What is your educational attainment level?

Hi I just saw this. I am sitting around with my dog. I am looking into it.

 

Wow, I haven't look at this thread in more than a year but I am very impressed. I looks like the average educational level is more than highschool plus the equivalency of a 4 year degree. It seems like many have a post graduate education.

 

I have to be honest with you. This is not my area of expertise. I make no claims to being an engineer, architect, explosives expert, etc. Like you I have read a plethora of articles on this event.

The latest I have read include yours and:
https://www.popularmechanics.com/military/a6384/debunking-911-myths-world-trade-center/

https://www.popularmechanics.com/military/a5659/debunking-911-myths-pentagon/

https://www.popularmechanics.com/military/a5654/debunking-911-myths-planes/

I myself have read nothing in any theory to convince me of controlled demolitions however I have no expertise in that area and I try be respectful and keep an open mind.

I would comment however on the only area I have some understanding of and that is the psychology behind a need to come up with answers to traumatic events through theories.

Humans abhor lack of being able to understand. If they look in an abyss they desperately need to see something they can make sense of.

My work investigating human behavior sees fractal phemomena. I see many changing shapes of behavior, infinite in variation and we try make sense of if it shows a pattern that repeats because of specific cause and effect relations we can define through objective methodology.

What I do know is traumatized people need answers to comfort them. They need to make sense out of what otherwise if it remained a mystery would continue to haunt them.

I have read some strange stories such as the elevator shafts were being worked on and the elevators closed the weekend before the attack. Yes I have read George Bush's cousin was in charge of security of the buildings. Yes I have read of certain people supposedly taking out insurance policies for terrorism damage weeks before the attack. I have read many things. The problem is when I keep reading I see many of these stories end up debunked, inaccurate based on false info.

Me I was trained nothing is ever what it appears and there is no definitive answer only working theories that may or may not get corroborated with forensic evidence. So for me until you show me definitive evidence of controlled demolition sorry I do not buy into it by inferring from certain things it had to be demolition.

So sorry I am not much help on this one other than to say people always want comfort from explanations to things they can't otherwise understand. Me not knowing 100% does not drive me to embrace inferences. I need forensic evidence of explosive material residue. Haven't seen any.

 

2 years before Elementary school
6 years elementary school
2 years middle school
4 years upper school
4 years BA
3 Years JD
1 Year MS
6 weeks bar review course
3 weeks D of Justice advanced trial practice
360+ hours of CLE
400+ hours of formal firearms instruction-

 

You're the only firearms advocalte I know that should be trusted with a gun. People should be PROUD of thier license to carrry, not advocating it be given to every redneck who can piss in his Ram Dodge

 

Thanks mate, but actually I was asking about your opinion about this sex crime case,

http://www.casemine.com/judgement/us/5914f157add7b0493497a8f3

Regarding the 911 stuff, well, that's a subject for another sub-forum I suppose.

 

Sorry I misread. I was wondering why you were asking me about 9-11.

Ok I have gone through the case. The laws in the appropriate state are different than the laws in Canada but similar enough in terms of heresay evidence.

I can only say the attempt to appeal was weak. If it was taken to its logical conclusion, no testimony of the two victims could be weighed for relevancy. I would say to you if you want to raise doubt as to the veracity (truth) or accuracy of a victim's statement, you have two ways: i-provide solid physical or eye witness evidence that directly contradicts what they said; or ii-provide very strong medical evidence that the victim's statement was inconsistent. I saw no defense medical reports that did this.

I can also say it would be unusual for two different victims to provide such testimony and both be lying or inventing things. If the two victims said different things, then I might want to look into that heavily as a defense lawyer to raise reasonable doubt.

The attempted grounds of appeal were weak because they relied on inferring things not any direct specific evidence contradicting what the victims said and asking evidence be reconsidered that was NOT sufficiently relevant to the evidence that was accepted to find guilt.

I see no viable arguments in the attempt to question admissibility of evidence not leading to the guilty plea.

 

Turtle you comment on the case too....I would of course be interested. Our criminal evidence rules in Canada are federal not defined by each state as they might be in the US if its a non federal crime. However we pretty much have the same criminal evidence rules. Obviously there are difference it what can be appealed constitutionally or with specific procedures but in this case not really.

I saw it coming down to one thing-do you believe the victim testimony or not. To me the evidence the defense brought up in appeal as a concern I did not see sufficiently germaine to the decision rendered to justify overturning the trial level decision. You might say otherwise? I would be interested.

 

I am a professional-both as a shooter and as an instructor.

 

17 years of formal education.
50 years of life long education including constant upgrades in education and speciality subject.
Still learning something most days.

 

Thanks! I actually know this guy. Worked with him in Ashland. Always thought he was an interesting character, but this business of him having molested not just two kids but his own son, well, I reckon if his son were to take him out and shoot him it would be ok by me. He used to talk a lot smack about all kinds of random points-of-view, and I never gave it much thought. Used to complain that his estranged wife, Lou Ann, had it in for him. I reckon she did and rightfully so, now I see. I might have had a bit of an inclination to still have given the guy the benefit-of-the-doubt as the implications of this case regarding what I thought I knew about this guy are, similar to 911 for example, just too bizarre to believe. Except that, randomly I met the guy when he was in Houston , hell, come to think of it just now it might have been the same time that he got arrested for this, circa June '11, for a couple of beers after he had met his Guatemalan chic and moved down there. One of his bizarre statements that time was about how hot his new wife was and particularly that she had a butt that was comparable to a little boy's. I had always attributed some of his more off comments to his interest in self-promotion and shock effect upon a lot of his co-workers that had lived a bit more normal and perhaps even sheltered lives than he had. Poor filthy bastard was actually just being honest, it now seems more than likely. I pray that I never have direct interaction with this guy again in my life.

