The Corporate Greedy – When Psychopaths Cooperate

The Case of Craig Franklin and Dan O'Dowd

By Melinda Pillsbury-Foster

Photo obtained from Anne Fisher 

NOTE:  Some links have been changed or removed by hosting sites.  If you have questions contact me.   

While we are coming to recognize the acts of individual, lone psychopaths in crime, business, politics and our personal lives as the source of tremendous trauma, and the monetary costs, arguably in the trillions today, we have failed to grasp the full magnitude of the problem.

As with all other segments of the population psychopaths run the spectrum of abilities and intelligent. According to Dr. Liane Leedom, a psychiatrist specializing in the study of the condition, at any time there are 20,000 psychopaths with IQs over 180 at large in the United States. This is cause for an entirely different degree of concern for several related reasons.

First, the condition is not presently curable or even treatable. It is a neurological, not psychological condition.

Professor Declan Murphy and colleagues Dr Michael Craig and Dr Marco Catani from the Institute of Psychiatry at King's College London have now published findings which move further in the direction of placing the source psychopathy as an organic malfunction of the brain itself. Differences in the brains of normal individuals and psychopaths point to this conclusion.

Dr Michael Craig said in an article published August 5, 2009 in Science News, ”If replicated by larger studies the significance of these findings cannot be underestimated. The suggestion of a clear structural deficit in the brains of psychopaths has profound implications for clinicians, research scientists and the criminal justice system.”

While Dr Craig did not dismiss the possibility for treatment all attempts to change behavior from the use of psychotherapy have failed utterly, professionals admit. Therapeutic approaches have only succeeded in producing more predatory psychopaths.

(Jan. 25, 2011) — People diagnosed as psychopathic have difficulty showing empathy, just like patients who have suffered frontal head injury. This has been shown in a new study from the University of Haifa. "Our findings show that people who have psychopathic symptoms behave as though they are suffering frontal brain damage," said Dr. Simone Shamay-Tsoory, who conducted the study.

Psychopathy is a personality disorder that finds expression in extreme anti-social behavior and intentional harm to others, including a lack of compassion and empathy. An existing explanation for such behavior suggests the inability to comprehend the existence of emotions in others. However, the fact that many psychopaths act with sophistication and deceit to intentionally harm others, indicates that they actually have a good grasp of the mental capacity of others -- and are capable of using that knowledge in order to cause them harm.

Earlier research by Dr. Shamay-Tsoory has examined individuals with frontal head injury, i.e., damage to parts of the brain that are responsible for emotional functioning. She has shown that people suffering this type of brain damage have difficulty showing empathy. Having observed similar emotional deficiency in psychopathic behavior, she set out to see if there is in fact a similarity between the two cases.

The current study assessed 17 people who had been diagnosed by psychiatrists as psychopathic -- and not suffering from any known brain damage; and another 25 individuals suffering frontal lobe injury. Each of the participants underwent a computerized test examining cognitive ability to recognize feelings in another and the ability to demonstrate empathy for another's emotions. They were also tested to gauge their capacity to understand another's thoughts. The results of these tests showed that both groups demonstrated a similar difficulty in showing empathy, while two control groups of individuals with no known mental disorders or brain damage and individuals with non-frontal brain damage both showed different results with positive empathy capabilities.

"Seeing as psychopathic behavior is similar to that of a person with brain damage, it could be that it could benefit from similar forms of treatment," Dr. Shamay-Tsoory noted, a hopeful note not supported by the body of evidence as of yet.

One psychopath acting alone can alter the behavior of those around him or her though carefully orchestrated manipulation.

What happens when psychopaths cooperate? Is the economic and cultural meltdown now ongoing related to the presence of these individuals, able act at will, in our world? Is this the outcome of psychopaths acting in the “lone wolf” model, or is it an illustration of what happens when psychopaths cooperate? By their nature, intelligent psychopaths are con-men, using our emotions to manipulate us for their own ends to carry out their personal agendas.

There is as yet little awareness of this potentially far more dangerous impact on our lives. The thoughtful might consider stepping back to consider what is taking place today, much of it so seemingly incomprehensible.

The story below is true in all particulars and demonstrates something of the hazards we face in a world which fails to see those without conscience for what they are and enact laws and practices to alleviate the problem.

Craig Franklin and Dan O'Dowd, cooperating psychopaths within a corporation.

Dan O'Dowd, President of Green Hills Software, Inc., hired Franklin as Vice President of Advanced Products Development because of his own inability to make a success of his business. At the time Franklin was hired he, Franklin, had facilitated the only sales the company had manged to make since their founding in 1982. Ignoring their marketing materials, Franklin had read the code and recommended the products to three other companies, who, trusting Franklin's judgment from experience, bought. In this way Dan was rescued from having to return to their venture capitalist, O'Dowd's former employer, Glenn Hightower, for more funding. As we will see, Dan's behavior later identifies him as highly psychopathic himself. Dan's goal was to become wealthier than Bill Gates.

Their Story

Craig Franklin is a psychopath whose goals include enjoying incestuous relationships with very young girls or children who looked like his sister, P. Craig's first sexual arousal took place when he was 16 and the two siblings were wrestling. Craig's sister was then 12. In appearance, the sister, P, was highly neotonous, blond and blue-eyed.

P. was the only girl in a family comprised of four siblings, herself the youngest. The parents were emotionally unavailable and the four siblings were born within just a few years of each other, the first two, Craig and S, only 10 months apart. Not surprisingly, Craig received little maternal attention.

Craig's odd behavior was noted by those around him from the time was in grade school.

After a stellar performance in college, where Craig far out performed his peers while obtaining a degree in math at Stanford University in just over three years, Craig went on to do extraordinary work in a series of early software companies. Craig's IQ is 180.

However, his inability to cope with normal life, in his case evidenced by his inability to file his income tax returns each year, forced him to move on as soon as the penalties resulted in complete garnishment of his earnings. In fact, Craig never owed money, he made it a practice to have the maximum possible withheld. But he did not file the return. If he had, he would have received a large refund each year. More on Craig's non-filing here.

This took place approximately every two years, making it impossible for him to exercise the very generous stock-options he was always granted, by his own report. Craig's non-filing cost him hundreds of millions of dollars.

As is typical of psychopaths, Craig was profligate with money, spending every penny he had with no thought of the future. As a means of buffering himself in social situations he took up playing the guitar while still in college and began writing his own songs, most of which left the listener cold, as they, not unsurprisingly, were emotionally flat. This changed when he began studying the problem and emulating the emotional content of songs written by others, whose authentic emotions he could express. For years he tried to purchase the right to a song by a fellow Libertarian, Dean Ahmad, about Thomas Jefferson. Dean had written his version on the morning of April 3th, 1976 in honor of Jefferson's birthday.

Eventually, Franklin rewrote the song. Franklin told his wife, Melinda, on one occasion, he had to use a huge portion of his left brain to emulate having a right brain (empathy), which he admitted he lacked.

