Small Business Owner Calls Council Member's Wife as a Witness to Court

Lenet Pacheco aka Lisa and Alicia Pacheco,
Wife of Ricardo Pacheco,
Board Member of Valley Water District

Local small business owner and activist, Greg Tuttle sought a court clerk order against Baldwin Park's Council Member Ricardo Pacheco's wife, Lenet Pacheco, the board member of the Valley County Water District to appear as a witness in court today. (Incestuous town, as I said - where the wife of the City Council Member also is elected on the water board.) According to Mr. Luna, she was upset at receiving the papers. Lenet chased him down and took photos of his car's license plate. (Here's a thought, how do these people have access to run our license plate numbers? Is that legal?)

In any event, Lenet Pacheco claims in her declaration that she  needed a restraining order against Tuttle because she is "intimidated" and "harassed" and "violated." She feels this way because, at City Council meetings, Mr. Tuttle claims that Ricardo Pacheco will be going to jail for taking bribes. (I hope Mr. Pacheco does go to jail for such things.)

But because the whole TRO is based on thin allegations, Tuttle decided to bring her to court to question her on what makes her so feel so harassed and violated. One thing she states, is that she alleges she feels this way because he "glares" at Pacheco.

I've decided to be the attorney on the case because I've been through this too and felt so violated. Baldwin Park's Mayor, Manuel Lozano, attempted to tarnish my reputation and to shut me up by also filing a frivolous TRO against me. In doing so, the Mayor wasted Baldwin Park's money (our money) on legal fees.

Now, Ricardo Pacheco, a council member, has actually done the same thing again to a small business owner - who probably owns one of the only small, successful businesses in Baldwin Park. (That's a miracle in itself in this economic wasteland of a City.)

According to the TRO, Tuttle can't even email Pacheco about his complaints about the city. Under the First Amendment, however, public officials have no cause of action because they don't like receiving criticizing emails from citizens. The heart of the First Amendment comes from our right to complain to those in power.

In January of this year, the City lost $67,500 for arresting and jailing and strip searching me for leafleting at the park. You would think by now the Council Members would learn that people have the right to speak and tell the truth. But not here.

In fact, Pacheco is asking the City Attorney to draft decorum rules - so that people can't criticize them openly during public comments period. Maybe, Pacheco and the City Attorney and Lenet need to read a case called California v. Cohen, which held that government officials can't throw someone out of the courtroom for having F*** the Draft on his jacket. Distasteful, yes; illegal, no.

Speaking of America, those in the city have questioned Lenet's citizenship. Some have even alleged that she may not be a naturalized citizen. Perhaps these rumors arise because of her slowness in understanding English and speaking in English.

Nonetheless, other pieces of circumstantial evidence validate the claim. I found this mugshot photo of her below. Also, she goes by the aliases of Alicia Pacheco and Lisa Ann and Lisa-Anne and probably a lot more. She was charged with falsifying identification. I'm finding all these people were liars in their past, and guess what: they're all liars now. (Journalism would say not to call them liars, but you know what: a liar is a liar is a liar is a liar - and we shouldn't be afraid to point that out.)

And because I'm so disgusted with how the Baldwin Park elected officials are behaving, it's my calling to defend this case and our right to speak freely; so, I'm defending it for free. We the people have the right to tell our elected officials (even when they defraud the vote) that we don't like the job they're doing.

Thomas Paine, the author of Common Sense (the treatise that sparked the American Revolution) was right: "Government, even in its best state, is but a necessary evil; in its worst state an intolerable one". Here, in Baldwin Park, the elected officials and directors have burdened our lives, crippling our existence. The illegitimate Mayor and Council Members are constantly trying to shut us up because they hate hearing the truth. And I'm constantly finding ways to thwart them. We've entered into the age, where the battle is for our right to tell and hear the truth.

I just want to remind my audience, this is all happening in a city that's not only the United States, but a city in the County of Los Angeles in the Golden State of California. I mean - we're not in North Korea, here people.

That's why the Scriptures tell us: "[L]ook out for one another's interests, not just for your own". What it means, is that when someone needs your help - give it - and stop thinking about what it costs you. That's what it means to be in a community.

Thus, to make sure America stays America, we the citizens have no other choice but to do what our forefathers did over 250 years ago and fight back against those who threaten to take away our rights to live and speak freely.

The Real Lenet Pacheco:
aka Alicia Pacheco and aka Lisa Pacheco
(Photoshop goes a long way.)

Baldwin Park Council Member Ricardo Pacheco Files a Temporary Restraining Order Against Local Citizen

Mugshot of Baldwin Park
Council Member Ricardo Pacheco

On Feb. 24, 2016, Baldwin Park Council Member, Ricardo Pacheco, filed a temporary restraining order (TRO) on local business owner, Gregory Tuttle. According to Pacheco's complaint - he was in fear of his life. The TRO orders Tuttle to stay away from the Council Member.

