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National
Finalist for
Best Fiction
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Best Book of the
Year in Fiction |
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Best Fiction Novel |
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Honorable Mention
Best Fiction |
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Honorable Mention
Best Fiction |
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QUOTE OF THE DAY
"Peace...comes
within the souls of
men when they
realize their
relationship, their
oneness with the
universe and all its
powers, and when
they realize that at
the center of the
Universe dwells the
Great Spirit/God,
and that this is
really everywhere.
It is within each of
us."
-- Black Elk
EDITOR'S NOTE
Hello Everyone, hope
you've had an
incredible month to
end the summer
season. It's been
quite busy around
here, as usual. Much
of the work we've
been doing has
centered around
transformation,
which has been aided
dramatically with
the work for
Transformational
Third Thursdays.
When one considers
what is happening in
the world around us,
how things are
moving at such an
accelerated rate, at
such a violent rate,
it is easy to
understand the
urgency behind the
messages of
spiritual workers
such as Eckhart
Tolle.
The main religions
have termed this
tumultuous period we
are witnessing as
Armageddon—or "end
of times." Many
followers have built
it into their belief
systems that this is
the end of life on
this planet, as we
know it. And this
much is true. It is
the end of life, "as
we know it." But it
is also the
beginning of a new
era that will
culminate in a
dramatic shift in
man's consciousness,
not in man's
inevitable
destruction.
As the Mayan
Calendar indicates
with its 2012
prophecies, there
will be death—not to
man in general, but
to the false
identity that has
usurped man's
identity since his
fall from grace,
called the ego. The
ego is who we have
been conditioned to
believe we are.
Through the ego, we
identify with our
physical bodies as
the focus of our
worldly attentions.
Yet, we see time and
again that those who
continue to honor
the ego also
continue to suffer
the man made pains
that are associated
with one's
identification with
their time past and
time future. The
painful memories and
anger we bring from
the past rob the
present of its
strength and
vitality. The stress
and anxiousness of a
future that is
beyond our control,
we emphasize as our
salvation for
failures in the
present.
We often neglect the
fact that our most
powerful moment is
right now. And the
big change within
all of us will come
when we recognize
this. When we shed
the ego's
"psychological
time," and we
realize that by
putting all our best
energies into
whatever we're doing
right now, at this
moment, we are
working, one
spiritual brick at a
time, toward
building the kind of
future we will want
to experience.
To do so, we must
become the "watcher"
of our minds,
disidentifying from
the crazy
machinations that
our compulsive
thoughts subject us
to. We all must
learn to do this. We
must all recondition
ourselves to
identify with our
inner Being, the
energy field that
vibrates within our
body's form, our
true state of grace.
This energy field is
connected to every
thing, which makes
us a direct part of
the incredible
"Garden of Eden"
universe that
happens all around
us...at all times.
JESSE JAMES
HOLLYWOOD
There he was on
September 4th at the
center of the
motorcade, tucked in
the white Chevrolet
Suburban, an
unmarked Suburban in
front, another one
behind, police
motorcycles
bookending the
procession, colored
lights flashing
everywhere. Then
there was the heavy
submachine gun laden
escort through the
courthouse backdoor,
and then into court,
where there seemed
to be more deputies,
submachine guns, and
badges than anything
else. There was
going to be no
jailbreak here.
Yeah, it was a
little surreal on a
very surreal kind of
day. On the one
hand, I was glad to
get back to court in
Santa Barbara to see
Jesse James
Hollywood's hearing.
I was glad to be
there because I
needed to get back
into the flow of
what was goin' on in
the case, not only
to report it here,
but to glean more
for my Stolen
Boy sequel.
It was a typically
beautiful Santa
Barbara kind of day.
A heavy sun with
clear blue skies and
a lot of media
outside. It was the
kind of day that
made stains break
out under the arms,
and it made you want
to ditch school,
grab your board, and
swat a few waves. At
least that's what we
used to do at
Hollywood High
School. Who needed
class or football
practice when you
had the beach to
attend? But not on
this day. Not for
me. I needed to
stand outside
Department 14 and
sweat a little. I
needed to find cheap
parking.
