Guest Post: A Heartfelt Letter To The President

We should welcome all of the information possible as
we pray for, and seek to influence, people in positions
of power, urging them to help bring about a just peace
in a part of God's world torn by decades of violence. 

I post the following with the permission of retired seminary professor Dorothy Jean Weaver, who has led 21 educational and/or work group tours of the Holy Land and felt led to write this letter to her president:

October 10, 2023 

President Joseph R. Biden 

The White House, 

1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., 

Washington, DC, 20500 

Dear Mr. President, 

I write to you as an American citizen, a regular voter, and a person who has traveled almost annually to Israel/Palestine over the past quarter century. Since January 1996, I have witnessed, up close and personal and over and over again, the profound challenges posed by the now 56-year-and-counting brutal military occupation of the Palestinian people by the Israeli Defense Forces. 

Now—after 56 years of Israeli military occupation, supported massively by the US government, and after 16 years of an inhumane siege of the entire civilian population of Gaza, trapped as they are in an open-air prison with virtually no means of “escape”—an almost unthinkably vicious and violent act has taken place. Palestinian fighters from Gaza have now turned the tables on the Israeli occupiers, taken events into their own hands, invaded Israel by multiple means, and brutally massacred hundreds of Israelis. 

 In response to this vicious attack, the full power of the Israeli military is now trained directly on Gaza and its two million Palestinian civilians, trapped there in circumstances widely recognized as unlivable, without means of escape, without bomb shelters or an “iron dome” to protect them from Israeli bombing, and, as per the notice of Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, without food, water, or electricity. 

Mr. President, in no way and by no means do I support the vicious acts of Hamas in murdering citizens of Israel. As a follower of Jesus, I do not support violence of any kind by humans against other humans.

 

But it does not take a degree in international affairs to recognize that the present circumstances are the recipe for a large-scale human catastrophe and, what is even more culpable, massive human rights abuses enacted collectively against an entire population. But vis-à-vis this looming human and human rights catastrophe, you, Mr. President, have seen fit only to “add more fuel to the fire” and to send even more weapons and military capability to the State of Israel to attack the besieged people of Gaza. 

Mr. President, have you completely lost your moral compass? Are you truly willing to make the United States complicit in the massive human rights abuses even now being perpetrated on the civilian population of Gaza, let alone in the wider human catastrophe to come? 

 This is the time, not for making more war, but rather for taking the courageous steps needed to finally and completely dismantle the 56-year-and-counting military occupation of the Palestinian people by the State of Israel and to use the considerable power and influence of the United States to work at establishing a sturdy basis for justice and peace for Israelis and Palestinians alike. 

 Sincerely, 

 Dorothy Jean Weaver

******************************************

P.S. Here's some links to share your own message:

https://www.whitehouse.gov/get-involved/write-or-call/

https://www.senate.gov/senators/senators-contact.htm

https://www.house.gov/representatives/find-your-representative

https://cmep.org/takeaction/action-alerts/?gclid=Cj0KCQjwm66pBhDQARIsALIR2zDQ7K-DnBEud7YCwqO4Jw0UfajC8eg_GR7xNRrcuE_Ru9OTyMej738aAiI_EALw_wcB 

"First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for everyone, for kings and all who are in high positions, so that we may lead a quiet and peaceful life in all godliness and dignity."               Paul, I Timothy 2:1-2 (NRSV)

Prisoner Raises Over $1000 For World Relief

Popsicle sticks, pebbles and other other odds and ends in 
and around Building 2A went into this amazing contribution to
the Virginia Mennonite Relief's effort to raise funds for
Mennonite Central Committee.

The following post is by a local incarcerated friend whose artistic work was sold at the October 6-7 Relief Sale auction for a gratifying $1050.

