Wednesday, February 27, 2013

PsychoBusters, The Movie - Opening Scene

Will it be a movie - or a mini-series?  Time will tell, but we are telling all.  PsychoBusters, The Movie 
The Melinda and Wendy 


The black Bentley Limo rolled up to the curb at St. James Episcopal Church after circling the block. Inside, the jump seat emptied as Lady Wendy, Viscountess Mandeville, stepped out of the car wearing a deep blue dress, banded in narrow white accents at the neckline and sleeves.

People were quietly filing into the church. Lady Wendy paused, taking in the sense of mourning.

Next out of the Bentley was her husband, Lord Alexander, Viscount Mandeville, followed by Michael Jackson.

Lady Wendy later had a hard time remembering who else she saw. From the time she had heard Princess Diana had died of her injuries she had been caught up in shock. The things which stayed with her were the vivid moments which resonated with her own sense of loss and shock.

On the way home from a friends she had seen automobiles stopped at the side of the road. One driver's head was down on her steering wheel, crying. Walking into her home, next to the 405 Freeway in Costa Mesa, a 900 square foot, two bedroom condo, with one tiny bath, she felt numb. She had never met Diana, never imagined she would – but knowing she was in the world had become a bright place on her horizon.

As the week unfolded Wendy followed every piece of news.

When Diana had married in 1981 it had seemed like a fairy tale, a girl finding true love, something Wendy had also, like so many girls, begun to dream of. As her own life had moved forward Wendy had also understood the shocks Diana had endured as her marriage unraveled into something very different.

Staying up through the night of the funeral service, tears streaming down her face, Wendy had grieved with most of the world for the People's Princess, as her husband, Lord Alex snored beside her, just as he had when she woke him to tell him Diana had died of her injuries on August 31st.

When Alex called Wendy at work with the news there would be a memorial service in Los Angeles, several days later, had seemed like a chance for closure, to say goodby. Calling her at work was something Alex did not seem to be able to help doing. Not working himself, he was a stay-at-home mom to their son, Alex, Jr.

Wendy's job as a receptionist at a prestigious law firm provided a sanctuary from a marriage which had rapidly devolved into a nightmare. The job also keep the rent paid, when Alex actually decided to write a check. Wendy enjoyed her time at the office, where life was more normal, she had been there since she was 20 years old.

As Alex told her about the service Wendy felt slightly giddy. Marriage to an English peer had been starkly without any of the accoutrements of glamor or privilege before. They could barely afford their small condo and the bills were never really entirely paid.

To somehow be closer to the woman who had inspired her, and so many people around the world, this would be worth remembering.

Alex had called to tell her, as he often did, he was going to see a 'business associate,' who did detailing on high end cars near Beverly Hills. Wendy no longer wanted to know what kind of 'business' Alex was into anymore. Too much water under that bridge. Just a few weeks before Alex, Jr. was born in 1993 Alex had called to tell her he was, 'alright.' and the accident was not his fault. As it turned out, it was his fault. He had totaled her last car, a modest but sturdy Nissan, which she had proudly bought new. Alex used her insurance money to put a down payment on the Jaguar he wanted. She had to dig into her 401K to prevent it from being repossessed, soon after the baby was born.

But when the phone rang a couple of hours later in her word day his voice was filled with real excitement.

Wendy! You are not going to believe this. My friend Mark at the detailing shop, has talked to Michael Jackson and he wants to come with us to the Memorial Service, and bring Elizabeth Taylor.”

The next days were chaos. Liz had not been able to make it, but Michael had met them at the detailing shop so they could drive, together, to St. John's for the service. Later, a letter of apology, and flowers arrived from Ms. Burton. Wendy, as was their practice, wrote the thank you note for Alex to send.

It was as if she had entered another world. Listening to the service, Michael Jackson sitting beside her, seemed unreal at first. Then, the words of the hymn brought back the enormity of Diana's death and the reality of her own very different life. She tried to stop the tears but they began to well up in her eyes. She felt as a shock of understanding and comfort, Michael's touch as, sensing her pain, he put his arm around her back and gave her a warm and gentle hug.

After the memorial ended, the minister leaned in, speaking briefly to Michael. They were to leave out of the rear of the church. The media had been notified of his presence.

Walking out into a blaze of cameras Wendy felt like the proverbial deer in the headlights.

Then, they were walking into the suite at the Hyatt Alex had managed to get by telling the management, yet again, he was the Ambassador for the Royal Family. Briefly, Wendy cringed. She knew well he had never met any one of them.

The next two hours were magic, as Michael played hide and seek with Little Alex as his father filmed and made comments.