Defense attorney
James Blatt speaks
with Michael Mehas
and the media after
court.
ALL THE USUAL SUSPECTS
Eventually, all the
usual suspects
showed up and took
their rightful
places. James Blatt,
looking spiffy in
his dark navy suit
and bright red power
tie, led the
defense. Three
prosecutors sat at
the plaintiff's
table, but the only
one I recognized was
the DA's appellate
lawyer, the
kind-faced Gerald
Franklyn. Jack
Hollywood was there
too, and he put up a
brave smile,
although I knew he
had to be dying
through all his
pride.
I also saw law
professor Ed Perez
from the University
of La Verne College
of Law. He was
scoping things out
for a big law
symposium he's
putting on in
October regarding
the prosecutorial
ethics
considerations
raised by this case.
Susan Markowitz
showed up in all her
living color,
looking absolutely
brilliant. Gold
looped earrings
bouncing off the
black sweater that
graced her strong
shoulders. When we
spoke briefly after
court, her eyes were
electric blue as she
told me she was
writing a book about
her murdered son,
Nicholas Markowitz,
that would be out in
about five months. I
did the math and
noticed this seemed
to coincide with the
time of Jesse's
trial, which was
probably no small
coincidence.
THE HEARING
Court finally got
going around 2:30
pm, with Judge Hill,
sporting a deep tan
and neatly trimmed
goatee, taking care
of the first
business of the day
by denying the
media's request to
photograph and
videotape the
hearing. At first, I
was bummed because I
had my pocket Canon
ready to shoot to my
little heart's
desire. Then, I
started to realize
it was a good thing
the judge denied our
requests. As the
wise man in the robe
once noted, the
trial is a mere five
months away. Why do
anything that could
screw up the record
at this point? Why
prejudice Jesse
James Hollywood's
right to a fair
trial any more than
it has already been
prejudiced?
The matters at hand
were finally dealt
with. The defense
had filed several
motions, all of
which were either
not considered or
denied, some without
prejudice. There was
the 995 motion to
dismiss, for which
the DA had filed
their response this
past Wednesday, not
allowing the judge
enough time to read
it. This one would
be continued.
Then there was the
Motion in Limine for
full and fair
hearing, the motion
to include all
objections under
state and federal
law, the two motions
to strike the death
penalty, both of
which were denied,
the judge pointing
out the premature
nature of both
motions in a case
"where we haven't
even entered pleas,
yet."
These were followed
by the Motion for
the disclosure of
independent and
exculpatory
evidence. The DA was
made to be aware of
his obligation to
disclose any such
evidence, and Mr.
Blatt seemed
primarily concerned
with alleged
statements made by
his client to FBI
agents at the time
of his capture in
Brazil.
IN
CONCLUSION
At the conclusion,
all parties agreed
to come back and
argue the 995 motion
again on October
29th, Judge Hill
promising to review
the 700 plus page
Grand Jury
transcript by then,
light reading at its
finest. At that time
they would also
argue for a change
of venue, which the
judge indicated
might also be
premature, since
they had not voir
dired a jury yet,
and there was no
telling if anyone in
Jesse James
Hollywood's
prospective jury
pool had been
prejudiced by the
case, seen Alpha
Dog, or even read
Stolen Boy.
And through all the
legal maneuvering,
Jesse just sat
there, next to his
lawyer, quiet and
respectful, hair cut
short and fanned
back, wearing an
orange jumpsuit and
the sincerest of
smirks, probably
recognizing the
bitter irony of
being accused of
ordering the
machinegun death of
a fifteen-year-old
boy, while sitting
front and center in
a courtroom loaded
to the teeth with
submachine guns.
TRANSFORMATIONAL
THIRD THURSDAYS
August 21st,
7:00 to 8:30 p.m.
I would again like
to invite all of you
to Transformational
Third Thursdays, our
monthly
consciousness
workshop and
discussion group
based on the
teachings of Eckhart
Tolle. Our second
meeting will take
place on August 21st
from 7 to 8:30 p.m.
at Bank of Books,
748 E. Main St.,
Ventura.