Greg Tuttle's stay at the Santa Barbara Fess Parker Hotel triggered Pacheco and the other council members to vote to spend city funds to hire an attorney to secure a personal TRO for Pacheco, until the permanent restraining order hearing on March 15, 2016.

Although Pacheco claims that Tuttle was stalking him at Santa Barbara, Tuttle states that he witnessed the council members and mayor staying at a fancy hotel. The council members were caught eating at fancy restaurants and wining and dining with vendors - who he believes were influencing the vote of the council members. Tuttle also discovered that Pacheco's family members were staying at the Santa Barbara hotel and wonders if the City was paying for the little family vacation.

At the hotel, however, Pacheco began filming Tuttle without his permission. He then asked Council Member Raquel Garcia to question why he was at the hotel. Because Tuttle didn't appreciate the intrusion into his affairs, he mailed a cease and desist letter to the Council Members and Mayor to leave him alone on his personal time. Two weeks later, a vote was taken to file a TRO against Tuttle.

What makes Pacheco's filing of the TRO suspicious, is that Tuttle was not served with an original complaint. Generally speaking, in the court of law, a court doesn't issue an order, until it hears both sides of the story. But here, Pacheco claimed that he was in fear of his life; therefore, he didn't have to serve Tuttle. Tuttle believes he was not served because the allegations against him were false, and that Pacheco didn't want him disputing his account of the story.

The filing of frivolous TROs is a common pattern amongst the council members and Mayor of Baldwin Park. Baldwin Park Mayor Files Frivolous Temporary Restraining Order Against Me In that case, I had to defeat the Mayor and his attorney, to teach them a lesson that public officials have to respect the First Amendment. It appears here, that Pacheco hasn't learned that concept yet. (Yours truly, also told the California Supreme Court to review the issue - so that those in power would stop filing frivolous TROs.)

When Tuttle was questioned about the TRO, he stated, "Pacheco is doing this against me to stop me from exposing his corruption. I'm not going to side with him in making illegal contract deals, like with his oil filter scandal, and I'm not going to give him a bribe. This is what he does when he doesn't get his way."

When asked how he felt about the whole thing, Tuttle said, "It's a sad day, when politicians have to stoop so low, just to prevent people like us from exposing their corruption."

Do What's Fun - My Career Advice

Art by Henryka Citra - Destination: Imagination

This article is on career advice. I don't know why people are asking me because to be honest, I have one of the most insecure jobs - without steady income. I don't even hide the fact that I still live with my family - one mother, one kitty, and three hens.

But, last week. I've had a number of people I caught up with asking me for career advice. I should've told them - find someone else to ask advice from. But since they persisted in asking, here's what I told all of them.

Do what you love. Let me repeat it: Do what you love. Now, that seems so simple, but I'm meeting all these people who are not doing what they love. One person asked me, how do I know what I love? (Well, that's a separate question for another day, and I even think I know that for myself. I do have some ideas.)

Here's why you need to do what you love. When you do what you love, it doesn't feel like work, and when it doesn't feel like work, you'll put more time into it naturally. You'll also be driven to want to do well. Over time, what happens is that you become better at it than everyone else, and that's when you become marketable. The problem is when you start, it's hard to make money. (Earning a living, while you doing something you love, is also another question.)

Last week, and last month, and last year, a number of people are asking me for favors to do this and that and other things. I decided this week, unless it is necessary, I'm no longer doing anything that's boring. In other words, I'm not doing anything that doesn't interest me.

Now, when you read my own internal rule of law, notice, I put in an exception. I will do things that are necessary - even if I don't enjoy it, such as paying the bills or cleaning up or taking out the trash. Those things are necessary. But if it's not necessary, hey, life is way, way too short to do things I don't enjoy.

For instance, I was watching Snatch, which is a British comedy film on stealing some big diamond. And I thoroughly loved Brad Pitt's performance as an Irish gypsy (he actually lives in a trailer park) that is an unknown bare fisted boxing champion, who only cares for another caravan (or trailer) for his mother. Reminds me of a lawyer who practices in the ghettos, who only wants to be happy with his family.

But halfway through the film, I thought, this is boring me. And instead of watching more of it, I told myself, life's too short to waste on this film. Now some may like the film, but I found it boring at one point. So, I did what I never did. I just stopped the film. Took out the DVD. And did something more interesting.

And the same with books. We have way too many books that chatter way too much. I picked one up the other day, and after the first chapter, I thought, Eh. I read the second chapter and thought: This is boring. So, I tossed it in the corner and stopped reading it. And it felt good to do that. So, instead, I went for a 6 mile run, and that made me feel better.

