text:
Bill Gothard
Sexism and Homeschooling: Maya's Story
Trigger warning: Detailed descriptions of abuse.
HA note: The author's name has been changed to ensure anonymity. "Maya" is a pseudonym.
I don't even know how to begin to explain myself. Here I am sitting in the place I am forced by income and circumstance to live in (my parents' home) outing myself to the world when it's dangerous and precarious for me to do so in the real world. I can't even use my real name online because I have been stalked and blackmailed by people who choose to support my ex-husband.
I'm getting ahead of myself. Maybe we should start near the beginning.
I was raised Fundamental Southern Baptist. At age 7 I would go door to door with little comic books called "Chick Tracts" spreading the Word Of God to Unbelievers. I was convinced it was my direct heavenly duty to convert people, that I would end up before the great throne of judgment when I die and God would berate and belittle me if I failed in this calling.
By the time I was 12 I would sob in my pillow at night because I had never led anyone to salvation or through "the sinner's prayer".
I found no solace in my worship of God because God was to be feared. I was convinced it was proof I wasn't really saved, and that when the rapture came I would be left behind. It didn't matter that I was the peacemaker in my family trying to keep my sisters out of trouble any time they saw the cracks in the system. It didn't matter that I was an A student and had several crown pins in my Patch the Pirate sailor's hat denoting my dedication and obedience, I failed in my life's mission before I even hit puberty.
At 13: someone sexually abused my best friend. I was floundering, because I had no idea how to help. I urged them to confess to the parents, so the grownups could help. This was the worst advice I have ever given and it still haunts me.The adults were completely out of their depth too, and relied on the Pastor to fix it all. He had no formal education or resources to assist, and took it upon himself to send my best friend through Gay Conversion Therapy behind the parents' backs. The atrocities my bestie lived through still feel like they are my fault.
I will forever carry the internal scars for damning their life.
At 16: The doctors declared me infertile. I was raised to believe the highest honor and calling for a woman was to raise children. It was the only thing I ever wanted from life. I took this as further proof that God was not with me. I remained active in the youth group, church nursery and kitchen staff duties. I was a model of obedience and feminine beauty through sacrifices.
The other kids teased me behind the grown ups' backs that I was just trying to be perfect so the Pastor's son would like me. They saw the truth even though I denied it. I secretly thought if J wanted me then it was proof I was exactly who I needed to be. We were in a fishbowl, and to be worthy of J's attention meant I was the Perfect Christian Girl. It didn't matter if I didn't love him romantically, it was just a way to grade myself.
At 17: I was dying because my immune system had turned on itself.
It was the first time I ever considered killing myself. My prayers bounced off the rafters of the house. God didn't care about me or any of my efforts. I didn't see God protecting his children: I saw cover ups, deceit and an endless empty desert of a life ahead of me. I spent the majority of my time in bed, sick and suicidal. I still worked hard to project confidence and happiness in the face of these "trials". I don't know if anyone actually saw what was going on in my head and heart. I knew I couldn't survive life at Pensacola Christian College, my new best friend had sent me weekly letters of her struggles there. She was a public school kid, but so much smarter than me and I just knew I would fail.
My parents couldn't afford to send me to college just for me to get an "MRS." degree, and my senior year of school was being fudged by our cover school so I could squeak through because the grownups thought I wasn't going to live very much longer anyway. They saw me graduating as a spiritual act of mercy.
At 18: I recommitted my life to God.
That was a huge deal. I decided I was going to believe harder and obey better, and sacrifice until I was purified. If I followed all the steps I would be rewarded. It was promised. My health began to improve with doctor intervention and a new healthy diet. I graduated my homeschooling education. Apparently everything was working with my sacrificing, because my first bestie was "doing better", my college bestie was surviving, and a suitor had entered my world. He was approved of by my father. I began courting the man, and thought he was handpicked by God just for me. All the signs were there and he seemed to genuinely love me!
While chaperoned by his sister I roamed his house he had bought. It felt like home to me. All the dishes were exactly where I would put them, and I could see myself living there. He was my "soul mate". He worked on his church's sound and recording team to broadcast the Word of God to the world. He was friends with all the young people the church held up as examples to follow. He had a good job, and a well known family. He had attended Word of Life Bible Institute, and in high school went to ATI conferences. He had an active ministry and I had the high honor of carrying his equipment and assisting him as he wired S. Truett Cathy and other well respected leaders for sound at events at the local Southern Baptist college.
I was so sure that we were going to light the world on fire for Christ.
That we were destined for greatness. We would be world changers. It would be okay that I had never led anyone personally to the lord, because I was made to assist a great man. His light would shine, and his shadow would be my protection.
At 19: I married him. He confessed privately to me the day before we married that he had sexually touched his sister over her clothes when he was a teenager. I asked him if he followed the keys to forgiveness as laid out by Bill Gothard, and he said he had. I asked if he had anything else to confess, and he said no. I asked if she had forgiven him and if he ever touched anyone else that way, to which he said she had and he didn't.
I sobbed and told him I forgave him.
This led to heavy petting. I felt helpless, and confused that I had sexual response feelings despite not being on board with what was happening. I had been saving myself for marriage, so sheltered and completely innocent. I had never kissed anyone. I had no sex ed. His advances told me that it was too late to retreat. This was just…a forgivable little thing. God would forgive me for allowing the kisses and groping because I was marrying this man in less than 10 hours. No one had to know.
I'm still haunted by this. The anxiety and disgust have woken me up in the middle of the night so I can vomit countless times. I see it now much more clearly – he preyed on her, and then moved on to me.
At 20: I thought everyone dealt with this sort of thing, that's why they always warned about "when the honeymoon is over".
He stopped touching me in a sexual way again after the week of our honeymoon. I knew at a core level he married me from obligation. He wanted to have sex with someone and I was there. He wanted a place to vent his twisted frustrations, so I was there. It made perfect sense. I was there to keep him from giving in to his non-godly desires. I was there to cover up his dark places. I was there to be his "helpmeet". He constantly told his mother what a failure I was, so she sent me Debi Pearl's books with highlighted sections to help me improve in my God Given Duties.
Over the next nine years the abuses got worse. He started to manhandle me in front of others, so I would behave in a certain way. We no longer went to church, because the church had withdrawn him from the service team and taken away my kindergartners sunday school class because I had medically diagnosed depression. Obviously his house wasn't "in order" so he had no further privileges in the church. This made things so much worse for me at home.
It was my fault he was disgraced.
Any failing of his became my failing. There were screaming matches. I can't even begin to tell you how many times he urged me to kill myself. I knew he cheated on me, the evidence was always there when it was with women. One woman he worked with told me explicitly how she had had her way with him in the break room after work. Another girl threw a brick through his car window when he quit with her.
I became a shell. The more I cut off of my self the more I thought I would control the chaos I lived with. He borrowed money from friends and stole money from me – I had to be resourceful and creative to hide it and pay people back. I worked two jobs in addition to all the 1950's ideals I was expected to live up to. It was never enough. I was just waiting for him to actually hit me or leave bruises. I was raised to believe only that was abuse.
Again I tried to kill myself. A friend forced me to vomit and the pills came up.
By year 10 of our marriage I had conceived.
When I lost the pregnancy, I was sobbing in the shower with blood everywhere. I was clawing at my skin because I couldn't stop my body rejecting the new life. I remember him ripping back the curtain and telling me I deserved to lose the child, and that it was a blessing because I was cursed. That no child deserved me as a mother, because I was a failure at being a human being. He spit on me and left me in the shower, shivering, bleeding and alone.
Shortly after that, I learned he had an active account on Ashley Madison and it stated he was game for a good time with any gender.
One week after the miscarriage he pinned me to the wall.
He told me he knew I was going to leave him because I no longer slept under the covers with him. He said I would fall on my ass and come crawling back to him, and when I did he would laugh and turn me away. He frightened me so badly I fell to the ground when he let me go. He told me to clean up the floor and myself, because he couldn't stand to look at me. I remember scooping up the breakfast into the plate, trying hard not to cry audibly. I used lysol wipes to clean it up and I was terrified he would punish me for not using the mop, but he had taken away my walker and I couldn't really stand up. I took refuge in the bathroom and ran water for a bath, the sobs had overtaken me by then. I heard the door to our apartment slam, and he was gone. He frequently left on wednesdays to smoke and play card games, but he left earlier than normal. I expected him back at any minute.
I cleaned our apartment top to bottom, hoping to appease him. My atheist friend in Alaska set up a call between me and the local domestic violence center. She convinced me to give staying there one night's chance, because I had an active suicide plan. I knew if I left my treasured belongings he would never give them to my sisters, so I called my parents to come get the things and my service dog. I thought inwardly if the night's stay at the shelter changed my mind I would have my own clothes at my disposal.
Through the help of the shelter I learned what abuse is defined as.
I filed a Protection From Abuse order because he was stalking me and still using threatening language. We had a messy divorce. I am still forced through circumstance to live in my parents' basement. In spite of this I'm learning that I am not cursed, nor a burden. That I am left with scars, but scars don't inflict pain, they are proof you've lived. I will never allow him to hurt or use me again.
I will never allow the Fundamental Southern Baptist religion to control my life again.
I am not cursed. My disabilities are not proof that God has cursed me, or that I am of Satan. My disabilities are proof that I've got broken DNA and that's all.
I will not allow Fundamentalism, Bill Gothard, the preacher, my childhood or my ex-husband to control me or ruin what's left of my life.
I deserve better than what I was given and better than what I accepted. You do too. If you're reading this and you're inside the box still, know you can leave. It's dangerous and scary, but there are people waiting in the wings to help you.
The world is beautiful.
You are beautiful, and they have no right to crush you.
