Sometimes It Really Is A Conspiracy

Johnson Did It: LBJ’s Role in the JFK Assassination

Author: Alex P. Serritella

Publisher:Bookstand Publishing, Morgan Hill, CA, 2018

I must admit I jumped at the opportunity to review this book. I felt it should have been my book for based on my interaction with Texan businesspeople who knew some of the players the author talks about, there was no question in their mind, Johnson Did Itindeed. And thus, it became my belief. This book was going to tell why and how, and much more. And it delivered.

The first thing a reader has to do, however, is to realize that sometimes if it smells like a conspiracy theory, chances are it is.

Serritella’s book goes to great length to prove that in this case, when all is put in perspective, a sane, honest and non-fearing person, will come to the conclusion that the real story of John F. Kennedy’s death was kept from the public at any cost – even the murder of so many others.

We don’t know much about the author save and except he was in Chicago, has a B.A. in Psychology, has studied the JFK assassination for over 15 years and has written another book about abuse and regret in the sex-change industry. And oh yes, he is a meticulous researcher of details and information, both of which he puts to great use in this book.

His introductory chapter prepares you for what you are about to read and why it matters. And then he jumps right into telling you why anybody would want JFK dead and who they were.  The list is long but for the most part, they are all connected. On page 14 he relates Robert Kennedy’s perspective of Teamsters. Well worth the read. It reminded me of Government today in America.

He takes the time to educate us on how the CIA works. With reference to the 1954 coup in Guatemala, he explains how the U.S. tried to justify it by seeking evidence of Soviet influence in the Guatemalan government, but to no avail.  Sound familiar these days?

John Kennedy was anti-mafia, anti-war, anti-oil depletion allowance, anti-Federal Reserve System (FRS), and anti-racism. Kennedy was also the first U.S. president to have a direct phone line to the Kremlin in Moscow because he didn’t trust the CIA. These alone gave him all the enemies he could afford. But could any of them pull off his murder and cover up the evidence? No. That took a ‘higher power’.

[By the way, the FRS is not federal. It’s privately owned by member banks. It makes its own policies and is not subject to oversight by the U.S.  Think about that when you hear they’re putting rates up or down.]

Chapter three introduces us to Lyndon Baines Johnson. It appropriately is called “Scandals, Murders, Etc.” If you read nothing else in this 525-page work, read this chapter.  That is, if your stomach can handle it.  Reading it, made me want to lead a campaign to destroy or rename everything that has the LBJ name attached to it – and there are a lot of things that do.

What you’ll discover about J. Edgar Hoover is a bonus. But just as vial.

In chapter four, Serritella goes to great lengths to explain the planning and scheming behind that motorcade ride, the change of route at the last moment, and the lack of security involved. The interplay of the various security agencies involved is a story in itself. Coincidence has to be ruled out.

In chapter five, the author delves into the aftermath immediately following the assassination of the President and the players involved both publicly and behind the scenes. He recounts the murders that ensued to keep the truth hidden from the world.

Chapter six, by far the longest in the book goes into extreme detail about all the evidence, both with the wounds and weapons that were used or that the government claims were used.  This takes us to the various investigations and commissions that were authorized to address the concerns of the public. And we are provided with evidence of changed testimony to suit the desired outcomes of the Government.

Chapter seven is an account of Lee Harvey Oswald and why he was not the killer. That’s a fascinating story of how one man can be used by so many.

The eighth chapter sets up the cover-up that started after the deed was done and continues to this day. [Why has President Donald Trump blocked the release of JFK assassination files he had so quickly promised to release earlier?]  Personally, I realized that all these years I too had been duped by the Warren Commission Report which I had read (100’s of pages of it) as soon as it was published. And the chapter leaves no leaf unturned, exploring even why Robert Kennedy and others after him like Ted Kennedy remained silent with what they knew. I won’t give you any spoilers.

In his last chapter before the closing summary one, the author speculates on what exactly did happen. But as a reader, you have to decide whether what he has laid out for you in this masterpiece on the subject, is indeed the most likely scenario of what happened. If so, you have to come to grips with the fact that the American government institutions established to protect the free world, and more importantly the citizens of the United States, are indeed more corrupt than the corruption they pretend to fight.

Reading this book brought me to two major conclusions: First, what we hear on the news from all the networks and sources combined is only the tip of the iceberg in terms of what is actually going on and what our democratic governments are up to.  Second, if you get on the wrong side of these forces, there is no one but God that can save you. I’m afraid the best is not yet to come. Be vigilant. Your only source of salvation clearly does not lie in the White House.

Highly recommended for anyone who really cares.

n Ken B. Godevenos, President, Accord Resolutions Services Inc., Toronto, Ontario, November 24, 2018, www.accordconsulting.com

It would be great if you would share your thoughts or questions on this blog in the comments section below or on social media.