Title: "Crucifixion Week"

B. Brubaker

Dillwyn Correctional Center

Hometown: Harrisonburg, VA

I must recognize my peers at DWCC, in Building 2A, who contributed in some manner to the timely and successful completion of my 2023 donation to the Virginia Mennonite Relief Sale. One man in particular, Tim Burnopp, took my ideas and made them come to fruition as he painted the underside of the lid that becomes the backdrop when the box is opened during the spring when we honor the sacrifice of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. I have more than 700 hours of artistic focus in this year's project along with the hours Tim Burnopp had in the paintings. My peers also helped pick up pebbles on the yard, made the linens in tomb, and gave me tidbits of yarn and other items that I used in the making of this creation. A big thank you to my peers at DWCC, dorm 2A, who contributed in some manner.

I attempted to make the outside of the closed box look like a medieval papal strongbox used to transport the church's treasury or significant decrees. I made the faux jade stone out of pink erasers and capped the stone with halved pencils that I must soak in boiling water for the glue to release that holds a pencil together. I dispose of the pencil lead and use the small pencil top erasers split in half on other projects. This year I accented or created the wood grain with a black wash paint and then added some gold metallic paint along these striations to give the trim pieces a gilded look. The narrative unfolding inside the box is certainly precious to all who believe in Jesus Christ who transformed God's first covenant made with Abraham and his descendants.

The perspective I created when the box is open is of the viewer standing inside the City of Jerusalem looking outward. A sojourner sent me a photo of Jerusalem's, Jaffa Gate, where the road to Emmaus exits Jerusalem. I did my best to match the city's wall design though my stones were quite different in shape and my space limited. On the inside of the city wall lying about the street or leaned up against the wall are painted palm branches that I imagine the children were still playing with days after Jesus road into the city on a donkey, His triumphant entry.

Exiting the city to the left is a road that leads past the representation of the Garden of Gethsemane and on up the hill to Golgotha. I imagine that most gardens in this arid landscape need a water source so I placed a spring coming out of the rocky point upon which Christ was crucified. The spring giving life to the vine in the garden that grows seemingly out of the stone. There are many metaphors tied to this spring, the paramount one being Christ being our source of "living water." In the garden I placed one plant, a climbing wild rose, as Christ is referred to as, "The Rose of Sharon." Christ refers to Himself as the vine in several passages in the New Testament and for this reason I chose to define the Garden of Gethsemane in this manner. Though seasonally it may not have been the time for the roses to blossom, my artist's mind likes to think that Christ's tears shed that night in the garden and His blood running down the cross touching the vine burst the vine into glorious bloom. 

Moving to the left past the Garden of Gethsemane, the path begins to climb the rocky point known as Golgotha. The path trodden up this hill is soiled and likely stained by the blood of many men who had died at the hands of the Romans who had conquered Jerusalem. At the top of the incline are two women depicted of the many who were likely there witnessing Christ's crucifixion. I chose to make Mary, the mother of Jesus kneeling, and Mary Magdalene standing consoling her. Behind these two women is the first mural that holds events taking place prior to Christ's crucifixion. In this first painting is a representation of Christ driving the money changers out of the temple. Next to that is a table that holds a cup of wine and a loaf of bread. Under the table is a water pitcher, basin, and towel. Together representing the last supper.

Centered on the promenade of the rocky point is Christ with the two thieves on each side of Him. The middle mural depicts the darkness as the day turned to night when God turned away from the sin Christ bore for us on the cross. At this moment the Temple veil tore as Christ became our forever intercessory, through Him we can enter into the Father's presence. During this darkness, Christ defeats Death and takes back the keys which are painted in the lower right of the middle mural.

Behind Christ and the two thieves are two Roman soldiers, one with the sword that pierced His side. Behind the thief on the right are two of the disciples, in my mind the two men who traveled back to Emmaus very discouraged and confused about the death of Jesus. The entire right-hand side of the mural and the right interior of the box is about the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The empty tomb, Christ's ascension, and my favorite event of Easter, the reference to the men walking home to Emmaus from Jerusalem.

