Television promotes sociopathic behavior

Each year, cable and the networks bring us new programs that try to make us think sociopaths are just lovable losers.  Take the new NBC sitcom, “Community.”  Joel McHale plays Jeff Winger,  a pompous liar and a cheat who winds up in a community college after it’s discovered that his law degree was a fake.  Where he should be is in jail. He’s only interested in manipulating people and exhibits several of the traits of a sociopath (psychopath).

Some other shows in which deceit and manipulation are passed off as ok?

• Psych (main character lies about his psychic abilities)
• Brothers and Sisters (brother steals, lies and cheats and the whole family turns out to enable him)

I’ll work more on this list, but just wanted to get it out there to spark some discussion.

Broken promises and lying

Children’s understanding of promising, lying, and false belief.

Full Abstract

Understanding promising and lying requires an understanding of intention and the ability to interpret mental states. The author examined (a) the extent to which 4- to 6-year-olds focus on the sincerity of the speaker’s intention when the 4-to 6-year-olds make judgments about promises and lies and (b) whether false-belief reasoning skills are related to understanding promising and lying. Participants watched videotaped stories and made promise and lie judgments from their own perspective and from the listener-character’s perspective. Children also completed false-belief reasoning tasks. Older children made more correct promise judgments from both perspectives. All children made correct lie judgments from the listener’s perspective. The author found that Ist-order false-belief reasoning was related to making judgments from the participant’s perspective; 2nd-order false-belief reasoning was related to making judgments from the listener-character’s perspective. Results suggest that children’s understanding of promising and lying moves from a focus on outcome toward a focus on the belief that each utterance is designed to create.

http://www.find-health-articles.com/rec_pub_18649495-children-s-understanding-promising-lying-false-belief.htm

There’s more?

Yes, there’s more.  There’s always more when you have a sociopath in your life.

This one’s only in my life because I stood up to him instead of walking away.  When I learned that (once again) he had been stealing from me, I called police.  He was arrested.  He lied.  The case was dismissed.

Since then, he has sued me in small claims court to get items back that were either not his or that he had abandoned.  I hired a lawyer and coutersued.  I gave the crap back.  I didn’t want it anyway, since it had been left at my house. When he didn;t show up at court, I dropped the countersuit.  I figured I’d take the high road. I ate the attorney’s fee.  I thought that would be the end of it.  It wasn’t.

To make a long story short, we’re going to be in court again.  He’s made allegations against me and another person. Vague, hazy allegations (lies).  He’s asked for a restraining order.  How funny!  I haven’t had any contact with him in nearly 2 years. He’s only doing this to try to tarnish my record.

Since I get to use everything I have to defend myself, we’ll bring out the laundry list of arrests and warrants.  We’ll show how he’s been a heel all of his adult life. We’ll bring up the child he’s never supported for 9 years.  We can talk about the judgement one state has against him for not paying taxes. We can show how he’s been in trouble everyplace he’s ever been.  He asked for it.  This time it’s in HIS back yard.  I’d like to invite the local media so they can watch.  They need to know what he his.

It’s not going to be easy

A few years ago I was told I had an incurable cancer that’s described as being “uniformly fatal.” In an early discussion I had with one of my doctors, I asked, “Am I going to get old?”  His answer was, “I think so, but it’s not going to be easy.”  As it turned out, cancer wasn’t the biggest problem I’d have.  It was my association with  a sociopath.

I should have known better than to trust this boy.  I call him that because, although he’s legally an adult, he behaves like a child. He’s a narcissist and a sociopath.  His life is a shambles, but he doesn’t know how to make it right or doesn’t care.  He seems to be motivated by money, fame and whatever rewards het gets from manipluationg people.

When things don’t go his way, i.e., someone stands up to him, he lashes out at that person. As long as you play his game, you’re safe. If you make any effort to expose him, you’ll probably be very sorry.  He has to win, and will destroy you to do it.

