Tag Archives: Haiti

Laura Silsby is scheduled to return to Boise around 2:00 PM today. She was released from the Haiti Hilton yesterday after being convicted of “arranging unlawful travel” and sentenced to time served. Obviously, the Haitian government just wants this albatross off its neck and around the necks of the Idaho courts where her ever-expanding business and personal problems have roosted. Better Idaho than us. As much as I’d like Silsby to spend a lot more time in the slammer, I am not surprised at the release. After all, the Haitians have more dire things to worry about than Bible Barbie. What did surprise me was Charissa Coulter’s appearance in court with Silsby. I had to play the tape back to make sure I heard right. One of Silsby’s other partners-in-crime Jean Sainvil, a Haiti-born “pastor” in Atlanta is being tried in absentia, and his status is unknown. Silsby (showing some leg in court) told the AP “I’m praising God” and apparently made no further comment until she was interviewed at the Port au Prince airport before clearing security. Megan Mattson, spokeswoman at the U.S. State Department, told the press Silsby was looking forward to returning home to her own children. Continue Reading →

Hit the Haiti link at the top right of The Daily Bastardette to go to my complete collection of Haiti blogs. Mainstream media reported Thursday that charges against nine of ten TeamSilsby members have been dropped. Then the Haitian Attorney General said, hmmm…no, they haven’t. I’m working on other projects and don’t have the time to comment. Baby Love Child, though, has. Her Charges not dropped against American Baptist missionaries despite Thursday’s reports reviews the latest Silsby (in this case government-media complex) faux pas. You’d think by now the State Department would figure out its not the arbitrator nor interpreter of Haitan law. Since MSM, does believe State is, however, reporters failed to follow a very basic rule: verify verify verify. And so did TeamSilsby and its legal team who rushed to their keyboards with the great news. BLC’s blog includes a link to Topeka Silsbyite Drew Culberth’s 14 minute TV interview made after he got the good news, but before he got the bad news. The interview doesn’t reveal anything new about the group’s venture in Silsby’s heart of darkness, but it is valuable in detailing their jailhouse life. Culberth still doesn’t “get” that the group did anything wrong. Continue Reading →

I’m in the middle of real Work Hell at the moment and am weeks behind on my Haiti work. I did want to post this recent quote from Silsby, though: God will release me. I’m confident that God will overcome all of this and ultimately enable me to be released,” Silsby said during the interview that was taped several days before Easter. So what does this do to Silsby’s faith if God doesn’t “overcome all of this?” Does this mean that Judge Bernard Saint-vil and the Haitian courts, even in shambles, are more powerful than God? Or will she blame it on Voudou?

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 Continue Reading →

KTVB-TV has disappeared one of the videos I embedded in the blog I’m finishing right now. While looking for it, I found this BONUS VIDEO: a February 9 interview with Charisa Coulter’s father, Mel and Eric Thompson, husband of detainee Carla Thompson. A serious luv fest for Haiti. Thompson assures us that he loves Haiti–or rather “those people”– and prays for the government every day to do the right thing by his wife who only wanted to “help children.” Nothing about praying for the families his wife helped break up or mention of the illegal activities she engaged in to do it. Coulter opines that it’s “unethical” to separate Silsby/Coulter from the other eight since the lawyers were hired to represent all of them. They went in “ten as one” and they need to come out as one. Gee, funny how Jim Allen claims those lawyers never represented him. And he got out “as one” while the rest of them were left to stew. Reporter Ysabel Bilbao closed her report saying the men believe that “the country is better because of the group.” I’ve played the tape several times and don’t hear them say that, but it sounds like something Continue Reading →

Looks like Laura Silsby won’t be coming some soon. No details yet, but according to the Associated Press: Judge Bernard Saint-Vil says Laura Silsby has been charged for a newly discovered, alleged attempt to bus child earthquake survivors to the Dominican Republic on Jan. 26. She already could face trial on kidnapping and criminal-association charges from her group’s attempt to take 33 children across the border without permission three days later. Saint-Vil has added the new charge of “organization of irregular trips,” from a 1980 law restricting travel out of Haiti that was signed by then-dictator Jean-Claude Duvalier. Could this be the 40 kids who went missing on the earlier aborted attempt? Or were there other attempts we don’t know about yet? How much you wanna bet CVBC and its minions play this: God has placed Mrs. Silsby in her cell of affliction as a witness of His love for the Haitian people, to harvest their souls for His glory. Or this: she’s taking Haiti’s sin on to herself; Haiti’s suffering is her suffering. Or some variation. Addenda: Baby Love Child has posted a detailed commentary on this new event with background on the gone-missing 40. , Haiti: New charge Continue Reading →

