The last few days, I’ve been having difficulty writing about TeamSilsby. The subject has grown cumbersome, and any subset soon takes on a life of its own, then collapses in its own immensity. As a result. I’ve got several disjointed pieces that go together in some way, but have no logical transition, and grow more complex each time I try to de-complex them. It’s enough to give me writer’s block.
So, I’ll take the easy way out for now and just throw some thoughts out. I’m still working on Part 2 of Haiti Earthquake Glorifies God; Also a piece on the Pickett family. But for now, here’s a bit on Charisa Coulter’s return.
Charissa Coulter has returned to Boise (via Miami) tearful and Jesused-up. According to news reports she was met by about 30 adoring fans at the airport, including five of her six Idaho cellies (Paul Thompson went missing). Central Baptists and friends after a brief prayer huddle burst into Amazing Grace upon her arrival. Of course, the real welcome will be for Mrs. Silsby. From the looks of the comments in the Idaho Statesman, though, (any article on TeamSilsby will do), when and if she’s released, CVBC will be forced to use more than a choir to fend off locals wielding pitchforks and torches. Curiously, the latest version of the church’s webpage makes no mention of its wandering member.
Coulter’s statements to the press on her arrival in Boise are disturbing. She showed an incalculable amount of arrogance, ignorance, and selfishness about TeamSilsbly’s “orphan” mission, the group’s flaunting of Haitian law, and the hideous consequences of their actions. Not to mention how the average person anywhere in the world feels about them. Coulter’s “it’s all about loving children” translated into “it’s all about me.” But as long as it’s “me” that God is calling, it’s OK. I guess.
And what about those 33 + a possible other 40 kids you were busy moving around during your phone calls with The Diety? Any care about them and their families?
Several news videos are up of the homecoming. This KTVB-TV report is the most detailed.
Unfortunately, it replaces an earlier video that captured some “interesting” comments from Coulter that were disappeared in the update. Luckily, I transcribed the most egregious parts of the unsanitized version (some of which remain in the current video) below.
Q: What’s your take on what’s going to happen? Any idea at this point?
CC: No, it’s all in God’s hands. I don’t know. We’re just gonna sit
back and we’re going let him do his job. and when he wills she’ll be back. She’ll be here with us.
Q: Are you worried about the charges at all?
CC: We don’t have to worry. It…it’s, ’s like I said, it’s in God’s hands and he wants us to trust him. We are 10 Christians who obeyed God’s calling. And we went to help the nation of Haiti and their children and for reasons unknown to us, it did not go the way we planned, but we realize that God is in control, and that this was what He wanted. It’s hard to understand there’s so much…there’s so much going on that we can’t see.
Q: Do you have any idea of the timeframe of when Laura will come back.
CC: No. I’m not going to speculate. It’s, their processes is different that ours and so we’re just going to let the judge and all those involved work it out
Repeat: We are 10 Christians who obeyed God’s calling.
Apparently:
*** coercing poor, traumatized and desperate parents–survivors of the worse earthquake in modern history–out of their children with promises of child resettlement to upscale living quarters, a pool, soccer field, and school (none of which exist except in TeamSilsby’s head) and parental access to the kids via the Internet (!) ; that is, until the kids are adopted and spirited away by total strangers in the Great White Protestant North.
*** sneaking through back alleys and banging on orphanage doors with an entrepreneurial sociopath who can’t even pay her own employees and mortgage;
*** lying to Haitian, Dominican, and US government officials about your activities;
*** collecting money through legally questionable fund raising procedures back home;
***diverting attention and funds from a massive humanitarian crisis to feed your specialness;
***and mucking up genuine material aid and medical treatment for thousands of homeless and injured and dying people
qualifies as “God’s calling.”
Repeat: And we went to help the nation of Haiti and their children and for reasons unknown to us, it did not go the way we planned…
Incredibly, Coulter told KIVI-TV’s’s Jackie Orozco that she hopes to return to Haiti to “to help in the future.”
Homecoming photo from The Idaho Statesman
Okay, I don’t have time to translate this right now, but the DR “minister” who gave Silsby permission to bring children to the DR has been named by the judge.