From some deep place within her Wendy knew why it was important to Michael to be at the service, as it was for her. Diana represented a way out of the quagmire which was life for so many, no matter how poor, or how privileged. 
This is a story which will take you through the full spectrum of emotions. 

Tuesday, February 26, 2013

Why your boss could easily be a psychopath

Monday, 25 February 2013 
Here’s a scary fact about the prevalence of sociopaths, also called psychopaths: Dr. Robert Hare, the psychologist who developed the Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R), says that approximately 1% of the general population meets his definition of a psychopath. But in a study of 200 high-potential executives, he found that 3.5% of them fit the profile of a psychopath. That means there are 3.5 times a many psychopaths in corporate offices as there are on the streets.
One of them, in my opinion, is Carl R. Greene, former executive director of the Philadelphia Housing Authority (PHA). I’ve posted several articles about him since he was fired from the agency that he ran for 12 years in August 2010.
Why was he fired? Well, there were the six sexual harassment complaints filed against him. Greene directed the agency’s lawyers and insurance company to settle three of them, for over $1 million, without informing the board of directors.
Then there was the hostile work environment Greene created. His rage was legendary. Anyone who stood up to him was fired, demoted, or relocated to some outpost in a crime-ridden neighborhood.
Then there was the “unapproved abandonment of his duties.” When the media reported that Greene’s luxury condominium was in foreclosure after he failed to pay the mortgage for five months, he stopped showing up for work. Greene disappeared for a week—no one knew where he was.
Looked the other way
The PHA board of directors apparently knew Greene was an abusive executive—after all, one employee, after being berated by him, went home and dropped dead. They may also have known about his inappropriate spending of agency funds, such as handing out $800 Tumi duffel bags to 20 staffers who attended an annual PHA conference. But they seemed to be willing to look the other way, because Greene got resultsMORE

Green Hills Software Proudly Announces Drone Technology

 From: SUAS (Small Unmanned Aerial Systems)

Green Hills Software Launches Autonomous Vehicle Open Platform for UAV Control Segments, UAV Mission, Payload and Flight Control Systems

16 August 2011
By
AUVSI Unmanned Systems Conference 2011 – Green Hills Software’s INTEGRITY® Security Services (ISS) business unit, today announced its new Autonomous Vehicle (AV) Open Platform, representing a significant investment and commitment to the security and management of Autonomous Vehicles and Universal Control Segments (UCS) in the embedded and special-purpose computing market.
Targeting the autonomous systems community, the platform provides a secure, highly reliable and safe software foundation for Autonomous Vehicle and UCS developers to host their UAS (Unmanned Autonomous Systems) applications. At the foundation is Green Hills Software’s INTEGRITY-178B real-time operating system (RTOS), a multi-level secure operating system that is the only operating system in the world proven to simultaneously meet the software safety requirements of RTCA/DO-178B Level A for safety and total reliability, and the information assurance requirements of the U.S. Government’s EAL6+ Separation Kernel Protection Profile (SKPP) for absolute security.
As the UCS working group continues to architect standards by which unmanned platforms are certified for use in an operational environment, Green Hills Software is investing its own resources to ensure its tools and RTOS integrate into that framework.
According to Dan O’Dowd, chief executive officer and founder of Green Hills Software, “Our ISS Autonomous Vehicle Open Platform is the first end-to-end Open Platform in the embedded industry that includes an EAL6+-certified RTOS and a FIPS-validated Embedded Cryptographic Toolkit.” O’Dowd continues, “Our ISS AV Open Platform provides a reliable foundation to all Autonomous Vehicle and UCS developers reducing cost and time-to-market without compromising or sidestepping the demanding high-assurance software requirements that are expected from an operating system or cryptographic toolkit.”
The ISS AV Open Platform is provided by INTEGRITY Security Services (ISS), a business unit of Green Hills Software. The ISS AV Open Platform builds on our certified INTEGRITY-178B RTOS to provide a high availability framework, and a TCP stack and file system for applications in need of those services. In addition, the platform approach is agnostic to the hardware, allowing platform providers to utilize the hardware architecture best suited for their environment. The complexity of the trade space is such that each platform may have unique requirements from a hardware perspective. Some environments require low power, tactically deployed devices that sit on the back of a soldier or a Humvee, while others may be situated in an Air Operations Center that offers little constraints in terms of Space, Weight and Power.
The INTEGRITY Security Services AV Open Platform includes the following components:
  • INTEGRITY-178B Real-time Operating System(s)
  • ISS UCS Open Platform
  • ISS µSSL, µSSH, µVPN (IPSec/IKEv2), and µLoad Secure Boot Toolkits – Optional
  • TCP Networking Stack, web server, Layer 3 IP Routing, USB and Management Stacks – Optional
  • ISS Anti-Tamper Platform – Optional
MORE

Note:  Green Hills Software, Inc., has a main office in Santa Barbara and many offices around the country along with wholly owned affiliates.  