None of the 80 men in my dorm, except for one, knew the story of Christ joining these two distraught men on their journey home to Emmaus. Working on this year's project became an opportunity for me to share with my peers here the motivations for sitting these 3 months focused on this project day and night. My most asked question was, "Why don't you sell it on eBay and make some money?" The closer the project came to its completion, the more I saw the value of the process as a means to share with others what God has done for me, my testimony, and introduce them to a Savior that promises them that He will lighten their burdens. Thinking about these interactions with my peers here caused me to inscribe John 3:16 on the interior of the removable panel because that is the ultimate quantifier of what took place when Christ was crucified. I can, but hope, someone will view my creation, seeing all that He suffered for us, sparking in them a desire to define in their own mind what these events mean to them.

It is with great wonder, excitement, and joy that I release this project into His hands for His purpose in helping others in need, whatever their need may be. It is an honor and a privilege to give back to the One who is my provision and protection on this ardent journey. I am only able to express my journey through artistic endeavors because of my sojourners, who enable me to purchase the many items used in my creations. I thank them for making it possible to express my journey and to share with others what God inspires me to make within my constraints. 

For His Glory, Bear Brubaker

Another Heartbreaking Parole Board Denial

Mr. Zellers in 2015, with some of his friends, when he was
in much better health.

Charles E. Zellers, Sr.
VADOC No. 1036758
Buckingham Correctional Center
Post Office Box 430
Dillwyn, Virginia 23936

Re: Recent Virginia Parole Board ("VPB") Decision

Tuesday, October 3, 2023

Dear friends and family:

It truly breaks my heart to have to write you and give you the sad news that I've been denied a parole grant again. That was my eleventh not grant decision from the VPB and I've been eligible for release since July 30, 2005.

I was seen by the VPB Examiner on April 4, 2023 and my family and advocates met with VPB member Mrs. Michelle Dermyer on June 21, 2023.

The following not grant decision was handed down on September 29, 2023, and was certified on October 2, 2023.

I plan on filing an appeal since I do have a new medical issue which I didn't have prior to my advocates meeting with the VPB staff. My pulmonary doctor told me that he wants me to go back on supplemental oxygen. I will be transferred to Deerfield Correctional Center when this happens, probably sometime in January. I requested that I be permitted to stay here at Buckingham Correctional Center until I complete the Resilience Education Course I'm currently enrolled in through the University of Virginia's Darden Business School, one of top five in the country.

If you would like to contact any of the Board members, below are their email addresses*:

Patricia.west@vpb.virginia.gov (Chair)
Lloyd.banks@vpb.virginia.gov (Vice-chair)
Michelle.dermyer@vpb.virginia.gov
Samuel. boone@vpb.virginia.gov

Thanks to each of you for all you have done and hopefully will continue to do to help me obtain a parole grant. And pray for my aging mother, Judy Zellers. She is really taking my getting another turndown hard.

Respectfully submitted,

Charles

* Editorial note: There is still a parole board vacancy to be filled to bring the number of members to the required five. 
And here is the standard, computer-based response Mr. Zellers received:

Dear Charles Zellers:

The Virginia Parole Board recently reviewed your case for potential release on discretionary parole. As you know, the goal of the Parole Board is to release on parole those eligible offenders deemed suitable for release and whose release will be compatible with the welfare of society and the offender.

The Board, in determining whether you should be released on parole, considered a number of factors, including, but not limited to, whether your release would be compatible with public safety and the mutual interests of society and you; whether your character, conduct, vocational training and other developmental activities during incarceration reflect the probability that you will lead a law-abiding life in the community and live up to all conditions of parole, if released; sentencing information; facts and circumstances of the offense(s) including mitigating and aggravating factors; prior criminal history and information regarding adjustment to previous probation or parole, if any; personal history; institutional adjustment such as your response to available programs; changes in attitude toward self and others; release plans; evaluations; impressions gained when interviewed by the parole examiner; and any other information provided by your attorney, family, victims or other persons.

In accordance with Code Section 53.1-155 and in consideration of the factors listed above and the information available to us, the Virginia Parole Board's decision to "not grant" parole on September 29, 2023 is based primarily on the following reasons:

> Release at this time would diminish seriousness of crime
> The Board concludes that you should serve more of your sentence prior to release on parole.
> Serious nature and circumstances of your offense(s).
> History of violence.

