ISIS

What gives here? Anyone have ideas on what drives this machine? I'm curious.

The Minneapolis Police Shooting

I'll keep it short and to the point. On the one side the cops appear to be ducking behind Data Practices by remaining unresponsive. People want to know if the guy was shot while handcuffed and what the identity of the officers are. I tend to believe police work for 'us' and should be transparent as soon as possible. Lets hope that is the case here.

Denver Book-a-Thone

Where we go again. Hey . . . whats not to love about; snakes and actresses. Not sure of December 15 and Montana happening though.

.

Robbery vs Burglary

A man got away with an undisclosed amount of cash after he robbed Ankeny’s Mini Mart No. 4 with a hunting knife Thursday morning.

Officers responded to a report of an active burglary at Ankeny’s, 902 12th St. SW, at about 8:45 a.m. just south of the fairgrounds, according to Austin Police Chief Brian Krueger.

Stealing property from a building is Burglary. Stealing property from a person is Robbery. Can you imagine Jesse James pulling a Bank Burglary? This is why I took pains to point out at the end of Justice to regard stories in the media with an inquiring mind. This is an actual story in the newspaper today. Got to be a mix up on behave of the reporter. The Police Chief can't be this stupid but I guess all things are possible. Let me ponder the question received today regarding the police in Minneapolis.

Where are . . . 'The Whys' . . . with Terrorism?

This has been on my mind for sometime now of course. I've had breakfast with the Iranians. Dined in Rochester with the Wearer of The Hijab. I was asked repeatedly to respect their privacy. This summer I hunted for the 'Whys' in Detroit, where the largest number of Muslims live. Hung out with 'Moe' in Mankato. Been interesting. They are a paranoid bunch. Photos anyone? You gotta be kidding. Quiet insightful I must say. I am well aware some won't get it. I figure all opinions count in the quest to uncover nuggets of understanding. I believe I've nailed some truths. Time for another book.

Positive Review from a Reader

Format: Kindle Edition Verified Purchase

Wow!
My husband and I read this book and loved it!!!!!!! Curt is a great story teller and "oh so believable!"
We felt that we knew the characters festering in "normal". We are all for " Jus This" Bravo Curt!

1 Comment  Was this review helpful to you?  YesNo  Report abuse

A Verified Purchase Reader had this to say about my writing style. All points of view are very important, but if one is reviewing a book, I put more stock in the comments of those who have read the story.

Great To Know Minnesota has an Innocence Project.

Minneapolis Star Tribune

Roger Lee Olsen doesn’t talk much about what it was like to spend two years in the Stillwater prison labeled a child rapist.

“I was supposed to have been killed in there, that much I will tell you,” he said, his jaw trembling.

Olsen was freed in 2008 once Houston County investigators discovered evidence that led them to believe his accuser, a former stepdaughter, made up the story. But even back in society, his life remains in shambles. Still living in his hometown of La Crescent, he’s unemployable, and his mental and physical health have deteriorated. Worst of all, he said, no one — not the prosecutors, the police or the state of Minnesota — has ever said, “We’re sorry.”

Now, for the first time, the apology will come from taxpayers. Olsen is among three wrongfully imprisoned Minnesotans who will receive compensation under a new state law that makes him eligible for payment for the time lost behind bars and an array of other damages, like physical and psychological injury.

Your innocent until put under indictment. Then The Court of Public Opinion occurs. Nice World we live in - huh? 

By Shawna Tipton on September 8, 2015

Format: Paperback

This just discussed me as a mother that someone could write a book like this and be able to look
at him self in the mirror...So sad for this little girls mother and family to have to continue going
through more heart brake over what this man did

Let it be said . . . 'Brand of Justice' was written to include all points of views and not to be
directed by hate and scorn.I can't in an any sense tackle this comment because I get the
notion you did not read the story. You live in Montana, what are your thoughts on
Barry Beach, Shawna? I stand by this story and would write it over and over again.

We need to be informed, we need to be in the know.

Another Question Answered!

Seems to me your blog is hung up on one topic while the world around us is full of miore incidents that you are not addressing. WHY? Flap

Great question from a gentleman from Arizona. Here goes. On the one hand we have Paris but other stories remain the same.  Check the officers out reenacting a piece from Brand of Justice. I wrote this story after a long career in law enforcement and had a career that spanned many incidents and I mean many. My stories don't come via second hand accounts. That is how I tell my stories before they happen.