So, some of you might say, well I have to work, and I can't just not do things. I'd disagree. But, fine. On your free time, make sure you only do what you love to do, unless it's necessary. That was my career advice to everyone last week.

Hope that helps. 

On Community - Letter to my Boxers

Favela in Rio, Brazil

To the Boxing Club,

It's that time again I wrote a letter. Recently, most of my posts have been legally related; so, it's time to write a letter of encouragement.

Oh yesterday, I went into the ring with a heavier guy. It was just two rounds of sparring. Since I haven't been in awhile, I was tense to start with but moved better with time. My boxing coach, in the corner, was telling me how to gain advantage by taking space.

Did I mention my opponent was heavier? I didn't get hit a lot, but I certainly felt it when I did. 

I kept hitting my opponent near the stomach, but because he was heavier, it didn't look like it had much of an effect. But I remember what one of my coaches once told me, "All those small punches sting and add up."

At the end of the match, I did end up getting a strong, hook on the guy's head. He shook his head. Looked like it hurt.

Regarding boxing and boxers, let me also, tell you what happened this week. I had dinner with one of our boxers - which I had a falling out with awhile back. We ate at a Japanese ramen place called Shin-Sen-Gumi. The place reminds me of some of joints in Tokyo I ate at, except there's more space.

We ordered ramen noodles, which is cooked in pork broth - which takes the restaurant at least eight hours to make. The noodles are freshly made, and one of my favorite foods is freshly made noodles, regardless if its Italian or Asian ones. Nothing beats homemade noodles. Dry pasta can't compare.

I have to admit, it was nice making amends again. While we were there, however, they told me not to wish one of the other boxers a happy birthday because of the attention it would draw. 

But if you know me by now, I sometimes just sort of do what I like. So, I told the staff it was his birthday, and they brought ice cream with a candle in it, which was surrounded by clouds of whip cream. The whole restaurant sang happy birthday, and birthday boy looked happy. And I was happy, seeing him happy.

So, the time to rebuild community has started. One of the three of you, has come back. And that's really made me happy too.

The whole incident reminded me of several verses in scripture. Those verses state: "Let us be concerned for one another, to help one another to show love and to do good. Let us not give up the habit of meeting together, as some are doing. Instead, let us encourage one another all the more . . ." (Heb. 10:24-25)

In short, the verses mean that we're not to only think of ourselves and our needs but to think of others too and to show that others are important in our lives and "to do good" for them (instead of thinking of and taking advantage of people). Not only should we meet, but we must encourage one another. 

Growing up with Korean tiger parents, encouragement with words doesn't coming naturally to me. And I think the English word for encouragement isn't necessarily what it meant when the piece of scripture was written. 

The Book of Hebrews was written in the ancient Greek. The Greek word for encouragement is paraklésis. So, let's break that down. It's two words there combined into one. The first word is para; the second one is klésis.

Para is the same word as the modern English prefix of para, such as in paranormal. Para means besides or near. Klésis means summon or calling. Hence, the literal translation of paraklésis means to be summoned besides [the person]. 

In other words, to encourage someone, means you are called to be beside that person. So, that calling is driven by two forces: the person that is calling you and you. And because it's a calling, it means that the need and what is required is highly contextual to the individual and you. Therefore, the way encouragement plays out changes with every situation. Therefore, it's not one size fit all. The same words are not needed by everyone.

Another way to put it, is that people are called to encourage in different ways. Some are good at giving. Some are good at encouraging with words. Some are good at just being there. But in general, the principle is that we are to take what we're already good at, and use it for the good of those who need it at the time. And that's not just a nice thing to do, it's a calling, a higher command.

My favorite translation of paraklésis is the "legal advocate" that's beside you. For me and other counselors, we should understand that the duty to counsel someone in need really is a calling, where we are held accountable by a higher power to "encourage" our client, and because of our encouragement, our client is stronger and a better person. And the person encouraged can answer in God's court with a clean conscience because of our encouragement. (Imagine a world - where lawyers actually understood their duty to be this. It'd be much better for the profession.)

Once again, not everyone is a legal counselor. But we are all designed to encourage. Even my cat Jeh Pan (Trial) understands this, and reminds my mother she's loved every morning. Believe me, it brings much joy and light to our house.

That's it for now. It's going to take time to rebuild a community lost. Hope to write to you more throughout the year.

Sincerely,

Paul

The Coming Fall of the American Empire and How the Russians Will Take Over

The Burning of Rome by Jan Styka

After writing my last piece, that identified why Rome Fell (An Explanation of Why the Roman Empire Fell), it made me realize how America is going to fall. I just thought through this this week and now bring it to you. Like Rome, the United States is being invaded by foreign powers, and foreign powers have been intending to invade.