Craig continues to use music to gain access to possibly useful relationships today. These include songs about 'freedom' (Note this link has been removed by the hosting site)  as well as children's songs. Those he works with who are probably unaware of Craig's history. The lyrics appearing in this album, “Celeste Sings,” include two examples of Craig's writing. Justin's Lullaby was written for his youngest son, the other song for his grand-daughter by Scott. 

Craig's first marriage lasted 18 months, ending because his wife, also a mathematician, insisted their tax returns be filed. The wife, Elaine, was pregnant when Craig abruptly insisted on returning to college for a master's degree. She left him. Craig used the divorce and the son born to them in continued attempts to destroy her, apparently unconscious of the effects of his manipulations on the child.

No financial settlement took place until forced by both sets of parents and the court. His son, Scott, became a weapon to continue the war on his former wife, a war in which he maligned her endlessly.

Children are very vulnerable to a psychopathic parent.

While Scott was in his custody he was subjected to endless 'programming' designed to cause him to distrust and resent his mother. Craig also began to discuss sex with Scott, reflecting the idea he, as a member of his 'very elite family,' had a right to whatever they wanted. “Franklin men take what they want,” was a phrase he reported growing up hearing from his father, though there is no evidence this was the case in his father's sexual behavior. The father, Dr. Carl M. Franklin, a former double vice-president of the University of Southern California, now deceased.

But Scott learned this to be true. Saw this demonstrated in other parts of his grandfather's life. Craig's father, had often gloated about his cleverness in persuading wealthy alumni to donate to the USC instead of leaving the money to their children. These same sentiments where shared in his letters to his children, later. A set of these papers is available for study.

Scott's first sexual experience was a gang rape. Learning of this from a conversation overheard by his step-mother, Melinda, she demanded Craig take action. Craig immediately sent Scott back to his mother, but not before letting him know his behavior was not a problem, she later learned.

After Scott's violent behavior, directed toward his mother, forced his removal to the home of his father and step-mother, his attempted to strangle his older step-sister when asked to clean up after his cat. The Franklin family blamed the victim, minimizing the violence done to the step-sister, who was six or seven inches shorter than Scott and weighed only 100 Lbs.

Craig, to the shock of his wife, expressed no condemnation of Scott's behavior, using the event as an opportunity to go into counseling with Nathaniel Branden, who had previously had a sexual relationship with a woman Craig had stalked, Ayn Rand.

An inability to identify inappropriate and non-empathic behavior reoccurs throughout Craig's life.

Craig's impact on Scott played out over the next years.

Craig's second marriage to Melinda in 1987, a woman with three daughters who fit within the confines of his sexual target zone, was undertaken for several purposes. Two of these were to gain access to her daughters and provide cover for Craig's inability to function in the normal world.

As is common with psychopaths he manipulated events to gain control of assets. Craig insisted the house, property of his new wife, be sold and another home purchased in which he had an interest to convert the value to his own control. He demanded the settlement from Melinda's former marriage be used as a down payment and that he be allowed to adopt all of the children of her previous marriage, marginalizing the role of the children's biological father and allowing him to better position himself as 'Daddy.'

The marriage took place when Scott was still a young teenager. Craig immediately began a campaign of manipulation on the daughters, demeaning their mother, in preparation to obtaining sexual access. In this, he failed because his wife, Melinda, told him she would castrate any man who molested her children. Also, Craig's ability to manipulate the children was hampered by their day to day familiarity with him.

Craig had noted to Melinda it took only six weeks for most people to understand he would not react emotionally within normal expectations. Until Craig and Melinda were living together, Melinda did not realize how strange Craig's behavior could be. Craig, though highly intelligent, was not able to overcome what may have been a component of autism, thought by many to stem from the same root causes as psychopathy, in his functioning.

Melinda also had a son, who was of no interest to Craig except for purposes of manipulation, and a son the couple had together, again, used as a weapon when the couple divorced.

The marriage had placed Craig in a position where he had someone to blame for his inability to cope with normal life and who undertook to handle all parts except the taxes, which he concealed from Melinda until this became impossible due to their near bankruptcy in 1997.

In 1997 Melinda, discovering Craig's non-filing of returns but not his psychopathic nature, threatened to file using the Americans with Disabilities Act, against the IRS. Despite the expectations of attorneys and Craig, they received refunds in the neighborhood of $250,000. These, she used to pay off their debts. At the end of the year they were solvent for the first time.

In 1996 Craig had obtained a grant of stock options, larger than any other employee. Both he and Dan, the president of the company, Green Hills Software, Inc., knew the success of the company had been produced from their 'partnership.' The relationship allowed each man to advance toward his goals.

The company was now poised to go public. Craig was about to become very wealthy and, as another benefit of his employment, the company had covered for him on his non-filing and provided a corporate credit card which he could use without providing an accounting.

The cooperative arrangement between Craig and Dan now bore fruit for both men. Dan's partnership with his former employer, Glenn Hightower, who had funded Green Hills Software, Inc., was subject to a 'sudden death,' partnership agreement wherein either partner could demand to be bought out for a stated amount. If the challenged partner failed to come up with the funds in 3 months the other could exercise the buyout.

A recent graduate of Cal Tech, Dan had persuaded his employer to fund the Green Hills start up, which originally included another partner, Carl Rosenberg, who was eliminated in the early 90s using similar techniques as later used on Hightower.

Craig, with the assistance of the other vice presidents of the company, ensured their employees would reject the finance team brought in by the VC partner, Glen Hightower, this taking place during the summer of 1998. In return for Craig's help Dan had an attorney write a new stock option agreement, specific to Craig, in an attempt to characterize the options as his separate property. All grants to other employees, was identical, except for the number of shares, to the one originally signed by Franklin. By this time the 401K, marital property entirely earned during the marriage, disappeared.  It is likely this was used to prepay for the options issued.  

It was a 'throw Mama from the Train,' strategy, intended to distance each man from their collaborative acts and both criminal and unethical.

O'Dowd was well aware of Craig's sexual predilections. At least one sexual harassment law suit was quietly settled, filed by an employee. 

Dan, acting on behalf of the company, expended time and money fighting off Melinda's demands for discovery on the issue of the stock options and the 401K. A compliant judge, Thomas Anderle, refused to enforce the lawful demand for information.

During this time, September 1997, Melinda's oldest son had suffered a major brain injury, and was not expected to live. Melinda herself had suffered a heart attack while clearing up the problems with the IRS and Craig's finances and now needed corneal transplants due to an eye infection she ignored while ensuring the returns were filed. Although this happened in September of 1997 no one from Green Hills contacted her to offer their help or sympathy, though the family home was just blocks from the corporate headquarters.

