MartyS

Hi Benji, I Just have to tell you about an email I received from a friend of mine. He had some real nice stuff to say about you. Also, about me. Well both us as a team. I told him about Circumnavigation way back when I started to read it. We have been friends for years. I know he reads the Forum. Anyway we touch base from time to time. In his email he said CJ should have had us as part of his team. Then he explained. He believes the Who-done-it mystery we described in July would have stumped a hell of a lot more than CJs did.. I can’t quote exactly what his opinion was about CJs idea of a mystery. He went on to describe it as. “A hyped up P****O*S***. I am sure you can fill in the missing letters. Maybe we should advertise and hire ourselves out to as consultants to mystery writers. They can write the story while we ghost write a hard to solve mystery. CJ did not want Rachel to get off the hook and find a way to be able to pay taxes on the money she was making. That is an important part of his plot. So I cannot and will not fault him for not looking for an alternative method. I did think up two ways she could have done it. She was in the Bahamas on charters all the time. Gambling is legal there. She could have claimed the money was won in card games or something like that. But the second way I think is better. Rachel could have figured her tax liability two ways. The first would be the way she actually filed. Then refigure her tax responsibility including the extra money. After doing that, she could pay the amount due on the original return. Which I believe she did. Then she could donate the difference plus one dollar to the US Government anonymously. Don’t forget Benji. That lowlife attorney Tittle said there was no victim in the first fraud, because all the loans were paid off. So the government would not have been able to claim fraud. They would have gotten more than was actually due them. Anyway it is nice to know, that there is at least one reader out there, who recognizes the truth. The team of Benji and Marty create better mysteries, than at least one Hosted Author. Stand up and take a bow, Benji. There are some things that puzzle me. If after approximately three years of operating the Ares illegally, why would they buy another boat that would also have had to be operated in violation of the Merchant Marine Act? Rachel certainly had enough money. She could have bought a boat built in the US. Why buy it from Bridget? The last boat Rachel bought from that family sure was a clunker. Rachel certainly knew Bridget was not happy with her. When Bridget tried very hard to buy back the Ares, Rachel said no. I also wonder why Shane never mentioned to Trevor anything about the fact that Mrs. Blake had been injured and was using a cane. He did tell him she didn’t go out on charters much. How about it? It will give us something to do. The fact we do not always agree, but still work together, will be a plus. Marty

Hi Benji, I said it before, and I will say it again. You are an optimist. There should be no more quiet chapters IMHO. At this point in time there is no telling what may or may not appear in however many more chapters remain. Do you really think that CJ would pass up the opportunity to insert more than one cliffhanger per chapter if he could? Presently there are two potential sources. One here in the US the other down under. Thank you for the kind words about my Investigators Log. I am feeing pretty good right now. I set out to accomplish something a couple of days ago. I found out yesterday i succeeded better than my wildest imagination thought possible. It is all in knowing how to push the right buttons. Marty