I am now a Catholic. I vote for the Democratic party. I have friends that are Wiccan/Pagan/Atheist/Agnostic/Muslim/Christian/Jewish. I have friends who are LGBTQIA. I belong with these people. They are the ones that want to make the world a kinder place. They're the people who turn love into a weapon that defends the weak against others that seek to diminish or deny basic human rights.
I am what I was raised to despise, and I believe God wants it that way. I finally sleep peacefully almost every night. I forge my own future, it's not predestined or decided for me. I'm an apostate, and yet God hasn't struck me dead. In fact, I think God and I have an actual understanding now. It's not my job to win souls, or lead strangers through a rote prayer. It's my job to be a good person.
GenderBill Gothard, courtship, sexism, Sexism and Homeschooling: A Series
The Bible Is Not Your Shield
June 22, 2016 May 11, 2020 HA Editorial TeamLeave a comment
CC image courtesy of Flickr, louisebatesuk.
By Shade, HA Editorial Team.
Recently, Bill Gothard was hosted by Total Outreach for Christ Ministries in Little Rock, AR for the 2016 Overcomer's Conference. Based on the knowledge that he is an alleged sexual predator, someone contacted the church's bishop, Bishop Robert E. Smith, with their concerns that they were having someone like Gothard speak at their church.
The response from the bishop was telling. Referencing 1 Timothy 5:19, which is a companion to Matthew 18:15-17's directives to always confront privately first, and then with witnesses. But the question remains 'Should we be confronting those who have committed crimes as though they are just sins and offenses?'.
The text reads:
Brother Brandon, I am at somewhat of a disadvantage, not knowing you personally, nor being privy to your first-hand knowledge of an Elder's (Bill Gothard's) sin(s). I am instructed, 'Against an elder receive not an accusation, but before two or three witnesses' (1 Timothy 5:19). If you are a witness against this elder, please gather one or two others who are first hand witnesses and schedule an appointment to sit down with me, and do according to God's word. Until such time, where I am concerned, you stand in violation both of scripture, where Brother Gothard is concerned, and having not pointed out any discrepancies in my teachings, etc. your judgement of my character, discernment, and ministry is faulty at best. I await your biblical response; no other type of correspondences are necessary.
In Christ Jesus,
Bishop Robert E. Smith, Sr.
The patriarchal nature of the Bill Gothard/ATI/IBLP cult is such that leaders are unassailable in their directives, their actions, their lives. There is a tendency to dismiss accusations such as these as merely 'offenses'. This allows the leader who is being confronted to make it appear as though the accuser is mentally unstable, unable to parse the differences between good and evil. It paints the accuser as petty, overly emotional, unbelievable.
It leaves us with no recourse.
We are not believed, because we either have no witnesses, or all the witnesses in question are 'offended'. Being offended brings into question the Umbrella of Authority, in which men are the ultimate leaders and voices for God. According to this umbrella idea, there are 3 levels of 'protection'. The first is God's role in our lives. He is the ultimate controlling power.
The second is the man's role, as father/husband to the family. His authority comes directly from God. The third is that of the wife/mother's umbrella. It is nestled completely underneath the man's umbrella. She is to be subordinate, submissive completely to the husband. He is God's voice to her at all times.
Underneath these umbrellas are the children. They are completely covered by both the mother's and father's umbrellas, and then by God. The authority of the mother is over them, but her authority is always trumped by the father's authority. To question the father is to question God. God's umbrella and the father's umbrella are often seen as the same thing.
This same umbrella is applied to authority structures within the church.
Everything is a cascading layer of how God talks to one man, and that is to trickle down into complete abject obedience by those underneath. There is no freedom, no sense of self.
It is within this structure that Matthew 18:15-17, and I Timothy 5:19 come into play. With the focus being on 'sin' and 'offense', the diminishing language leaves those of us who have accusations with little ground to stand upon. Boz Tchividjian has quite a lot to say about this in his article "If your brother sins against you"….and he's a sex offender.
In it, he delineates the difference between a sin and a crime, and says,
Such offenses are rightly under the jurisdiction of the governing authorities. In the New Testament book of Romans, the Apostle Paul writes that Christ followers are to be subject to the civil authorities. He writes, Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. He even mentions that the role of government is to punish evildoers. Child sexual abuse is an evil that has been rightly deemed to be criminal by the civil authorities. Therefore, those who profess to follow Jesus have the responsibility to make sure that a person accused of committing such a crime is subjected to those governing authorities – which includes making a police report and cooperating throughout the criminal justice process.
Based on this, one would assume that the first step would be calling the authorities with information about a crime committed, but I think this first goes back to language.
First, they need to admit that this is a crime, not an offense, not a sin. With this revelation, more responsibility is laid upon the authority in question to listen to those accusing another member of a crime. It brings into play the mandatory reporting laws. It requires them to 'render unto Caesar' their trust and confidences in bringing the person accused to justice.
The verses that were used here to hide behind are not being used in their entirety. I Timothy 5:19 has companion verses that make this a complete thought. I Timothy 5: 20-21 says:
But those elders who are sinning you are to reprove before everyone, so that the others may take warning. 21 I charge you, in the sight of God and Christ Jesus and the elect angels, to keep these instructions without partiality, and to do nothing out of favoritism.
The first verse (20) referenced from I Timothy 5 clearly instructs believers to make public the accusations that are being brought against an elder, so that all will know. In the case of abuse, the only way to make sure the abuse is stopped is to make it public. The more people that know, the less likely it is that it could continue. Knowledge is power. In order to burn down the systems that perpetuate abuse, it needs to be made public.
The second verse (21) makes it clear that no favoritism should be employed when dealing with an elder, or authority figure, that has abused. By invoking the Umbrella of Authority, favoritism is being used. Because to question or accuse a male authority figure is to question God Himself. This is expressly forbidden within this patriarchal structure.
Matthew 18 also contains this passage in verses 6-9:
6 "If anyone causes one of these little ones—those who believe in me—to stumble, it would be better for them to have a large millstone hung around their neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea. 7 Woe to the world because of the things that cause people to stumble! Such things must come, but woe to the person through whom they come! 8 If your hand or your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life maimed or crippled than to have two hands or two feet and be thrown into eternal fire. 9 And if your eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into the fire of hell.
Surely it cannot be anymore plain, that committing abuse of any kind against a child is an offense that angers the God of the Bible. Not only does it say that it is better if these people would die, it goes further to state that removal of the offending part of the body is necessary to protect the rest of the soul.
Based on these two passages, it is plain to see that there is far more responsibility on the listener to hear and believe the accused. In attempting to hide behind the Bible's directives about confrontation, they expose their own biases.
They are not reading, nor following, their own Bible's commands.
Their own Bible commands that no favoring of elders is to be shown, especially when being confronted with 'sin'. And by 'sin' in this case, we mean crime. Abuse is a crime committed against those who are vulnerable. They are made even more so by the very authority structures put into place by things like the Umbrella of Authority.
This umbrella means it is nearly impossible for us to confront our abusers.
They enjoy impunity, complete power over our lives. In order to confront, we would need to have unquestionable sources, and the only ones who are not questionable are the ones who are in authority in the first place. And within that system, the ones who have power are greatly unwilling to be either questioned, or to have their authority in any way diminished.
They stick together, they believe each other over victims. Even though their own Bible commands that they listen to victims, that committing abuse against children especially is abhorrent. Fundamentalism such as this is unkind to victims, flaying them with the very verses that should support, protect, defend them. Fundamentalism such as this supports the authority in power, upholding, favoring, preserving it.
But in the end, their own Bible damns them.
IBLP/ATIBill Gothard, Bishop Robert E. Smith, Boz Tchividjian, Matthew 18, Total Outreach for Christ Ministries, umbrella of authority
May 24, 2016 May 11, 2020 HA Editorial TeamLeave a comment
"Her face was ghostly white… There was nothing left to her."
"Her face was ghostly white… There was nothing left to her."[i]
When Jeannie Marie picked up her daughter Roxy from New Beginnings Girls Academy, her daughter was a shadow of her former self. Three months at the academy destroyed her. She endured food deprivation, medical neglect, and severe emotional and physical abuse. Despite urinary tract infections and menstrual complications from a recent gang rape, she was routinely denied toilet paper and sanitary pads, locked in isolation cells, and forced to say she was "the daughter of the devil."[ii] In desperation, the 17-year old attempted suicide.[iii]
Roxy is not a unique case. Many girls at New Beginnings attempted suicide, hoping that a trip to the hospital would allow them to escape the horrors of the academy.[iv]
New Beginnings Girls Academy is a part of a massive, complicated network of homes for "troubled children." The homes date back to the 1970's, when an Independent Fundamental Baptist preacher by the name of Lester Roloff had the idea to create homes to reform children considered sinful or wayward by their parents. Roloff described such children as "parent-hating, Satan-worshiping, dope-taking immoral boys and girls."[v] Often times the children sent were, like Roxy, "troubled" simply because they were victims of child abuse.[vi]
Abuse allegations have plagued the homes since their beginnings. A plethora of lawsuits were successfully brought against them. Yet the homes keep popping up: closed in one state then re-opened in a less regulated state. The regulatory terrain of this network is, for the most part, just like that of homeschooling: intentionally unregulated.
That unregulated network owes its continuing existence to one man in particular: David C. Gibbs III.
David C. Gibbs III's career for the Christian Law Association began in 1993.