Monday, February 25, 2013

Wednesday, June 27, 2012 - Green Hills Software, still relishes 'Integrity'

With Commentary from Melinda Pillsbury-Foster, in blue.

Green Hills Software, still relishes 'Integrity'

Melinda – Or the semblance of same.
Wednesday 27 June 2012 00:01
Dan O’Dowd, founded Green Hills Software in 1982 and has been its president and CEO ever since.
Melinda – While this is an entirely true statement it got sort of close to the wire in 1998 when O'Dowd threw down the gauntlet (read this sudden death partnership agreement), challenging his partner, Glenn Hightower, to buy him out at the amount named. The amount in question was 47 Million, I believe.
Hightower had several other companies, in fact, Dan had been working for him when he proposed they go into business together. You can read about the law suit which followed on Just the Evidence – Supplemental Exhibits, links also below for your edification.

[a.] Glenn Hightowervs. Daniel O'Dowd, Case No. BS 053127, Superior Court of the State of California for the County of Los Angeles, September 17, 1998, DECLARATION OF WAYNE B. WEISMAN FILED BY APPLICANT GLENN HIGHTOWER IN SUPPORT OF APPLICATION FOR PRELIMINARY INJUNCTION”

[b.] “Glenn Hightowervs. Daniel O'Dowd, Case No. BS 053127, Superior Court of the State of California for the County of Los Angeles, HIGHTOWER'S OPPOSITION TO O'DOWD'S MOTION FOR ORDER DISSOLVING PRELIMINARY INJUNCTION, December 15, 1999, Filing Date September 2, 1998; [c.] Glenn Hightower vs. Daniel O'Dowd, Case No. BS 053127, Superior Court of the State of California for the County of Los Angeles, RESPONSE TO OBJECTION TO (PROPOSED FIRST MODIFIED INJUNCTION, December 15, 1999; September 17, 1998

[d.] “Glenn Hightowervs. Daniel O'Dowd, Case No. BS 053127, In the Court of Appeal of the State of California, Second Appellate District, REMITITUR,” Copy of original order, opinion or decision entered in the above-entitled cause of July 1, 1999 and that this order, opinion or decision has now become final, signed by Joseph A. Lane, Clerk, September 3, 1999. Opinion Hightower is likely to prevail if there is proof of unlawful action by O'Dowd.

[e.]AMERICAN ARBITRATION ASSOCIATION No. 72Y 180 0960 98,” a true and exact copy of the originals that are in my possession, which is a series of documents generated by the law suit filed by Hightower against Dan O'Dowd over O'Dowd's exercise of their sudden death partnership agreement on January, 1998. Decision that unlawful action is not proved.

The timing was good for Dan. His deal with Craig Franklin for a “Throw Mama From the Train,” effort took place before the other one being thrown from train, myself, Melinda Pillsbury-Foster, knew what had hit her. Morgan P. Gell Affidavit, August 27, 2009

Craig persuaded other critical employees they should refuse to work for Hightower because it would be in their best interests to do so. Dan had a new stock option agreement, different from all other agreements, for Craig. Craig gloated about this in a phone conversation with Melinda's estranged, and strange, daughter, Morgan, who recorded it in hopes of getting more from Melinda than she had managed to get from Craig. Morgan Pillsbury – Franklin Transcript

Dan's interview continues......

On the embedded software company’s 30th anniversary he talks to Electronics Weekly in an exclusive interview. 
Q. Green Hills developed the first embedded 32-bit compiler in 1983, how important was the development of this compiler for the future direction of the company at that time?
AdTech Ad
Dan O’Dowd: First of all, the compiler enabled the company to quickly become profitable.

The compiler provided several technological breakthroughs in embedded systems development. It enabled electronics developers to dramatically improve their productivity by using high-level programming languages.

Cross-compilation technology enabled the use of (relatively) powerful workstations for development.  Providing the first optimising embedded systems compiler made programming languages practical from a performance perspective.

Compiler technology continues to be a foundational component in our solutions. In many industries, the performance and reliability of the compiler-generated code remains critical.
Melinda – Actually, they made no sales and were headed toward negotiating more funds from Glenn Hightower, their VC and Dan's previous boss, until Craig Franklin, ignoring Dan's lousy marketing material, directly read the code and recommended the program to several associates. This is why Dan knew he had to have Craig, 'onboard.' Craig was offended when he discovered Dan did not want him for his coding and tech skills but for, gasp, marketing. It took time, but Craig learned the job.
Notice flat line below until Craig comes on board in 1986. Notice huge leap in 2003. More on that later.


