Right now is Jesse James Hollywood’s most powerful moment

Any idea what your most powerful moment is? Was it yesterday, last week, the day you were born? Or could it be in the future: tomorrow, next year, or the day we return to our maker? Jesse James Hollywood never really figured out the answer to this question. Nor do most others. You can tell by the problems they have, the difficulties under which they tread through life.

I don’t believe Jesse’s alleged victim, Nick Markowitz, had the answer either. Nor did alleged fourteen-year-old child-killer Brandon McInerney or his alleged victim, fifteen-year-old Larry King. Nor did their families or the major influences in their lives. They didn’t realize something that took over four decades for this author to recognize. And that is this: that our most powerful moment, at all times, whether considering the past, future, or present, is right now.

POINTLESSNESS OF PAST AND FUTURE

At this moment, we have no control over the past. It is a mere pond of memories, energies stored in the world of form and mind. The future? That’s all it is. It is the future. It is not right now. The world of energy and God-consciousness swirls around us at all times, but we act as if we don’t realize this. Because our minds love to identify with form, and the thought forms of negative past or stressful future often prove too enticing to let go of.

We tend to bring into the present too much thought of negative experiences that have colored our past, shaded our present, and often destroys our futures. Jesse had this problem. He couldn’t get over the fact that his former best-buddy, Ben Markowitz, would punk him around. It ate him up. It deflated his ego. It required him to seek a violent end to his internal conflict.

Same for Brandon McInerney. His mind had been so inflated with negative feelings about the type of person Larry King was, and the actions Larry King made, that he supposedly shot Larry in the head twice at point-blank range in their morning classroom. These poor souls, and so many others like them, never figured out how to enjoy life. But you can. And here’s how.

TIPS INTO THE NOW

Use every moment you get to experience in life to count your blessings. Put the energy and thoughts and feelings into what you do have, what you presently maintain control over, not what your mind says is missing. Be appreciative of those many blessings life provides at all times that we so often take for granted. Feel the warmth of the sun upon the face, the smell of flowers and love in the air, the internal grace and beauty of each person who has shared the love – and issues – with you in life.

Sure, you’ve probably had problems in the past with many of these people, but so what? Right now is all you have. So make the best of it. Look at them, all of them, and let the grace from within emanate from every pore of your existence. Recognize that, Yes, we are created from the same thread of life. That we are both born into the world of form, and we shall both one day expire into dust and earth. Yet, we are eternal creatures fruited from the same vine of godly manifestation. That we are connected to all that is, and this will never change. That we were put on this planet to create and to generate and to learn the universal lessons that form and life bring into our Being. That we are here to love and to cherish, not destroy the love that surrounds us. That we are here to share in life’s blessings, not generate the pain and suffering that emanates on a planet so badly in need of balance.

Higher Sources on Capital Punishment

Very strange indeed. As I battle the inner and outer demons of life in trying to bring awareness of the need to change our collective consciousness and desire for revenge against people like Jesse James Hollywood, I meet the most amazing people. One of them was in the form of a healer by the name of Ron J. Oberon who has his own amazing take on Capital Punishment that I’d like to share with you. Everything he says seems to support the position we espouse. Tell me if you agree with him….

Capital Punishment

This information is coming from High Teachers of the Universe and is their view on this subject of capital punishment. The following is captured from Book II “Many Planes Above” pages 215/216 and the answer to my questions. Ron Oberon – Author.

Jennifer, “Mary Todd Lincoln” if a murderer is put to death through capital punishment, would we on Earth really be free from his or her crimes?

No! This is No Good because he would come back to Earth and possess another weak Soul and murder more people through that Soul.

No Soul or government has the right to use capital punishment and determine that another Soul should be sent out of his or her physical body, regardless what that Soul did.

Capital punishment is an Earth creation, and it is wrong.

Just because it has followed mankind down through the Ages does not make it right. It’s terrible, in our view.

In fact, continuing to practice capital punishment creates more murders. That’s because the Souls of executed murderers that cling to Earth attach themselves to the first weak Earth Soul they can find and kill again.

That said, we do sometimes capitalize on capital punishment to serve our needs, but we’d rather the Earth stop practicing it.

