Vicious Radicals

Opening Opinions:

Karen Mitchell of Colorado City, Colorado, Slanderer, Ethical Degenerate

State Coordinator of The NMGenWeb Project 2006 - 2007

Exploring Corruption in Genealogy re-edited May 28, 2007

New Mexico Genealogy. Colorado Genealogy; NMGenWeb

Her actions are Vicious, Ugly, Repelling. Unsolicited response. (New Mexico researcher )

A vote for Karen Mitchell is a vote for corruption. (Charles Barnum, 2004 National Campaign.)

Charlie, I recommend that you do not respond. This may result in your being expelled from USGenWeb. State Coordinators can't be expelled but County Coordinators can.

(a Friend)

Answer: Karen published her lies on the Internet. Hundreds of people read them. Her character is questionable. Below is a secret web page with a plan to have an "Open Season" on me after the election is secured by Karen.

In a web page (discovered 28 March 2007), Susan Bellomo, then the State Coordinator of NMGenWeb, told members Harold Kilmer and Pat Bennett that after the election, it would be Open Season on Charles Barnum. That is exactly what happened: A staged flare-up about Barnum not subscribing to the email list; Personal attacks against Barnum on the NMGenWeb e-mail list, the expulsion of Barnum from NMGenWeb without charges, and five pages of online filth by Karen Mitchell; and 70 alleged anonymous statements coming from the participating County Coordinators of NMGenWeb when in fact there were only 15 CCs at that time. This was followed by a slanderous attack on Barnum's Mother, his Children and his Grandchildren.

Read on.

Quote:

Election 2006 Election Committee Meeting

FYI, let's keep this confidential among us three until we have discussed and decided what to do. Can we accomplish it via e-mail? We all have such different schedules, and with e-mail we all have exactly the same info.

• Charles Barnum has protested the election process, and during the course of 24 hours has now posted a message to our community mailing list (not the CC distribution list) that he is ready to move on. He listed several "recommendations" for the next SC and NMGenWeb in general. If you aren't on the NMGENWEB-L mailing list, let me know so I can forward you a copy of the message. I have a timeline and copies of all the messages sent regarding the election, so there isn't much substance on which he can base a grievance. I spent last night and very early this morning putting it together just in case. Since Charles has publicly stated that he's ready to move on, I'd prefer not to get him on the warpath. Once we get through the ASC issue and election, it can be unofficial open season. ... end quote

• Source: http://www.rootsweb.com/~nmgenweb/Election2006/ECmtg.htm

• NMGenWeb secret web page for the NMGenWeb Election Committee.

• Susan Bellomo, susanbellomo@yahoo.com, Chairperson (Carlsbad, NM)

• Committee Members were:

• Harold Kilmer, hkilmer@plateautel.net (Clovis, NM)

  • Pat Bennett mzwhiz@mindless.com (Silver City)

Crime of Conspiracy:

Does this Conspiracy rise to the level of a Crime by the Officers of NMGenWeb? Do the five web pages Karen Mitchell wrote show a conspiracy to harm by slander supporting the the Open Season on Barnum? You decide.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia: Conspiracy (crime)

“In the criminal law, a conspiracy is an agreement between two or more natural persons to break the law at some time in the future, and, in some cases, with at least one overt act in furtherance of that agreement. There is no limit on the number participating in the conspiracy and, in most countries, no requirement that any steps have been taken to put the plan into effect (compare attempts which require proximity to the full offence). ...

Conspiracy law usually does not require proof of the specific intent by the defendants to injure any specific person in order to establish an illegal agreement. Instead, usually the law only requires the conspirators have the agreed to engage in a certain illegal act. This is sometimes described as a "general intent" to violate the law.”

As you read the following, decide for yourself if the Open Season on Barnum by slander and lies is a criminal act.

During the 2004 Elections for the Position of National Coordinator (of USGenWeb), Barnum believed that electing Karen Mitchell to head USGenWeb would be a disaster. Karen Mitchell subsequently lost that election by a wide margin. In 2006, after Karen Mitchell whipped the membership of NMGenWeb into a frothing frenzy, she expelled Charles Barnum from NMGenWeb on unspecified charges.

Her tactics were vulgar, baiting, hearsay, dehumanizing battering, demonizing, half lies, lies, slander, anonymous testimony, slander by proxy, and character assignation--not only toward Barnum but toward his ninety year old Mother, and toward his children and their children.

Karen Mitchell is at her best when slandering and scheming. How much more corrupt would she have been if she won the election for the top position in USGenWeb?

Karen Mitchell denied a hearing for Barnum. That is a fundamental right in all organizations. It's the foundation of justice in America. The fact that Karen Mitchell was able to operate with a contempt for justice is a manifestation of online genealogy in NMGenWeb.