To understand what's going on, I have to briefly summarize one historical phenomenon and two models. The phenomenon is how invaders take over weak empires. The first model is the Clausewitzian Triangle. The second model is the Butterfly Effect. Essentially, my thesis, is that the City of Baldwin Park has shown foreigners how to declare economic war on our governments.

Rome, like all empires, fall because the rulers become corrupt, and that in turn, leads to at some point to the weak rule of law. (I explained all this in my last article.) As mentioned in my last post, what happens next is that the barbarians, which is another label for foreigners, know this and move in for the taking. I figured out why the rule of law actually causes foreign invasion; so, let me explain.

How does the weak rule of law encourage the foreigners to invade? Well, let's start again with Rome. The last vestige of the Roman Empire was in Constantinople, now Istanbul. From approximately the 4th Century until the 15th Century, the Theodosian Walls protected the City from foreigner invaders. Imagine having massive, stone walls for 1,100 years to make you feel safe. So, how did the Muslim Sultan, Mehmet II, break through the walls?

Well, he bought off the best weapons maker at the time - Orban - the Hungarian Cannon maker. Orban first went to Constantine XI with his services but Constantine XI couldn't pay him enough. So, Orban offered his services to the enemy, who paid him everything he wanted and gave him all the materials he needed. Orban built his massive super cannon, which took 60 oxen to carry. He brought it to the gates of the wall and blew it up, ending 1,100 years of invincibility.

How is it what happened a sign of corruption? Well, think about this. In our modern age, if you were the President of the United States, and a weapon maker told you he could build a nuclear bomb to explode an entire continent, would you let him to go to the enemy and work for him? Furthermore, patriotism must have been low for Orban, who couldn't care less with protecting Constantinople. So, down came the wall. (Incidentally, I was in Istanbul in the summer of 2015 and saw parts of this wall.)

A second example proves that the theme of corruption inviting invaders is commonplace in history. When I was in high school, I wrote my freshman thesis on Ghengis Khan - which is probably something I wouldn't be proud of publishing now. (Incidentally, my mother likes to tell my brother and I that we're from the Khan bloodline and General Yi bloodline - but people say all kinds of things.) But, here's what I remember about the thesis. The Emperor Warlord conquered the Chinese Jin Dynasty easily. Emperor Jin, like Constantinople XI, had faith that his Great Wall would protect him. (Yes, same wall tourists go see today; I've been there too, really overrated and dirty.) And Khan walked through the Great Wall without any problem. His invading army passed right through to take over China.

How'd this happen? Well, from memory, Khan said, "It's not the gate that protects the people, but the sentries." (I knew the quote was important when I was 14, but didn't know it'd make sense 18 years later.) Khan bribed the soldiers guarding the gates, and they let his army in, avoiding the high expense and energy of breaking down the wall. Khan knew the sentries were corruptible. And he took advantage of it to plunder China.

Now, we're going to shift to another principle of war. According to Clausewitz, the three players of war, within a nation, are always the same. War is comprised amongst, the politicians, the army, and the people. This model is now known as the Clausewitizean Triangle. So, according to the triangle, the politicians are the representatives of the people, who declare war against other nations. Armies fight opposing armies. And the people win or suffer. Also, the people are the ones who vest power into the politicians, even when the politicians is a dictator or king. I'm not going to go into the history of the entire triangle, there's a book called the Utility of Force that does that, but I will summarize it's role in modern Western history.

Before the American Civil War, war was generally confined to armies battling armies. After World War II, militaries were banned from attacking civilians with the Laws of War, enacted in Geneva. So, why? Well, it was Lincoln's General Sherman and Sheridan who figured out that if they brought war to the people, in the South, that the people would become miserable and suffer, and tell their politicians to surrender. Lincoln broke away from Napoleonic Warfare, and decided to bring the military into the civilian realm, which he knew would end his war faster.

So, Sherman and Sheridan employed scorched earth warfare against Southern civilians, by taking over their homes, robbing their wealth, eating their food, and destroying all civilian infrastructure. Southerns described the approaching Union Army as a swarm of locusts, devouring everything in its way.

World War I and World War II carried out this type of warfare, but the climax of World War II prohibited warfare against civilians. After the Americans dropped the atomic bomb at Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan, which was the ultimate display of bringing war to civilians, the politicians realized that mankind had finally reached a stage in history where it was capable of total devastation and destruction. In other words, total nuclear warfare showed us we were all faced with the threat of extinction against humans and their civilizations.