We use it sometimes when a Soul needs to leave Earth. We put those Souls in a capital punishment situation, knowing that the death penalty will return them to us.

Then we try to catch those entities possessing the murderer to place them into Darkness and hope we can do the same with the murderer if he or she comes through the Tunnel and does not cling to Earth.

What happens to the innocent victim?

Remember, we said that there are only two ways a Soul leaves the Earth Plane: either their Lessons are finished, or they are not listening or making any Progress. Rather, they are making more, not fewer, mistakes.

The murderer’s victims were ready to leave. This is why there are no such things as accidents or coincidences; everything happens for a reason.

This viewpoint is accepted in some places on Earth because it allows people to free themselves of blame for something painful or terrible that has happened.

They also accept it because it frees them of the notion that they are in control. People would rather someone else be responsible.

All murderers are possessed by lower entities. However, the Victim is okay, because it is their time to return to Our Dimension. We select them here, for we know who is leaving the Earth Plane at all times.

However, we still do not believe in the death penalty.

Note: There’s more on capital punishment in the chapter, Lost Earthbound Souls in “Our Earth And Beyond” – Book I.

Four Eyes For Two

Even the kids at the Wall Street Journal got into the act regarding the recent California Supreme Court ruling in the Jesse James Hollywood death penalty case. But just like the rest of the media, they just didn’t seem to get it. Or they don’t understand what’s really going on here. Or maybe even worse—they don’t care. They don’t give a fat rat’s ass that a young man is probably going to die as a result of all this craziness. Nobody seems to really care about that.

And if you consider the fact that Ryan Hoyt, who already rests uncomfortably on the bed of nails that is California’s death row – for being convicted as being the trigger-man for the murder of fifteen-year-old Nicholas Markowitz – two men’s lives are at stake. Of course we didn’t mention that in Alpha Dog either. And you won’t read about it in Stolen Boy.

In making their decision, all the California Supreme Court really did was tell the prosecutor that he was a bad boy, but it’s okay, he can come out and play again. And if he wants, he can go ahead and try to kill Jesse James Hollywood. Just like he wanted to do before all this mess started. I know because he told me as much.

And with the United States Supreme Court’s recent ruling opening the door to Capital Punishment all across our fine nation, the time is nearly ripe to pluck guys like Hollywood and Hoyt from the system and cook them. But why is that? Should these two men’s lives really be stricken from the record of life for what they’ve been accused of doing.

No, it wasn’t pretty what they’ve been accused of. It was pretty dirty work, in fact. And an innocent kid died as a result of what happened. But I’m pretty sure he doesn’t want anyone else to die on his behalf. He knew Jesse James Hollywood. He liked him. Jesse was at one time good buddies with his brother. He’d never met Hoyt at all until that fateful and frightening night, but Ryan Hoyt was nothing but a schlep. And schleps really shouldn’t have be put to death. Especially if they’ve been beaten when not neglected their whole lives.

But let’s for the moment assume that the public sentiment is still leaning heavily toward killing these two men. One condemned. The other well on his way. For the moment, let’s answer the question in the affirmative. Let’s say “Yes. These two men should die for what they allegedly did.” Let’s also take it a step further and say that all of those convicted for this crime should be given the gas; that all four of Hollywood’s co-defendants should fry right along with him for what they did to this poor boy and his surviving family members. Then what?

We kill them, and they’re gone. And what? Their families grieve at the loss of their children at such a young age. Of course the kids were lost a long time ago, but that’s not the point. Because these kids were convicted a long time ago in the public consciousness and they are now dead men walking. And who’s better off?

Do the victim’s family members and friends really feel better if the convicted die? And if they do feel better that boys have died on behalf of their fallen family member, what does that say about them? What does it mean for someone to really want to see someone else die? And horribly and painfully so, as some people have stated? What does that say about any of us? Does a winner rise from the ashes of this kind of ten-eyes-for-two scenario? What about the four eyes for two reality that we’re presently looking at?

People are angry. They’re angry at life in general. They’re angry about their own lives in particular. And they’re angry about what these young men have been accused of doing. But in this regard, they’re angry for the wrong reasons. They’re angry because the mass media told them to be angry. They’re angry because law enforcement personnel told the media how angry they were at what happened. And the mass media again told us that we should be angry.