Packed With Passionate Understanding of a Parent’s Pain

Strength For Parents Of Missing Children

Author: Marie White

Publisher: HAWAII Way Publishing, Visalia, CA, 2017

I must admit I was totally taken by surprise. It wasn’t just the book’s content as good as that was; it was also the dynamo author. She never ceased to amaze as I moved from one section of her book to another. 

Full disclosure – I have never experienced a missing child or grandchild. I do not pretend to have experienced the pain that those for whom this book is primarily written experience. I have lost a grandson soon after he was born. But my son and I both agree that these are two, quite different pains. – since, as believers, we can know where our loved one is rather than not knowing, as is often the case for parents of missing children.

Marie White is one such parent and the author. She is also a Christian. In the first part of her book, she speaks directly to parents of missing children. She explains how hard it is to even breathe at first. She walks us through the first week, the second week, and more of the experience, sharing the feelings, the unique pains, the agony. She describes the emotional, physical, and spiritual battlefields on which such parents conduct real warfare. With her use of scripture and personal knowledge, she inspires the reader. She talks to her audience about ‘taking every thought captive’; how to survive by what one does, thinks, and prays; how time doesn’t stop; how to deal with the feelings of guilt; the importance of not being alone; waiting for a miracle; dealing with fear; not giving up; and facing the family problems that inevitably arise.  This section is packed with love for her readers and great advice and guidance.

In part two of her book, White shares four stories of hope taken from real cases of parents who have had their children abducted. These parents never gave up. From there, she lets the experts take over as she shares five interviews key people in the field loaded with the best possible advice for those who experienced a missing child. I particularly liked the specific advice given by the private investigator as well as the advice shared by a parenting expert.  The latter surprised me with her advice to “stop telling your kids over and over that you love them, and you miss them.”  You’ll need to read the book to find out why,

Part three includes a number of great resources for those going through this pain.

But what comes out clearly from page one to the very end of the book, is Marie White’s passionate desire to help alienated parents not only survive – but rise to the point of becoming a stronger person with a purpose.

There are incredible quotations throughout the book that help drive her points home.  Her resources are endless, and she regularly sends us to her website to read full articles, see videos, and/or access another tool.

Even though these parents know they will never be the same again, Marie White dares ask them the question, “what if you’re not supposed to be?” and then quotes William Arthur Ward – “Adversity causes some men to break; others to break records.”  She shows us how that is possible.  And she invites us to learn the end of her own personal story in a unique way.

As the bestselling author, Kenneth G. Eade says about White’s contribution, this is “A book no one should need, but many will cherish.” Unfortunately, there are many who do need it and should read it.  And there are many others of us who should read it in order to understand those who need it and how best to be a support.  Highly recommended for all family counselors as the advice transfers to many other areas of life.

n Ken B. Godevenos, President, Accord Resolutions Services Inc., Toronto, Ontario, September 18, 2018, www.accordconsulting.com

It would be great if you would share your thoughts or questions on this blog in the comments section below or on social media.

If There’s a Will, There’s Definitely a Way!

Addiction, Procrastination, and Laziness:
A Proactive Guide to the Psychology of Motivation

Author: Roman Gelperin

Publisher: Self-published, Middletown, DE, 2018

This is a small book (114 pages) which packs a big message. The bottom line is this: There is hope for behavioral addicts, procrastinators, and the lazy who want to control or stop their addictions, procrastinations, or laziness. As I read the book, I was reminded of the old riddle:

           Q: How many psychologists does it take to change a light bulb?
           A: Only one, but the light bulb has got to want to change!

You and I (assuming we are concerned about our addictive habits, our procrastinations, and/or our laziness) are the ‘light bulb’. Roman Helperin is the ‘psychologist’.

He holds to the idea that “Nearly all self-observant persons will concede that they are not in full control of their behavior.” Then he explains why. . . and what can be done about it.

Helperin starts his book off with five examples which almost every reader can identify with – either personally, or they know someone just like that. Each example represents a multitude of other cases readers may be familiar with.  They are:

1.     The person who has a project to complete but keeps putting it off until the last minute.

2.     The person who really wants to go to the gym to work out but seems to be unmotivated to do so.

3.     The smoker who wants to stop.

4.     The person who cannot stop playing video games.

5.     The person who cannot get out of bed in the morning.

For each of these Helperin shares their frustrations. He takes us through their mental and emotional feelings.  He helps us understand their fear and the impact of not succeeding. He explains the various motivations and pleasures of wanting to succeed but also those associated with continuing in their present condition.  He distinguishes between ‘acts’ and ‘results’, contending that people do not necessarily pursue ‘acts’ that they are involved in, but rather the ‘results’ of those acts.  He shows us that there are both positive (pleasure) and negative (pain) forces for both stopping and commencing any given activity.  The greater forces win out. But our ‘willpower’ can overcome a force. It all makes for interesting, although sometimes, complex reading. 

