big brother is here: his name is NewsGuard

Big Brother is here. And his name is NewsGuard, among others. These new high-tech “guardians of truth” prove that there is indeed more than one way to censor a cat.

C J Hopkins: The War on Populism

Remember when the War on Terror ended and the War on Populism began? It happened in the Summer of 2016, also known as “the Summer of Fear.”

This article is from an alt-left author and provides some background on the why? for the escalation in the media war- which involves censorship, propaganda, and smears. From Trump to Brexit to the Yellow Vests, globalism is being rolled back in a wave that is spreading throughout the world. This rejection of globalism is a rejection of global capitalism, which more and more people are realizing isn’t benefiting anyone but global capitalists.

The lunacy of the last two years- characterized by disinformation, absurdity, and outright lies- will only intensify in the ongoing battle for hearts and minds.

How a NeoCon-Backed “Fact Checker” Plans to Wage War on Independent Media

As Newsguard’s project advances, it will soon become almost impossible to avoid this neocon-approved news site’s ranking systems on any technological device sold in the United States.

NewsGuard is a self-described “news rating agency.” The neocon outfit has political clout on its Board- including former DHS Secretary Tom Ridge- and is lobbying to be placed by default on computers, tablets, and smartphones. It’s color-coded ranking system (red, yellow, green) of websites is reminiscent of the DHS terror alert put in during Ridge’s tenure.

Eventually, the result will be, if your favorite website like Bondo- the real deal receives a red rating, it will be blocked from your browser. If NewsGuard gives a site a red ranking- then internet partners like iPhone, Chrome, and Google- will not allow their devices or browsers to access the site.

Caitlin Johnstone: A New Narrative Control Firm Works To Destroy Alternative Media

Alternative media outlets are the only major platforms for dissent from the authorized narratives of the plutocrat-owned political/media class. Imagine, then, how disastrous it would be if these last strongholds of skepticism and holding power to account were removed from the media landscape. Well, that’s exactly what a shady organization called NewsGuard is trying to do, with some success already.

This is a summary of the previous article, with Ms. Johnstone providing some recent and ongoing examples of the absurdities and outright lies being spread by “trusted sources”.

Rosenstein, DOJ exploring ways to more easily spy on journalists

For months now, the Department of Justice (DOJ) quietly has been working on a revision to its guidelines governing how, when and why prosecutors can obtain the records of journalists, particularly in leak cases. The work has been supervised by Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein’s office.

The government claims the new rules are designed to combat illegal leaks and the increasing resources needed to investigate them. They are also using the argument that “journalists first-amendment rights do not exceed those of ordinary American citizens”. The new rules make it easier for prosecutors to subpoena journalists records and eliminate the rule requiring prosecutors to notify a media outlet they intend to subpoena a journalist. We all know how famously real journalists will protect their sources, and these notifications were often useful in negotiating for information prosecutors need while protecting whistleblowers.

The new guidelines, critics fear, are designed to thwart criticism and whistleblower protections, while increasing fears of retribution and intrusions on investigations.

Facebook to invest $300 million to help local news survive

The first round of investments in the U.S. will help bolster resources for local reporting, help research how to use technology to improve news gathering and create new products, recruit “trainee community journalists” and place them in local newsrooms and also help fund a program modeled after the Peace Corp, which will place 1,000 journalists in local newsrooms over five years.

The supposed last bastion of independent journalism- publishers and reporters out in the boondocks- are about to be taught the “proper ways” thanks to the journalistic philanthropy of Facebook.

Getting the real truth is about to go to the next level.

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trump proposes a wall

Trump is the subject of an old TV show from the 1950s that eerily enough is about a man  who wants to build a wall to protect the people of a fictional frontier town from being hit by an asteroid.

trump

The TV show called Trackdown,  starred well-known actor Robert Culp. The show was a Western and is about the adventures of a Texas Ranger named Hoby Gilman after the Civil War.

In one episode called “The End of the World” (1958) a strange doomsayer named Walter Trump comes to town.  He is a confidence man, and puts on a long robe and holds a tent meeting in the town of Talpa. He scares the townsfolk with talk that a cosmic explosion of an asteroid will rain fire on the town and that he is the only one that can save them from death- by building a wall. He also threatens to sue Hoby when accused of dishonesty.

Ranger Hoby Gilman attempts to prove Trump is a fraud. By the end of the episode, he is arrested as a conman and fraud. – https://www.groundzeromedia.org/1-8-19-mobius-barrier-the-plus-ultra-paradox/

the adventures of little baron trump

 

Have you heard of the book Travels and Adventures of Little Baron Trump and His Wonderful Dog Bulger? It is the first novel in a sci-fi/fantasy adventure series loosely based upon the son of President Trump.

It was published in 1890.

The astounding parallels in this series to real life not only caught the attention of conspiracy theorists and paranormal commentators alike, but was even noticed by Newsweek magazine in July 2017:

Newsweek: Did an author from the 1800’s predict the Trump’s and America’s downfall?

The author, Ingersoll Lockwood, also wrote another book with the Baron Trump character in 1893- Baron Trump’s Marvellous Underground Journey.

