translations were based to around the 100’s or 200’s.
UPDATE: Watts: After I had published this review on 05-19 and made claims above that many scholars had indeed researched the Gnostic Gospels, Pastor Jay made similar claims in his May 21 sermon, even naming at least one researcher (whose name I do not recall).

BOTTOM LINE: Dan Brown’s “The DaVinci Code” mixes fact with fiction and is a very interesting read.

Bibliography:

* Richard Abanes, “The Truth Behind The Da Vinci Code (paperback)” (ISBN: 0-7369-1439-0; Oregon: Harvest House Publishers, 2004)
* Michael Baigent, Richard Leigh, Henry Lincoln, “Holy Blood, Holy Grail (paperback)” (ISBN: 0-440-13648-2; New York: Dell Publishing, 1983)
* Dan Brown, “The DaVinci Code (hardback)” (ISBN: 0-385-50420-9; New York: Doubleday, 2003) 254 pages
* Dan Brown, “The DaVinci Code (paperback)” (ISBN: 1-4000-7917-9; New York: Anchor Books, 2003) 289 pages
* Dr. Jay Dennis, "What Jesus thinks about The DaVinci Code," Sermon preached on Sunday, 21 May 2006, 8am, 930am, & 11am Services, First Baptist Church @ The Mall, Lakeland, Florida: http://www.ChurchAtTheMall.com ; http://www.FBCLakeland.org -Lakeland, Florida: USA
* James L. Garlow, Ph.D., Peter Jones, Ph.D., “Cracking Da Vinci’s Code (Abridged, paperback)” (ISBN: 0781443563; Colorado, Paris, Ontario: Cook Communications Ministries; Eastbourne, England: Kingsway Communications, LTD, 2005)

Reminder: The updated material has been added in dark red font and in italics, as indicated here.
USELESS TRIVIA: Michael Baigent’s last name is an anagram of Leigh Teabing’s last name, and Richard Leigh’s last name is Leigh Teabing’s first name. Coincidence? (Hint: The novel is based on cryptic puzzles involving letters, anagrams, symbols, and hidden messages.)
Other Comments about the movie: While watching Great Britain's Sir Ian McKellen play Leigh Teabing, I could not help but remember his role as Magneto in the famous X-Men movie series. Although this great actor eventually settled into his role, he did not seem the best for the part: Every time Leigh Teabing got upset, I almost expected him to start hurling metal objects with his magnetic superpowers. This was almost a distraction. Additionally, from reading the book, I know that Robert Langdon was claustrophobic, that is, afraid of closed spaces, but this fact was not developed properly early on, and the viewer is left hanging and wondering what his problem is in the elevator with Bezu Fache (played by Jean Reno). Is he nervous because he is guilty? (That is what Captain Fache seems to think.) Lastly, the choice of Tom Hanks did not seem as scholarly as we might have hoped for, especially considering Hanks' recent role as Forest Gump in the eponymous movie; However, Hanks also settled into the role quite convincingly. All in all, the movie was a good catch -entertaining and fun, even if more fiction than fact.

LINKS OF IMPORTANCE

| HomeTown/AOL Mirror | GeoCities Mirror |

Other Links

| GeoCities site for Health/Diet Info | Tripod Mirror for Health/Diet Research |

Gordon W. Watts,
** Personal site: http://GordonWatts.com **
Editor-in-Chief, The Register*

*

"First, they [Nazis] came for the Jews. I was silent. I was not a Jew. Then they came for the Communists. I was silent. I was not a Communist. Then they came for the trade unionists. I was silent. I was not a trade unionist. Then they came for me. There was no one left to speak for me." (Martin Niemoller, given credit for a quotation in The Harper Religious and Inspirational Quotation Companion, ed. Margaret Pepper (New York: Harper &Row, 1989), 429 -as cited on page 44, note 17, of Religious Cleansing in the American Republic, by Keith A. Fornier, Copyright 1993, by Liberty, Life, and Family Publications.

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Oops! I forgot to make the "links "active." Here you go, search engines that crawl, and web surfers that want to click:

http://GordonWatts.com/DaVinci.html

http://HomeTown.aol.com/gww1210/myhomepage/DaVinci.html

http://www.GeoCities.com/Gordon_Watts32313/DaVinci.html

GW

_______~~~Book/Movie Review of The DaVinci Code, by Dan Brown~~~_______

Book Review of:         THE         DAVINCI        CODE         XX*X*X**               XXXX  Novel by: DAN BROWN Reviewed by: G. W. Watts

NEW: Book/Movie Review of Dan Brown's "The DaVinci Code" ; http://gordonwatts.com/DaVinci.html ; http://hometown.aol.com/gww1210/myhomepage/DaVinci.html ; http://www.geocities.com/gordon_watts32313/DaVinci.html

*_Book (and limited Movie) Review of The DaVinci Code, by Dan Brown_*

WELCOME, Visitor: Please Turn on your computer speakers & maximize 3-D Stereo Enhancement for best sound!

The DaVinci Code is set to open in theatres nationwide Friday, 19 May 2006. (Film based on Dan Brown's book by the same name.)

** Register editor-in-chief, Gordon Watts gives a review of Dan Brown’s book, “The DaVinci Code.” **

LAKELAND, FL (The Register) Friday, 19 May 2006 -- Reviewer, Watts, has read the entire 489-pages paperback edition published by Anchor Books, A Division of Random House, Inc., New York. (The 454-page edition, published by Doubleday , however, is generally cited in other book reviews. Citations below shall be from the 454-page edition.) The book was “very interesting” according to Watts, who claimed it was “well-written, by a seasoned pro, whether or not it is actually based on fact.” While Watts says the book is “more fiction than fact,” he concurred with other reviewers in the assessment of this fast-paced thriller and says he enjoyed the story and felt he got his money’s worth -and recommends everyone get a copy to enjoy -and to challenge critical thinking and analysis skills.

As yet, however, Watts has not seen the movie based on the book (starring Tom Hanks, Audrey Tautou, Ian McKellen, and Paul Bettany; Directed by Ron Howard and Screenplay by Akiva Goldsman), and it is said that the movie is generally faithful to the book in similarities. (However, please note that Audrey Tautou is not a tall redhead, as her character is depicted in the book, but instead, a brunette of average height: This hints at other deviations from the book.)

The book (and movie) are generating loads of controversy because author, Dan Brown makes claims that this fiction book, which takes swipes at the Bible as we know it, is actually based on fact:

“All descriptions of artwork, architecture, documents, and secret rituals in this novel are accurate.” Source: Dan Brown, The DaVinci Code (ISBN: 1-4000-7917-9; New York: Anchor Books, 2003), the “FACT” page between Acknowledgements and Prologue; Last Paragraph. Also, Brown, when questioned by Borders, responded as follows:

“How would you describe The Da Vinci Code to someone who hasn't read any of your previous novels?

Dan Brown:…One of the many qualities that make The Da Vinci Code unique is the factual nature of the story. All the history, artwork, ancient documents, and secret rituals in the novel are accurate, as are the hidden codes revealed in some of da Vinci's most famous paintings.” (Source: http://bordersstores.com/features/feature.jsp?file=browndan)

Is, however, The DaVinci Code factual? Watts looks at three standards (which may have been pioneered by American philosopher, James Rachels) to evaluate this claim:
     1) Does the DaVinci Code agree with known fact?
     2) Does the DaVinci Code agree with itself? (Is it “self” consistent?)
     3) Does the DaVinci Code agree with gut feeling? (Intuition’s inner voice alone is not enough, but, taken together with #’s 1 and 2 above, gives a “big picture.”)

TEST #1: Does the DaVinci Code agree with known fact?

