Time: Wed Nov 13 06:37:25 1996 To: mtpatriot@aol.com From: Paul Andrew Mitchell [address in tool bar] Subject: CONFIDENTIAL Cc: Bcc: >Date: Wed, 13 Nov 1996 05:57:05 >To: Mtpatriot@imt.edu (bounced) >From: Paul Andrew Mitchell [address in tool bar] >Subject: CONFIDENTIAL > >MEMO > >TO: Randy Parsons > >FROM: Paul Andrew, Mitchell, B.A., M.S. > Counselor at Law > >DATE: October 15, 1996 > >SUBJECT: Plans > > >I hope you will not mind if I am very direct with you in this >memo. I wish to discuss some matters which require an executive >decision by you, and I don't want to waste words or time. > >1. There has been a lack of communication between me, Keven, > and you with respect to my pay. When Keven requested my > help at The Freedom Center, I quoted to him my retainer > ($500) and my hourly rate ($75). You may already know that > this is the going rate for attorneys in the federal Public > Defender's Office, and about one-half the rates of private > attorneys. Because Keven did not refuse or counter, I had > to go on the presumption that these terms were acceptable to > him, and to The Freedom Center, because he was speaking for > it, like it or not. I also did not think I needed to > confirm his authority to approve a legal services contract. > Evidently, that authority is yours and not his, > notwithstanding his affirmations to the contrary. > >2. I have had several discussions with colleagues here, in > California, and in other states on this subject. The > unanimous consensus is that I should minimize my presence in > Billings, or stay in Arizona entirely and support The > Freedom Center via email, U.S. Mail, and the telephone. > Much of that consensus derives from my attempt objectively > to describe the living and working conditions in the bunk > house. People winced when I told them how much cleaning and > organizing I needed to do, just to feel comfortable, and how > I was being forced to live on three and a half hours of > sleep per night. I should have listened to Al, but now Al > is persona non grata for reasons that are not entirely known > to me. I know that I am not the most courteous and kind > person in the world, but I cannot be a man for all seasons > when the odds are stacked so heavily, and my living > conditions are way below standard. Nor is it right to shoot > the one who brings the message about these conditions. > >3. I am concerned about the wisdom of having me do carpentry, > HVAC, electrical, sheet rocking, plumbing and carpentry, > just to have a room for sleep and privacy. That tells me > that The Freedom Center does not have command of enough > resources either to pay for lodging, or construct it, nor > did The Freedom Center adequately anticipate what should > have been obvious to any human being inviting another human > being to live in. Also, I do not think that construction > work is a good use of my time. If I were to begin such a > > > Memo 10/15/96 by Paul Andrew Mitchell: Page 1 of 4 > > project, I would want to finish it, so that I would not have > to walk bare-footed on dusty concrete floors, or suffer a > cold winter without heating and insulation. I know that > Rudy must be delighted to have such work done "for free", > but is it really "for free" when the litigation work must > suffer directly? I think not. The bottom line here is that > I do not think either Rudy, or The Freedom Center, have the > resources available to create a basement bedroom at least as > good as a basic motel room, using the Building Code as an > objective standard. Please correct me if I am wrong about > this. I hope I am, because it goes to your ability to keep > this entire project alive. > >4. I am also very concerned about Keven's level of commitment > and ability to learn what he must learn to oversee FREEMAIL, > the Intervention of Right, and any other programs we might > develop to involve Americans in the Schweitzer case. There > is something gnawing at me, way down deep, as I glance over > at a man who is horribly overweight, and stares at his > terminal for hours on end without a shirt and with piles of > mess surrounding him. That does not bode well for The > Freedom Center and for what it wishes to accomplish. Do you > expect the Pentagon to be impressed, if and when we need to > meet them behind closed doors? Ask any office manager, and > they will tell you that Keven might last all of 4 hours, the > first day on any new job. I know that your heart reaches > out to him, because his parents are in jail, but you must > understand that dead wood is not going to produce wins in a > hotly contested courtroom. To me, Keven also seems very > resentful of my skills, but he is blaming the messenger > here, and that only aggravates the situation. I appreciate > the willingness by both of you to stop smoking, but that has > had no effect on Morley. One cigarette in my immediate > environment is one cigarette too many. > >5. I am also extremely concerned that Keven failed to inform me > that The Freedom Center would be unable to pay me for my > professional services, in a timely manner, if that is indeed > the case. Is it? The Freedom Center is placing itself in a > very precarious position to preach the common law and > biblical principles, on the one hand, and then to invite a > legal expert to help develop a comprehensive legal strategy > for 20 criminal defendants, on the other hand, but without > being up-front with him about their inability to pay him > what he is worth. If you will take the time to study the > definition of "fraud" in Black's Law Dictionary, you will > find that it applies as well to any failure to disclose what > should have been disclosed. If you select a man for his > talent, and then engage his professional services to the > point of buying a plane ticket so he can work on location, > and of setting him up with a desk, computer, telephone, > filing cabinets, fax machine, and so on, wouldn't it be fair > for him to expect to be paid for the time he spent working > on your behalf, particularly when he works double-time > without a weekend off and only bills you for half as much? > > > > > Memo 10/15/96 