Roxanna Foley, former ESCB manager in Bridgeport.
OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE (From Mono County District Attorney’s Office – below is a release from US Attorney)
On April 23, 2013, Roxanna Foley, of Bridgeport, was rearrested by Federal Agents after an Indictment was handed down in Federal Court on April 19, 2013. With the assistant of the Mono County District Attorney’s Office and local law enforcement, Ms Foley was taken back into custody.
Ms. Foley served as the Branch Manager for the Bridgeport Branch of the Eastern Sierra Community Bank, a subsidiary of Oak Valley Community Bank. After conducting a joint investigation between Bank Administrators, Mono County District Attorney, Mono County Sheriff’s Department and agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigations. Ms. Foley was arrested on April 5, 2012.
In March 2012, Bank Administrators for Oak Valley Community Bank performed a surprise audit in an attempt to account for a large discrepancy in the Branch’s general ledger. After an extensive accounting was performed along with further investigation it was uncovered that Ms. Foley had allegedly embezzled approximately $320,000.00.
The Mono County District Attorney’s Office held a felony complaint against Ms. Foley alleging the embezzlement and has subsequently turned the case over to the US Attorney’s Office based on their jurisdiction and request.
BRIDGEPORT BANK MANAGER ARRAIGNED FOR EMBEZZLEMENT
(Press Release from U.S. Attorney’s Office Eastern District)
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Roxanna Foley, 52, of Bridgeport, was arraigned today in federal court in Sacramento, United States Attorney Benjamin B. Wagner announced.
On April 18, 2013, a federal grand jury returned an indictment, charging her with theft and embezzlement by a bank employee. According to the indictment and statements made in court, between October 2011 and March 20, 2012, Foley embezzled approximately $320,000 from the Eastern Sierra Community Bank where she was employed as a manager.
Foley was released today on a $50,000 bond. She is scheduled to appear before United States District Judge Kimberly J. Mueller on May 29, 2013 for a status conference.
If convicted, Foley faces a maximum statutory penalty of 30 years in prison, a $1 million fine, and a five-year term of supervised release. Any sentence, however, would be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables. The charges are only allegations; the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
This case is the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Mono County Sheriff’s Department. Assistant United States Attorney Kyle Reardon is prosecuting the case.
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Wow, a reporter not afraid to speak her mind. It’s funny what a reporter not owned by a multi billion dollar corporation can say.
I was wondering why the people who work on Wall St. When they get caught for inside trading,bilking companys and investors out of millions, seem to get lighter sentances and less fines than this woman who embezzled a lost less than most of the criminals who stick up Wall ST. I guess Wall ST. is the place to work if you are a criminal. Just wondering.
You are so right. No one answered criminally, on Wall St., for nearly sending the world economy off a very steep cliff. American corporations have engaged in unpenalized theft for decades. Check out the union reporter who was the only one to report on a monopolistic crime that endangered national security during World War II:
http://truth-out.org/opinion/item/15892-another-one-the-msm-missed-ge-krupp-conspiracy-trial-of-47#.UX2A-b5EcyE.email
BK
The problem is proving a criminal act. The nature of the transactions are so complex and risky that proving a loss was due to deliberate criminal activity is very difficult to do unless, as in the LIBOR case where criminal prosecutions are being pursued, you have some text messages, e-mails or other material of an incriminating nature upon which to base a prosecution. i seem to recall criminal prosecutions at ENRON too.
We have a Constitution that prohibits the government from executing a search without a warrant from a court based on specific probable cause that certain evidence will be found during a search. That makes it tough for prosecutors to find incriminating evidence. They cannot simply subpoena a banks records on a hunch or to satisfy an angry public.
Better regulation and breaking up big corporations, including and especially banking corporations, would be a good start, as would separating banking from insurance and brokerages.
for mja. how many laws are there? thats a very complicated question a good place to start is u.s. health and safety code. as of 2006 there is around 200,000 pages of code divided into 51 titles covering everything from bankruptcy to food preperation to fishing licences. if put into a single book it would be around 35 feet thick from cover to cover. it’s so complicated that very few people if any understand it in its entirety. each title is divided into sub titles then chapters then sub chapters then part then sub part and on and on until the words used to identify the laws place in the code out number the words in the law itself. theres so many laws that the odds of joe public not breaking one in their lifetime is about 0%.
And, if anyone has a problem with building codes, take a look at the horrendous tragedy in Bangladesh.