AdTech Ad
Q. What were the main market and technology triggers for the company’s development of first the MULTI graphical integrated development environment (IDE) and INTEGRTY real-time operating system (RTOS) in the 1990s?
Dan O’Dowd: The graphical debugger for embedded systems was borne of our own need. Command-line debugging was state-of-the-art, but developing a sophisticated program like a compiler with this approach was pathetic.

As software developers, we envisioned, and then realised (sic), monumental productivity increases by interacting with screenfulls (sic) of code and modern HMI controls like clicking and scrolling – such as for breakpoint setting, viewing information, browsing code and data relationships – instead of a single line of code visibility and typing.

In the early 90s, we also envisioned multi-language, multi-core, and multi-thread debugging, which is why we called it MULTI.

In the late 90s, we created INTEGRITY to help developers manage the growing software complexity executing within embedded systems.

At the time, the embedded world was dominated by flat-memory model RTOS products – VxWorks, pSOS, VRTX. We knew that modern microprocessors, with their memory management features, could enable the best kind of operating system and the best system architecture for our customers: modular systems built on a high assurance microkernel foundation, with strongly isolated components and well-defined interfaces between them.

What’s amazing is that many embedded projects still use monolithic architectures, even some with millions of lines of code running in a single address space. One bug and the entire system is toast.

Yet the electronics world is slowly but surely evolving; case in point: retrofitting the INTEGRITY microkernel below Linux, Android and Windows, using virtualization techniques, for improved security and availability in a wide variety of electronic systems.
Q. How important to Green Hills was its strength in the high-reliability software market and the DO-178B Level A certification of INTEGRITY in 2002.
Dan O’Dowd: This certification and then our Common Criteria EAL 6+ security certification in 2008 were industry landmarks because they demonstrated that an operating system, can meet the very highest levels of safety and security if designed properly from the beginning to do so.

The DO-178B Level A certification was the first time an avionics developer used a commercial (not home-grown) partitioning RTOS for the most critical systems aboard an aircraft.

Furthermore, we built an experienced certification services team, including former FAA certification authorities, so that we could not only achieve excellence in certifying our own products, but also to offer our customers assistance in incorporating our technology and certifying their own systems.
 
Q. What would you identify as the technology development of the last 30 years that has been most important to Green Hills?
Dan O’Dowd: The INTEGRITY development transformed the company, dramatically increasing its product depth and has enabled it to pursue new markets, such as the enterprise desktop/laptop/mobile markets and automotive infotainment, where a combination of multimedia functionality and Internet connectivity is often coupled with critical services, such as security, safety, or real-time applications that are simply impractical for general purpose operating systems.

Hardware trends, in particular multicore, favour such mixed criticality systems. 
Melinda – Dan fails to give appropriate credit to the assistance rendered to John Fund in 2003. John hs many friends who saw in Dan a real asset, in more ways than one. More on this at another time.
Q. If you had to name one product that “defines” Green Hills as a technology company which would it be?
Dan O’Dowd: INTEGRITY. 
Q. What technology challenges and opportunities do you see ahead for the company?
Dan O’Dowd: The biggest challenge is legacy and inertia. As I mentioned earlier, there are plenty of electronic products that aren’t taking advantage of modern hardware and software techniques due to the weight of their legacy code bases. 

Furthermore, government electronics safety and security certification requirements are, with few exceptions, far weaker than they could and should be. This not only leaves our critical infrastructure exposed to hackers, but it also acts as a disincentive for developers to change. 
Melinda – Those hackers, like Anonymous, are a problem for Dan's clientele.

December 12, 2007 - The Price Tag of Writing Secure Code



At the Embedded Software Summit, held in Santa Barbara, Calif., this week, the consensus is that it costs, on average, between $100 and $1000 per line to write truly secure code.The Embedded Software Summit is an annual press-and-analyst schmoozefest by Green Hills Software, which is based in this beautiful resort town. The company uses the summit to fête press and analysts, while pushing its latest initiatives and trashing its competitors.

For the past couple of years, GHS has been touting that its INTEGRITY separation kernel has been accepted into a EAL6+-level certification program. (The evaluation has been underway since late 2005, and should be completed soon.) By contrast, Windows and Linux are certified no higher than EAL4+. Thus, the summit now focuses on the security of Green Hills' products, almost to the exclusion of everything else the company offers.

Dan O’Dowd, the competitive-minded founder and CEO of GHS, pointed out that EAL4 is defined as "only appropriate for an assumed non-hostile, well managed user community requiring protection against threats of inadvertent or casual attempts to breach system security." That level of certification is not appropriate when "protection is required against determined attempts by hostile and well-funded attackers."