Since 2014, Gibbs III has appeared to many in the Christian homeschooling movement as a champion for abuse survivors. He became the attorney for Lourdes Torres in her sexual assault lawsuit against Vision Forum's disgraced founder Doug Phillips.[vii] When five brave women decided to sue IBLP and ATI's founder Bill Gothard for sexual assault as well, Gibbs III was there, filing the lawsuit.[viii] The lawsuit against IBLP and Gothard has now grown to include eighteen plaintiffs.[ix]
Through his National Center for Life and Liberty (NCLL), Gibbs III has positioned himself as an advocate for the abused as well as an individual sensitive and empathetic to those injured by Christian fundamentalism. As Gibbs III told HA's Ryan Stollar in January of this year, "I vehemently oppose child abuse and those that cover it up with a passion, and I believe that organizations that emotionally, psychologically, physically, or sexually abuse children should be prosecuted and shut down." Now that he has become one of the primary business partners of the Great Homeschool Conventions, the largest for-profit homeschool convention company in the United States, Gibbs III's platform and reach is spreading.[x]
Yet some have questioned this positive image of Gibbs III. Despite his current advocacy for survivors, he spent decades doing the exact opposite: serving as a fixer for abusers and defending leaders who spread Christian fundamentalism. Through his work and leadership with his father David C. Gibbs Jr.'s organization, the Christian Law Association (CLA), Gibbs III built a career out of defending accused child abusers. And as recently as last year, Gibbs presented sermons at churches arguing that not only parents, but schools, churches, and even complete strangers have a "fundamental right" to child corporal punishment—which he referred to as "child-beating."[xi]
This discrepancy has raised concerns. Gibbs III's current NCLL website makes no mention of his involvement with the CLA, including the fact that he was their general counsel. In his interview with HA blog partner Julie Anne Smith on May 26, 2014, he completely separated his father and the CLA's work from his own work, making it seem that he was not involved with the former.[xii] However, when pressed on this matter, Gibbs III told HA, "I worked with my father and did legal work for CLA from 1993-2012."
The discrepancies do not end there. Gibbs III indicated to Smith that he was happily married. However, public records show that his wife filed divorce papers against him later that year. The divorce was finalized in July 2015. Furthermore, Gibbs III indicated to Smith that he was never involved in any domestic disputes. However, public records show a dispute in 2013 between him and Texas Child Protective Services.
The Roloff Homes
To better understand Gibbs III's story, we need to go back to 1956, when fiery fundamentalist Lester Roloff founded his first home for troubled individuals, the City of Refuge Home for Men, in Lee County, Texas.[xiii] Over the next two decades, Roloff founded a slew of other homes, including the Lighthouse Home for Young Men in 1958[xiv], the Rebekah Home for Girls[xv] and the Anchor Home for Boys in 1967[xvi], and the Bethesda Home for Girls in 1968.[xvii] He also founded the People's Baptist Church in 1969[xviii], to which he passed ownership of the homes in order to make them "church-based"—and thus garnering of religious legal protections. Beginning in 1972, the CLA represented the Roloff homes, with Gibbs Jr. at the helm.[xix]
The founder of many "troubled children" homes, Lester Roloff operated under the principle, "Better a pink bottom than a black soul!"
The CLA began defending the homes at a convenient time, as it was only a year later when the homes were first charged with abuse. Parents visiting the Rebekah Home for Girls in 1973 were horrified when they witnessed staff members whipping a young girl. Local authorities in Texas launched an investigation. This culminated in the Texas legislature hearing testimonies from sixteen girls who alleged they were whipped with leather straps, beaten with paddles, handcuffed to drainpipes, and locked in isolation cells.[xx] Roloff openly admitted these actions, infamously declaring during the court hearing, "Better a pink bottom than a black soul!"[xxi] The revelations led the Texas State Legislature to pass the Child Care Licensing Act, which required the state to license all child-care facilities.[xxii]
Throughout the 1970's and 80's, child abuse and corruption continued to plague the Rebekah Home and other homes created or inspired by Roloff. Homes repeatedly shut down and popped up in other states to avoid licensing or prosecution. The most significant lawsuit came in 1982, when Morris Dees, the famous civil rights lawyer and founder of the Southern Poverty Law Center, helped multiple women bring a lawsuit against the Bethesda Home for Girls (and another home created by Bethesda directors Bob and Betty Wills, Reclamation Ranch) for physical abuse, torture, and food deprivation.[xxiii] The lawsuit demanded that Bob Wills and other staffers stop spanking pregnant girls.[xxiv] Gibbs Jr. defended the Bethesda Home and Reclamation Ranch.[xxv] The last year of Roloff's involvement was 1982, as he died in a plane crash in November. His longtime associate Wiley Cameron took over the network.
In 1993, only a few years after the Rebekah and Anchor Homes were closed for a second time due to abuse, Gibbs III joined his father as an attorney for the Christian Law Association.[xxvi] Meanwhile, a string of more grievous incidents occurred: A seventeen-year-old girl, Carrie Louise Nutt, was emotionally and physically abused and forced by staffers to strip at Mountain Park Baptist Academy, run by Bob and Betty Wills.[xxvii] A murder also took place.[xxviii]
Through his work and leadership with his father David C. Gibbs Jr.'s organization, the Christian Law Association (CLA), Gibbs III built a career out of defending accused child abusers.
In the midst of this, with the hope that deregulating faith-based programs would increase their efficacy, then-Texas governor George W. Bush pushed for a legislative package that would allow church-run child-care institutions to opt out of state licensing.[xxix] This was an exemption to the requirement established in 1975 by the Child Care Licensing Act because of child abuse at the Roloff homes. The primary witness to speak in favor of the bill before the House Human Services Committee was Gibbs III, who was employed by the CLA at the time.[xxx]
According to the American Bar Association Journal, Gibbs III intentionally misled the committee to give the impression he was not connected to the Roloff Homes through the CLA.[xxxi] However, he denounced this depiction to HA, saying that his appearance during the hearing was not on behalf of the Roloff Homes. He said, "I appeared in Texas as general counsel to a number of churches for the Gibbs Law Firm," adding that his statements during the trial were "focused on the faith-based community helping meet community needs under an alternative accreditation model that met and exceeded state minimum standards."
In 1982, Morris Dees of the Southern Poverty Law Center helped multiple women bring a lawsuit against the Bethseda Home for Girls and Reclamation Ranch.
Regardless of whom he represented, Gibbs III's efforts on behalf of the legislation paid off. The legislation passed, allowing the troubled children's network to return to Texas, once again without state supervision or licensing. When asked during this time about the three-decades-long history of abuses in the industry, Gibbs III described it as "a glitch alleged with one ministry."[xxxii] When HA asked Gibbs if he still stands by that description today, he spoke affirmatively, saying, "I do not believe if you have one bad actor that you throw everyone in jail."
The abuse continued. In 1997, a sixteen-year-old homeschooled boy named Aaron Anderson was physically abused and beaten at the Anchor Home, resulting in broken ribs.[xxxiii] In 1998, sixteen-year-old DeAnne Dawsey was forced into solitary confinement at the Rebekah Home, where she had a nervous breakdown. Faye Cameron (Wiley Cameron's wife) and three male guards pinned DeAnne to the ground, bound her with duct tape, and kicked her in the ribs. They then neglected to provide her with medical attention.[xxxiv] Child Protection Services investigated and banned Faye Cameron from ever again working with children in the State of Texas.[xxxv]
Once again it was Gibbs III who defended the child abusers. He served as Faye Cameron's attorney and diminished the seriousness of the charges. He praised her, saying she "served faithfully in that ministry in excess of thirty years."[xxxvi] When first asked by HA about his representation of Cameron, Gibbs III denied any memory of the account, saying, "I do not recall representing Mrs. Cameron." After HA provided him with evidence showing his involvement, he stated, "The details escape me." However, when asked if he stands today by his comments back then regarding Cameron, Gibbs III said, "She did faithfully work there for 30 years." HA reached out to the Texas Child Protective Services for comment, but they did not respond.
When asked by the ABA Journal in 2001 about the 3-decades-long history of abuses at the Roloff Homes, David C. Gibbs III described the history as "a glitch alleged with one ministry."
The abuse continued. In 2000, two teenagers, eighteen-year-old Justin Simons and seventeen-year-old Aaron James Cavallin, were physically abused[xxxvii] and urinated on by Lighthouse supervisors.[xxxviii] As a result, four Roloff staffers were arrested[xxxix] and Allen Smith, one of the Lighthouse supervisors, was convicted for unlawful restraint and prohibited from ever again working with youth.[xl] Wiley Cameron was arrested for failing to turn over records to the sheriff.[xli]
Yet again, Gibbs III defended the child abusers. As attorney for the CLA, he said People's Baptist Church was conducting an internal investigation. He determined the abuse allegations were "highly exaggerated" and consequently defended Lighthouse and their discipline practices, saying they were not "overly harsh."[xlii] When HA first asked about this investigation, Gibbs III denied knowledge of it, saying, "I have no recollection of any internal investigation at People's Baptist Church." After HA provided him with evidence showing his comments at the time, Gibbs III changed course and said he still believes the investigation discerned the allegations were exaggerated.
As recently as 2012, on his own organization NCLL's website, David C. Gibbs III proudly declared his "twenty years of faithful service with the Christian Law Association."
The next year found Gibbs III as the general counsel for the CLA.[xliii] As general counsel, he was directly involved in advocacy to roll back state oversight and licensing of youth homes through Religious Freedom Restoration Acts.[xliv] Through his involvement, homes established privacy policies requiring parents to relinquish parental rights and agree to not let child welfare workers interview their children.[xlv]
Gibbs III's career as an advocate for child abusers is not limited to the troubled children industry.
The abuse continued. From 2001 to 2005, fifteen-year-old Brittany Campbell was psychologically and physically abused at the Rebekah Home (which was renamed New Beginnings Girls Academy in 2001).[xlvi] Michael Quinn, who attended the Anchor Home for Boys from 2002 to 2004, alleged verbal and physical abuse.[xlvii] In 2002, more than two-dozen former residents of Mountain Park Baptist Boarding Academy alleged experiences of abuse.[xlviii] Seventeen-year-old Jordan Blair filed a lawsuit against Mountain Park, accusing the school of abuse and imprisonment.[xlix] He eventually lost his imprisonment complaint because the judge determined that "his parents had a right to keep him there against his will."[l]
Once again, Gibbs III provided a defense. After Mountain Park Baptist Boarding Academy was accused of abuse, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch interviewed him. He defended the homes, saying, "The media tend to fixate on a few unfortunate incidents."[li] Furthermore, he specifically defended the right of parents to send children (like Jordan Blair) against their will to youth homes.[lii] When asked by HA if he still believes parents have the right to make such decisions, Gibbs III evaded, saying, "Parents cannot legally send children to a place that is abusive" (emphasis added).
