Here’s a letter written by Jose M. Gonzalez, the father of one of the men at the Ed and Elaine Brown house (Cirino aka Reno). Jose went to Plainfield to defend Ed and Elaine alongside his son, only to be asked to leave. His impression of Ed Brown is particularly enlightening. [I have separated the paragraphs, to make it easier to read, but otherwise have not edited this in any way - ENM]
My emotions are bouncing around in my mind and I want to settle down before I write out and post a complete report
Although everyone of the Browns’ supporters have individual agendas, the cause of “Show me the tax law” is worthy of continuation.
When equal rights folks were ready to make their move in 1956, they researched several individuals and chose Rosa Parks for a very special reason. Rosa Parks was not the only Black person having refused to sit on the back of a bus. She was chosen for her dignity, honest past, and willingness to cooperate with the equal rights promoters for the greater cause; not her own personal glory.
Although Elaine Brown may have these qualities, I fear that Ed probably cannot even spell them. I found him to be an arrogant, ambitious, self-serving man that is using everyone around him (including Elaine) for his own personal political gain. From what little I could gather, he is looking for ‘supporters’ willing to DIE for him but he has no intentions of dying himself. Cirino was/is frustrated at the lax security but Ed blocked all efforts to make the place defendable and give the occupants a better chance of surviving.
After meeting with the security team, I requested (of Ed) that we ALL meet with Ed & Elaine to configure an acceptable security plan.
He refused to meet and kicked me, Lee, AND Cirino out. Cirino managed to convince Ed to let him (Cirino) stay longer and I fear for his life even more so now. However, I will not risk the life of TWO sons over this less than honorable man.
I have experienced personal hardship and ramifications over this issue and stand to gain absolutely nothing in return nor do I want anything but the safety of my children, family, and friends.
This is spirit in which Cirino has gotten involved with such a cause.Maria has my permission to post this or anything I write. I trust in her values. I have not completed my thoughts on this matter and am torn between continuin
It appears that he ran out of space (it was posted as a comment on his son’s myspace page) but the gist is pretty clear, I think.
On his own myspace page, Jose states that he has a BA in psychology/sociology, and an MS in counseling with a specialization in marriage & family therapy. If that’s true, his opinions of Ed and Elaine should be given greater weight than that of the average person, especially since he has actually been to the house and met the Browns.
Less
aynrkey
bostonteapartygoer
Kenn Jacobine
mattdharris
Mike Seebeck
Miche
paulie
Jim Davidson
ponggod
Stuart Richards
Todd Andrew Barnett
Just goes to show that we were right in our initial impression of them as hucksters and generally not decent people.
Speak for yourself. The government is the real huckster.
for me, it doesn’t matter if the browns are good or bad people. the focus is that the NCS (national criminal syndicate) is trying to take by force another person’s property. if the browns are jerks, that’s regrettable, but beside the point.
If Ed Brown didn’t want to trust someone who later showed willingness to undercut him publicly, maybe that’s just indicative of good horse sense.
ENM,
You know how I feel about dogging a person I don’t know personally, but I want to mention a couple of points. 1) This Jose guy said, “After meeting with the security team, I requested (of Ed) that we ALL meet with Ed & Elaine to configure an acceptable security plan. He refused to meet and kicked me, Lee, AND Cirino out.”
Did this guy ever actually talk to Ed Brown personally?
2) Ed & Elaine’s support blog said that there were people who came to offer support who seemed racist and they refused to meet with them. Is Jose one such person?
3) I will never believe a person more credible because they hold a certain degree or station in life. I don’t care how “qualified” this Jose is as a counselor- he sounds like a person with sore feelings about his exclusion from the property.
And, FWIW, Ron Paul is talking about the Browns.
http://disinter.wordpress.com/2007/06/26/neil-cavuto-ignoramus/
Hope he can negotiate a peaceful resolution.
Hiya, Michelle!
Ed and Elaine made the comment about some folks appearing to be racist even before Jose got there. Therefore, they could not have been referring to Jose. On that same subject, I do find it interesting that they refused to meet with some people who they thought seemed like racists, but they welcomed Randy Weaver with open arms, although he is very well known to be a white separatist.
In fact, some have suggested that the Gonzalez family was ejected from the Brown home at the behest of Weaver. I don’t know if that’s true, but it makes more sense than to believe that Gonzalez is the racist in this situation.
I don’t know for sure if Jose ever met Ed, but I find it very hard to believe that anyone stays at Ed’s house without first meeting Ed and getting his blessing. Jose has also been closely watching the Brown videos, since his son has been there for quite some time, so I should think he’d have some insights from that (and conversations with his son) as well.
Insofar as credibility is concerned, I never said Jose was credible. I merely said that his impressions must be given greater weight due to his expertise in psychology/sociology, and I stand by that statement.
Personally, I think Jose Gonzalez was their best hope for a peaceful end to this standoff, since he actually knows how to act as a negotiator. It’s a shame that he’s gone.
I just don’t get this “show me the law” B.S.
http://docs.law.gwu.edu/facweb/jsiegel/Personal/taxes/JustNoLaw.htm
Heya back at ya, ENM!
As far as your Randy Weaver comments go and since we are guessing, I have a different view of what may be happening.
First, Randy Weaver may indeed be a white separatist, but he has always said that he was not a member of the Aryan Nation. That idea was over hyped from day 1 but everything I’ve ever read indicates that he did not agree with the group on much, only went to 3-4 meetings over several years, and the meetings were comprised of not just separatists, but many anti- gov and wilderness types. And remember, he and his family were awarded over $3m in damages.
The Brown situation is much like the Ruby Ridge incident in that the players on the opposite side of government felt they didn’t receive a fair trial and chose to hole up at their own homes. Ruby Ridge was described as a compound in the media when it was nothing more than a shack built by Weaver himself. The media have painted the Browns’ home as a “fortified” compound. Have you seen the pics? The home looks half finished, but think about what the words fortified and compound suggest to the average American TV viewer. Jose stated that he wanted more security for the Brown home, but that would just add to the idea of fortified compound.
You are correct about the timeline on Ed’s & Elaine’s comments about the racist person seeking entry into their home. I had to go back to the My Space page where Jose’s comments were to learn that he arrived in NH on the 22nd. I put little stock in the idea that he formed some of his opinion of Brown from videos. If he gleaned that Ed was an opportunist looking to place others in harm’s way from six months of video, then why would he go there last Friday? It sounds to me like he got there, wanted to re-write the security plan, got booted out and is angry. Beefing up security would be an invitation for the gov to use more force than necessary and it would play right into what the press is saying.
Ed has said that they would act toward the government in a reciprocal fashion. Randy Weaver brings national attention to this situation and now that the truth is out about Ruby Ridge, the best thing those at the Brown house could do is to sit and wait.
Jose’s expertise in pysch/soc is debatable and without a CV or references from past patients, I’m unable to comment.