That something terrible had happened and justice now needed serving and these young boys need to die for what they’ve done. Jesse’s father Jack Hollywood knew how angry law enforcement personnel were. He told me that one of the lead Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s sergeants who helped serve the search warrant on his home told him that he’d love to be the one to find his son (Jesse) because he wanted to be the one to shoot and kill him. Jack was flabbergasted. The sergeant was angry. And now so are we. And what are we going to do about it?

 

When Life and Death Collide

 

The New York Times covered the recent California Supreme Court decision regarding Ron Zonen, the Santa Barbara County prosecutor who was originally responsible for prosecuting the youngest man ever on the FBI’s Most Wanted List.

 

A tangle of emotions plagued me for days following the Supremes’ decision. On the one hand, I felt relief for Ron Zonen, who at one time I considered a good friend, and who must have felt a sense of vindication regarding his stellar career that had been placed under the microscope of intense public scrutiny since this thing came down. Mr. Zonen is a public servant with an impeccable track record who tried his best to do what he thought was right at the time. Again, without specifically enumerated guidelines in place as to what law enforcement officials should or should not be doing when dealing with the mass media while trying cases, prosecutors are going to continue to stretch the bounds of decency while mixing business with self-promotion. This is one thing the California Supreme Court failed to provide in their decision and a discussion we will pick up on later.

 

I also felt relief for Nick Markowitz’s family who would now be able to take a long anticipated step closer toward closure regarding this Greek Tragedy that has dominated their lives for nearly a decade. The family has lived within a container of self-expression out of fear that something they say might negatively affect what happens with the Hollywood case.

 

And I experienced tremendous grief for Jesse James Hollywood and his family. No matter what anybody says or writes about these people—they are human. Jesse was just a dumb kid who did some very stupid things before he really had a chance to grow up in life. Now, his family has been forced to experience the day-to-day emotions of wondering what will become of their loved one, knowing full-well that Jesse hangs suspended over the abyss of life-or-death. That he might soon ride the fast track of death row or, on the other hand, meet a more humane outcome.

 

Yes this case promises to take a major step forward so that resolution will apply to all participants. But again, the question remains as to whether true justice shall be served. Will the citizens who ultimately comprise Jesse James Hollywood’s jury add to the pain and despair of this sorrowful series of events by rendering a guilt verdict followed by a death sentence? Or will there be a new more compassionate alternative? One that will leave room for hope for all the young men out there who mess up badly and need another opportunity in that precious commodity we sometimes take for granted when we’re young, called life.

 

 

Guns, Violence, and Jesse James Hollywood

Very cool piece by the Santa Barbara Independent…

 

Alpha Dog Producer to Address Coalition Against Gun Violence

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Photo: Paul Wellman

Thursday, April 17, 2008

By Chris Meagher

A lawyer and author, Michael Mehas provides a unique perspective on the Jesse James Hollywood Supreme Court case as well as life in general. While living in Ventura in 2003, he was approached by director Nick Cassavetes about working on Alpha Dog, the film based on the death of 15-year-old Nick Markowitz in Santa Barbara. Since then, he’s been deeply occupied with the case, and his involvement is at the center of the Supreme Court case involving Santa Barbara Senior Deputy District Attorney Ron Zonen.

Do you practice law? I have practiced law; I practiced criminal defense. I passed the bar in 1988 in November and shortly after had my first jury trial. It was in the Riverside County Public Defender’s office. That was interesting because when I started working out there the public defender was a former Santa Barbara prosecutor named Joseph Taylor, and he had worked alongside a gentleman named George Eskin. … I used to clerk for him and his wife, Hannah-Beth Jackson. They were wonderful.

How do you know Nick Cassavetes? I grew up with Nick in the Hollywood Hills. … We played basketball together and ended up, at 14 years old, playing on the California state championship team together. As a kid growing up, I would go over to his house, and [I met] his dad, a guy named John Cassavetes, the father of independent filmmaking.

We had a very trying childhood together; we were always on the edge of trouble with drugs and alcohol and fighting. That was part of our lives growing up. That was what our environment was, which I think tied into why Nick came back to me and [asked me to] help him with this project. I think he saw this was a story about kids, about relationships. These are kids who played baseball together; they played basketball together. So we got involved in it.

