Meet Oregon District 8 Senator Betsy Close
State Senator Betsy Close is a Obstacle to Women and Children's Safety
http://www.coralanikatheill.com/#!state-senator-betsy-close--voter-beware/cpou
The Dark Side of Fr. Oregon Representative Betsy Close and Joe Paterno: Depraved & Inhumane Part 1
Coral Anika Theill
It is terrible for everybody when the truth does
not come out. It is terrible for SOME when it does.
Speak the truth even if your voice
shakes
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(SALEM) - There are individuals mentioned in my story who refused
to acknowledge the horrors of my survival of marital abuse and my cry for help.
They became an obstacle to my basic human rights-freedom and safety. I am
holding them responsible and accountable for the continued trauma I have
experienced throughout the past several years. I am requesting that the acts
of disrespect, dishonesty and violence against me be acknowledged and
resolved.
2012 Campaign Slogan: “I have a strong sense of
responsibility for others.” – Betsy Close
Betsy Close, of Albany, Oregon, the former Oregon State
Representative (R), House District 15 will seek the Benton County Commissioner
Position 3 seat, now held by Annabelle Jaramillo, in the 2012 General Election,
November 6, 2012. Former Oregon State Representative Betsy Close http://betsyclose.com/ served three terms
beginning in 1998.
I believe life is a series of rooms. Who you are stuck in the
room with is what your life is.
From 1984-1996, Betsy and Chris Close were friends with my
abusive ex-husband, Mr. Marty Warner, Independence, Oregon. I was one of
their “casualties.” Extreme religious views distorted their ability to view me, a
woman, as a fellow human being.
From 1993-1994, Fr. State Rep.
Betsy Close phoned
me, during the time of my illness and told me God had cursed me. She sent me letters exhorting me to repent. She does not believe an abused and battered woman has a “right to divorce.” Under Betsy Close’s fundamental ideology, a wife should just call “911.” Ms. Close’s viewpoints promote domestic violence and loss of lives. |
Mrs. Close was aware of the abuse I suffered for years, including
the ritual and emotional abuse, rapes and beatings during the period of my
breakdown in 1993-1994. After my 8th child was born in July 1995, I shared with
her that I needed help and safety. Betsy Close told me I would have to wait for
my husband to commit adultery before I could ever divorce him and seek safety.
Betsy Close proclaims to be a born again, spirit-filled Pentecostal Christian
and is “pro-life.”
The crimes committed against me in 1993-1994 are Rape Count I.
Oregon law states: sexually using a women who is physically, mentally
incapacitated and helpless is RAPE COUNT I as described in Chapter 743, Oregon
Laws, 1971, 163.375. Rape in the first degree is a Class A Felony. Husbands are
not exempt from this law.
Betsy and Chris Close did nothing; the courts, attorneys, family
members, Pastor Ron Sutter and his church members did nothing.
I reported the crimes of battering, rape, child and sexual abuse
to law enforcement agencies, attorneys, judges, the Oregon Attorney General, and
the Governor. My story was also presented to President Barack Obama on Mother’s
Day 2010.
In 2003, my true life story, BONSHEA, was published. Dr. Barbara
May, Professor of Nursing, Linfield College, invited me to be a guest speaker
for her class in 2001. BONSHEA was used as a college text for her nursing
students in 2004. Dr. May, my mentor of 15 years, as well as many physicians,
counselors and advocates throughout the country describes my Oregon court case
as “obscene” and the individuals who were a threat to my safety and survival
“toxic.”
The price for my own safety and freedom in 1996 was an imposed,
unnatural and unwanted separation from my eight children. The injustice
committed against me is not just the physical separation from my children, but
the willful desecration of the mother-child relationship and bond, a sacred
spiritual and emotional entity.
Forcibly taking a mother's children, and then controlling her
emotionally by withholding contact must be publicly recognized as one of the
greatest forms of 'mis-use' of the American justice system and one of the
greatest hidden vehicles for wide-spread socially approved physical and
emotional abuse and control.
Dr. Clarissa Estes writes, 'A culture that requires harm to one's
soul in order to follow the culture's proscriptions is a very sick culture
indeed.' 1 I think this is true. By obeying the Order of the Court, I betrayed
my soul, my children and myself. I was forced to make a choice that no mother
should ever be forced to make.
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Tens of thousands of loving mothers have lost permanent custody
and contact with their children through the abuse of power of America’s Family
Court judges. "Fathers
who battered the mother are twice as likely to seek sole custody of their
children as are non-violent fathers." -American Psychological Association
Domestic Violence is a Crime
From 1993-1994, Fr. State Representative Betsy Close
phoned me, during the time of my illness and told me that God had cursed me. She
sent me letters exhorting me to repent. She disapproved of my taking medication
(low-dose tranquilizers) during the period I had suffered a
breakdown/depression. In her words, “taking tranquilizers will open you up to
demonic strongholds.” (I have copies of her letters to this day).