I can see how men like Scott Peterson decide they’re going to kill so they can “win.” They don’t know how to walk away.  They DO know how to RUN away when they think they’re going to lose their freedom. As long as they have a few supporters they’ve manipulated into believing in them, they dig in their heels and throw whatever they have at you.  Scott Peterson had his mother.  She gave him cash to help him try to flee to Mexico.

The sociopath/narcissist I know has his mother too. Maybe this is a common thread.  How many of these guys run to mommy at the first hint of something going wrong? How many of their mothers bail them out over and over? How many of them actually live with their mothers?

This person has stolen from me, lied to me, manipulated me, sued me and accused me of crimes.  All because of his need to win this imaginary battle he has with me.  All because I stood up for myself.  I did what all of his past victims should have done. I called the police when he committed a crime against me.  Would I do it again if I had it to do over?  I probably wouldn’t have. It wasn’t worth the trouble, and I can see now that nobody cares.  Not law enforcement.  Not the court system.  Heck, he was arrested in a state where there were already two active warrants, and they still released him on his word that he’d appear in court and $1000 bail!   He had violated probation there before, so they should have known his word wasn’t any good.

Since then, he’s been to other states, had more arrests, and moved on.  I’m defendng a civil action against me right now that he’s launched.  All lies, of course, but  that doesn’t matter to him. I’ve seen him lie in court.  I’ve seen him lie to his family and friends. He’s lied to law enforcement, the media and anyone else he talks to. I don’t think there’s anyone alive who knows the truth about him.

I spoke to a police officer in our city about all that was going on. He said that someone without a conscience has no problem destroying someone’s reputation and can do it in five minutes if he wants to.  He said that he likes to believe that good will prevail, eventually.

In the mean time, what can I do?

How to find criminal records

If you’re involved with a sociopath, the chances are pretty good there’s a history of arrests and possibly convictions.  Television crime shows lead us to believe there are computers that contain information about every criminal deed that everyone’s perpetrated. That’s not true.

A word about criminal records

An assistant district attorney in my county told me that sometimes they even have to pay for records from another jurisdiction. She said they might have a wanted criminal in jail for some minor charge and not be aware that he fled another state. She said that sometimes they don’t even know if the person has committed crimes in another county! There’s a terrible lack of sharing of information in this country where criminal records are concerned. This makes it possible for a sociopath to move from state to state, racking up arrests and charges. If he had committed all the crimes in one place, he’d probably be in jail as a habitual offender.  In our country, it’s not a big feat to evade prosecution.

One time I called the state police where the sociopath I know has several warrants.  I asked what needed to be done for him to be arrested and put in jail.  The officer laughed.  Yes, he laughed.  He said that unless the charges were serious, such as rape or murder, they wouldn’t seek extradition. The only way he was going to be arrested was if he returned to that state and turned himself in or was picked up again for drunk driving or something while in that state and the warrants were discovered.  Even so, at a time when he already had two warrants there, he was arrested, spent a night in jail and was released!

What I’m trying to say is that you shouldn’t get your hopes up if you do find a slew of arrests, convictions and even warrants. It means nothing in a society with a criminal justice system that’s already over burdened. Unless your sociopath has committed serious crimes, he’s probably going to remain free.

Why do you want to find records?

Why would you want to find criminal records? It does give you some sense of satisfaction to know that the sociopath has been arrested or spent time in jail. These records can also help you if you’ve found yourself in a place where family and friends have believed what the sociopath says and what he’s done to try to discredit you. Chances are pretty good that you don’t have a criminal record.  If he does, you may be able to regain the trust of family and friends he’s tried to alienate from you. Be prepared, however, for the possibility that they’ll believe him when he says you forged the records. You can even put them on the phone with someone at the clerk of court’s office and they still might think it’s an elaborate con on your part!

If you’re facing the sociopath in some sort of court situation, child custody, for example, criminal records might help you to show that he or she is unfit to be a parent.  In a civil action, it can help to establish that he or she is not credible. He or she might even lie about having priors, and these documents will prove otherwise. Don’t rely on the district attorney to do the legwork. In a criminal case, these priors could mean the difference between jail time and probation.