The DVC says the church were misogynic women-haters:
CLAIM: The DaVinci Code’s claims that “powerful men in the early church ‘conned’ the world by propagating lies that devalued the female and tipped the scales in favor of the masculine [and waged] a campaign of propaganda that demonized the sacred feminine…” Source: Dan Brown, The DaVinci Code (ISBN: 0-385-50420-0; New York: Anchor Books, 2003), page 124 of the 454-page edition. Brown also claims that “The power of the female…posed a threat to the rise of the predominately male church, and so the sacred feminine was demonized and called unclean [by] a church that had subjugated women…and forbidden the pagan reverence for the sacred feminine.” (Source: Brown, The DVC, pages 238-239)

FACT: The “early church” as we know it (Peter, Paul, Jesus, etc.) did *not* devalue women: For example, while women normally were not allowed to be a witness in court or participate in religious functions in that era, we have Mary Magdalene being one of the first people to tell the disciples of the risen Jesus (John chapter 20) -and we have numerous cases of women participating in Jesus’ ministry and the ministries of Peter and Paul. Furthermore, Paul the Apostle *clearly* tells his readers that both the husband *and* the wife are to be treated with love and respect. (1st Corinthians 7:3-4) Peter tells his readers in Acts 2:17 that both our sons *and* our daughters shall prophecy. Lastly, if we are to understand the “early church” to mean the early Christian leaders who put together the Bible, then we see that they did *not* edit out Old Testament sections of the Bible mentioning Deborah the Prophetess (Judges, chapter 4 & 5), or the Joel 2:28 passage, quoted by Peter in Acts 2:17 above, mentioning both sons *and* (female) daughters. Proverbs, chapter 31, is certainly *NOT* a Bible of a “women-hating” church. Of course, both Ruth and Esther have books named after them. That should erase any doubt at the absurdness of Dan Brown’s claims above. (After history showed us that “professional pundits” and “experts” got it wrong in claims that Mel Gibson’s “The Passion of the Christ” would incite Jews to anger, perhaps we should “think twice” before believing “experts” a second time, when they speak of Dan Brown’s book as historical “fact.” Will we ever learn?)

TEST #2: Does the DaVinci Code agree with itself?

The DVC first claims that the church demonized the pagan symbols, but then later claims that the church adopted those pagan symbols as their own. Which is it, Dan Brown?
** FIRST CLAIM: Dan Brown‘s character, Robert Langdon states: “As part of the Vatican’s campaign to eradicate the pagan religions and convert the masses to Christianity, the Church launched a smear campaign against the pagan gods and goddesses, recasting their divine symbols as evil…Poseidon’s trident became the devil’s pitchfork, the wise crone’s pointed hat became the devil’s pitchfork, and Venus’s pentacle became a sign of the devil.” (Brown, The DVC, page37)
** SECOND CLAIM: Brown’s character Langdon also claims that: “virtually all the elements of the Catholic ritual - the miter, the alter, the doxology, and communion, the act of ‘God-eating’ - were taken directly from earlier pagan mystery religions.” (Brown, The DVC, page 232)
** CONCLUSION: Dan Brown is delusional if he thinks that we should accept him making sense here: Which is it, Mr. Brown: Did the Church trash and demonize the pagan symbols, or, instead, did they merely steal them for all of their rituals? ** The DaVinci Code does not even agree with itself. **

TEST #3: Does the DaVinci Code agree with gut feeling?

The DVC says that almost 400 years after Jesus’ death, an emperor ordered a recall of the current Bibles circulating.
CLAIM: The DaVinci Code states as follows: “Because Constantine upgraded Jesus’ status almost four centuries after Jesus’ death, thousands of documents already existed chronicled His life as a mortal man. To rewrite the history books…Constantine commissioned and financed a new Bible, which omitted those gospels that spoke of Christ’s human traits and embellished those gospels that made Him godlike. The earlier gospels were outlawed, gathered up, and burned.” (Brown, The DVC, page 234)

REALITY CHECK: After four centuries? Constantine was somehow able to do a recall of HUNDREDS or THOUSANDS of Bibles which were circulating after about 400 YEARS --all around the known world? What do you think he was? God? Earth calling Dan Brown: This is impossible!

FURTHERMORE: This emperor “financed a new Bible, which omitted those gospels that spoke of Christ’s human traits?” Is Dan Brown also illiterate and unable to read? Even a grade school kid knows that the New Testament gospels speak clearly of Jesus’ human traits: Jesus was happy to spread good cheer and blessings (Matt. 14:27; also Matt. 25:34), Jesus was sad (John 11:33-36), Jesus was angry (Mark 11:15-17; also Matt: 25:41), as well as hungry (Matt. 4:2; Luke 4:2), and also physical fatigued at times (Luke 8:23). Let’s not forget Jesus also experienced the “human traits” of pain and death on the cross -much pain, I might add. (Lastly, what about Isaiah, chapter 53, which describes a *very human* Christ Jesus? Obviously, Constantine did not recall this book either.) ** Dan Brown’s claim above is obviously *not* factual, for either New Testament or Old Testament. **

If Dan Brown fails and flunks these simple tests, can he really be trusted with heavy claims of conspiracy regarding the Bible? Jesus married? No credible evidence has come to light, and the Bible is arguably the most studied book in history. After all of Dan Brown’s blunders so far, we can not trust him against a solid record, as is the Bible. However, Dan Brown’s book, claimed to be factual by its author, makes further claims.

CLAIM: “Historians [could not] confirm the authenticity of the Bible [because] History is always written by the winners.” (Brown, The DVC, page 256)
REALITY CHECK: Many of the Heroes of our Bible were *certainly* not “winners”: The nation of Israel, God’s chosen people constantly fell from grace and “sinned against the Lord” in both the Old and New Testaments; King David, a man after God’s own heart, committed adultery with a married woman and ordered the assassination of her husband -to cover up the affair. (2nd Samuel, chapters 11-12) Both Peter and Paul certainly made a lot of human mistakes, both before *and* after being “saved.” Lastly, Jesus, the “number one” hero of the Bible, was not always a “pretty boy” winner: He endured a lot of pain, and He asks us to follow his own example (John 13:15) and pick up our cross and follow Him (Matt. 10:18; 16:24; Mark 8:31; 10:21; Luke 9:23), and even do greater works than He did Himself (John 14:12)!

CLAIM: Brown claims that “the predominately male Church…demonized and called [the sacred feminine] unclean…[and] created the concept of ‘original sin,’ whereby Eve tasted the apple and caused the downfall of the human race. Woman, once the sacred giver of life, was now the enemy.” (Brown, The DVC, page238)
FACT: The “Church” as he calls it, sanctioned the Bible as we know it, including the part where it says that both Lucifer and Adam played a part in the fall of man -not just Eve. (Genesis, chapter 3; 1st Corinthians 15:21-22, 45; Romans 5:14; Acts 26:18)
CONCLUSION: Dan Brown is again wrong in his claim that the Church demonized women. The church laid the blame on *all* mankind (man and woman) for sin, and demanded both man and woman be treated with love and respect. Dan Brown is on a witch hunt, and he’s fishing, but he won’t catch anything.

CLAIM: “The earlier [Gnostic] gospels were outlawed, gathered up, and burned.” (Brown, The DVC, page 234)
FACT: Evidence is strong that most scholars, both Christian and non-Christian date the Gnostic gospels to around A.D. 250-350, and the Greek originals on which the Coptic translations were based to around the 100’s or 200’s.

BOTTOM LINE: Dan Brown’s “The DaVinci Code” mixes fact with fiction and is a very interesting read.

Bibliography:

* Richard Abanes, “The Truth Behind The Da Vinci Code (paperback)” (ISBN: 0-7369-1439-0; Oregon: Harvest House Publishers, 2004)
* Michael Baigent, Richard Leigh, Henry Lincoln, “Holy Blood, Holy Grail (paperback)” (ISBN: 0-440-13648-2; New York: Dell Publishing, 1983)
* Dan Brown, “The DaVinci Code (paperback)” (ISBN: 1-4000-7917-9; New York: Anchor Books, 2003) 289 pages
* Dan Brown, “The DaVinci Code (hardback)” (ISBN: 0-385-50420-9; New York: Doubleday, 2003) 254 pages
* James L. Garlow, Ph.D., Peter Jones, Ph.D., “Cracking Da Vinci’s Code (Abridged, paperback)” (ISBN: 0781443563; Colorado, Paris, Ontario: Cook Communications Ministries; Eastbourne, England: Kingsway Communications, LTD, 2005)

USELESS TRIVIA: Michael Baigent’s last name is an anagram of Leigh Teabing’s last name, and Richard Leigh’s last name is Leigh Teabing’s first name. Coincidence? (Hint: The novel is based on cryptic puzzles involving letters, anagrams, symbols, and hidden messages.)