When Jesse James Hollywood disappeared, he was the youngest person ever to be on the FBI’s most wanted list. He was a myth, a vapor of air, and so there was a very interesting story that needed to be told and explored. This story really resonated with a lot of people. It raised a lot of questions: How could this happen? How could these kids who grew up together lead up to this? These kids who were best friends, and then it leads to this. There were a lot of incredible parallels for Nick Cassavetes and myself.

How did you meet Ron Zonen? The first day we came up here and met Ron Zonen. Hollywood was missing. I think he felt it was his legacy to finish this case. He wanted to try to get Jesse James Hollywood before he retired. So when Nick had contacted him with possibly helping him with the movie, he was all for it because, at that point, he figured it was a great way to gain global exposure through a major motion picture. Nick was the point man to gather information and bring the story together, and that’s how it started.

How many of the people involved did you interview? Personally, I didn’t talk to any of the defendants. I didn’t need to. I had all their information. I knew the defendants had appeals going on [and] that they had criminal defense attorneys who weren’t going to let them say anything. … My goal was to try to put together a truthful version of what really happened to try and get it out in the public, because there was no truthful version out there. These guys were demonized in the five years that Hollywood was missing. A false scenario was created by law enforcement officials, including the prosecutors’ office through the mass media. This was depicted even last week. It was still argued by the California Attorney General to the state Supreme Court as a revenge killing for a drug debt. This is not what this was about.

When I started coming to Zonen, he gave us transcripts [and various other official documents]. After Hollywood was caught, his lawyer Jim Blatt, a dynamite attorney, realized all the information that I’d gotten, and he started trying to get it from me. I knew there were some important matters in this situation that he probably didn’t know about. I certainly wanted to let him know because I realized I had information that could help save Hollywood’s life.

I told Blatt that I would like to help him and I needed to talk to Zonen first. I called up Zonen and told him about Blatt, and Zonen was very angry with me. I felt as though I had somehow violated his confidence. … [Zonen] wanted to bring the death penalty to Hollywood. But [I felt like] these are human beings who deserve a chance, who deserve life, who deserve respect, who deserve compassion, and that’s kind of where I come from.

He also told me he was potentially facing criminal prosecution because in giving me the stuff and working with me on the movie and my book, he may have violated the law. So, on the one hand, if I cooperate with Blatt and testify, I could play a big part in saving a life, but my testimony could also be used to bring criminal charges against Zonen and the office. So I refused to testify.

What are you going to speak about this weekend? Gun usage. … If we don’t have family and guns in [cases like the Markowitz] situation, nobody dies. Guns were a rampant thing, from the victim’s family, to Hollywood’s family, to all the defendants. … So the coalition is trying to eliminate guns from families, to eliminate the possibility of kids getting hurt or parents hurting kids or kids hurting themselves or kids hurting other kids, like we just had in Oxnard in February. My perspective is if we put consciousness into guns like we put consciousness in hatred and anger, we create that reality around us. So if you eliminate guns from our consciousness, you put that reality in existence in our household. Let’s replace guns … with compassion and love and communication and consciousness.

My message is to parents: Let’s get in touch with our kids and make sure they’re thinking about the right things, that they’re not thinking about hurting someone else, but that they’re thinking about bringing love and compassion to the people around them.

 

A Letter About Jesse James Hollywood and Nick Markowitz

Hi Mr. Mehas,

I just got done reading your latest blog and article about the case update, so I thought I’d drop you a line…   I can imagine you’ve been pretty busy with the newest developments in the case.  I’ve been very busy with school and family situations, so I haven’t been able to comment on any of the blogs, but I’ve enjoyed reading them very much.

With all of the violence that is plaguing our society in this day and age, it is very important that voices of reason and non-retaliation are heard.  Recently, in my Argumentation and Debate class, I debated the topic of whether or not the Death Penalty should be enforced in every state.  Being from the Detroit area, many people in the class seemed to view the Death Penalty as a way of deterring crime that has immensely hurt the city and state for years.  Since I was arguing for the Death Penalty to be completely abolished in every state, I thought it was relevant to bring up an article I read about Mrs. Markowitz at the sentencing of Ryan Hoyt.