Following the plan laid out for him by his attorney, Craig's attorney went to the family home, rifled through Melinda's papers, and stole the record which documented their adoption agreement. The divorce was conducted like a war, utilizing all the unethical practices usual to Jacqueline Misho's practice, a methodology which would, several years later, earn her a starring role in the Post Divorce Tour of John Cleese, whose wife had been represented by Misho. Melinda was slandered and libeled to the court and her acquaintance, as had happened to Craig's previous wife.

Craig went into court and denied he was the father to any of Melinda's children, but set up trust accounts for each child. He then absconded with the money, not a penny ever being given to any of the children. Without the documents the court accepted his bald statement, leaving five children without a legal father. The court did, however, grant a small portion of the exercised stock to the ownership of Melinda, declining to have her “reimburse” Franklin.

Dan undertook to carryout another strategy to deny these to Melinda, which has succeeded for over ten years.

Neither man evidenced any concern for the badly handicapped son, Arthur. Craig expressed exasperation Melinda had not died, a fact later reported to her. This was what he and the others cooperating with him, expected as her heart condition was inherited and her other sisters had died of the condition.

For both Craig and Dan, Melinda dead would have cleared the path to her daughters for him and eliminated potential exposure.

During this time Scott graduated from college and married. When Scott's wife, K, gave birth to a daughter. Craig began visiting them. Craig allowed Scott's wife's parents to pay for stock, probably that stolen from Melinda. This was yielding a tidy income to the couple. Soon, Scott was, by the evidence, sharing his father's fascination with pornography, as reflected in court papers several years later.

Melinda, the sole caretaker for her disabled son, was left penniless, living in a half-finished cabin in the mountains at 6,000 feet.  She and her son were often without food and firewood. She was close to being legally blind and suffered a stroke in the dead of winter, receiving no medical care. Against expectations, she survived, a fact pointed out by Green Hills attorneys to prove nothing untoward occurred. 

Then, in 2009, Scott, then the father of two children, hired a hitman to kill his estranged wife. Scott had lost his job and instead of looking for work decided to return to college, paid for by Craig. However, he was spending most of his time playing online games and watching child pornography, according to the court records. Due to a sting operation the hit did not happen. While in jail awaiting arraignment Scott, again, attempted to solicit a hit. His uncle, Craig's brother, S Franklin, an attorney, expressed the opinion the police were making much out of a minor matter during a conversation with Melinda.

Asked by his father to return the stock Scott did so. Scott's wife's parents were not compensated and the only marital asset became unavailable to K, who was left destitute.

Craig ignored his son's confrontation with the law, hiring an attorney in an attempt to obtain unsupervised visitation with his grand daughter. It was reported by Craig's girl friend, Ann Fisher, that letters Scott wrote to his father remained unopened on a pile on his desk at work. Once Scott was no longer useful to Craig, he was forgotten.

The court refused Craig visitation, based on the observations of social workers.  K and her children were admitted to a victims protection program and changed their identities.

Melinda's youngest daughter gave birth to a little girl. Craig immediately began plying the couple with money and planned to retire to their area to, 'help raise my grand daughter.' When Ayn, learned what had happened to K's daughter and Craig's monetary gifts were reported to the IRS, she cut all communication with her father.  Craig had brought one of his paid companions down to hold, "his grandchild," in hopes she would have a little girl with him.

Throughout the time Dan, who had persuaded Melinda to sign a settlement agreement in 2001 with the assurance he, acting in her best interest, would ensure Craig paid the court-ordered support regularly, used the law to evade giving Melinda the stock the court had granted to her. O'Dowd was well aware she was disabled herself and sole caretaker for a severely disabled adult son. By so doing he eventually put his entire business at risk. A sense of invincibility is an indicator for psychopathy as is, of course, intentional, calculated, deceit.

While far less is known about Dan's personal life he is married to a woman of Chinese origin, Amy Chang. Amy, raised in a refugee camp before becoming a computer programmer, brought in relatives to raise the two children she had with Dan.

Around 2002 Green Hills Software had begun receiving government contracts for software. While other companies in their industry are now struggling last year Green Hills had its best year ever, contracts for war have continued to be funded. Dan and Amy, who personally own 97% of the company received dividends of over $300,000,000.00. Today, this announcement appeared via the Internet. Green Hills Software is in line for a renewal of one of their government contracts for Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command. “The Government intends to issue a sole source contract in the estimated amount of $226,665.00 to Green Hills Software, Inc., 30 West Sola Street, Santa Barbara, CA 93101-2599.”

Amy continued to exercise control for a non-profit started by Green Hills Software Fallen Heroes Last Wish Foundation, founded in 2003. A call made to the company for a possible donation resulted in a referral to Amy at her home in Santa Barbara on behalf of Avon. In 2007, speaking for the Foundation, Amy declined to send toiletries to military serving in Iraq at Christmas time.

The organization's founding coincides with Green Hills' first winning of government contracts. Evidently, few grants were made and funds remaining in the Foundation's account were eventually returned to its founders.

Psychopaths have very different goals and the seemingly irrationality of risks taken and strangeness makes it difficult for many normal people to comprehend or believe, even when the evidence is irrefutable.  The 'other than human' motives and nature of the behavior is believed by some to reflect in the representations of Devil in many human cultures. 

Craig's driving goal was sexual gratification and experiencing a sense of power through betraying the trust of his victim. This scenario is evidently optimized for him when the victim is a female child to whom he has caused to bond to him as a father. Dan allowed him to live out his fantasies under the cover of Green Hills Software, Inc. Several years ago Craig had a couch placed in his office. At least one of his female acquaintances reported being raped there during business hours. Other employees have commented on wondering why Dan tolerates Craig's behavior, which includes bringing prostitutes to company functions, according to Anne Fisher.

Again, according to Fisher, Dan tried, unsuccessfully to place Craig in another location but Craig refused. His letters to women, which brought unwitting, hopeful contacts obtained through online dating services, went out using his corporate email address and from the company server. Craig deliberately chose unattractive women who would be unlikely to complain when they were raped and returned to the airport.

Craig, according to Fisher, started membership on high-end dating sites, using these to meet women. He stated as one of his relationship goals to have more children. Over the following years Craig built up a stable of 'paid companions,' who received checks or cash either for sex or for having dinner with him. These ranged from well known soft-core porn stars to first time prostitutes. Payment was made by the hour, for dinner of being part of a bevy of women who listened to him talk and play his guitar, or 'assistants,' and 'girl friends,' the latter expected to provide both personal services, such as tucking him in to bed with a glass of orange juice, making him meals, frozen and placed in his refrigerator, or sex.

Dan's goal was very different. His entire life was fixed on becoming wealthier and more famous than the founder of Microsoft. While he has not succeeded, he has achieved far more success toward his goal than would have been possible without Craig.

Today Craig is still the senior vice-president of the billion-dollar software company, which holds large contracts from the government for sensitive technology. He is, however, scraping by, month to month as he has continued his pattern of extravagance, spending every penny he receives, according to Fisher.  The actual management of the company is limited to a small set of individuals who know the facts.