LINKS OF IMPORTANCE

| HomeTown/AOL Mirror | GeoCities Mirror |

Other Links

| GeoCities site for Health/Diet Info | Tripod Mirror for Health/Diet Research |

Gordon W. Watts, Editor-in-Chief, The Register

*

*

"First, they [Nazis] came for the Jews. I was silent. I was not a Jew. Then they came for the Communists. I was silent. I was not a Communist. Then they came for the trade unionists. I was silent. I was not a trade unionist. Then they came for me. There was no one left to speak for me." (Martin Niemoller, given credit for a quotation in The Harper Religious and Inspirational Quotation Companion, ed. Margaret Pepper (New York: Harper &Row, 1989), 429 -as cited on page 44, note 17, of Religious Cleansing in the American Republic, by Keith A. Fornier, Copyright 1993, by Liberty, Life, and Family Publications.

*

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cycjec answered: "Sorry about the link typo."

Flash Gordon replies: That's OK. I got triple coverage this way with my main link and the two mirrors to the relevant article --plus the article itself, making the post a triple threat. Take care,

Flash

The link was not complete. You meant: http://www.geocities.com/gordon_watts32313/LivingWillsAndPVS.html or http://hometown.aol.com/gww1210/myhomepage/LivingWillsAndPVS.html Here's the full text:

