July 2013 Trial Update: Michael Pearl Related Death of Hanna Williams

The Williams Trial in Washington State began this week, nearly two years after the death of Hana Alemu (Williams).  There were issues concerning her age, her body was exhumed, and other problems delayed a more timely trial for the parents who adopted the child from Ethiopia and allegedly neglected her and abused her to the point of death.

For updates on the trial as it unfolds, I think that the best info can be found at the Why Not Train a Child website?  I am so grateful for the resources there.

Most recently, Hermana Linda who hosts the site has linked to a blog that is new to me, and it offers firsthand insights from the courtroom.  Maureen McCauley Evans is a Seattle writer, editor, and artist who has taken it upon herself to attend the as much of the trial as possible and encourages as many people who can to so to do likewise.  Find her writing at Light of Day Stories:  Lessons Learned from Adoption.

~~~~~

(Original post from 2Dec11.)

Hanna Willams

Another Pearl-related death, another adoptee from Africa. 

I'm upset that the show mentioned the Pearl's tender comments about Hanna Williams' death but that they neglected to mention the post that the Pearls put up in reference to Lydia Schatz' death wherein Pearl “laughs at critics.” He didn't seem to be doing any laughing on CNN when being grilled by Anderson Cooper. 

Tweet

CNN AC360's Investigation into Pinehaven Part I of III: Yet Another Child Abuse and Trafficking Ring

AC360 again focuses on one of the Independent Fundamental Baptist (IFB) affiliated homes for troubled teens as part of its ongoing series concerning child abuse by Evangelical Christians called Ungodly Discipline.  (See addendum note.)  Like Hephzibah House, Pinehaven in Montana is just one of many of these types of residential facilities where drastic discipline techniques, beating, shaming, and heavy labor are used to allegedly help purify the souls of these throw-away children. As Kathryn Joyce points out in her 2011 article, it seems that the laws in Montana where many homes facilitate their ability to operate, despite many reports of injustice and abuse. In many cases, these children who are seen as hopelessly tainted by sin or are rendered worthless because they've been sexually violated are told that they can only live a marginally meaningful life. The harsh conditions and complete isolation from family that they're forced to endure at the IFB homes supposedly will purify them so that this marginal life will be possible for them.

Tweet

CNN AC360's Investigation into Pinehaven Part II of III: The IFB Ignores More Sexual Abuse while “Pinehaven Oversees Pinehaven”

Continuing with Part II of the CNN Anderson Cooper 360 investigation into Pinehaven of St. Ignatius, Montana, one of the Independent Fundamental Baptist (IFB) affiliated homes for troubled children that employ extreme abuse and forced heavy labor to purify their souls. Note that Kathryn Joyce titled her article about these IFB homes as “Escape from Montana” when it first appeared in Mother Jones in August, 2011 because the Montana state laws apparently facilitate the free operation of the abuse that takes place within them.

Tweet

CNN AC360's Investigation into Pinehaven Part III of III: Escape from the Illinois Child Trafficking Pipeline of Children to Montana

HT to Chuckles Travels:  "Your Kids" or your prey, Mr. Duke?

Continuing with Part III of the CNN Anderson Cooper 360 investigation into Pinehaven of St. Ignatius, Montana, one of the Independent Fundamental Baptist affiliated homes for troubled children that employ extreme abuse and forced heavy labor to purify their souls. Note that Kathryn Joyce titled her article about these IFB homes as “Escape from Montana” when it first appeared in Mother Jones in August, 2011 because the Montana state laws apparently facilitate the free operation of the abuse that takes place within them.

Tweet

Keeping Up with Michael Pearl: Interview on Anderson (Cooper's) Talk Show TODAY (and Pearl's appearance on Dr. Drew And AC360 and in the NYT....)

Edited several times on the morning of the new post for additional information and updates.

I don't know that people can appreciate how difficult I find this topic, and I suppose that I didn't really appreciate it myself until I started writing about it earlier this year.   Michael Pearl is scheduled to appear on Anderson Cooper's daytime talk show today.  If it's not too late, you can LINK HERE to figure out when it broadcasts in your area.
Scroll down to watch clips of the show.

Per a note on the No Greater Joy site, Pearl is scheduled to appear on NBC's Today Show (7AM - 11AM) on December 7th, unless he is bumped by a more pertinent news story. CBS cancelled an interview with Pearl earlier this year.

I made no mention here of other discussions of Pearl in the media recently including a New York Times article and a mention of him on ABC's The View.  I also did not mention that Pearl reappeared on AC360 for a direct interview in October and was also featured on CNN's Dr. Drew Show that same week.  I intended to write but didn't feel up to writing about it at the time (and don't really feel up to it now).  I am amazed at how much this topic just breaks my heart.