So, the laws of war, were enacted in Geneva, Switzerland, and banned scorched earth warfare. Hence, the reason, that the war between the United States and the Soviets changed into a "cold" war, and not a hot one with nukes. When players are reasonable, all players realize that there's no loot to be gained by the total destruction of both sides. It's the principle that drove the cold war. But the cold war's not over, as you'll see later in this article.

Now, the last principle you need to understand to see how Baldwin Park invited Russian (and potentially Chinese) invasion is the Butterfly Effect. The Butterfly Effect says that small changes in one area can impact large changes in other areas. So, a butterfly flapping its wings in Mexico has been proven to cause a tornado elsewhere.

Now that you have a background in history, military science, and physical science, you can see how America can and will fall, unless something is done. The corruption in the City of Baldwin Park has provided the Russians with the business plan to invade the United States.

Here's how I figured it out. Over the past several months, I've noticed enormous number of readers from Russia, especially after I posted on the identity disorders of the public officials and administrators of the City of Baldwin Park. (Special Report on the Identity Disorder of Manny Carrillo)  For months, I couldn't figure out why Russia would be interested in my blog. Now, I realized that Baldwin Park has shown them what to do.

Regarding Baldwin Park, it looks like some Texas Criminal Syndicate put its own criminals in charge of this city by creating new identities for them, cheating the vote by mail votes, and then putting people in their syndicate in administrative positions. Once that was put into place, the criminal syndicate could launder taxpayer money back to itself. Really, the syndicate has to take the City's money from the bank account and get it back into the pockets of the Mayor, Council Members, and directors. This is the new business of mafia it appears. And while the American prosecutors wanted more proof when I told them all this, the Russians saw the truth and knew a business opportunity when they saw one.

Now, you can know the truth, and the truth will set you free. The real motto of the City of Baldwin Park is not the official one, which states it;s the hub of the San Gabriel Valley. The real motto is that "It [Baldwin Park or California] was Mexican land first."

I figured out the real motto after Carrillo fire the head boxing coach. Carrillo made the boxing club a hostile place for me. His message was that one had to be Mexican to be welcome. There were no other races in the gym or no diversity in the employment.

One of the managers, Michael Salas, even told me, "Hey, why not? It was our Mexican land first." I've thought about that statement over and over again - realizing that's the unofficial motto of this criminal syndicate, but why is it important.

Here's why. The logic goes like this. Since, it was Mexican land first, the Mayor and his men, have every right to steal back the resources from it. No wonder why the City installed a monument in 1993 that read, "This land was Mexican once . . . And will be again." (Article here: Baldwin Park installs controversial monument) Essentially, the message is, we may have lost the Mexican American War, but we'll steal back our land.

And as readers all over the world have been seeing, our justice system will do nothing to prosecute these players or hold them accountable. Essentially, the laws protecting those in public office and administrators act as invincible walls or laws. If the ancient world had invincible physical walls, our laws have created similar but invisible ones. But it's a double edge sword and here's why.

Now, the Russians are looking at this and realizing what they need to do next to win the phase of the Cold War. We're no longer in a hot war, as explained by the Clausewitizean Triangle above. Graham Alison, Harvard expert in national security, predicted doom and gloom with nuclear warfare. Alison, couldn't be more wrong. It's possible, but warfare appears no longer to be a hot war. It's still a cold war.

The reason Mr. Alison and others can't see what's happening is because they can't harmonize a vision with the past and future. Yes, history repeats itself in theme, motive, and results. But, it's never enacted the same way in the future because players and technology change. (What happened in China and Turkey 600-800 years ago is happening now, but it's not happening with swords, guns, and cannons. The game has turned into cold and underground warfare. Same theme. Different enactment.)

The reality is that the Russians are looking to take down the United States economically by robbing the taxpayer bank accounts. And after seeing what Baldwin Park has done, I estimate it'll take them 30 to 50 years to put their own people in place, cheat the votes, and arbitrage the taxpayer bank accounts. And if not them, the Chinese or other foreigners will do it because, as we know now, corruption invites foreigners. And once in power, they'll know that the laws are an invincible aegis for them. And they'll maintain power and control by bribing those in power, and the initial amount of funds to break in, will be treated like the starting cost of doing any kind of business.

So, now you could see how a small change in Baldwin Park has opened up Pandora's Box of educating foreign invaders, in Russia and China, across both the Pacific and Atlantic Ocean, on how to engage in economic war in the United States.

The solution is the same solution, which was the same solution for Constantine XI and Emperor Jing, whom both failed to implement it. Our system of administering and enforcing justice must be fair and efficient. Just because you're in office or work for government, is no excuse to escape accountability. That way, corruption won't weaken our defenses to the invaders.

