On November 21, 2008, with bright blue sky’s over head and a cold November wind in our face, Julie and I walked into the empty courtroom at the Norwich Superior court building. Julie looked around the room and remarked, "This is where it all started". It was dejavu on a level I had never experienced before, and immediately, I could feel the pain that Julie was going through. How we came to this place in our lives was so intense and over whelming that it took my breath away.
The four plus years we have been battling this case passed in the wink of Julies eye as she walked up to the waiting Willy Dow who was standing before the judge. The pain was clearly in her face as she listened quietly to the prosecutor regurgitate the now defunct misinformation he presented at her original trial. She stood tall, proud and unashamed as the prosecutor took his final shots and sliced away the pound of flesh that the state demanded to end this horrible ordeal. In the ten minutes it took for it to be over, I could do nothing but sit there, watch and listen to the defense and prosecution, proclaim that each was ready to retry the case. In the end it was the judge who asserted that picking the scab of an old wound was counter productive. In that moment, I felt a certain degree of exoneration for Julie. The arguments stopped, the judge passed on the final details of a One Hundred dollar fine and revocation of Julies teaching rights, and as quickly as that, it was over.
As Julie turned to leave, I could see the mixed emotions on her face. Nothing could give her back the last four years of her life, our lost child, the sleepless nights, the indignity and insult of the charges or her health. But yet there it was, a slight but very distinguishing smile. It was finally over.
Julie and I would like to thank the literally thousands of people who came to Julie’s defense with positive words of encouragement and donations of time and money. Without all of which, it is doubtful that Julie would be a free woman now.
The life we knew and loved is over. Now is a time of rebuilding and redefinition. Hopefully when we look back, we’ll still see the same positive encouragement we have come to know and love from all of you.
God Bless and Happy Holidays
Wes & Julie
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Sunday, March 11, 2007
What The Next Generation Thinks - Is this our legacy
I just wanted you to know that I wish I could send more. I wish I were independently wealthy and capable of "pulling strings" to get you out of this situation. Alas, I am only 23 years old. I've lived in a world where there was always a personal computer. I've been typing on computer keyboards since I was in the 3rd grade. I built my first computer at the age of 12. I've built numerous systems for friends and family since then. I've used both PCs and Macs, I've even had some fun using a once little known operating system (Linux). I know more about the technology involved in your case than most of the prosecution team knows about *any* technology.
I chose to donate 15 dollars, not because it's a nice round number, but because it is what I make per hour, and right now, finances are tight enough for me that one hour out of a paycheck means the difference between having "spending money" and just being able to cover all the bills and rent. It's trivial, but it's where I am. I don't want thanks for this, there's no amount of thanks that will make up for the fact that this nation, it's government, it's "justice system" and the vast majority of it's people are so far behind the learning curve that innocent people are being hurt, innocent lives destroyed, and innocent productive members of society are threatened with removal from that society while true criminals continue to terrorize the populace. My "consumerist dollars" are yours this pay period. My consumerist dollars are also no longer for this country. I have friends and family in Canada, and I've become so disgusted with this nation over your case that I will be saving up until I can leave.
This nation is no longer the democracy it fought so hard to try to become. As such, this citizen is ashamed because someone who holds the highest position a human can hold, the same position that is the most undervalued and under-respected profession in this country, has been treated like a criminal by people who aren't worthy enough to be called one of her students. Your treatment is the direct result of catering to the lowest common denominator. I cannot continue to live in a country that rapes it's greatest resources like this. Teachers are the difference between a healthy foundation for future generations, and no foundation at all. My fiancee has almost completed her Masters degree to teach ESL, at this moment I am genuinely afraid for her. Afraid that she'll befall the same fate as you. Guilt determined without evidence or rebuttal. My contribution is in hope that she'll never have to face the same firing squad as you. I hope that your appeal will be seen by a judge worthy of your case and a jury of your peers (hopefully a teacher or two among them).As I said before, I've lived and worked in a world where computers have always existed and have almost always been in every house. I can't imagine what a world without computers is, and I also can't imagine what it's like trying to keep up with a world that has adopted computers so quickly if you yourself didn't follow the world of computing closely. I don't mean to imply that you're some kind of computer illiterate moron, but just to say that I see my grandparents struggle with technology not because they lack intelligence, but because their minds and modes of operation were formed in a time where the most used and strongest tool that they had at their disposal was themselves. To them, a computer and the internet are a luxury that life has afforded them and they use both sparingly, opting to use other means to organize their lives that they have proven tried and true over their years. I myself find computers and especially the internet essential to my everyday life and interactions with others.In short, you have been wronged. I empathize with that and hope that there are more than enough contributions to prevent your family from feeling the strain of the financial burden that the idiocy contained within the Connecticut judicial system has brought upon you and yours.If there is anything more than monetary help that I can lend, do not hesitate to ask. The worst I can do, is say no. If it's something within my power to do, I will most assuredly say yes.Wishing I didn't have to wish you luck,
Tony Scaruffi
PS - Goodluck!
