Monday, September 29, 2008

Caylee Anthony ~ 105 Days & Counting

It's getting increasingly hard to post about Caylee Anthony and her family. There is so much information coming out into the public's eyes right now it's mind-boggling. Interviews with family and friends, both in transcripts and in video and audio recordings. I've read most of the documents and listened or watched the recordings. I honestly can't think of a thing to say that hasn't already been written and re-written on a thousand or so websites, both news sites and on blogs. If you want to read, listen or watch the statements and interviews, there are a number of websites that have the entire list of them available for download. Two that I use are the Criminal Report Daily on the Investigation Discovery website and a Wordpress blog called Caylee Anthony. Then we have the message boards that are all over the net. InSessions and Websleuths are just two of many that have whole sections of their boards dedicated to following the Anthony Family Circus.

I was reading on a couple of the boards this morning and the big "buzz" on the message boards is that Casey Anthony, poor little Caylee's mother, has been very active on Facebook. She's apparently started a "blog" of sorts on her Facebook page. Now, I have a Facebook account but I have not searched her out to add as a "friend", but apparently others have and the posts that Casey is making on her page have been publicized on the boards. One of the posts is all about Nancy Grace and it's not complimentary. But, it's not in Casey Anthony's own words. She went to Wikipedia and copied and pasted part of the section about Nancy Grace's Career as a prosecutor. I guess Casey hasn't the skills to write what she feels about Nancy Grace and the coverage that her missing daughter is getting on the show. (Check out the Caylee Anthony blog, they've got the texts posted there.) I guess since Casey is confined to her parent's home and isn't able to "visiting" her friends or go out dancing at Fusion she's having her fun online, in chatrooms and on Facebook. I have to wonder what her lawyer has told her about her internet wanderings.

Cindy's interview with the investigators was aggravating to watch and listen to. Especially when she started trying to steer the investigators towards Jesse Grund. In her opinion at that time, Jesse or someone associated with him had Caylee. Strange that Jesse has been very cooperative with the investigation and has even passed a lie detector test, isn't it, Cindy? What can I say about George's interview? Ugh. I am so tired of listening to the Anthony family now. I just hope that the investigators can make some sense out of it all, because I am sure getting confused. There are way too many lies and "half-truths" coming from the whole family. Casey first, then Cindy, George and Lee. Liars all. And they told the "stories" to the investigators. Cindy, George and Lee have their priorities set. Casey's defense first, then comes the search for Caylee.

Blah. I just don't know what to say about this whole dysfunctional family. Oh wait. I do have something to say: "Where is Caylee?"

Other Stuff
In the next few days, my brother will arrive from Virginia for a visit. So my time will be spent with my family. Perhaps I'll even have a few more photos to post since both my brothers and I will be going back up to Oregon to visit my Dad and Stepmom. I am so glad that my family doesn't even faintly resemble the Anthony's!

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

Phil Spector Trial Part Deux?

Will we see it live? Check out Trials and Tribulations. Sprocket is watching what is happening as the opening for the retrial of Phil Spector ramps up. Phil Spector is accused of murdering Lana Clarkson in the early morning hours of February 3, 2003. The first trial ended up in a mistrial due to a deadlocked jury. Jury selection for the retrial is supposed to start on October 2nd. The first trial was televised by Court TV which has been changed to TruTV and the word is that TruTV will not be televising the retrial of Phil Spector.

Please go to ipetitions and sign the petition for televising the retrial. You do not have to pay in order to put your name on that petition. Just fill in the blanks on the main page, hit the "Sign Petition" button and then backspace from the "donation" page. Hit the "Signatures" tab at the top of the page and you'll see your signature on the petition.

Be sure to post a comment on Sprocket's blog about televising the retrial as she is trying to put something together for making the televising of the trial possible.

There is also a forum dedicated to this case that is run by Michelle Blaine who was Phil Spector's assistant at the time of Lana's death. Click here to visit the forum.

After spending a huge amount of time last summer watching the first trial, I would definitely like to be able to watch the retrial and see justice done for Lana and her family. Please, go sign the petition, post a comment on Sprocket's blog and go read and post in Michelle's forum.

Thursday, September 18, 2008

23 Cents vs a Baseball Bat?

Last night, the Anthony family had more problems with "protesters". And this time, I use the word "protesters" in the broadest sense of the word. There were a half a dozen or so young adults at the house around 1:30 in the morning and apparently had been yelling, throwing things at the house and banging on the garage door. So, Cindy called 911. Here's the transcript of the call:

Cindy: The protesters are throwing things at my house. They’re throwing rocks at my home. They’re hitting the windows of my house and they’re in my yard. I want an officer out there right away. Please…before my husband goes out and something happens.
Operator: How many people are out there do you know?
Cindy: Umm from the surveillance, there’s at least half a dozen or more.
Operator: OK. And they’re throwing rocks at the house.
Cindy: Yes ma’am.
Operator: OK, has anything gone through a window or anything?
Cindy: Not yet. But it’s real close. My husband’s about ready to go outside, and I’m trying keep him inside.
Operator: Ask him to stay inside.
Cindy: I’m trying honey. I really am.
Operator: OK.
Cindy: Thank you dear. Bye.
Operator: Bye-bye.

