I enjoyed your coverage of the Armas trial - though I had hoped for a better outcome for him - worry about his children. You provide more detail than the RNT does - nest thing to being in the courtroom. Just wondering - are you a freelance writer/journalist?

Susan,

Thank you so much for the kind words.

I am not a trained journalist. I simply like to research and write, and felt there was a nitch for me in Rome. However, I would be more than happy to write free lance for any entity. In the meantime, I do have a book available for sale on this site, which details my personal experiences with the corrupt judcial system in Rome, at least in regards to a particular judge. Click on the “About Us” page link at the top, and you can read what the book will be about, and find a link to the secure sale page. My experience was the catalyst which started me down this road to Researching and Reporting on Public Corruption.

Or simply click on the “Once Upon A Time In An Enchanted Land” link at the top of the page. That is the name of the book, and it will take you directly to your sales options.

I have just started publishing a chapter each Saturday, (except for this past weekend when I was called out of town on a family emergency).

Thank you again for your loyalty. Check out the op-ed I just posted, a reflective look at the Armas trial, on my “Whine & Opine” column.

Teresa Watson

First, I want to applaud you on your outstanding approach to journalism. In regard to the Armas trial, I, like Susan had mixed emotions. I felt 15 years was hard for a man that apparently had no previous convictions. But as you were so quick to remind us all there are “other” children involved. When I was young, very young (17-18) I was in a similar situation. We are talking many, many years ago and boy have things changed since then. First, fortunately for me I was in a situation that mirrored Julie Armas, but my very young husband took the punishment; which was probation. Of course, the quanity involved was not near as much nor was the money involved. Having gotten involved with him (my ex) by hanging out with the wrong crowd and doing all the things kids do my parents were devastated when I actually married him. He introduced me to the world of drug dealing, but I would have never been a part of robbing or hurting anyone. And I never actually dealt the marijuana I was just, I guess his partner in crime. It scared me so after it was over, I never got in any trouble again. And, yes I divorced this person and I tried to put that life behind me. But as I followed this trial closely, very closely, because I have another situation where I have been exposed to these people (that I will not go into) I was of course curious as to how all of this would play out. Like a lot of people I felt great remorse and sadness for Julie Armas and the children. And then, I thought about last year when my own children had gotten involved with the wrong people. I pulled my beautiful oldest daughter out of a crack house and it took us 2 years to get her back on the right track. My 2 youngest children (17-18) have had problems with pot and it has caused me and my family much grief. I finally have my youngest daughter in college and on the right track. So—-as sorry as I feel for Mr. Armas and his family I have to think about like you said the other side of the coin and what drugs are doing to our children. I know even with me, 30 years how I would have never gotten involved with the people I did if I had not been smoking marijuana. No one would look at me now and ever think I was involved, but we grow up and hopefully learn from our young mistakes and it is OUR responsibility as adults to protect our children whether it’s mine or yours from dancing in these dangerous waters. So, it is here where I have a problem with Mr. Armas. He was not a young person and he had no regard for our youth. And I believe greed is what drove him to do what he did. I don’t believe he was doing the drugs or smoking the pot or his own children? Who knows. What do they say—What goes around comes around… I have seen wealth, money and greed almost destroy my own family. What else do they say, “Money is the root of all evil.” In a lot of cases this is very true. I hope I have not appeared to throw stones. I have concern and sympathy for these people (The Armas family), but I have to also wonder how many kids were hurt or possibly messed their young lives up forever over Mr. Armas need to build an empire?

Dear Kayron,

You have hit the nail on the head, really putting all of this in to perspective. Everyone makes mistakes, especially when we are young. But hopefully, we learn from our mistakes and move on. Mr. Armas is 46 years old. Julie, I am guessing, looks to be in her mid to late thirties. It was greed. Julie Armas was not an innocent by-stander. She helped him bilk her best friend, and then certainly knew about the robbery.

If there was not more credible and damning evidence of her culpability, there would not have been a need for including in a provision not to prosecute her, in Mario Armas’ Plea Agreement.

Thank you for your bravery, and thank you for sharing your story with us.

Teresa Watson

This site is degenerating into Rome’s “The Star”. I will be surprised if you aren’t defending a libel suit in a couple of months.