Benett Kessler
But you want a body of laws to regulate the DWP, right? Just asking ……………………
as what seems to be the norm,this theif stole over a quarter million dollars,thats all,prosecute,you dont like the laws dont do the crime or move to another country,adios
30 years in prison for embezzling money? No wonder our economy is in the hole. We have to pay taxes to house these people in prison. Murderers have gotten less time in prison.
The big supporters and lobbyists for incarcerating people in California are the law enforcement agencies; especially prison guards and California Sherriffs Association. Locking people up is big money, and we the taxpayers are footing the bill.
That’s not entirely correct. While Law Enforcement officials do lobby for it with lawmakers, the lawmakers are the ones who make the laws and determinate sentencing changes. And *WE* all vote for the lawmakers to take office who lobby on the “get tough on crime” when they run for office.
Maybe law enforcement supports long prison sentences because they are sick and tired of having to re-arrest the same dirt bags over and over again, because we don’t put the garbage away long enough? Ya think? Maybe they are tired of seeing people victimized, meaning shot in drive by shootings, stolen from, or victimized by gang run protection rackets (something you don’t have a clue about up here but in large parts of the LA basin you cannot operate your business unless you pay the local gang, no pay and they kill you or burn you out, happens every day) by the same thugs over and over and OVER again?
Some of this garbage should be locked up forever. They have forfeited their right to walk with honest people ever again. That is the reason for three strikes. You live up here in La-La Land in the Ownes Valley. Live and own a business down south and see how you feel being robbed and intimidated by some gang thug dropout who will never in their whole life do anything honest and productive.
There are cases of individual redemption. Maybe this is what society should work on.
Benett Kessler
Agreed, Benett.
The human spirit of reconciliation and redemption based on compassion is working deep down, whether certain punitive political groups today really know it or not. How sad to come from an ultra-strict father family. You know, “spare the rod and spoil the child” barbaric nonsense.
Our basic human nature is gentleness; therefore, no matter how much we go through violence and other bad things like embezzling ultimately the proper solution is to return to human feeling and affection. Sadly, the deepest some people can think is to black-and-white everything. And their answer to all societies problems is to put all the miscreants in prison and throw away the key.
Darn few. Gangs call kids “crash test dummies” because they won’t do hard time for their crimes and prison is “gladiator school”. Gangs are run from the prisons by their jailed “leaders”. You won’t get a lot of redemption from that crowd and basing sentencing laws on some sloppy notions that if you are nice to some gang thug they will miraculously redeem themselves is, to be polite, not sound public policy. If it were my call any gang related crime would be hard time in isolation for a set number of years. The next gang related crime would be a mandatory life sentence with no parole. If the first time in prison didn’t convince you then you deserve life in prison.
Tell us why honest people should suffer so a few might, maybe in some fantasy land, be redeemed? How many have to suffer for a few to be redeemed?
Cut the rhetoric. Nobody said anything about “sloppy notions” or being “nice to some gang thug.” A view on lawbreakers beyond the simplistic could help a number of people, not to mention society at large. Many individuals have tried work programs that changed inmates. These programs have never been tried in a large venue. Why not use the brilliant minds we have in the U.S. to go to work on crime and incarceration. Your method – hang ’em high and forgettem – isn’t working too well. We’re spending true fortunes and locking up more and more people all the time. Sure there are incorrigibles who have to be imprisoned to protect others. Your cheap solution is basically the lowest common denominator.
Benett Kessler
After the 2012 election debacle, the consensus among conservatives for moving forward on the throw-em-all-in jail nonsense seems quixotic: develop new policy prescriptions but without compromising foundational principles. Criminal justice reform, however, is perfectly suited for the mission. The model for conservative criminal justice—less spending, better results, accountability, and greater reliance on faith, family, and community rather than central government—is really the model conservatives should be applying to all issues.
I’m surprised the conservatives on this blog remain in liberal California when they would be much happier in Texas or Utah with minds of their caliber.
How many laws are there,
Can they even be counted,
And where oh where does freedom fit in?
=
I’ve always had a big problem with today’s self-appointed “constitutionalists”
Laws here. Laws there. This is wrong .That is right … Where does the madness and authoritarianism end?
And now we have those that want to jail people of the same sex who choose to live with each other bothering no one, and these people base their mindset on how they interpret the Constitution.
Nuts.