You can read them in full here from archive.org:

Travels and Adventures of Little Baron Trump and his Wonderful Dog Bulger

Baron Trump’s Marvellous Underground Journey

from the Newsweek article:

Baron Trump, an aristocratically wealthy young man living in Castle Trump, is the protagonist of Lockwood’s first two fictional novels,  Travels and Adventures of Little Baron Trump and His Wonderful Dog Bulger and Baron Trump’s Marvelous Underground Journey. The little boy, who has an unending imagination and “a very active brain,” is bored of the luxurious lifestyle he has grown so accustomed to. Trump’s adventures begin in Russia, and are guided thanks to directions provided by “the master of all masters,” a man named “Don.”

Before leaving for his voyage through the unknown, Trump is told of his family’s motto: “The pathway to glory is strewn with pitfalls and dangers.” Illustrations from the novels depict Trump dressed in lavish, old-fashioned clothing and jewelry as he departs from Castle Trump and begins his voyage, heading to Russia to locate an entrance into alternate dimensions.

1900 or, the Last President

But by Lockwood’s third novel, The Last President, things become even more eerily linked to the present day. The Last President doesn’t follow the same fictional narrative of Lockwood’s previous novels, though the links to Trump are once again abundantly clear. The president’s hometown of New York City is fearing the collapse of the republic in this book, also titled 1900, immediately following the transition of presidential power. Some Americans begin forming a resistance, protesting what was seen as a corrupt and unethical election process.

The story begins with a scene from a panicked New York City in early November, describing a “state of uproar” after the election of an enormously opposed outsider candidate.

“The entire East Side is in a state of uproar,” police officers shouted through the streets, warning city folk to stay indoors for the night. “Mobs of vast size are organizing under the lead of anarchists and socialists, and threaten to plunder and despoil the houses of the rich who have wronged and oppressed them for so many years.”

“The Fifth Avenue Hotel will be the first to feel the fury of the mob,” the novel continues, citing an address in New York City where Trump Tower now stands. “Would the troops be there in time to save it?”

By the way, Trump Tower is located on 725 5th Ave, in New York.

A few days after Nikola Tesla died on January 8th, 1943, his possessions were seized by officials from the amazingly-named government Office of Alien Property. About 3 weeks after that, all of Tesla’s things and documents were given a thorough examination by a group of FBI agents that included none other than John G. Trump, the uncle of President Trump. (https://www.groundzeromedia.org/1-8-19-mobius-barrier-the-plus-ultra-paradox/)

Did Tesla invent a time-machine? Maybe “Don” has it now.

Bondo’s News of the Week- In Links 1-12-19

Relevant news, appropriate headlines from the real deal

Lady walking dog helps rescue kidnapped teen Jayme Closs

a true hero- helped Jayme Closs

78 Percent Of Americans Are Living Paycheck To Paycheck – Including Many Government Workers Affected By The Shutdown

U.S. Immigration services approved visa requests for thousands of child brides and fiancees from 2007 to 2017

Armstrong Williams: Spiritual illness is crippling America

Omega Shock- Patriotism vs. God: Can you be a Christian and a Patriot?

Heathens hold religious services rooted in Norse paganism aboard aircraft carrier Stennis

Europe Inundated by Snow Down to Greece & Harvard Study Shows Oceans Are Getting Colder

inmate puppy program

Earth’s magnetic pole is on the move, fast. And we don’t know why

North America Is Rattling: There Have Been 81 Significant Earthquakes In Alaska So Far In 2019

One day our sun will solidify into a giant crystal orb

Monarch butterfly numbers plummet 86 percent in California

Inmates battling addiction get an unlikely ally: A puppy

How tainted drugs reach markets and make people sicker

U.S. Water Fluoridation: A Forced Experiment that Needs to End

walking car

GMO OMG: Clyde Lewis tries “Beyond Beef” and says it is really good

Is the hype about CBD, or cannabidiol, real?

Mysterious radio signals from deep space detected

Hyundai Unveils “Walking Car” Concept With Robotic Legs

Move aside, backseat driver! New tech at CES monitors you inside car

Artificial intelligence tool used to catch people who lie to the police

freedom of speech is dead in Sweden

If You Share Netflix Password With Others, an AI Could Hunt You Down

Venture capitalist: AI will replace 40% of jobs- blue and white collar- in 15 years

Sweden invests big in sentencing people who criticise migration: Convictions increase tenfold

How the BBC Manufactured ‘Hate’ at the 2012 Euro soccer championships

CBS News deletes viral fact check on migrant women raped crossing Southern border

Zimbabwe’s vigilante therapy: These women survived domestic abuse, now they’re sharpshooters protecting animals from poachers

zimbabwe poacher hunters

Virginia woman dies from rabies after being bitten by a dog on a yoga retreat in India

Nepal probes ‘Buddha boy’ over devotee disappearances

Armstrong: Worldwide Real Estate Crash & Why

Armstrong: The Rising Tide of Civil Unrest Globally

Hungary’s Orban Slams Macron As ‘Leader’ Of “Pro-Immigration Forces”, Vows “I Will Fight Against Him”