How to find records

Should you pay for those online criminal records searches that cost about 40 bucks? I say usually not.  It depends on how much you know about the person.  The one thing those searches can yield is a list of addresses the person has lived over the years, and you need to know that in order to find records. What’s alarming is that the sociopath I know has had more than 20 addresses in the last 20 years.  What does that say about him?

Let’s say you do know where the person has been living for the last several years.  You start by looking for municipal court records online in those towns.  Some cities have wonderful court records online, and they’re free. You’ll be able to use these to find out if the person has been involved in any civil or criminal cases, and there will be brief descriptions of the outcomes. If you need more information, you can call or visit the appropriate court to get copies of the records, if they still have them. In some cases, there’s nothing more than a list of charges and a disposition. Even if the charges were dismissed against an individual, there is still an arrest record.

You may go through the list of cities in which this individual has lived and find some records online for some of the locations. Others may not have online records. If you want to find anything in these places, you will have to go there, call or write to request a records search. Some courts will tell you everything you need to know over the telephone. Some will not, and it might even depend on the clerk you talk to that day.  Some will be surly and dismissive. Others will be helpful and sympathetic.

Make sure to check both municipal and county court records.  Large cities may span several counties, so you’ll need to call or search court records for each one.  What shocks me, is that some states purge records after a period of time. One state even clears out its DUIs, so someone could actually have a DUI arrest every 7 or so years and you wouldn’t be able to find them. Is it ok for a person to potentially have 4 or 5 DUIs by the time he reaches middle age and there not be a lasting record of it?  I don’t think so.  Data storage is cheap now.  Why don’t states hang onto the information?

You may decide to hire a private investigator.  If you find the right one, you’ll get lots of help. I have hired a few, and had one that went above and beyond the call of duty.  He even spoke to someone at the DA’s office in a major metropolitan area to find out why some felony charges had been “dead docketed.”

Private investigators are expensive. If you can do the work yourself, do it. If the individual you’re researching hasn’t moved around at all, and you’re still both in the same city, it’s just a matter of checking the area courts for records.

This will hopefully get you started.  If you encounter any problems or don’t know what to do next, I might be able to answer your questions.  You’re  a taxpayer who has a right to the information you’re seeking, and the clerks are employed because of taxes we pay.  Don’t be afraid to ask them for help.  Be friendly and patient so they’ll be more willing to help you.

Exposing a sociopath

The Internet makes it easy for one to lie about who he is, what he’s accomplished and where he’s been. It also makes it easy to expose someone who plays fast and loose with the truth.

If someone’s leaving a path of “broken hearts and empty wallets” in his or her wake, make it known to others. Help people avoid the suffering you’ve encountered.  Not many will heed your warnings, but there will be a few rescued. Sociopaths are good con men and can explain away almost anything to the satisfaction of someone whose heart and mind they control. I know of at least one woman who paid attention to my effort. There may be others who never bothered to contact me.

It’s especially useful if you can get access to criminal records.  These are all public records, unless the arrests or convictions took place before the individual was 18 (in the United States).

The truth is 100% defense against libel and slander.  Remember that.  Don’t say anything that can’t be proven as being the truth. Because the sociopath is someone who wants to “win,” you might find yourself in court if there’s any shred of non-truth to what you say. In my own case, everything I’ve said or written is backed up by court documents. Even though there have been indirect threats of legal action, it’s never happened.  And with good reason. It’s the truth and I can prove it.

I’m lucky, so-to-speak, because the sociopath who wreaked havoc in my life has an extensive arrest record. There are more than a few outstanding warrants. Any civil action against me would be a guarantee that EVERYTHING would come out.

If you can expose someone like this, do it.  Remember to tell the truth and use only FACTS that you can support. Research laws in your state that pertain to libel and slander (defamation) so you know what you can legally do.  If you have the resources, consult an attorney.

If your sociopath found you online, submit your story to Exposing Online Predators & Cyberpaths.

Off topic: Dreams

I had the weirdest dream last night. I only remember bits and pieces. Richard Simmons was in it. I was in an airport. I don’t know why! In the dream, my phone rang and the caller identified herself as, “Brandt, Nancy.” Do you ever have dreams in which people tell you their names?