Although mentally well at the birth of my eighth child in 1995
and mentally well at my court hearings, the testimony introduced by Mr. Warner’s
attorney revolved around my post-partum depression and physical and mental
breakdown/stroke that had occurred three years previously.
In 1996, in preparation for my divorce hearings, I passed all six
psychiatric exams by well-respected Oregon physicians. Many of these exams were
four hours long. My physicians commented that many individuals involved in my
court hearings would be unable to pass the same exams. My ex-husband failed his
court ordered psychological exam.
Instead of supporting me while I was seeking safety from long
term domestic violence in 1996, Betsy Close met and sympathized with my abusive
husband, Marty Warner, and his attorney, Mark Lawrence, to assist them in
removing my six month nursing infant and younger children from me.
I believe that domestic violence is a crime. It is a complex
problem with roots in an oppressively hierarchical, patriarchal
violence-accepting society. There is a point at which behavior becomes predatory
and malicious - a point at which one is morally obligated to separate themselves
from that person. (For the past 13 years I have lived under a state address
protection program from my ex-husband, Marty Warner of Independence, OR).
In 1996, Dr. Jean Furchner interviewed Dr. Charles D. South, my obstetrician. Her report states:
"I spoke with Charles D. South, M.D., who is the OB/Gyn who
delivered the twins and has seen Kathy through several of her deliveries. He
said she had a very difficult time at the last delivery, with Zachary,
hemorrhaging and in distress; the doctor wanted to start the IV and other
therapy and was opposed by Mr. Warner; he said he finally had to intervene and
begin the treatment because the patient was in real trouble. Dr. South states
that he has been disillusioned by Mr. Warner, who presented himself early as a
doting father but who has allowed his beliefs in male dominance and his control
needs to interfere. He comments that Kathy was probably passive and notes her
recent depression; he comments that he has come to see this patient as mentally
abused in the marriage."
Mr. Warner beat me twice during this pregnancy. His reason? I had
asked him to please not send our younger children to his mother, Helen Warner.
Our 13 year old son and our nine-year old year old daughter, Theresa, witnessed
these beatings. On one occasion, after Mr. Warner struck me on the head, I
landed in the hallway outside of the kitchen. He stood over me and said in a
threatening tone,
"Kathy, [Coral] look at what you are doing to the children."
"Kathy, [Coral] look at what you are doing to the children."
This was the second pregnancy during the two year period of my depression and breakdown. During this pregnancy, I was described by friends and relatives who took care of me, as a "glassed over, empty shell." I was weak, could not eat, sleep or care for myself.
After the birth of my 8th child in July 1995, I was frail when I returned home from the hospital. While I was still recovering from hemorrhaging, my husband attempted to rape me. After blocking my door at night with a dresser, I realized living this way of life would soon kill me. I sought help from an attorney and was not prepared for the horrors of Oregon’s judicial system.
Every Victim Longs for Justice, Vindication and Restitution
Making New Memories: H.V. Browne, Montford Point
Marine,
Congressional Gold Medal Recipient, New Jersey and Coral Theill at Marine Barracks Washington, June 29, 2012. |
The bronze statue, weighing more than 900 pounds, erected in 2001
in honor of Joe Paterno’s record-setting 324th Division I coaching victory and
his “contributions to Penn State University” came down Sunday morning, July 22,
2012.
Penn State President Rodney Erickson said he decided the
sculpture had to go because it “has become a source of division and an
obstacle to healing.” In Washington, the White House said President Barack
Obama believed “it was the right decision.” I also agree with this decision.
Every day, since Betsy Close and other hostile witnesses took the stand in March 1996 against me, I have longed for justice, vindication and restitution. Betsy Close and her husband, Chris visited with me before and after my 8th child’s birth. They knew I was physically and mentally incapacitated during the time my ex-husband repeatedly raped and impregnated me in 1993-1994. Betsy and Chris Close were “on call” to take me to the hospital in July 1995, due to my husband leaving the area for a fishing trip at the time of my due date.
When there is no justice, there is truly no healing.
It takes two to speak the truth - one to speak and another to hear.” – Henry David Thoreau
Judges, district attorneys, law enforcement agencies and religious organizations support domestic violence, rape and child abuse/molestation when they treat the victim like a criminal and ignore reported crimes of violence.
As long as our religious and legal systems remain complacent and
unsympathetic towards women and children, domestic violence will remain at
epidemic proportions in Oregon and throughout America.
If we teach violence in our homes---these places that are
supposed to be safe---these situations will lead to a violent society. The
violence and pain in individuals, in families and communities often reflects the
violence and oppression we have experienced in our homes.
Our judicial system is a product of the community we live in. The
courts represent the prevalent views regarding women and children in our
communities. Their judgments are a reflection of the patriarchal religious
structure of this country today. Unless we speak out against the injustices in
our society, we become accomplices to the individuals and institutions that are
an obstacle to women and children’s wholeness, safety and wellness.