And a good starting point would be to prosecute the Mayor, the Council Members, and the Directors of Baldwin Park - while the City of Baldwin Park is on the world's center stage, for all to watch. If the court system could hold public officials and their agents accountable, it'd add the check and balance needed to stop these players from laundering all this money - making it unprofitable to engage in economic arbitrage of our local and national government agencies.

I end by stressing this verse once again: "When the king is concerned with justice, the nation will be strong, but when he is only concerned with money, he will ruin his country." (Proverbs 29:4) I rest my case.

The Heart of My Activism: An Explanation of Why the Roman Empire Fell

Drawing of Solomon Ordering the Cutting of the Baby

Yesterday, I received an anonymous criticism that I shouldn't attack the City Attorney, Robert N-Tafoya so much on my blog because even though he may be behaving un-meritoriously, I'm making lawyers look bad everywhere. The criticizer was sophisticated because he (or she) took into consideration that he already knew I wanted the public to know what was happening amongst lawyers, but he failed to provide a reason as to why lawyers like Tafoya should be protected. Here's my rebuttal.

To understand why I do what I do, I want to explore the topic of why the Roman Empire really fell. In the last few years, I've been more interested in the subject.

As an undergraduate, I took a class with the renowned classics scholar - Mortimer Chambers - who told us that the empire fell because of what Edward Gibbon said - the empire became so big, it couldn't sustain itself. I've concluded, recently, I don't believe that explanation is sufficient.

First, the fall of the Roman Empire is important for anyone in politics and government to understand. According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the Roman Empire was the most enduring empire in all of human history. The Empire was birthed in 27 BC, when Octavian overthrew the Roman Republic and made himself Emperor Augustus. The Empire died with the fall of Constantinople, now known as Istanbul, in 1453 AD. That's almost 1,500 years of endurance. In comparison, America has been in existence for 239 and a half years, just 16 percent of the age of the Roman Empire. Again, in comparison, America is just a teenager compared to Rome.

But why did such a glorious and prosperous nation fall? Many scholars have taken a stab at the question, and without any real consensus, it's generally agreed upon that Edward Gibbon's theory of the fall is the correct one: The empire fell because the empire became so big and great, it couldn't sustain itself. Gibbon wrote:

"The decline of Rome was the natural and inevitable effect of immoderate greatness. Prosperity ripened the principle of decay; the cause of the destruction multiplied with the extent of conquest; and, as soon as time or accident and removed the artificial supports, the stupendous fabric yielded to the pressure of its own weight."

In other words, the Empire fell because it was like a bacteria that grew so large, the energy it consumed was greater than the amount of food it could intake, and without dividing, the bacteria dies. Well, Gibbon only gives a partial explanation.

Other explanations have pinned the blame on Christians - whose religious doctrine destroyed the fabric of the pagan society; the tolerance of homosexuality; the collapse of law, and the rise of Barbarian invaders. (By the way, I'm not an expert on Gibbon's multivolume treatise on the Roman Empire, but I've ordered the abridged copy to refresh my memory; it's been ages since I was an undergraduate and studied this topic.)

The real reason that the Roman Empire collapsed is the same reason all empires collapse: the rulers of the empire become corrupt, think of only themselves, steal from the people and neglect administering justice. If we look in the Hebrew Book of Wisdom, authored by King Solomon, anonymous wisemen, the men of Hezekiah, and Agur, Proverbs, chapter 29 gives the clearest indication as to why nations crumble. It says, "When the king is concerned with justice, the nation will be strong, but when he is only concerned with money, he will ruin his country." In other words, when our rulers are greedy, are country becomes ruined. But when, they care about justice, the nation becomes strong.

So, the fall of empires is the same story over and over again. The people who rule, become greedy and take too much from the people and the resources of its nation. As Gibbon noted, the administration of justice collapses before a nation falls. So - really what tends to happen - is that the people in charge have only one thing in mind: how to take from us to become richer and more powerful. And as Jesus said, "No servant can have two masters." Meaning, the ruler can't both be focused on getting fatter and richer, while serving his nation and its people at the same time. In short, the rulers are focused on themselves instead of doing what's right. And when they are focused on themselves, the first thing to go will be the administration of justice with our court systems.

Therefore, when rulers only focus on themselves, a chain reaction ignites. The courts of law fail. The people become upset. The surrounding nations know that the corrupt nation is becoming weaker and ripe for the taking. The rulers then deceive the masses into thinking everything is fine and focus their attention on the "circus" (the Roman Coliseum then, and Super Bowl Sunday now) and give them bread (social security, food stamps, and welfare) and direct their attention to controversial and collateral matters (ISIS and Putin).

Historic examples prove this thesis correct. Take a look at the Babylonian Empire. The night the Babylonian Emperor was killed by the Persian King, the Babylonian Emperor was drinking, feasting, and most likely having an orgy. (Daniel 5). I mean how ignorant can you be that you're partying, when the invaders are right at your door.