Top: In the CLA's 2011 990 form filed with the IRS, the Florida branch of David C. Gibbs III's personal law firm, Gibbs Law Firm, is listed as an independent contractor for the CLA and the recipient of nearly $2.5 million from the CLA.
Bottom: In the CLA's 2012 990 form filed with the IRS, the Texas branch of David C. Gibbs III's personal law firm, Gibbs Law Firm, is listed as an independent contractor for the CLA and the recipient of over $1.5 million from the CLA.
The abuse continued. In 2003, at New Beginnings, sixteen-year-old Jamie Lee Schmude was beaten until bruised and forced to urinate on herself.[liii] Two other children at New Beginnings testified they were forced to hold Schmude down while she was beaten.[liv] In 2004, a supervisor at the Anchor Home for Boys (now renamed Anchor Academy), Justin Peterson, sexually assaulted a fifteen-year-old boy.[lv]
In 2005, the Mountain Park Baptist Boarding Academy faced a twenty-count complaint for violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Fair Labor Standards Act, assault, battery, false imprisonment, negligence, negligence in providing medical treatment, intentional infliction of emotional distress, conversion, and fraud.[lvi] With Gibbs III as general counsel, the Christian Law Association defended the academy.[lvii]
Tragically, the child abuse continues, even to this day. Roxy's story, with which this story began, occurred only a few years ago in 2011. Many of these homes continue to exist, renamed or moved to other states where they are exempt from state licensing or oversight.
Gibbs III's career as an advocate for child abusers is not limited to the troubled children industry. Gibbs III told HA that, on behalf of the CLA, he served as an attorney for Chuck Phelps. Phelps is a pastor who repeatedly aided and abetted child abusers at the church he pastored, Trinity Baptist Church. According to several sources, Gibbs III also provided legal assistance to Christine Leaf, a mother who abandoned her daughter after her daughter was raped by a member of Trinity Baptist. However, Gibbs III declined to provide HA with details of his involvement with Leaf, saying, "Whether or not I legally spoke with Mrs. Leaf is confidential under attorney-client privilege."
In 1997, 15-year-old Tina Anderson was raped and impregnated by a member of Chuck Phelps' Trinity Baptist Church. Image: Tina Anderson.
The stories from Trinity Baptist date back to 1994, when seventeen-year-old Cheryl's stepfather began sexually assaulting her.[lviii] Cheryl's family attended Trinity Baptist Church, pastored by Chuck Phelps. Cheryl told her mother but her mother did nothing. Cheryl then told her pastor, Phelps, who called the family into his office and told the stepfather he needed "to stop it." [lix] The stepfather did not stop. He continued to molest Cheryl until she moved to California to live with her uncle two years later. Cheryl was told to "forgive and forget."[lx] Phelps did not report the abuse.[lxi]
In 1996, Cheryl's uncle, Robert Sheffield, became aware of Cheryl's abuse. Sheffield called Chuck Phelps to talk about it. Sheffield was told by Phelps that Cheryl, again, "just needed to forgive and forget."[lxii]
In a parallel event, beginning in 1996, fourteen-year-old Tina Anderson began babysitting for Ernest Willis, also a member of Phelps' Trinity Baptist Church.[lxiii] The following year, Willis raped Anderson twice. Months later, Anderson was pregnant. Willis offered to either take her to an abortion clinic or punch her in the stomach to cause a miscarriage.[lxiv]
After telling her mother about the pregnancy, and her mother alerting Phelps, Tina was forced by her pastor to undergo "church discipline." This involved Tina standing in front of the congregation and apologizing for her "sins." Tina was told she should be happy she did not live in ancient Israel or she would be stoned. [lxv]
Tina was convinced not to press charges. At the urging of Tina's mom Christine Leaf (but against Tina's wishes), Phelps coordinated to have Tina moved across state lines.[lxvi] Phelps had Tina put the child up for adoption.[lxvii] To hide her, Tina was homeschooled and forced to have no contact with children her own age.[lxviii] While Phelps reported the rape to police,[lxix] his and Leaf's action of moving Tina out of state prevented an investigation.[lxx]
Willis continued to be a member of Trinity Baptist Church "in good standing." He also continued to have young girls babysit for him.[lxxi]
More than a decade passed. In February 2010, after hearing about similar abuse cases, Tina came forward with her story.[lxxii] Three months later, police arrested Ernest Willis and charged him with four felonies: two counts of rape and two counts of having sex with a minor.[lxxiii]
On May 20, 2016, Judge Kenneth L. Popejoy disqualified Gibbs III from the Bill Gothard sex abuse case, Gretchen Wilkinson v. IBLP.
Top: On behalf of the Christian Law Association, David C. Gibbs III (left) awards Dr. Earl Jessup (front, right) the Jack Hyles Memorial Award at First Baptist Church Hammond in 2010.
Bottom: David C. Gibbs III and David C. Gibbs Jr. look on as Jack Hyles' son-in-law Jack Schaap congratulates Dr. Jessup for the Christian Law Association award. Two years later Schaap pleads guilty for trafficking a girl across state lines and raping her. Despite personal relationships with church leadership, the Christian Law Association is hired by the church to conduct an internal investigation. Image: YouTube.
The next year, Chuck Phelps issued a statement claiming that Willis's rape of Anderson was consensual and "an ongoing sexual relationship."[lxxiv] Phelps defended his allowing Willis to continue to be in the church, saying he "didn't know that he had impregnated a fifteen-year-old girl" because "it was an accusation made, an accusation is not a conviction."[lxxv]
It was Gibbs III who served as an attorney to both Chuck Phelps and Christine Leaf (Tina Anderson's mom) during the trial of Willis.[lxxvi] Gibbs III told HA that, "I attended part of the trial and helped coordinate with government officials so Pastor Phelps could voluntarily come in from out-of-state to testify at trial on behalf of the prosecution." However, several court witnesses—one of whom spoke directly to HA—contest Gibbs III's account. According to them, he engaged in strange, manipulative courtroom behavior around Anderson[lxxvii] and tried to argue "pastoral privilege"/"clergy-congregant privilege" to keep Phelps from having to testify against Willis. Judge Larry Shumkler ruled against Gibbs III's motion.[lxxviii] Willis was convicted of raping and impregnating Tina Anderson.[lxxix]
Inspired by Tina's bravery, Cheryl—now 34 years old—went public in 2011 with her report of being sexually abused by her stepfather.[lxxx] Phelps attempted to portray her rape as a consensual act. Nonetheless, Gibbs III defended Phelps. He justified Phelps' actions by saying Cheryl's family told Phelps that CPS was already involved and the abuse was already reported.[lxxxi]
When HA asked Gibbs III about the Anderson trial, he said, "I am deeply saddened that Tina Anderson was abused by many trusted people in her life. I admire her and her courage to speak out for victims."
The Old Schoolhouse
Gibbs III's advocacy for child abusers continued into 2014. In the spring of 2007, Geoff and Jenefer Igarashi discovered that the then-teenage son of Paul and Gena Suarez, owners of the popular homeschool magazine The Old Schoolhouse, "repeatedly molested" their six-year-old son.[lxxxii] Gena and Jenefer are sisters. Gena and Jenefer's younger sister, "Megan," accused the Suarezes of physically abusing their own children as well as physically abusing and sexually harassing her.[lxxxiii]
Roxy (right), whose 3 months at New Beginnings Girls Academy reduced her to a ghost of her former self, continues to struggle to this day. Image: ABC News.
In 2014, Gibbs III approached the Igarashis when they threatened to go public with this history of abuse. At the time, The Old Schoolhouse was, like Gibbs III, a primary business partner for the Great Homeschool Conventions, and Gibbs III was a columnist for the magazine.[lxxxiv] According to a written report given to HA about the situation, "Gibbs eventually pushed Jenefer and Geoff to sign a mediation agreement he drafted. The agreement declared that the Suarezes agreed to stop 'shunning' the Igarashis but on the condition that Jenefer was to cease talking about all the potentially damning information they had. It was also insinuated that they could be sued if they chose to speak up."[lxxxv] This closely resembled how New Beginnings explicitly prohibited "bringing civil lawsuits against other Christians or the church to resolve personal disputes."[lxxxvi]
Gothard/IBLP Lawsuit
On May 20, 2016, Judge Kenneth L. Popejoy disqualified Gibbs III from the Bill Gothard sex abuse case, Gretchen Wilkinson v. IBLP. Gothard and IBLP had filed motions the previous February claiming that Gibbs was "playing both sides of the street" in the case. One of the motions contained an affidavit from Roger Blair, who was present when Gibbs first approached Gothard to talk about the abuse allegations. Blair alleged that Gibbs III offered to help Gothard derail the allegations against him. Blair testified that, "Mr. Gibbs spoke as if he were connected to the individuals behind Recovering Grace and had inside knowledge that would be valuable to Bill. I recall Mr. Gibbs saying, 'I know how to handle it.' He stated that Bill 'was wronged' and that it was unfair that 'people are trying to destroy your ministry as well as other ministries.' Mr. Gibbs stated that he read allegations on the Recovering Grace website and he knew that they were false. He said that he knew how to adequately respond to 'get rid of it.'"[lxxxvii]
Gibbs III vociferously denied the allegations of misconduct, saying they were "a desperate attempt to attack the law firm that is publicly and legally holding [Gothard] accountable for years of child abuse."[lxxxviii] But Judge Popejoy ruled against him. The judge declared that, "There is clearly a clouded, convoluted and inappropriate set of interactions that attorney Gibbs had among the entire set of circumstances and parties pertaining to the litigation." As a result, the judge ruled, "It is completely and utterly inappropriate for attorney Gibbs to continue as legal counsel for the plaintiffs."[lxxxix]
For years, David C. Gibbs III and his organizations pulled in millions of dollars[xc] while advocating on behalf of child abusers. When HA asked Gibbs if he stands today by his advocacy on behalf of the troubled children industry, he deflected, saying, "I am not perfect by any stretch but I do try to be principled." While he added that he "do[es] not support the culture of the 1970's that lacked transparency, abused, and covered up abuse," he had no comment on his own decades-long role in creating that culture.