So, during the summit (I stayed for the first day of the 1 1/2-day event), O’Dowd and his colleagues, such as CTO David Kleidermacker, frequently referred to Windows and Linux as “certified hackable.” (“How do you make systems more secure? Stop using Windows and Linux, that’s easy,” Kleidermacker said at one point.)

Indeed, O’Dowd’s kickoff address was very similar to his talk last year, when GHS introduced its platform for secure computing. At that time, O’Dowd (pictured) pointed out several well-publicized security hacks covered by the media. The problem, he said over and over again, is that the hacked systems were running Windows or Linux. (Read my comments about the 2006 Green Hills Software Embedded Software Summit.)

This year, O’Dowd was a bit more creative, and illustrated his talk with video clips from the movie “Live Free or Die Hard” (read my review of the credibility of that movie). For each of the hacks shown in the movie, he also cited a similar real-world hack. The reason for the hack? In each case, because the systems were using the “certified hackable” Window and Linux.

Oh, wait, there was one exception. In Die Hard 4, the bad guys hack into an F-35’s fighter's communication system to steal its “go codes.” That wouldn’t be possible, O’Dowd bashfully admitted, because the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter uses software from Green Hills.  MORE

Sunday, February 24, 2013

INTEGRITY


The meaning of the word, Integrity.

in·teg·ri·ty
n.
1. Steadfast adherence to a strict moral or ethical code.
2. The state of being unimpaired; soundness.
3. The quality or condition of being whole or undivided; completeness.


If a man engages in a scheme to violate the law, suborning the justice system to gain power and wealth, while destroying the lives of an entire family and putting some of them at risk of their lives, does he have any claim to 'integrity?' 

And what if the list of crimes the man enabled and covered for includes placing uncounted women and girls at  risk?  Paying off victims, or intimidating them into silence?  

And if such a man hides behind the cloak of power to cover his crimes, what is he then?  

Our country, today, is waking up to question those who have been entrusted with power.  One of the first questions to be asked is what can be proven of their integrity?  Have  they honored their obligation to follow the law, used power in ways which made all of us safer, more secure in our homes and lives? 

What is, instead, profits are accruing from the very means used to enslave Americans, for instance drone technology? 

According to this article, "Thomas Jefferson’s Home Town First to Ban Drone Surveillance," the movement to stop drones, used domestically, is now launched. 

But for those without INTEGRITY it is  all about the money, greed, and an unbridled lust for power and control. 

America needs individuals who use their discernment to question what they are asked to do and the integrity to say, 'no,' even when they stand to profit.  

Our institutions, government, courts, commerce, should be always in the hands of those possessing only the highest integrity
 
If a man guilty of such offenses then uses the word, INTEGRITY, for his main product, what does that say about him?

The use of the word could well be an attempt to cover, even possibly, to himself, the full import of his actions.

This is the question we will be examining.

Reprise of April Open Letter to Manchester, and more on CowboyCraig

If you have not visited the Duke and Doxie of Manchester site for more of the story, please do.  The movie, PsychoBusters, will actually begin with events unfolding at the memorial service for Princess Diana in 1997, which Manchester and his then wife, Wendy, attended with Michael Jackson as their guest.  

I'm recycling my Open Letter, published Friday, April 6, 2012, written in response to Alex's letter, received then.  I made 66 posts on the Duke and Doxie site in April 2012, mostly in response to the emails the Ducal Couple were sending or posting.  I'm not exactly sure when I figured out Craig (Incest Porn, the Cowboy of Code) was hosting Alex and Laura at posh hotels in Santa Barbara and helping them, at a minimum, trespass on my property. 

Craig's move into country music, which came up on my google, caused me to find the following bio. 

"Craig Franklin was born in Charlottesville, Virginia, in the hospital of the University of Virginia, founded by Thomas Jefferson (one of his heroes). When he was 17, Craig learned to play folk guitar and started writing songs. After graduating from Stanford University with a BS in Math, he worked on the Apollo moonshot for a couple of years and then spent five years on the staff at MIT. This led to his success as a Silicon Valley millionaire! Although Craig never stopped playing guitar and never stopped writing songs he has lived in Oklahoma, California, Massachusetts, North Carolina, and New Hampshire — but now he’s back in California. The consummate ‘Cowboy at Heart’ Craig still loves folk and country songs along with duets too and has written several, plus he’s arranged others from existing songs.
Craig’s breakout & breakup song, “I Don’t Love You Any Less ( But I Won’t See You Any More)” addresses an issue never before encountered in a country song while being on the edge of controversy – Craig’s reaction from listeners “I take my wedding vows seriously and I wish she did too”. The ladies think he’s quite a crooner too, with his deep, sexy vocals. Craig is single ladies and quite the Cowboy at Heart."