Also, look at Constantine the Great, the allegedly "First Christian Emperor." Really Constantine the Great converted to Christianity not for the purposes of the faith, but for purposes of confiscating the property of the pagans. (Martin Armstrong brought this to my attention.) What ensued after was a rebellion that divided Rome. And you see this religious conversion trick rulers play to take property over and over again too - like when Henry VIII became the Defender of the Church of England to confiscate the property of the Catholic Church. Again, rebellion follows his daughter, Queen Elizabeth with her cousin, Mary Queen of Scots.

So, Gibbon is right, in the sense that an empire falls when it becomes too big. What he really means to say, is that there either there are too many people in the ruling class to feed, or the ruling class wants too much from its population. There comes a tipping point, when it's no longer sustainable: meaning that the rulers are taking too much from the people, and the people don't have enough to live. Instead of going on a diet, the ruling class, then, attacks its own people, which triggers a chain reaction of problems, making the nation vulnerable to outside forces.

So - what does this have to do with the courts of law, Los Angeles, the City of Baldwin Park, and the City Attorney? The Mayor and Council Members of the City are just taking too much from the residents of Baldwin Park. For example, look at when they confiscated millions of dollars worth of cars, under the pre-text that Mexicans are dangerous drivers. The City's system of justice is corroding, with the tactics of the City Attorney. The only hope for a common person is to find a lawyer and then petition the courts for help.

But even there, my view, is that the entire court system, at least in state court, is unbearable for the one seeking justice. Anyone following my blog can see why. So far - the courts have done nothing to punish the City for misrepresenting my signature in court or making misrepresentations of facts and law, even after the City was impeached on record for all their misconduct. The court failed to sanction the City for filing meritless motions against my cases.

The court also said I had no cause of action against a mayor, who tried to destroy my reputation and chill my right to free speech by filing a frivolous temporary temporary restraining order. The same court, in another case I had, said my client and I, had no cause of action against an attorney, who dropped my client, then filed a lien on our case after we obtained a settlement. And on top of all that, I've obtained three court orders against the City - and the courts won't punish the City for defying those orders.

I'm concerned. And you should be too with our rule of law.

And I can see why the lawyers are upset I write about this because they're afraid its going to slash their profits. A friend in the last few weeks was sued in a lawsuit, in which she never even met the client suing her. She asked me, "Paul, how could the [New Jersey] courts even allow such a case to go forward?" I had to explain that frivolous motions aren't sanctioned in courts because big law firms (usually defense ones) make money from the clients filing them, and the big law firms have a lot of influence with the legislature and the courts. She couldn't believe it and was appalled. (For me, I've accepted it over these two and a half years, that this is our system.) In the short term, the lawyers can make money, but at the expense of administering justice for those who merit it. Ultimately, the people suffer.

This phenomenon of slow and unworkable court systems is not new in our Western World. The King's Court in England, in the Third Century, punished liars in court with the punishment of wer. Taken from Scandinavian (Barbarian) Law, wer was when the judge cut off a liar's tongue in court or had the liar pay a large sum of money to keep one's tongue. It wasn't until 1066 AD, when the French invaded, that courts abolished wer (nobody ever said the French were warriors) and abolished sanctions or imposed lesser monetary sanctions for abusing processes in court. But because lawyers could game the system more, the entire court system collapsed somewhere around 1300 AD because cases weren't being prosecuted and the entire process became overbearing for the courts. As a result, sanctions for court misconduct had to be instituted once again. Now, in historical spectrum of legal evolution and deterioration, where do you think the American courts line up?

That's why I write about all this. I truly believe, unless the heart of justice improves, we're doomed to face the same kind of ends that other empires met. Courts need to do more to discourage lying, cheating, and stealing in court - to preserve the administration of justice. Otherwise, it's rewarding those who lie, cheat, and steal, at the cost of those who tell the truth and follow the rules.

The optometrists say I have better than twenty-twenty vision. Now, if you were me, and you could see, from a far distance that the City was a train, heading straight at its citizens, wouldn't you try to do something? And, believe me: I'm trying - with lawsuits, muckraking, and everything else I could throw to get that train off course or to stop it.

In the context of history, I'm just one small lawyer, in a sliver of time, trying to change one thing, for the endurance of our republic. Hence, I've calculated that the retaliation I face is a small price to pay to achieve that end. Can it be achieved?

In 2016, the United States of America is a country known for its great technology. Look at our iPhone, iPads, Tesla cars, and the other great technological innovations we've been inventing. But what's more important, what we need to endure, and what history needs to remember us for, is for having a heart that values justice and the efficient and fair administration of it.