That culture directly enabled the troubled children industry to advance and thrive, shattering countless of children's lives in its wake. The individuals whose childhoods were destroyed can never get them back. Their adulthoods are often similarly devastated. Roxy, whose three months at New Beginnings reduced her to a ghost of her former self, continues to struggle. She suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder. Despite counseling, Roxy is "doing terrible," her mom says. "She has no self-worth."[xci]
Her mom also worries for all the other young girls subjected to New Beginnings: "Many of these little girls will be terribly challenged to remember who God is after this experience."[xcii]
[i] Susan Donaldson James, "Biblical Reform School Discipline: Tough Love or Abuse?," ABC News, April 12, 2011, link, accessed on December 10, 2015.
[iii] Kathryn Joyce, "Horror Stories From Tough-Love Teen Homes," Mother Jones, July/August 2011, link, accessed on December 10, 2015.
[iv] Ibid.
[v] Pamela Colloff, "Remember the Christian Alamo," Texas Monthly, December 2001, link, accessed on December 10, 2015.
[vi] James.
[vii] Chelsea Schilling, "Christian Giant Sued For 'Using Nanny as Sex Object,'" WorldNetDaily, April 15, 2014, link, accessed on December 17, 2015.
[viii] William McCleery, "IBLP sued for its handling of alleged abuse and harassment," WORLD Magazine, October 27, 2015, link, accessed on December 17, 2015.
[ix] Ryan Stollar, "'Desperate Attempt': David C. Gibbs III Fires Back Against Bill Gothard, IBLP," Homeschoolers Anonymous, link, accessed on May 5, 2016.
[x] Great Homeschool Conventions, "Sponsor: National Center for Life and Liberty," link, accessed on December 17, 2015.
[xi] See, for example, David C. Gibbs III's sermon on August 23, 2015 at Metropolitan Baptist Church in Fort Worth, Texas, "Acts 4:29," link, accessed on May 5, 2016.
[xii] Julie Anne Smith, "Which 'Attorney David Gibbs' Leads the Lawsuit of Lourdes Torres-Manteufel vs Douglas Phillips – the Father, or the Son?," Spiritual Sounding Board, May 26, 2014, link, accessed on December 17, 2015.
[xiii] John Gibeaut, "Welcome to Hell," ABA Journal, August 2001, p. 47.
[xiv] Roloff Evangelistic Enterprises, Inc., "About Our Ministry," link, accessed on December 10, 2015.
[xv] Colloff.
[xvi] Maurice Chammah, "Tough Love or Abuse? Inside the Anchor Home for Boys," Juvenile Justice Information Exchange, June 30, 2014, link, accessed on December 10, 2015.
[xvii] Mike Pare, "Authorities Ponder Course of Action; Status Unknown on Religious Colony," Rome News-Tribune, October 3, 1980.
[xviii] Mike Pare, "Roloff would 'delight' in testing church issue," Rome News-Tribune, October 31, 1980.
[xix] Colloff.
[xx] Ibid.
[xxi] Joyce.
[xxii] Colloff.
[xxiii] Reginald Stuart, "Home's Ex-Inmates Tell of Beatings," New York Times, March 5, 1982, link, accessed on December 9, 2015.
[xxiv] Kim Bell, "Insiders Tell of Boarding School Past and Present; Slaying in Missouri Follows Some Troubles in Mississippi," St. Louis Post-Dispatch, March 31, 1996, link, accessed on December 10, 2015.
[xxv] Ibid.
[xxvi] Great Homeschool Conventions, "Attorney David Gibbs," link, accessed on May 6, 2016.
[xxvii] [xxvii] John Chadwick, "An abusive ordeal at boarding school fuels a haunting play," Rutgers Focus, May 27, 2009, link, accessed on December 10, 2015.
[xxviii] Matthew Franck, "Reform schools find a haven here," St. Louis Post-Dispatch, November 17, 2002, link, accessed on December 10, 2015.
[xxix] Colloff.
[xxx] Ibid.
[xxxi] Gibeaut, p. 47-48.
[xxxii] Ibid.
[xxxiii] Chammah.
[xxxiv] Colloff.
[xxxv] Ibid.
[xxxvi] Dan Parker, "State forever bans Roloff home leader's wife from working at facility; Faye Cameron, who was girls' dorm mother, drops appeal of allegations," Corpus Christi Caller Times, April 28, 2000, link, accessed on December 10, 2015.
[xxxvii] Hanna Rosin, "Two Arrested in Texas Child Abuse Case," Washington Post, April 11, 2000, link, accessed on December 10, 2015.
[xxxviii] Dan Parker, "Youths find structure at church homes; Lawyer calls some allegations of abuse 'highly exaggerated'," Corpus Christi Caller Times, April 16, 2000, link, accessed on December 10, 2015.
[xxxix] Gibeaut, p. 45.
[xl] Guy H. Lawrence, "Former Roloff supervisor gets probation; Unlawful restraint conviction also carries fine, public service," Corpus Christi Caller Times, June 11, 2014, link, accessed on December 10, 2015.
[xli] Rosin.
[xlii] Parker, "Youths find."
[xliii] Pam Belluck, "Many States Ceding Regulations to Church Groups," New York Times, July 27, 2001, link, accessed on December 10, 2015.
[xliv] Belluck.
[xlv] Gibeaut, p. 48.
[xlvi] James.
[xlvii] Chammah.
[xlviii] Franck, "Reform schools."
[xlix] Matthew Franck, "Suit Says Mountain Park Religious School Uses Barbaric Discipline; Founder Calls Ex-Student's Allegations Ridiculous," St. Louis Post-Dispatch, July 9, 2002, link, accessed on December 10, 2015.
[l] Associated Press, "Federal Judge rules for Baptist boarding school in Missouri," Nevada Daily Mail, April 9, 2004.
[li] Franck, "Schools hail."
[lii] Franck, "Reform schools."
[liii] Alexandra Zayas, "Religious exemption at some Florida children's homes shields prying eyes," Tampa Bay Times, October 26, 2012, link, accessed on December 10, 2015.
[liv] Zayas.
[lv] Associated Press, "School worker accused of assault," Billings Gazette, July 9, 2004, link, accessed on December 10, 2015.
[lvi] Jamie Kaufmann WOODS, et al., Plaintiffs, v. Bob WILLS, et al., Defendants, United States District Court, E.D. Missouri, Southeastern Division, November 18, 2005.
[lvii] Woods vs. Wills.
[lviii] Maddie Hanna, "New sex case tied to church congregation: Woman says she was molested," Concord Monitor, June 10, 2011, link, accessed on December 9, 2015.
[lix] Ibid.
[lx] Ibid.
[lxi] Associated Press, "2nd woman says pastor ignored assault," Boston Globe, June 10, 2011, link, accessed on December 9, 2015.
[lxii] Hanna, June 10.
[lxiii] Trent Spiner, "Police: girl raped, then relocated," Concord Monitor, May 25, 2010, link, accessed on December 9, 2015.
[lxiv] Spiner.
[lxv] Ibid.
[lxvi] Ibid.
[lxvii] Lynne Tuohy, Associated Press, "Ernest Willis, Convicted Of Raping 15-Year-Old Church Member, Won't Get New Trial," Huffington Post, August 21, 2013, link, accessed on December 9, 2015.
[lxviii] Spiner.
[lxix] Ibid.
[lxx] Maddie Hanna, "Pastor fires back in new abuse case; Ex-Trinity leader says police knew," Concord Monitor, June 11, 2011, link, accessed on December 9, 2015.
[lxxi] Alan B. Goldberg, Gail Deutsch, Susan James, Sean Dooley, "Compassion or Cover-Up? Teen Victim Claims Rape; Forced Confession in Church," ABC News, April 8, 2011, link, accessed on December 9, 2015.
[lxxii] Spiner.
[lxxiii] Ibid.
[lxxiv] Goldberg, Deutsch, James, Dooley.
[lxxv] Ibid.
[lxxvi] Chuckles Travels, "Under the Wheels of the Chuck Phelps Bus," May 25, 2011, link, accessed on December 9, 2015.
[lxxvii] Amy Coveno, "Trial of Ernest Willis Continues," WMUR 9 ABC, May 24, 2011, link, accessed on December 9, 2015.
[lxxviii] Ibid. Also, Chuckles Travels, "Ernie Willis Sentenced~Chuck Phelps Lies Again," September 13, 2011, link, accessed on December 9, 2015.
[lxxix] Tuohy.
[lxxx] Hanna, June 10.
[lxxxi] Ibid.
[lxxxii] Hännah Ettinger and R.L. Stollar, "When Homeschool Leaders Looked Away: The Old Schoolhouse Cover-Up," Homeschoolers Anonymous, October 8, 2014, link, accessed on December 10, 2015.
[lxxxiii] Ibid.
[lxxxiv] Ibid.
[lxxxv] Ibid.
[lxxxvi] James.