“I take my wedding vows seriously and I wish she did too”.  This comment from Craig would be hilarious if it did not make me shudder. 
 
Craig has been married twice. The first marriage lasted for 18 months, ending when Craig left his wife, Elaine, alone and pregnant, to return to graduate school at Stanford.  The couple had been living in Massachusetts.  Elaine took the hint, had the baby, and filed for divorce, which Craig used to hammer her in every way possible until both sets of parents intervened to stop the monetary blood-bath he was causing. 

I married Craig many years later.  The story he told me was very different.  He had lied, naturally.  I discovered the truth only after he and I had been married for some time. 

Craig had to keep moving around because he never filed his taxes.  He lied to me about this, too.  Bringing his taxes up to date and remaining compliant was a condition of our marriage. 
You're Not Paranoid – The IRS is out to get you.

As a long-time Libertarian and officer of the LP for the State of California, I knew what they can do to you.  I had friends who served time for various tax protests.  With three little children, I could not take chances.  Saving Craig from the impact of not having filed nearly killed me in 1997.

In return, in early 1998, Craig tried to finish the job by leaving me while I was caring for the son he adopted, who had nearly died when his motorcycle hit the back of a car.  Arthur was thrown 300 feet, around 20 feet in the air, and landed on his face, skidding 50 more feet.  He suffered a major brain injury.  Miraculously, he did not die.  While I was spending time in the hospital, holding him while the nurses worked on saving him, Craig entered into a, "Throw Mama from the Train," agreement with his boss, Dan O'Dowd, president of Green Hills Software, Inc., where Craig was Senior Vice President, to destroy me financially during the divorce.  In return, Craig was to assist in ensuing Dan's partner, Glenn Hightower, could not exercise the buy out option O'Dowd then activated.

Here is a signed Affidavit attesting to these facts. 

When Craig realized he would have to pay support for our son, who was now handicapped, he persuaded Arthur, who was naturally struggling with depression, to shoot himself in the head.  Again, miraculously, Arthur did not die.  I remain Arthur's caretaker but Dan and Craig succeeded, with the assistance of Morgan, my oldest daughter, in leaving me penniless.  

You don't need to take my word for it.  The documents are at Just The Evidence.

So, hiring the penniless Manchesters to harass me, and hopefully finish me off, doubtless seemed like a good idea to Craig.   Craig is not like any ‘Cowboy at Heart’ I ever knew.  Approach him with the same caution you would use with a grizzly bear.  By the way, if Craig offers to show he means it by writing you into his will understand he does  this all the time.  What he does not mention is that his stock reverts to Green Hills on his death.  Given his profligate habits, no one, not even his creditors, will get a dime. 

Now, the reprise of last year's correspondence with the Manchesters. 




  

Response: an Open Letter to Alex Montagu


 Alex Montagu, also known as Alex Montagu Manchester, David Charles Kimbolton, Alexander Charles Mandeville, and more recently as 'The Duke of Manchester,' wrote the letter below, also available on his site.   It contains what appear to be deliberate misstatements, evasions, and rhetorical questions. 

An Open Letter is the easiest way to provide a commentary, so here it is.  Montagu is in RED.  My comments in BLUE

Dear family, friends and new friends,
When we were talking to Alex and Laura every day they frequently discussed their family members.  Those statements did not lead us to conclude relations between them were 'friendly.'  To the contrary, alleging your mother tried to drown you when you were five years old by giving you a sabotaged canoe leads the listener to assume all is not well with Lady Montagu. This story was told to me for publication.  Stories about Alex's siblings, if less shocking, also left us believing a strong sense of alienation had existed for some time. 

The only person Alex identified as a friend, in this case his closest friend, told both myself and Raye Smith,""we are just business associates.  He has never been to my home."  