For Immediate Release: LivingWillsAndPVS.html Editor, Legal scholar, and Biology/Chemical Science Honors Major, Gordon Watts, of Lakeland, Florida, dispels some myths about the strength of "living wills." They have historically failed to protect people from various abuses. The diagnosis of "PVS" is also historically fails in almost 50% of the cases, as does any diagnosis attempting to divine or discern the "wishes" of a patient. LAKELAND, FL (The Register) Monday, 11 April 2005 - these excerpts, with sources cited, tell the tale and document the wild claims now made about living wills and other things: * Notes by Attorney Matt Conigliaro on Living Wills: “Let's go back to an issue I raised the other day but unfortunately could not follow up on until now. How binding is a living will? Or any other written form of someone's wishes? I've been disappointed to hear a number of public figures speak of living wills as being sacrosanct, and I have heard one high profile nighttime television host state numerous times that, unlike Terri's wishes, his wishes are in writing and there will never be an issue for him. Softly put, that's a reasonable expectation, but the host hammered the point repeatedly, saying his written statements were beyond assail. That's not true, at least in Florida. It may not be easy to overcome a living will, but it can be done by clear and convincing proof that the person subsequently made contrary oral statements.” http://abstractappeal.com/archives/2005_04_01_abstractappeal_archive.html#111239565871488570 * State Laws on Living wills: 765.304(2)(c) Procedure for living will.-- Before proceeding in accordance with the principal's living will, it must be determined that: Any limitations or conditions expressed orally or in a written declaration have been carefully considered and satisfied. http://flsenate.gov/Statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&Search_String=&URL=Ch0765/SEC304.HTM&Title=->2004->Ch0765->Section%20304#0765.304 * Notes by The Register on living wills: Abstract Appeal dot com blogger and Attorney, Matt Conigliaro, often vilified by the “save Terri” crowd, is technically correct here, but he, in my opinion, vastly understates the situation: MANY people have had living wills -which have been flat ignored -or worse, used as an excuse to give substandard care and/or attempt a premeditated murder, under the guise of “it was her wishes.” See, e.g., the following: * Marjorie Nighbert’s Living Will: “Marjorie Nighbert signed an “advance directive” before she was hospitalized for a stroke in 1996. This document stated that she desired no “heroic measures” Based on this, her family requested that her feeding tube be removed. When Ms. Nighbert begged for food, the courts deemed her 'not medically competent to ask for such a treatment,' and the hospital physically restrained her in bed so that she could not pilfer food from other patients. She died ten days later.” [Note: This citation from the Catholic Culture website was verified as correct from numerous independent sources, not the least of which is Focus on the Family.] http://www.CatholicCulture.org/docs/doc_view.cfm?recnum=5524 * Gary Amos’ Mother-in-Law’s Living Will: Living Wills The problem is that doctors and nurses don't read them. It does not matter how carefully a lawyer may word a living will. It does not matter where the living will draws the line about when you want to be treated and when you don't want to be treated. What the document says is irrelevant. Go to any critical care center and you will see handwritten signs by magic marker taped on the door or near the patient saying "Living Will." So on a sheet of typing paper there will only be two words "Living Will." It says nothing else. Those two words are short hand to the medical personnel that: "This person does not want to live. If there is any downturn in the condition let him (or her) die." So, for example if there is a heart attack, don't use CPR. People and their lawyers think that a living will tells the medical community that you don't want to be kept on a respirator or other expensive lifesustaining emergency and critical care equipment if your organs are shutting down from cancer or some such, or if you are becoming brain dead. But people do not know that having a living will and telling the doctors and nurses about it means that they have just given the medical community the green light to provide substandard care and to pay only minimal attention to the patient because this patient wants to die. Here is an example. My mother in law had a living will that said if her cancer got to a certain point where she had to be kept alive by being put on life support she did not want to be put on life support. Well the chemo worked and she began recovering from cancer. However, while in the hospital recovering she had a heart attack. Thankfully, her daughter and [sic] daugher in law, both registered nurses and both experienced in [sic] trama care, happened to be in the room when the heart attack started. They hit the emergency button to call for help. The RN daughter jumped up on the bed, straddled mom's body, and began doing CPR until she was revived. When the medical personnel did not show up to help and had to be brought by personal request, they said "oh, she had a living will. She did not want to have help if she had a heart attack." They were not going to do anything about her heart attack, even though the heart attack was not part of the living will. The living will was about being not being kept indefinitely on life support if the cancer went too far. The doctors and nurses took the two words "living will" to mean, "let her die if she has a heart attack, a stroke, or any other life threatening emergency besides the cancer." Good thing she didn't choke on a piece of chicken while the nurses were around. Letting her die in the event of heart attack was not at all what her living will said. But the medical personnel did not read it. They don't read them. All these living wills are worded somewhat differently, but it doesn't really matter. A lawyer can spend hours drafting a carefully worded living will. It's a waste of time, because only two words count -- living will. And they take this to mean, "let them die." To the doctors and nurses, the words living will means that we can ignore this patient no matter what happens. So now we have this great push for living wills. People are being led to think that living wills and advance medical directives are really great. They may be, but don't tell your doctor or nurses that you have one until after the crisis is clearly underway. Otherwise you won't get the care you should have been getting even if you didn't have a living will. Let the medical community treat you to their best and fullest extent. Then if it fails, and only then, should the medical providers learn from the family members that there was a living will so it is okay to pull the plug on the life support once it is clear that the care is useless and futile. This new infatuation will living wills is going to have the unexpected result of lots of people dying when they could be saved and would want to be saved because the situation that led to death was reversible and not covered by the written text of the living will, but nobody bothered to ask. But this will be a kind of poetic justice for our mental laziness and naivete about dealing with these matters. -Gary Amos 22 Mar 05 http://www.wnis.com/shows/GaryAmos.shtml Since only one web source is found, here is another source: The Google.com cache: http://64.233.161.104/search?q=cache:rvjDvS1us6oJ:www.wnis.com/shows/GaryAmos.shtml+%22The+problem+is+that+doctors+and+nurses+don%27t+read+them%22&hl=en * Mae Magouirk’s Living Will: “She entered the Hospice LaGrange and in a living will, Magouirk said she wanted nourishment and fluids unless she went into a coma or a persistent vegetative state.” “This woman has a lot more years to live,” Mullinax, the woman’s nephew, said. “She recognized us and she looked at us, and said, please, please help me go home.” Asked what he thought that to mean, Mullinax said, “It sure didn’t mean home to Jesus, and it sure didn't mean starve me to death.” (Georgia Case Mirrors Schiavo Battle Reported By: Denis O'Hayer ; Web Editor: Manav Tanneeru ; Last Modified: 4/8/2005 11:19:46 PM, http://www.11alive.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=61478) The Register asks: Did all this prevent her from being quietly starved almost to death? She had a living will and was neither PVS nor terminally ill, but, instead, quiet cognizant and wanted to get out of that place and get something to eat and drink, so there should be no problem for that, right? Answer below, and it could happen to you: After days without water, nourishment, woman at UAB Sunday, April 10, 2005 VIVI ABRAMS News staff writer An 81-year-old Georgia woman who went without nourishment and water more than a week was airlifted from a LaGrange hospice to UAB Hospital Saturday to begin treatment, relatives said. http://www.al.com/news/birminghamnews/index.ssf?/base/news/1113124997294560.xml * One more scary case: "Richard Routh, 42, was hospitalized with head injuries after a motorcycle accident. He had learned to signal "yes" and "no," could smile and laugh at jokes, when his parents and doctors decided to have him starved. A nurse's aide says that as they stood by the bedside discussing the starvation decision, Routh shook his head "no." Though the coroner's report says he dies of head injuries, he had lost thirty pounds during the hospitalization. The autopsy showed that he had not been given painkillers to ease the pain of starvation." (“The Euthanasia/Abortion Connection” Feminists for Life of America, 2000, By Frederica Mathews Green © 2004 Feminists for Life) http://www.feministsforlife.org/FFL_topics/euthanasia/euthabor.htm * If you are a LAW ENFORCEMENT Officer, please note that The Register, a pro-life publication, does not support revenge against you, but you are still vulnerable to these abuses, as shown here: “Dr. Ronald Cranford, the euthanasia advocate who hopes to help Pete Busalacci take care of Christine when she is brought to Minnesota, had a similar case in 1979. Sgt. David Mack was shot in the line of duty as a policeman, and Cranford diagnosed him as ‘definitely … in a persistent vegetative state … never [to] regain cognitive, sapient functioning … never [to] be aware of his condition.’ Twenty months after the shooting Mack woke up, and eventually regained nearly all of his mental ability. When asked by a reporter how he felt, he spelled out on his letter board, ‘Speechless!’” (Ibid.) * Terri Schiavo’s Living Will - The Florida and U.S. Laws and Constitution regarding protection from abuse and denials of various liberties. * Terri Schiavo’s Living Will - A previous court ruling for her to have medical malpractice award and medical care for like fifty (50) years. * Your living will, whether the U.S. constitution, or State or Federal protections, or court cases in your favor -or even "regular" living wills, "can and WILL" be overridden by those who are tired of you ...unless you speak up. * Studies and statistics on PVS Additional Authorities from the Scientific Literature: 3 Studies of PVS STUDY 1-of-3: It is not “the wishes” of patients to accept assisted suicide or euthanasia "In no vignette--even for patients with unremitting pain--did a majority of oncologists find euthanasia or physician-assisted suicide ethically acceptable. Patients actually experiencing pain were more likely to find euthanasia or physician-assisted suicide unacceptable." (Euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide: attitudes and experiences of oncology patients, oncologists, and the public. Emanuel EJ, Fairclough DL, Daniels ER, Clarridge BR. Lancet. 1996 Jun 29;347(9018):1805-10.) (Emphasis added) STUDY 2-of-3: Patients “wishes” not easily predicted for physician-assisted suicide Researchers at Duke University recently surveyed hundreds of frail elderly patients receiving outpatient treatment and their families. The elderly patients themselves strongly opposed physician-assisted suicide: only 34% favored legalization, with support even lower among female and black patients. But 56% of their younger relatives favored it, and they were usually wrong in predicting the elderly patients' views. [Dr. Harold Koenig et al., "Attitudes of Elderly Patients and their Families Toward Physician-Assisted Suicide," 156 Archives of Internal Medicine 2240 (Oct. 28, 1996).] (Emphasis added) STUDY 3-of-3: “PVS” is misdiagnosed in almost half of all cases Catholic World News — News Brief — 07/18/2000 Study Says Some Comatose Patients May Be Aware LONDON (CWNews.com) - A new study carried out in London showed that many comatose patients diagnosed as being in a persistent vegetative state (PVS) may actually be aware of their surroundings and able to communicate. The Daily Mail newspaper reported on Tuesday on a study carried out by the Royal Hospital of Neurodisability on 40 presumed PVS patients that 17 [roughly 42.5%] of them were misdiagnosed. Two-thirds of the misdiagnosed patients were thought to be in a PVS because their eyes failed to follow movement, when they were actually blind. All of them had limited movement and thus had difficulty communicating. Dr. Keith Andrews, director of medical and research services at the hospital, warned that PVS patients "may spend a lifetime trapped in a damaged body, with poor quality of life." Lorraine Lane, one such patient, was thought to be in a PVS and her husband was applying to the courts for an order to end her life until she squeezed his hand to prove some degree of awareness. * You next, big Dog? Just lose you voice - go ahead - just do it! *PRACTICAL POINT - it could happen to you.* What if YOU are in a hospital, and possibly able to eat and drink, even if it's only applesauce or milkshakes and Jell-O, would YOU like to be deprived of a chance to drink some cool, sweet grape juice, apple juice, water, etc.? (That is, when a person's going to die anyhow, what's to lose by trying to east and drink?) Remember that many of Terri’s caregivers have said that Terri was able to eat things like Jell-O, milkshakes, and ice chips. In case you’ve forgotten, here’s that “PVS” person: http://gordonwatts.com/ConversationWithTerri.wmv mirror at: http://hometown.aol.com/GordonWWatts/myhomepage/ConversationWithTerri.wmv Doesn’t look to “PVS,” does she? (If YOU have a speech impediment or partial paralysis, and you’re around a bad-attitude nurse, when you’re really hungry -and your mouth is watering for thirst…) * Patients of “Dr. Death,” Dr. Jack Kevorkian, who though are willing, and it is "their wishes" to be killed, are protected by law. * Friends of the rock band, “Hell on Earth,” are not unlike Dr. Kevorkian’s patients. Do you remember this Clearwater, Florida band? They attempted a staged suicide, and it was that fellow's "wishes," but even *then* this act was stopped. (How much more for Terri Schiavo or others whose wishes are not known?) * We are prohibited from starving dogs and cats, which cannot always feed themselves but must be fed by humans. Would we let them starve to death? Would it even be legal? Moral? Practical? Possible? * There are plenty of physically handicapped and mentally retarded people who, like Terri Schiavo, cannot feed themselves. Would we let them starve to death? Would it even be legal? Moral? Practical? Possible? * We all have many elderly family and friends, like Pope John Paul II, above. Would we let them starve to death? Would it even be legal? Moral? Practical? Possible? * Don't lose your voice or have partial paralysis in your next hospital stay, Bub; you could be next. # # # The Register: AOL Mirror ~ The Register: GeoCities Mirror Keywords: Government Government: National Government: State Home and Family Legal / Law Medical: Managed Care / HMO Medical: Nursing Politics Religion Science and Research TERRI, SCHIAVO, TERRI SCHIAVO, SCHINDLER, THERESA, ABUSE, DISABLED, ELDERLY, GORDON WATTS, GORDON W. WATTS, GORDON WAYNE WATTS, TERRIS LAW, TERRI'S LAW, TERRIES LAW, TERRIE'S LAW, TERRYS LAW, TERRY'S LAW, JEB, BUSH, GOVERNOR BUSH, JEB BUSH, GOVERNOR JEB BUSH, FLORIDA, LAWMAKERS, FLORIDA LAWMAKERS, LAW, LAWS, SCHIVO, TERRI SCHIVO, TERRI SCHIAVO, TERRI SHCHIVO, TERRY SCHIAVO, TERRI SCHINDLER SCHIAVO, TERRY SCHINDLER SCHIAVO, SUIT, LAWSUIT, GOVERNOR, FLORIDA GOVERNOR, MICHAREL SCHIAVOM EUTHANASIA, MERCY KILLING, SCHINDLER-SCHIAVO, SCHINDLER, ASSISTED SUICIDE, RULE OF LAW, JOHN ELLIS BUSH, GOVERNOR JOHN ELLIS BUSH, PRESIDENT, PRESIDENTS, GEORGE, GEORGE BUSH, PRESIDENT BUSH, PRESIDENT GEORGE BUSH, PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH, US PRESIDENT, U.S. PRESIDENT, FLORIDA SUPREME COURT, FLA SUPREME COURT, US SUPREME COURT, UNITED STATES SUPREME COURT, U.S. SUPREME COURT, LAWSUIT, LAWSUITS, SUIT, SUITS, NURSING, MANAGED CARE

Greetings!