Betsy Close: Hostile Witness at my Court Hearings
In the winter of 1996, prior to my three days of temporary
custody hearings in Polk County courts, Judge Albin Norblad gave me permission
to live in safety and hiding from my husband. I had NO contact with Betsy
Close for months before the court hearings, per the orders of my attorneys
and due to my own common sense. She was a friend to my rageaholic/abusive
husband. They both shared similar extreme religious ideology. I knew she would
betray me, I just didn’t know to what extent.
During the years after my ex-husband’s involvement in the “People
of Praise” ecumenical cult, Mr. Warner kept busy attending Knights of Columbus
and Social Action Committee meetings for St. Mary’s Catholic Church in
Corvallis, Oregon. Mr. Warner was also very active in the "Right to Life”
movement and served as state representative for Oregon Right to Life.
From his involvement with the "Right to Life"
organization, he became friends with Betsy and Chris Close in Corvallis,
Oregon. In the years that I was acquainted with Betsy Close, I babysat her
children, shared meals, attended social events and on a few occasions, took
short trips with her. I was grieved by her spiritual arrogance and her
intolerance of people who were “different” than her, i.e., the gay community.
Her views extend to prejudice against anyone who does not conform to her
fundamentalist doctrines.
My husband did not want my physician, Dr. Charles South, to learn
of my pregnancy in 1993, so he put me under the care of an OBGyn in Corvallis,
Oregon. When my husband took me to Betsy Close’s Pregnancy Crisis Care center in
Corvallis for a pregnancy test during the period of my breakdown, I learned that
Mrs. Close was promoting materials from her and her husband’s pastor, Stan
Houghton. Pastor Houghton, an abusive Pentecostal cult leader, encouraged
parents to beat their children with thick boards. I asked Betsy Close to remove
the materials from her center, as I found them repulsive. Mrs. Close often
bragged about physically abusing her own children. I tried to caution her of the
dangers of this cult, but she dismissed my warnings.
Individuals who attended this same cult are employed at Santiam
Christian School.
Order from: Amazon
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In her book, Trauma and Recovery, Judith Herman writes,
“It is very tempting to take the side of the perpetrator. All the perpetrator
asks is that the bystander do nothing. He appeals to the universal desire to
see, hear, and speak no evil. The victim, on the contrary, asks the bystander to
share the burden of the pain. The victim demands action, engagement, and
remembering...
“In order to escape accountability for his crimes, the
perpetrator does everything in his power to promote forgetting. Secrecy and
silence are the perpetrator's first line of defense. If secrecy fails, the
perpetrator attacks the credibility of his victim. If he cannot silence her
absolutely, he tries to make sure that no one listens. To this end, he marshals
an impressive array of arguments, from the most blatant denial to the most
sophisticated and elegant rationalization. After every atrocity one can expect
to hear the same predictable apologies: it never happened; the victim lies; the
victim exaggerates; the victim brought it on herself; and in any case it is time
to forget the past and move on. The more powerful the perpetrator, the greater
is his prerogative to name and define reality, and the more completely his
arguments prevail.
“The perpetrator's arguments prove irresistible when the
bystander faces them in isolation. Without a supportive social environment, the
bystander usually succumbs to the temptation to look the other way. This is true
even when the victim is an idealized and valued member of society. Soldiers in
every war, even those who have been regarded as heroes, complain bitterly that
no one wants to know the real truth about war. When the victim is already
devalued (a woman, a child), she may find that the most traumatic events in her
life take place outside the realm of socially validated reality. Her experience
becomes unspeakable...
“To hold traumatic reality in consciousness requires a social
context that affirms and protects the victim and that joins the victim and
witness in a common alliance. For the individual victim, this social context is
created by relationships with friends, lovers, and family. For the larger
society, the social context is created by political movements that give voice to
the disempowered...”
Cruel and Unusual Punishment
On several occasions, my ex-husband’s attorney, Mr. Lawrence made
rude comments about my body odor during the time of my breakdown and my
inability to care for my personal hygiene at that time. Due to decades of abuse,
I collapsed after my 7th child’s home birth and suffered from postpartum
depression/collapse and a partial stroke. I could not understand the relevancy
this had during a child custody hearing. I was not ashamed of my breakdown and
did not believe I needed to be unnecessarily humiliated about details relating
to that time.
When I would share in my testimony that Mr. Warner did not allow
me to go to a doctor alone or at all, etc., Mr. Lawrence would challenge me in
regards to my answers. He would ask me, “Did you have your own keys? No one was
threatening you were they?” Mr. Lawrence was either very naive to the fact that
I was operating in the realm of the “battered wife’s syndrome” throughout my
marriage, or he was very aware of the fact that I had been battered by his
client. I believe Mr. Lawrence was using my previous mental history as a
sideshow in Court to cover up the crimes his client had committed against
me–battering, ritual abuse, and marital rape.
At my temporary custody hearings in March 1996,
Betsy Close, who had been a trusted friend, also harmed
me through her testimony. When my attorney asked Betsy Close what she meant when
she stated that she did not believe I had grounds for divorce, she answered,
"the only grounds for divorce, as described in the Bible, are ‘desertion or
fornication’." Betsy Close didn't believe abuse was grounds for divorce.
