In the end, or at least during the last phase of FTW as it existed until the day of its demise in Ashland, Or., there wasn't much room for ruddy, clueless optimism now that MCR had split town faster than a hooker leaves Salt Lake. Things were happening too quickly. Every day seemed to present a new set of problems, mostly having to do with money. Sales were falling dramatically, either due to IT failure or lack of customer interest. Either way it was going to shit.
Although MCR had surprised some, if not all, of his friends, by leaving the country, most remained loyal to him, and helped to the extent that they could. A few, like Carolyn Baker here to the right, was a dedicated follower of Ruppert's going on six years. A very passionate woman, strong in her beliefs, toting a PhD she would write well-meaning tirades for FTW every once and a while. It went without saying that she was considered a chair holder in Mike Inner-Circle.
Here you can read her story about how she came to be editor in chief after Ruppert left the country. Basically, she went up for a visit and stay something like four months before deciding she'd had enough. Now that's a friend: someone who will drop everything to help you. Suffice it to say this is no more. Below is an excerpt of the article referenced above, which is followed by her resignation letter. I do, however, suggest reading her entire story to gain a much fuller perspective -- assuming that you just might be into this just as much as I am.
Excerpt from: "Samurai Sunrise: The Last Hours Before Mike Ruppert's Departure From The United States," Carolyn Baker writes:
"As I ponder his thirty years of harassment and attack by the U.S. government and the so-called progressives, ill-informed, who willingly join the chorus of defamation, I am most astonished by one thing: None of the attacks on Michael C. Ruppert have ever been delivered at the only level that really matters—the impeccably-researched, painstakingly-documented evidence that he has committed his life to delivering in the most ethical, thorough, fastidious, and intellectually sound manner. Little intelligence, critical thinking, or valor is required for National Enquirer-style cheap shots, lurid depictions, and ad homonym attacks. How do those begin to compare with the resolve of one human being to risk his life, his career, his financial security, and his reputation in order to uncover evidence which he has not only researched but onerously lived and experienced?"
As I just recently mentioned, Carolyn would go on to sing a different tune. So, without further ado, CAROYN BAKER'S RESIGNATION LETTER:
From: carolyn@*****.org
Sent: Saturday, November 04, 2006 10:55 AM
To: Mike Ruppert
Cc: admin@copvcia.com; Ken Levine; Mike Kane; Ray Kohlman; Jennakilt@aol.com; Marion ***; Spencer *****; KLevine***@********
Subject: FTW NO LONGER HAS AN EDITOR
To All Named In This Email:
Based on a plethora of unanswered questions about Mike Ruppert's departure from the U.S. in July, the deplorable condition in which FTW's finances were left by MCR, and no concrete, verifiable evidence that his life was ever in danger when he left, and given the abusive, unprofessional behavior displayed by Mike Ruppert since his departure toward the Ashland office staff and anyone who does not choose to agree with or serve his singular cause, I am no longer willing to serve as editor in any capacity, and I am not willing to post any further articles by anyone for any purpose and thereby collude in what appears to be the intentional, deliberate, well-orchestrated destruction of FTW by Mike Ruppert which began in July, 2006 and which any way you spin it IS A CRIME. That destruction is both tragic and profoundly unnecessary, and it is now the fait acompli that MCR accused the Ashland office of carrying out some weeks ago. Mike Ruppert has a few non-Ashland disciples left, and they will do his bidding for publishing his last article. If Spencer is still around and is willing to continue working another day for free, he will probably publish whatever self-serving drivel MCR wishes to post. This is just what you wanted, eh Mike, no writers left and now you can take what little money is left in FTW, plead for more, and run even farther away from the mess you created than you already are? I don't give a rat's ass what you say about me in your final article. Whether it is ugly or glowing, if you said it, it's a lie.
Mike says he's "too sick" to deal with my comments? Ever since I've known him, whenever there's anything he doesn't want to deal with, he's "too busy", "too stressed", "too pre-occupied" with some project--usually one that he calls "the most important message of my life"-- to deal with anything that he prefers not to deal with.