While this may not be the answer you hoped for, please continue your hard work. The Parole Board made every effort to balance your rehabilitation needs with the public safety considerations on behalf of the citizens of Virginia.

If you believe that the Board made errors or that there is new or different information not available to the Board when the case was decided, you may request reconsideration of the decision. Requests for reconsideration must be received by the Board within sixty (60) days of the decision date on forms furnished by the Board to the institution; however, please be advised that the Board will reconsider cases only for specific errors or significant new or different information that was "unavailable" to the Board when the case was decided.

Sincerely,

By direction of the Virginia Parole Board:

Patricia West, chair

Here are some of blog posts which are about, or are written by, Mr. Zellers: 

https://harvyoder.blogspot.com/2015/11/model-prisoner-47-denied-parole-seven.html
https://harvyoder.blogspot.com/search?q=charles+Zellers

The Feeding And Aiding Of The Four Billion

In Mark 8, when Jesus was moved to compassion
by a hungry crowd, he asked his followers one
simple question, "How many loaves do you have?"

Of the earth's 8.1 billion people, at least half are living in conditions most of us would consider intolerable. 

Examples:

• One in nine of our world neighbors face serious food shortages. By contrast, an estimated 40% of food in the U.S. goes to waste, and far more to waist.

• Over a billion people in the world live in urban slums without power, sewer systems or running water. Most of us over consume energy to the detriment of our environment.

• Well over a hundred million people are refugees due to war, drought, persecution and civil unrest, and many of these have been homeless for decades. Their number is growing.

• Fewer than 18% of the world's people will ever be able to afford a vehicle. We have more licensed vehicles in the US than licensed drivers.

• An estimated six out of ten children around the world are not learning basic reading and math skills. We are blessed with free public education.

• Countless numbers of people suffer from lack of basic dental and medical care. We take that for granted.

According to World Vision president Richard Stearns, author of the The Hole in our Gospel, those of us who earn $50,000 or more a year are among the wealthiest one percent of the world's population. This raises grave concerns about the future of a world with these kinds of disparities between haves and have nots.

A friend recently noted that we likely ignore such glaring disparities for fear that responding generously and justly would "hurt our pocketbooks."  But in light of St. Francis of Assisi's words, "Remember that when you leave this earth, you can take with you nothing that have received--only what you have given,"  this could actually be the best thing that could happen to our pocketbooks. Francis truly believed Jesus's teaching that giving to those in need was the soundest possible investment we could make in the most secure enterprise on earth, the worldwide and everlasting "Company of Heaven."

Here are some ways we can help create a more just, joyful and peaceful world:

• Urge our nation's lawmakers to set an example to other nations in drastically reducing what we spend on war-making and instead investing in a kind of Marshall Plan that would fund food and development projects all over the globe. According to the War Resister's League, a stack of $1,000 bills equal to what the US government currently spends each year on past and present wars would be over 115 miles high. Reinvesting such funds could literally eradicate starvation.

• Encourage people to divert their retirement savings from stock traded corporations to investments in Calvert and other funds that provide immediate help to the poor through loans for small businesses and which invest in such projects as alternative forms of energy, agricultural development and healthcare.

• Radically reduce the short sighted spending we do for our personal comfort and convenience and double up on investing in the long term wellbeing of our world neighbors. For example, we could all fast regularly and/or have a subsistence rice and bean diet meal once a day, then give extravagantly to organizations that benefit needy members of our worldwide human family.

We all have multiple opportunities to help save lives and to make life better for the hungry and homeless Jesus and the prophets cared for. For example, many in our community support the Virginia Mennonite Relief Sale held at the Fairgrounds on the first Friday and Saturday of October, an effort that raises over $400,000 annually for Mennonite Central Committee's worldwide relief and development work. In the past number of years a significant percentage of that has come through direct cash, check and credit card donations at the Sale, and from contributions made on their website--in addition to income from food, craft and auction sales.