Lying glamorized

I was watching TV a couple of nights ago.  I don’t remember what channel it was or what the ad was for, except that it was trying to sell some kind of alcoholic drink.  What stuck in my mind was that the ad revolved around a sociopathic attempt to get into a club.  The man in the ad lied, saying he was Burt Reynolds.  While the guy at the door scrutinized the fake card the liar gave him, the liar sneaked into the club. The ad tries to make us think lying and cheating is fun, exciting and traits we want to see in men.  It made me feel ill.  If anyone knows what company is using this ad, let me know.  I’ll write/call them to complain and encourage others to do the same.

I found out that the ad is for Jose Cuervo. There’s a lot of press about this ad, but nothing really helps us to understand why glorifying a liar should be part of an ad campaign.
http://www.prnewsonline.com/prnewswire/3431.html

What’s a sociopath responsible for?

Watching X at work, I’ve noticed that anything good that happens (to anyone he has any connection with) is his doing.  He steps right up to take his bows.

Anything bad? Forget it. Pass the blame.  It’s not his fault. If he can’t get or keep a job, it’s someone else’s fault. It’s not because his resume is packed with lies or he has a history of arrests and more than a few warrants out there.  It’s never, ever his fault and he will never take responsibility for his own life.

You may know people like this.  Beware of them.  Don’t trust them.

Lies, lies and more lies. And then some more lies.

X is a dumbass.  He must be on the low end of the intelligence spectrum as far as sociopaths are concerned.  He can’t stop himself from lying, so he constantly contradicts himself and can’t manage to keep his stories straight.  Sometimes there will be a common thread though.

For about a year, he’s been saying that our other brother is dead.  Last night he went so far as to say that he has his ashes there with him.  He once said the other brother is buried under the concrete floor of a warehouse.

My sister was so fed up with his crap that she called the police about it today. A deputy came to her house to take a report. We’ll see what happens. Our other brother hasn’t been heard from in 4 years.  Since X keeps claiming he’s dead, the police were interested. Way to go , X, you drunken, sociopathic dumbass. Keep on shooting your mouth off. You’ll end up in jail (again) yet.

Reputation

X has a terrible reputation among those who know him. A few of his former employers made remarks such as, “I couldn’t have felt more violated unless I was a woman.”  This was a man who as much as said he felt raped by X.  Another former employer said that he had very little to do with X anymore, since every time X came into his life it meant some kind of “drama.”  He laughed when someone asked if X had any interest in his property or business.  He said that it frequently gets back to them that X has been posing as an owner.  The truth is, X doesn’t own much of anything.  What he does own, someone has most likely given to him or he’s taken it.

The smear campaign remains in the background

X wrote to his father twice last week. In the first message, he pointed out to his father that his sisters and brother (with the exception of one sister) judged him and that he had never done that. He made some complimentary remarks to his father and asked him if they could talk. According to his father, he did not reply to the message.

The next day, X wrote again, in an unobscured attempt to smear me. His message was just a few sentences long. He told his father that I had been telling “everyone” that he (father) had been arrested for molesting students at a University.

10 times out of 10, when X says that someone is talking trash about someone, the origin of the slander is X himself.

Elections bring out the sociopaths

X was registered to vote in two states until I let the state in which he lived a few months during 2008 know about it. Even though he had moved away, he voted in the May primary in that state.  Again, we see evidence that the rules of society are of no consequence to him.

X is posing as a Republican this time. His former registration was unaffiliated, but he always used to identify himself as a Libertarian. In fact, he ran for public office once as a Libertarian. He didn’t manage to stay in the state long enough to  vote for himself. He left before the election was held.  That was in 2002. At that time he had two warrants for his arrest in another state.  He now has three.

Claiming to have a BS in Political Science from two universities, he shows a characteristic lack of interest in the political process, having cast just one ballot in a state in which he was registered to vote for 16 years. Of course registering to vote isn’t easy when you can’t apply for a driver’s license because yours is suspended and you have active warrants.