Alex appears to frequently have new friends who quickly depart.  We will see how long these new friends last.  . 
I, The 13th Duke of Manchester have started to document truth.. UNLESS THE MEDIA HAS MY ACCOUNTING AND MY tAX ACCOUNTING. IM WONDERING HOW AND WHY THEY SAY THE DUKE AND DUCHESS OF MANCHESTER TRUST IS BROKE. WHERE DO THEY GET THE INFORMATION PLEASE DO TELL.
 The press is printing anything they feel
No Alex, you can be sure they are not even printing what they think  They are simply relaying the facts, as documented.
It is clear Alex knows nothing of the daunting and dampening existence of Editors and Publishers.  Not to say advertisers and attorneys.  He has probably also unaware of the existence of Fact Checkers and Copy Editors.  
Reporters write stories assigned by their editors. Some parts of the media still do real investigative journalism, but this is rare.  However, stories which are shocking, lurid, and bizarre get a lot of attention. This, Alex, is why reporters are assigned to write stories about you.  If you stop behaving in ways which normal people find to be reprehensible the stories will stop.
The media say you are broke, Alex, because the amount of money you receive from the Trusts barely allows you to survive at the level of lower middle class today.  There may be money in the Trusts but the world now knows you have no access to those funds because your more responsible fore bearers decided their descendants were not to be trusted.  (excuse the pun)
Raye and I thought you were broke because you and Laura whined about not being able to afford your storage bill in Michigan, the phone bill, to pay for your medications, to pay for shipping, to pay for a car (this complaint could well be the source of the bouncing check), and, of course, for your divorce from Laura.  
Raye was far too generous.  
Now, if you accept money from a disabled woman struggling to survive on a small retirement income it is because said woman believes you are not, yourself, better off than is she.  There are two possible interpretations for these events, which can be documented by receipts and transfer statements.  
  • You are very, very poor, so poor you beg help from an elderly woman, who is subsisting of a small, fixed income.  
  • You have money but prefer to con an elderly woman, who is subsisting on a small fixed income, into paying your bills.  
Which is it? 

Without any truth at all. I have been forced by circumstances beyond my control to document truth in my past and future.
Most people have CVs or other materials documenting their lives, if they are in the pubic eye, which you certainly are.  If you decide to tell the story, provide documentation.  It will be checked, rest assured. 
The media does tell the truth.  Because of those pesky Fact Checkers and Attorneys reporters do not live the wild and free life of fiction you live yourself.  They make mistakes, but in your case this did not happen.

This is going to be a beautiful website where photos, Personal documents clearing my name and my great honorable family history.
Let's hope the website developer is paid in advance.  
Your family, several generations back, had a very honorable history.  That started to unravel in the 1880s, according to available sources.  They made bad choices and failed to limit their spending and were thus forced to sell their property for paltry amounts of money, despite advice which would have made many of these sell-offs unnecessary.  
Good luck with that 'clearing your name' project.  If you mean you are going to admit your many wrongful acts, beg forgiveness, and turn over a new tree, well good luck to you.  I would not put money on your chances.   

The media is printing anything the feel.
I reserve comment because I am not sure what he means.  All, too  frequently the case with Alex.
They need to sell papers they are desperate.
The newspaper business has been changing rapidly.  Smaller, independent papers began to be bought up over 25 years ago.  Andrew Kreig, now of the Integrity Justice Project, wrote the first book on the threat of centralization under corporate control.  Sales are definitely off. But as horrifying as your life story has been it alone cannot save the present media industry.  Journalism will continue to move onto the Internet and out of the control of corporate interests.   Take comfort in this fact. 
They have no journalistic integrity nor have they done there research or printed a statement from me.
Let's be fair here.  You did a lot of self-reporting.  Just peruse the Articles Page on this site.  Your willingness to call them up and tell stories on yourself, as you, for instance did to The Age, this appearing in Spy's column there with a story titled, " Lord, Now it's a wedding".
They report what you say, Alex, but later you realize you can't unsay it.  And Alex, I'm reprinting your statement, with commentary, so you can't say it is not done. 
They are leaving themselves vulnerable to a scandalous libel situation.....
And I'm sure you are hoping they do not sue you for the libels you wrote in your letter.  

Nothing Richard kay, from The Daily Mail said is true. Nothing they have printed is the truth.
 Alex, it was the truth.  It was just inconvenient for you to see it in print. 
I never said one word about the Royal family. 
 Yes, you did. Then you libeled me, saying I had not only written said hogwash (a crime against the English language) but put it up online.  You do realize this was a libel for which you can be sued, don't you? 
I have no on line rant called montymont..
You took it down.  The misspelling of your email was a mistake which took place through the haste of the reporter, not picked up by the Fact Checker. 
I also do not live in Newport Beach California.
No, you live in Las Vegas, but the Newport Beach address is the signature in your email so people think you live there.  
This sloppy unprofessional journalism is going to stop.
Most people use their correct address.  Why don't you?  Care to share?
They do not do there due diligence to document there stories. 
Yes, they do. So much the worse for you.  