CJ, I start this, my final posting on this inane discussion, with some observations. There is no doubt in my mind you are an author who can weave together fact and fantasy to produce an interesting narrative. You did an incredible amount of research to insure the events you describe are historically and geographically correct. Your description of the route taken by Trevor from the time he departed Florida until he departed the Seychelles was in my opinion factual. My gut feeling was you had been where you said he was. Either that, or you had available, assistance from people who had actually been there. The proof of my observations is the fact you received a miniscule number, if any challenges to your description of Trevor’s travels. As you well know, I was shocked when I attempted to see the bank using Google, not to see it at the location you described. Your explanation once I brought it to your attention was certainly covered by the axiom allowing the author of fiction to bend, fold, roll and manipulate facts to permit the development of a storyline. A principle I heartily support. However I believe your right to stage-manage the plot needs to be parked outside the door to the Forum. The plot you describe which addresses the activities of Dirk and Rachel for the decade prior to the Disappearance is acceptable only within the narrative. Your description of the procedures used by the IRS fall into the same classification. Your description of the actions taken by Officers Fowler and Grundig display your lack of both knowledge and understanding of correct law enforcement policies and procedures. Sergeant Gonzalez entered into a Criminal Conspiracy with Henry when he permitted and then directly involved himself in an illegal electronic surveillance of Joel’s conversations while he was driving his car. I can accept everything I have outlined and indeed much more, as part of the storyline. When you step into the Forum you do not seem to be able to separate the fictional world from the real. Your nomination of Sergeant Gonzalez as an honest person is the most recent and an excellent example. Your initial rigorous defense of the Sergeant crashed and burned in my opinion, when I raised the subject of his direct involvement in the illegal eavesdropping of Joel. I would describe the actions of Mike Gonzalez interactions with Henry as at best paying lip service to the law, instead of complying and enforcing with the law. I believe this is perfectly acceptable as part of the plot, but not in the Forum. Your portrayal of the Internal Revenue Service and the described activities and actions of that agency and agents stretch my ability to accept them as a plot device. One of the best descriptions I have read that describes their operations is, “Slash and Burn.” The Tax Courts in this country have been depicted at best as “Kangaroo Courts.” Any taxpayer who enters them is treated as guilty until proven innocent. I believe their agents will drag innocent people into them. Why not? They have nothing to loose. Court costs for cases lost by the government, are absorbed by the system. In the Forum you are attempting to portray the actions and procedures used by IRS as being realistic. There is one fact established in the first conspiracy. Dirk signed papers, which were the foundation of that conspiracy. You also establish the IRS learned of this. Then after the highly suspicious disappearance of the Ares and Rachel, you expect me to believe the IRS quietly folded there tents and went away. It lives in the plot, but not in the Forum. I believe an author has the right to speak, “Ex cathedra,” when they address the contents of the plot in their novels. For you to speak in the Forum and proclaim, “This is a fact in the story because I say it is,” is your absolute right. In my opinion, that is not what you are doing. You are attempting to regularize an error by Proclamation. I see what you are doing as, taking something you have created in the plot and attempting to convince the readers in the Forum, it is a fact. Any reader, who wishes to do so, may examine my Investigators Log. They may if they wish to, adjust the logged date. They can then compare the established facts appearing in the novel. Collate in the posted comments by both you and myself. They may reach their own conclusions. One thought is certainly flashing in my mind. It appears at the end of each chapter. “Any remaining errors are mine alone.” Everyone makes mistakes. I try not to judge people by their errors, but rather by the way they correct them. I intend to close this dialogue at this point. I do not intend to reply directly to any comments. I am sure the readers can decide if there is any validity to my observations.

How to conduct an investigation. In simplified format. The storyline establishes the fact that IRS was investigating Dirk and Rachel. Bridget who supplied that agency with specific information regarding probable tax evasion instigated the investigation. Upon receiving information from an informant the first step would be to determine if the people actually existed and was there any reason to believe the reported crime. Once that was established, the investigator would do some background inquires. This should involve observations of the subjects along with learning where they worked and what they did. Seeing as it was IRS, I have no doubt expect banking records would be checked. Any property owned and ownership of vehicles and definitely boats would be included. All of this would be accomplished long before IRS went anywhere near any accountants. Simple observations would establish there was a business being conducted. Seeing as Rachel was not reporting any income from operating a charter service, her tax returns would show that. IRS would then I am sure, identify any employees working for Rachel. Employees have to be paid. Meals purchased along with fuel. Trevor referred to docking fees for his catamaran as part of his expenses. Were Rachel’s boats moored at property owned by them? They would want to identify the people using the charter service. I know one of my steps would be, to attempt to have someone go out on a charter, aboard one of the boats. Then pay for it using a check. That would provide documentary evidence. If she insisted on being paid using cash, I am sure that would be done with a tape recorder in use. This would all be done before going public. The purchase of both the Ares and Atlantis did generate public records. Sergeant Gonzales and Lisa found them. The sergeant also found the records of the creation of Ocean Star Charters and the fact that neither that company nor Rachel reported having ever taken out a charter. When the fact that the company and it's assests were owned by a very young child IRS would, i believe go into high gear. Payments must have been made to satisfy the demands of the note to purchase the Ares. According to Dirk in Chapter 99, after he paid up all outstanding loans, his attorney was upset. I don’t doubt it. Dirk would have eventually had to explain where the money came from to pay them off. All of these steps would have been taken before IRS went to anyone including accountants. They would know the word would get back to Dirk and Rachel. IRS would have had all their ducks in a row before they went public. My understanding is Bridget gave to IRS exact information. I believe before contacting the accountants, IRS would have positively identified clients who used the charters service. They would have had to determine if they paid for the charter or if they were Rachel’s guests. Before I read Chapters 98 and 99 and learned it was IRS investigating, I questioned how she could have operated the business for almost ten years, without some governmental agency tripping over her. Hell, IRS could have contacted the Coast Guard and requested they do a Safety Inspection. They sure would have known about the Merchant Marine Act. A certified USCG Boarding Officer has an awesome authority. He may board any vessel operating in the Navigational Waters of the United States and conduct a safety inspection. No warrant necessary nor probable cause needed. The vessel does no even have to be underway. The vessel can moored in a dock, alongside a pier. My personal opinion is, I do not know if IRS could have been able to gotten a criminal conviction against Dirk. But there is no doubt in my mind they would be in a position to move against the properly.