Article here:
http://www.noticiassin.com/www/index.php?go=Display&act=display_article&aid=14071&tid=4
The Minister, Florentino Florentino, who I guess has quite a history. I’ll try to get to it tomorrow. Google Translate is no help–half gobbldygook.
I have never seen a group of such totally selfish people. They have not expressed one scintilla of concern for what happened to the children they took or the families of those children. Not one word. I guess they figure it’s Gods will that those children were ripped from their families and ended up in another orphanage, after all they had suffered in the earthquake. WTF? I keep hearing how much they care about Haiti and its people. They don’t give a damn about Haiti. They only care about their own aims and desires masked in religion to make it palatable.
The arrogance is breathtaking when you’re in god’s hands.
Thanks. I’ll be looking for it . I leave for California this morning, but I’m taking my computer and will lbe posting from there. Seriously Florentino Florentino? Those double names always get me.
As a survivor of Bible-Belt fundamentalism, I am not a bit surprised at Coulter’s “gospel jargon” laden rhetoric. These folks, in case any of you don’t know this, are part of the cornerstone of the Moral Majority, self-righteous, right wing movement in this country. If we are not careful, they will establish a state religion right under our noses. They are clueless, yes, but their movers and shakers are crafty as hell. They sure had Dubya playing the ventriloquist’s dummy.
The more good little fundies they can confiscate and raise “the right way,” the more their numbers increase. The LDS are already doing it in Utah. They own the state.
nope, not right wing anything. it’s all HRC/CF.
welcome to the party. #WWG1WGA
Gross.
I think they are keeping Laura over there until she stops smiling.
I am amazed at how some of the 9 just went along. Why weren’t some questions raised in the minds of the 9 when the gathering of children took place and the first busload was stopped?
Specifically, I just don’t get why a pastor, a businessman, and a firefighter didn’t start questioning Silsby’s plan during the early stages and put a stop to it.
There are two options here:
1) They are really that stupid. Whenever Silsby gave them an answer, it was clouded with talk of God. They were duped.
2) They knew the law was being broken (or bent) to “save these children” and they felt it was okay and they would plead ignorance if caught.
I personally think they knew that the law was being broken – and I don’t think they had any idea that
1) Haiti was going to care so much about enforcing the law!
2) Silsby’s past history and current behavior exhibited on the trip would paint a different picture of the “mission trip”. I don’t think they knew about Silsby’s past history and they may not have realized what she was doing re: Picketts.
3) Jorge Puello was going to come out of the woodwork and really muck this up!(AnonJ)
Here’s the article translation:
General Florentino gave authorization to smuggle 100 Haitian children.
INS News got an exclusive interview with Haitian Magistrate Bernard Saint Vil, who traveled to the Dominican Embassy in the Dominican Republic to investigate the case in Haiti..
The judge from Haiti revealed that it was the Dominican General Florentino who, days after the earthquake, authorized an American prisoner in Haiti to illegally take a hundred orphaned children.
During the interrogations of Laura Silsby, a U.S. national, Saint Vil said the alleged (Silsby) revealed links to officials and military of the Dominican Government in the illegal trafficking of children from Haiti.
INS News was present during the interrogation led by the judge Saint Vil of Cesar Cuevas-Perez, Deputy Chief of the Dominican Embassy in Haiti, whom Silsby asked three times for permission (paperwork) to remove Haiti’s children across the border, but he refused.
According to the judge, Silsby said that Florentino Florentino authorized her to take 100 children, of which she tried to remove 33.
Haitian judicial authorities also said Silsby, on several occasions, met several times with the Consul General in Port au Prince, Carlos Castillo, with whom she discussed the matter. For this reason, the judge does not rule out that this official should also be questioned.
Silsby is in custody in Haiti and will face charges of conspiracy, kidnapping and trafficking of children.
There is a video on the page, with the judge. If anyone can listen to Spanish and translate, would be great to know what he’s said. The caption under the video says:
According to the judge, the American said Florentino Florentino authorized her to take 100 children, of which she tried to take 33.
The children are going to be returned to their families today. Baby Love Child has an excellent report on this.
Here’s the rest of the comments from the article.
adolfo- Well, if the president does not act against those officials, likely he will be extradited along with those officials
Nadial- No doubt about anything .. this is the country of Alice in Wonderland.
lionsvideogame- In this sea of doubt, everyone is fishing around. Why didn’t the American lady ask permission from the Haitian authorities to take the 100 children? That was what she should have done. It seems that Americans are paragons of virtue.