Yellow Vest Movement Spreads to Australia & Poland

Buddha boy

Baby Boomers Will Be a Drag on Stock Market Rebound

Charles Hugh Smith: 2019: Fragmented, Unevenly Distributed, Asymmetric, Opaque

New documents link Huawei to suspected front companies in Iran, Syria

Inside the Rothschild-Inspired “Illuminati Ball” New Year’s Eve

American Psychological Association: Transgender- normal; traditional masculinity- abnormal

Trump said one in three- actually eight in ten

Armstrong: Trump & His Wall

Central American migrants keep heading toward USA, even as Trump focuses on stopping caravans

The kids are NOT alright: Tuberculosis, flu, infections rampant as the number of sick migrants surge at border

national fake news to promote fake hate

Speaker Nancy has solutions: Repair the roads that facilitate immigration and trade in those regions

Speaker Nancy: Illegals killing Americans does not justify apprehending families at border

Star CNN Contributor Ana Navarro Files Nails on Live TV as Guest Discusses Murders by Illegal Aliens

San Diego TV station: CNN declined our ‘local view’ because of reports on wall effectiveness

Jazmine Barnes white supremacist murderer is two black guys

91% of crimes against blacks are committed by blacks

5 Things Alexandria Ocasional-Cortex doesn’t want you to know about the Green New Deal

Republican House Increased Debt $7.9 Trillion in 8 Years

daring rescue- “blades were touching snow”

Dark Left Starting Soft Civil War – Kevin Shipp

VIDEO: Conway scolds Acosta: ‘you’re such a smart ass most of the time’

Opinion: In A Sane World Brenda Snipes Would Be In Prison, Not Reinstated

The Steele dossier was planned as Hillary’s insurance policy

Clinton Crony Says Bernie Supporters Must Be Silenced For 2020 Primaries

 

 

and this week from the youtubes:

the devil went down to Bay City

First published March 12, 2018

Kenneth Parr and his brother Michael Jimenez broke into the mobile home of Suzie Malek in Bay City in 1998. She was in bed with her eight year old daughter and six year old son. She was forced onto the floor while they ransacked the place looking for valuables. The twenty-eight year old single mother was then severely beaten, raped and defiled in various ways before being shot twice in the head, all in front of the two children. The two were going to shoot the children, but the gun jammed.

Parr

Kenneth Parr had just turned eighteen ten days before- making him eligible for the death penalty.

He was indeed rehabilitated on August 15, 2007. Here you can read the Chronicle’s summary of the case given with the report of Parr’s execution:

Chron.com: Bay City woman’s killer executed

Michael Jimenez was just a couple months shy of his 17th birthday. He could be certified as an adult, which he was, but could not receive the death penalty. He was sentenced to life. In this appeal by brother Michael Jimenez in 2002,  you can pretty much get all the gruesome details of the case in this detailed appeals court ruling:

MICHAEL JIMENEZ v. THE STATE OF TEXAS–Appeal from 130th District Court of Matagorda County

It is very graphic and disturbing. I did not enjoy reading it.

Suzie Malek’s mother worked for the Sheriff’s office. They transferred jurisdiction of detention for Michael Jimenez to our county’s juvenile center, as a ‘courtesy supervision’.

Jimenez

The juvenile system had seen its share of gang-bangers, mentally disturbed, rapists, and even the occasional murderer, but no one was ready for the force of nature that arrived. He would moan, scream, and yell in un-settling tones. He would curse and yell disgusting and offensive things constantly. He would often yell “I ain’t a nigger, I’m a Mexican!” The worst thing that he would do, was somehow, someway he would get a hold of a staple and shove it into a vein in his arm. His cell would be completely searched, meticulously, before he would be allowed in, too often, to no avail. Staff would then have to go in there and restrain him to have the staple removed. He enjoyed the contact, in a sick way. He enjoyed the chaos. He enjoyed the bloody mess.

I am convinced he levitated the staples into his cell under the door.

The isolation cell where he was, is just off the control room, with a thick plexiglass window in between for observation. This window has seen it all, kicks, spits, shampoo bottles, shoulder, mats, head-butts, scratches, urine, blood, feces, soap bars, and mostly fists. It rattles a little in the metal frame, but it does not budge. It does its job. One night, Michael told the veteran female control room officer that he was going to come in there and rape her. He then, standing flat-footed, placed his hands against the plexiglass, and began pushing. As she observed the glass begin to bow, she grabbed the emergency keys and ran screaming from the control room.

Having had enough, our chief called the state and asked where did he stand legally if he installed an eye-hook into the floor and chained him to it? To which, of course, the state commission said you cannot do this.  To which, chief said he was going to do it anyways. The state got some order and came and transferred him to a more suitable facility to await trial. Drastic times call for drastic measures. Deep down, I think chief may have suspected what I believe :

He was possessed. By a demon. Otherworldly voices, superhuman strength, supernatural phenomenon, and deep depravity, darkness, evil. Not “Exorcist” level entirely-  that was a movie- but close.