Don’t know what you mean by “Constitutionalist” but the “laws here, laws there” situation is being perpetrated mostly by progressives, who true to form think that the answer to all of life’s problems lies in placing our future in the hands of enlightened “experts” in government agencies regulating our lives for our benefit. ObamaCare is exhibit A, giving unbridled discretion to the Director of HHS to implement the details of the law of thousands of pages that will govern 1/6 of the economy. That indeed bothers those who believe that the purpose of the Constitution was to erect a government of limited powers. It isn’t limited any more, as Representatives Pete Stark and Nancy Pelosi have openly admitted by declaring that there is “pretty much nothing” the federal government is not entitled to do, in their not so humble opinions.
As to your straw man of unidentified people who want to throw gays in jail, it is so flimsy it collapses in a 2mph breeze. I know people who do not agree with gay marriage – until last year, that included President Obama – and the majority of people in this state voted for Prop. 8. Yet I have never heard a single one say they want to jail gays. My guess is you haven’t either, although judging by the cognitive dissonance in your post it is entirely possible you have spent enough time among crackpots to have heard such stupidity. In the meantime, do not slander the rest of us.
Tourbillon –
Your bitterness regarding the current administration and indeed Democrats in general is showing … again.
If your so-called conservative movement can come up with a conservative leader who is acceptable to the majority of Americans and can come across as someone who sound like anything other than Glenn Beck, Rush Limbaugh, Sarah Palin, … etc. and is a person genuinely interested in healing this divided country – I might even vote for him or her.
Until then, all of today’s Neoconservatives are viewed as troublesome, totally divisive, and will never win the hearts and minds of America at large.
The far-right believes they and they alone have the right to interpret the Constitution (Constitutionalists).They want to make gay unions illegal, immoral and want to banish gay people from society and like the twist the Constitution and interpret it as following their fascist-sounding guidelines.
Ain’t gonna happen. Best mind your own damn business.
Neoconservative gurus Sean Hannity and Ann Coulter are upset
about Boston bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev being read his Miranda rights (a Fifth Amendment issue). These popular spokesperson for the far-right wanted him to be treated as an enemy combatant instead of in a civil court (which would concern the Sixth Amendment, which guarantees the right to a fair, speedy trial). Other conservatives
on the Fox News Network suggested wiretapping Muslim mosques.
I’d love to see what the neocons on this blog think about this interpretation of the Constitution they believe they are the spokespersons for.
An FBI agent speaking to Bill Maher on HBO said terrorist suspects handled in federal court are more often convicted than those thrown over to military court.
Miranda doesn’t come and go whether you say it or not. It’s the law, designed to protect the defendant and to make sure future legal proceedings go forward
with no problems.
Benett
Tourbillon
The “stupidity” you are talking about (nice Limbaugh insult though) is thinking that if the neocons want to make gay marriage illegal, somebody is going to go to jail for breaking that law. It’s also “stupid” to get the masses to believe that today’s conservative movement is not law and order heavy. They want EVERYBODY who does not agree with them thrown in prison as bad Americans, traitors for disagreeing with The bogus war on Iraq administration … you know the rest of the far-right BS/
PS – is there any way you can make a political comment without throwing about childish Limbaugh-like insults?
I think you can learn from your own words there Dr. with regard to childish Limbaugh like insults, just feeding the fire.
I do agree to some extent about what you’re saying in this post. But every side does that now days. It’s the norm, slam and be slammed.
I agree Tourbillon.
Don’t you know MJA …. freedom is slowly being faded out. While we do enjoy a lot of freedoms, they are all going away eventually.
If we look at Roman history, and Greek history, they both got so big, government started ruling the people instead of taking care of them and guaranteeing their rights. Morals slowly eroded and society as they knew it fell apart.
You can make a lot of similar observations today in this country.
Right Big Al. Freedom for all … except for… people of the same sex who want to marry, people who want to terminate a pregnancy, freedom to smoke a joint in the privacy of their home if they want, freedom to not be forced into public prayer, freedom to immigrate to a country, freedom to collectively bargain, freedom to NOT go along with another group’s idea of making America run according to the conservative moral worldview in all areas of life.
Not kidding anyone Big Al.
Well Tibet has only 3 prisons and an incarceration rate of about 88 per 100,000 so maybe that Dally Llama has something going on in his writings. On the other hand, Tibet has about the highest rate of self-immolations in the known universe. And your average follower of the Llama lives in a mud hut and cooks on a cow dung fire.