Tico- The. U.S. State Department clearly and precisely established that Remittance and Currency Exchange offices are laundering drug money, but we have not heard about any plans in the Dominican Republic for verifying this by the Attorney-Money Laundering and Superintendency of Banks. This implies that the officials are not interested or they aren’t able to have interest, since it takes so many resources to do the money laundering. Everyone here knows what these companies are. They are the ones that do not charge Shipping charges and make offers and raffles in the midst of these crises, those that grow disproportionately and open new agencies and insert new daily bus routes for drug trafficking into the critical routes traveling to Haiti …… Authorities, everyone knows this, but conveniently you do not know this…
Mercedes- How much money did this General Florentino receive? At minimum, he is the President of Haiti
Jen- My God What a shame. Ever since I started reading news about all the corruption in this country, I feel a lot of disappointment and disillusionment. where will we end up? … And this is just the news today, Monday, only one of this type of news! The Dominican begins the week with killings of innocent people at the hands of criminals, and political and military officials involved in the underworld of drug trafficking … What I pity my country!
maria familia- Ojala you need to cut off the heads of all those corrupt officials. They can not do anything right, always making a mess of things. They should send him to the guillotine. We are tired of Dominican officials who are not honest enough with corruption.. For once, try not to be corrupt and do clean work for God.
Nona- This happens because we allow anyone to occupy a position of high command without even a test and making sure they are qualified for positions. We continue to appoint people by cronyism rather than their ability …. that’s a shame on this nation!
Wilkin- The Dominican military officials are disgusting, that’s the truth.
erdiablo- They are no longer satisfied with the corruption here, they have to go to the other side be passed to the other side. My unfortunate mother! where is that we were coming in with these people, the President Disuelba, the Armed Forces, and Police of my gods, and then do it again with new people. You hurt this country, my god, oh maigate jaaaaaaa
Finally! The 33 children have been returned to their parents!
6 weeks later, but they are back
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5iZVTviF3l7E29ePDsK9oLXmtXvnwD9EGJ43O5
The children have been reunited with their parents! (AnonJ)
Shut up! Shut up! Shut up! God did it all! I don’t have to deal with the pesky facts! It’s all God all the time!
Don’t you find the conversation with these people goes the same way no matter what? It’s like with that creepy PAP who started fantasizing about a baby when the baby’s mother died in an accident. No amount of “Don’t you think you should just support the father in his hour of need?” could stop her endless drivel about how God orchestrated the accident, about how God did it all and does it all and she is just an instrument of God’s doing and if she got the baby, it WOULD BE ALL GOD ALL THE TIME. Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!
No wonder you have a headache.
From AP Wed March 17, 2010
Joyful parents on Wednesday recovered the children that they gave to American missionaries about six weeks ago. The 33 children had been living at the SOS Orphanage on Port-au-Prince’s outskirts since police stopped a group of 10 U.S. Baptist missionaries from taking them across the Dominican border on Jan. 29 following Haiti’s devastating earthquake.
The children had been underfed and some were incontinent from stress, the orphanage said. On Wednesday they were dressed in their Sunday best to return home with parents who had given them away to foreigners a month and a half before. Each family was given about $260 along with food and blankets. The orphanage has also been providing counseling to the children, who they fear will feel rejected, and to parents about the dangers of child trafficking, said spokeswoman Line Wolf Nielsen.
Regilus Chesnel said he had to negotiate with Haitian, U.N. and orphanage officials before he was allowed to reunite with his children – ages 12, 7, 3, and 1 – and a 10-year-old nephew. Chesnel said previously he had given his children to Haitian pastor Jean Sainvil, who was working with the U.S. missionaries, because Sainvil told him that dead bodies buried under rubble in his El Citron neighborhood would breed disease. Florence Avrilier, 32, recovered an 8-year-old boy she had given away. She said she kept her 12-year-old daughter because the missionaries told her they only wanted children younger than 10.
“I’m very happy. I had no hope I would ever get my son back again. This has been a very heartbreaking time for me,” she said, putting her arm around the boy.