CJ You will note I have uploaded a photocopy of a Log I maintain. I started this to assist me keep track of events in Circumnavigation. I will be more than glad to upload the MS Excel file if someone will explain to me how to do it. Maybe some kind reader will explain how to post a picture using the new setup. Your rather lengthy discourse contains comments where you state you are unable to determine dates. Maybe you would like to use this log to refresh your recollection. That way you can edit your posting. The major hole in your defense is something I believe you have overlooked. For several years Rachel operated Ocean Star Charters. There were two, I repeat, two boats. There is a mention in the novel of the company having three employees. I believe it is fair to believe there had to be a crew to operate the second vessel. Those people had to be paid. Those people would be available to be interviewed by IRS during the approximately two and a half years IRS was investigating the Carlson’s. IRS contacted the accountant’s in December 1994 according to Dirk in Chapter 99. Ares Disappeared in May 1997. If, after you refresh your recollection, you wish to present your comments here in the forum, I would be more than glad to respond. The log contains in the two rightmost columns the location in the story where the information was disclosed. Any reader who wishes to do so may verify the accuracy of my data. I await your response. http://www.gayauthor...image/6014-log/ http://www.gayauthor...image/6014-log/ Unfortunately I have not figured out how to actually post a picture in the new Forum setup. You will have to click the link to see the photocopy of my log.

Benji, One thing I really like about you is the fact you are the eternal "Optimist." Do you really think that CJ would pass up the opportunity to insert a Monster Size Cliffhanger Circumnavigation is the best collection of Cliffhangers I have ever met. As an adventure story it is excellent. I am sure CJ will improve his ability to write a more difficult mystery if he works at it. After reading his previous stories, I guess I expected a real brain twister. That must be the reason I was so far away from the correct solution. I can understand his request for you to do the review, but for the life of me I cannot figure why he asked me. After he explained to me about a triangle approach to developing a mystery, I was expecting something to rival Ellerey Queen and wound up with a Gay Hardy Boys adventure. Well one thing for sure. CJ still has a few chances left to raise this stories ratings. He can kill off all four teenagers. Then when Dirk learns about it, he can go on a rampage and slaughter Bridget and George, right after they kill Sanchez. Then CJ can go back to Circumnavigation Home Page and add Horror Story to the classification. Think about it. There are Bridget and George gloating over the four heads and Dirk shows up to help them celebrate. In fact CJ mentioned this basically in the Forum recently. Marty