I was too long-winded earlier, so here's my summary:

Getting new laws passed in the Florida House & Senate (or by the U.S. House and U.S. Senators) is all well and good, but it won't do any good if WE ALL leave in corrupt, unjust judges.

If it's within your reach ... you gotta impeach!

//PS: Online petitions have been ignored: Please call your state lawmakers asking them to initiate impeachment proceedings, but read my online articles first:

http://hometown.aol.com/gww1210

http://www.geocities.com/Gordon_Watts32313

http://GordonWatts.com

GW Watts - Ta!

"The word is said: Send it on, for tomorrow may be too late!"

Gordon Watts commentary: Impeachment proceedings are notoriously slow (and VERY uncommon), so you must not tarry!

(Very uncommon? Yes! I mean, when's the last time you heard of ANY judge impeached? Maybe five in the last counple of hundred years?)

http://HomeTown.aol.com/gww1210 (The Register on AOL)

http://www.geocities.com/Gordon_Watts32313 (GeoC. mirror)

http://GordonWatts.com is my personal site -not very updated -but it had ALL kinds of links -and is easy to remember.

Tarry not: Act now!

GW Watts

Go to:

http://HomeTown.AOL.com/gww1210

or

http://www.geocities.com/Gordon_Watts32313

to see how to REALLY get a judge impeached.

(Trust me: I'm the guy who almost won that recent Florida Supreme Court case.)

Gordon Watts

Try this instead:

Subject: High Priority: Online "Impeach Greer" Petitions not working; Try this instead/GW ** Dear Neighbors and friends of Theresa "Terri" Schiavo ** Please take a look at this front page news, taken from: (CLICK on them!)

http://HomeTown.AOL.com/Gww1210 and http://www.GeoCities.com/Gordon_Watts32313
(And please PASS THE MESSAGE ALONG! ~ PLEASE HELP ME!!)
The Register

Tuesday, 08 March 2005 NEWS FLASH: The Register legal committee concludes American Court System in crisis, leads the way to address it:
After one unnamed office aide to Florida State Representative, John Stargel, informed The Register that there had not been any constituent requests to being an impeachment proceeding (e.g., to "impeach Greer" or any other judge), as outlined in the State Constitution (see story below), it was discovered that the "online petitions" to impeach a judge while a great morale booster, were not being effective to their stated goal -to get rid of bad judges. Therefore, staff at The Register researched the proper method. For any person wishing to impeach a judge, it is suggested that you contact your state representative, as Editor-in-Chief, Gordon W. Watts, has done. Click here for the letter in Microsoft Word 97 format ( http://hometown.aol.com/gww1210/myhomepage/letter_to_representatives.doc / http://www.geocities.com/gordon_watts32313/letter_to_representatives.doc ) which was sent by conventional postal mail, or here for the letter, in "web page" format, ( http://hometown.aol.com/gww1210/myhomepage/letter_to_representatives.html / http://www.geocities.com/gordon_watts32313/letter_to_representatives.html ) showing what was sent by e-mail.
Monday, 07 March 2005 David Allen, host of The David Allen Show heard on WJGR: 1320 AM, "The Patriot," Where your opinion counts, has asked The Register to post contact information for Florida State Representatives.
There have been many misguided attempts to initiate impeachment proceedings against the various judges involved in the Terri Schiavo case. To begin with, the appeal court judges bear even more responsibility than circuit judge, George Greer, because they have higher authority. Secondly, the attempts to impeach many judges has resulted in "online petitions" galore; However, in Florida, there are only two constitutionally acceptable forms of addressing the misconduct of judges. One is through the Judicial Qualifications Commission. The Florida Bar erroneously claims here that the JQC is the only body that can investigate judicial misconduct: "Under the Florida Constitution, only the Judicial Qualifications Commission has authority to investigate complaints against Florida judges. Persons wishing to file a complaint should address materials to: Judicial Qualifications Commission 1110 Thomasville Road Tallahassee, FL 32303 (850) 488-1581" ~ However, THE FLORIDA BAR is incorrect: The Florida Constitution, under Article III, Section 17: Impeachment Proceedings, ( http://flsenate.gov/Statutes/index.cfm?Mode=Constitution&Submenu=3&Tab=statutes#A03S17 ) also may investigate bad judges. Just like the U.S. House impeached former President, Bill Clinton, and the U.S. Senate tried and convicted him, finally imposing a minor reprimand as punishment, the State House may impeach, and the State Senate may try. ~ Therefore, when David Allen became aware of the movement among citizens who are saying that "enough is enough" with respect to judicial misconduct, he asked The Register to post links to the contact information of Florida State Representatives. If you live in Florida, and you want a judge -or a group of judges -impeached, then you are advised to NOT sign any petition -until after you have contacted both the JQC (see above) and your State Representative -via some methods listed below:

---

http://www.myfloridahouse.gov/legislators.aspx (The official state site - look down the list, or click the "Find Your Representative" icon in the top right, and enter your zip code.)

---

https://mmm1108.verio-web.com/flor54/vpkwritenow.html (This is a private website, and you must trust the website to really send the email. This method is not preferred. Instead, it is suggested you look in the front of your local telephone book for your state representative. Your state senator can not initiate impeachment proceedings in Florida, only your representative; the senate, however, does try the defendants, that is, the judges who terrorize Joe Average Citizen.)

---

http://action.csgv.org/legdirectory (This private website is user-friendly. It is suggested that you enter your address, and the site takes you to a page showing who your representatives are.)

---

http://action.csgv.org/legdirectory/Index.asp?step=6&state=FL&chamber=003 (This site is similar to the above, but you must sift through the list to find your representative; If you don't know your representative's name, you'd better break out the local telephone book, and look in the "blue pages" in the front, right before the white pages.)

---

http://www.nssflorida.org/fl_house.shtml (This site is my personal favorite: The National Space Society provides this contact information for Florida legislators with the stated hopes of people advocating in letter writing activities "in support of space exploration and the nations vision for space exploration." ~~~ Scroll on down in this very pretty page to view photographs and data on your local legislator -if you know his/her name.)

If you live in Florida and you wish to let your voice be heard with respect to renegade, loose-cannonball judges, then you will at least try to contact your Florida State Representative and the JQC with respect to impeachment proceedings.

"Evil triumphs when good men do nothing." - Edmund Burke [1729-1797] ~ If you do not make the effort, then by your actions, you have shown yourself to support the highly-paid state judges who will do anything they please to you when you enter their courtroom.

Friday, 25 February 2005 Florida Supreme Court splits 4-3 on surprise last-minute filing in Terri Schiavo Case
While many parties have become involved in the Terri Schiavo case, there has been much activity under the radar, not reported by the mainstream press.
LAKELAND, FL (The Register) Terri Schiavo supporters have been bolstered by a surprise, last-minute filing from an unexpected source...
Click here for further details.

Wednesday, 23 February 2005: New filings today in the Terri Schiavo case defy news media who have said that Register Editor, Gordon Watts, does not have legal standing to proceed: While many have made fun of Watts' efforts in court, the Florida Supreme Court has refused to dismiss the Habeas Corpus proceedings brought by Watts, and they have sat in court since late 2003. Due to the recent turn of events in the Schiavo case, many have asked Watts to petition the courts to put his court filings on a fast track before it is too late. Click on the HomeTown/AOL Mirror here or on the Yahoo!/GeoCities Mirror here for detail of this case.