JusThis regards the matter of cops morphing into rapist. I was told the story wasn't plausible. Interesting huh? Cops are hard at it proving my story was right on the mark. Here is the lasted headline. Why do I respond to my critics? I feel . . . really feel . . . their input is vital. I need to respect them. I also have a passion regarding education as the key to improving our tomorrows.

Ely Police Officer Charged with Criminal Sexual Conduct ...

www.fox21online.com/.../ely-police-officer...criminal-sexual-conduct/36...

Oct 30, 2015 - A grand jury has returned an indictment against an Ely Police Officer, charging him with one count of third degree Criminal Sexual Conduct.

Knowledge is Empowering

BySam Bartellon September 8, 2015

Format: Paperback

So turns out I'm very familiar with the Hicks case. For him to be portrayed as
innocent in any way whatsoever makes this a work of fiction. The author should
be ashamed of himself for trying to sensationalize a monster who murdered,
and ended up admitting to it, a 3 year old little girl. The state of Montana stands
by and protects his children, so to think Hicks got an unfair "brand of justice" for
murdering a 3 year old is absurd. This is sickening.

'Brand of Justice' is a work of fiction. Agreed? One police officer read the story and claimed it
was non-fiction because it tells it the way it really is. I'm somewhat perplexed as to just how
the story portrays Mr Hicks. I'm of the opinion the world community as a whole stands by and
protects its children. With all due respect, your review would be more meaningful if you had
taken the time to actually read the story. No worries, you could pick up a used copy on
Amazon or Abe Books and I would not benefit monetarily. Knowledge is an empowering thing
indeed. Many thanks Sam. 

Knowledge Before Reading

By Jm on September 8, 2015

Format: Paperback

Know the true story of Mr Hicks before reading this. I refuse to feel bad for a child killer

that feels the system did him wrong. He did wrong by this innocent child and took the lifetime of love

and happiness that her family had to give.

I should think it is easy to understand the grief experienced when a child passes away. It is one of the

reasons it is imperative we have an impeccable Criminal Justice System. How does one know the true story

before reading?

Do not buy this book (This from Eric) & Jacob Wetterling

Do not buy this book

The claim that Jerimie Hicks is innocent is a crime in itself. I am from Great Falls, and I remember this case well. Below I have included information from the trial. A person who would shove a child into a wall hard enough to dent the wall is scum, and deserves the prison sentence he got. Please do not allow this author, or the criminals involved, to profit from this local tragedy.

[...]

"Hicks, who was alone in the house with Kaelyn when she sustained severe injuries, claimed that he shoved her into the wall out of frustration, but that she was fine after suffering minor injuries. Hicks told police that later the girl fell down the stairs after tripping on their puppy.
Emergency responders and doctors who later worked on Kaelyn that day testified that they did not believe the girl's injuries were consistent with a fall down the stairs."

Here goes . . . lets read between the lines. "Please do not allow this author, or the criminals involved . . . " wait a minute. Eric indicates Hicks was alone then writes this. I attribute it to an emotional response to a lose and get it. This is bigger than a local tragedy. Check this out from a former FBI Agent who also wrote a story highlighting the need for improvements in the Criminal Justice System. You see . . . their are cops out there who call it the way they see it and long for improvements. I am just one of them. So perhaps 'Striving to Be the Best' is just another book that needs bashing.

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) — A former FBI agent who supervised theJacob Wetterling investigation says the agency botched how it first handled the man now considered a person of interest in the case.

(credit: CBS)

Al Garber wrote in “Striving To Be The Best,” his out-of-print 2009 memoir, that the FBI’s encounter with Danny Heinrich in 1990 was a “comedy of errors” and “a bad mistake.”

At least I tried . . .

The information in and around this book is based on lies. The hicks family, who Mr Rude holds so highly, wants nothing more than for their sociopath son to be released. They have gone to great lengths to help him including cleaning up the crime scene of the three year old girl he murdered! everything that happens to Jerimie Hicks and his sick family is deserved and does not come close to equalling the brand of justice they deserve! Go back to drugs mr. RUDE, at least those delusions are explainable. There is no explanation for profiting from the murder of a child! Shame on you Mr. Rude! Kaelyns momma.