Sunday, February 11, 2007
Persecution of the Innocent
With each passing day bringing Julie Amero closer to sentencing, we can’t stop thinking of how we got to this juncture in our life. One day you have the world on a string and the next day the string is cut and you are left free falling into an abyss of legal, ethical and social upheaval. Sleepless nights wondering, why am I being persecuted for something I had no control over? I use the word Persecution, because after looking up the meaning of the word, I’ve come to fully understand what it means. I’d like to share some of the definitions with you.
Persecution is persistent mistreatment of an individual/group by another group. The most common forms are religious persecution, ethnic persecution, and political persecution. Persecution is not recognized as such by persecutors, only by their victims or outside observers. Persecutors see no wrong in their actions, or rationalize it as a small or short-term wrong to counter what they see as a larger, more serious wrong, as in "The ends justify the means". Most commonly, this is expressed as seeking to protect themselves or their families or society from what they see as the harmful influence of the persecuted. Persecuted groups or individuals are often labeled using pejorative terms, which reinforce their social alienation. Use of such terms with strongly negative connotations allows individuals to avoid examining the true nature of their relationship with the persecuted. For almost anything, which could be cited as an example of persecution, there will be those who claim it is legitimate, personal or social self-defense.
Throughout history there have been many examples of the destructive or senseless use of political power. This happens most frequently when too much power has been concentrated in too few hands, without enough room for political debate, public criticism, or other types of correctives.
Charles de Montesquieu claimed that without following a principle of containing and balancing legislative, executive and judiciary powers, there is no freedom and no protection against abuse of power.
Coming to grips with persecution is not an easy task, but now that we know where we stand, we can move on with our lives with a purpose. During the trial Julie was not granted her constitutional right to contest every fact that might tend to incriminate her. The court opted to deny / prevent the defense from presenting evidence to rebut the evidence introduced by the state.
After two independent forensic investigations concluded that malware, not Julie was responsible for the infestation of pop up ads for pornography sites. The states assertion of a deliberate attempt to access pornographic web sites can only be deemed as persecution of a political nature.
Wes Volle
Julie Amero’s Husband
Julie and I wish to extend a personal thank you to all the kind and generous people who are helping us in our fight against this injustice. God Bless all of you.
Persecution is persistent mistreatment of an individual/group by another group. The most common forms are religious persecution, ethnic persecution, and political persecution. Persecution is not recognized as such by persecutors, only by their victims or outside observers. Persecutors see no wrong in their actions, or rationalize it as a small or short-term wrong to counter what they see as a larger, more serious wrong, as in "The ends justify the means". Most commonly, this is expressed as seeking to protect themselves or their families or society from what they see as the harmful influence of the persecuted. Persecuted groups or individuals are often labeled using pejorative terms, which reinforce their social alienation. Use of such terms with strongly negative connotations allows individuals to avoid examining the true nature of their relationship with the persecuted. For almost anything, which could be cited as an example of persecution, there will be those who claim it is legitimate, personal or social self-defense.
Throughout history there have been many examples of the destructive or senseless use of political power. This happens most frequently when too much power has been concentrated in too few hands, without enough room for political debate, public criticism, or other types of correctives.
Charles de Montesquieu claimed that without following a principle of containing and balancing legislative, executive and judiciary powers, there is no freedom and no protection against abuse of power.