Friday the 15th of Oct. 2004: THIS JUST IN: Fla. Dept. of Revenue Guns for Michael Schiavo
No other news agency gets scoop

Why did the Fla. Dept. of Revenue do an MSN Search for the court records of Terri Schiavo?

While it is obvious that A Website tracker has done double caller ID on the Dept. of Revenue --seeing who visited and who referred them --in which they clicked on The Register's home pages and browsed around, what is not so obvious is why. (Hint to the reader: You can take the "204.89.69.44" and the "204.89.69.14" numbers and go to the ARIN Whois database and look up the IP addresses to see who owns them. In this case, the Florida Dept. of Revenue can surf the net on it's block from: 204.89.64.0 to 204.89.127.255.)

While our investigators do not know for sure, three theories emerge:

1) The rumors that Mike Schiavo has taken out a hefty insurance policy on his wife, with the intent to deprive her of antibiotics and kill her, and collect, abound, and are discussed right here.

2) The fact that Mike Schiavo is on record as having violated this felony law, s.825.103 might seem interesting to the Dept. of Revenue --because, while the police have never charge him with this crime, Mr. Schiavo is on record with the Court System as having his award money for his lawyer' fees --and for using Terri's award money for his lawyers' fees. He is permitted under the State Law to use the $300,000 he won for whatever legal purpose he wanted, but since the court orders from the medical malpractice trial jury were for the approx. 700,000 dollars for Terri to be used only on her medical care, this constitutes a first degree felony within the meaning of s.825.103.

3) The Register's favorite theory is that the class 2 and class 3 felonies committed by Michael, and outlined in this brief posted on this page and also on The Fla. Supreme Court's website, and posted right here may have something to do with it, combined with the fact that Terri is illegally detained at a hospice, when she is not terminal and continually denied retained rights to an attorney and standard medical rehabilitation.

One thing is certain: Only four people know - Mike Schiavo, his attorney, the Fla. Dept. of Insurance investigator -and God!

In God we trust. One nation under God. So help me God. God bless the USA.

God help us!

---

Gordon Wayne Watts http://GordonWatts.com

The court is not allowed to consider comments by email -and, actually, they do NOT pay much attention to them.

Try this instead //and please note that some of the "click here" links may not work -you'll have to go online to the front page news at:

http://HomeTown.AOL.com/Gww1210 or
http://www.GeoCities.com/Gordon_Watts32313

to get the active links.

Subject: High Priority: Online "Impeach Greer" Petitions not working; Try this instead/GW ** Dear Neighbors and friends of Theresa "Terri" Schiavo ** Please take a look at this front page news, taken from:

http://HomeTown.AOL.com/Gww1210 and http://www.GeoCities.com/Gordon_Watts32313
(And please PASS THE MESSAGE ALONG! ~ PLEASE HELP ME!!)
The Register

Tuesday, 08 March 2005 NEWS FLASH: The Register legal committee concludes American Court System in crisis, leads the way to address it:
After one unnamed office aide to Florida State Representative, John Stargel, informed The Register that there had not been any constituent requests to being an impeachment proceeding (e.g., to "impeach Greer" or any other judge), as outlined in the State Constitution (see story below), it was discovered that the "online petitions" to impeach a judge while a great morale booster, were not being effective to their stated goal -to get rid of bad judges. Therefore, staff at The Register researched the proper method. For any person wishing to impeach a judge, it is suggested that you contact your state representative, as Editor-in-Chief, Gordon W. Watts, has done. Click here for the letter in Microsoft Word 97 format ( http://hometown.aol.com/gww1210/myhomepage/letter_to_representatives.doc / http://www.geocities.com/gordon_watts32313/letter_to_representatives.doc ) which was sent by conventional postal mail, or here for the letter, in "web page" format, ( http://hometown.aol.com/gww1210/myhomepage/letter_to_representatives.html / http://www.geocities.com/gordon_watts32313/letter_to_representatives.html ) showing what was sent by e-mail.
Monday, 07 March 2005 David Allen, host of The David Allen Show heard on WJGR: 1320 AM, "The Patriot," Where your opinion counts, has asked The Register to post contact information for Florida State Representatives.
There have been many misguided attempts to initiate impeachment proceedings against the various judges involved in the Terri Schiavo case. To begin with, the appeal court judges bear even more responsibility than circuit judge, George Greer, because they have higher authority. Secondly, the attempts to impeach many judges has resulted in "online petitions" galore; However, in Florida, there are only two constitutionally acceptable forms of addressing the misconduct of judges. One is through the Judicial Qualifications Commission. The Florida Bar erroneously claims here that the JQC is the only body that can investigate judicial misconduct: "Under the Florida Constitution, only the Judicial Qualifications Commission has authority to investigate complaints against Florida judges. Persons wishing to file a complaint should address materials to: Judicial Qualifications Commission 1110 Thomasville Road Tallahassee, FL 32303 (850) 488-1581" ~ However, THE FLORIDA BAR is incorrect: The Florida Constitution, under Article III, Section 17: Impeachment Proceedings, ( http://flsenate.gov/Statutes/index.cfm?Mode=Constitution&Submenu=3&Tab=statutes#A03S17 ) also may investigate bad judges. Just like the U.S. House impeached former President, Bill Clinton, and the U.S. Senate tried and convicted him, finally imposing a minor reprimand as punishment, the State House may impeach, and the State Senate may try. ~ Therefore, when David Allen became aware of the movement among citizens who are saying that "enough is enough" with respect to judicial misconduct, he asked The Register to post links to the contact information of Florida State Representatives. If you live in Florida, and you want a judge -or a group of judges -impeached, then you are advised to NOT sign any petition -until after you have contacted both the JQC (see above) and your State Representative -via some methods listed below:

---

http://www.myfloridahouse.gov/legislators.aspx (The official state site - look down the list, or click the "Find Your Representative" icon in the top right, and enter your zip code.)

---

https://mmm1108.verio-web.com/flor54/vpkwritenow.html (This is a private website, and you must trust the website to really send the email. This method is not preferred. Instead, it is suggested you look in the front of your local telephone book for your state representative. Your state senator can not initiate impeachment proceedings in Florida, only your representative; the senate, however, does try the defendants, that is, the judges who terrorize Joe Average Citizen.)

---

http://action.csgv.org/legdirectory (This private website is user-friendly. It is suggested that you enter your address, and the site takes you to a page showing who your representatives are.)

---

http://action.csgv.org/legdirectory/Index.asp?step=6&state=FL&chamber=003 (This site is similar to the above, but you must sift through the list to find your representative; If you don't know your representative's name, you'd better break out the local telephone book, and look in the "blue pages" in the front, right before the white pages.)

---

http://www.nssflorida.org/fl_house.shtml (This site is my personal favorite: The National Space Society provides this contact information for Florida legislators with the stated hopes of people advocating in letter writing activities "in support of space exploration and the nations vision for space exploration." ~~~ Scroll on down in this very pretty page to view photographs and data on your local legislator -if you know his/her name.)

If you live in Florida and you wish to let your voice be heard with respect to renegade, loose-cannonball judges, then you will at least try to contact your Florida State Representative and the JQC with respect to impeachment proceedings.

"Evil triumphs when good men do nothing." - Edmund Burke [1729-1797] ~ If you do not make the effort, then by your actions, you have shown yourself to support the highly-paid state judges who will do anything they please to you when you enter their courtroom.

Friday, 25 February 2005 Florida Supreme Court splits 4-3 on surprise last-minute filing in Terri Schiavo Case
While many parties have become involved in the Terri Schiavo case, there has been much activity under the radar, not reported by the mainstream press.
LAKELAND, FL (The Register) Terri Schiavo supporters have been bolstered by a surprise, last-minute filing from an unexpected source...
Click here for further details.

Wednesday, 23 February 2005: New filings today in the Terri Schiavo case defy news media who have said that Register Editor, Gordon Watts, does not have legal standing to proceed: While many have made fun of Watts' efforts in court, the Florida Supreme Court has refused to dismiss the Habeas Corpus proceedings brought by Watts, and they have sat in court since late 2003. Due to the recent turn of events in the Schiavo case, many have asked Watts to petition the courts to put his court filings on a fast track before it is too late. Click on the HomeTown/AOL Mirror here or on the Yahoo!/GeoCities Mirror here for detail of this case.