Neither man has reached his goal, but their psychopathic partnership continues. Dan, and Green Hills Software, Inc., just received an award for Entrepreneur of the Year on the West Coast.

Together, both men were able to obtain an astonishing degree of gratification. Separately, each would have failed. This parallels the dynamics between Richard "Dick" Hickock and Perry Smith, portrayed by Truman Cupote in his book, “In Cold Blood.”

The message in Capote's book and with the example above, each drawn from life, is that when psychopaths cooperate the innocent will pay the price. See Greedville.biz, for more on this case and other cases, soon to be published.

NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR:

Having seen the problem from the inside in a way which is, perhaps, unique, the author has come to believe it is essential a means be found to stop psychopaths from living out their fantasies to the detriment of all humanity. 

Surviving Swat Teams to Empower a Real America

On Valentine's Day this year the home of Walter Reddy was invaded by a Swat Team. The Reddy home is located in an area of Weston, Connecticut which has seen the original modest homes, set on lots of around two acres, which still describes the Reddy home, replaced by mansions, owned mostly by wealthy members of the corporate elite.

The man who filed a police report on Walter is a long time neighbor, Rand McNeil. Rand frequently came over to have coffee with Walter, always inquiring about the possibilities of buying Walter's home. Walter would smile and decline all offers as he poured out another cup of coffee for Rand. Yet on this occasion Rand reported to the police Walter threatened the police – but refused to sign an affidavit.

Then, two Special Agents for the FBI named Walter as a 'person of interest' regarding domestic terrorism.

After being held in handcuffs for hours as his neighbors drove by, staring, Reddy was not charged with a crime, but the judge decided to keep his weapons. There as no evidence of any wrong doing on Reddy's part. Walter was astonished to hear he was supposedly a threat to others, or at least those were the boxes the officials had checked off.

Rand refused to sign an affidavit attesting to the truth of the statements he had made, covertly, to police. The mission, probably to kill Reddy, fizzled, the reason is not discussed in court or in the media but can be surmised, given the evidence.

Sometimes you have to look at the facts not immediately in evidence to see the likely chain of causality. In December 2010 Walter Reddy had a meeting with Stan Crouch of Herbert J. Sims & Co., Inc. The firm is located in Fairfield, Connecticut at 2150 Post Road, Suite 301. The meeting took place in Crouch's tastefully appointed office. Walter was hopeful this large and ,presumably, respectable firm would want to be involved in the plans he and a group of investors, economists, and activists had worked so hard to organize for the Sovereign State Depository. It was an ambitious plan, but one they believe Americans desperately need today, as the dollar continues to fail.

Across the expanse of polished wood, Crouch's partner, Victor Saul, had sat listening to the plan to provide the states with a way to use units of gold and silver bullion as money. Victor's eyes, bugging out with shock, said, “They are going to kill you.”

Stan Crouch's comment was, perhaps, even more illuminating. “They will send the military to come down on the states.” Walter was incredulous. He asked, “Are you out of your mind?” Clearly, they viewed the world very differently – or understood those in control to different degrees.

“We, the people, have a right to our life, our liberty, and our property.” Said Reddy. “Our property includes gold and silver.” Stan responded, “Gold and silver does not belong to the people. All of it belongs to the Federal Reserve. By the way, I have been down in the basement of the Federal Reserve. I've seen what they have stored there.”

Later, Walter was told by a friend, who is also a broker, that Stan Crouch was closely affiliated with Goldman Sachs. Walter had been told Stan was like-minded, in the cause of liberty, something entirely untrue.

The exchange clarifies the beliefs of of bankers and finance people, such as Stan Crouch. This relatively small and select group believe while ordinary Americans hold precious metals all of this form of wealth really belongs to the Federal Reserve. Your hold on your precious metals is temporary. The FED retains the right to confiscate gold, as happened in 1933 through the order of FDR.

Walter Reddy is an older man, a retired contractor, raised during the tumultuous 60s, he remembers with pride having circulated petitions to ensure passage of the 26^th Amendment, giving 18 year olds the right to vote. Young men, then going off to Vietnam, could at least cast a ballot. Walter always votes, remembering the importance of being an active and informed citizen. Today, as he votes, he remembers the men who died and those who returned to harassment and rejection.

Walter has been active in his community, doing volunteer work, for most of his adult life. No product of wealth, Walter Reddy was raised a military brat. He understands the sacrifices servicemen make when they are told they must fight to preserve freedom.

Walter loves his modest home. The stand of pines, over 100 feet in height, borders the property, providing a sense of peace, reminding him of his own life's journey, which has been full of unexpected discoveries. Along with his hands-on work as a contractor, he sees to the plants he raised, watching them grow and prosper, as he wants America to grow and prosper, leaving him time to work to strengthen his community.

One of the organizations to which Walter belongs is the SAR, Sons of the American Revolution. He is proud to be descended from Henry Adams, sharing the same lineage with Sam and John Adams, men to whom freedom and individual rights mattered more than life itself.

Walter studied the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and the Declaration of Independence, for which his ancestors fought, and died, while first a member of the SAR. Understanding that all people, from every culture and place, have the same inherent, God-given rights, Reddy also knows, in his bones, governance must be local to affirm the individual power and rights of all people. Walter Reddy believes people should use persuasion, not coercion and force, governing through consensus, as was usual in much of New England when the Revolution was fought.

No matter where Walter is, or what he is doing, he carries in his mind the vision of a people who actively affirm their rights through self-governing and benevolence at the local level. Walter is a follower of Christ.

During the year Walter Reddy spent in Israel in 1983, first living on a kubbutz, he came to see how the message of Christ was carried through time in the actions of people who worked together, rejecting conflict to embrace brotherhood. While in Israel he worked side by side with Jews and Muslims who lived in peace. The two vital principles Walter found in the words of Christ which profoundly moved him in his study of Americans founding documents, he expresses and the Purse and the Sword.

For his last three months in Israel, Walter lived in Jerusalem, attending a Baptist Church. There, he realized a church is not a building or denomination. It is made up of the people, living in Christ. His congregation in Jerusalem was forced to meet in a tent behind their building. The church had been firebombed and they were raising money to rebuild.

Aware even then of the potential for violence in the world, Walter took to heart the words Christ spoke to his gathered disciples after the Last Supper. Jesus said to them, Gospel of Luke 22:35-36, “Then Jesus asked them, “When I sent you without purse, bag or sandals, did you lack anything?”

“Nothing,” they answered. But now if you have a purse, take it, and also a bag; and if you don’t have a sword, sell your cloak and buy one. “

The Purse refers to the exchanges of commerce. Americans must have sound money. The Sword refers to the right of all people to organize in defense of their homes and communities.

Walter is the founder of two organizations. The first is Committees of Safety, which reclaim these two vital powers. The second is the Sovereign State Depository, which Stan Crouch learned of in December, 2010 less than two months before Rand McNeil laid false reports against Walter, his neighbor for over 25 years.