When my attorney, Mr. Gearing, asked Mrs. Close what she
recommended I do while living in the midst of abuse, Betsy Close said that I
should call 911." Chris and Betsy Close had offered their home as a safe home
for my children and me during a time I was experiencing abuse and violence from
Mr. Warner in 1985. In Court, and under oath, she denied ever being a safe place
for me and my children. (Please review public Court Transcripts and Tapes: Tape
2 of February 29, 1996, for more of Betsy
Close's dangerous views about domestic violence.)
Betsy Close shared during her testimony that I had called her
before the court hearing and told her I wanted to drive to a cabin and kill
myself and my baby, Zachary. This was totally untrue! I had not spoken to
her for several months.
One physician involved in my court trials and recovery expressed
his feelings about the hostile witnesses and religious supporters of my abuser:
some people go so low that even the slugs have to salt them.
As I listened to Mrs. Betsy Close on the witness stand, I was
horrified at the lies and distortions. I could not understand why she acted so
viciously and invented such a twisted story. I loved my baby, Zachary, loved my
life and was doing all I could to escape the hell that had been created for me
in the past. I was not suicidal. I desired to protect myself and my
children.
The indifference and apathy I have experienced from many
so-called “spiritually minded” Christian people grieves me to this day. Their
response to my trauma and abuse is far removed from the meaning of
“Christ-consciousness” that their institutions claim to represent. Instead of
vessels of love, compassion and understanding, they became my judges, jury and
executioner. They are void of spiritual and emotional intelligence. danielgoleman.info/topics/emotional-intelligence/
Some of the witnesses my ex-husband’s attorney put on the witness
stand in March 1996 had only brief encounters with me and some had never met me,
but testified as experts on my seventeen years of mothering skills and my
present mental condition!
My attorney read a letter in Court that Betsy Close had written
me praising me for being a loving, nurturing mother, and thanking me for the
gentle mothering style I had not only with my own children, but with her
children as well. I babysat her children while she attended “Right to Life”
meetings and other political events.
Although it is illegal to mentally abuse someone in court and in
depositions, my former depression and mental/nervous breakdown became the
subject for ridicule in court. The judge didn't seem to mind Mr. Warner's
attorney ridiculing me about my mental breakdown, or my physical shortcomings
while I was on the witness stand. In court, Mr. Warner's attorney made numerous
comments about my sexual abuse and molestation as a child. (Each night my mother
put me in a bedroom with a convicted murderer and sex offender from the time I
was six until ten years old. My great-uncle’s probation officer was missing in
action).
His questions were intrusive, inappropriate and abusive. I had
not yet had the opportunity to seek professional help regarding my childhood
sexual abuse issues and was traumatized by his questions. These issues did not
pertain to my divorce or the temporary custody hearings.
In depositions, Mr. Mark Lawrence also made light of my concern
for my daughters sexual safety in the home. My young daughters had sought help
from me. They had been sexual abused, too. These crimes are documented. Sadly,
my daughters never received professional help after my ex was given sole
custody. I was also concerned for my daughters because of the way my husband had
treated me for twenty years. Mr. Warner had never exhibited any sexual restraint
or self-control. There was no healthy-minded individual in the home to monitor
the situation. (It is reported that one in three girls and one in four boys are
sexually molested by the age of eighteen.)
I was also questioned extensively on my personal interpretation
of scripture while on the witness stand in court and in depositions by Mr.
Lawrence. This was the first time my thoughts had been on trial.
Making Known the Unknown
There is a dark side of human nature when all people are not
valued. My intent in sharing my story is an effort to reclaim dignity, equality
and honor, not only for myself, but for everyone. I envision a world that values
freedom, and diversity, and humanity.
The important lesson to be understood from the horror I, and
others, have survived is not so much that it is happening, but that it is being
allowed–not only on an individual level, but under the disguise of church and
state.
In her book, The Dark Side of Christian History, Helen
Ellerbe writes, "The Christian (and Catholic) Church has left a legacy
that fosters sexism, racism, and the intolerance of difference. The Church,
throughout much of its history, has demonstrated a disregard for human freedom
and dignity. The Church's control of people through dictating and containing
their spirituality has been the most devastating slavery throughout the history
of mankind. We must recognize the fact that ideas and beliefs which foster the
denigration of human rights and the intolerance of differences must be examined
and brought to light."
Historically, religion has upheld the mentality that encourages
and condones abuse. The courts are an extension of our patriarchal heritage that
views women as less value than men. By ignoring these facts, we perpetuate the
cycle of violence. The religious organizations, community and the courts have
closed their ears to my cry for help.
My task is to "make known the unknown."
(To be Continued: Part 2)
1 “Women Who Run
with the Wolves: Myths and Stories of the Wild Woman Archetype” by Clarissa
Estes, Ph.D.