Friday the 15th of Oct. 2004: THIS JUST IN: Fla. Dept. of Revenue Guns for Michael Schiavo
No other news agency gets scoop

Why did the Fla. Dept. of Revenue do an MSN Search for the court records of Terri Schiavo?

While it is obvious that A Website tracker has done double caller ID on the Dept. of Revenue --seeing who visited and who referred them --in which they clicked on The Register's home pages and browsed around, what is not so obvious is why. (Hint to the reader: You can take the "204.89.69.44" and the "204.89.69.14" numbers and go to the ARIN Whois database and look up the IP addresses to see who owns them. In this case, the Florida Dept. of Revenue can surf the net on it's block from: 204.89.64.0 to 204.89.127.255.)

While our investigators do not know for sure, three theories emerge:

1) The rumors that Mike Schiavo has taken out a hefty insurance policy on his wife, with the intent to deprive her of antibiotics and kill her, and collect, abound, and are discussed right here.

2) The fact that Mike Schiavo is on record as having violated this felony law, s.825.103 might seem interesting to the Dept. of Revenue --because, while the police have never charge him with this crime, Mr. Schiavo is on record with the Court System as having his award money for his lawyer' fees --and for using Terri's award money for his lawyers' fees. He is permitted under the State Law to use the $300,000 he won for whatever legal purpose he wanted, but since the court orders from the medical malpractice trial jury were for the approx. 700,000 dollars for Terri to be used only on her medical care, this constitutes a first degree felony within the meaning of s.825.103.

3) The Register's favorite theory is that the class 2 and class 3 felonies committed by Michael, and outlined in this brief posted on this page and also on The Fla. Supreme Court's website, and posted right here may have something to do with it, combined with the fact that Terri is illegally detained at a hospice, when she is not terminal and continually denied retained rights to an attorney and standard medical rehabilitation.

One thing is certain: Only four people know - Mike Schiavo, his attorney, the Fla. Dept. of Insurance investigator -and God!

In God we trust. One nation under God. So help me God. God bless the USA.

God help us!

---

Gordon Wayne Watts http://GordonWatts.com

High Priority: Online "Impeach Greer" Petitions not working; Try this instead ~~ Gordon Watts

(Please note that not all the "click here" links work, so please go online at:

http://HomeTown.AOL.com/Gww1210 or http://www.GeoCities.com/Gordon_Watts32313

...to see full article.)

Subject: High Priority: Online "Impeach Greer" Petitions not working; Try this instead/GW ** Dear Neighbors and friends of Theresa "Terri" Schiavo ** Please take a look at this front page news, taken from:

http://HomeTown.AOL.com/Gww1210 and http://www.GeoCities.com/Gordon_Watts32313
(And please PASS THE MESSAGE ALONG! ~ PLEASE HELP ME!!)
The Register

Tuesday, 08 March 2005 NEWS FLASH: The Register legal committee concludes American Court System in crisis, leads the way to address it:
After one unnamed office aide to Florida State Representative, John Stargel, informed The Register that there had not been any constituent requests to being an impeachment proceeding (e.g., to "impeach Greer" or any other judge), as outlined in the State Constitution (see story below), it was discovered that the "online petitions" to impeach a judge while a great morale booster, were not being effective to their stated goal -to get rid of bad judges. Therefore, staff at The Register researched the proper method. For any person wishing to impeach a judge, it is suggested that you contact your state representative, as Editor-in-Chief, Gordon W. Watts, has done. Click here for the letter in Microsoft Word 97 format ( http://hometown.aol.com/gww1210/myhomepage/letter_to_representatives.doc / http://www.geocities.com/gordon_watts32313/letter_to_representatives.doc ) which was sent by conventional postal mail, or here for the letter, in "web page" format, ( http://hometown.aol.com/gww1210/myhomepage/letter_to_representatives.html / http://www.geocities.com/gordon_watts32313/letter_to_representatives.html ) showing what was sent by e-mail.
Monday, 07 March 2005 David Allen, host of The David Allen Show heard on WJGR: 1320 AM, "The Patriot," Where your opinion counts, has asked The Register to post contact information for Florida State Representatives.
There have been many misguided attempts to initiate impeachment proceedings against the various judges involved in the Terri Schiavo case. To begin with, the appeal court judges bear even more responsibility than circuit judge, George Greer, because they have higher authority. Secondly, the attempts to impeach many judges has resulted in "online petitions" galore; However, in Florida, there are only two constitutionally acceptable forms of addressing the misconduct of judges. One is through the Judicial Qualifications Commission. The Florida Bar erroneously claims here that the JQC is the only body that can investigate judicial misconduct: "Under the Florida Constitution, only the Judicial Qualifications Commission has authority to investigate complaints against Florida judges. Persons wishing to file a complaint should address materials to: Judicial Qualifications Commission 1110 Thomasville Road Tallahassee, FL 32303 (850) 488-1581" ~ However, THE FLORIDA BAR is incorrect: The Florida Constitution, under Article III, Section 17: Impeachment Proceedings, ( http://flsenate.gov/Statutes/index.cfm?Mode=Constitution&Submenu=3&Tab=statutes#A03S17 ) also may investigate bad judges. Just like the U.S. House impeached former President, Bill Clinton, and the U.S. Senate tried and convicted him, finally imposing a minor reprimand as punishment, the State House may impeach, and the State Senate may try. ~ Therefore, when David Allen became aware of the movement among citizens who are saying that "enough is enough" with respect to judicial misconduct, he asked The Register to post links to the contact information of Florida State Representatives. If you live in Florida, and you want a judge -or a group of judges -impeached, then you are advised to NOT sign any petition -until after you have contacted both the JQC (see above) and your State Representative -via some methods listed below:

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http://www.myfloridahouse.gov/legislators.aspx (The official state site - look down the list, or click the "Find Your Representative" icon in the top right, and enter your zip code.)

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https://mmm1108.verio-web.com/flor54/vpkwritenow.html (This is a private website, and you must trust the website to really send the email. This method is not preferred. Instead, it is suggested you look in the front of your local telephone book for your state representative. Your state senator can not initiate impeachment proceedings in Florida, only your representative; the senate, however, does try the defendants, that is, the judges who terrorize Joe Average Citizen.)

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http://action.csgv.org/legdirectory (This private website is user-friendly. It is suggested that you enter your address, and the site takes you to a page showing who your representatives are.)

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http://action.csgv.org/legdirectory/Index.asp?step=6&state=FL&chamber=003 (This site is similar to the above, but you must sift through the list to find your representative; If you don't know your representative's name, you'd better break out the local telephone book, and look in the "blue pages" in the front, right before the white pages.)

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http://www.nssflorida.org/fl_house.shtml (This site is my personal favorite: The National Space Society provides this contact information for Florida legislators with the stated hopes of people advocating in letter writing activities "in support of space exploration and the nations vision for space exploration." ~~~ Scroll on down in this very pretty page to view photographs and data on your local legislator -if you know his/her name.)

If you live in Florida and you wish to let your voice be heard with respect to renegade, loose-cannonball judges, then you will at least try to contact your Florida State Representative and the JQC with respect to impeachment proceedings.

"Evil triumphs when good men do nothing." - Edmund Burke [1729-1797] ~ If you do not make the effort, then by your actions, you have shown yourself to support the highly-paid state judges who will do anything they please to you when you enter their courtroom.

Friday, 25 February 2005 Florida Supreme Court splits 4-3 on surprise last-minute filing in Terri Schiavo Case
While many parties have become involved in the Terri Schiavo case, there has been much activity under the radar, not reported by the mainstream press.
LAKELAND, FL (The Register) Terri Schiavo supporters have been bolstered by a surprise, last-minute filing from an unexpected source...
Click here for further details.