And when he was come to the other side into the country of the Gergesenes, there met him two possessed with devils, coming out of the tombs, exceeding fierce, so that no man might pass by that way.- Matthew 8:28

I never spoke with anyone who had encountered Parr. But it is interesting to note, he received a charge while on death row for an incident where he threw a female officer down a flight of stairs. For only the second time in the lengthy history of Texas death row, Parr was denied media interviews traditionally granted condemned inmates. They said it was a security concern- he was repeatedly threatening to rape a female officer before he was executed.

That and it is hard to interview possessed people, I suspect.

He was “surprisingly calm” the day of his execution- the demon was finally relaxing- a victory for Hell was secure.

Do you recall how in Jesus time, casting out devils was a pretty significant part of the routine? I once wondered why it was such a problem back then, and not today. I decided that today we call demons “schizoprenia” and “psychosis” and “mental disturbances”. And that’s not to say that that isn’t true- in fact, if you do see someone thrashing about like on the “Exorcist”- that’s probably mental illness. Crazy as a bat.

But, there is real possessions. I have seen them, and I bet you have too. I would be willing to bet everyone has encountered them, at one time or another. Consider:

Acts 16:16- And it came to pass, as we went to prayer, a certain damsel possessed with a spirit of divination met us, which brought her masters much gain by soothsaying:

Here we see a demon-possessed young lady as a competent, integral part of a profitable fortune-telling business. You may know someone similar.

Luke 22:   ³ Then entered Satan into Judas surnamed Iscariot, being of the number of the twelve. ⁴ And he went his way, and communed with the chief priests and captains, how he might betray him unto them. ⁵ And they were glad, and covenanted to give him money.

Once again we see a demon-possessed person present as competent (if Judas had been thrashing about and moaning like Exorcist– the Pharisees would have stoned his arse straightaway) and negotiate payment for a betrayal. You may know someone similar. 

Genesis 3:1- Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made….

You see, demons are not all alike. The baser, more unsophisticated demons find those types of people. And, if encouraged, it becomes a terribly wonderful match. I talked to a couple of TDC employees who had worked Death Row during their careers, and it certainly sounded as if a couple of the residents might be ‘that way’. Again, certainly that would not be most of them, but a few here and there I do suspect. The rest were certainly influenced, we can probably guess.

But since a demon preaching rape and murder would be a little too much for most of our sensibilities, there are other, more sophisticated, more specialized demons- and they want you badly. They have various enticements suited to your weakness- drugs, sex, money, power- a wide array of forbidden poison fruits. All intended to take your life out of your hands and hand it over to the influence- or worse- of the demon. Have you ever heard the phrase “he/she battled their demons”?

Suzie Malek

the real deal

Watch and pray. Put on the full armor. That’s the real deal.

 

night rider and the telepathic teton boys

First published August 2, 2018

One time, me and my brother Ben hosted a party at our neighbor’s house while they were out of town. Due to the legal liabilities involved in such a joint venture- we determined to maintain strict controls over who would be advised of this event. This was slightly easier in the days before cellphones- but was still considered high risk behavior. The home phone/pay phone/pager/friends & associates network was very effective.

As the evening unfolded, we were intoxicatingly impressed with how grand things were going. Almost everyone who came and went had been authorized. No crashers or flashmobs. No one had puked on the carpet or stolen the TV.  The party was generally contained to the walkway between the driveway and front door, the staircase just inside the doorway up to our friends’ room, his deck, and the garage roof which was accessed by stepping over the deck rail and was the designated ‘smoking section’. It was while we were in the smoking section, the night rider arrived.

He roared into the driveway in a big black pick up truck. It was a make and model I didn’t recognize. So, I went to see who it was.

I opened the front door and could see a short fellow standing by the driveway. I didn’t know him, but he smiled and nodded at me. He looked vaguely familiar so I decided he must be one of Ben’s friends and went back in.

As I got to the top of the stairs, I noticed he was standing inside the door. I briefly had a thought that he had sure gotten to the door awfully quickly and I didn’t hear it open or shut. I looked at him again and he gave me the same smile and nod. I paused and then turned and headed back towards the deck.

As I walked out onto the deck, I noticed he was already up the stairs and standing in the bedroom doorway. I noticed he was an odd looking fellow, and had a very small and strangely shaped mouth. He smiled and nodded again. I was beginning to get an uneasy feeling.

As I sat back down on the roof I saw him standing on the deck. The smoke was passed to me. I took my turn and as I went to pass it to my left, I realized the person sitting next to me now was the new fellow.

Undaunted, I offered him the smoke. I saw his eyes were black. He smiled and nodded no.

Well that ripped it. This refusal confirmed that this was not somebody that we knew. I turned to Ben and asked  “Do you know this dude?”

The reaction from my brother, who had witnessed our visitors faux pas, was bizarrely agitated. “Who the hell is that guy?” he bellowed. I turned to him to ask him who are you anyways?- except he was now standing on the deck, smiling and nodding.

This enraged my brother and we both jumped up to see who this dude is. As I looked down to navigate over the rail onto the deck, when I looked back up, the dude was standing at the top of the stairs.

As we moved towards him, suddenly he was at the bottom of the stairs. Neither of us saw him descend. He smiled and nodded.

After running down the stairs we threw open the door just as he was firing up his truck and roaring away. The distances this guy had traversed making his exit were impossible in the time he did it.