Radio Program: Listen to Coral Theill's guest appearance on the "Majority United" Radio Program, Feb. 13, 2012: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/
Against Women Act http://www.salem-news.com/
The Dark Side of Fr. Oregon Representative Betsy Close and Joe Paterno: Depraved & Inhumane Part 2
Coral Anika Theill
"There may be times when we are powerless to
prevent injustice, but there must never be a time when we fail to protest.” —
Elie Wiesel, Nobel Laureate, and Holocaust survivor
“Wings of Love” Half-Way House -
Killingsworth, Portland, Ore. In the spring of 1994, after my 3rd miscarriage
and D & C, my husband and his pastors left me at the “Wings of Love”
half-way house on Killingsworth in Portland, Oregon to punish me and break me to
the “will of God” they said. It was filthy and was infested with rats and lice.
Photo Credit: Debbie Dresler
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(SALEM) - (Part 1) The child
rape and molestation scandal at Penn State is an example of what is epidemic in
Oregon and throughout America. Many of us who have been victims of sex abuse
crimes are ridiculed, threatened and dismissed. Those in positions of power know
what has occurred, but often dismiss the victim and protect the criminal. The
victim becomes invisible. Former Oregon Representative Betsy Close, just like
Joe Paterno, is guilty of protecting an abuser and criminal. She fully supported
my ex-husband personally and in Court in 1996. Protecting one of your own, when
they have committed horrific inhumane acts against another is one of the worse
offenses you can commit in life.
Marty Warner is just one man, but it took a proverbial village
and the Oregon judicial system to hide over three decades of overt abuse.
While many people focus their outrage on the judicial system
alone, it’s easy to lose sight of broader problems that assist in the culture of
abuse -- like churches, family members and the local community. These elements,
too, played a role in the corruption and silence that has allowed a man like
Marty Warner, and others like him, to operate untouched for so long.
We do the perpetrators a favor when we do not speak about the
abuse.
In our society, domestic violence and abuse is socially
acceptable.
"Evil (ignorance) is like a shadow. It has no real substance of
its own; it is simply a lack of light. You cannot cause a shadow to disappear by
trying to fight it, stamp on it, by railing against it, or any other form of
emotional or physical resistance. In order to cause a shadow to disappear, you
must shine light on it." -Shakti Gawain
Pastor Ron & Marijo
Sutter, Bridgeport
Community Chapel. Used by Permission: Polk County Itemizer Observer. The hostile Christians involved in my divorce reminds me of the old adage, “Some people are so heavenly conscious, they are no earthly good.” |
My ex-husband and his religious leaders and counselors threatened
me, telling me that I could not seek help for my children or report the crimes
that occurred in our home. The crimes would become a “family and church
secret.” One child was being secretly counseled by an unlicensed Christian
counselor, Bill Heard, from Roseburg, Oregon, in the office of Pastor
Ron Sutter, Bridgeport Community Chapel, Monmouth, Oregon. http://www.polkio.com/ns/gen/
Oregon law requires parents, pastors, teachers, physicians,
counselors and professionals to report crimes of sexual abuse. Sadly, Pastor Ron
Sutter and Bill Heard did not report the crimes of rape, child abuse and sex
abuse. This church was above the law. I continue to hear from women who report
that they have also been abused by Mr. Bill Heard to this day.
In the spring of 1994, after my 3rd miscarriage and D & C, my
husband and his pastors left me at the “Wings of Love” half-way house on
Killingsworth in Portland, Oregon to punish me and break me to the “will of God”
they said.
I Want Emancipated from Mr. Marty Warner and Oregon Courts in 2012
Speaking out and requesting that the violence committed against me be acknowledged and resolved is an act of self-respect, love and healing. Seeking resolution is NOT seeking revenge.
Radio Program: Listen to Coral Theill's guest appearance on the "Majority United" Radio Program, Feb. 13, 2012: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/
The Dark Side of Fr. Oregon
Representative Betsy
Close and Joe Paterno: Depraved & Inhumane: Part 1 |
The house was a shelter for
ex-cons, street people and prostitutes. It was filthy and was infested with rats
and lice. There was no lock on the room I stayed in. The ex-cons and I kept busy
killing the rats with shovels.
It was a frightening experience for me during the two year
episode of my breakdown for my abuser, his “cult” leaders, religious friends and
supporters to be “in charge” of my “recovery program.” My brother, Don Hall,
visited me at the “Wings of Love” half-way house and asked permission from my
husband to let me come home with him. After several weeks, my husband finally
agreed to allow me to stay with my brother for the next several months.
Mr. Bill Heard, also counseled me during the period of my
breakdown in 1994, per my husband’s wishes. I was in shock and fear of these two
oppressive and sick men. Mr. Heard told me I was in rebellion to God and had a
proud and critical spirit. He often made fun of me, made me get on my knees and
repent before him and my husband. They listed my shortcomings and sins and
explained in great length all the things I had done wrong. Everything was my
fault, they said. I often felt suicidal after counseling sessions with this
man.