But he doesn’t leave us there. He introduces us to some very practical strategies (what he calls ‘Our Toolbox’ to conquer the challenges before us.

For starters, we need to understand how our physical environment impacts our ability to stand up to the challenge we are trying to overcome. The frequency of applying such changes improves the likelihood of success with respect to what we are trying to achieve. The success of this is augmented by its frequency. A second strategy is to target the pleasure of overcoming the challenge. Involving others who can act as social motivators to your pursuit can also be very beneficial to your goals.  He introduces a technique called ‘splitting your attention’ to make the hard tasks more doable – but he cautions that some tasks become impossible when attention is split.  (I found this section most interesting, as I reflect on watching television and working on an essay at the same time; or watching my grandchildren working on homework – especially math – and listening to music with their headphones. His comments on this are most interesting.). And there are a number of other equally helpful tools he presents for us to utilize in our different situations.

Finally, Helperin returns to his five examples and applies all the theory he has discussed to each of them, explaining what each person could do to be successful.  Where there’s a will to achieve something or to quit something or to change one’s behavior – there’s definitely a way!

This book is recommended for all those (from teenagers and up) who recognize they’re currently behaving in ways they would rather not. Counselors will also find it a great guide to help their clients overcome addiction, procrastination, and laziness. Well worth the time and effort to check it out.

n Ken B. Godevenos, President, Accord Resolutions Services Inc., Toronto, Ontario, August 26, 2018, www.accordconsulting.com

It would be great if you would share your thoughts or questions on this blog in the comments section below or on social media.

Oh the Web We’ve Spun When It Comes to Euthanasia

Assisted Death: Legal, Social and Ethical Issues after Carter

General Editor: Derek B.M. Ross, LL.B. LL.M. of the Ontario Bar

Publisher:LexisNexis Group, Toronto, ON, 2018

Oh the Web We’ve Spun When It Comes to Euthanasia 

The Supreme Court of Canada in 2015 made medical assistance in dying (MAiD) or euthanasia or physician assisted suicide (PAS) legal under certain conditions. Canada responded with basically supportive legislation in the form of Bill C-14 in 2016. This publication of Assisted Death: Legal, Social and Ethical Issues after Carterbrings together several prominent legal experts on what that means and how it impacts Canada and Canadians, not to mention the rest of the world with regard to where we go from here.

It is a large volume (541 pages) but one learns a lot. Given the profession of the writers one needs to read it patiently and with a highlighter. The rewards for a layman are significant. I learned about the doctrine of stare decisis-- when courts should, and should not, follow precedent -- and all the implications of the Carter case for and with respect to that doctrine. One learns about the importance of objectives of a law; whether rights limitations (a big deal here as MAiD is only extended to some individuals) are in accordance with the fundamental principles of justice; how freedom of conscience and religion, and the right to religious equality, for health care professionals and institutionsneed to be reconciled with patients’ interests; overbroad laws; the law’s conception of personal autonomy[and the difference between ‘Deliberative Autonomy’ and ‘Social Autonomy’];charter dialogue; the three sources of vulnerabilityand how they impact this issue; and much more.

Of course, there are social and ethical issues that must also be considered as a result of Carter and the consequences (positive and negative) that result from its application. These include:

·      the need “to affirm the inherent and equal value of every person’s life and to avoid encouraging negative perceptions of the quality of life of persons who are elderly, ill or disabled”

·      that “suicide is a significant public health issue that can have lasting and harmful effects on individuals, families and communities”

·      the “‘irrevocable nature of ending a life’ and the need for ‘robust safeguards. . . to prevent errors and abuse in the provision of MAiD’”

·      and “the interests of vulnerable persons in need of protection and those of society.”