I do not wish to be associated in any manner with FTW and will from this point utilize my energy to pursue my personal career agenda. I will also do everything in my power to dissociate my name with Michael C. Ruppert. While I will continue to respect the writings and research of Mike Ruppert, he has proven himself to be devoid of integrity and inexorably incapable of taking ANY responsibility for his own behavior beyond making feigned amends and expressing feigned remorse which lasts, oh I would say, around five minutes. For his devotees, personal behavior is largely irrelevant, and on that issue, Karl Rove would ecstatically agree with them. Some would say "Fighting fascism isn't pretty." I don't recall that any of us has asked for "pretty". What we have asked for are fundamental qualities of human decency: accountability, truthfulness, integrity, and respect. Such a statement inherently implies that the end justifies the means and that it is OK to use fascist techniques to fight fascism, especially when one glibly laughs them off as "part of my German heritage." An individual who excuses this kind of behavior has already lost his/her self, and may never get it back.Furthermore, I choose NOT to receive the library and research files from Marion . They are not my problem, nor will they "pay me off" and "shut me up". Nor will I provide peace of mind for MCR so that he can know where they are. That would mean I would have to have further contact with him which I am not willing to have. I consider them the booby prize, the white elephant, or perhaps "hush money" for the hysterical, deceitful ride that Mike Ruppert has taken all of us on for the least four months. My paramount regret is that I chose to take the ride, but I congratulate myself for being able to stand back and see the madness and abysmal lack of integrity that I was facilitating with the best of intentions--you know, that thing that the road to hell is paved with. My hope is that those who continue to defend MCR will one day be able to stop compartmentalizing (i.e. "Sometimes he can be a real asshole but he's so intelligent") and open their eyes and understand the cult-leader characteristics of their hero, BEFORE not after, they drink the Kool Aid. I am humbled by the necessity of admitting that I speak from my own experience, having been a "cult member" for six years until my up close and personal experiences of the past four months blasted the blinders from my eyes. We all need heroes, sheroes, mentors, and guides, but there comes a time when we must "kill the Buddha" and become our own heroes, sheroes, mentors, and guides. Otherwise, we are actually worse off than the American sheeple we are supposedly working to awaken.
I especially want to acknowledge the Ashland staff: Marion, Spencer, Brendan, as well as Ken Levine for their stunning, mostly unpaid efforts, for the past three months in order to save a dying FTW. I wish all of us well as we extricate ourselves from intolerable toxicity and move on to pursue and enrich our personal and professional lives. For my part, I want to apologize to Marion, Brendan, Spencer, and Ken for taking so long see the forest for the trees, the "Truth & Lies" if you will, of Mike Ruppert. I have learned an enormous lesson in this experience about trust--who deserves it and who doesn't.One last comment: Had the Pentagon, the White House, the Federal Reserve, and the Carlyle Group set out together to obliterate FTW, they could not have been more successful than Mike Ruppert has been. Mike Ruppert's intentional destruction of FTW has been a gargantuan betrayal of his readers, subscribers, supporters, employees, and worst of all, a heinous betrayal of the resistance in the United States . Please remove me from all discussions of the fate of FTW and Mike Ruppert.
Carolyn Baker
Mike's responce lisped and stuttered mercilessly as he chucked one sterile threat after another at Carolyn. It's hard to imagine that at one recent point during this time she and Mike cuddled on Mike's $5,000, sustainable-living leather sofa in Ashland, eating pizza and watching movies. Again, I might not be able to stop myself from adding a comment or two.
From: Mike Ruppert [mailto:stgeorge119@gmail.com]
Sent: Sunday, November 05, 2006 8:18 AM
To: Michael KaneCc: carolyn@carolynbaker.org; FTW Admin: Brendan; Ken Levine; Ray Kohlman; Jennakilt@aol.com; Marion Black; Spencer Merkel; KLevine641@aol.comSubject:
Re: FTW NO LONGER HAS -- A word on libel and message for Spencer
Enough bullshit, Carolyn.