Let’s talk…

“from realtor to realtor,” she said.  She insisted, “the house MUST sell within 60 days.”

X’s girlfriend called a local realtor, posing as a realtor herself. He could hear X telling the girlfriend what to say in the background. The realtor explained that the house had been looked at numerous times, but needed lots of work and was not going to sell at the asking price.  Not any time soon. He’s not even her agent (he turned the listing down because he knew all about this family), so who can say why they called him?  If she was a realtor, why on earth did she need to call him anyway? Wouldn’t she know why the house isn’t selling?

X’s mother put her house on the market, asking the realtors not to tell her family.  She’s leaving and going to where she’s wanted. The first realtor turned down the listing.  The second one tried to sell it, but had problems with the occupant following potential buyers around, blabbing as they toured the home.  Due to some odors in the house, an ionizer was loaned to X’s mother in an attempt to eliminate the bad smell.

X’s mother decided to get another realtor after a few months.  She told the agent of the moment that she changed her mind and decided to rent the house to someone instead of selling it. Within a week, there was another for sale sign in the yard. Another realtor had been enlisted to sell the home at a higher price.

The other realtor reported that her ionizer has disappeared. The house is empty. X’s mother hasn’t bothered to say goodbye to her young grandchildren.

This is a small town.  There are no secrets here.

Video course

I’m signed up for a video boot camp.  I’ll be learning how to shoot and edit video, which is something I’ve only experimented with. There are some things that go a lot faster when someone shows you how to do it.  I’ll write more about it after I’ve completed it.

He was framed!

I volunteered to be interviewed for a national news web site which is going to be publishing an article on betryal and trust.  The writer has to present both sides to the story, so X’s mother was also interviewed.  Her side of the story (X’s side, which she parrots) is that I framed him and planted the evidence.  This is a new addition.  Had they really believed that to be the case, they would have presented something at trial about it. I must say, in my defense, that there was no possible way I planted any evidence.  I was under a doctor’s care and had 24×7 monitoring. I would not have had the ability to drive an hour each way to plant evidence without being detected.  Actually, I was not even physically able to do that.  What a sad, pathetic attempt to deny the truth.

I want my sister to call her and say (in an alarmed tone), “Tell me you didn’t tell the national media that he was framed and evidence was planted.  You’re going to be in so much trouble!”  Hah!  No, that won’t happen.  It’s not worth the time or effort, and she is so deeply in denial that her precious son could have done anything wrong, that she’d never see that her words could be construed as defamation in some way.  She also denied that he has any outstanding warrants, calling the suggestion, “poppycock.”

I’d be interested in hearing from any law enforcement agents/officers who have any special insight about what it takes to get someone hauled in for warrants.  I would like to get it on video.

I planted it!

One of my sisters recently spoke with our mother.  She called because she was concerned about the reports that X had been telling people she was losing her mind. Inevitably, talk turned  to X.  My sister questioned her about how she could defend a criminal and a liar and support him to the exclusion of all others.  She asked about how she could forget her grandson’s birthday. He had just turned 7. Excuses followed. But what was most disturbing was that our mother (X’s mother) told my sister that I planted items at her house to be found later so I could accuse X of having stolen them. X’s mother said that she should have called the police because I rummaged through papers at her home and took things that didn’t belong to me. X’s mother is delusional. She has lost the remainder of her family because of her insane and unreasonable defense of X.  Get a room, you two.

Steve Wilkos producer called me

Late last night I got a call from a Steve Wilkos producer. I didn’t answer the phone because it said “Unknown Caller.”  I tend to not answer late night calls from unknown callers because of the experience I had when X’s drunken girlfriend called at 1:45 AM to harass me.

I returned the call today and will await her call.

I’m not sure what they can do.  How can they convince someone to appear on television to be publicly chastised and humiliated?