Wednesday, 23 February 2005: New filings today in the Terri Schiavo case defy news media who have said that Register Editor, Gordon Watts, does not have legal standing to proceed: While many have made fun of Watts' efforts in court, the Florida Supreme Court has refused to dismiss the Habeas Corpus proceedings brought by Watts, and they have sat in court since late 2003. Due to the recent turn of events in the Schiavo case, many have asked Watts to petition the courts to put his court filings on a fast track before it is too late. Click on the HomeTown/AOL Mirror here or on the Yahoo!/GeoCities Mirror here for detail of this case.

Friday the 15th of Oct. 2004: THIS JUST IN: Fla. Dept. of Revenue Guns for Michael Schiavo
No other news agency gets scoop

Why did the Fla. Dept. of Revenue do an MSN Search for the court records of Terri Schiavo?

While it is obvious that A Website tracker has done double caller ID on the Dept. of Revenue --seeing who visited and who referred them --in which they clicked on The Register's home pages and browsed around, what is not so obvious is why. (Hint to the reader: You can take the "204.89.69.44" and the "204.89.69.14" numbers and go to the ARIN Whois database and look up the IP addresses to see who owns them. In this case, the Florida Dept. of Revenue can surf the net on it's block from: 204.89.64.0 to 204.89.127.255.)

While our investigators do not know for sure, three theories emerge:

1) The rumors that Mike Schiavo has taken out a hefty insurance policy on his wife, with the intent to deprive her of antibiotics and kill her, and collect, abound, and are discussed right here.

2) The fact that Mike Schiavo is on record as having violated this felony law, s.825.103 might seem interesting to the Dept. of Revenue --because, while the police have never charge him with this crime, Mr. Schiavo is on record with the Court System as having his award money for his lawyer' fees --and for using Terri's award money for his lawyers' fees. He is permitted under the State Law to use the $300,000 he won for whatever legal purpose he wanted, but since the court orders from the medical malpractice trial jury were for the approx. 700,000 dollars for Terri to be used only on her medical care, this constitutes a first degree felony within the meaning of s.825.103.

3) The Register's favorite theory is that the class 2 and class 3 felonies committed by Michael, and outlined in this brief posted on this page and also on The Fla. Supreme Court's website, and posted right here may have something to do with it, combined with the fact that Terri is illegally detained at a hospice, when she is not terminal and continually denied retained rights to an attorney and standard medical rehabilitation.

One thing is certain: Only four people know - Mike Schiavo, his attorney, the Fla. Dept. of Insurance investigator -and God!

In God we trust. One nation under God. So help me God. God bless the USA.

God help us!

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Gordon Wayne Watts http://GordonWatts.com

You asked: "Does this mean that there will be a stay now because of this? How is this a boost? I don't understand what the ruling is and how it is a boost to Terri?"

I don't know if there will be a stay, and let me tell you, the courts don't WANT you to understand the ruling, but understand this - I lost by a slim margin.

How is this a boost? Let me explain:

#1: I am bringing attention to and possibly delaying the mistreatment -- #2, my loss, while crushing to all involved, was only 4-3, not 7-0, and leaves my claims with credibility - which I will need as I attemt to either ask the US Supremes for intervention - or come before the papparazzi uncaring news media - plz pray for us to be able to delay long enough to get a fair day in court -- we all are on trial here, you know - not just Terri.

Thx for the support - it is November, and I just now sense visits to my site from your post - Actually, in my recent court filings, I forgot 825.103, the statute related to the felony misappropriation of ward's funds, when the amount is more than $100,000.oo, but I fixed that in recent court pleadings.

Please pray that I get a fair day in court, or the efforts' result will have to roll over until Heaven, and Heaven knows we need some of the blessings down here.

The legal quandry is this: If God saves Terri right now, it wouldn't be fair to all the other truely pro-life countries, like Germany, which now-days has outlawed abortion, and they would cry foul and demand to know why backslidden America has gotten blessed when we haven't done our part to save Terri - where's the outcry? With only like several thousand phone calls to the capitol, where are the other millions that were silent?!

However, on the other hand, if God doesn't save Terri, that would certainly be unjust and unfair for her, because, while she is a human who has sinned, she is a victim, and has, generally NOT done anything to justify Mike Schiavo and crew to deprive her of the protections afforded her under the state and federal laws and constitutions -that is, illegal things ARE happening, and the misappropriation of funds is mickey mouse to the felony abuse violations under her sister statute, 825.102(3), but who really cares if the courts and hospices allow them to exceed the feeding tube ruling and (illegally) also deny food and therapy, huh?

Nah, not important, and I guess you don't mind being a victim either huh?

Maybe I'd better go back to sleep, while the z's are good.

Wise man say: "Good answer today!"
Then wise man say: "Mere man not wise - NOTHING to say!"

Lisa and friends: You will be blessed with firsthand news that said court briefs have been allowed to be reviewed by the world, and this decreases the chance said infractions shall be "swept under the rug."

See Mr. Watts' briefs at:

http://www.flcourts.org/pubinfo/summaries/briefs/04/04-925/index.html

and scroll down near the bottom of the page, and Mr. Gordon Watts says thank you to the helpers in the court and who supplied other encouragement for the court and press to do their job.

Ah... no comments or replies!

First things first: Are there critics to my tact and method? (I.e., Does someone dare oppose me on this?)

If the answer is "no," then see the above, and help me out.

If the answer is "yes," then let me ask you, Einstein, what do **you** propose we do in regards to Theresa "Terri" Schiavo??

If you say "support Terri's Law," then, in theory I would support you, but it has so distracted from the REALLY POWERFUL laws out there, that we may only get ONE, and let me say this again ONE chance to get enforcement, and if we squander (e.g., waste) our energy and focus on Florida Public Law 2003-418, colloquially dubbed "Terri's Law," here is what can happen:

The NEXT Governor can (and probably would if he-she is a liberal) LIFT the stay (translation: KILL TERRI).

That is in the BEST circumstance. Plus, the law has expired, so any future person wanting a "pardon," can't get it, and this makes any future "pardons" impossible and the law moot. Saving the law not only does not adequately protect Terri's feeding tube, it also does not address the felony abuses she has encountered, with which we are all so disgusted. But, my court briefs seek to remedy that problem.

So, genius, just WHAT do you propose to do if (when) a future governor (eventually) decides to "pull the plug," and kill Terri...? That's right. Nothing, so let's "look ahead." The bill is listed below to prove that it really does have the ability to be "revoked," so to speak, and there is a link:

http://www.myfloridahouse.com/loadDoc.aspx?FileName=_h0035E__.doc&DocumentType=Bill&BillNumber=0035E&Session=2003

HB 0035E 2003
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
Page 1 of 2
F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
A bill to be entitled 1
An act relating to the authority for the Governor to issue 2
a one-time stay to prevent the withholding of nutrition 3
and hydration from a patient; authorizing the Governor to 4
issue a one-time stay to prevent the withholding of 5
nutrition and hydration under certain circumstances; 6
providing for expiration of the stay; authorizing the 7
Governor to lift the stay under certain circumstances; 8
providing that a person is not civilly liable and is not 9
subject to regulatory or disciplinary sanctions for taking 10
action in compliance with any such stay; providing an 11
effective date. 12
13
Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 14
15
Section 1. (1) The Governor may issue a one-time stay to 16
prevent the withholding of nutrition and hydration from a 17
patient if, as of October 15, 2003: 18
(a) The patient has no written advance directive; 19
(b) The court has found the patient to be in a persistent 20
vegetative state; 21
(c) The patient has had nutrition and hydration withheld; 22
and 23
(d) A member of the patient's family has challenged the 24
withholding of nutrition and hydration. 25
(2) The Governor's authority to issue the stay expires 15 26
days after the effective date of this act, and the expiration of 27
that authority does not impact the validity or the effect of any 28
stay issued pursuant to this act. The Governor may revoke the 29
stay upon a finding that a change in the condition of the 30
HB 0035E 2003
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
Page 2 of 2
F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
patient warrants revocation. A person may not be held civilly 31
liable and is not subject to regulatory or disciplinary 32
sanctions for taking any action to comply with a stay issued by 33
the Governor pursuant to this act. 34
Section 2. This act shall take effect upon becoming a law. 35