The article stated that Mrs. Markowitz felt no happiness after the verdict that Ryan Hoyt would be placed on Death Row, for it would never bring back her son.  I felt this was an extremely important idea to elaborate on.  I cannot begin to imagine the pain the Markowitz family has felt from this horrible and senseless tragedy.  Losing a family member at the hand of another human being has to be one of the most awful feelings any person could ever experience.  But, as you have stated all along, will ending the life of the one who committed the atrocious act ever truly bring closure to the  family of the victim?

Perhaps it is because I was able to read Stolen Boy, but in many ways I view every person involved in this crime as a victim.  Ryan Hoyt, who committed the horrible act, appeared to be an abused young man who never felt wanted or loved by anyone.  I very much felt bad for him and the childhood he had after reading the details in your novel.  This in no way justifies his or any of the others’ sins, but it should make someone reevaluate their beliefs.  Being raised in a very devout Catholic home and attending Catholic school all the way through high school, I have always been taught to embrace Pro-Life and realize that all life is precious.

While many refuse to compare the death penalty to abortion, I feel it is imperative to never lose sight of the importance of not taking any life.  I am very much behind you in your advocacy of saving all individuals involved in this case from the death penalty, as well as abolishing it all together.  You are in no way taking on an easy stance or position to defend, but I just wanted to let you know you are agreed with and respected for your efforts.  Hope all is well and look forward to talking to you again soon.  Your friend from Michigan, 

Jim Walrad

 

New Life For Nick Markowitz

It happened at the Ronald Reagan Building in downtown Los Angeles, where the Court of Appeals, 2^nd District sits. Last week, that was where the California Supreme Court heard final arguments in the Jesse James Hollywood death penalty case. In the next ninety days, the Supremes will most probably make important law regarding how prosecutors, and even defense attorneys, will be allowed to deal with the mass media while handling high-profile cases. It is a decision that is long overdue.

Law enforcement officials and prosecutors have no business trying and convicting defendants through the mass media. The court of public opinion, which apparently includes television, films, books, radio, and newspapers, is an improper venue to conduct criminal court proceedings from. Law enforcement officers do not belong on TV. They should not be demonizing individuals accused of crimes. They should not be allowed to do what they did to Jesse James Hollywood, which is why I became involved in his case in the first place.

Because of all the information I had accrued for the movie Alpha Dog and my book, I knew this case not to be what the mass media and law enforcement officials had made it out to be; it was not a case of someone murdering a child out of revenge for a drug debt. This was a tragedy made from fear. And this major discrepancy had to be made clear.

There’s also another very important reason for this court decision to come down. It will soon set in motion the wheels that will allow the case to move closer to a legal resolution. Which will eventually give the families of the participants an opportunity to move forward in their lives. But in the same breath, moving forward also means our continued efforts to do what we can to make sure no more deaths result. This is what I hope we accomplish for both Jesse Hollywood, who now faces the death penalty, as well as Ryan Hoyt, who presently resides on death row.

It is also important for Jesse Hollywood’s parents. For Jack and Laurie – and all their family – to know that their much-loved son will not face the prospect of state-sanctioned murder. That he be allowed to remain alive so that they may continue to feel the joy of life, and to help spread this precious feeling to everyone they touch.

Susan and Jeff Markowitz too deserve a respite from the insanity. They are two beauteous and strong-willed people who have come so far in this ordeal, and, for them, it will soon be over. And when that time comes, five young men will pay for what happened to their son. These young men should pay for what they did. But none of them should die as a result of their actions. Another death would only tarnish the memory of their son.

Nicholas Markowitz had a lot of life left to give. He was a bright kid, talented and good-looking. Nick’s memory stands for many wonderful things to many people, but one thing it should never stand for is another death. Nick would not have wanted to be remembered as one of several boys to die as a result of this tragedy. He just about told me as much when I was writing Stolen Boy. His inspiration and intuitive connection provided me with the strength and endurance I needed to finish a very difficult book in an effort to bring out a greater semblance of truth as to why these guys did what they did to Nick.

Nick’s should be the only death in this Greek Tragedy. His memory will glow so much brighter if we find the willpower to hold back our anger and desire for revenge. This will enable Nick to stand atop our pedestal of memory and love, a place he harbored in life, a place for him to stand alone in death.