Crime of CYBER STALKING:

The following pages of filth by Karen Mitchell show her scheming, hatred, jealousy and hysterical rants. Parts of it was based on cyber stalking. Police agencies are beginning to understand cyber stalking as a crime and as a form of terrorism. Nevada Revised Statutes covers this. Its important to know that the crime of cyber stalking occurs where the person reads the material, not where it was published. Thus, any State's District Attorney may bring an action:

NRS 200.575 Stalking: Definitions:

1. A person who, without lawful authority, willfully or maliciously engages in a course of conduct that would cause a reasonable person to feel terrorized, frightened, intimidated or harassed, and that actually causes the victim to feel terrorized, frightened, intimidated or harassed, commits the crime of stalking.

Karen Mitchell stated or implied on the Internet that,

1--Barnum continuously threatened law suits toward NMGenWeb members.

----A LIE.

2--Barnum engaged in hostile discussions for the purpose of suing for monetary gain.

----A LIE.

3--Barnum breached the confidentiality of mediation.

----A LIE.

4--Barnum's account at USGenNet was removed for stealing material.

----A LIE.

5--Barnum refused to accept the decisions of a majority of members.

----A LIE.

6--Barnum committed voter fraud in USGenWeb.

----A LIE.

7--Barnum's family members use aliases for voting fraud.

----A LIE.

8--Barnum refused to give assurance that he would not sue over mediation results.

----A LIE.

9--Barnum had filed a grievance against every NMGenWeb State Coordinator.

----A LIE.

10--Barnum had family members on his AZ and CO GenWeb web pages.

----A LIE.

11--Barnum suffers from emotional constipation.

She actually wrote that in her summation to the Advisory Board of USGenWeb.

Did the AB dismiss her hateful rant? The truth will shock you!

Fact: C. W. Barnum has never violated a Bylaw of USGenWeb

My name is Charles Barnum. I am solely responsible for this web site. In the summer of 2006 Karen Mitchell placed five pages of lies, slander and distortion on the Internet.

This is a response to the lies Karen Mitchell published. It is my constitutional right to answer. Had she not published such filth this site would not exist today.

Karen Mitchell (in the dossier below) mixed irrelevant personal emails dating back six years with recent emails to deceive and confuse. Some posts had the names and dates stripped away. Only one side of the issues were shown by Mitchell, those that appear unflattering. All statements were taken out of context. What you will read is a collection of anonymous statements impossible to challenge. This entire dossier is an example of guilt by accusation. Make hundreds of false accusations against a person and some people will believe there must be some validity to them.

Problems have existed in NMGenWeb. They began after I requested the rules and regulations of USGenWeb to be observed to hold an election to replace the ailing NMGenWeb State Coordinator. My actions inflamed the clique that controlled NMGenWeb. Shortly after this, a County Coordinator (CC) named Pat Bennett and others instigated a shun Barnum strategy. The purpose was to lock me out of participation within NMGenWeb. They succeeded. I could have walked away from this hostile environment, but I chose to stay to help family researchers in New Mexico.

If I now remain quiet, people like Karen Mitchell would continue to exercise unchecked power in online genealogy. Publishing this limited response is not a pleasant task. Not publishing it is allowing slanders to run wild through the halls of genealogy.

State Guidelines (of which NMGenWeb has None) accomplish several things.

1--They protect individual's rights.

2--They set up consistent procedures for elections.

3--They prevent the State email lists from being used as weapons.

4--They Limit the power of State Coordinators to abuse.

All of my personal opinions will occur in a outlined red-orange box to separate it from the sea of irrelevant testimony of Karen Mitchell. Readers are welcomed to share their opinions pro or con. Use the Forum.

About this author: I entered organized genealogy in 1996 founding NMGenWeb's Lincoln County. I served until early 2006 at which time Karen Mitchell expelled me without stating a bylaws violation, nor allowing me to face the anonymous accusers, nor to examine and challenge evidence or to question witnesses.

A group of people acting within an organization will often suspend their personal ethical values if they think it promotes the group. You will see that process in action in the following anonymous statements, slander, lies, attacks on my family's honor, name calling, and inflammatory hate-filled words. These statements would be tossed-out in any court, but they are now an accepted part of online genealogy. What you will not read is one instance of a violation of the rules or bylaws of USGenWeb by me, nor of any law in the United States by me. Keep in mind that I did not publish the following. I am responding to the filth published about me and my family by Karen Mitchell in the name of NMGenWeb. Draw your own conclusions. Should I slip into any self-serving statements, please inform me of it, and I'll remove them. If you find an error of fact, I'll correct that too.

A side of online genealogy that the general public does see is one of slander, jealousy, and scheming. I hate politics, but I became more involved in those issues out of disgust about how online genealogy is operated. I'm a flawed man in many ways. My main problem is my inability to communicate clearly and effectively. Having a stroke in 2005 amplified that inability. For that, I beg your understanding.

Charles Barnum, Founder of Lincoln County NMGenWeb 1996 - 2006