Andersen Cooper did a piece on the kids being returned to their parents. One little boy was crying and calling for his Mama. The Mama was a social worker who had been taken care of the kids. The little boy did not want to go back with his birth mother because she had given him away. The social worker was crying because she didn’t know what would happen to the kids.
Apparently, by law, they had to be returned within 6 weeks.
So, the “missionaries” just wanted to help the children for God, but only if they were under 10 years old……
http://www.websleuths.com/forums/showthread.php?t=96271&page=7
A number of good posts on this link by Websleuths TruckBomb and Jeff Jones.
Also, Silsby was really dealing with a fine person (being sarcastic)- supposedly this general, per Websleuth TruckBomb, “Florentino just had his U.S. visa revoked along with a number of his other general buddies, retired and holed up in the DR, by the Federales in Manhattan Federal District Court. These gentle folks are now being considered for extradition to the U.S. in connection with the big drug trafficking case of Paulino Castillo which has international ties to a major drug trafficking case in Spain.”
Websleuth Jeff Jones says in one of his posts that “Florentino y Florentino” which would be Manuel de Jesús Florentino Florentino, ex director of “Border Development”, who incidentally appears on a list of Dominican generals who are wanted for a drug case in the Southern District of Manhattan….”
Just totally whacky. (AnonJ)
BlueHeron – thank you for finding and translating this article on the general. I suspect this detailed news regarding Silsby’s involvement with the general hasn’t reached the FB group yet or the people in Idaho who read the Idaho Statesman. The woman has gotten herself into a very serious mess. (AnonJ))
I’m just going to respond to two of the responders. First, the person who did the rote ‘the Haitian officials are corrupt’ rant clearly missed that it is Dominican officials who may be implicated in child trafficking. There is no evidence of malfeasance by Haitian officials at all.
Second, babbling by Jorge Puello, or whatever he is calling himself today, should be dismissed for lacking credibility. Not only is he a convicted trafficker, he is on the lam from other charges in several jurisdicitions. And, remember, he is spending the $40,000 he got from The Idaho 10’s supporters as he defends Laura Silsby. Why does anyone treat his claims as anything but self-serving?
Breaking News:
Jorge Arrested
I wonder if Puello was in Santo Domingo the whole time. At least we’ll find out who he really is…
Thanks Blue Heron,. This is going to get real interesting, I still think that Yoram is the joker in all thing, and things aren’t as they seem– to the general public, at least.
Actually, I’m a bit surprised–and not at the same time. He’s been hiding in plain sight and there’s a reason for that. What is is, I’m not sure.I can think of a couple scenarios. Now that new charges have been brought it could be time for him to come in from the cold so to speak
I remember his mom indicated he was in the DR, when she was interviewed.
My guess is the authorities knew where he was all along, and were just watching him, waiting until the right time.
Ya just can’t make this stuff up…
Jorge’s mug shot
Isn’t this a wild ride? Jorge Puello is indeed in the slammer! Our suspicion he never left the Dominican Republic proved accurate. But, it is not like Soledad’s boy to just take things in repose. I think the feathers are gonna fly and some of them will be Laura Silsby’s.
CNN just reported that Jorge/ Georges/ Yoram Torres/ Simard/Migdal is in custody in the D.R. Took a while for Anderson Cooper and CNN to pick this up. Time for me to check up on the details. Personally, I thought he had used the phony letter from the Rabbi in Montreal to try to get to Israel.
By the way, I grew up in Montreal, and saw many holes in his story, from the prison in Rivieres des Plaines, to his home in Granby, to the marriage in Cornwall, Ontario to the smuggling from Toronto to Montreal via Burlington Vermont. None of the logistics made sense.
The synagogue where he claimed to be a member is not an ultra-Orthodox shul. It is primarily Sephardic, but even my parents’ synagogue is more Orthodox, and my father doesn’t have a beard, doesn’t wear a Kippah, and doesn’t wear tzitzit. The Rabbi who wrote the “letter of introduction” wasn’t even at the synagogue when Jorge lived in the province. Oh, and Jorge didn’t even live in Montreal, he lived in Granby, a small town about 60 miles away. It would be hard for him to get to the synagogue in Montreal on Shabbat, especially since the Orthodox can’t drive on Friday night and Saturday.