This can all be sadly attributed to the ongoing suffering of a grieving mother. The book, its story evolved from my experiences in law enforcement. Sometimes the truth is stranger than fiction and I told this story long before Ferguson and on and on. I did not conclude that the Hicks family is 'sick' but only suffering their loss. My drug of choice is coffee and I am not delusional I can assure you. If I was on any other drug I would not be in a position to write stories and I guess actions speak louder than words. My stories capture what is going to happen and what needs to be improved. I choose to not forget Kaelyn. I choose to live and learn. I choose to share in the hope of better tomorrows. I am comfortable realizing I tried.

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest: At least I tried

Live and Learn

I did not, nor will I, read this book. This man says he attended the trial of Jerimie Hicks?
Who he quotes on the back of the book? If he did then he saw video testimony of Jerimie
admitting he bashed in a little girls head, and then put her in pajamas and left her upstairs
in her bed to die while he tried to clean the evidence. To quote him and portray him as a
victim completely sickens me... Mr. Rude the real victim was Kaelyn Serene Bray... She
was three... And Jerimie showed his character when he hurt her, and left her injured for hours.
How dare you profit from my sisters heartbreak.

I'm not sure what or if we can actually learn to avoid unpleasantness. I am certain that hate and condemnation is not the answer. Unfortunately others have also lost their precious lifes. I could pick and choose. Amara 11 - Sophie 8 -  Cecilliaa Schaffhausen are just one example, Profit from heartbreak? No. I was trained at the National Police Academy that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. We have to be vigilant for opportunities to learn. To understand . . . to better our Criminal Justice System. Jerimie is given an opportunity to express himself. His point of view would have been over looked. Jerimie and his family, who I can assure you are wonderful individuals, I mean his father was a police officer, love their son just as Kaelyn is loved by her family.

I believe that words are strong, that they can overwhelm what we fear when fear seems more awful than life is good. 

Andrew Solomon

At Least I Tried

Thanks goes out to none other than Mike for getting it. This is the reason I wrote JusThis. Thanks again Mike for the info.

In 2010, a woman sued the Grand Junction Police Department in Colorado, insisting the department erred in hiring officer Glenn Coyne and then failed to supervise him. Coyne was fired, and killed himself days after he was arrested on suspicion of raping the woman in September 2009.

That was sexual assault accusation No. 3, court records show.

While Coyne was still with the Mesa County Sheriff's Office, another woman accused him of subjecting her to a strip search and groping her. The complaint came after Grand Junction had completed its background check, and Mesa County officials - who declined comment - did not investigate or inform Coyne's new employer, according to court records.

On One Last Assignment

Running Down the last pieces of my next savage tale that is too true . . .

Really?

JusThis or Brand of Justice

Police Assault?

Rev Jesse Jackson Sr 

✔@RevJJackson

The police officer should be fired and the police department should be sued. #AssaultAtSpringValleyHigh

8:41 PM - 26 Oct 2015

Okay I get it . . . on the one hand the officer may have went over board here. We didn't see the entire incident. But are we forgetting about respect for authority? I mean if an officer asks you to do something . . . comply. If you have a problem . . . take it up later. That's what I have been saying all along. Jackson seems to always want to fire and sue. Lets learn . . . huh.

Thoughts Regarding Jerimie

The family was ASKED to alter the crime scene, by Jerimie. Remember when you "attended the trial" and they played the tape of him doing so? The transcripts are available if not, we can gladly post them. His mother wasn't able to because Great Falls Law Enforcement had already removed the bloody boots and uniform- they suspected Jerimie immediately (as he was the only person in the house with Kaelyn). Jerimie was convicted on charges of evidence tampering, you might remember that from "attending the trial" too? 

There seems to be a concern that I never attended this trial. I did. My Editor and I were approached by a young lady during a recess. She stated the Prosecutor wanted to know who we were. We told her. Was that you Shannon? Anyways, this heart breaking event was important enough to step away from the daily grind to attempt to understand some of the 'whys'.

Thoughts Regarding JusThis

		October 25 at 3:09pm
I read that book and it is an excellent that should become a classic, reminds me of some in our hometown.

For The Love of Writing

Message
How do you take it? People don't get it. You do. How do you write? Your stories take a reader there to places like Casper. Are you from Wyoming or something?

I guess the human experience has so much to consider. When I write I explore. I mean I go to a trial of a young airman and watch the spectacle from many different perspectives. I went to the Death Chamber in Wyoming. I sat on top of Independence Rock. It's that certain feeling that lends itself to Social Fiction.

I hail out of Kansas as in Salina.