Well, George and Cindy didn't stay inside. George went outside, and Cindy was right behind him armed with a baseball bat. Check out the video:


As you can see in the video, the cops did show up and of course, the rowdy group had left by the time they arrived. Apparently sometime during this altercation and the one later, Casey managed to call 911 as well. (Sorry, I don' t have a transcript for that call, but you can listen to it here: Disturbance 9-1-1 Call.) Anyway, the idiots were there at the house, and this video shows George hosing them down with Cindy standing by his side with a baseball bat in her hands:


Why on earth didn't they stay inside, the way the 911 operator said? Why did they have to open that garage door and go outside? Armed with a baseball bat?

Now, for the 23 cents I mentioned in the title, read the police report:
On September 18, 2008 I responded to 4937 Hopespring Drive in the Chickasaw Park Subdivision in reference to a suspicious incident.
Upon arrival I made contact with the victim/reporter, Cynthia M. Anthony, who advised of the following: At approximately 0010 hours on September 18, 2008, Cynthia heard noises coming from the front area of her home.
It sounded like rocks were hitting the front bedroom window and the garage door. Cynthia advised she observed via her surveillance camera, a large group of people (approximately 14 people) standing in the middle of her front yard. Cynthia advised she could not describe or identify anyone from the surveillance video because it was to dark. Cynthia then called 911.
I did an area check around the residence and found four coins around the front window (three pennies & one dime) and two coins in front of the garage (two nickels). It appeared the suspects (demonstrator) threw coins at Cynthia's home.
Coins were submitted into OCSO evidence.
23 Cents was apparently thrown at the home and for that, Cindy picks up the baseball bat and George grabs the hose. Honestly. In both of the 911 calls, first from Cindy and then from Casey, they refer to these idiots in their front yard as "protesters". In my opinion, those weren't protesters. They were a bunch of young adults who'd probably fortified themselves with liquid courage and then decided to go "have some fun" by baiting the Anthony's. I truly feel sorry for the neighbors around the Anthony home. One more thing, Cindy says a dozen or more, or 14 "protesters" in the police report, but in the video I only counted about 6 or so? Was she seeing double or were some of them "invisible" like the nanny?

And then this morning, George actually spoke to the media outside his home. Not blaming them for "destroying his family" this time, but to ask all of Central Florida for help in prosecuting the idiots from last night. Hey George! Why didn't you include a plea for the public to help find your missing granddaughter?

Oh yeah. The search for Caylee. Cindy went to a Spanish speaking TV station yesterday and taped an interview so that it can be broadcast in Puerto Rico. I'm still trying to figure out why she thinks Caylee is alive and well in Puerto Rico. Or Texas. Or Mexico. Or New York. Or wherever else she has said... Cindy, the key to finding Caylee is sitting in your house. Ask Casey where she really left Caylee. Was it the Sawgrass apartments or was it at Jay Blanchard Park? Or was it somewhere else?

This is becoming less like a circus and more like a very bad soap opera every day. Hey "Protesters"!
Go Home!


Update:
Thanks to Channel 13 in Orlando, here is the transcript of Casey's call to the police last night:

Casey: Yes, there are protesters still in the front of our home. We already called about an hour and a half ago. It took over 30 minutes for the officers to get here. The protesters are now banging on our garage door. They’ve still been throwing things at our windows and our garage. And now the media’s here. My father’s going outside and there’s going to be a fight, so please can you send people down here because there’s now a physical altercation. You need to send vehicles immediately.

Operator: It’s getting physical?
Casey: Yes, it’s getting physical right now.
Operator: Do you see them physically fighting?
Casey: Yes, I see them physically fighting. We have surveillance.
Operator: OK do you see any weapons?
Casey: I don’t know if there’s any weapons. I know that my father’s outside and so is my mother, so please send as many people as you possibly can.
Operator: And who is this?
Casey: Inaudible
Operator: Just one second OK?
Casey: They need to be arrested because this can’t keep happening. We already had six or seven officers out here for 45 minutes and they didn’t do anything. And these are the same punks that were out here all night throwing stuff at our house.
Operator: OK, stay on the line with me OK?
Casey: I absolutely will, but they need to hurry up. They just left not that long ago.
Operator: The police officers left?
Casey: The police officers just left about 1 o’clock. Yeah.
Operator: OK. Stay on the line.
Casey: And a media van just pulled up and that’s when all this started happening.
Operator: I’m going to connect with my dispatcher, OK don’t hang up.
Casey: Ok, Thank you.
Operator: About how many people are out there?
Casey: There’s at least a dozen people. And now two media vans. And there’s actually more people walking from across the street.
Operator: How many people are involved in the altercation?

Casey to someone in background: I already did. I already did.

Casey: Channel 2 News has everything on tape already.
Operator: Ok. How many people are involved in the altercation?
Casey: There’s at least a dozen people. My mom’s out there now spraying people with the hose, or my father is. They’re trying to get them off the property. They’re also trespassing on the property…
Operator: Is it still happening?
Casey: they’re still standing on the property, yes. They’re out there recording it.
Operator: So what about the physical altercation, is it over?
Casey: it’s already over. Yes. That’s when my father…
2nd Operator: OK, so it’s no longer physical?
Casey: It’s no longer physical, but it was already physical when…
2nd Operator: Is this a protester or is this a resident?
Casey: It’s the protesters.
2nd Operator: No, I’m saying who are you?
Casey: I’m the resident. We have everything on tape thanks to Channel 2 and also our home surveillance.
2nd Operator: Was there any weapons involved?
Casey: Not that I can see, no.
2nd Operator: Are both your parents outside?
Casey: both my parents are outside, yes.
2nd Operator: Have they separated or is it still verbal?
Casey: it’s still verbal. And there’s still at least a dozen people on our property. My mom’s bringing my dad inside, so at least my parents aren’t outside, but this needs to get taken care of immediately.
Operator: Are they inside now?
Casey: Yes. My parents are inside right now.