I’ll have to read up a little more to find out what they do about embezzlers.
Johnjcampnfish,
In 1950 His Holiness was called upon to assume full political power after China’s invasion of Tibet in 1949. In 1954, he went to Beijing for peace talks with Mao Zedong and other Chinese leaders, including Deng Xiaoping and Chou Enlai. But finally, in 1959, with the brutal suppression of the Tibetan national uprising in Lhasa by Chinese troops, His Holiness was forced to escape into exile. Since then he has been living in Dharamsala, northern India, the seat of the Tibetan political administration in exile.
His Holiness the Dalai Lama is a man of peace. In 1989 he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his non-violent struggle for the liberation of Tibet. He has consistently advocated policies of non-violence, even in the face of extreme aggression. He also became the first Nobel Laureate to be recognized for his concern for global environmental problems.
His Holiness has travelled to more than 62 countries spanning 6 continents. He has met with presidents, prime ministers and crowned rulers of major nations. He has held dialogues with the heads of different religions and many well-known scientists.
Since 1959 His Holiness has received over 84 awards, honorary doctorates, prizes, etc., in recognition of his message of peace, non-violence, inter-religious understanding, universal responsibility and compassion. His Holiness has also authored more than 72 books.
His Holiness describes himself as a simple Buddhist monk.
Your comment: “…your average follower of the Llama lives in a mud hut and cooks on a cow dung fire.” is sadly mistaken. You’d be surprised at the general acceptance and rapid growth of Buddhism in the world today and quite correct in saying you have to read more about The Dalai Lama and how is influence is serving mankind
That’s a pretty good gig for a “simple monk”, traveling to the four corners of the globe and visiting 62 countries. But what does he do with embezzlers? Does he make them upgrade his simple monk plane tickets to first class?
johnjcampnfish –
You clearly know nothing about the Dalai Lama and what it is he’s devoted to doing for mankind. A lot also do not.
This is understandable in a world gone completely cold and embracing an “it’s all about me” life philosophy with some only focusing on punishment.
But it’s never too late to understand we are far better than we think we are.
As individuals and nations are becoming increasingly interdependent, we have no other choice than to develop a sense of universal responsibilty.
Compassion for those who break the law is a good start. A program of meditation is another one.
I will also point out that compassion does not mean letting people off the hook. It means looking for a way to deal with them that will make them
better human beings and benefit society.
Benett
During the time he was teaching in New York City in September, 2003, His Holiness the Dalai Lama met privately with a group of former inmates. They told him about their experience in prison. His Holiness later shared his reflections on this meeting when he spoke to the thousands of people attending his teachings at the Beacon Theatre and the estimated 65,000 who attended his Sunday morning talk at Central Park. What he said was similar, though not exactly the same, on these two occasions, and I share with you what I remember (I didn’t take notes, nor was I at the meeting).
His Holiness was very appreciative of the meeting and said how touched and saddened he was hearing the suffering that people experienced while incarcerated. He admired their efforts to learn in such a hostile and violent environment and said that the cultivation of compassion is extremely important.
He also commented on the injustices present in a prison system designed to punish rather than rehabilitate, a system which brands people as “evil” instead of seeing their potential and the purity of their Buddha nature. The structure of the prison system is in bad need of reform, he said. Looking directly at the audience, he stated emphatically: “But I am not a citizen of this country, you are. Therefore, you are responsible for changing this system. You need a system that helps both the inmates themselves and society in general.” A loud round of applause by the audience followed this statement.
If only the angriest and most punitive amongst us could understand this.
I’m sure the Lama is a nice guy. But as a man whose country is oppressed and dominated by a communist thug regime, the Lama might be expected to have matters occupying his thoughts other than “the purity of the Buddha nature” of rapists and murderers in American prisons. I’m curious – did the Lama mention the purity of the Buddha nature of the violated victims?
His Holiness the Pope will deliver the odd lecture our way at times too. We’re a lucky country, with multiple foreign Holinesses bestowing on us free spiritual advice. Well, the more spiritual wisdom the better, I say. Bring it “om”.
Tim, thanks for the elaboration. The head-in-the-sand method assists no one. Now the healing wil surely begin.