Talk about a buzz-kill.

Here is the best part. Nobody else saw the dude. When we asked around about the fellow and his truck, no one else knew what we were talking about.

Many years later, I was texting with Ben and asked if he remembered the dude. “I wonder who that was?”

“Mayhem” he chillingly replied. I recalled how upset he had been at the time. “I wonder what he wanted?” I asked.

“A high body count”. My brother Ben has passed since then and I wish I had asked more, since he seemed to have had a greater insight with this incident. But I feel like he was right.

I met some other creepy dudes one night in the high country of Idaho.

I went to school one semester in Rexburg, Idaho along with a couple of Texas buddies. We eventually got acquainted with some locals, went on a couple rainbow trout fishing trips. They invited us to a honky tonk one night. My Texas buddies were already committed but I went with them.

We arrived at this big snow covered pavilion with the Tetons in the background. The place was packed with high country partiers from Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming.

I wandered around checking the place out. There was an area with pool tables. As I walked through, I approached a group shooting pool. A guy was taking a shot and his stick extended into the walkway between the tables and the ledge.

As I waited, I glanced at the group and said “what’s up?” Cold, steely stares were the response. Ok, No problem. But as I looked away, I caught the eye of one of the dudes.

When our eyes locked, the thought immediately came into my mind that this guy wanted to stab me and throw me in the river. Quite shaken by this vivid violent vision, I immediately fled the other direction.

I could see one of the guys I came with, Allen, far across the floor. He was looking right at me and some dude was talking in his ear. When I made my way to him, the dude was gone. “Let’s go for an outdoors leak” Allen said. It seemed like a strange request, but maybe he didn’t like crowded restrooms and anyways it’s not a big deal for guys.

“Sometimes it’s just good to just take an outdoors leak” he mumbled at the side of the building while we did our business, as if trying to explain. I was still processing the troubling experience I had just had, and started to ask “do you know…”

“Them’s the Tetons boys” he said. “They’re big time dealers. They live up in the mountains.” He continued, “It’s rumored they’ve killed a couple of dudes. Cut them up and threw them in the river. One time, they didn’t find the guy til after the spring thaw. There never was any evidence to tie them to it.”

“I’m ready to leave.” I said.

I thought maybe he would protest since we had barely arrived, but he nodded in agreement. I noticed a certain air of urgency was becoming palpable. We went inside and I could see that the Teton boys in the back were packing up and looking all around.

Six of us had rode here and the place was packed. I was thinking that rounding everyone up might take too long, when our whole party appeared at the door. I noticed they were looking at me and looking around. I looked again and didn’t see the Tetons boys in the crowd.

“Let’s go” said Allen and without a single protest, everybody filed out and loaded up. As we got in the car, one of the guys asked, “What did you do to the Tetons boys?”

“I don’t know. Why do you ask?” I said.

“Some dude came up to me and said ‘they don’t like your friend’.

“Some dude told me that too!” another one said. “Me too,” said Allen.

All five of them were approached by a guy who simply said ”they don’t like your friend”. Nothing more. And somehow, they all intuitively knew the guy was referring to me and the Teton boys.

As we pulled out on the highway, I looked back and saw the Teton boys standing outside looking around. The river would have to wait.

babu in the loo

I once had a co-worker at the juvenile facility from India. I’ll call him ‘Roger’.  Our boss, a mephistophelian woman on a stunningly dark tour de force through our county, had brought Roger over from the prison system. He was every bit as devious and diabolical as she was.

It was obvious to 100% of the employees within a very short period after her arrival, that the new boss was bad news. She was dictatorial, ill-tempered, paranoid, and mean. People that I spoke to were unanimous in opinion about this.

But, there was something more sinister to her. Only two other people ever dared talk about this with me, one of them telling me that the hair stood up on the back of his neck anytime he got near her; the other one observed and explained that she always uncannily knew exactly how to exploit each individuals particular weakness in order to shame, embarrass, and humiliate them. There was something more indeed.

But, back to our friend from South Asia. He was bad news too. Several of us had to attend a week-long out of town training, and I found myself rooming with him for that trip.

Roger informed me that due to his alleged Hinduism, he did rise very early- like 3:30 am early- for his “prayers and meditations”. ‘Schemes and manipulations’ I remember thinking when he said it. He advised that he would do this in the bathroom so as not to disturb me. Ok. How loud could “prayer and meditation” be I wondered?

The first night we had driven up, had a late meeting, and a late supper before unpacking. If Roger had gotten up early, I slept through it. But, the second morning, I was awakened. I looked at the clock that said 3:50 and then realized I had been woke by Roger in the bathroom. The door was almost, but not quite shut, and intermittently, he would break out into those ‘oooms’- you know, those long tones you hear the yoga/meditation people hum to center or focus or something. After hearing a couple of these I thought ‘good Lord!’ and pulled the blankets over my head. “The things people get up early to do” I annoyingly thought, before drifting back off.

The next morning, however, was different. Very different.

When the oooms woke me, as I glanced around, I had an uneasy feeling. I was wide awake, and had that hair standing up on the back of the neck feeling. I stared at the bathroom door. It was open wider than the previous morning. I closed my eyes, but then found myself staring at the door crack again.