Rand McNeil owns extensive real estate holdings. McNeil's ex-wife's family name is Goelet. McNeil told Walter her family owns the majority share in JP Morgan-Chase and have been majority stock holders, going back to the corn exchange and chemical bank. But, he confided in Walter years ago, you won't see their name very often because they take care it not appear in public.

McNeil owned an airport in Vermont before he retired. How, he indulges his interest in sailing. Rand grew up on the Gold Coast and his grandfather was a partner of John D. Rockefeller's in Standard Oil.

Rand's job, while he worked, was to do research on land titles to find property which was not claimed so he could claim it for himself, according to what he told Walter. While they have been neighbors for 15 years the two men have known each other for 25 years.

The meeting at H. J. Sims Company, Inc. took place December, 2010. Around February 1, 2011 Rand McNeil dropped by to see his old friend, Walter, and asked for advise on buying a shotgun for protection. It was the first time in 25 years the subject was raised. The area where their homes are located is remote from town.

Walter, had two legally owned firearms, one an antique revolver, and the other a 12 gauge shot gun, kept locked in a case. Rand asked to see the shotgun. Walter took him upstairs, to the case where it was kept. Taking it out of the case, Walter unloaded it, a normal procedure, and handed it to Rand, who examined it as Walter and he discussed the problem with home invasion by violent criminals, which are happening more frequently across the country. Rand handed the gun back, Walter replaced it in its case. The whole examination took around 10 minutes.

Walter has not fired the shotgun in 15 years. But he understands legally it is his responsibility to defend himself, as it is for all Americans. This is why he bought the shotgun originally, as do many people who live in remote areas. If the police fail to protect citizens they are not responsible because this duty belongs legally, first and foremost, to individual Americans. This principle has been upheld over and over again in court.

The day after asking Walter for advice on owning a shotgun Rand called and gave Walter a warning. “Walter, if you don't stop what you are doing, I'm warning you, you are going to be sorry.” He repeated himself several times, according to Reddy. The warning was explicitly about providing the states with the means to transact business using gold and silver.

The words of Stan and Victor resonate with those uttered by Rand. The three men share a common brotherhood in banking, investing, and and life-style.

On February 8^th Rand McNeil went to the police to make his report mentioned earlier. He falsely accused Walter of brandishing his shot gun in his bedroom and making threats against the police and the the banks. Walter is now disarmed and unable to defend himself from the next swat team they send. Knowing that has only increased Walter's determination to ensure Americans their power of Purse and Sword.

Please keep him in your prayers and visit his websites. Our next article on Walter will go into a program now being organized to help veterans come all the way back from war to peace.

Standing up for Real Free Markets

This will be 'some weekend.'
From April 8th to 11^th a conference will take place at the historic Mount Washington Hotel in Bretton Woods, New Hampshire. Mount Washington was the site of the infamous 1944 event which launched the horrors which, we now realize, consumed every shred of wealth in the hands of the 'lowest 90% or so of the population. None of us, the lowest 90%, were invited to attend, of course.

Bretton Woods is the name of the 1944 conference which launched the World Bank, establishing a 'new post-war global economic architecture.' Today it is clear the event was not post war, but intended to plan out the covert war to be carried out on us.

Instead of just writing it off we should be thinking restitution.

The planners for this Conference are using the title, “Crisis and Renewal: International Political Economy at the Crossroads.” The event will host over 200 of the same kind of 'experts in economics and related fields' who were present at the last event to discuss “global reconstruction in the wake of the 2008 Financial Crisis.”
They freely admit their last effort had a few glitches, magnanimous of them.

Their Mission Statement burbles with excitement, conveying this choice rhetoric, “The Institute for New Economic Thinking’s mission is to nurture a global community of next-generation economic leaders, to provoke new economic thinking, and to inspire the economics profession to engage the challenges of the 21st century.”

The site goes on to promise hefty Grants, “INET awards individual grants in two cycles each year to individuals or teams proposing research in new economic thinking. Grants allow the in-depth examination of an issue or development of a concept, and at grant averaging $25,000-$250,000. In many cases INET funds projects that would not generally be funded through conventional academic funding channels.” The promise of 'funding' makes the cheery enthusiasm very understandable, on their parts. 
 
Also funded, for their delectation, will be Task Forces, for those troublesome 'critical issues requiring in-depth research.'  This is the equivalent of being paid to raid small villages for plunder, given past performances. Those shiny young economists, eager for largess and honors, should probably approach us with caution.

Conferences, such as this weekend's event at Bretton Woods, will also take place, giving them time to feel important and decide on the rationalizations for policy justifying continued manipulation of the next form of faux money, for which they enforce a monopoly. Videos will be available. Let's hope those appear on You Tube so we can anticipate their future moves.

Their Partnerships, with leading 'thought centers,' those universities, think-tanks and other research-oriented institutions, also stir excitement in their ranks. This is where these self-gratifying fellows hide from the harsh realities of the cause and effect with which we are now so familiar. These will also be generously funded.
Naturally, there is no thought of asking us what we thought about their morals, ethics, and competence or if we would permit them to diddle with the economy – again.

Generally, when you discover the highly paid professional caused the disaster which reduced your world to rubble a process of rational choice would indicate you fire him. Given the damage done, many among us would prefer these fellows change their professions to something for which they are qualified.

None of us asked them to meet, of course. It was the bright idea of George Soros, who, like a serial rapist, wants another go at the victim. The 'business plan' these folks enabled pumped nearly all of the wealth produced by humanity into the pockets of the 23 men who pay the salaries of these 'economists,' one way or another. So, while it makes sense these fellows eagerly anticipate the years to come for the 'challenge' it will present for inventing a 'new economy' it makes little or no sense for us to put up with them.

Please note this point. No free market economists have been invited to either attend or speak. With the exclusivity, or exclusionary impulses, usual to their kind the Bretton Woods Cabal have limited speakerships to 'post Keynsians,' and 'Chicago School,' savants, though they burble on breathlessly about the number of Nobel Prizes snagged for the event, three.

What would a Free Market economist say about what is happening this weekend? Fortuitously, Mr. Free Market, Murray Rothbard, left this comment regarding a new 'Bretton Woods.' The whole article is here.
Murray's prediction was, “The conservative Keynesians have long desired a new Bretton Woods, based eventually on a new world paper unit issued by a World Central Bank. Hence the new alliance. The alliance was made politically possible by the disappearance from the Reagan Administration of the Friedmanite monetarists, such as former Undersecretary of Treasury for Monetary Policy Beryl W. Sprinkel and Jerry Jordan, spokesmen for fluctuating exchange rates. With monetarism discredited by the repeated failures of their monetary predictions over the last several years, the route was cleared for a new international, fixed-rates system. 
 