Casey to someone in background: What happened?

Casey: Both of my parents were hit by two of the protesters. As you heard from both of my parents channel 2 has it on video. Excellent. So can we get people out here immediately?
Operator: There’s someone on the way. I just need you to stay on the line OK?
Casey: I’ll stay on the line until somebody comes, no problem.
2nd Operator: OK, we have several units on the way.
Casey: Ok, thank you.
2nd Operator: Just stay on the phone with us.
Casey: One of the vehicles just left.

Casey to someone in background: So white Expedition. You have the tag of who just left. You already have the tag information. Yes the guys just left. They just got in the car and left.

Casey: My mom went outside and got the tag information for the vehicle that had been out in front of our house for at least the last three and a half hours.
Operator: OK, and was those the people that had been involved in the physical?
Casey: Yes, they were the people that were involved in the physical altercation. We have the make and model of the vehicle and also the tag number.
Operator: OK, the make and model was?
Casey: It was a white Ford Expedition.
Operator: OK. Was it a Florida Tag?
Casey: Yes, it was a Florida tag.
Operator: Ok and what’s that number?
Casey: Hold on for just one second.

2nd Operator: Hello.
Operator: She’s still on the line, they’re, both parents are inside.
2nd Operator: Oh, they’re inside the house now?
Operator: Hmmmhmm. Yep.
2nd Operator: Did the phone die or we’re just stuck on mute?
Operator: She’s getting the tag information.
2nd Operator: For what?
Operator: The vehicle that was involved in striking the parents.
2nd Operator: Was it a white Suburban?
Operator: Uhh, Ford Expedition.
2nd Operator: White in Color.
Operator: Yep.
Operator: Hello, Hello. Are you there?
3rd Operator: Hello are they still fighting?
Operator: No, she’s not answering now.
2nd Operator: She’s back on the phone?
Operator: No. Hello.
2nd Operator: Alright, we’re 10-2 we can hang up.
Operator: OK.
2nd Operator: Thank you.

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

The Never-Ending Anthony Circus

Well, Casey Anthony is back out of jail and home again. She walked out of the Orange County Jail hand in hand with her attorney Jose Baez yesterday afternoon. Someone posted the new bail shortly after court yesterday morning and Casey got fitted for her ankle bracelet soon afterwards. With the body guards and Baez surrounding her, she strolled down the walk to the big red pickup truck that was waiting to take her back home. I'm guessing that the pickup truck belongs to one of the body guards since it hadn't been seen at the house previously. With the frequency of Casey's arrests, how soon will she have a 4th mugshot to add to her collection?


With Casey back home, it seems that the tempers are rising again in that house. George Anthony came out this morning and ranted at the media since there weren't any protesters available as targets. George seems to think that the media is at fault for destroying his family. Or at least that is what he yelled at Mark Boyle, a reporter for WFTV in Orlando. (Follow the WFTV link and there's even a video you can watch of George's rant this morning.) My question to the Anthony's is this: Why is it you folks always have a hammer in your hands when you start yelling at people? Do you think it makes you more believable or something? Hey, I'm sorry, but if I happened to be in your neighborhood and you guys came at me with a hammer in your hand, I'd be on the phone to 911 in a heartbeat reporting your threatening behavior! Maybe the three of you could have matching ankle jewelry!

Hmm.. Three Anthony's. George, Cindy and Casey. Are those the three that Cindy told everyone about? The THREE people that Cindy says are searching for Caylee? Or maybe we can take Casey out of the equation and insert Lee. Yeah. That's it. The three people "searching" for Caylee are George, Cindy and Lee Anthony. And since it's been over 3 months now since Caylee disappeared, we can see how effective their search efforts are. They still have the ONE person who can answer questions sitting there in their home with them. And Caylee is still out there somewhere. Why?

Cindy has been pretty quiet since the confrontation with the woman the other night who's boy got hurt when his arm got caught in the car door, but I'm sure we'll see or hear from her again soon. From what has been posted on the WebSleuth's website, Cindy has stated her intentions of trying to close down websites that speak bad about her daughter, Casey. In a phone conversation with the moderator of the WebSleuth's forum, Cindy stated that she "hadn't checked out" the forum but if I remember correctly, the lady who went through the Anthony's trash found printouts from the WebSleuth's forums. So, apparently someone in that house is reading what is posted there. As for Cindy's aim of getting websites closed down for speaking bad about her daughter, Casey; Good luck Cindy.. You're stepping on a very slippery slope there. Ever hear of the constitution and Free Speech?

There are questions floating around about money now as well. And not just the questions about who is paying for the body guards, who's posting Casey's bail each time and who is paying for attorney's. I've seen some speculation about the "trust fund" account that was set up for the search for Caylee a couple months ago having been closed out. If that is true, it would be interesting to see where the money went that had been donated for the search for that little girl. Is it in Casey's "defense fund" now? Then we have the opportunists who are climbing on the bandwagon hoping to get some money in their own pockets by using Caylee's disappearance. Like the eBay seller, "duchessofcinch" who had auctions up for lavender rubber bracelets with "HelpFindCaylee.com" on them for $10.00 each. In the auction description, the seller said nothing about where the $10.00 a piece for those bracelets was going. Into the seller's pocket, I suppose. The ad only said to go to the website and print out flyers and such. A number of message board posters complained to eBay about the auction and eBay closed the auction. I wonder what money making scheme will come to light next that uses Caylee's disappearance for profit.