[lxxxvii] Ryan Stollar, Homeschoolers Anonymous, "Bill Gothard and IBLP File Motions to Disqualify David C. Gibbs III," February 20, 2016, link, accessed on May 23, 2016.
[lxxxviii] Ryan Stollar, Homeschoolers Anonymous, "'Desperate Attempt': David C. Gibbs III Fires Back Against Bill Gothard, IBLP," February 20, 2016, link, accessed on May 23, 2016.
[lxxxix] Ryan Stollar, Homeschoolers Anonymous, "Lead Attorney for Plaintiffs Disqualified from Bill Gothard Sex Abuse Case," May 23, 2016, link, accessed on May 23, 2016.
[xc] In 2002, the CLA drew nearly $3 million in donations. See David Karp, "Schindlers' attorney is used to tough cases," St. Petersburg Times, March 31, 2005, link, accessed on December 10, 2015. The most recent numbers for the CLA show that it received more than $3 million in 2013. See Guidestar, "Christian Law Association," link, accessed on December 18, 2015. Similarly, the National Center for Life and Liberty received more than $1.2 million in 2013. See GuideStar, "National Center for Life and Liberty," link, accessed on December 18, 2015.
[xci] Ibid.
[xcii] Ibid.
Child AbuseBill Gothard, Chuck Phelps, David C. Gibbs III, National Center for Life and Liberty, Roloff Homes, Tina Anderson
Lead Attorney for Plaintiffs Disqualified from Bill Gothard Sex Abuse Case
CC image courtesy of Flickr, slgckgc.
On May 20, the judge in the court case Gretchen Wilkinson vs. Institute in Basic Life Principles disqualified David C. Gibbs III from representing his clients.
Attorneys for Bill Gothard and the Institute for Basic Life Principles (IBLP) filed motions in February with the Circuit Court of DuPage County, Illinois. These motions were to disqualify Gibbs III from the court case Gretchen Wilkinson vs. Institute in Basic Life Principles, in which eighteen former employees and students are suing Gothard and IBLP over sexual abuse.
The motions featured two exhibits: sworn affidavits and documents that Gothard and IBLP believe show that Gibbs personally violated the Illinois Rules for Professional Conduct in his interactions with Gothard. Gibbs issued a statement in response to these motions on February 20. Gibbs alleged that, "Gothard was fully aware that I was the attorney for Lourdes Torres against Gothard's protégé, Douglas Phillips, and Gothard was mentioned by name in that Texas lawsuit in April 2014." While Gibbs admitted he is "guilty of aggressively representing my clients," he denounced the motions as "a desperate attempt to attack the law firm that is publicly and legally holding [Gothard] accountable for years of child abuse."
On Tuesday, May 3, Judge Kenneth L. Popejoy held a hearing on the motion to disqualify. During the hearing, IBLP's attorneys condemned Gibbs for allegedly mishandling the case. Gibbs, in turn, argued that his involvement with Gothard was strictly on behalf of his plaintiffs. While Gibbs admitted that his goal was to get Gothard reinstated on the IBLP board, he claimed this was in order to better aid his clients.
HA obtained the official court transcripts of the hearing. You can view the transcripts here.
Three days ago on May 20, Judge Popejoy ruled in favor of the motion to disqualify. In the ruling, the judge stated that,
Attorney Gibbs had intimate, professional and personal interactions with all of the parties to this case at various times within the calendar year of 2015! He discussed issues of dispute between defendants IBLP and Gothard and prepared bullet points on behalf of one of the trustees for IBLP as it pertained to Gothard. He met with Gothard and had various communications with Gothard in May 2015 and thereafter. In November 2015, he prepared an affidavit for Gothard to sign and clearly obtained information from that affidavit directly from Gothard. He also clearly knew that Mr. Gothard's interest were in conflict with those of his individual clients as is referenced by the allegations against Gothard, although not a party in the original complaint filed in October 2015. Then, after preparing and forwarding that affidavit to Gothard, attorney Gibbs obviously knew that Gothard was going to be an additional defendant in an amended complaint filed in January 2016. Whether the actions of attorney Gibbs are "strict" ethical violations of the Illinois Code of Professional Responsibility or not, there is clearly a clouded, convoluted and inappropriate set of interactions that attorney Gibbs had among the entire set of circumstances and parties pertaining to the litigation now pending before this Court. Therefore, it is completely and utterly inappropriate for attorney Gibbs to continue as legal counsel for the plaintiffs.
You can read Judge Popejoy's full decision here.
IBLP/ATIBill Gothard, David C. Gibbs III, Gretchen Wilkinson, IBLP
Fighting for Hope: Elliott Grace Harvey's Story – Part One
In this series: Part One | Part Two | Conclusion
One household. Three cults. Twenty two years.
Twenty two years more than I would wish on anyone.
"I'm angry because I'm alive, because life hurts so much and I can't hear the good things. Because my purpose is merely to glorify god and I can do that perfectly in heaven. It's sick, but it's true, and I have to deal with it. But I don't want to. I just want it to all go away. Do I want to die? Not really, I'm not ready to, I just want to be with jesus. I'm tired of the tears." – Journal entry
Leaving it all behind took a total of four years.
Cultishness
Cult is a strong word to use, and it's especially difficult to assign to a group you've been subject to.
Something I find amusing about the three groups I was in is each of them had their own, "Here's why we're not a cult" speech.
Reminds me of a proverb in the christian bible, "The wicked flee when none pursue."
Here are a few of the signs of a cult shared among all three groups:
● The leaders are always right; hierarchical and authoritarian power structure.
● Use of guilt, shame, and excommunication to manipulate and silence group members.
● Suppression of dissent, you must change your beliefs to conform to the group's beliefs.
● Newcomers need fixing, the leaders believe they are entitled to know everything about you personally.
● Black and white thinking, contradictory messages, group specific language.
● Insistence that this group holds the source of truth; unquestionable dogma.
● Elitist and isolationist; denigrating other religious groups, and personal attacks on critics.
I don't know how to live, how to feel. I want to be real, not put-on. It's just about impossible. I'm so good at being fake, playing the game. Being good enough. I don't want to be just good enough. – Journal entry
Institute in Basic Life Principles – 12 years
IBLP is a seminar and publication based cult, through which parents and/or churches absorb teaching. Bill Gothard was the long-standing leader of this cult. He stepped down after it came to light that he had been taking advantage of young girls for decades.
Of all the destructive ideologies my parents picked up from Bill Gothard, one in particular regarding bitterness was used to justify any and all abuse toward their children. Interestingly, if I take a direct quote from Gothard, it isn't quite the reasoning my parents used, rather the root they manipulated:
"When offenses are left unaddressed, bitterness often destroys relationships. Favoritism, disappointments, and misunderstandings are frequently causes of bitterness. …By your example, lead your children to maintain both a clear conscience and loving interaction in the family." – Bill Gothard, The Rebuilder's Guide
In practice, this principle translated to a cycle of abuse: Abuse would occur, parent confesses, and the child must respond with express trust and affection.
If the child becomes withdrawn, or exhibits any sadness or fear, this is shown as evidence of bitterness. This accused bitterness is in turn deserving of punishment and abuse, and the cycle continues.
It seems like dad doesn't want us as friends, we don't behave good enough, but I know from experience perfect never happens. It's never enough for him, so why bother? He doesn't want me anyway, I'm not good enough, and I never will be.
…I know somebody is asking why I don't say something. Tried that. It doesn't make a difference. He know's what he's doing, and it's just my fault. You give up hope after a while. It says you can't be loved until you're perfect, and you can never do that anyway. – Journal entry
I applied for my first real job at the local fabric store after my father more seriously threatened to kick me out, though not the first time he'd made this threat. I had no social skills, no diploma, and no driver's license. Amazingly, they hired me. I was ecstatic. I had an incredible learning curve ahead of me; learning to talk to people, pluralism, how answer a phone, so many things.
"I don't remember when exactly the shy little girl slipped into my life, but I remember where. She was quiet, reserved, and dressed for the wrong century with long flowing hair and dresses. She was quirky when you got to know her, quick with a side snark, and sharp as a pin intelligent. We at the store became used to her quickly (homemade fudge had a little to do with that) and thought of her as a little sister. Her family came in a few times, mom, dad, brothers, but no one was quite like her. Something seemed off about the family. A stillness, a caution. Something hid behind the big green eyes of the girl, but I couldn't figure out what. As a manager, I was pressed against the wall of deadlines and corporate, so wasn't able to get a moment to think as it was. She kept on working and blowing everyone's socks off with her brilliance. And silence…" – A
I continued living with my parents, I couldn't afford to move out. Life at home got worse, and I didn't have the ability to cope with it.
There's so many things I know that are inside of me and I don't know how to get it out. And more than anything I need a reason to live. Some days are worse than others and I need something for those bad days. When the feeling of adrenaline is so bad I can hardly concentrate at work. – Journal entry
My job became my safe place, where I got away from everything at home and did something I had become good at. I made friends with people that weren't religious, something criticized in my world.
"I remember when you first started working there, you were so quiet and shy. It seemed like you had no idea what the outside world even looked like, let alone how to live in it. You had your long hair and very sensible long skirts, no piercings or anything. After a few months, you really started to come into your own. You were talking more, and it turns out you were super friendly! No one knew because you never really talked much. That's when I started learning who you really were. Sweet, kindhearted, and funky as hell, haha. I remember when you got your ears pierced, and it was such a huge deal for you." – J
In a moment of reflection, I wrote the following:
So what have I learned? …Life is not worth living. Maybe I ought to do it anyway. That tears heal, but it's not always easy to cry. That saying what I think and feel does not cause the world to implode. That me is a hard thing to find sometimes. That real friends are found in strange places. That any relationship void of honesty suffers. A life with secrets wanting to be told becomes unbearable. A life without hope isn't. – Journal entry
Religious GroupsBill Gothard, cults, Escapes and Rescues: A Series, IBLP
"Desperate Attempt": David C. Gibbs III Fires Back Against Bill Gothard, IBLP
Earlier today HA reported that Bill Gothard and the Institute for Basic Life Principles (IBLP) filed motions with the Circuit Court of DuPage County, Illinois. Those motions aim to disqualify David C. Gibbs III and the Gibbs Law Firm from representing the eighteen plaintiffs in Gretchen Wilkinson vs. Institute in Basic Life Principles, the court case in which eighteen former employees and students are suing Gothard and IBLP for sexual harassment and assault and mishandling those crimes.