 

Some people take a 25 years or more to get a Master Degree.
Sheer persistence. but that doesn't make them smart.

 

Ha! You've figured me out mate!

 

I know a guy who did 10 or 11 years to get his bachelor.

 

Oh boy. Interesting. Look all I can say is this, the guy next door could be a pedophile and you would not know. Most are invisible. There is no one way to detect them and most are what we call criminals of opportunity. They place themselves in positions where they can get access to children, i.e., positions as teachers, babysitters, cub scout leaders, clergy, police. Next the key with them is most of them, i.e., 80 to 90% are usually male and identify as heterosexual. They do not choose their victim based on gender but asexual appearance that has no gender characteristics so calling them homosexual or heterosexual pedophiles is nonsense. Homosexuals and heterosexuals or bisexuals, have sex with consenting adults.

Their profile suggests they need to have power and control guaranteed by their advanced age and the need for a partner that looks neither male or female but whose chief characteristic would be vulnerability. Pedophiles want to be admired, loved, worshipped. Most pedophiles are not sadistic. The sub-type of pedophile who is sadistic or goes on to kill or hurt they exist, but they are about 10-20% of them. Most are actually passive aggressive and would never think what they do is unwanted or forced and would call you a pervert for thinking what they do is evil. They will rationalize their behaviour as innocent and absent of any malice.

There is no "cure" either. No medicine, no operation stops it. I know of studies that show prisoners who volunteered to be castrated still had a compulsion to go out and molest. There is a technique you can put a specific implant in the brain that zaps a subject if they have a certain sexual thought that would make it very painful for them to light up the certain part of their brain which shows they derive pleasure from their experience but it has clear legal and ethical implications.

That is all I can say other than someone like me could only do the work so long then we move on. You can not after an extended period of time remain detached from the negative side effects of witnessing and getting in the heads of such people. Police who work in sex crimes units, emergency room doctors and nurses, first responders, social workers who see this a lot some of them are amazing people dealing with it but they are only human.

I did my time in the area as a prosecutor then switched into the family courts with children protection, then served as a mediator or expert witness but I am no expert really. There are so many talented trained people now. In my day I had to mix a Master's in Psychology and a Master's in Law. Today you have much superior training programs in forensic profiling, abnormal psychology, sexology, pediatric and other specialty psychiatric practices. Police are far better trained. My favourite are the crisis units in hospitals and certain police who handle the sex crimes units. I also admire social workers working impossible hours, certain judges, prosecutors and survivors who go on to overcome their pain.

I did once in court lose my voice. I was presenting a case and my voicer just went. I thought I had laryngitis because that year I had gotten strep throat three times. It was simply a sign to move on from what I did. It was the stress that piled up inside I ignored for years. No I do not drink or smoke. I was a long distance runner for years to get the stress out. Only worked so long.

I am sure this of course makes you and many others feel uneasy. Its a betrayal of not only the vulnerable kids but all of us. It makes you wonder can you trust anyone? All I can say and its important, for every one like what we are talking about, there are far more wonderful and good people and yes kids and sex victims can and do overcome their pain. Its not easy, the work to do that is hard, but I know such people and they inspire me.

 

I learned on a 22 single bolt rifle old Springfield with a bent sight and a colt 44 but hey I have bad eyes and need glasses and leave such things to people properly trained. My preference is they be left at gun ranges and only the police, necessity hunters, use them. The extra danger it places on your police with domestic and traffic calls is to me unfortunate. I also think the access at a state level does not do enough to screen out the mentally ill or unstable. In Canada even with out gun control we have had 5 police shooting deaths in the last short period of time. The world is nuts.

I get hunters who kill to eat are NOT and should not be equated with those of us in the city. In terms of self defense I myself tell people, learn martial arts. Leave guns at the gun range, to police or soldiers.

Just me. People like you are NOT my problem. I put it this way. Owning a gun is like being a parent. Plenty of people take them on but the training required and the persons involved are shall we say inconsistent and problematic. I doubt many people could pass a test on the parts of a gun let alone the anatomy of a human body. For me to many people point things and accidentally shoot them off.

 

well my son has a TKD blackbelt, I have years of self defense training and my wife quit right before black belt because of some injuries. Bad parents cause far more issues than honest but negligent gun owners. And my point about martial arts-a woman with a black belt is no match for a prison hardened thug or serial rapist. Now my 24 year old son who works out constantly and can open a butterfly knife in under a half a second (and knows how to use it) might be My wife at 63-no chance.

 

This predicted behavior aligns with what I would expect him to say about it.

Thanks for your service - exceedingly difficult and unfortunately necessary line of work.

 

I have been a carpenter, cement worker, tree planter, foundry worker, cook, and finished off as a cnc operator. I quit school at 16 and after many years got a GED. The GED qualified me for a scholarship and I went to junior college till the money run out. I also have a Associate Degree in Biblical studies. Was also in the honor society in junior college.

 

And after it all was said and done Carpentry was the hardest for me to learn.

 

How’re your son’s academic skills?

 

Very true, but there can be many reasons it takes a long time to get those degrees. I took me four years to complete my masters because my full time job required me to travel out of state a lot and for long periods of time, and I was married with a family. I also started late after six years of military service in the Navy.

 

He has ADHD but had a 1400 SAT and 32 ACT He has 1.5 years of college and is a currency trader and an archery coach

 

MD/PhD

 

In the grand scheme of it all I did very little. I did however have the privilege of meeting and attending some training with or work with others. Amazing phacking people. In awe of them. They of course are as modest as it gets and hate attention. I encourage people to understand as bad as it is out there we forget there are good people out there dealing with it and who care. That is all I mean. Most of my comments on this forum are to encourage others to speak out and not be afraid.