Baldwin Park Council Members Eat Fine Steak: The Poor Pay Their Tab

Baldwin Park Public Officials, with Teri Muse
 HoldingBig, Fatty Waste Management Check

On Jan. 29, 2016, Council Member Ricardo Pacheco, and Council Member Raquel Garcia (aka Monica Garcia) were caught eating at one of the most expensive restaurants in Santa Barbara - Lucky's Steakhouse. They were caught ordering the top shelf steak and drinking fine wine. Lucky's Menu

The Council Members drove to Santa Barbara and stayed at the Double Tree Fess Parker, one of the most expensive, if not the most expensive hotel, in the area. It's $350 a night. That was directly on city money. In contrast, the residents of Baldwin Park make about $13,000 a year. One month at the Fess Parker buys the average resident a year of housing in Baldwin Park.

The purpose of their "city" business was to go to a conference. But in actuality, big business threw the conference to unduly influence their votes - to sell our city bit by bit.

A good example of this would be Waste Management contracts with the City. Coincidentally, also spotted at Lucky's Restaurant was Teri Muse, who is a representative of Waste Management and point person for Baldwin Park. It can be assumed that she picked up the tab, which was about $100 USD per person because the Mayor and Council Members don't want to be caught charging the city for it. But in actuality, we still pay for it. Here's how.

Like the old saying goes, there's no such thing as a free lunch, or free dinner in this case. If you remember back, the Legal Lens wrote about the $1 Million donation that came through from Waste Management to the City. Well, that was after the City awarded Waste Management, the exclusive contract, for ten years, without going out to bid, I might add. After getting the contract, Waste Management turns around and raises the waste rates on the citizens. This was a Legal Lens exclusive - that no newspaper wanted to cover and can be read here: The City of Baldwin Park Illegally Extends Waste Management Contract

Let's do some trend analysis here. The trend is that politicians want to live the lifestyles of the rich and famous, even though they're really poor and trashy. They don't want to get caught. So, they have to cover up the money trail. They do this through a corporate representative, in this case, Teri Muse from Waste Management. Irwindale, neighboring city of Baldwin Park, played the same game. The Irwindale Council Members spent a quarter of a million living the high roller life on Broadway, New York, by getting a consultant to cover the costs and later having the City reimburse that private consultant. (Read about it here: Where did the money go?) Here, with Baldwin Park, Waste Management unduly influences our politicians, and they raises the residents' trash rates so that it could make huge profits.

I'm writing this article because even though you may not live in Baldwin Park or care about it, this is what's happening everywhere in the United States. Wealthy corporations are buying the votes of our public officials, through the mechanisms outlined above. Just look into the Clinton Foundation, all the money it received, and the reason why Hillary refuses to release private emails or even had to resort to private emails. (Think about this: if she used federal email, it may be federal property, and she didn't want to get caught in her funny business, while she was Secretary of State; furthermore, the scheme of laundering massive amounts of money requires a non-profit, hence the need for her foundation.)

The solution to this problem is that there should not be an exclusive monopoly on government services, such as trash collection. If citizens could pick the trash service they wanted, the free market would come into play, and there would be competitive prices for the consumer, not forcing us to pay incredible rates for trash.

But the current system we have, gives our politicians a steak meal with wine. And, us in Baldwin Park, make an average of $13,000 a year. In response to our complaint at their disgusting behavior and abuse of power, I suppose the Mayor and Council Members are next going to tell us: "Let them eat rice and beans."

And to that, I tell them, "Get a real job."

What the Council Members Ate

City of Baldwin Park Refuses to Comply With Judicial Order to Release Records - For the Third Time

Cartoon drawn by Will Howells of London

On Jan. 26, 2016 the Los Angeles Superior Court for the third time, found that the City of Baldwin Park has violated the Public Records Act for withholding records. The City in its defense submitted a declaration by the CEO, Shannon Yauchtzee, that said they didn't have to release records because all records were already released. That's not a defense to the law.

Although the court found that Baldwin Park violated the court order for the second time, and the Public Records Act for the third time, it didn't go far enough to fine the City. The court stated that if Casas could prove that the City really did have the records it was claiming it didn't have, the court would fine the City. The court refused to do so, in the end, but did find that the City was in violation of the court order again. (This is becoming like the Hillary Clinton saga. It just goes to show you - when foxes are guarding the chicken coop, they aren't going to let the goods out.)

The records being withheld are tow records and bank statements, which would prove the money trail of what's happening with the money the city made from auctioning millions of dollars worth of cars and the rest of the money it collects in taxes.

Casas found it disappointing that the court didn't go far enough to enforce its order. Once again, the City is displaying its defiance for the law. Talks are being held as to what to do in going forward.