Ken, you’re right, law enforcement is a big money making business now, including detention, as we see with this link. Look how much money we put into it annually. Home land security is a big business too .. it mandates more law enforcement and detention facilities.
the lady is nothing more than a common theif, and should be punished to the fullest extent of the law
The United States has the highest documented incarceration rate in the world. At year-end 2009, it was 743 adults incarcerated per 100,000 population.
The U.S. Congress has ordered federal judges to make imprisonment decisions “recognizing that imprisonment is not an appropriate means of promoting correction and rehabilitation.”
Critics have lambasted the United States for incarcerating a large number of non-violent and victimless offenders; half of all persons incarcerated under state jurisdiction are for non-violent offenses, and 20% are incarcerated for drug offenses (in state prisons, federal prison percentages are higher). “Human Rights Watch believes the extraordinary rate of incarceration in the United States wreaks havoc on individuals, families and communities, and saps the strength of the nation as a whole. The population of inmates housed in prisons and jails in the United States exceeds 2 million, with the per capita incarceration population higher than that officially reported by any other country.Criminal justice policy in the United States has also been criticized for a number of other reasons.
There is no such thing as a “victimless crime”…and in most cases, a “non-violent” crime could turn into one in an instant….drug dealers and users usually seize the moment if given the opportunity to do so…which can,and does lead to more violent things,for the user,dealer,or some innocent bystander.I knew of drug users in Oregon that would go many steps to aquire their drug of choice,and when they got it,the fast way home to test their product was to steal a car when they could…and knew of more than one dope dealer that would steal from a buyer,which lead to violent confrantations, which would also include an innocent victim not involved in the transaction….in one case,a vehicle chase that ended in a crash injuring a family of 4 not involved in the drug deal.No matter the crime commited,the ramifications of that crime can effect all of us in one way or another.
Wayne- I would say 99 % of the tickets and arrest in this country are for victimless crimes. There is no victim if no one gets hurt. Who got hurt when I forget to wear my seatbelt? Who got hurt when I answered my cell phone while driving? Who gets hurt when I don’t come to a full stop ? Who gets hurt when Uncle Billy decides to light one up at the river? All this what if law stuff is for the birds.
Trouble……The seat belt law is because some people don’t use common sense…seat belts save a LOT of lives,and prevent serious injuries.Answering,or talking on a cell phone,texting,etc. causes a lot of accidents,and injuries to innocent people.Not coming to a full stop ?…..dangerous…cause chances are when you do that your not looking in both directions,and in a hurry…I’ve done it before,in fact almost ran into Sheriff Bill Lutze doing it once in Lone Pine.And smoking the weed while your out enjoying the scenery….You got to drive home eventually..putting everyone on the highway at risk.. like everyone knows,but some don’t want to admit,with the pot they have out there now,driving a vehicle,or a boat can not be done safely if you happen to be under the influence of high grade marijuana.It’s probably a good idea to try to prevent these things from happening before,like you say, “no victim if no one gets hurt “….don’t you think ?
Trouble, the trouble is .. not everyone can walk and chew gum at the same time, I agree .. laws like cell phone laws do make some people criminals, like a lot of other laws, most of them are pr-emptive as Wayne is saying .. preventing people from getting hurt, because some people can not act responsibly, and cause accidents, so make a law that says no one can do it, even if they act responsibly, instead of dealing correctly with the ones who can’t act right and cause harm.
Wayne .. Uncle Billy fires one up down at the river, spends a fair amount of time fishing. By the time he points it back home, he has come down off the high. He is not a detriment to anyone at that point.
But then Sonny, goes and gets blitzed with his buddies, smokin and carrying on, maybe drinking. He and his Buddies get in the car still blitzed, there is disaster waiting to happen.
So now you have said that Uncle Billy is in the same boat as Sonny, you have just made Uncle Billy a criminal along with Sonny, because of the Sonnys out there, who can not make right decisions.
Instead of making Uncle Billy a criminal, you don’t deal with it in the right manner by dealing concisely with Sonny, and not understanding that uncle Billy is not doing anything wrong.
With so many laws , it is no wonder some people are not able to think for ourselves. It’s no wonder as well … our prisons are so full.
I have to say, some laws like rolling stop signs, are something needed, if we didn’t have it in place, people would disregard stop signs on an epic proportion!
Seat belt and helmet laws, are something, I think should not be in place, but that is my opinion, they just take away peoples ability to make their choice to wear one or not, make a right choice, if they don’ they make that choice conscientiously they are then responsible for that choice.