As I said all along, Jorge/ Yoram is a faux Jew, who chose a new disguise while he was an inmate at Rivieres des Plaines. He read what he could in books and online, and cut and pasted rabbinical opinions to blogs.
So, to answer the question “Is Jorge a Jew,” my answer is that if he’s Jewish, then I am the Pope.
Now, I can’t wait till the rope tightens on the whole cast of characters- Laura Silsby, Jorge, the female government official in the DR, the Minister Florentino Florentino, Pastor Sainvil and the rest. The real fun is still ahead.
I really laugh at your bull !!!, all of your efforts and I am in the street since December 7, 2010!!!
Have you stayed out of trouble. Yoram?
There are more interesting posts on the websleuths site http://www.websleuths.com/forums/showthread.php?t=96271&page=8
As more links appear to people who are involved in trafficking, it seems to me that Laura Silsby HAD TO HAVE KNOWN the type of people she was getting involved with. I no longer can buy that she is 1) insane and/or 2) totally stupid.
It’s just hard for the people she has duped to believe that she is a criminal, because, again, of the way she looks and behaves. However, she has very much overplayed the Christian side of this story, as her behavior is not “normal” of a naive, do-gooder locked up in Haiti jail. Most naive, do-gooders by now would be crying and pleading for mercy, asking to be sent back to the US and to their children.
And, after almost two months of this, I personally now think that that most horrifying thought of all may have been possible, something that I always discounted before. Up until now, I really thought Silsby planned to set up an orphanage and adopt the kids out. I admit, I was greatly troubled by this temporary hotel setup, when it first came out in the media, and how easy it would be for sex trafficking and child pornography to occur in those separate hotel rooms (even if “naive volunteers” were around, I felt with 40+ rooms, things could happen right under their naive noses). But, being naive myself, I thought it was really not the intent. However, now, with these links to these traffickers with their connections to sex trafficking/pornography – and the comments I read on another blog related to the beauty of the children chosen for the bus – I am not so sure. I am really not so sure anymore what the true intentions were. It’s very troubling. (anonj)
Hi everyone Idaho statesman reports that Silsby Personal Shopper eviction case was dismissed. What does that mean? Anyone? Could it mean a third party paid it?
The debate around here is
1- someone paid the debt OR
2- everyone moved out, so they don’t need to evict them OR
3- they realized they weren’t going to get any money, and were going to have to spend a lot on court/lawyer fees, and until Silsby gets out of Haiti, the point is moot
Based on this news Another missionary talks…
I have a new scenario for the “note” passed to a CBS reporter. I think the note was written by Silsby, as a way to separate the other 8 from her and Coulter. They felt responsible for getting the others into the mess, and wanted to make it more likely they would get released. So Silsby forged the note. What do you think?
I think there is so much more to this. I bet someone did pay it off to try to squash any news that will bring attention to Silsby. There is too much of a coincidence with puello involved. I just think this has been a scam with the whole SBC and international adpotions from third world countries. Silsby is only one of the many runners of illegal adoptions.
Boy, that’s a pretty far out idea, Blue Heron. I don’t know. It’s always possible. If she did, she’s dumber than we thought. And why not include Coulter? Both McMullin and Allen deny knowledge it. They all seem hesitant to talk about the whole thing–except that the trip was a “success’?!!!!???) Maybe for a publicity hound or a delusional.
I see a real connection between Yoram’s arrest and the current investigation It was no coincidence. Something big is up.
I agree, BD. They’ve known where Jorge was for a while, and were just waiting for the right time.
If you look at the thread on the Web Sleuth’s site dedicated to this case, there was a poster (Truckbomb) who was in communication with Jorge, too. Lot of good stuff over there. Here’s a link for anyone who hasn’t been there:
http://www.websleuths.com/forums/showthread.php?t=96271&page=9
(that’s the last page of the second thread for the Silsby/Puello escapade)
This is a big circle jerk. I’m still in Sacramento and waiting for a friend to pick me up, so I’ve been reading articles about Puello’s arrest while waiting.
It’s not authorities had to wait to implicate him in something. He’s already wanted. They were either trying to tie him to other people or incidents, but knowing cops as I do (another story) it’s more like they were waiting for something with Silsby to pop. How convenient he gets pulled in now. For all we know, the whole thing is staged.