My familys resources are vast we are comitted to document the unvarnished truth.
Would you care to produce some PROOF of that statement?  For which members of your family are you speaking?  Did you notify them? 
The Duke of Manchester family has been very close to the Queen and past Kings for Centuries....That is how I became the Duke of Manchester.
Angus does not appear to have been close to Her Majesty, by any known reports. His life was only slightly less scandalous than your own.  You inherited your title.  It reflects no earned honor. Without the title  you would probably still be in prison in Australia.  Money got you out of there and to the US, where you met Wendy.  Only after you met Wendy did the stream of public scandals, which lead to media articles. die down - for a time.   
The Duke of Manchester has been the Queens Guard and Yomen and very proud of the relationship. I Cherish a Centuries old tradition and would never, Under any circumstance, Malign or disrespect that relationship.
This is not a relationship with you.  It is a relationship with history and with men who understood the concepts of honor.  
I have not seen you do any cherishing.  Where is the Bible Henry the VIII gave to his Queen, Katherine Parr?  Where are the artifacts entrusted to you?   
You know nothing about the history and traditions of the peerage.  You wear your ducal robes like a Halloween outfit.  How do you define 'malign or disrespect?' 
You incorrectly report yourself as a royal duke.  Does anything embarrass you? 


The Duchess and I are going to restore the family name and reputation for the future of our esteemed title.
No one is going to put any money on that bet. 
Our Lawyers have been informed about the scurrilous accusations in the article and are proceeding to act accordingly.
Quoting articles, stretching back decades is not scurrilous.  But your actions were.  
This is a BIG media challenge! You will have to do research I know it will be tough work.
No, it is not tough.  You left a media trail in neon lights across the English speaking world.  Reporter do not bury the truth, not even for money, generally.  
I challenge any of you to find Marion Stoner. 
An offer of payment should be made here. Reporters do this to make a living, not as charity.  Offer a reporter money and you will have the proof in minutes.  There will be five of them parked outside her house at 6am, waiting to knock with their video cams in hand, I imagine.  Otherwise, no one believes she is missing.  They have seen the evidence. 
The woman who extorted money from my mother Mary Montagu. 
You do realize that Marion reported that your mother and Emma found her, not the other wayaround, right?  Your mother has said she and an aid, another woman initially went to Stoner's home but did not enter.  You should also be aware you have just libeled your former wife, not that this seems to bother you. 
And to find out why my mother paid Marion Stoner and why she paid Marion Stoner and for what?? 
I believe your mother paid Marion for her trouble in having to handle the paperwork.  Stoner did not care if there was a divorce by then.  Stoner was contented with not being responsible for your debts.  Ask Wendy why she would be concerned about your debts.    
And why didnt my mother call the police if Marion Stoner extorted money from my mother?
It sounds to the interested observer that Lady Mary did not call the police because she was not extorted.  She was griping because she had to shell out money to do what you should have handled yourself.  She might have resented having to clean up a mess you made, I'm not sure of thi,but it sounds like it.  Why don't you ask her? 
Tell me Why Marion Stoner stayed married to me if she got a restraining order on me? 
 She first got a Restraining Order.  This kept you away from her when you were stalking her and harassing her family.  Then she got a Permanent Separation.  She is quoted as saying in an article, published in The People in 1988, My Barmy Marriage, that she could not find you to serve papers. 
By the way, I was never served....
This issue was seriously discussed in court.  The transcript you helpfully sent to me by email recounts, word for word, the reasoning of the court. Evidently, barricading yourself in your place of residence and assaulting the police officer with the spear gun caused them to think you might take the service of papers badly.  The comment conveyed to the judge by your solicitor from your psychiatrist, about your psychopathic tendencies,  is at the bottom of page 9. 
Why did Marion Stoner not get a divorce she was at the court house....
She said she could not find you to serve papers. Very selfishly, she supposed you were old enough to handle this yourself. So you evidently waited until your Mom handled it for you.
She just forgot to get a divorce from me...She had a lawyer. 
Why should she pay for it?
My mothers name is all over my marriage paperwork she did the entire thing. 
Kind of her.  Let's hope you were appropriately thankful. 
 She worked for the court house. 
 What a concept.  She worked! 
None of my friends believe I was ever married to Marion stoner she is a lie made up by my mother. 
That is what you told them.  It was you who lied. 
My mother wanted the Title and money for her other son who I have never known. 
Kimble did not know you well - but well enough for you to feel free to call on him when you were in trouble, according to his Declaration
How did my mother have two children with my father if he left her when I was 9 months old. 
The official records reflect a date of separation for 1965, after the birth of your sister, Emma.This seems pretty normal to me. 
She raised them and sent me away to boarding school.
They also went to boarding schools.  But they were not expelled, even once.  
I have no baby pictures from my mother only what my wife has found.
You stole all the family photos from Wendy, by her account.  This included the Michael Jackson tapes, which, if you had been actually married would have been community property.  Wendy is now contemplating the law suit for fraud, I believe.   

Laura, herself, told me several times you took her photos, including those of her family,  and would not let her see them.  Wendy believes you stole your childhood photos from your mother. Look in your cache of photographs.  They are probably there.  


Sincerely,
The Duke and Duchess of Manchester
Laura and Alex Montagu Manchester

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