Bah. I'm done with the Anthony's today. There is just so much in the news about them that just turns my stomach. Later!

Monday, September 15, 2008

Back to Jail for Casey Anthony

Shortly before 3pm Orlando time this afternoon, Casey surrendered to authorities at the Orange County Jail. She is charged with uttering a forged check, criminal use of personal identification and petty theft of $100 or more, jail records show. She'll see a judge about it tomorrow (Tuesday) morning and see what bail gets set this time. Her attorney, Jose Baez arrived at today's meeting with the home confinement officer and was with her when she surrendered to authorities. I would imagine she'll have bail posted and be out again tomorrow afternoon or Wednesday morning at the latest. I wonder if all this bail money are the funds that George and Cindy have solicited for the search for Caylee. I'd say that Casey looks a bit haggard in this newest mugshot and not at all happy to be going back to jail for the 3rd time.

WFTV in Orlando has a slideshow up of photos of Casey's most recent arrest here. Could someone please tell me why she is wearing rosary beads?

Last night (Sunday evening), the Anthony family held their weekly vigil, although at this point I'm not sure if the vigil is for Caylee or if it's for Casey. Reportedly Cindy spoke out at the beginning of the "gathering" and told everyone that if they didn't support Casey, they were in the wrong place. Uhm. Excuse me, Cindy? When did the vigils for Caylee get turned in to vigils for your daughter, Casey? Is Caylee getting lost in the shuffle with your defense of the last person to see your granddaughter?

On Saturday night, Cindy was out in her yard close to midnight hammering her no trespassing signs into the ground again. And, naturally, there were still "protesters" there outside the home. And, of course, Cindy got into a shouting match with one of them. This one turned pretty ugly. It wasn't even on the Anthony property, it was out in the middle of the street! Cindy charged across the street screaming at the woman who was getting in her car with her kids. During the screaming match, a young tatooed man restrained the woman and pushed her towards the car, and in the process closing the back door where a child had his arm in the way. The little boy fell to the ground screaming and Cindy and the mother pretty much ignored the kid. I don't have a lot of sympathy for the woman or her kid in this one, since the woman had the child out so late and the child was screaming obscenities at Cindy along with his mom. But why on earth can't Cindy ignore these people? It seems like the only reason these people are there is to get a "rise" out of Cindy, George or Lee. Do they honestly believe that standing out in front of that house screaming and carrying signs is going to make Casey tell where Caylee is?

During that altercation with the woman and her kid, Cindy made a statement about the searches for Caylee. She screamed at the woman that there are people searching for the child. Three of them. Wow. A whole 3 people are searching for Caylee now according to Cindy. Last week there were a couple thousand people searching. Oh yeah, Cindy doesn't want searches to happen in Orlando, so those don't count. **sigh**

Then we have an incident with Lee vs. the Protesters. He arrived at the Anthony family home, and yes, there where protesters on the sidewalk and some were close to the driveway. Reportedly one woman holding a baby was nearly hit by Lee's car. It's honestly getting scary out there in that neighborhood. With the bad tempers that the Anthony family has demonstrated, those protesters are pretty much asking for someone to get hurt. Whether it's Cindy with her hammer, Lee with his car or George with his pushing/swinging at people, someone is going to get hurt.

I support anyone's right to protest or demonstrate. After all, it's our constitutional right. But when these protesters endanger children or push things so far just to get a reaction, it's time to step back and look at what they are doing and maybe think twice before going out there. Sure, go out and protest, but leave the children at home. Leave the dogs at home. Carry your sign, but do so civilly. Have a little consideration for the neighbors of the Anthony family. Those folks aren't involved in what Casey has done, nor are they involved in the disappearance of Caylee. Give them a little peace! Yelling and screaming at the top of your lungs late in the evening is only going to get the cops on the street, for crying out loud!

My advice to the Anthony family is to shut up, ignore the protesters and deal with finding your granddaughter, dead or alive. Deal with the evidence that has come out so far and stop denying everything or making excuses. I doubt if many people in the world believe your pizza story (among other things). Find some way of making Casey tell where Caylee is. Stop making this about defending Casey and put the spotlight back on Caylee. She is the one that is missing, remember?

Friday, September 12, 2008

Oh My, Things Are Crazy

cat
more animals

Life sure does get crazy sometimes, and not just at the Anthony home. I've been somewhat busy with family stuff the last few days and no, I'm not going to post about it. But I will post about the Anthony family. But, I figured I'd throw in a bit of humor with the LOLCat above. That poor kitty.. lol...

Anyway, the investigators that have been working on the disappearance of Caylee Anthony have released the audio files of the interview with Casey Anthony that took place in that conference room at Universal Studios. I had read (and posted links to) those 400+ documents that contained the transcripts of the interview. Now, however, with the audio released you can hear Casey's demeanor during the interview. Fox35 in Orlando has all the files on a page where you can download and listen to. In my opinion, she sounds too calm and collected to be a woman/mother worried about a child who disappeared a month before.

The protesters that have been hanging out in the Anthony's front yard have caused a lot of comment in the news, in blogs and on the message boards. The homeowners association in the Anthony's neighborhood are reportedly attempting to take steps to keep the protesters off the sidewalk in front and perhaps have them move to a vacant lot a short distance away from the Anthony's as well as restricting the times that the protesters can assemble. Good luck to them, those protesters are not an organized group. They are simply people who are fed up with Casey and the fact that she is not helping in any way to find her daughter.