Offered free of
charge as a
community service by
Clarey Rudd, owner
of Bank of Books,
and myself, the
transformational
series has been very
popular with those
looking to change
their direction in
life.
"By changing
ourselves as
individuals, and
learning how to tap
into the higher
vibrations of our
Being," Mehas says,
"we can change the
collective energies
of the world around
us. By becoming
peace-filled and
loving, not just
talking about it,
each one of us can
help create a
joy-filled existence
for our families and
ourselves."
Persons at all
levels of the
transformative
experience are
invited to attend
one or more of the
monthly events. The
goal of the workshop
is for each
participant to learn
and/or strengthen
the building blocks
to his or her own
positive
transformation,
which will affect
their families and
their communities.
The six-month
series, which
continues on
September 18th, will
meet on the third
Thursday of each
month, concluding on
December 18th. All
events will be held
from 7 to 8:30 p.m.
at Bank of Books in
downtown Ventura.
Tolle's books, The
Power of Now and A
New Earth, and
Stolen Boy can be
found on the shelves
at Bank of Books. In
celebration of
transformation,
Clarey Rudd has
agreed to offer a
20% discount on all
three books. For
further information
about the series,
call 805.643-3154.
To learn more about
Michael Mehas, go to
his Web site at
www.MichaelMehas.com.
SANTA BARBARA BOOK
AND AUTHOR FESTIVAL
I would also like to
invite you to the
Santa Barbara Book
and Author Festival
where I'll be
moderating a panel
of Mystery/Thriller
writers. The
festival begins on
Friday, September
26th and goes to
Saturday, September
27th, when the
mystery/thriller
panel will be held
from 12:30 p.m. to
1:45 p.m., in the
Mural Room of the
Santa Barbara County
Courthouse, which is
right across the
street from the
downtown public
library. The panel
has been titled
"Variety is the
Mystery of Life,"
based on the fact
that the panel is
comprised of authors
who have composed
very different types
of
mysteries/thrillers.
Besides myself, the
participating
writers will
include,
Gayle Lynds,
Peter Balaskas
and
Robert Gregory
Browne. This
once-in-a-lifetime
panel is going to be
awesome, so be sure
not to miss it.
STOLEN BOY.COM
We've had the most
intense month so far
at our Weblog at
www.StolenBoy.com,
and it's had very
little to do with
Brandon McInerney or
Jesse James
Hollywood, although
both are talked
about plenty. This
month, the action
has stemmed from a
couple pieces we did
on the immortal
Sarah Palin, the
gun-toting,
bikini-busting GOP
VP hopeful, who
seems to have a
track record filled
with blood-lust for
both people and
animal alike. Visit
us. Let us know your
views on Sarah, the
death penalty, or
any other serious or
not so serious
social issue that
might be branding
indelibly upon your
gray matter.
THE LAST WORD
As we spoke about
last month, I wrote
a commentary to the
Ventura County Star
about my feelings
regarding the
mandatory-minimum
51-year sentence to
an adult prison
fourteen-year-old
Brandon McInerney is
likely to receive
for killing Larry
King last February
at E.O. Green Middle
School in Oxnard. I
received much
intense feedback
from across the
country for what I
wrote. People filled
my ears with hateful
words on what they
wanted to see happen
to Brandon.
Others believed that
Larry King got what
he had coming. All
the way around, the
words were very sad
and filled with a
lack of compassion
for all who were
concerned. I'm
hoping that this
will change, that
everyone will become
more compassionate,
recognizing that by
wishing harm upon
others, we are in
fact bringing pain
to ourselves. The
following letter
seems to reflect a
very enlightened
insight into what
happened between
these two young
boys.
Dear Mr. Mehas,
Thank you for
writing your recent
article for Ventura
County Star News
entitled,
"14-year-old Brandon
McInerney: Ventura
County's sacrificial
lamb." From the very
beginning of this
tragedy, I tried to
tell every authority
figure I ran into at
Lawrence King's
memorial service to
be merciful with
Brandon, that he is
just a little boy
who is likely far
more frightened and
confused than
hateful and evil.