I found Pearl to be quite dishonest and quibbled over what I would classify as his own redefinition of terms (cultic techniques of loaded language and manipulative linguistic boobytraps) and a direct contradiction about things he's written in the past.  I hoped to go through the materials and write a critical review of the interview, but I just couldn't bring myself to do it.  Pearl worked hard to present the kinder, gentler version of his hard teachings.  (I can't really blame him, really.  He has much for which he must compensate.  I would do the same thing if I were in his shoes.  No one wants to be seen as a child abuser, especially when one is guilty of it.  It is a matter of consistency, that nasty hobgoblin.)

Click HERE to download

To keep up with the latest discussions, I rely upon Hermana Linda's Why Not Train A Child? website, and I am grateful that she attends to this issue so well.  TulipGirl also faithfully keeps up with the issue, too, and has provided a an invaluable resource regarding this topic.  And Elizabeth Esther always offers thought provoking ideas on this issue, too.  (She appears on the Anderson Cooper episode with Pearl.)

In the past, I have also neglected to mention Scita>Scienda's  excellent, free, downloadable resource book about the Pearl Method entitled Parenting in the Name of God:  No Greater Joy Ministries and the Bible.


Update:  Apparently Blogger doesn't like it when you upload multiple clips from CNN in a single post, so you I have put each CNN clip and the corresponding transcript in a separate blog post to which you can link from here.

• Anderson Cooper's report on the death of Hanna Williams (2nd3rd Pearl related death) HERE.  (It is three well-documented deaths if you include Sean Paddock.)

• Anderson Cooper interviews Michael Pearl in October 2011 on AC 360 HERE.

• Dr. Drew's interview with Pearl and complete transcript of the interview and content HERE

August CNN Reports on Lydia Schatz and interview with Pearl in Tennessee:

• Part I

• Part II

Click here to read the entire series on the archive.

Also of interest:

• A list of ALL POSTS related to Lydia Schatz, Michael Pearl, and Blind Obedience
• CNN's Reports about the deaths of Lydia Schatz and Hannah Williams, and interviews with Michael Pearl on AC360 and Dr. Drew.
• Posts about Kidney Disease related to the Pearl Method
• Posts about Harm to Children through discipline for religious reasons (including Pearl)
   

-->

Hermana Linda posted video clips uploaded by VHSScott on her Why Not Train a Child? Website. Thanks to them both.

(I'd like to take the opportunity to say again that I love Mike Ramsey, the Butte County, DA.)

And the discussion of Pearl when discussed on the View....

Tweet

Michael Pearl's October 2011 Interview On CNN's AC360 with Anderson Cooper

Link to the CNN 360 Blog.

Link to the CNN Transcript of the complete interview.
     (The complete interview and feature does not appear in the clip.)

COOPER: Last night, we reported on the death of a 13-year-old named Hana Williams. Prosecutors say that her adoptive parents repeatedly starved and abused her and then last May left her outside in the cold to punish her. Hana died of hypothermia. Larry and Carri Williams are charged with homicide.

Tweet

Michael Pearl's Interview with Dr. Drew on CNN October 2011

Link to the Dr. Drew blog on CNN.

Link to the transcript of the interview with Dr. Drew on CNN.

(The clip does not include the entire feature and discussion.)

SMITH: Two children dead, two couples held responsible. At the center of it all? A controversial parenting book and a fight over discipline. Is it ever OK to hit your children? The author says absolutely, and he`s here, but buckle up, my other guests really disagree.

. . .

(END VIDEO CLIP)

Tweet

Anderson Cooper 360's Report on Michael Pearl and the Schatz Family Part I (August 2011)

There is more to be said on this subject, but I am not ready to address the subject.  I wept for an hour after watching the first clip that aired on Tuesday, August 15th.

Please send an email to CNN to thank them for reporting the case in the hope that more people will consider the risks of harm and that more injuries will be prevented.

Link to Part I and Part II on the CNN website.




Transcript Part I (not included in the Part I video):

COOPER: I know tomorrow in part 2 you're going to address the question what liability the authors may or may not have. Do they feel badly at all about this child's death, or do they feel in any way their writing had an impact?

TUCHMAN: The Pearl's say they do feel badly, Anderson, about the death of Lydia, but they do not accept any blame. They say this family in California lost control.

But the problem with that statement is they are best-selling authors. They have sold tens of thousands of copies of this book in more than 20 languages. And there are bound to be people who lose control.

COOPER: How are the eight surviving kids doing?

TUCHMAN: Very difficult time. First of all, they were all beaten regularly. Secondly, they saw their sister Lydia killed and now they're in foster care. But they're all in different foster homes. They're not together anymore, but we're assured by the prosecutors that they're in loving, peaceful homes.

COOPER: That's hard to believe. Gary, appreciate it. We're going to have part 2 of Gary's port tomorrow on "360" at 8:00 p.m., also 10:00 p.m. Eastern.

Link HERE to Part II of the interview including video and transcript.

Tweet

CNN's Anderson Cooper's Interview with Michael Pearl (Part II: August 2011)

See Part I of the interview and transcript HERE.

Link to the blog entry at AC 360 at CNN.

Link to the Transcript of Part II at CNN.
(The video does not include all of the relevant content.)

Tweet