Dear John,

Facts in Public Records are not normally Tabloid Material. GBI and FBI agents do not contact attorneys to pass on files, for Tabloids.

NOW, the O.C.G.A. considers :

1. The truth an absolute defense to charges of defamation.

2. Public douments are the highest form of truth.

3. Comments about public men and women in their public capacity are sacred and protected. That includes any one who works for the public, anyone elected, anyone serving on a public board or commission, anyone who interjects themselves in to public opinion or politics, (they do not have to be a candidate, just active politically), anyone who is an Officer of the Court, (All Members of the Georgia State or any other State Bar), the Press, (like me), and more.

Persons can become unwitting public persons, by testifying in court, or by simply being caught in the press’s eye as the result of some issue which becomes public importance, like crime, public corruption, or politics. Even being related to someone in those instances can draw an innocnet person in to becoming an unwitting “Public Person”.

There are some exceptions. If I were to make up a lie, or, print something which I knew to be untrue before I printed, (or said) it, then that would be malicious, and someone might have recourse.

I am not an attorney. However, enough attempts have been made to try to sue me for slander or libel since I began going public with corruption several years ago, and I simply present the evidence I have. That always does it, except in one case where public documents provided by Bob Saylors were erroneous, and listed a Cedartown entity as having received funds for somethiing they in fact did not receive funds for. I was able to verify that Saylors’ documents were bogus, and then I went to the forum in which I had made public statement, in this case the Floyd County Commission, and corrected it. The gentleman was just that, a gentleman. But if he had not have been, the fact that I had relied on public documents when I made the staements, would have been defense enough, after my apology.

And finally, the law only requires that statements be retracted in the forum in which they were made. If I stood up and said something slanderous about someone in church, before I could be sued, I would first have to be given a time period to retract, and would only have to go to that church, and retract my statements there, and only there.

OF COURSE, I am not an attorney. If you have any other questions about defamation, I would suggest going on line and reading O.C.G.A Title 51-5 and all of the subparts, or talk to an attorney. BUt do not go to Wade Hoyt III, because he was one of the attorneys who tried to sue me. It seems that Mr. Hoyt was unaware of most of that law in the O.C.G.A. about the truth, and public documents and public persons. He threatened litigation in three different letters, even though I provided him public documents each time, and a really good and incriminating paper trail on his client.

Thanks for your concern, though, and thanks for reading this “STAR”.

Teresa Watson

You present unsubstantiated and sensationalistic information without acknowledging the possibility that it could be wrong. Provide some evidence of the charges above and I’ll reconsider.

Dear John:

That is what I mean by “Coming”. - Bobby Lee Cook Series “Coming” - I cannot be plainer than that. It is like an advertisement. If you are watching PBS, and they do a teaser about Ken Burns’ Special, they mean that they will be showing it, not now but at some named point in the future. Or like when you are watching any major network which has an 11:00 pm show, they beginn teasing it during the course of the evening. If they have a special investigative series, they begin teasing it 1 to 2 weeks out. The evidence is coming. I have not sensationalized, but have actually been quite moderate, compared to some of the things I was told yesterday.

And I admit that GBI, FBI and local law enforcement reports could be wrong…unfortunately it happens. But I have to assume, until I know better, that the information is reasonably correct. I do have that much faith in our law enforcement community in general. When actual files confirm what I have already experienced, then I have a tendancy to accept, not blindly, but strongly.

You really should buy my book, or if you do not want me to know who you are, have a friend purchase it. Then you will get an idea.

And how about this. Tomorrow, (Sunday), I will actually post an editorial about some other corroberating information I was made privy to by another, wholly unrelated Federal Entity, four years ago - Northern District of Alabama Federal FBI and Alabama Comptroller’s Special Investigator essentially told me the same info, but did not allow me the actual files. That was the first time I had ever been told that the Dixie Mafia was real, and alive and well in North West Georgia, specifically Rome, and involving the characters I have been interested in.

I had been invited to share what I knew about a couple of those names, as well as another huge and prominent name I have not brought forward at this time, publicly, yet.

Check in tomorrow, John. About lunch time.

But the series is coming, in a couple of weeks.