Roger had started a new cadence that sounded like ooom with Gregorian chant. For some reason, I could not resist the urge to go peek.

I stepped carefully over to the door. As I slowly leaned sideways to peek in, I could see Roger sitting nearly naked on a rug, his back to me, with slightly bent arms outstretched to each side, palms up. It was a strange sight. It got stranger.

And then, I saw it. A little blue man, with a turban and thin black beard- just like in the friggin cartoons- sitting cross-legged, floating in the air right in front of him! I immediately was afraid he would see me, but he was staring intently at Roger. As I suppressed the urge to yelp or slam the bathroom door, I slowly backed away, grabbed my shorts and shoes, and fled the hotel room.

I stood out by the dumpster and tried to process the fact that Babu was in the loo at the Holiday Inn Express in Huntsville, Texas. What the heck?

I wondered if Babu had seen me as I returned to the room after a bit. Roger was back in the room, and asked where I had gone? “A little walk” I replied. He was staring at me intently as I answered.

I do believe, that somehow, Roger and Babu knew that I knew. That evening, Roger announced that he was going to drive home to ‘take care of some business’. He would be back for tomorrow’s morning meetings. That left one more morning, and he carefully gauged my reaction that evening when he announced he would forego his routine the last day, to sleep in.

(Or Babu told him “we gotta stop meeting like this with your nosey roommate around.”)

They always say that mythological creatures and fairy tale monsters, like witches and vampires, have their roots in real entities from the past.

I don’t know about werewolves or leprechauns- but genie has my vote.

If you find a magic lamp, rub it at your own risk.

intervention

First published February 5, 2018

I don’t practice Santeria, I ain’t got no crystal ball- Sublime

Spring break Matamoros, 1989. Everything was whirling, flashing. Thumping beats. Strobe lights. Tall chick. Yelling, screaming, cheering. Cool dude has good smoke in his car. Beer, tequila, limes. Palm tree or shadow man? Tall chick. Dance floor. Thumping beat. Beer. Topless chicks by the palm tree. Tequila. Strobe lights. Cheering, swirling and yelling. Cool dude has good smoke outside. Weird guy with scar. Palm trees real or shadow on wall.. Tall chick… Strobe lights…. Talking snake…!

Whoooaa. Talking snake. I jumped up with a start and realized I was in our hotel in Brownsville. It was spring break and I had visions of the night before dancing in my pounding head. I looked around and one of my buddies, Alan, was watching TV. He looked at me and said “you ain’t allowed to drink no more”.

“What” I said. He replied “we basically had to carry your arse out of the club. You was stumbling and tripping everywhere and kept tryin’ to leave with these Mexicans you didn’t even know”. I fuzzily remembered meeting a tall Mexican chick as in from Mexico named “Mary” who seemed to be interested. I remembered her telling me at one point that she was a witch which I naturally didn’t take seriously. She also had a mulletted male friend- “Johnny”, who wasn’t her boyfriend.  I remember being mesmerized with them, thinking they were both really cool people, and were the kind of people I liked to party with.

Adolfo Constanzo- “Johnny” Single-handedly brought Santeria into the American lexicon

In the next few days and weeks after returning home, the world found out some shocking things about my cool new barfriends ‘Johnny’ and ‘Mary’.

Sara Maria Aldrete- “Mary”- godmother and priestess of Satan-worshipping cult- Ok dancer

Wikipedia: The Murder of Mark Kilroy

You can read the whole disgusting story from that link, but let me summarize: “Johnny”-Adolfo Constanzo and “Mary”- Sara Maria Aldrete, were the leaders of a Satan-worshipping cult of drug-smugglers in Matamoros. Their associates did successfully abduct a gringo that night- Mark Kilroy. Adolfo and some associates sodomized and tortured Mark for hours before killing him with a machete blow to the back of the neck. They then boiled and ate his brain. A two-month saga ensued with the search, discovery of Mark’s body, the cult, the manhunt, and the ultimate arrest of Sara Aldrete and the demise of Adolfo Constanzo in Mexico City.

I had literally danced with the devil.

Sadly, that is my closest brush with fame too. I once got Gifford Nielsen’s autograph when he spoke at church, and once rode on the Bamboo Chute at Six Flags Astroworld with Cheap Trick. Well, they were in the bamboo boat in front and behind ours. The way my girlfriend was screaming, they might as well have been, right there.

Anyways, I remembered my friends telling me I had made several attempts to leave with them, which didn’t sound right. So I reflected on that night. I remember meeting Mary and I realized that if she had asked me to go outside or to her car, I probably would have. And, I think I could remember such a conversation after all. I remember meeting Johnny. I remember he told me he had some good weed out in his car, which would have interested me in those days. I truly don’t believe I would have let my guard down like that from alcohol. I was stupid when drunk, but not dumb. I didn’t like losing money, getting beat up or going to jail- having done all three in previous trips. I had vivid flashes of a shadow man by a palm tree or who was a palm tree and the talking snake. I considered someone had drugged me. But I eventually concluded I had been vexed or had a voodoo spell casted on me or something like that. Just my opinion.