I’m really struck by Puello’s incarceration in Canada. He was held for extradition for 18 months, filed and appeal and the Canadian courts said this is BS. You wanted him and you didn’t come up here to get him. They were right. Then he’s traveling all over the place, opening businesses, getting written about, getting a grant, etc. Some of these activities were under an assumed name, but let’s face it. Yoram is a “bit” of an egotist and he would have been easy to spot–if somebody wanted to spot him bad enough.
If he ends up dead in a jail cell someplace, it will be easy enough to point back to a source.
Recent Today Show interview with Laura Silsby link: http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/26184891/vp/35981371#35981371
My observations:
1. Silsby finally looks like reality is sinking in.
2. Silsby actually mentions her own children twice.
3. Silsby looks worried when the other released missionaries are mentioned as “stepping back” from her and she says she does not know if that is true. Strange she doesn’t have “faith” that they are standing by her. Interesting that she doesn’t say anything about them.
4. Silsby on Jorge Puello -Does it appear she is blaming her family for selecting Jorge?
5. Silsby on the Puello pipeline comment – does her reaction looked like an act? Closing her eyes, sighing, and mentioning her love for her own children and Haitian children.
6. THIS ONE REALLY GETS ME. Silsby is claiming that she was LIED to by the Haitian people that brought the children to her!?!? Does this make any sense based on what we have heard of so far?
7. Silsby slips back into Silsby-ism when asked if she was naive and rules could be bent. She sprouts off a bunch of garbage her, talking about collapsed orphanages (we all know that the children did not come from these orphanages) and finally saying God will release me.
I find it funny that they have a sound of birds chirping right after the interview.
I don’t see how she can claim this is now the Haitians’ fault for lying about the children!!!(AnonJ)
Blue Heron, I don’t believe Laura Silsby has ever done an unselfish thing in her adult life. She certainly did not write a note implicating herself.
In her latest television interview, Silsby, predictably, tries to shift the blame to the Haitians, claiming they forced children on The Idaho 10.
See here.
http://www.ktvb.com/news/Two-Idaho-missionaries-react-to-NBCs-interview-with-Laura-Silsby-88969387.html
The link is to a story – Reaction of two Idaho “missionaries” to Silsby’s interview – Corinna Lankford and Carla Thompson are saying it is not true that they are “stepping back” from Silsby. Per the article “Both Lankford and Thompson say they are frustrated with the inaccuracies being reported about their time in Haiti. When we asked both of them to expound upon that and correct what’s being reported inaccurately, they told us that they are waiting until Silsby is out of jail and safe. At that time they will tell their story.”
This is just so suspicious. Okay, they are lawyered up – however, why wouldn’t their lawyers let them correct some of the inaccurate reporting? It appears to me they are just waiting to see Silsby released, so they can all sync up their stories, call it a miracle, and gloss over everything. (AnonJ)
It is utterly despicable that Silsby is now claiming the Haitians lied to her. It seems that these supposedly ultra-religious people will lie at the drop of a hat whenever it is convenient. I will give Silsby a break insofar as she does not have access to the news or the internet or she wouldn’t have made such an assinine statement.
I really have no compassion left for these “missionaries” at all. They must not trust their God very much if they can’t even make a comment here on earth that would clear up a few things. They keep acting like there is “much more to the story” and they just can’t say anything until Silsby is released. If there is such an earth shattering story that would set this all to rights, wouldn’t the Judge have listened and set them all free right away?
Why can’t any of them comment on the ever-changing stories about the children. Let’s see, I count three stories so far:
1. Children were from a collapsed orphanage.
2. Children were from a village, all were orphans.
3. The Haitians lied and gave us children that still have living parents.
BelindaK, I feel that they are all liars too. At first I could buy they were duped, maybe brainwashed by Silsby and too much Bible, but it seems to me they are just willing to lie and twist things around to serve their own purposes. And, then I wonder, just how duped/brainwashed were they? Has anyone checked their individual financial histories and their personal backgrounds? All of the attention is on Silsby. I assumed all along if one or more of them had issues, it would have come out by now. But, I’m not so sure now. This entire group of people – they are either the most stupid and naive group of people that could be assembled or they are hiding something. (AnonJ)
I read and watched the interview with the two women out on personal bond, and one of the men, Steve McMullin, a day or two before. The women are clearly afraid their stories will not match Laura Silsby’s.