Gibbs issued a statement today to HA in response to these motions. Concerning Gothard's allegations that Gibbs misled him regarding his role in the lawsuit, Gibbs claims that, "Gothard was fully aware that I was the attorney for Lourdes Torres against Gothard's protégé, Douglas Phillips, and Gothard was mentioned by name in that Texas lawsuit in April 2014." Gibbs cites directly from the Torres v. Phillips lawsuit, in which he wrote, "Others who espoused this teaching [patriarchy], such as Bill Gothard or Jack Schaap, have stepped down or are incarcerated for crimes against children."
Gibbs states that that Gothard and IBLP's motions "will be fully opposed in court and are full of misstatements and lies." While Gibbs says he is "guilty of aggressively representing my clients," he denounces these latest actions as "a desperate attempt to attack the law firm that is publicly and legally holding [Gothard] accountable for years of child abuse."
Relevant materials can be viewed below:
• Full text of David C. Gibbs III's statement against the motions
• Bill Gothard's Motion to Disqualify and Sanction
• IBLP's Motion to Disqualify and Sanction
• Exhibit A: Bill Gothard's Affidavit
• Exhibit B: Roger Blair's Affidavit
• IBLP's press release on February 18, 2016: "Motion to Disqualify Attorney David Gibbs III"
• Second Amended Complaint in Gretchen Wilkinson vs. Institute in Basic Life Principles
IBLP/ATIATI, Bill Gothard, David C. Gibbs III, Doug Phillips, Featured, IBLP, lawsuit, Lourdes Torres


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A tale of two summers: Tourism data shows beaches boomed while inland areas suffered
December 2, 2020 By WECT
By Anna Phillips | December 2, 2020 at 11:05 PM EST – Updated December 2 at 11:24 PM
NEW HANOVER COUNTY, N.C. (WECT) – Tourism data shows a tale of two very different summers in New Hanover County.
Despite the pandemic, beach areas boomed with higher tourism numbers than in the summer of 2019 while inland areas suffered great losses.
During the state-wide shutdown this spring, tourism all but dropped off as the economy came to a screeching halt and industry experts began preparing for major revenue losses that would have led to tax losses and ultimately to a lack of government funding at every level.
"We really thought that we would be anywhere from 20% to 30% down over last year," said Kim Hufham of the New Hanover County Tourism Development Authority. "Then we got these numbers in and of course right now we're running through September, county-wide, almost 6-percent over our previous year."
May and June numbers were on par or over numbers for 2019 at Carolina, Kure and Wrightsville beaches, and that continued into fiscal year 2020/2021 which began in July. For the first quarter, the county is up 5.9% overall compared with 2019 but that growth is largely due to a combination of spikes in beach tourism in July and August, and a sharp decline in the 2019 numbers for September due to Hurricane Dorian.
As it relates to jobs, Hufham believes tourism led to stability for the beach areas.
"With our beach hotels and our beach rentals, they've done very well for the summer. I'm sure they have…staff-wise…have kept the majority of their staffing," she said.
During the month of July, Wrightsville Beach saw an increase of over 12%. Carolina and Kure beaches were up over 18% and the jumps were even greater in August when Carolina Beach saw a 27% increase and Kure Beach saw 30% more visitors over 2019.
However, inland areas did not reap the same benefits.
The convention center district, which includes large venues and hotels typically rented for conferences and other large group events, have seen a sharp decline both in New Hanover County and all over the state.
What's known as the convention center district in New Hanover County was down almost 49% in July.
"The hotels in Wilmington, many of them still are not back with full staffing; they still have had layoffs and furloughs and those types of things. The jobs have been very heavily affected and continue to be and will be until we're back up at the capacity that we usually run county-wide, not just at the beach areas," Hufham said.
Moving forward, the winter months are expected to bring the typical decline in beach tourism and there are concerns about how restaurants and other businesses will fare with capacity restrictions still in place and the practicality of outdoor dining diminishing as the weather gets colder.
"We're just hoping that we can kind of survive and stay afloat during the winter months and that when spring gets here, things will be in place with the virus as far as vaccines and people wanting to travel again and that we'll see the numbers that we've seen this summer maybe continue on into the spring and summer of next year," Hufham said.
Copyright 2020 WECT. All rights reserved.
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Home Publications Books Open Access Books Fruits of Victory: A Sequel to "The Great Illusion,", The
Froude's History of England
Fugitive Slave Law / The Religious Duty of Obedience to Law : A Sermon by Ichabod S. Spencer Preached In The Second Presbyterian Church In Brooklyn, Nov. 24, 1850
Fruits of Victory: A Sequel to "The Great Illusion,", The
Categories: Books, Open Access Books Tags: 1914-1918, 1918-1945, Economic history, Influence, World War
Air Service Boys Flying for Victory, Or, Bombing the Last German Stronghold
This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work. This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.
Army Boys in the French Trenches; Or, Hand to Hand Fighting with the Enemy
The Childrens' Story of the War, Volume 3 (of 10) / From the First Battle of Ypres to the End of the Year 1914
Army Boys on the Firing Line; or, Holding Back the German Drive
Aeroplanes and Dirigibles of War
"Aeroplanes and Dirigibles of War" by Frederick Arthur Ambrose Talbot. Published by Good Press. Good Press publishes a wide range of titles that encompasses every genre. From well-known classics & literary fiction and non-fiction to forgotten?or yet undiscovered gems?of world literature, we issue the books that need to be read. Each Good Press edition has been meticulously edited and formatted to boost readability for all e-readers and devices. Our goal is to produce eBooks that are user-friendly and accessible to everyone in a high-quality digital format.
Air Service Boys Over the Enemy's Lines; Or, The German Spy's Secret
War Drawings by Muirhead Bone: A Stable on the Western Front
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500 of the Best Cockney War Stories
"500 of the Best Cockney War Stories" by Various. Published by Good Press. Good Press publishes a wide range of titles that encompasses every genre. From well-known classics & literary fiction and non-fiction to forgotten?or yet undiscovered gems?of world literature, we issue the books that need to be read. Each Good Press edition has been meticulously edited and formatted to boost readability for all e-readers and devices. Our goal is to produce eBooks that are user-friendly and accessible to everyone in a high-quality digital format.
The War and the Churches
The Children's Story of the War Volume 4 (of 10) / The Story of the Year 1915
War Dogs of the World War
The War and Democracy


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Coronavirus Bailouts Shouldn't Reward Investors And CEOs, Democrats Say
WASHINGTON ― As Congress begins working on a huge fiscal package to prop up the economy and soften the blow for people who are suffering from the coronavirus epidemic and its effects on their livelihoods, Democrats are demanding that any taxpayer bailout to major industries include restrictions on corporate bonuses and stock buybacks.
The issue of corporate accountability remains fresh in many lawmakers' minds. In 2009, amid the Great Recession, the insurance company American International Group (AIG) handed out millions in bonuses after receiving a bailout from the federal government. The move prompted widespread criticism from both parties on Capitol Hill and further soured the public on the idea of taxpayer-funded bailouts, especially to Wall Street.
To address the severe economic shock currently gripping the country, the Trump administration is working on an emergency stimulus proposal of at least $1 trillion that includes $50 billion in loans for the airline industry, which has been hit hard by the crisis. The package calls for an additional $150 billion in loans for unnamed "severely distressed sectors" of the economy. According to The Washington Post, those might include hotels, casinos, cruise lines, and the oil and gas industry. Other groups are also lining up for a lifeline, including restaurant chains, the nation's mayors, and nonprofit groups.
"Certainly, the hotel industry, the cruise ship industry, the airlines, those are all prime candidates, absolutely," Trump told reporters on Wednesday when asked about the administration's plans for targeted relief to businesses.
According to the Post, the administration's fiscal proposal for certain industries does include limits "on increases in executive compensation until repayment of the loans."
But Democrats are calling on the Treasury Department to go even further, urging them to set specific conditions — that will apply beyond the coronavirus crisis — on taxpayer funds that go to corporations.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), who recently dropped out of the 2020 presidential race, laid out what she called a "progressive litmus test" for the bailouts on Tuesday. The eight-point plan calls for companies who receive taxpayer funds to provide a $15 minimum wage, keep people on their payrolls, maintain collective bargaining agreements, and permanently ban stock buybacks, among other steps.
"Funds must come with strings attached to ensure that the money goes to maintain payroll, not to enrich shareholders or pay executive bonuses," Warren said in an op-ed this week. "Giant corporations that receive substantial loans from taxpayers should be required to set aside one or more board seats for a representative elected by the company's workers. Violations should trigger criminal penalties and clawbacks."
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), meanwhile, noted that many airline companies repurchased their own stocks to reward their investors when times were good.
"Let's not forget that the reason many airlines are so short on cash right now is that they have spent billions on stock buybacks ― money they had to send out when they should have been saving it for a rainy day, for their customers and workers," Schumer said in a floor speech on Wednesday. "That issue should be addressed."
Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) added on Twitter: "There is no straight-face justification to give no-strings-attached cash to an industry that had the chance to use massive profits and tax cuts to build a rainy day fund, but instead used the money to pad investor returns and executive pay."