Again we do not deal with it concisely, making them responsible for their actions, we just pass a law and wash our hands of making people responsible for their actions.
The trouble is .. the rest of us don’t want to pay for their consequences so we pass a law saying you have to wear a seat belt and or a helmet. Under the guise of safety.
How many drivers and motorcyclist have been kiiled by drivers failing to obey traffic signs, traffic lights and failed to yield the right of way? Tens of thousands. So cops are picky about you actually stopping at a traffic light or stop sign. Gee, imagine that. How many lives are saved, and taxpayer money saved on Social Security for survivors and sometimes disability payments to survivors of wrecks who are maimed for life, by enforcing seat belt laws. Maybe you should grow up and start acting like a responsible adult.
That’s not entirely accurate. The definition of a victimless crime is when you commit a crime that violates or threatens the rights of others. There are plenty of crimes that are victimless but that doesn’t mean they don’t effect people in some way or another.
Hem- “or threatens the rights of others”. That statement could land me in jail if I sneezed in a public place if our gov’t wanted it to. We gotta draw a line somewhere on all these nanny rules.
Maybe the reason for so many people in jail is that so many people are not willing to abide by the law of the land. The comments in this blog over the last few years demonstrate that daily. Think about all the people who complained about check points or road closures and on and on. Think about all the personal disrespect that is shown other people in this blog. That is pervasive throughout our society.
There is little real respect for the law or for the rights of others — perhaps with good reason.
And here’s another reason:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corrections_Corporation_of_America
I’ll leave it to the reader to make the necessary links to the profit motive, law making and members of congress always trying to get contributions for their perennial re-election efforts.
Uh-oh!
Ken and Wayne want some of the posters on this blog to be thrown in jail!
One of the hallmarks of adulthood is accepting responsibility for one’s actions, and an understanding that one is not competely free to do whatever they want whenever they want. “Freedom” also brings with it some obligations to things higher than oneself. We have a class of people posting here who, while chronologically “adult” remain children in their actions, blithely unable to understand what their obligations to others are or able to comprehend that what they do in their lives affects the lives of others. Like little children it is all about them. And they have access to keyboards …………….
Tim, don’t pay attention to the rhetoric. It’s just too bad you had to justify it at length when most everyone got it the first time.
Tim, I wish everyone could find the wisdom as you have to delve back into their past to see what it is that’ s been ailing them. Unfortunately, there are those who believe the cavalier approach is the best and only way. These poor souls have not let go of any painful experiences and it shows in their angry demeanor and way of life.
Tim,
Thanks for sharing your feelings rather than keep them bottled up only to fester. Families are like a mobile hanging from the ceiling. When one part of the mobile starts to vibrate, every other part of the mobile starts to vibrate. Then in time, all is calm again.
One never knows when an otherwise good individual will experience a melt-down as the Indian doctor clearly did.
Once again from the Dalai Lama (who expounds quite often about anger):
There are many afflictive emotions such as conceit, arrogance, jealousy, desire, lust, closed-mindendness, and so on, but of all these, hatred or anger is singled out as the greatest evil. This is done for two reasons. One is that hatred or anger is the greatest stumbling block for a practitioner who is aspiring to enhance his or her altruism and attain a good heart. Second, when hatred or anger are generated they have the capacity to destroy one’s virtue and calmness of mind.
– The Dalai Lama, from The Path To Tranquility
Hopefully the Indian doctor can see the error of his angry ways.
Thank you for the acknowledgement; it has been a tough week with the loss of my close friend who also was also doctor. My parents are both doctors, now in their 90’s, as well as a few of my friends, you can imagine the implications.
In caring for the parents there is occasional friction, it isn’t easy getting old so they can be curmudgeonly. Being a curmudgeon is OK as long as the care giver son can keep his mouth shut. Prior to the Dali Lama incident, pops called the Indian doctor to tell him that he thought I hated him, this was brought on because I am reminded that I “am not qualified to be in many discussions” and typically try to quietly comply to their wishes (the silent treatment). In any case, part of the Indian doctor’s frustration was that I criticized him for talking about me with my father which he stupidly denied. I also believe that because I already had a Dali Lama-ish saying that I had accepted and did not care to accept his, he became angry. There were 20 doctors and wives at this party where the incident occurred. I can still imagine him standing there in front of everyone yelling “Tim, I am very angry at you! Tim, I am very angry at you!”
