Dear fellow thread contributors,
I think that [b:ebd25c8a78]johnblocksd[/b:ebd25c8a78] offers a valid piece of advice: [i:ebd25c8a78]order a copy of the court transcript[/i:ebd25c8a78]. The rest of his post, in my opinion, serves to perpetuate the slander that has accompanied this case (and this thread) from the beginning. As a practitioner of the methods offered by Eric Pepin and HBI, I intend to order transcripts and perform my own due diligence on this matter. I recommend that everyone who takes the time to post to this thread do the same. Please keep in mind that our words, if not minded as if we were all face to face, can very negatively affect the lives of other beings.
The initial article that was posted was obviously biased. It was reported immediately after the charges were first filed and there had not even been an arraignment. The most recent article reads not much differently. It is one thing to have posted these as a point of informing the visitors to this site and keeping this thread updated with on-going media coverage. It is another thing entirely to have discussed it as if a verdict had been levied and the accused parties found guilty. Doesn't this strike any of you as undermining the value that a site like this can provide? When I first read this thread, my immediate judgment of this site was that it is really a cyber witch-hunt and I've not read much to change this opinion since.
My general impression of this case, informed by hearing both sides of the story to date, is that Eric Pepin, a perpetrator of alternative spirituality (a.k.a. not Christian), has been targeted in a very conservative county of Oregon by a prosecutor (supported by a large contingent of similarly-minded) who is largely intolerant of such alternatives. ...that the accuser is an opportunist who had hoped to be awarded a large amount of money for his "sufferings."
Please let's all get our facts straight and then come back to the table to discuss this case in a rational manner. To me, this looks like obtaining all records that are publicly available, reading them carefully, constructing a well-formed opinion, presenting them on this forum, and engaging in civil debate...not slanderous opining. I'll be happy to check in on this thread with the details of my process in obtaining these documents.
So far I know that (thanks to [b:ebd25c8a78]johnblocksd[/b:ebd25c8a78]) transcripts can be ordered from Washington County Circuit Court in Washington County, Oregon. Here's the contact page: [
www.ojd.state.or.us] . The case is State vs. Eric James Pepin and Jamison Dwight Priebe (both acquitted on May 23, 2007), Judge Steven L. Price presiding. I don't have a case number. If anyone knows and would be willing to share the best way to go about getting full transcripts and other documents related to this case, I would appreciate you sharing them.
Perhaps in elevating the discourse we can, at least within the context of this particular thread, restore some dignity to all that the Rick A. Ross Institute has endeavored to bring to the Internet in creating this site. After all, there are real dangers out there disguised as paths to a greater experiencing of the Divine Plan. Let's not dilute the value of this site by engaging in ignorant and petty ramblings and letting the [i:ebd25c8a78]real[/i:ebd25c8a78] dangers get lost. Unless, of course, that is the true purpose of this site. If that is the case, I'll just let this post be my contribution and hope that my suggestion of a rational approach to this matter rests in your consciousness for at least a moment before the pettiness resumes.
Warmest regards . . . Heart