Today, however, the view of the front of the Anthony home shows what looks like media people hanging out and not protesters. I don't seen any signs carried by these people today. Before, the signs that the protesters were displaying were plain to see by all, especially if a news camera was turned on and pointed at the house. The only sign I can see today is the rolling billboard that was loaned to George and Cindy by Kid Finders Network. Which is somewhat of a surprise, though, considering that the homeowners association has either moved it themselves or had George move it. I also see a car in the driveway that looks a lot like either George or Cindy's car but without all the paint and pictures on the sides of it. With the media types hanging out on the sidewalk and the non-painted car in the driveway, I have to wonder what is going on today. I guess I need to go read some more and see if there are any hints on the message boards or blogs...

Casey had more formal charges filed against her this week. Ten charges that include forgery and theft. These "new" charges have to do with Casey stealing and using the checks that were left in her friend Amy's car when she "borrowed" the car while Amy was on vacation. She won't be going back to jail for the new charges. At least not yet. Plus, almost all the news stations and papers are predicting more charges coming soon. They haven't given a hint of what the charges will be for, but a lot of folks are guessing they will be more financial misconduct crimes. Perhaps something to do with Casey's stealing money from Cindy's mother and father. CNN has an article about the latest charges here: "Formal theft charges filed against missing tot's mother"

As for the searches for poor little Caylee, they have been virtually called off. When Tim Miller and EquuSearch pulled out, the news of searchers out looking for the child vanished from the news. With the still flooded areas remaining unsearched, and no additional creditable tips coming in, the searchers and the investigators don't have any clues where to search at the moment.

This is such a sad case. With Casey not talking and Casey's family going into "defend Casey" mode there doesn't seem to be much home of finding the little girl. She seems to be getting lost in the shuffle of the Anthony family. Cindy and George hired a "high profile" attorney for themselves and he's been making the interview rounds with the major news media trying to convince everyone that George and Cindy have been honest and forthright with their stories. Nevermind that they've contradicted just about every story or excuse that they've come up with. Nevermind the visible evidence of their tempers flaring. Yes, I do agree that George and Cindy have been victimized by Casey. Yes, Lee has been victimized by Casey as well. But, in my own opinion, that does not excuse their bizzare behavior nor their lies.

Whoops. I guess I took too long typing. The rolling billboard is gone and so are all the people that were on the sidewalk!

Oh well. Off to do some reading...

Tuesday, September 9, 2008

I Had a Visitor!

I walked over to the post office to pick up my mail a few minutes ago. When I came back home, I heard a commotion in the cherry tree that overhangs my back fence. Check out my noisy "visitor"!My cats were about to have fits because this little guy was hopping around in that tree, chirping and making scratching noises on the branches. He sat there for a bit while I tried to get a better view of him through the leaves, but when I got really close, he chirped loudly and then took off from tree to tree across my back fence and then into a tree that is closer to the house behind me. lol.. One of my cats is still sitting out there just below one of the trees. I guess she's waiting for the visitor to come back.

I guess I shouldn't be surprised that we have squirrels in the neighborhood. I mean why not? We've got possums and everything else here!

The Circus Continues...

And the Anthony family circus continues... Yesterday, Casey Anthony had an appointment with her case worker and the cameras caught her and her brother Lee giving each other a "high five" just inside the building where the case worker's office is. It looks like she's feeling pretty good about herself and the situation. She doesn't seem to be a bit worried about her 3 year old daughter or the rest of her family, does she?

Meanwhile, the search for Caylee has been suspended due to environmental concerns. Apparently a lot of the area that remains to be searched is still under water and Tim Miller is concerned that searching in the areas that still have water could be detrimental to the searchers as well as to whatever may be lying unseen underneath the water. In addition to the searchers on foot, they use 4-wheelers to cover more ground. It's possible that one of the 4-wheelers could run over a piece of evidence and push it deeper in the mud, making it more difficult later because it would be buried deeper.

Over the weekend, the Anthony family home was the target of protesters which has added to the circus atmosphere of that neighborhood. On Friday night, a fist fight occurred when angry neighbors confronted some of the protesters who were standing outside the Anthony home screaming and waving signs. Police had to intervene to get things calmed down. The Friday protesters looked like teenagers or people in their early 20's that had nothing better to do with their time than stand outside the Anthony home and make fools of themselves. Saturday's protesters were a bit quieter. Unfortunately some of them brought their children to the neighborhood. I'll stand up for anyone's rights who wants to protest, but bringing small children to see and hear the insanity that happens around that house is just plain wrong. Then on Sunday, George confronted a couple protesters who were standing on the driveway between the sidewalk and the street. With a hammer in his hand! He physically pushed 2 of the protesters, one of which is a 65 year old woman from St. Petersburg, FL, off the driveway and into the street, yelling at them to "get of his property". Uhm. Isn't the sidewalk and the patch of greenery between the sidewalk and street public property? Anyway, the police were there and took a report which has been added to the OCSO documents online for this case. If you want to read the report, it's the "battery report" here. The incident is in the hands of the District Attorney's office now, they will decide whether or not to press charges against George. And, unfortunately for George, it's not just his word against someone else's word. The media had cameras watching and it's there for all to see. George charged down the driveway yelling at the protesters and physically pushed two of them into the street.

Another "event" that happened on Friday night was surprising, to say the least. Late Friday night/early Saturday morning police showed up and removed a gun from the back of George's car! Apparently he had it hidden in the spare tire well in the rear of his car. Someone who remains unknown called in a tip that the gun was there, so the police went out and retrieved it. Apparently having a gun in the car in the garage of that home is a violation of the home confinement rules for Casey. She was lucky, the judge decided not to haul her back to jail for the violation. The judge seems to think that Casey had no knowledge that her father had hidden a gun out there.