Pastor Bill & Linda Heard,
Roseburg, OR - Abusive unlicensed
Christian counselors. So far, neither the judges, attorneys, hostile witnesses, nor my ex-husband have been held accountable for the cruel acts committed against me. Oregon's law system has given them all a legal right to commit acts that would otherwise be viewed as criminal, depraved and inhumane. |
After my divorce, I asked his wife for my records. She said they
had destroyed them because the Bill Gothard’s Institute agreed with her
husband’s counsel and treatment of me. (I believe if I had lived in a different
era, my husband and Mr. Heard would have burned me at the stake.)
After I birthed my 8th child in July 1995, I refused to attend my
husband’s cults. Mr. Heard and my husband said I was in rebellion and threatened
to put me in the state mental hospital. There was nothing wrong with me. I
called my long term friend and adopted mother, Addie Archer, in Longview,
Washington. She worked as a court reporter for the Superior Court of Washington
State for 25 years and personally assisted me in my efforts to seek safety in
1995. Her legal advice through the years of my court trauma was invaluable.
Addie passed away in 2010 at 81-years old.
In 1995, I retained an attorney not only for protection against
my ex, his friends, pastors and religious supporters, but also for the safety
and well-being of all my eight children. My younger daughter’s needed protection
as they had been sexually molested. They needed to be examined by their
pediatrician and they needed professional counseling.
My older son needed safety, too, as he had been severely abused
and assaulted by my ex, Mr. Warner, for several years. I had also been raped and
beaten during a period of time that I could not care for myself. I reported the
documented crimes committed against me and my children. Even though the crimes
against me were documented, Polk County District Attorney John Fisher dismissed
the charges I filed against my ex-husband.
To this day, the abusers who have confessed their crimes against
my children, including sexual abuse, are allowed full contact, while I, the
mother who reported the crimes, am allowed no contact with my children per Court
Order. I have also been banned from contact with my children due to the fact
that I do not adhere to fundamental legalistic, cult Christian ideology.
Complicity
Mrs. Close continued to lie throughout her testimony. People who
are economical with the truth do not do well under cross examination. She had
difficulty keeping her distortions straight and her notes in order. Witnesses in
the courtroom became humored. When my attorney asked her if she knew that my
husband, Mr. Warner, and his attorney Mr. Mark Lawrence, had put me through 45
hours of depositions, that were abusive in nature, and numerous court hearings
in the past few months, she said she was not aware of these facts.
Former Oregon State
Representative
Betsy Close is an obstacle to women and children seeking safety and wholeness. Ms. Close holds many extreme fundamentalist beliefs that are a detriment to woman and children as well as the general community. |
After she finished testifying and court recessed, Judge Albin
Norblad headed to the judge’s chambers. Mrs. Betsy Close stepped down from the
witness stand and approached me in a very aggressive and hostile manner. Friends
in the courtroom and Christopher Vasquez, an Air Force cadet, (now a pilot and
Major in the Air Force) moved to protect me from her. Judge Norblad ordered her
removed from the courtroom for her disorderly conduct. I have not heard from
Betsy Close since the court trial in March 1996. Someday, I would like a public
and written apology.
Betsy Close and other brutalist Christians is the reason I pray,
“Jesus, protect me from your followers.” Many of us wonder what makes legalistic
fundamental Christians so mean.
A wise man told me: "Coral, we are all born with a triangle
inside of us. This triangle has three razor-sharp points. If we lie and tell
un-truths to injure or harm another, it turns and makes us hurt, bleed and feel
pain inside. When people become habitually ‘untruth tellers’ the triangle spins
so quickly that the pointed sharp edges are worn down to a circle that just
spins and spins. They no longer feel any pain when they lie.”
I believe Fr. Oregon State Rep. Betsy Close is an obstacle to
women and children seeking safety and wholeness. Ms. Close holds many extreme
fundamentalist beliefs that are a detriment to woman and children as well as the
general community. As long as women like her are in office, women and children
will have to prepare for the worse!
The five individuals, Mr. Marty Warner, Mr. Bill Heard, Mr. Brian
King, Mrs. Helen Warner and State Representative Betsy Close, that were so
adamant about my rights of motherhood being removed from me, were also pro-life
and “Right-to-Life” activists. I
found this ironic and hypocritical! (Betsy Close was a founding member of
Options Pregnancy Care Centers, a private non-profit group. Marty Warner was a
representative for Right to Life)
While preparing me for court, my attorney, Mr. David Gearing
said, “Kathy, [Coral] people lie in court." I consoled myself throughout the
years of court trials and trauma with one of my favorite quotes, "Pure truth,
like pure gold, has been found unfit for circulation because men have discovered
it is far more convenient to adulterate the truth, than to refine themselves."
Charles Caleb Cotton, Lacon (1825)
MEMO to all Oregon State Senators and Oregon State Representatives, March 20, 2003
As a human rights advocate, and advocate for the safety of women
and children, I hand delivered a MEMO http://coralanikatheill.
"BONSHEA: Making Light of the Dark."