Even this commendable effort represents only a fraction of the kind of generosity today's urgent world needs call for. But to the hungry and homeless every little bit helps.

From the prophet Isaiah:  

Is not this the fast that I choose:
    to loose the bonds of injustice,
    to undo the straps of the yoke,
to let the oppressed go free,
    and to break every yoke?
Is it not to share your bread with the hungry
    and bring the homeless poor into your house;
when you see the naked, to cover them
    and not to hide yourself from your own kin?

 Isaiah 58:6-7 (NRSV) 

When we claim God as our Creator, every human on earth becomes our kin, and deserves a hand up.

An Alternative Creation Account (Satire Alert)

The Garden of Eden, as envisioned by Thomas Cole, 1928

And God said, "Let the earth be paved over with urban development, and include multiple convenience stores, McManna fast food outlets and supermarkets laden with all manner of processed food products according to their kind. And let there be large scale factory farms that produce, harvest and ship food from the far corners of the earth, such as beef fattened on massive feedlots, eggs mechanically gathered and packaged from caged laying hens, bacon and prime ribs from pigs confined to cramped individual stalls all their life, exotic fruit from as far away as China, and bananas and pineapples from corporation-owned plantations from all over the world.
And it was so.
Then God created suburbs with three car garages and with manicured, well fertilized and irrigated lawns, regularly sprayed to prevent native clovers and pollinator dandelions from adding any variant color or texture. These acres of unnatural turf created for Adam and Eve's enjoyment were interspersed with a variety of non-native trees, flowers and shrubs that were "pleasing to the eye" but usually not "good for food" for humans, bees, birds and other habitat.
And it was so.
The Lord also provided conveniences like riding mowers, leaf blowers and weed eaters to help keep all of the lawns neatly trimmed, and to separate the sterile paved areas from the sterile turf spaces. Gyms, fitness centers and pickle ball courts were provided for physical exercise so that well-to-do humans would not have to work the ground to produce vegetables, fruits, nuts or berries of any kind for their food. The Lord also offered employment at local McManna and supermarket outlets for their sons Cain and Abel to earn spending money and to keep them occupied in their spare time.
And it was so.
And God saw all that was made, and mused, "What ever made us think this was 'very good'?"

- selections of Genesis 1 and 2 from the "Reversed Standard Version" 

Satire aside, there are these more hopeful visions:

"Indeed, the Lord will comfort Zion;
God will restore all her waste places.
And her wilderness God will make like Eden,
And her desert like the garden of the Lord;
Joy and gladness will be found in her,
Thanksgiving and sound of a melody."  Isaiah 51:3

"They will say, ‘This desolate land has become like the garden of Eden; and the waste, desolate and ruined cities are fortified and inhabited.’"   Ezekiel 36:35

"Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations."  Revelation 22:1-2

A Gale-Driven Jesus Movement Becomes Radically Inclusive

map courtesy of https://www.freebibleimages.org/illustrations/maps-early-church/

...the earth was tohu vavohu (without form, and void); and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Ruach Elohim (Wind, or Spirit, of God) was hovering upon the face of the waters. Genesis 1:2 (Orthodox Jewish Bible)

 Suddenly there came a sound from the sky like the roar of a violent wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. Genesis 2:2 (Complete Jewish Bible)

The God-movement unleashed on the day of Pentecost was revolutionary in the way it brought diverse and disparate people together. Quoting from the prophet Joel, the apostle Peter noted that young and old,  men and women, slave and free were are to be formed together into one living, loving community. 

But that was just a start, the coming together of Jews of different languages and cultures from all over the then known world--Parthians, Medes, Elamites, citizens of Mesopotamia, Judaea, Cappadocia, Pontus, Asia, Phrygia, Pamphylia, Egypt, Libya and Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretes and Arabians. From there the circle of inclusiveness continues to expand at a breathtaking rate.