However, McMullin is either less concerned about Silsby or disingenuous. He admitted The Idaho 10 were sleeping on the bus with the children because they actually had nowhere to take them. Apparently, Silsby was waiting for something. (A ‘the coast is clear’ mesage from contacts in the Dominican Republic?) This interview also shows the note to an NBC producer some of The Idaho 10 deny exists.
See it here.
Laura’s woes in Idaho have increased…
kids, ex, business, and more
Thanks for keeping up with all this. I’m in the middle of legislation hell at the moment (my “real” job) and haven’t had time to write about Haitii lately. I’ve got a huge backstock of articles. In a few days I’ll be back on the story/stories.
Well, Silsby sure is in deep. This new information certainly can’t help her in the Haitian courts. I think the others ARE afraid of what she might do or say at this point And as good little sheep they want their stories to line up. It also seems to be a gender thing, that is men are much willing to cross the party line.
BD, I agree “the others ARE afraid of what she might do or say at this point”.
By now, at least one of the clueless should realize that Silsby is a liar (if not, they are, as I said before, the most stupid and naive bunch of people ever assembled) and they are refusing to talk — since if they say anything that is truthful and negative about her, and it gets back to Silsby, I’m sure her fertile imagination can come up with some lie in response to the truth that would be very damaging to a person’s reputation. I really think Silsby will turn on them like a cornered rat, if they ever utter a word against her, even if they are speaking the truth. Look at how she is now blaming Haitians for lying to her about the children or, when asked about Jorge, saying it’s “unfortunate” that her family trusted him (implying she had nothing to do with it).
As the days go on, I think eventually Silsby will have to do something big, to get herself out of this. And if Silsby starts blaming the other Idaho 9, and one or more get called back to Haiti, she will blame the media for twisting her words, she’ll blame the judge for misunderstanding, etc. It will never be her fault. And the Idaho 9 probably will believe her as they sit with her in jail again, not realizing she is using them – it’s either that or finally say – she’s a liar.
Hmmm…I wonder who is going to break first in this area –
Silsby in the Haitian jail, the accomplished liar, letting loose with a big lie,
or
the Idaho 9, knowing the truth, that she is a liar, but basically not being free to say so….in effect covering the liar with another lie. In the meantime, many people thinking they are stupid and naive due to their inability to see Silsby for what she is.
Oh what a tangled web we weave.
I think it would be better to go on the offensive with the truth, admit to the note that was passed and say you know Silsby was lying, and do it first, before she lets loose with a lie that drags me back to Haiti or smears my reputation. That is what the smart one(s) in the group should do. (AnonJ)
http://bridgebloggin.blogspot.com/
Paul Thompson has posted his own “personal press release”.
Evidently those of us who have reviewed the information and think that Silsby is a conartist are guilty of slander. Thankfully Paul has forgiven us!
Oh, and he says he is aware of the needs of the orphan like never before. Paul, none of those children were orphans. Nice try on the spin. (AnonJ)
http://bridgebloggin.blogspot.com/
Sorry my other post must have not made it – here is the link to Paul Thompson’s “personal press release”.
(AnonJ)
I’m waiting to see if Silsby is going to end up getting charged for trying to snatch the Pickett kids. Surely, that must be illegal.
What did she think she could do with the Picketts children? Anyone?
Merrymico, good question. Just my opinion – I think she wanted some legitimate adoptees mixed in with the group for a couple reasons:
1) make things seem more legitimate
on the surface
2) insurance in case they did get busted. Can you imagine outcry if the Picketts children were mixed within the group and how much more clouded things would be? Silsby could lie, saying all sorts of things, like bad phone connection, I thought Mrs. Pickett said it was okay, and so on!!! She always has such a good excuse!!!
On a side note, I now have one “missionary” on my personal official “stupid and naive” list. Yes, one has qualified for that list. I have very high standards for the list, one has to do quite a bit to qualify, and now one has.