“BONSHEA is a work of immense courage, a true tale of heartbreak and
salvation. By exposing what was done to her by the court system, by the
religious authorities and by their enabling cronies as she took the moral high
ground by leaving an abusive husband, the author gives readers the tremendous
gift of her hard-won insight and spiritual awakening.
“As shocking as it may be, Coral's story resonates with the
truth. I hear pleas for help from protective mothers like Coral every day, week
after week, year after year--all of them pleading for their very birthright,
their greatest right, which is to be a mother.
“She pinpoints, with heart-piercing accuracy, the historical
hatred of females and of the feminine that has permeated societies, including
our present one, for eons. Her personal story of living with and divorcing an
abusive "religious" man who was cheered on by the community's religious,
governmental, and legal authorities mirrors the persecution of all women who,
like Coral, choose to say "no" to male dominance and power. These include Middle
Age "witches," midwives, mothers who protect their children from a father's
abuse, mothers who dare to have careers and mothers who elect to stay home with
their children. Coral also calls out for the only true cure for the dark side of
human nature, and that is to live in the light.
“Coral's work is a special blessing for me and for my sisters
throughout this country. Not a single particle of the wisdom Coral shares misses
the mark.” - Maureen T. Hannah, Ph.D. "Chair,” Battered Mother's Custody
Conference, Albany, New York
"Every so often a book is written that touches the heart. This is
such a book. BONSHEA is an unforgettable story that will leave an
indelible mark on your psyche." - Addie Archer, Longview, Washington
“BONSHEA engaged my attention immediately, and then
enraged me. The author has endured huge suffering at the hands of brutalists
hiding behind the masks of pseudo Christianity and "justice for all." The author
continues to stride toward the light in her own life--at huge personal cost--and
to bring her story forward for all to consider and act upon.” - Karen
Goldammer
"The power of her life is not that she escaped from a "cult", but
that she continues to serve as an agent of change. This is not a "she said/he
said" tale of abuse, but rather a self-damning expose of her struggle to
survive." - Bruce McLelland, Washington D.C.
|
I Want Emancipated from Mr. Marty Warner and Oregon Courts in 2012
After my baby and young children were removed, my natural
mothering and bonding chemicals that are so strong especially after the birth of
a child went into physical and emotional shock. My survival in the coming days,
months and years depended on me keeping the precious memories of being a mother
and the bond I felt for my children in a detached place.
I no longer feel the daily joy of being a mother, and I miss
that. For my wellness to remain intact, it takes an enormous amount of
emotional effort, awareness and courage to keep the precious memories I have of
my children in the background. The survival of the court trauma proved more
difficult in some ways than surviving eighteen years in this marriage
because when I finally found strength to try to get out–the help I had depended
upon from the law, the court, etc., all betrayed me. Justice did not
come.
I continue to long for healthy interaction with my children and
miss them more than words can describe. Spiritually, I understand what has
happened. I understand money and power buy justice. I rebuild my balance each
day by mediation and by accepting the fact that everything for the moment is
exactly as it should be because society has willed it so. I continue to pray for
the highest good for all. I believe in imminent possibilities, surprises,
miracles and "One
Fine Day."
Presently, I have not had contact with my children for 14 years,
was sued for twice that I earn as a fully disabled woman, was homeless for three
years, living in my car off and on, due my ex-husband legally stalking me, i.e.,
forty-two court related hearings from 1996-2006. In 2004, my ex, Marty Warner,
also appealed a court case to the Oregon State of Appeals, suing me for an
additional $50,000 for child support. I had no monies for an attorney and was
required to write my own legal brief while I was homeless. The Oregon State of
Appeals dismissed my ex-husband’s appeal. Since 1995, attorney and court related
fees and expenses have amounted to over $200,000.
My passport was revoked years ago due to a $5,080.00 Child
Support Summary Judgment my wealthy ex-husband has against me through the Polk
County District Attorney’s Office. In 2003, Judge Paula Brownhill ordered that I
could not visit, write, phone or send my children gifts.
Dr. Barbara May, my mentor since
1997, has documented my domestic violence case as one of the most obscene and
violent cases she has been involved with in her 30 years of psychiatric
practice.
Due to the Child Support Summary Judgment hanging over my head, I
could be threatened with jail time as a “punishment” and my driver’s license
could be revoked. Well-meaning individuals have confronted my ex-husband this
past year in regards to the judgment requesting that he dismiss it by signing a
“Child Support Summary Judgment Dismissal “In Kind” Form. Mr. Warner informed
them he will never dismiss the judgment.
Speaking out and requesting that the violence committed against me be acknowledged and resolved is an act of self-respect, love and healing. Seeking resolution is NOT seeking revenge.
In November
2011, my trusted friend and editor, Judy Bennett, from Monmouth, Oregon
contacted me. She had received a disturbing call from a woman who had attended
a Christian rally nearby. The woman had met my ex-husband, Marty Warner at the
rally. He told her and other individuals that I had committed suicide and was
dead. Even though he claims I am dead, I continue to receive the judgment he
has against me for child support each month.