Philip, one of the Greek speaking Jews appointed to oversee the daily distribution of food among needy followers of the Way in Jerusalem, goes on a preaching mission to despised half-breed Samaritans, baptizing scores of them into the new movement. Immediately afterwards, he is led to speak to a eunuch who is a Jewish court official on the road to his home in Ethiopia from Jerusalem, where he would have been excluded from access to temple worship due to his status as an emasculated male. The eunuch is baptized and "goes on his way rejoicing." 

It is soon thereafter that the most dramatic kind of inclusion imaginable takes place. The apostle Peter is called to visit and to baptize the household of Cornelius, an uncircumcised Roman occupier who is a "God-fearing and upright" Gentile. This represented the crossing of the most fundamental of all barriers, an act which would have been anathema to a devout Jew like Peter. But according to the text, God's Spirit gave him no choice but to fully embrace a hated and uncircumcised oppressor whom God had declared "clean." 

Meanwhile, new believers who were scattered all over the empire after the wave of persecution that took place after the stoning of Stephen, carried the inclusionary message of the Way to places like Antioch of Syria, which became a northern hub of the Christian movement, one that openly incorporated both Jews and Gentiles into the church.

Soon thereafter, Paul, once a terrorist prosecutor of followers of the Way, with his companion Barnabas, went on a 500 mile preaching tour in which they baptized Jews and Gentiles alike into the movement. This created major problems on the part of believers in the mother church in Jerusalem, and resulted in a summit of church leaders being called to resolve the rift created by the inclusion of uncircumcised Gentiles. 

It is hard to overestimate the gravity of this question among early believers. It could not have been more abundantly clear, in the only Bible Jesus and the early apostles knew, that God had initiated this special rite of inclusion as mandatory, first to Abraham, at age 90, and then 400 years later, to the lawgiver Moses. There were to be no exceptions. 

"Here is my covenant, which you are to keep, between me and you, along with your descendants after you: ...Generation after generation, every male among you who is eight days old is to be circumcised, including slaves born within your household and those bought from a foreigner not descended from you. The slave born in your house and the person bought with your money must be circumcised; thus my covenant will be in your flesh as an everlasting covenant. Any uncircumcised male... will be cut off from his people, because he has broken my covenant.”    from Genesis 17:10-14 (CJB)

"The Lord said to Moses: 'Say to the Israelites: If a woman conceives a child and gives birth to a son, she will be unclean for seven days... On the eighth day, the flesh of the boy’s foreskin must be circumcised.'"   Leviticus 12:1-3 (CEV)

For people whose faith was deeply rooted in Judaism, any thought of being a part of God's covenant people without that kind of sacred initiation was nearly unthinkable. Clearly the first century church could have easily divided over this issue, but instead felt led to draw the circle of welcome wider rather than excluding those being drawn into it. That appears to be the trajectory in which God is forever moving.

Today there are still those among us who seek to exclude rather than to include, who would draw the circle ever narrower. And the movement should exclude those would be followers of Jesus who insist on doing harm to others in violation of the first and greatest commandments, the "royal law" to love God with a passion and our every neighbor with compassion. Christ-like love, by definition, never inflicts harm to a fellow human being. 

It is there, and only there, that all those with "circumcised hearts" must draw the line. No harm.

Updated Post: Is Parole Board Following The Law?

Steven Goodman, a friend and a model prisoner who has been denied parole year after year in spite of his impeccable record, recently filed another lawsuit regarding the legality of how the Virginia Parole Board makes its decisions. In spite of his thoroughly researched effort, the suit was denied a hearing for being "legally insufficient." 