Slaps forehead! I should have looked for this earlier. TeamSilsby’s friends have established a Facebook support page: Bring Laura Silsby and Charisa Coulter Home! This is taken from the page information: A little administrative note: those who join this group with their own personal axes to grind will not be accepted. Those who post strong negative comments will have their comments removed. This goes against the mission purpose of this group…a positive prayerful supportive group for Laura, Charisa, and their families. There are plenty of opinions surrounding this case. The negative opinions and statements don’t belong here. By joining this group you are agreeing to abide by the above statements. Thank you. That means most of the world isn’t welcome to their Kaffeeskltsch (or is that Tea Party?) As of this writing, they’ve gathered only 129 Friends. One dropped off while I was writing this. FB Friends include former detainee Paul Thompson (private page), his wife Renee Culberth Thompson (private page) and a few people who might be relatives. Also Silsby’s sister and fellow New Life Children’s Refuge incorporator, Kim Barton (private page). All comments are valentines to Miss Laura or ponderous scripture. Here, for example, is the latest posting Continue Reading →

KATU-TV Portland (Oregon) reports tonight that Laura Silsby may be in for more trouble. At first I thought this was a re-hash of Friday’s’s story, but unless I missed something, this is a new detail regarding the reason she continues to be held: The judge is looking over new documents that could link the two women to possible illegal travel in addition to other allegations of kidnapping after the two led a mission to take 33 children out of Haiti to a Dominican Republic orphanage. Haiti’s investigation determined none of the children were orphans. One of Silsby’s lawyers, Louis Ricardo Chachoute, denies there’s a problem. “Our clients are innocent because the documents are real there is no criminal conspiracy, no kidnapping.” BTW, how many lawyers does this woman have, and who’s paying or them? And who says this is about documents?TeamSilsby’s to-and fros on both sides of the island in the few days they were free to roam are confusing, and I don’t even want to try to set out a scheme here. (I’ve considered trying to work up a timeline). Anne-christine d’Adesky outlines a lot of curious details involving Silsby and DR officials in her Special Report update. The Continue Reading →

This entry is cross-posted with all my other Haiti work from my Haiti resource page, End Child Exportation and Trafficking in Haiti. Here I go pandering to Laura Silsby again! Reuters reported about an hour ago that Judge Bernard Saint-Vil signed a release order for Charisa Coulter’ today, but will hold Silsby for “further investigation. “(No details yet. Maybe he’s reading Baby Love Child or Haiti Vox or me!) Unfortunately for Ms Coulter, an “administrative glitch” will hold her in Haiti until Monday: Coulter was returned to custody on Friday because court administrators could not find an official stamp necessary to validate the judge’s signed order, Sainvil said. “I already signed the release order. All that is left now is to seal it but they cannot find the official stamp,” he said. There was no chance that Coulter would be released before Monday, chief prosecutor Joseph Manes Louis told Reuters. “I returned the order to the judge because there is an administrative problem. Once the problem is solved I will proceed according to the law,” he said. KTVB-Boise reports that the two prisoners met separately with Judge Saint-Vil today for about two hours each and gives a few additional details.

This entry is cross posted with all my other Haiti work from my Haiti Resource page, End Child Exportation and Trafficking in Haiti. Oh oh! You know you’re in trouble when your own lawyer dumps you! The Idaho Statesman reports today that on Monday Gerald T. Husch, Silsby’s lawyer back in Boise who has been representing her and Personal Shopper.com in a civil suit filed by a former unpaid employee, has filed a motion to withdraw as counsel. Husch has refused to comment on the move.I imagine a lot of straws have been piling up on that camel’s back. Perhaps the delusional statement to the AP yesterday (see previous entry) from his morally and probably financially bankrupt client that she wants to return to Haiti and DR to collect more kids and build her orphanage while her stiffed creditors line up at court and the poorhouse, was the last one. I know that as an officer of the court Husch (or somebody) has a fiduciary duty to defend even the most reprehensible, but how, with Silsby’s finances tossed on the rocks, can there even be a defense at this point except to throw her on the mercy of the court Continue Reading →