And, a prediction – I think there will be another Silsby lie coming out in about 2 weeks, one which will begin to erode the misplaced trust the Idaho 9 have in her. (AnonJ)
Let’s be clear that the preachers, including Paul Thompson, thought they had the most to gain from ‘kidnapping for Jesus’ next to Laura Silsby. They believed they would make money and garner publicity with a few handpicked Haitian children (the lovely three-year-old twin girls?) ‘adopted’ in the U.S.
Thompson is hand-in-hand with Caleb Stegall, a notorious Right Wing attention seeker who has described black people as genetically inferior.
Stegall makes a habit of injecting himself into any situation in which he can obtain attention and raise funds. (He is now defending a cohort in disciplinary action arising from their legal attacks on the martyred abortion doctor George Tiller.) Thompson is hoping to share the spotlight with Stegall.
Let us not forget that Paul Thompson is still charged with kidnapping, criminal association and taking irregular trips. He was released from jail in Haiti under his own recognizance, but is still subject to the judicial system there.
Thompson’s self-serving blog post follows these people’s usual pattern of Bible thumping, self-congratulation and ignorance. However, it does have some amusement value. He praises Haitians he believes knew their (inferior) place while ignoring he is an accused criminal expelled by the Haitians.
I think you are right. She wanted to travel with the Pickett children to make the operation seem legit. Good point Anon. The criminal mind is amazing isnt it.
Ill bet that the Picketts got a real bad feeling about Silsby after that call and rushed to Haiti to head her off at the pass.
If I remember correctly, merrymico, what saved the Picketts children was – Mr. Pickett was in Haiti at the time and had taken the children out during the day. So, even after Mrs. Pickett told her no on the phone several times, Laura Silsby still arrived at the orphanage, and asked to pick up the children, and was told they were out with their father.
BlueHeron – on that note – Another thing that crossed my mind is that Silsby was involved in the church for three years. If you have ever attended Christian small groups, it’s amazing what deep, personal things people will confide in each other, and they are completely confident their personal stuff is safe, simply on because the other person is a self identified Christian! I have personally heard someone say that you know you are “safe” when you join a Christian small group!
So, Laura Silsby probably knows more than she should about the personal lives of the other missionaries, in particular, Corinna Lankford and Carla Thompson.
So, my theory is that the two women are now covering up the note that they wrote because they are afraid Silsby will turn against them and betray their confidences.
Who knows what Silsby knows about C. Lankford and C. Thompson and their family and friends via three years of “Christian friendship”? Things that are personal and that they wouldn’t want revealed. So, as long as they stick by Silsby, all will be well in their worlds.
(AnonJ)
Has anybody heard if folks are leaving Paul Thompson’s church over this situation?
I found his recent post to be a interesting view into his perspective
http://bridgebloggin.blogspot.com/
in which he tries to answer the question “What were you thinking?” re the mission trip. I found his answer to be lacking in substance. (AnonJ)
http://my-4-blessings.blogspot.com/
Paul Thompson’s blog has a link to this blog, which appears to be one of the people who was going to help Silsby in the Dominican Republic. The last entry is Feb. 25th where “Lora” posts a lot of pictures of the hotel and supplies related to the trip. She says “We thought we were going to prepare an orphanage and take care of orphaned children for 2 and a half weeks. We ended up flying to the Dominican Republic for 4 days. And during that time making a quick trip into Santo Domingo and stopping by the American Embassy 😉 We have much to tell and hopefully someday we will be able to share more with all of you. It was definitely an emotional roller coaster. We continue to pray for the release of Laura as we wait on God’s perfect timing. We had the privilege of being part of something much bigger than we ever expected. We would do it again if God should ask.”
And, at the end of the entry “Farewell Dominican Republic….For now.”
I feel Twilight Zone music starting.
On the FB group page, Paul Thompson posted that today (April 7th) some very important meetings are taking place in Haiti. So perhaps there will be more news today. (AnonJ)
Hmmm, appears the current prayers of the faithful are not working to release Silsby fast enough, so Paul Thompson is issuing a “call to prayer” today on his blog, and not just for Silsby but for the rest of the Idaho 9 as well. He wants all Baptists to pray – what if many of them see Silsby as a con-artist? Are they going to pray to have her released just because Paul says so? Sometimes I just wonder how much money Silsby gave to the Baptist church when she first joined three years ago…(AnonJ)
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