Even within a small group like this, libel can is a legal issue if it is intended to unfairly cause damage or harm to a personal reputation or harm corporate interests. In a corporate environment like this, where assets are at stake, I think the laws might be even stronger. After all the laws always favor corporations, don´t they?(FTW was never a corporation. It tried to get there but didn't quite make it. Of course at the time Mike's writing this FTW was just as far away from being a corporation as the brass ring from Mike's grasp.) Of course if you were to publish such crap or even circulate it through emails as you suggested (easily discoverable via subpoena) it would a dead-bang, open and shut case of libel. (It's not libel if it's true, Mike.)
Ray Kohlman (BTW, I've checked and Ray Kohlman's not a real lawyer. He probably has a J.D. but in none of the fifty states is he licensed to practice law. This is Mike's pitbull.) frequently visits New Mexico and can file suit against you there. You would have to get a lawyer and the first thing your lawyer would ask for is your PROOF -- proof like I put in Rubicon. I know proof. I have never been sued. Whoever led you down this primrose path, fed you bullshit and manipulated you will NEVER step forward to back you up. (I can't say this enough but, there's proof up the ass and around the corner -- the shit is everywhere -- Mike's just banking on intimidation mixed with the small chance that anyone would actually take him to court, which is a very dangerous way to ride there, cowboy. The reason Mike hasn't been sued in the past is because 1) his writings are too small time (really no different that what I'm doing here with this blog) to come to the attention of those he was writing about; and if so, such writing would be laughed off as just more crackpot conspiracy bullshit lowlife drivel. Basically, in a nutt-sack, Mike hasn't been sued because nobody takes him seriously; and 2) Why bother bringing a suite against a man who hardly has anything? The lawyer's fees would dwarf the amount of money one would be awarded in a judgment against Mike. What would be the point other than that? Like I'm going to shell out a bunch of my own money to expose this guy for what everyone already knows him to be? Get real, Mike. Get it into your head: YOU ARE NOT SPECIAL; THE UNIVERSE DOESN'T HAVE A PLAN FOR YOU!!!!)
They will leave you twisting because you were the only person stupid enough to put all these accusations in writing and sign your name to it. You were the perfect patsy. After you´ve explained to your lawyer what ¨evidence¨ you have his only possible advice to you would be: ¨Settle¨, ¨Settle now¨. You absultely were used. But it sure wasn´t by me. (What a way to treat a former friend who, just a few months prior was disgustingly loyal to and gagingly sentimental about the man:
Mike may remember it differently, but I remember the two of us sitting at the table across from each other as Don passionately crooned these words, our singing the song together with gusto, smiling through our tears at each other, cherishing a moment in time that we had never shared before and would never share again. The album was over, and I had broken. My tears were unstoppable. Then Mike said, 'I’d like you to go get your camera.' I was too distraught to ask why and after wiping my face and regaining composure, I brought my camera into the dining room where we were sitting.
'Now,' he said, 'I’d like you to take a picture of me.' He turned away from me in profile pose and looked out onto the deck. I snapped the picture and proofed it on the screen of my digital camera then stood dumfounded as he said with a somber, stone-like face, 'From this moment on, we will not hug, we will not touch, and we will begin to prepare. This is the way of the warrior going into battle—the way of a samurai. I must prepare myself.'”)
Marion has indicated that there is a trust settlement offer. Ray had begun the process of confirming this. Soon he´ll be able to start executing on my behalf. I´m already personally trashed, my company is destroyed, so I don´t give a rat´s ass what people will say. I am ¨radioactive¨ as they say, but I am not dead. I can still move and that makes me dangerous. (And I'm sure that you'd agree that none of this could be constued as a threat, right Mike?)
I will get medical help and may have to return to the states to get quick access to the Trust. Who cares anymore? It would take only a very small portion of that to sue your ass off in New Mexico (In my opinion, I think it'll take about a year, or a year and a half for ol'Mike to blow his wad). You have done more damage than you can possibly know to someone who has NEVER lied to you and an organization you professed to love. You were stupid enough to sign your name to these messages and I seriously doubt if you´ll have the common sense to ponder what a serious legal sling you have just put yourself in.
Be warned.