You are a challenge, John, and I like that. Keep it coming. I do not mind or resent being legitimately challenged. My best friends do so. I am crazy about my husband, who has never said anything but exactly what he thinks, in any given situation, or he says nothing at all. Like it or not, he is what he is, and I appreciate that. But he always makes a VALID point.

You must make a valid argument. Take a look at the Letter from the person whose e-mail to me I printed on top of that “Bobby Lee Series Coming” teaser. Be logical and reasonable, not defensive. If you want to write an editorial as a guest, I will be glad to print that, too, even if I disagree with it. Of course I do have to have a name before I will print a guest editorial or “Letter”.

Thanks,

TW - the star

My point was that you shouldn’t advertise news stories. Give evidence if you have an allegation. All this does is spread hype and speculation. I know the news stations advertise their stories, but not weeks in advance. Also, bar members aren’t automatically public figures. I hope that your other sources are stronger than the one at the top of the page. I don’t know who “Name Withheld” is. That person lends absolutely no credibility to your story, even though you might trust them. Trying to get a traffic ticket removed from the record isn’t the best evidence of a Dixie Mafia either. I’m not the one that should be arguing anything–you’re the one with the allegations, you should defend them. Yeah, I’ll read whatever evidence you have tomorrow. Thanks, but I don’t want to write an editorial. I’m done commenting now.

John, the facts will be out in a couple of weeks. The government reports are massive, and it is slow going. I still have not put out any facts, but I connected another ongoing federal case over in Alabama, in my Whine & Opine op-ed this morning. Take a read.

And thank you. When you get ready to write an op-ed, let me know.

TW

Teresa,
You are right Wade Hoyt III is very precious. He is an honest and good man. And all your stay tuned stuff seems to me to be a commercial for the book you are “HAWKING”. You surely must have long arms.. Because you seem to pat yourself on the back an awful lot.
RomeGAGirl all my life!

ummmm, just to say I’m no relation to RomeGAGirl, who sounds like one of the girls I see at the parties with the Hoyt boys presiding. These folks are tighter than Dick’s hat band, and either deceive themselves into believing that money equals “honorable man” OR stand by the party line so that they and their daughters will have good, wealthy men to choose from. Keep it up Teresa and use these people’s criticism as more fuel for your search.

Dear Ga Sir:

My first thought was, “Hmm, I wonder if she’s a blonde?”. But then I thought, some of my best friends and one of my children, are blonde, and they are not that clueless and narcissistic.

So, I figured, they must be on the money train. In my book, (the one I keep hyping…LOL), I detail an eight year long legal odyssey. One of those who kept chasing me on behalf of my ex-husband, also an attorney, was another prominent attorney in town, who was a Sunday School teacher and an Elder in my church. When I tried to tell the story to my comfortable friends, at that DownTown Church, what was going on, I mostly got pathetic looks. A few were even bold enough to face me and question how I could possibly be telling the whole truth, after alll, so-and-so was an “Elder”.

Funny, but Hoyt and this man are both members of the same church.

However, most of those folks are dear and wonderful persons, who have simply remained untouched and oblivious to the corruption. As I have gathered stories from victims in this town, I have learned that as long as a small clutch of people can remain untouched and oblivious, then the wool is easily pulled over their eyes, by the Wolves in Bar-Clothing.

And then there are decent, honorable men, many of them from that church, like Norm Skidmore and Greg Garrett, who showed up to help me move from the home I was losing seven years ago, up to the third floor, (third floor) of an apartment building. Good men, who live what they say they believe.

TW

Hope Al Gore doesn’t catch “wind ” of the chili cookoff, that’s got to be
an “awfull” big methane footprint!

Dear Remmus:

I see you are almost as big a fan of Algore as I am. Do you ever watch ‘South Park’? If you do not, you need to look up the episode with Algore and “Man-Bear-Pig”. They have an uncanny ability to capture the essence of politicians’ and celebrities’ incredible egos and insecurities, as well as the ludicrous nature of our social manias. Man-Bear-Pig is one of the best of their satirical commentaries on the hyperbole surrounding Global Warming, while capturing Algores’s need to be relevant.

Thanks for reading and taking the time to make me laugh.

TW

[…] 9, 2007 - What Are They Trying to Pull? NOTE - This is a running column on a busy couple of days, and I announce the Dixie Mafia Series, and […]