Here is how it went down…
“Tim, the Dali Lama says it is better to be kind than to be right. Dr, I like that, for me, I believe it is better to be comfortable than to be right. No Tim, you are not hearing me; Tim, the Dali Lama says it is better to be kind than to be right. Your father thinks you hate him. Dr, would someone who hates another give a dinner in their honor with 20 guests? And by the way, he is marginalizing me in his conversations with you and others to garner attention and favor. Dr, why are you speaking with him about me at all? Tim, I am not talking with him about you. Yelling starts; Tim I am very angry with you! Tim I am very angry with you!
Ever notice how the greediest of hypocrites, can always justify their own ego’s and even celebrate it as a virtue?
Schadenfreude and karma are not even remotely related,even when they serve up the exact same results.
It’s difficult for me to look at the photograph of this lady.
All I see in her eyes is a sad and frightened little girl.
You wonder what happened in her life to find herself in such a predicament.
Her upbringing. The economy. The desperation.
Oh, what problems we create for ourselves!
This lady and I attended high school together. We became the best of friends and carried on our friendship many years later. She had a good upbringing. Great family. I knew her as a witty, caring, hard working, family oriented person I enjoyed being around.
We fell out of touch years before this happened. I don’t know what happened to have her go this direction.
I still miss her and wish I knew where she was now. I will always call her my friend. Love and miss ya Rox.
The truth of suffering is that we experience many different types of suffering. The three categories are: suffering of suffering-this refers to things such as headaches; suffering of change-this is the feeling of restlessness after being comfortable; and all-pervasive suffering that acts as the basis of the first two categories and is under the control of karma and the disturbing mind.
A true story…
An East Indian doctor once told me that “the Dali Lama says, it is better to be kind than to be right”. I replied “I like that very much and use a similar saying that goes, “it is better to be comfortable than to be right”. The doctor did not like that I was already using a variant of the saying and began to scream at me.
In the end, it was better to be right than comfortable or kind.
This all happened at a dinner where the doctor was my guest.
TIm,
Thanks for sharing that story! In the end, the doctor wouldn’t buy his own medicine, that’s great!
Tim –
“…began to scream at me.”
Reminds me of a popular radio talk-show host.
Some people are having a difficult time today with simple communication skills.
If they only knew what benefits simply sitting quietly and meditating would bring them.
Have to rely on karma nowdays,because you sure can’t rely on the court system to issue the correct type of justice……most of the time,anyway.
If in a competitive society you are sincere and honest in some circumstances people may take advantage of you. If you allow someone to do so, he or she will be engaging in an unsuitable action and accumulating bad karma that will harm the person in the future. Thus it is permissible, with an altruistic motivation, to take counteraction in order to prevent the other person from having to undergo the effects of this wrong action.
One of the characteristics of karmic theory is that there is a definite, commensurate relationship between cause and effect. There is no way that negative actions or unwholesome deeds can result in joy and happiness. Joy and happiness, by definition, are the results or fruits of wholesome actions. So from that point of view, it is possible for us to admire not so much the immediate action, but the real causes of joy.
I only wish the real Dalai Lama read this blog and commented.
Benett Kessler
Agreed.
Unfortunately you may find some irked at his comments because he’s not a white, anglo-saxon, Christian American.
Meanwhile direct quotes from “The Path to Tranquility” just might provide comfort, insight and joy to some.
He’d probably just laugh his ass off….
People who fight with other human beings out of anger, hatred, and strong emotion, even if they gain victory over their enemies in battle, are not in reality true heroes. What they are doing is slaying corpses, because human beings, being transient, will die. Whether or not these enemies die in the battle is another question, but they will die at some point.
So, in reality, they are slaying those already destined to die. The true hero is the one who gains victory over hatred and anger.
His Holiness The Dalai Lama
From “The Path to Tranquility” April 26 reading.
Greed is a disease and karma is for real.
How right you are, Dingo.
The cause and effect that people experience is karma and some may not experience the down-side of their actions in this lifetime – but sooner or later it will catch up with them.
If only people would understand and live by the law of karma.
My karma hit your dogma.
320,000…that averages out to about 60 grand a month. Somebodies asleep at the wheel here. Unless I was buying BRAND a new truck every month, I don’t think I could spend that much money. Maybe the Sheriff’s dept. ought to start monitoring the security footage at the Paiute Palace to see who’s loosing a TON of money. (that isn’t theirs)