Hi Benji, I believe it is the inalienable right for the author of a novel to alter the facts, to conform to the plots storyline. So long as the writer does not attempt to convince me that these modifications are factual, then I believe the author has met his goal. I will then enjoy reading the fruits of his imagination. However, if the novelist expects me to believe an individual could run at the speed of sixty miles per hour, without the physical modifications as introduced in the television show, “The Six Million Dollar Man,” I object to this. Beginning with the Prologue, Circumnavigation presents the armchair detective with a challenge. Did the Ares sink? Realistically speaking, if it had gone down, Why? Her construction argued against a natural disappearance. I could enumerate many more questions the inaugural episode raised. This story has been appearing for almost two years. During this time span, CJ threw one obstacle after another into Trevor’s path. Some were easy to overcome. Others certainly were not. Trevor’s survival after being thrown overboard could have happened the way it was described. His overcoming the difficulties while making his way to Australia was within the bounds of believability. There was no divine intervention. I suppose one could argue God was on his side. Personally I did not believe that Rachel was dead early on. It was not until the conference in Chapter 54, that I had proof she had not died as a result of any action by Dirk during “The Disappearance.” All Dirk was worried about was the expiration of several Statutes of Limitations. Murder does not have one. There was a skillful blending by CJ of facts throughout the book. Whatever he inserted into the plot was logical based upon the edited version of the truth presented to the readers. I know I consistently have accused him of leading us astray. He was successful as far as I am concerned. The only conclusion I reached that was correct was: Rachel was in Australia. That was not my original opinion. You Benji, had to convince me of that. Any future readers who discover Circumnavigation and are trying to solve the mystery while reading it, should by the time Trevor reaches Australia, conclude Ares did not sink and Rachel is still alive. The simplest conclusion to reach is Rachel sailed the Ares away from the Bahamas. My initial deductions were that. Once the Kookaburra arrived in the storyline I extended my conclusions to include the conversion of the Ares morphing into the Kookaburra. Why I changed my mind is neither here nor there. I was wrong, period. In all honesty Benji, both Chapters 98 and 99 seem to me to be an afterthought. They do not in my opinion flow with the rest of the story. The problems I am having with the some of the disclosures presented in Chapters 98 and 99 are: They are not logical. One of the facts established in the plot was: Dirk was waiting for several Statutes of Limitations to expire. This is a major part of the story. During the presentation of these two chapters we are told the following: Rachel was actively being investigated for Income Tax Evasion. This investigation covered a period of approximately ten years of failing to pay income tax. Once Rachel was declared deceased, the IRS closed the investigation and took no further action. During the course of the investigation, the IRS investigators discovered the false documents filed by both Dirk and Rachel. These were the foundation for one of the Criminal Conspiracies, Dirk was awaiting the expiration of. During the ten-year conspiracy the loans were paid off and the Atlantis purchased with money earned by Rachel’s criminal activities. Here are some of the illogical conclusions CJ expects me to accept: Rachel knew she was being investigated by IRS, but continued to operate illegal charters for several years. The IRS knew about the original Criminal Conspiracy, but did not prosecute Dirk after Rachel disappeared. Dirk owned, after Rachel was declared deceased, the Chandlery and several commercial properties, as well as his residence. It is my understanding there were no liens against any of these properties. All loans had been paid off by December 1996 using funds Dirk could not justify the existance of. The unofficial motto of the IRS is alleged to be, “Get the money.” Neither the US Government or any state or local government could successfully prosecute Al Capone for the many crimes he committed. Except for one. That was Income Tax Evasion. Al Capone could not prove he had paid income tax on the money he spent. The similarity between the Capone and Carlson cases is interesting. In both cases the governments involved could not prove the more serious crimes believed to be committed by the suspects. Specifically they believed Dirk had murdered Rachel. If the author is to be believed, they had Dirk solid for Criminal Conspiracy. It is illogical to expect me to believe they would not have allowed Dirk to walk away with the proceeds. It is not my intention to go over Chapters 98 and 99 step-by-step, line-by-line. Those two chapters leave me with more questions, than they gave me logical answers. I do not know what future chapters will bring, but at this point I feel very disappointed. I leave you with the following thoughts. According to Frank Tittle backed up by the worldwide duet chorus, Dirk and Rachel were not at fault. They were the victims of a bad law. They did everything possible so they could pay the taxes. Well, a couple of years after buying Ares and finding out they could not legally use her for charter purposes, they double the size of their fleet by buying the Atlantis. Which by the way, they paid cash for using cash, which I believe, was primarily acquired by the illegal charter operation. There are some readers who believed Rachel disappeared to protect her family from the Cartel. Nope! Rachel didn’t want to go to jail. I wonder how much Rachel took with her in cash when she took off. On top of that she arrives in Australia and promptly drags her sister and her friends into another Criminal Conspiracy. Then there is Dirk. Back there in Florida, Wringing his hands, declaring, “Trevor is the victim.” Why is he? Because both his parents are as crooked as a dog’s hind leg. Something for you to think about Benji, Marty BTW. This was prepared prior to the posting of the Chapter 100. Any least it is numbered that way on the Circumnavigation Home Page. I wished to be sure nothing in the Century Chapter refuted anything I included herein. On the contrary, Chapter 100 confirms one of my points.