I post the following update with his permission:

Steve Goodman has repeatedly dared to ask the Courts in Virginia whether state law empowers the Parole Board to investigate and consider his crime, sentence, or criminal record when they review him for parole.
The first lawsuit was dismissed by the Court without applying, citing, or discussing any decisional case law, and the Supreme Court of Virginia said that was not an error.
Now, Assistant Attorney General Bryan refuses to sign the Response she filed to my current lawsuit, which the Court is now required to strike from the record," says Goodman, "You can't make this stuff up!"
Virginia law prescribes the specific factors the PB is directed and empowered to investigate as follows:
"the prisoner's history, physical and mental condition and character and his conduct, employment and attitude while in prison" Va. Code Sec. 53.1-155(A), clause 1.
"The General Assembly could have included the crime, sentence, and criminal record among these factors, but they chose not to do so," Goodman says. "Parole Board rules, however, lists the crime, sentence, and criminal record among the factors they investigate.
This conflict between administrative rules and the governing statute is a boilerplate administrative law claim that state and federal courts decide everyday. Obviously, these rules are either legal or illegal; and if they are legal, then there must be statutory language somewhere that gives the Parole Board the power to investigate these crime-related factors.
It doesn't take a lawyer to figure out that in Virginia, it is illegal for the Parole Board to deny parole for any crime-related reason because the crime, sentence, and criminal record are beyond the scope of the parole review process prescribed by state law in sec. 53.1-155(A). If this were not so, Judge Sharrett would have decided my case according to law, and AAG Bryan would have actually signed the response she filed.
I'm a certified paralegal, have worked in the prison law library, and have been a jailhouse lawyer for over 30 years. I attached a memorandum of law with my lawsuits in which I presented the courts with a legal argument, supported by controlling authorities from the Supreme Court and Court of Appeals of Virginia, respectively.
Respectfully, I challenge any attorney, professor, or judge, including Attorney General Miyares, to justify the actions of the Commonwealth in my prior and current lawsuits against the Parole Board, and to cite the statutory language that empowers the Board to investigate my crime, sentence, and criminal record when they review me for parole.
I should add that prior to filing my current litigation, I sent a letter, demanding that the Parole Board CEASE and DESIST from their illegal use of the crime, sentence, and criminal record to deny parole, to Governor Youngkin, Attorney General Miyares, and Parole Board Chairman Dotson via certified mail, return receipt.
In this demand letter, I cited facts and law, including well settled principles of constitutional law enunciated by the Supreme Court of Virginia and the Fourth Circuit to demonstrate Parole Decision Factors D (Sentence Data), E (Present Offense), and F (Prior Criminal Record) violates the separation of power, due process, and ex post facto clauses in the Constitution of Virginia. I received no response to these letters."
According to Goodman, "The manifest abuse of judicial power by Judge Sharrett, which was furthered and covered up by the Supreme Court of Virginia, exposes the reality that courts frequently put their thumbs on the scale to make cases turn out the way they want. Judges and Justices refer to this abuse as utilitarianism or serving a "greater good."
In fact, I established a web site called BadJurist.com to address this issue. At the center of my web site is the following quote from a speech by Professor Monroe Freedman:
"I'm tired of judicial opinions that bear absolutely no relationship whatsoever to the cases that have been filed and argued before the judges. I am talking about judicial opinions that falsify the facts of cases that have been argued, judicial opinions that omit or make disingenuous use of controlling authorities, judicial opinions that cover these things up with no-publication and no-citation rules." Speech to the Seventh Annual Judicial Conference of the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, 128 F.R.D. 409, 439 (1989).
While this dirty little secret may not be known by the general public, it is well known by the legal community.
________________________________________
First Case: Goodman v. Bennett, et al., Case No. CL19-249, Greensville County Circuit Court
Appeal: Goodman v. Bennett, et al., Record No. 200555, Supreme Court of Virginia
Current case still pending: Goodman v. Dotson, et al., Case No. CL23000425-00, Pittsylvania County Circuit Court
You can contact Steve Goodman by email at JPAY.com or by writing him at:
Steve Goodman 1028377
Green Rock Correctional Center
Post Office Box 1000
Chatham, Virginia 24531

If you are going to write about Goodman's charges, make sure you include the lawsuit he filed before the felony charges were filed, Goodman v. Godson, in which he claimed he was the victim of false arrest, false imprisonment, malicious prosecution, and conspiracy, and the hearing he had on a motion to dismiss based upon prosecutorial vindictiveness.