Corporate stock buybacks skyrocketed after Trump signed the 2017 Republican tax cut into law. In fact, over the last five years, 50 of the largest U.S. corporations repurchased a staggering $1.1 trillion of their own stock, according to a Wednesday memo from the advocacy group Economic Liberties Project.
But Democrats aren't the only ones who are calling for conditions to bailouts for major industries that are severely affected by the economic crisis. Keith Anderson, co-founder of investment firm BlackRock, suggested in a letter to The New York Times this week that stock warrants should be attached to any loans given by the federal government, similar to what a private investor would require when bailing out a troubled company.
"The vast majority" of these entities, Anderson wrote, "have spent the last decade of unprecedented economic expansion buying back their outstanding shares — as Royal Caribbean Cruises and Delta and American Airlines have done — in an effort to increase their per-share earnings and their share prices."
"While I hope that the citizens of our country who are most in need and the small businesses that have no access to capital markets are in the front of the line for assistance, when it does come time to lend a hand to these public companies, any loan or bailout should also provide a reward to the citizens of our country who are lending them money," he added.
Posted in World NewsTagged Coronavirus, D, Elizabeth Warren
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List of Caldicot based letting agencies offering houses, flats, buy to let & commercial property rental services to landlords and tenants.
Local Letting Agents & Property Management, providing a professional personal service to landlords & tenants. All areas covered within Monmouthshire. Celtic Lettings only deal in Lettings so therefore able to provide a first class dedicated service for your property unlike Estate Agents whos core business is sales or mortgages.


Last year, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) updated its cybersecurity framework, an industry-best outline for how to improve the security and resilience of your IT infrastructure. It's a complex document, so we put together this quick list of key takeaways.
2. This map will show you the cycle of cybersecurity decisions in regard to risk management and framework implementation.
3. How can you implement your cybersecurity framework? Here's a checklist.
4. Conduct a cybersecurity maturity assessment.
What are the three best ways to assess your cybersecurity maturity, according to Lume CIO Peter Capelli?
5. Let's talk about it.
Are you a novice who needs hands-on assistance managing your cybersecurity framework? Or a seasoned professional who wants to work with Lume? We'd love to hear from you. Contact us today!


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Silvio Napoli appointed as Chairman of Swiss AmCham
Silvio Napoli appointed as Chairman of the Swiss-American Chamber of Commerce
Schindler Chairman of the Board of Directors, Silvio Napoli, has been appointed as Chairman and President of the Board of Directors of the Swiss-American Chamber of Commerce (Swiss AmCham) for an initial one-year-term by the Swiss AmCham at its AGM on June 24.
"I'm honored to be able to contribute to the continued success of this important organization", commented Silvio Napoli on his appointment. "The U.S. is among Switzerland's most important trading partners. Working jointly with outstanding individuals is a fantastic opportunity to further foster Swiss-American relations and, in turn, the Swiss economy", he continued.
Silvio Napoli succeeds Sergio P. Ermotti, CEO UBS Group, who stepped down after completing the maximum tenure of three one-year terms stipulated by Swiss AmCham's by-laws. Martin Naville continues to serve as CEO of Swiss AmCham.
Swiss AmCham is the largest Swiss business association for international companies facilitating strong business relations between Switzerland and the U.S. It also promotes Switzerland as an ideal business location for internationally active companies based in Switzerland, irrespective of origin or size.


New fireplace surround and cabinetry to match new cherry kitchen.
2-tone cabinetry with steel beam feature.
Attaching an outdoor structure to the house would have shaded the east-facing kitchen and family room too much. This detached structure leveled the sloping yard by raising the south end approximately 3 feet. Each of the 4 columns are buried in 4 feet of subterranean concrete footings.
Converted bathroom in existing footprint, by improving storage, function and visual appeal. Horizontal grain with Quartzite stone, travertine and white textured mosaic surfaces. Ceiling, vanity, floor and niche lighting shown here. Tub step lighting switched with niche towel warmer light.
Personality and functionality ooze from this bright and cheery 1-cook kitchen.
Our goal is to develop each remodeling project as if it were its own stage production.
We offer a unique approach to Design/Build remodeling that focuses on the process required to develop a script. Performance is enhanced by ensuring the entire cast and crew are selected before work begins.
"Our mission is to turn apprehension into advocacy through performance.
Our currency is our reputation.
This is why it is so important to establish realistic expectations and then maintain them through a process-driven project management system.
Each crew member is accountable to standards of our key traits: Professionalism, Integrity, Creativity and Trust.
Founder Michael Tenhulzen has spent his entire professional career improving and refining the Design/Build remodeling process. Selecting, training and empowering key people to grow their potential has proven the core success to developing a customer-centric culture.
Innovation and change are inherent in the planning process, resulting in both on-stage and behind the scenes improvements. A core strength is a strong sense of family values.
Additional history can be found in individual crew biographies.
We believe in supporting the local community rather than regional, national or international efforts. You'll never see or hear an advertisement from TR, because our budget is allocated to our selected non-profit organizations. Because of this distinction, TR enjoys a long history of community service.
Our company is positioned as one of the best bellevue remodeling contractors. As a home remodeler, we focus on kitchen remodeling, bathroom remodeling, outdoor living spaces, and other home improvements requiring interior design process.
Our crew has a responsibility to create an environment of realistic expectations, trust and quality workmanship. Our commitment is to continuously improve our communication, opportunities and execution.
Our number one objective is to craft and deliver superior quality in everything we build.
Providing personal information is voluntary. Information is collected when you register on our website, fill out a form, and subscribe to our newsletter.
When submitting informationvon our website, you may be asked to enter your: name, email address, billing address, mailing address, credit card number, and phone number. Information collected automatically includes: your IP address, domain name of your Internet service provider, website pages visited, and the time of your visits.
We will not sell, rent, trade or otherwise share or disclose your private personally identifiable information to third-parties.


A bumpy path leads to the hidden Urban Oasis on the Malzfabrik. A calming silence has now set in, where everything is usually sprouting and blooming during the summer.
Layers of snow on upcycling furniture turn it into an idyllic winter wonderland. The right place for those seeking a chilly moment of rest among the busy daily action.
As soon as the temperatures rise, the oasis will gladly welcome helping hands again. This is a location to live out your creativity and built seating and artwork from all kind of materials or plant small herb gardens and just unwind.
More information on the Urban Oasis here>>.


In 2007, $1.7 billion was spent on weight loss or diet pills, according to research from Nutrition Business Journal, appearing in Newsweek magazine. That's a lot of money. Some appetite suppressants are on the market as dietary supplements, which are not regulated by any governing body, and can be purchased over-the-counter. Other appetite suppressants must be prescribed by a medical provider. They require a prescription and are approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, or FDA, but should be used with extreme caution and close monitoring by your doctor, says WIN, the Weight Control Information Network.
Here's something you might want to consider if you're using these appetite suppressants.
According to PubMed Health, phentermine, whose brand names are Adipex-P and Lonamin, is one of the two most commonly prescribed appetite suppressants. It is prescribed as a single daily dose—if taking the extended release–or before each meal, and they say it should be taken with food. The recommendation is to use phentermine for three to six weeks, as it can be habit forming, states PubMed. Mild side effects include constipation, dry mouth, diarrhea, vomiting and altered taste, cites PubMed. However, it is the severe side effects that must be reported to your doctor immediately such as increased heart rate and blood pressure, shortness of breath, dizziness, swelling in your legs and ankles, tremors and chest pains, states PubMed. Just remember that anytime you take any kind of drug you'll be dealing with side effects, and some of these can be deadly.
Phendimetrazine, whose brand names include Adipost, Bontrol, Obezine, Anorex, Plegine and Appcon, is taken two or three times per day before meals. Like phentermine, it should only be taken for three to six weeks and discontinued when it is no longer having an appetite suppressant effect, according to the National Library of Medicine, or NLM. Phendimetrazine has properties similar to amphetimines, which are highly addictive, and can lead to dependence, insomnia, irritability, increased heart rate and psychosis.
Lorcaserin hydrocloride, sold under the brand name Belviq, controls your appetite by affecting the level of serotonin in your brain. Serotonin interacts with your brain cells, and this serotonin signaling regulates your appetite. By regulating your serotonin levels, Belviq affects your appetite. However, it also comes with serious health risks, including serotonin syndrome — a serious health risk characterized by high levels of serotonin in the brain — as well as less serious side effects, including dizziness and headaches.
West Coast Metabolic Drops proprietary formula provides support for craving control, and appetite suppression and can be taken anytime of day to curb cravings and hunger… naturally!


How to Survive Your First Week in Poland?
Moving to a new country might be pretty stressful, especially when you have no idea what to expect from it. We will give you few hints on how to survive those first days in Warsaw when there is nobody to show you around.
We advise you to see some cheesy spots in the first place so you wouldn't feel lost or alone in some boonies. Let's start with basics, best place to hang out at the beginning is for example The Old Town district which is flooded with variable restaurants or pubs. Although most of the places offer expensive treats, you can find beer below 7 pln at pub "Same Fusy" or "Cafe Marcinek".
As well, in the warmer season you can enjoy pubs & clubs by the Vistula river. More info about it you can find here.
If you are very tight on a budget, you should read this article.
But if you would like to eat 3 course dinner in a restaurant for a very reasonable price of 20 – 25 pln, you should check out restaurants on lunch map of Warsaw. Beware that this option is available mostly from 12.00 – 16.00 o'clock.
Yes, we know it is difficult but nothing is impossible. But the simple vocabulary can be useful since many polish people don't speak english.
It can get pretty pricey to come without any booking and stay at random hotel, that's why we advise you to make a reservation ahead.
Exploring the city by yourself might be pretty boring so if you don't have a roommate try meeting someone on student events. We also invite you to take part in Pepe Housing meetings for students about which you can get updates here.