I wanted so badly to
be able to go into
Brandon's cell and
talk with him as a
father to a son,
leading him through
the steps of
acknowledging his
own fear of being a
child and being
alone and likely
questioning his own
sexuality and being
terrified of his own
father who
undoubtedly had
screamed at him,
"You're not going to
be one of those
God-damned fucking
queers! No son of
mine is going to be
some fag boy!"
From what I've read
about Brandon's
father, it sounds to
me that Brandon's
psychological, and
maybe even physical,
survival depended
upon imitating his
father's behavior.
In a household
plagued by family
violence, Brandon
had to at least
pretend to agree
with his father's
attitudes and
behaviors even if he
didn't agree with
them. At age 14, one
can't really be
expected to be
"thinking as an
individual" when
your survival
depends upon
thinking like your
father. If Brandon's
father was
physically and
psychologically
abusing his mother,
as reports say, then
certainly he was
doing the same to
Brandon and, if not,
Brandon would at
least be terrified
that his father's
wrath could be
turned against him
at any unpredictable
time.
I'm convinced that a
sensitive and
insightful person,
male or female,
could have brought
Brandon to a place
of confessing his
terrible action for
what it is and
brought him to
authentic remorse
and even
understanding of how
his fear of his
sexuality, his own
identity as a male
and as a powerful
person, influenced
his decision to kill
Lawrence. What
Lawrence represented
to Brandon was so
powerful because the
same behavior or
attitude, from
Brandon's point of
view, would have
resulted in his own
emotional or
physical death from
his father. He could
not allow himself to
even contemplate the
possibility of being
what Lawrence
represented to him.
If this powerful
symbolic dynamic was
not at work, Brandon
may have still
thought Lawrence was
silly or foolish or
stupid or sinful,
but he would not
have needed to
murder Lawrence.
Murdering Lawrence
was necessary
because Lawrence
symbolized
everything Brandon
must abhor in order
to stay alive in his
terrible household.
I am so convinced
that Brandon should
be sentenced to a
couple decades of
public service
speaking to young
people about the
consequences of
family violence, of
running away from
our own fears by
hating others who
represent those
fears, of the value
of tolerance and
acceptance of
others, even when we
would personally
never find their
way(s) of life
desirable to
ourselves. If
Brandon can be
rehabilitated
through wise,
loving, sensitive
and insightful
counsel, then he
should be given the
opportunity to serve
the community from
whom he robbed
another life. If his
attitude is not
regretful,
repentant, but
obstinate and
hateful and
vindictive, and
defending his
actions, perhaps
even insisting that
"Lawrence got what
he deserved," and
stating that he
would do it again if
some "fuckin'
faggot" came toward
him, etc., then I
think he should
remain in prison as
an adult where he
can be kept from
bringing harm on
another human being
who might trigger
the same response in
him in another
setting with similar
dynamics.
Sincerely,
Brian Kraemer
Altadena, CA
Mr. Kraemer is
a 45-year-old
private academic
tutor for parents
and their children.
He has taught 2nd
through 4th grades
and he is always
looking for
meaningful things to
add to his own life.
He views all
individuals as
children, anxious to
impress, waiting to
be listened to and
cared for, longing
to feel meaningful
and safe, involved
in something of
importance, but,
simultaneously
thwarted by fear of
rejection, fear of
not getting what
they long for, and
having to deal with
the anger that comes
from such fears. He
believes the key to
tragic and trying
experiences is the
lessons we take home
with us.
If you would like to
share some of your
thoughts with Brian
Kraemer, he can be
reached by email at
linus_blanket_2001@yahoo.com.
We at Stolen Boy are
also in agreement
with Brian that the
right words spoken
to the right person
at the right time
effects what might
be termed miracles
in life. Keep 'em
coming, Brian.
Peace, Love, and
Blessings to all of
you,
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