There is way too much that one can highlight about this book. It is better in this case to simply state that it is very wisely divided by Derek Ross, the general editor, into four major parts, and to list those parts and their contents, as follows: 

I.        Carter’s Impact on Canadian Legal Doctrine – with chapters on:

a.     Carter: A Stain on Canadian Jurisprudence, by Dr. John Keown

b.     Carterand the Unsettling of Stare Decisis, by Dwight Newman

c.     The “Basic Bedford Rule” and Substantive Review of Criminal Law Prohibitions Under Section 7 of the Charter, by John Sikkema

II.        Charter Implications for Health Care Professionals and Institutions

a.     Conscientious Objections to Medical Aid in Dying: Considering How to Manage Claims of Conscience in a Pluralistic Society, by Mary Anne Waldron, Q.C.

b.     The Call in Carterto Interpret Freedom of Conscience, by Brian Bird

c.     Complicity, Autonomy, and Conscience: Charter Implications of the ‘Duty to Refer’ for Physician-Assisted Suicide, by Derek B.M. Ross

d.     The Right of Religious Hospitals to Refuse Physician-Assisted Suicide, by Barry W. Bussey

III.        The Future of Palliative Care in Canada and Safeguards Moving Forward

a.     Endgame: Philosophical, Clinical and Legal Distinctions between Palliative Care and Termination of Life, by Mary J. Shariff and Mark Gingerich

b.     Establishing the Right to Palliative Care in Canada, by David Baker and Geoff Cross

c.     The Way Forward for Medical Aid in Dying: Protecting Deliberative Autonomy is Not Enough, by Jonas-Sébastian Beaudry

IV.        Charter Dialogue and the Constitutionality of Canada’s MAiD Legislation

a.     Dialogue on Death: Parliament and the Courts on Medically-Assisted Dying, by Thomas M.J. Bateman and Matthew LeBlanc

b.     Constitutional Aspects of Canada’s New Medically-Assisted Dying Law, by Hamish Stewart

c.     Charter Scrutiny of Canada’s Medical Assistance in Dying Law and the Shifting Landscape of Belgian and Dutch Euthanasia Practice, by Trudo Lemmens

What I gleaned from the volume is that the Carterdecision has several flaws that should have been challenged with greater assertiveness.  They still can be when challenges to Canada’s legislation stemming from the Carterdecision arise, and they will – when a broader group of people want access to MAiD or when others want access for them – which is more alarming.

I was surprised by a number of facts including that the “trial judge in Carterdecided that there is no ethical distinction between intentionally and directly causing a person’s death and withdrawing life-sustaining treatment.” I was also surprised by the Court refusing “to confirm that the (Carter) decision would not compel physicians and other health care workers to provide medical aid in dying”, but rather simply stated that “nothing in the declaration. . . would compel physicians” to do so, but that “What follows is in the hands of the physicians’ colleges, Parliament, and the provincial legislatures.”  Ontario, of course, has decided its College of Physicians and Surgeons has the power (which it has used) to compel doctors to as a minimum make a bona fide referral to a doctor who will provide MAiD. In short, a cop-out by the Court. The matter is being appealed.  Also surprising was a Divisional Court’s contention that there “is no constitutionally protected right to practice medicine”, a position which is not in keeping with earlier decisions of the Supreme Court with respect to work.

The sections on religion, its legal definition, and its relationship to conscienceis fascinating both for the believer and the unbeliever. I was also intrigued by the position presented that ‘something being legal’ is not equivalent to ‘something being a right’. I learned about the so-called “Procedural Safeguards” that a professional must consider before a patient is granted MAiD – there are eight of them, many with their shortcomings. Alarming are the predictions of what lies ahead, some based on solid reasoning, and many based on observations of what has, and is, transpiring in Belgium and the Netherlands who have had MAiD for some time.

Some of my favorite quotes from the book include:

·     That the Court found the complete ban (on MAiD)to be overbroad, however, did not transform assisted suicide from a crime in 2015 to a Charter right in 2016. The repeal of crime does not automatically create a correlating constitutional right. To permit an act is not to mandatethat others perform it. (p. 170)

·     There is no right to termination of life, only a right to request it. The health care provider makes the determination regarding whether a request can be legally granted and whether or not to participate. (p. 289)

·     Parliament also declined to establish a right to PC (palliative care)when legalizing MAiD, contrary to both Belgium and Quebec which did establish a corollary right to PC. (p. 323)

·     The proportion of people who receive euthanasia and who are not terminally ill has also greatly increased in Belgium and The Netherlands. (p. 497)

·     Once end-of-life is abandoned as an access criterion, setting limits becomes very difficult if not impossible. . .. [A]significant majority of geriatricians in the Netherlands (62 per cent) felt pressured by family members to make a decision to euthanize. (p. 499)

This is a must read for anyone who has a loved one that is terminally ill or has the desire to ‘call it a day’ or just wants to “go home!” Certainly, doctors should read it, politicians should read it, clergy should read it. Highly recommended. It allows one to catch up on what has happened so far and alerts and prepares one for what is about to happen – both legally and socially. MAiD is one of the human issues that not only changes death, but impacts life.

n Ken B. Godevenos, President, Accord Resolutions Services Inc., Toronto, Ontario, August 11, 2018, www.accordconsulting.com

It would be great if you would share your thoughts or questions on this blog in the comments section below or on social media.