Not Allowed to Attend my Brother’s Funeral
The court order sought by my ex-husband and abuser, denying me
visitation privileges in 1999 also created complications in July 2009. I was not
permitted to attend my own brother’s funeral. My brother’s pastor reported that
my ex-husband was attending the funeral, as well as my younger children.
According to the Oregon Court Order, I could be arrested for attending the
funeral due to being in the same vicinity of my younger children - a violation
of Judge Paula Brownhill’s court orders. I emailed the pastor my eulogy for my
brother’s service.
I believe the courts and churches that are so adamant in
punishing women who seek safety have not yet realized the long term
ramifications for the victim. As a child, I could not have imagined that Court
Orders, due to my ex-husband’s wrath, would prevent me from adequately grieving
for the loss of my only brother and sibling. Only in America.
We are as Sick as Our Secrets
Bridgeport Community Chapel,
Monmouth, Oregon, Instead
of vessels of love, compassion and understanding, they became my judges, jury and executioner. |
In 2003, my ex and his attorney filed a Motion of Contempt
against me due to attending my 16 year old son’s football game at Santiam
Christian School, at my son’s request. At the game, my ex-husband violently
abused my 11 year old daughter, Hannah. There were many witnesses, including me;
charges against my ex were filed with the Corvallis Police Department, children
and parents shared their testimony. The abuse charge against Mr. Warner was
dismissed due to Mr. Warner’s and Hannah’s testimony that “nothing happened.”
Children living with abusers learn that accepting abuse and keeping quiet is
“safety.” Secrecy and denial become a way of life. A few years ago, my
ex-husband served as a foster parent for a troubled 15 year old boy from
Bridgeport Community Chapel.
In the years that followed, due to severe brainwashing, my
children shun me and some of my children have written me “hate letters,” My
adult children have invited batterers, rapists and child abusers/molesters to
their weddings and events, but I, their mother who protected them, am not
welcome.
When I am no longer here, who are my children going to hate and
blame?
Closing
I have spent long hours trying to make some sense of my life and
have come to the conclusion when horror overcomes us the only response possible
is to remember what happened and tell the story.
"When the content of the story cannot resolve the irrationality
of such suffering, of any suffering, the act of telling the story can be the one
valid moral response, the sole way to give what happened a meaning. Hopefully in
writing, telling the story, it can give the suffering ultimate significance and
meaning to an experience of a destruction of meaning." –Robert H. Hopcke, There
Are No Accidents
The traumatized person who accomplishes the work of recovery and
healing has the potential of becoming more integrated and more aware and
conscious than the person who has endured no blatant trauma and has never had to
piece together a shattered psyche.
Once on the other side, (of our crisis), one must look back and
throw down a footbridge, for followers to use. When you have "jumped outside of
the given", there is an obligation to share with others what you learned. You
must not only tell how you got there, but the process of survival as well.
Someone must have the wisdom, courage and strength to live their truth
fearlessly. That someone becomes "the living bridge."
I
hope Betsy Close will step down from running for political office and seek the
professional and spiritual help she needs. Mrs. Close is an “unsafe
person."
Sadly, Betsy Close exemplifies the saying, “If you can’t be a
good example, you will just have to be a horrible warning.”
1 “Women Who Run
with the Wolves: Myths and Stories of the Wild Woman Archetype” by Clarissa
Estes, Ph.D.
Radio Program: Listen to Coral Theill's guest appearance on the "Majority United" Radio Program, Feb. 13, 2012: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/
Coral has written six articles
on Montford
Point Marines of WWII: five articles are published at Salem-News.com and one article at Leatherneck Magazine. In 2011 Coral Theill received the National Montford Point Marine Association Lester Granger Award for her advocacy and support. |
Coral Anika Theill, reporter and advocate, is author of "BONSHEA:
Making Light of the Dark." Her published works address abuse, trauma
recovery and healing from post-traumatic stress and most recently, wounded
Marines, the Warrior Games and Montford Point Marines.
Her writings have encouraged and inspired numerous trauma victims
and wounded Marines/soldiers recovering from PTS and TBI. Coral's positive
insights as a survivor have also earned the respect of clinical therapists,
advocates, attorneys, professors and authors. BONSHEA
has been used as a college text for nursing students at Linfield College,
Portland, Oregon and can be ordered at: http://amazon.com, http://barnesandnoble.com or
http:// iUniverse.com
"Those who serve
may already know the toll of having to kill or be killed, but civilian society
should also recognize that those who go into battle defending our way of life
pay a price. I feel a deep gratitude to our servicemen and women and believe our
society needs to do more to respect, understand and support those returning from
deployment in conflict zones.” – Coral Anika Theill, Contributing Writer for
Leatherneck Magazine
The Commandant
of the Marine Corps on Post-Traumatic Stress and Traumatic Brain Injury and
Invisible Battle Scars: Confronting the Stigma of PTS and TBI by Coral Anika Theill
Read Coral's military articles published at www.coralanikatheill.com
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