Sometimes it's hard to figure out what to write about this family circus. It's all so bizarre! In the early days of this case, I had sympathy for the Anthony family (Not for Casey, however!). But as time has gone by and more and more things have happened, it just seems that Cindy, George and Lee have made Casey and her defense their priority. What happened to Caylee? She should be the number one priority. I just can't understand this bunch of people. Casey, with that smug smile on her face when she was arrested. Cindy, with the ever-changing stories of the smell in the car and everything else. George with his quick temper. Lee? He's an enigma. He seems to be the one to pull George and Cindy back out of a confrontation all the time. But then he also does the high-five thing with his sister.

Last night on the Nancy Grace show, Robert Dick who works with Leonard Padilla spoke up about a "new" story from Casey about what happened the day Caylee disappeared. This time it's not the Sawgrass apartments where she met with the invisible Zenaida/nanny. She told Robert Dick that she met with Zenaida and her sister Samantha at Blanchard Park. In this version, Casey supposedly met up with the two women and their children at the park and Zenaida took Caylee and handed Casey a "script" that she was supposed to follow for 30 days. Hey, Casey! The 30 days in that script are up! What is the next story you're going to try to pass off as truth?

I have just one thing to ask the Anthony family; Where is Caylee?

Friday, September 5, 2008

Casey is Out Again + Update

Well, Casey Anthony has been bailed out of jail. Again. I guess she decided not to "hold her head up high" again as she came out of the building. But, she's got new body guards to help her and Jose Baez get past the reporters who swarmed the entrance to the jail.

The source of money for the bond is somewhat of a mystery this time. One source says that it was an anonymous donor who is concerned about Casey's constitutional rights. Another source says that the donor is a production company in Tennessee that has made a deal with Casey's parents, Cindy and George for book or movie rights. Yet another source says that ABC's 20/20 program offered the Anthony's 1 million dollars for an exclusive interview. Whatever the source of the money was, she's out. And if the reports of the million dollars are true, the Anthony family are going to be profiting from the disappearance of Caylee, and that is just wrong.

Check this picture out. Is that a smile on her face? She's still not "holding her head up high", either. Head down, hide the smirk behind the bill of the cap and let the bodyguards and the lawyer lead you to your car.

She's quite the "celebrity" now, isn't she? They even had a helicopter following her home. Although from what I saw of the helicopter view of the neighborhood where the Anthony family lives it was one huge traffic jam near the Anthony home. Media trucks, the neighbors, protesters and supporters all jammed the street and brought everything to a standstill in that neighborhood. If I were one of the neighbors on that street, I'd be screaming bloody murder about now.

I suppose there is one thing that works to the advantage of the justice system in having Casey bonded out of jail. When this comes to trial and she is found guilty of the charges she has up to this point, there won't be much credit for "time served" because she's not serving time in jail. She's out, although it's home confinement, she's not "serving time" in jail so they can't subtract from whatever sentences she receives for the child neglect, the lying to investigators, petty theft and use of a forged check. She still hasn't been charged with her daughter's disappearance yet. I'm sure the investigators are working very hard on that part. I'm also sure that the investigators have much, much more evidence than what we've seen in the news.

And I read somewhere that today is George Anthony's birthday. What a present for him, huh? He's got his daughter home to "celebrate" with him. It's sad that poor little Caylee can't celebrate her grandpa's birthday, isn't it? Cindy has been amazingly quiet since the email blasting Tim Miller and Leonard Padilla yesterday. I wonder if the Anthony's new lawyer told her to "shut up" and she listened. So, we wait for the next "act" in the Anthony Family Circus.

Meanwhile, Tim Miller and the EquuSearch teams are out searching for Caylee again today. They'll be searching all weekend as well, unless they find her. Investigation Discovery is backing their crime blogger, David Lohr, and he's there in Orlando with the search teams. He apparently arrived yesterday and will be blogging about the searches. He's already got 2 blog entries up about it this morning.

Other Stuff
I mentioned a few days ago that I'd gotten a summons for jury duty. I think I was actually looking forward to doing it. I was supposed to report to the courthouse on Wednesday morning, but Tuesday evening, the county put a notice on their website that my services weren't required and that my jury duty had been completed. I still have no clue what kind of case they were calling jurors for. Oh well. I'm sure they'll "find" me again sometime in the future.. lol...

Update (12:00PM)
Just saw an update on the Orlando Sentinel site about the rumor that ABC was paying the Anthony family. It says:
ABC responds to rumors of the network paying George and Cindy Anthony $1 million for an exclusive interview
2:17 p.m. Some sources close to the Casey Anthony case said that ABC had offered the Anthonys compensation for an interview on the network's show 20/20. However, ABC denies those reports. "It's an ABC News policy not to pay for interviews," said Alyssa Apple, a New York-based publicist for the network.

Other reports show that ABC was offered compensation to sell video footage of the Anthonys to a Nashville-based production company. That claim also has been denied by ABC.
That makes me feel a bit better. So ABC isn't helping the Anthony's profit from the disappearance of Caylee. But we still don't know who this mysterious anonymous benefactor is that paid Casey's way out of jail this time.

On the InSessions Message boards, there were posts earlier about several of the people who post there going to Orlando to help out in the searches for Caylee. There is also another poster who is already in Orlando and has been on a number of the searches and has posted about her experiences. High Five's to all of the searchers! If I were closer to Florida, I would most likely be out there getting mosquito bitten and muddy while searching too.