Unfortunately, the only thing worse than fluctuating exchange rates is fixed exchange rates based on fiat money and international coordination. Before rates were allowed to fluctuate, and after the end of Bretton Woods, the U.S. government tried such an order, in the international Smithsonian Agreement of December 1971. President Nixon hailed this agreement as "the greatest monetary agreement in the history of the world." This exercise in international coordination lasted no more than a year and a half, foundering on monetary crises brought about by Gresham's Law from overvaluation of the dollar. 
 
How long will it take this new, New Order, along with its puerile secret index, to collapse as well?”

And now we know how long it took. Thanks Murray! 

Despite the nauseating impact of the rhetoric and videos you will encounter it would be wise to view this one video on why small government is a mistake.

It is probably time someone told them we are not interested in their ideas about money and finance. Murray Rothbard, who died in 1995, is a better economist than the Bretton Woods crowd are breathing.
Gold, silver and lead will serve us far better than the faux fiat fantasies they will spin the the woods, though for the foreseeable future, our exchange will most likely be based in those mundane commodities, carrots, potatoes, and chicken eggs, and the occasional kumquat or avocado. Let us go local and remember the lessons of Murray.

Plan to be in Bretton Woods this weekend! Bring your camera, and ask Anonymous to take names and provide requisite information on attendees. Let the accountability begin.



Visit IntegrityCommons.com for articles encouraging the Left – Right Merger for Freedom.

Extending Human Vision - The Work of Arthur C. Pillsbury

Extending Human Vision was Arthur C. Pillsbury's mission as he made and showed the first nature movies on the porch of his studio in Yosemite in 1909. The remainder of his life was spent providing the means for ordinary people see further into places beyond natural human vision. Refusing to patent any of these cameras, the circuit panorama, the lapse-time, the microscopic motion picture, the X-Ray Motion Picture or the Underwater Motion Picture, he left them as a source we could use.

It worked. Today we expect to see newly discovered insights through technology. What we see, we understand. We don't need theories when reality is available. The Twentieth Century has provided examples in countless ways. The further we see, the more we know and can choose for ourselves.

Pillsbury grew up seeing how people and our world were impacted by lack of the understanding which arose from systemic abuse of power and unbridled greed. The descendant of families dedicated to enacting social justice, Pillsbury was directly aware of both where there had been progress and of those areas needing change.

As a small boy he attended the graduation of his mother, Dr. Harriet Foster Pillsbury, from the Women's Infirmary of New York in 1880. A feminist, he lived in a world hostile to women. He visited the family homestead in Sandown, New Hampshire, where his grandfather, Benjamin L. Pillsbury and his wife, Mary Sargent Pillsbury, ran the first coeducational high school in their part of New Hampshire and provided a stop on the Underground Railroad. He grew up reading the works of Emerson and Thoreau, who were friends of his grandparents.

After the family moved in California in 1883 He witnessed the ongoing destruction of California's environment and, during college, the lack of innovation and objective thinking in an academia too often funded by the greedy who held the power of gate keeping, constricting and directing our future.

During the San Francisco Earthquake and Fire he bore witness to the devastation accompanying corrupt government as people died through abuse of the power. He recorded the imperial direction of American policy with the White Fleet in 1908 and watched as corporate interests began directly using government to achieve their ends as they used rhetoric designed to evoke trust in the vast majority of Americans who failed to see the bigger picture.

What we see today has deep roots in time.

Pillsbury believed seeing was the road to community, respect for the individual, and freedom.

What could one man do to turn back the rising tide of greed? He called it the Knowledge Commons. Today we say, Open Source. Knowledge shared enriches all of us. When we can see other people, and all other forms of life, we empathize, sensing our essential sameness, and are moved to love and protect.

Extending Human Vision, a short video less than six minutes in length, is his story, not all of it, but a beginning. Please take a few minutes and watch it.

Were National Parks the 'One Good Thing?” Think again.

Lose Your Illusions No. 1

Today we think of government and corporations as big and impersonal. But then, and now, the people who run things are relatively small in number, a club. The Club follows its own rules, rules from a book nearly a century old, which mandate two standards of behavior, kindness, honesty and concern for Club members, real people, and an entirely different set of rules for ordinary Americans. Normally members of the Club do not discuss the difference in standards. But one member of their club did so, with stunning candor.

Edward L. Bernays said this about his use of propaganda, which he had deftly repackaged as public relations. “(The) American business community was also very impressed with the propaganda effort. They had a problem at that time. The country was becoming formally more democratic. A lot more people were able to vote and that sort of thing. The country was becoming wealthier and more people could participate and a lot of new immigrants were coming in, and so on.
     So what do you do? It's going to be harder to run things as a private club. Therefore, obviously, you have to control what people think.”

Bernays clients were, for the most part, the large industrialists who wanted to sell product which Americans were resistant to buying. Using this simple plan of execution Bernays changed our diet, introducing a hearty breakfast with bacon as a nutritional improvement, persuaded women to smoke, and accustomed us to accepting his carefully selected 'experts' instead of thinking for ourselves. He viewed manipulation of opinion as both the road to riches and a fascinating intellectual challenge.

Edward Bernays, the brother-in-law of Sigmund Freud, viewed ordinary Americans as 'a herd,' needing guidance from an enlightened elite. Such guidance was provided by appealing to what he identified as 'need for security,' 'self-preservation', 'aggression,' or ' sex.'

Bernays can be viewed as an early Leo Strauss, who instead of creating a 'philosophy,' cherry picked 'expert' opinions without associating himself with any specific institution. The outcome is the same, in either case.

Mark Crispin Miller, a respected writer, sent out this video by Glenn Beck on Bernays recently. Ordinarily, this is not a film this writer would have encountered.

Edward Benarys and Robert Sterling Yard operated using the same standards. Robert Sterling Yard designed the PR campaign which sold Americans on National Parks as resorts.

Beginning in 1915, the campaign persuaded Americans lands held in perpetuity for them should be used to build high end hotels, following the elite model of Europe. A practiced public relations expert, Yard, paid partially by government and partially by the new Park Director, Stephen T. Mather, produced a book, also issued as a series of small booklets, on the National Parks. Other members of the Club, for instance the head of the National Geographic, also assisted.

As you leaf through the The National Parks Portfolio, all six editions, photographs of resort hotels resembling those found in Europe far outnumber photos of camp grounds. The building of roads and travel by automobile are strongly encouraged. Feeding the wildlife made the Parks seem like an outdoor zoo without bars.

The materials read like promotion for a time-share. They were aimed at ordinary Americans who knew little or nothing about the raging debate, only recently stilled by the death of John Muir in 1914, on conservation (orderly use of natural resources) and preservation (wilderness kept in its natural state).

The appointed head of Parks, Stephen Mather sold the plan using rhetoric glowing with superlatives, asserting the idea the public should view these wilderness areas as their personal 'resorts,' where they could encounter the world of nature while expecting the comforts of home. It was Mather's proven ability as an adman along with his wealth, which moved Franklin K. Lane to appoint him.