Whats my reason for even wanting this to happen?  I have a need for closure. There’s been no amount of talking that has or will get through to either X or our mother. Maybe some big former marine and ex-cop can make some sense of this. Maybe before I die I can bring this event to an end.  Even if it means we’ll never speak again, that’s what I expected anyway. Unless they’re willing to accept some responsibility instead of blaming others and apologize for what they’ve done, I don’t want them in my life.

Like my sister said, “It’s just easier to pretend their dead.”

Calling daddy?

X has been calling our dad after our mother visits to tell him that she is losing her mind. Why would he call there?  They’ve been divorced for 20 years and don’t speak to each other. Something’s cooking, I’m sure.

He’s left messages and dad finally returned his call and left a message for him. His reply will be to ask him why he’s calling HIM!  He’ll tell him to call his sisters.

The lists

X makes lists and compiles information about people. He saves anything that can later be used when he needs an alibi or “proof” for anything to get him out of trouble.

When I was at our mother’s home last year, picking up things he had taken from me which he had stored there, I retrieved a stack of steno pads that I’d purchased at Staples. Yesterday I was using one on which to make a grocery list. When I tore off the page to take with me, I found the one pictured below. X’s planned revenge against me for standing up to him. While not listed here, X has already had me in small claims court since the criminal trial.

This is a list of X's planned revenge

You’ll see that the list contains the following items:

• Defamation of character
• Loss of wages
• Extortion $15K
• Malicious Prosecution (5 counts)
• Defrauding an officer
• Libel
• Slander
• Misuse of company property

I had also found a typed/printed list that was similar, but had a few other items on it, which suggested that X wanted to subpoena my phone records to see who I’d been calling.

While I was at our mother’s house picking up my stuff, I also saw a file folder which contained personal information about one of his former girlfriends. Tax returns and a letter from her employer were there, among other things.

He had photocopied prescriptions given to him by a doctor before having them filled? Who does that? Only someone trying to make sure he’s covered when something comes up. I would venture to say that most of us don’t worry about things like that. However, most of us also don’t have a history of multiple arrests for drug and alcohol offenses.

Look at X, thinking he’s a lawyer!

The script

One of X’s girlfriends told me last winter that he admitted to her that he has  “a script that he runs on women.” He tells them all the same things.

• Their song
• Specific plans for their future together

Certain things will vary.  For example, X has a child (and has been responsible for at least a few abortions).  If he is with a woman who doesn’t want children, he has a story in which the baby was not his, but was the result of his ex-wife’s affair.  If the woman likes children (has them or wants them), his story is a pitiful one in which he has a child that his ex-wife has never allowed him to see.

I can tell you one thing. One of the songs he tells women reminds him of her is a song by artist James Blunt.  Beware of any man who says he listens to James Blunt songs.  This is girly music, so he’s either gay or he’s lying.

Watch out for men who seem to be something right out of a romantic comedy.  They have a script and they’re acting in and directing your movie.  You’re probably producing it, because he has no money.

Documentaries on television

HBO has some interesting films coming up. I tried to paste the code for their widget here, but it just doesn’t work!

http://www.hbo.com/docs/

If you have TiVo, you can browse by category. I like to look through the list to see what’s on.

I wonder why there’s no Documentary Channel yet? Coming up:

• Who Killed the Electric Car? (2006)
  Filmmaker Chris Paine examines the development and eventual destruction of General Motors’ EV-1, an automobile that required no gas, oil, muffler or brake changes.
  Tue 7/29 6:30 PM  543 STRZ5
• An Inconvenient Truth (2006)
  Former presidential candidate Al Gore campaigns to raise awareness of the dangers of global warming and calls for immediate action to curb the problem.
  Mon 7/21 1:05 PM  402 SHOCSE

X the spy

There have been a few of X’s former girlfriends (and nearly EVERY girlfriend is a fiancee) who have told me that he told them he works as a spy for a government agency. One of the women told me that X developed swimmer’s ear after spending many hours in my pool under water practicing holding his breath as required by the “agency.”

He told them he has had to kill two men in self-defense.

Seeing the word defense brings to mind the fact that X uses British spellings, such as “defence” and “ise” where we’d use “ize.” X may have possibly spent all of two weeks in Britain during vacations during his life.