Thursday, September 4, 2008

Cindy Anthony Against the World?

The news this morning gave us an emailed "statement" from Cindy Anthony. I am thoroughly disgusted with this woman. The email says:
"Leonard Padilla and Tim Miller came to me under false pretenses. Both claiming their sole purpose to find Caylee alive. Tim Miller misrepresented his intentions, and is falsely accusing me of not cooperating with him, when it is evident his motives were to obtain publicity for his organization at the expense of exploiting my granddaughters disappearance. Tim Miller tried to discredit Kid Finders Network by falsely stating that they tried to pull out of the search for Caylee. Mr. Miller also claims that he spent twelve hours in my home with my family including Casey, when in fact he spent only a few hours total with me and minutes with Casey. This is an example of Tim Miller following in Leonard Padillas footsteps. Although I feel his organization has a purpose, his misrepresentation has tainted the efforts of so many people with good intentions. I would have expected Tim Miller to speak with me one on one, rather than me hearing him on Nancy Grace."
Unbelievable. This woman who wants the public's help to find her granddaughter is now maligning Tim Miller and EquuSearch. I can find no words strong enough to describe my feelings for her behavior. Did she not know what EquuSearch even is when she called them? Tim Miller and EquuSearch are a well respected group of people who take time out of their own lives to help the families of missing persons. EquuSearch is a well known non-profit organization that has been helping families find their missing loved ones for years now. There are hundreds of families all over this country who would welcome the help that Tim Miller and EquuSearch gives.

Cindy is apparently upset that Tim Miller spoke out on the Nancy Grace show the other night and said that the family wasn't cooperating with his group in the efforts to find Caylee. And I believe Tim Miller over any of the Anthony family, especially Cindy. Cindy Anthony doesn't "cooperate" with anyone who doesn't agree with her about her daughter being the "mother of the year". She doesn't "cooperate" with anyone who doesn't agree with her that her missing grandchild is in Mexico, Puerto Rico, Texas or where ever she decides to send the "searchers" next. Cindy should be thanking her lucky stars that there are people like Tim Miller and the rest of the volunteers who are actually doing something towards finding Caylee.

What has Cindy done lately in the efforts to find that child? Hmm.. Lets see. She's shaken the trees near her house. Does that count? Even though she was trying to find a camera, I suppose shaking trees would count as a search. This family has absolutely no credibility. They can't keep their stories straight. They get caught in obvious lies and then lie some more to cover the lies they got caught in.

I am done with my rant for the moment. I may be back later today. Or not. This family, and Cindy in particular, disgusts me beyond belief.

To Tim Miller, EquuSearch and all the volunteers who are out searching, I applaud you and I would be there with you if I didn't live a whole country away.

Update (11:40AM):
Well, I had to come back with this.. It's Tim Miller's response to Cindy's nasty email.
"This is about Caylee, period, the end," Miller said. "And I would hope, if something has happened to Caylee, I would hope Cindy would want us out here finding her body too. If Cindy wants us to stop looking for her body, guess what -- we are not going to."
And another little item showed up too. A day or so ago, Cindy was on camera "demanding" an apology from the Orange County Sheriff's Office for the way they've "mishandled" the case. Yesterday, Orange County Sheriff Kevin Beary responded:
"Cindy Anthony was on national TV demanding an apology from the sheriff's office. (It) won't happen," Beary said after a chuckle. "It won't happen. We are doing our job. What we need is credible information, especially from her daughter and that is a message I send back to her."
Hey Cindy! Guess what? The Sheriff's Dept. and Tim Miller are doing their jobs. How about you? Or are you sitting there closed up in that house that I can see on a web cam trying to think up more excuses for your daughter? Or maybe some more lies? Or maybe some more countries where you think Caylee might be? If you really want to rant and rave about Caylee, go to the jail and rant and rave at your daughter!

Tuesday, September 2, 2008

More Travels ~ Plus, Casey Is Back In Jail Again

As I said in my previous post, my priorities the last few days has been the visit with my nephew Shanan and his wife Molly, who are here visiting from Virginia. They are flying out tomorrow for their return home, and unfortunately, since I will possibly be on jury duty, I won't be able to see them off. This past Friday, we got up early and headed up to Oregon for a short visit with my Dad and Step-mom. We had a car full; Shanan, Molly, my brother Gene, my Mom, my Step-dad and me.

On the way up, we decided to pull into Castle Crags State Park so that we could get a look at the rock formations on the ridge. We drove up to the base of the trail that goes to the vista point. My Mom and my Step-dad stayed in the parking area while the rest of us walked up the trail to see what we could see. My Step-dad doesn't walk uneven surfaces very well these days, so he and Mom stayed behind and watched the wildlife there. The trail is a fairly easy one, a bit rough in spots but overall a good trail. We could see a lot of evidence that the Park service has been working on improving it. Once at the top, we had some absolutely glorious views. Of course, we had to move around the area to get good views between the trees.. This shot is looking up at the crags themselves and does no justice to them at all.

One view absolutely stunned me. The view of Mount Shasta we had from the vista point at Castle Crags was strange! There was very little snow on the top! I don't think I've ever seen the mountain without snow covering the peak.

Shanan, Molly, Gene and I spent an enjoyable few minutes up there. Admiring the views, talking about the strange view of Mount Shasta and watching the squirrels as they ran around in the trees scolding us for disturbing their territory. If any of you travel I5 and see that sign about Castle Crags, take that offramp and drive up to the vista point. It's well worth the time it takes to drive up there and then walk up the trail. I wish we'd had more time to appreciate the views and the wildlife. The vista point would be a fantastic place for a picnic.