The original notion for National holdings of land was to reserve some limited land in perpetuity, as it was before Europeans arrived and such practices as hydrological mining and clear cutting of forests had remade the landscape of much of California, and North America. Not Conservation, but Preservation.

If the America had been a nation of people managing their own destiny and making their own decisions the issue would have been presented to the American people directly. Instead, Americans were presented with a public relations campaign, resulting in passage of the Organic Act in 1916, establishing a separate body to manage the Parks. Previously management was shared between three agencies.

The Club

The Club was not large, then or now. When you dig into the details, personal relationships pop up like mushrooms. It was a small, exclusive, club, very much as Bernays' quote indicates. The policy on Parks originated with Stephen Mather, who, with the help of his friends molded opinion and controlled what Americans believed.

Who Was Stephen T. Mather?

Stephen Tyng Mather was a descendant of Cotton Mather, the Puritan minister involved in the 1692 Salem Witchcraft Trials. The Mather family later relocated to Connecticut. Stephen's father, Joseph W. Mather, suggested his son for a job with Pacific Coast Borax Company, for whom Joseph ran the New York office, in 1893. Stephen Mather had been working as a reporter for the New York Sun since soon after his graduation from UC Berkeley in 1887.

Robert Sterling Yard stood up as Best Man for Stephen T. Mather's wedding on October 12, 1893. The two were friends of long standing.

Mather was hired as advertising manager for Pacific Coast Borax Company, first in New York, and then at the main branch in Chicago. Mather, a talented writer and adept at enticing public interest by positioning products, proposed adoption of the theme, “20-Mule Team,” which dramatically increased company sales, and ran the ad campaign. In Chicago he met the man who would be his partner in Sterling Borax, Thomas Thorkildsen.

Thorkildsen, younger slightly than Mather, was a first generation American, the son of a Norwegian lumberjack from Wisconsin. Both Mather and Thorkildsen were skilled with sales. Thorkildsen reported to Mather as his superior. It was reported Thorkildsen suggested the two men share funds skimmed from their employer. These is no evidence Mather mentioned this proposal to Smith. Smith discovered Thorkildsen backdating orders in 1898 and fired him.

Mather and Thorkildsen then joined in a covert partnership. Mather continued working for Smith and so had access to his employer's customer base while the two established a company, Thorkildsen-Mather Borax Company, of which Mather was president, in California. Mather, using his salary, provided funding, as Thorkildsen worked to establish Borax holdings in Ventura County, CA.

In 1902 Mather suffered an psychological break-down and was institutionalized for a period of time. Smith refused to continue his salary, of which, Mather complained. Soon Mather ended his employment and began publicly working with Thorkildsen in California, their company became profitable around 1905 and its name changed to Sterling Borax. In 1911 Sterling Borax was sold to Pacific Coast Borax for what today would be $500,000,000. Mather and Thorkildsen shared the profits and also received salaries from Smith for ten years.

No mention of the impact this scheme had on Smith's company was found but Smith's company was bankrupted soon afterward. Francis Marion Smith started again and recovered his wealth, spending much of it on charities.

Later, the Mather and Thorkildsen justify their behavior toward Smith for various reasons.

For the purpose of writing this article I contacted three long time, respected businessmen, their careers in stock brokering, sales, and mining, and outlined the actions of Mather and his partner without using their names. Each man condemned their actions as unethical and possibly legally actionable.

According to an article, 'Borax King' Cleaned Up, but Died Washed Up,"  published in the Los Angeles Times, March 12, 2000, written by Cecilia Rasmussen, Thorkildsen used physical threats to discourage competition and engaged in outrageous personal behavior which scandalized Hollywood. The two men remained friends and Thorkildsen was introduced to Mather's other friends and associates as he became involved in government.

The Park Service Public Relations Campaign

The National Park Campaign began in 1915 but the forces which determined its form were in motion much earlier. The appointment of Franklin K. Lane, as Secretary of the Interior, was a political pay-off by incoming President Woodrow Wilson, made to ensure Wilson's election. The Hetch-Hetchy would become the water supply for San Francisco, spending its crystal waters to start the flow of profits from lands awaiting subdivision around the city, according to Gray Brechin in his book, “Imperial San Francisco,” page 110.

Mather was offered the position of Director for the National Parks by Lane in early 1914. Despite traditions to the contrary, Lane was not previously acquainted with Mather personally and no letter was written by Mather resulting in the appointment. The recommendation came through a mutual friend, Adolph Miller, formerly a professor at UC Berkeley who accepted an appointment suggested by Lane in the Wilson Administration.

Horace Albright is admitted to the Club

Horace Albright, then newly graduated from UC Berkeley, had been working for Miller at the time Miller accepted the position as Assistant Secretary of the Interior. Miller invited Albright to come with him to DC as his assistant. When Miller moved on to a position as Governor for the Federal Reserve System the next year Albright remained at the Department of the Interior. Lane suggested Albright to Mather as an able assistant, in his position as Director for the Parks.

Initially, Albright hesitated. He was engaged to be married to woman living in San Francisco and planned to return and start a law practice.. Mather's proposal to him changed this. Albright reported in “Creating the National Park System – The Missing Years,” feeling elated at being part of the vision Mather enunciated while reluctant to delay his marriage. He agreed to stay on for a year, the term Mather set as his own time limit for the work.

Albright had been raised in Bishop, California and had hardly left there until beginning college at UC Berkeley in 1908. His parents were hard working and used every opportunity to enlarge the opportunities for education available to their children, but lacked the resources to support Horace in college. Albright worked to pay his living expenses and educational costs himself and luxuries were few. His relationship with Mather, who was always prepared to pay for incidental luxuries, enlarged his experience, showing him a very different world. Mather augmented Albright's government pay, a practice legal until 1919.

Mather could be the soul of generosity, awakening in those who knew him strong feelings of obligation and loyalty. His expenditures included a club house for the Park Rangers in Yosemite in 1924, which advanced his popularity enormously with a group not usually provided with such perks.

The first time Mather met Grace, Albright's fiancee, she and Albright were his guests for dinner at the Palace Hotel in San Francisco. Albright reported, “In one hand he (Mather) had a corsage of roses and, in the other, a small box. He handed both to Grace and laughingly said, "I don't know how Horace could ever have been lucky enough to get you. I wasn't around at that time, but I wish you all the happiness in the world." Inside the little velvet box was a small Tiffany brooch, silver with a diamond in the center.”

Mather said, when accepting the job, he wanted Albright as his assistant to, “keep him out of jail.” Mather, it turned out, was not entirely joking.

Mather brought the same values and ethics to government he had demonstrated in business. His style was autocratic and impulsive. He personally decided on a corporate monopoly to run each Park. This approach was adopted in opposition of advice from such men as Fred Harvey of Fred Harvey Company, whose experience with serving the public began in 1875 with service run in conjunction with railroads across America. Harvey advised against absolute monopolies.