It was/is a heck of a thing to consider that it could have been MY cerebrum and medulla oblongata boiling in a pot. I certainly think I was amongst a pool of candidates that night. I KNOW I was. I don’t know if it was divine intervention, friends worried about not having a ride, or dumb luck. Humbly, all things in totality, equals divine intervention in some kind of way. In my opinion.

But whatever it was, it was stunning enough that I have never told this story until now. When I saw the ‘witch’ on tv at a news conference after her arrest- and when I kept flashing the snake imagery in my mind when I saw pictures of Constanzo on tv, I knew I had dodged a bullet. Or, more specifically, a machete.

Mark Kilroy- victim of Santeria devil worshipers

the real deal

“The Kilroy family showed deep faith and conviction while speaking to the press. Kilroy’s father spoke about the murder and told the press that they were not angry with the killers. He hoped that if and when those responsible for (Mark) Kilroy’s death go to heaven and see their son, they can apologize to him for their wrongdoing. Kilroy’s mother told others to pray for the murderers.”

Now that, my friends, is the real deal. I pray that I will always have the faith of the Kilroys. I know that if they can forgive these people for what they did to their son, I can surely forgive all those everyday stupid mundane things, as we are supposed to do. Matthew 6:14- For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.

Forgiveness brings peace. The vengeance, the just rewards, the eternal fate of those who do such things belongs to God. He will repay. They will stand before God and answer why they did what they did.

And so will you.

Be a forgiver. That is the real deal.

the grim peeper

First published February 19, 2018

When I saw the grim peeper in the corridor, I was still a new employee at the juvenile facility, learning the subtleties and nuances of juvenile delinquent behaviors in the detention setting. The carrying-on and wailing emanating from the isolation cell was a new experience for me, and unsettling. The isolation cell was just off the control room, with a plexiglas window in between to see in there, which was directly behind the control room officers seat. It was for close observation, and segregation. I asked the control room officer, ‘Ms. Patsy’, what was wrong with the kid. She replied that ‘William’ had just returned from Intra-Care, a psychiatric hospital, a couple of days ago.

Well that explained it. William was 16 nearly 17 and was a frequent flyer. I decided to go in there for a moment to see if he could be reasoned with.

William told me that prior to going to Intra-Care, for some period of time, he has been stalked by an entity he calls the “Peeper”. He said after getting to the Intra-Care, the treatment there had seemed to be effective- no more Peeper- and he hadn’t had any problems upon his return to juvenile- no more Peeper- until tonight. (Well, those meds didn’t help for very long)

Tonight, he had seen the Peeper in the corridor on the way back from the chow hall. And he was concerned that the Peeper would come into his cell sometime through the night.

“Well”, I told William, “Ms. Patsy and myself are between you and the corridor, I do not see how he will get in here” and such words to that effect to calm him down. I asked him “what does this Peeper look like anyways?” William advised that the Peeper was tall and thin. He said when he saw the Peeper, the Peeper would turn his head toward him and smile- a smile that was more like a grimace- and he then demonstrated.

I do not know to this day exactly what happened- or how to accurately explain it- but when he turned to me to mimic the Peeper face- I saw the Peeper face! Like a shape-shifting vision flash in a movie- Williams face was the Peepers face for an instant.

That was indeed a game-changer if you know what I mean. Being quite unsettled and knowing that Williams meds had nothing to do with what I just saw, I assured him again we would be on the lookout and exited his cell.

As I turned in front of the control room, I looked and through the little window in the control room door, in the corridor stood the Peeper! His face turned to me and gave me the grimace smile. I wouldn’t have nicknamed this dude “Peeper”- he was a grim something, thus the title. But nevertheless.

I stood frozen, terrified for a moment- but was startled back by Williams screams. I ran over to the corridor, and of course, there was nothing there. And, you better believe I looked at the video. Nothing.

When I started working at juvenile, I observed that it was a highly-charged environment. You could feel it. I chalked it up to emotion, hormones, psychic energies- akin to the various energies one might observe at a sporting event, or an emotional gathering, or a traumatic event.

the real deal

For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places- Ephesians 6:12

I came to understand that I was working in an intense spiritual battlefield. Many dark deeds were proposed or refined or finalized within these walls. Some of these tormented souls even went on to kill someone- or more commonly, themselves- at some point later in life. But, it definitely wasn’t all bad. They used to depict people with an angel on one shoulder and a devil on the other, both whispering in your ear. It was very much like that there.

Many of these juveniles really wanted to do better, and many did. They would pray. They would be kind to others and respectful to staff. There were countless others- mothers, fathers, grandparents, siblings, friends, neighbors- who desperately pleaded with God to protect their child.

These prayers were heard and answered. The good powers were there, you could feel them, they were often made manifest in the words and deeds of the kids.

It was a tremendous blessing and tremendous burden the time I worked there. You can feel the assault and realize it is occurring- strong urgings to do things like cuss out that smart mouth kid, express negative feelings about other staff in front of the juveniles, belittle or punish the brat, argue with or otherwise act unprofessionally and generally present as a poor role model- these were common temptations that were constantly whispered into your ear. Unfortunately weaker, less noble staff would fall prey to these and even worse temptations from time to time. Much worse.