After we left Castle Crags, we headed up I5 and then stopped near the Weed airport for a view of the northern side of Mount Shasta. As you can see, there is very little snow left. I didn't take anymore photos on the way up to my Dad's, but then, I was driving! lol..








My Dad and Step-mom get "visitors" every morning and evening. Wild Turkeys! As I stood out on the deck one morning, a flock of them came by. There were about 10 or so of them scattered all over the yard. These three decided to come up close and check out the driveway and the cars parked there before they wandered over to the house next door.

The turkeys roost in a stand of pines that are between my Dad's place and one of the neighbors and it was neat to watch them glide down to the road and lawn below every morning. In the evenings, the turkeys walk up the hill behind Dad's and then launch themselves into the trees. They make quite a racket when they "land" on a branch. It sounds more like they are crashing into the trees and just happen to "stick" to a limb or branch.


The Anthony Circus Keeps On Going!
So, Casey is back in jail and it isn't because the bounty hunter, Leonard Padilla and his crew revoked the bail. She was arrested on new charges that have to do with the money and checks that Casey stole from her friend Amy Huizenga. As far as I can tell, the bounty hunter and his crew have returned to Sacramento now. Cindy Anthony has been seen ranting and raving at the media, pounding "No Trespassing" signs into her yard and apparently still believing that Caylee is with the "babysitter" or "nanny" that no one besides Casey has seen. It does seem strange that last week she was cursing the media, but then this morning she started giving interviews again. I can understand that the woman is beside herself with worry over her granddaughter and her daughter, but I don't think she realizes how much her actions and attitudes have to do with the lack of support for searches by the public.

Tim Miller, who owns/runs Texas EquuSearch, is there in Orlando trying to organize searches for poor little Caylee. However, he isn't getting the help from the public for these searches that he was expecting. I have to wonder if the actions of the Anthony family have turned the public off for this case. We're told by the family that the child is alive and with someone, and they know where she is because the "kidnappers" are being watched. Then we're told to "get off our asses" and go search for the child. But as far as I know, they haven't told us where to even start looking! In other cases that I've read about where Tim Miller and the EquuSearch team have worked, when there is a call for volunteers they get hundreds of people showing up to search. This time? They're only getting a fraction of the numbers of folks willing to spend the time searching.

Anthony Bashing?
On Sunday, on an early post on this blog (The one about George Anthony lying.) an anonymous person decided to "bash" me for having a site that "bashes" the Anthony family. check it out:
I think its sick how there are sites like this who want to bash this family. I have to say that I do now think that the little girl is dead and that her mom is the main suspect here BUT I don't think her parents are doing anything any other grandparent wouldn't do. They are trying to cling on to any hope they can get. They are not going to assume that their daughter killed her I mean how could any parent face that. If she is lying to them they need to believe her so there is hope. What Casey has done, lied about, and shown zero concern is something only a monster could do and I just don't think her parents can see her in that light. I wish people would let them start to understand all of this and stop bashing them its just not right!
My response to this anonymous person is that my blog was not put here to "bash" the Anthony family. My blog was started long before Caylee Anthony went missing. Did you notice that fact? My posts about the Anthony family are only about the odd things that they are doing and saying while they try to defend their daughter. Odd? That isn't quite the word I want, maybe "bizarre" works better. As for the opinion that these grandparents are only doing what any other grandparent would do to find a missing grandchild, I say "Baloney!!". I am a grandparent. If one of my precious grandkids were missing and (heaven forbid) one of my children were suspected of doing harm to that baby, my priorities would be to find the child and once the child was found, I would work on "defending" my child (if possible!). The Anthony family can't seem to make up their minds what their priorties are. One moment they are pleading for the world to find their granddaughter and the next moment they are raging at the media because the media has reported something "bad" about their daughter.

George and Cindy Anthony know their daughter. They know she lies. They know that something is wrong, but I am sure they can't admit it out loud. But, if they truly wanted help from the public in finding this child, they should not have perpetuated and expanded on the lies that their daughter has told. I feel that it is too late now for the Anthony's to fix what they've done in the public eye.

How can the public forget the "dead body" smell in the car that somehow changed to rotten pizza, then to rotten pizza and laundry soap. Cindy now wants the world to believe that the car didn't smell bad when it was towed and it somehow got the "dead body" smell while it was sitting in the impound lot. Huh? Ok, the car got towed, then someone broke into the lot, broke into the car, placed a dead body in it, then broke in again later and took the dead body away and locked the doors? And left that purse and the other things in the car? Get real!! Cindy? You have lost a lot of crediblilty with your changing stories to protect your daughter.

Another suggestion for Cindy and George is for them to get a spokesperson who is there with them instead of sitting in an office in Los Angeles or Hollywood. Mr. Garrison hasn't won any points with the public either. A lot of the statements I've seen by him have contradicted known facts that have come out from the investigation. He's even managed to contradict Casey's lawyer, Jose Baez! If the family is going to have an "official" spokesperson, that person needs to know what is going on in Orlando, not just know what has been said on TV or in the papers. Enough with the "spin" garbage, Mr. Garrison. Try stating a fact once in a while that doesn't contradict what has been said by the family, the lawyers or the investigators.

And the "Circus" goes on. Meanwhile, Caylee is still missing and needs to be found. My heart breaks for that little girl. But it certainly doesn't break for that disfunctional family she came from.