Mather persisted, causing a series of disasters within the Parks, starting with Yosemite.

Mather ignored the causes of problems existing in the National Parks. Many of these were the result of government mis-management. For instance, in Yosemite Mather complained concessionaires, such as David Curry of Camp Curry, had inadequate septic systems. But concessionaires could not finance expensive capital improvements without an assurance their loans could be repaid and these had been withheld for decades. Those in charge, including Mather, ignored repeated requests for licenses to do business longer than one year, granted only at the beginning of the year.

Mather consistently abused the power entrusted to him, causing harm to people engaged in doing business within the Parks. He evidenced strong likes and dislikes, which appear to have driven his actions.

In 1915 Mather unilaterally gave the concession in Yosemite to J. Desmond, who started a corporation in which Mather and his friends covertly invested. Mather granted a twenty-year exclusive concession and also allowed the sale of liquor, forbidden to all other concessionaires, to ensure Desmond every possible avenue for success.

Desmond had no experience in running hotels or providing food services to the public. The corporation went bankrupt and Desmond departed to be replaced by A. B. C. Dahrmann, who as president of the next incarnation of the original Desmond interests, was quoted by the Stockton Record in 1924 as saying, ”The California Sierra is one of greatest undeveloped resources in the golden state.”

At the beginning of 1917 complaints and problems were increasing. At the close of a conference in January Mather suffered an 'emotional break-down' and was institutionalized for a year and a half in a posh facility, described by Albright, “It was a lovely large home, tucked into green lawns and lush forested land.” The next chapters describe Albright's efforts to ensure Mather is not subject to any pressure or problems.

Mather was not fired. Instead, his assistant, Horace Albright and others covered for him. The breakdown and his financial involvement with Desmond was admitted in Albright's book, “Creating the National Park Service – The Missing Years,” available for reading online. Albright knew what had happened and suppressed the facts. See Chapter 17.

Mather suffered another break-down in 1922, according to Park correspondence. Again, Albright and others cover for him.

Mather's business background and emotional instability should have raised questions on his suitability for any position within government. Mather was, however, a member of the Club, wealthy and connected. Therefore his interests and well being were a priority in the bifurcated system then being established.

While rhetoric was used routinely to deceive, as proven so thoroughly by Edward Bernays, examining the actions of individuals reliably reveals the truth.

How did the Club view ordinary Americans?

The Club operated on the view Americans, 'the 'herd,' were to be managed with lies. These events illustrate the world view, reflected in the propaganda used by Yard and later by Benarys, on behalf of both government and corporations, reinforcing the ugly truth of the quote from Bernays cited earlier, “So what do you do? It's going to be harder to run things as a private club. Therefore, obviously, you have to control what people think.”

The subtext is this: The only people whose property and well being matter are members of the Club. Albright's behavior illustrates the degree to which he had adopted Club attitudes and beliefs.

As these events unfolded Mather received enormous attention and concern as his emotional condition becomes impossible to ignore. This reflected in Albright's book and in correspondence within the Park Service. At the same time, the well being of those viewed as “just ordinary Americans,” was ignored, as in the case of those concessionaires such as Curry who objected to the theft of their years of time invested, the train of arbitrary demands issued by Mather and disregard of the conditions created by government mis-management.

Albright's comments, and lack thereof, at the time of David Curry's untimely death in April of 1916 and further justifications of behavior by Mather, which Albright later realizes pointed to his emotional instability, further illustrate the point. See Creating the National Park System – The Missing Years,” Chapter 8. and Chapter 13.

Horace M. Albright had been, not surprisingly, seduced by the privileges of power and was now a member of the Club.

In the interests of full disclosure, now nearly a century after these events took place, a full examination of the records is called for. While writing this article this writer attempted to access the Superintendent's Reports for Yosemite from 1916 – 1926. The reports from 1906 – 1915 are clearly available and complete and in our files. Those from 1916 – 1926, covering the years when Mather and Albright's management most demands examination, are fragmented. Parts of monthly reports appear to have been eliminated. This report, purported to cover years 1923 – 1925, inclusive, deviating in form from all other reports was requested.. Upon examining it this writer discovered a report spanning 1923 – 1925 which included less than 11 pages, all photographs, for three years of activity. SEE REPORT RECEIVED

A request for correction was made. SEE REQUEST AND RESPONSE

The request was also sent to Ken Salazar, Secretary of the Department of the Interior. A Freedom of Information Act demand will now be filed.

According to George A. Gonzalez in his book, “Corporate Power and the Environment,” published Rowman and Littlefield, 2001, Albright received gifts from John D. Rockefeller, Jr., beginning in 1926. Gonzalez also reports Albright's home in Washington D. C. was partially funded by a gift from David Rockefeller as Albright continued up the ladder of success after Albright left government service, moving on to work in the matrix connecting corporations and government, unfailingly courteous and kind to those who had assisted him.

According to the Albright's daughter and co-author, Marian Albright Schenck, writing in the Introduction to the book, “Creating the National Parks, The Missing Years,” Albright reviewed every letter and document and considered destroying materials while in the process of its writing. In the end the story of years 1917 – 1919 is told in a form while the reader takes away the sense much remains unsaid. Albright's acts in covering for Mather, during this period and later, bring illustrate how in a short period of time an individual can accept the idea a small elite can rightfully abuse power. His later history only raises the level of probability Albright's concerns were also for his own position as an attorney in the employ of government engaged in a cover-up.

Co-author Marian Albright Schenck wrote,"My father worshiped Mather and wanted to do nothing to damage his name." While her sentiments are understandable, she after all, grew up as a member of the Club through her father, evasion of the facts is not acceptable. Americans have a right to know.

A baronial system displaced a representative Republic, beginning in the first decade of the Twentieth Century. Inherently hierarchical, it was comprised of corporate interests and the more elevated levels of government. Those involved believed they were justified in deceiving the American people, acting out the openly enunciated beliefs expressed by Benarys, and slightly earlier, by Robert Sterling Yard. These self-identified interests in government and corporate America began to install gatekeepers, and routinely limit what Americans could know. Spin and propaganda displaced open dialog and disclosure of facts as the standard.

The bifurcated system which confronts us today was being solidified in outline and attitudes in the first and second decades of the Twentieth Century, its pattern perpetuated by the very different treatment accorded 'members of the Club' and 'ordinary Americans.'

Today, Americans face proposals the Parks be sold to pay for the profligate behavior of those same Club members. As millions suffer foreclosure and Main Streets ask in vain for help, banks and other corporate interests, other Club members, receive the sympathy and open support of Congress. The term, 'Barons of Industry,' is not a phrase, but a correct assessment of the system which was once America.

It started much earlier than you imagined and in the places you most trusted.

Debunking the excuses: Lose Your Illusions, No. 2 – Coming Soon.