by Paul Andrew Mitchell: Page 2 of 4 > >6. Another concern of mine is that I was informed, only after I > arrived, that I would be responsible for raising the funds > necessary to pay for my services. This is another matter > which should have been disclosed to me while I had a chance > to accept, or reject, any offer package you had in mind. As > you may already know, developing a sound legal strategy, and > following the paperwork to its final fruition, both take a > great deal of concentration, privacy, and insulation. > Raising funds involves public relations, ringing telephones, > outreach, advertising, and a solid Internet presence, to > mention a few things, most of which are a total distraction > from the intense focus required to develop and prevail with > compelling legal arguments to a hostile federal judiciary. > From experience, I can tell you that I have what it takes to > do both of these jobs, but not within the same 8-hour day. > As it is, I have worked almost 16 hours on each and every > day I was there. This is excessive, and it begs for an > emotional, physical, mental or medical breakdown. Moreover, > requiring this kind of "contribution" will, for sure, make > stamina and endurance impossible at a time when these goals > should be foremost in your planning and resource allocation > decisions. > >7. I am also concerned about the lack of management which > occurred when Dick and Charley showed up. Was I being > tested for some unspecified future rule, like "paralegal"? > I hope you know by now that I will not be their secretary, > their spelling coach, their grammar instructor, and their > procedural mentor. This story about all the money they will > "soon" bestow on The Freedom Center sounds like a trap, a > Trojan Horse, and a wedge to achieve one of their main > objectives: control of the strategy. I almost broke out > laughing as Charley kept backing up on his last day there, > to the point of falling down the stairs with his back to the > basement. But, the reality of the whole situation was just > too painful for me to laugh, so I almost cried. Did you > notice? Charley miscalculated in a big way; he does not > know how, when, or where I choose to be a warrior, and his > defeat only dawned on him too late, as I drove my points > into his chest. "How about the Queen of England?" he asked. > Charley, you cannot stay on point; this is all too obvious > to us now, after you wasted 4 days of our previous time with > your ego, your greed, and your self-centered preoccupations. > Can you really blame me for getting personal, particularly > after he orders me to take a hike, with no authority for > same? Now, that's real teamwork. Evidently, he did not > know any of the events which had led up to my being there, > such as the plans which I had written and published on the > Internet, the briefs which I had mailed to you at my own > expense, and the tentative commitment The Freedom Center had > made to those plans. These two guys are from the dark ages, > as far as I can tell. Did anyone offer to reimburse me for > the time I spent and the Express Mail postage I bought? No. > >8. The final thing I want to share with you is that Keven, > evidently, failed to inform you that, before agreeing to > work for The Freedom Center, I had already made a serious > > > Memo 10/15/96 by Paul Andrew Mitchell: Page 3 of 4 > > long-term commitment to tour the country with Richard > McDonald, to conduct Supreme Law Seminars in every Union > state over the next two years. This commitment amounts to 4 > days of intense work on location, every month, plus another > 4 days of travel (1 day there, 1 day back, for each > seminar). When you add at least one day off each week, for > rest and relaxation, you will find that I simply cannot > devote 18 hours per day, 7 days per week, to the various > cause(s) of The Freedom Center. I want you to know that I > strongly disagree with some "Patriots" who feel that we will > win this battle only by working our brains into mush, while > our bodies and souls are screaming for rest, relaxation, > recharge, love, friendship, privacy, and entertainment. > People will say, "Get a life," and they will be right. > >So, I want to end this with the following proposal: If you will >pay my first invoice in full immediately, I will drive back to >Billings for a maximum of four weeks, but you must also make >arrangements to complete the bedroom, with carpeting, painted >sheet rock, light and heat, before I return there. I will not >sleep, or work, in a construction zone; I've been there, and >done that. Once is enough. I hereby reserve the right to return >to Arizona on my own schedule after those four weeks have passed, >and to provide The Freedom Center with professional services from >the comfort of my own place. > >If you cannot pay my first invoice, now that it has been faxed to >you, or if you and Rudy cannot finish the basement bedroom with >outside contractors, there is no reason in this world why I >should drive up there, except to fight for the compensation which >The Freedom Center owes me for all the work I have done to date. > >Please don't get me wrong here, Randy: I like you very much, and >I am philosophically and intellectually behind LeRoy Michael >Schweitzer, but I cannot and will not work pro bono, or on a >contingency basis, for him or any of his many co-respondents, >certainly not after Broderick stiffs me for $10,000, Wallens >stiffs me for $3,000, and Crawford stiffs me for $1,000 and >threatens me criminally over a dozen times. Enough is enough. I >have a right, and a duty, to defend my own life, liberty, and >property, and this Memo is how I do that. Let us first begin by >walking our own talk. > >Sincerely yours, > >/s/ Paul Andrew, Mitchell, B.A., M.S. > >Counselor at Law >c/o 2509 N. Campbell, #1776 >Tucson, Arizona state > >email: pmitch@primenet.com >tel: (520) 320-1514 (no answering machine) >fax: (520) 320-1513 (call 1514 first) > >copies: Red Beckman, Billings, Montana state > > > Memo 10/15/96 by Paul Andrew Mitchell: Page 4 of 4 >
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