Coming to grips with persecution is not an easy task, but now that we know where we stand, we can move on with our lives with a purpose. During the trial Julie was not granted her constitutional right to contest every fact that might tend to incriminate her. The court opted to deny / prevent the defense from presenting evidence to rebut the evidence introduced by the state.
After two independent forensic investigations concluded that malware, not Julie was responsible for the infestation of pop up ads for pornography sites. The states assertion of a deliberate attempt to access pornographic web sites can only be deemed as persecution of a political nature.
Wes Volle
Julie Amero’s Husband
Julie and I wish to extend a personal thank you to all the kind and generous people who are helping us in our fight against this injustice. God Bless all of you.
Saturday, February 3, 2007
Contribute to Julie
You can contribute to Julie Amero to support her and her efforts to defend herself by clicking on this button:
These payments go directly to Julie -- no middleman -- and will be used to help support her through these difficult times.
These payments go directly to Julie -- no middleman -- and will be used to help support her through these difficult times.
Welcome to 2004
George Orwell was a little off, but not by much. Technology has engulfed the average American at an alarming rate. To think that it is possible for the average layperson to understand all the ins and outs of how a computer works is just not reasonable. What’s worse, our employer’s don’t know any more than we do, and they rely on us to identify problems when they happen. If you are lucky, your employer will know what to do when a crisis happens with your system. If not you’ll end up like Julie arrested, ridiculed, demeaned and left with useless teacher’s degree in special education.
The illicit pornography industry is a business with estimated profits in excess of $2 billion annually. That’s a lot of reasons to attract rogue scriptwriters to circumvent any patch that Microsoft can come up with. Make no mistake, these programmers do not care about you or anyone else for that matter. Regardless of where these rogue programmers are located, they operate under the radar of social conscience and in my opinion are or should be considered terrorists or criminals at the very least.
Julie and I can’t afford to fight this battle on our own. Our expenses have been in excess of $20,000 to date. That may not sound like a lot to many people, but when you consider it is almost twice what she made substitute teaching in one year it puts it in perspective. The appeal process of Julie’s case is coming up. We have been in contact with a prominent law firm that we think is going to handle the appeal pro-bono. As we know more, I will blog it here. For the immediate future that is from now until sentencing on March 2, we are in need of financial help in two areas. First, it was highly recommended to us that we hire an Alternative Sentencing Investigator. His fees are $3,500.00. Second, there is the matter of bond for Julie while awaiting the appeal. We have no idea what that amount is going to be. The pre sentence bond requested by the prosecution was $50,000.00, that amount was reduced to $25,000.00.
Many people have asked if they could help financially. Up to this point, there was not a valid defense fund for Julie. I have established a PayPal account in Julie’s name.
Thank all of you who have come to Julie’s side with words of encouragement and support. Without them I don’t know how she would have been able to cope with this horrible ordeal.
Wes Volle
Julie Amero’s Husband
The illicit pornography industry is a business with estimated profits in excess of $2 billion annually. That’s a lot of reasons to attract rogue scriptwriters to circumvent any patch that Microsoft can come up with. Make no mistake, these programmers do not care about you or anyone else for that matter. Regardless of where these rogue programmers are located, they operate under the radar of social conscience and in my opinion are or should be considered terrorists or criminals at the very least.
Julie and I can’t afford to fight this battle on our own. Our expenses have been in excess of $20,000 to date. That may not sound like a lot to many people, but when you consider it is almost twice what she made substitute teaching in one year it puts it in perspective. The appeal process of Julie’s case is coming up. We have been in contact with a prominent law firm that we think is going to handle the appeal pro-bono. As we know more, I will blog it here. For the immediate future that is from now until sentencing on March 2, we are in need of financial help in two areas. First, it was highly recommended to us that we hire an Alternative Sentencing Investigator. His fees are $3,500.00. Second, there is the matter of bond for Julie while awaiting the appeal. We have no idea what that amount is going to be. The pre sentence bond requested by the prosecution was $50,000.00, that amount was reduced to $25,000.00.
Many people have asked if they could help financially. Up to this point, there was not a valid defense fund for Julie. I have established a PayPal account in Julie’s name.
Thank all of you who have come to Julie’s side with words of encouragement and support. Without them I don’t know how she would have been able to cope with this horrible ordeal.
Wes Volle
Julie Amero’s Husband
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