Small claims court

Yesterday we went to the county the court house to defend the claim filed against me by X. X did not show up, so the suit was dismissed and X is required to pay the court costs. Whatever they may be, I doubt that X will pay. X does have 10 days in which to appeal, but there’d be no sense in doing that, since the items he so desperately needed (i.e., abandoned anywhere from 6+ years to 1 year ago) were all returned. The fact that he didn’t show up or call the court doesn’t look good for an appeal either. If he wants to be a pain, he can make up some excuse (serious illness, injury, etc.). RZ thinks he WILL. I’m not sure, but won’t be surprised by anything that happens. Since he isn’t gainfully employed and has no money (unless he’s taken it from a woman), he has lots of time on his hands.

Here we go again

As I mentioned before, X has a very special bond with our mother.  It doesn’t mean he doesn’t steal from her or lie to her.  It just means she seems to not mind. Last night, X called our father (divorced from mother for 20 years and married to another woman for 12). His wife answered, and he told her, “I need my dad’s advice.  My mom is losing her mind and I don’t know what to do about it.”  Dad was at work, and X never called back.

Over the last few years, X has repeatedly complained to family members and others that our mother has Alzheimer’s Disease. Some of us believe he’s laying some groundwork to have her declared incompetent so he can help himself to her property and money.

Special Bond

X and our mother have a special bond that transcends all reason. She believes that he’s the only one who cares about her. I’m sure it’s himself that he cares about, but that bond may be there because they’re so much alike.

I have just been to see my deceased grandfather’s cousin, who is in an assisted living facility. She had a bad fall on the 4th of July, and was taken by ambulance to the ER. Our mother was called, since she has POA. Nobody else can be called. Mother is in complete control over this person’s life. In fact, they told me that even if she (my cousin) asked them to call me for her, they could not do it without mother’s permission.

The staff at the facility told me that mother is rarely seen there anymore. One of the last times they saw her, she was accompanied by our brother, X. They told the staff a story about how they had to go to jail to bail someone out who’s been arrested! Can you imagine a world in which you’d want to tell complete strangers that you were going to go get someone who’d been arrested out of jail? The episode was bizarre enough to remain in their minds long enough to tell me about it.

Mother told the staff she wanted to move to her son’s state to live there with him. He’s the most important person in her life. She always has gotten almost giddy when he was in town. She has lied for him under oath. She has lied for him under all circumstances. She is complete denial about his character, but I have to wonder if that’s because she also possesses the same qualities.

The very last words I spoke to her were after I saw them both lie on the witness stand. I said, “Now I see where he gets his skills.”

The Instant Message

X was staying at my house for a short visit as an adult in his late 20s or early 30s. He had been using my computer and the Internet. He happened to be out of the room, so I thought I’d use the computer for a while. What I saw on the monitor was an instant message between himself and who I assumed to be a woman. In the message window I saw that he had told this woman he was from Scotland! I doubt if he’s done much more than spend a day in Scotland, and I happen to know for a fact that he was born and raised in Ohio.

Moral of the story? It’s best not to believe what anyone you don’t know tells you in an instant message. In some cases, you shouldn’t believe what you read even if you DO know the person.

Early Lies

X was lying almost as soon as he could talk. Some were amused. Our parents never seemed to notice or mind that he was out in the world telling fabulous lies. It was either a preschool or kindergarten teacher who told our mother that he had fabricated a story in which our entire family was going to move to Florida in a five bedroom Winnebago.

I’m looking for people who knew him as a child or adolescent to add more to this.  Stories from family and friends are needed.

Introduction

I am a wannabe filmmaker, who will be attempting to make a documentary about a sociopath and the swath of damage he cuts as he makes his way through life. He is a destructive individual. He has harmed many people, including himself. At nearly 40 years of age, he has no property, no family to speak of, no legitimate employment and no hope for any. What he does have is a knack for taking advantage of the naive, trusting and unwary people he encounters. He has no remorse for his actions and no desire to change or to improve anything but his skill in deceit.