And then, you would hear from time to time, the other shoulder: Peace. Be still. Love one another. We are all children of God.

There were angels amongst us. I liked those moments, and I was glad when a young person could experience it. The spiritual warfare spilled over into your personal dimension, your personal life. It was a battlefield. It was a trip.

a real promise

Just like magnetism, gravity, electricity- there are powers that we can’t see, but they are real. Just like in the picture, there are entities that we can’t see, but they speak to our soul nonetheless. The one in red likes to tell people that he doesn’t exist. “You can’t see me- sooooo….”

There is a war for your soul. Both sides want to win. The victory one side offers is death and destruction. Not a real victory. You can recognize this voice by the things it  proposes you do. “You can cheat on your wife, she doesn’t treat you good anyways” “Your boss believes you- if you lie about Janet, you will get that promotion, not her” “that person makes alot of money- they are greedy and dishonest” or “that person is poor, they are lazy and don’t care” and we could list a million. Don’t listen to that one. If what you hear is negative, will have negative consequences, or is what you know to be wrong- don’t do it. It will sound commonsense sometimes. It will sound logical, right, even “what God wants”.

Think it through. Pray about it. Talk it over with someone. Most of the time, deep down you already know.

Listen to that other voice. You will hear things like: Peace. Be still. Love one another. We are all children of God.

You will feel it. Deep down, you already know it. And that way will bring peace and love.

that is a real promise and the real deal.

 

at the club with beelzebub

We wandered into one of those after hours clubs one night. It was an old converted warehouse in the old warehouse district in East Downtown Houston.

These after hours clubs are for people who just ain’t ready to call it a night- still feeling the beat, still ready to hangout and party. They can’t serve alcohol, but they can charge the intoxicated masses $10 a head for the privilege to come in and dance and pay $5 for a glass of water.

Our group stumbled through the first room which was the dance floor. The place was very dark- in every way. We worked our way through that freak show to the next room, in search of a seat. The bar was back there, and couches along the walls. There was a dude in just his boxer shorts standing at the bar. Several couples were engaged in dirty dancing or simulated sex acts. Weird people shuffled to and fro.

I enjoyed people watching as much as anything else during those club days. Alcohol-fueled stunts, drunken drama- our fellow clubbers were entertainingly crazy. But these people- these people were freaking me out man.

One of my cohorts shouted to me where did I think the bathroom was? I peered around in the darkness. “It must be in the other room” I shouted back- “I need to find it too!” So off we voyaged, looking for the loo.

When we entered the other room, the dance floor, we stood and looked around before I finally spotted it in the back of the room. As we headed that way, we both stopped at the same time upon spotting a dude a few feet in front of us, with his back to us. My friend was 6’5″- and this fellow was every bit of that and probably three or four more. Tall. In a tall trench coat.

As we had momentarily paused at the sight, two people strolled past us and right towards him. Then one of them appeared to partially walk right through the tall guy.

In the old movie Ghost with Patrick Swayze, his character encounters another ghost on the subway. When the ghost sees ghost Patrick Swayze, he gets very angry that Patrick Swayze can see him and yells at him to “get off my train!” before throwing him through the train wall.

This tall dude turned around and glared right at us, and I just somehow sensed it was because we could see him. He looked like a cross between that Beast character on the old Beauty and the Beast television show and the Jason Momoa Aquaman. Seriously.

As we stood there stunned, he sort of leaned towards us, growled disapprovingly, and then turned and walked through the wall. I shockingly looked at my friend, he just smiled and nodded his confirmation.

We made our way to the bathroom- and I did push open the door and look inside first. After we entered, I exclaimed “the devil is in this place!” Again, my friend just smiled and nodded yes. He saw it, and he did not wish to discuss it further. And we never did.

Beelzebub was in the club.

Once when I was a teenager, I was laying in bed before going to sleep, eyes closed, listening to my headphones. All of a sudden, I knew there was something very wicked standing in my doorway. I was so scared, I didn’t dare open my eyes to look at it. I just layed there paralyzed, eyes squeezed shut. Even though I couldn’t look, I could feel it. Something very evil, that hated me very much. After a few moments of terror which seemed to last forever, it seemed as if it was gone. I finally, reluctantly opened my eyes and was relieved nothing was there.

I have heard numerous people relate a similar experience. I think most people have a similar encounter sometimes. We are in a spiritual battle, and the enemies get close, from time to time. I’ve heard various stories from people through the years about the diverse brushes with evil they have had.

I have been (insert proper adjective here) enough to have had a couple of encounters myself. I am going to share these this week- (along with a couple or repeats in case  someone may have missed one.)

I share these- not just to entertain- but to bear witness that there is very real evil out there, and it is dangerous and it is real. They want to destroy you because they hate you. They hate you because you are a child of God.

I always try to figure out the reason for something, the message, the meaning. To be honest, I’ve never figured out what the purpose was for my bedroom visitor. Trying to scare me, flexing some demon muscle, I don’t know.

But, the Beast in the club? The message I took was: if you go looking for the devil, you just might find him.