Hi Zombie, I would like to explain how I consider this. If I am reading a fictional story and one of the characters commits a crime, I do not have a problem with that. It is part of the plot. However, if someone in the storyline or somebody posts here in the Forum, that the illegal act IS NOT a violation of law, that I object to. Many years ago I had a neighbor who was, IMO, a typical bleeding heart liberal. Juvenile Delinquents who broke the law were Misunderstood and needed help and therapy. One Monday morning I stopped for my morning coffee. There was my liberal neighbor spewing forth how they ought to put those JDs away for life. I asked the waiter was i really hearing this from our Flatbush Liberal. The server responded, "Oh yes!" "His wife got mugged Saurday evening." After reading Chapters 98 and 99 I realized Dirk and Rachel were no different than 99 % of the inmates in prison. They say they are innocent, were framed or it is a big mistake.

Hi Low Flyer, You may if you wish, go back and take a look at Chapter 31,when the charter was discussed between Joel and Trevor. the following quote is from that chapter: My understanding of this event which took place in Chapter 31 is, Trevor was aware if he agreed to take the charter he would be in violation of the laws of Greece. If you wish to Interpret it differently, that is your prerogative. I do not think he was concerned with failing to pay any tax due. One thing for sure, it looks like running illegal charters may be an inherited trait.

Benji, You have every right to have an opinion. I do not agree with yours. Marty

Benji, Lisa attempted to have a public officer release to her property, that was in the care and control of said said public servant, Simply put: Lisa attempted to get Sergeant Gonzalez to allow her to remove items from the Chandlery without the consent of Dirk. Now the second one is a little tricky, but it is on the books. Lisa, under Federal Law is a minor. It is unlawful to transport a minor across state lines for immoral purposes. Her father has discovered evidence in her bedroom there is a sexual relationship between her and Joel. The father is involved in the conspiracy also. He cannot give permission for her to go legally. Remember, she is not paying for the plane tickets. BTW the key here is the fact, Lisa is a minor. This also leads to an interesting situation. Lisa and Joel have been concealing, from her father, the fact that Trevor was almost killed by pirates. Although Joel and Lisa did meet Dirk, nothing was said to them, about Rachel still being alive. If you read Chapter 98 carefully you will note Lisa is still not sure whether or not to believe Dirk's denial. The final problem is Lisa's fathers condition regarding Dirk. He told Joel he was concerned about Dirk making a further attempt to kill Trevor and destroy the boat with them aboard. According to Joel's statement's to Trevor on the telephone, the facts have been in the local newspapers. It is most likely Lisa's father learned about the attack.

I would like to state for the record, When I challenged CJ on this I was incorrect.. I did say that. However that is my personal opinion, not the law unfortunately. After all, the primary difference between Trevor and his parents regarding evading income taxes, is the amount of money involved.

I'll argue over Frank Tittle being liberal (or any other political persuasion - we just don't have any info on that). He's a criminal lawyer, and his job is to say what is needed to help his clients. whether its true or not. What he says has no bearing whatsoever on his own beliefs. Any political reference never crossed my mind. And okay, okay, Shane did indeed try to superglue Ned's toolbox shut. Concealing tip money? Remember, he split that 50-50 with Julie, so he's only concealing his half. We don't know what she did with hers. And he did far better than usual on the first charter we saw; he probably nets far less than that, on average. Marty, have you ever found a dollar... maybe some loose change, like a quarter in a parking lot a few times in a year... and then not reported it? Legally, it's the same. What does what I did or did not do effect a deliberate action by Trevor. He intended to evade paying taxes and he did. And you did say that not reporting taxes wasn't evil. I did not say that. I dislike being misquoted. Please note correction in followup post. As for the charter in Greece, that broke no US laws, and won't unless he doesn't report it. And, even then, that'd make the voyage largely tax deductible, so the net taxable income would likely be zero. Is it your contention that Trevor is only required to obey US Laws. He knew he was breaking the laws of Greece. And you're saying you think Gonzalez should have busted Henry for victimizing poor Bridget? Or do you mean George? As I recall, Gonzalez has tried to keep Henry from breaking laws in most cases. What Henry and Mike did was evesdrop electronically on Joel's conversations. They did so without Joel's knowledge or consent. They did so without a lawful order of a court. They did this while sitting in a bedroom in Mike Gonzalez's home. I do not know what the laws of Florida say, but I know it is a violation of US Law. Greg is Craig's superior officer, so Craig is obligated to defer to him. I sincerely hope you do not really believe this., Now, speaking of memories (I won't defend mine, I freely admit it's bad) yours seems a tad off for MArtin Blake. Nowhere does it say that RAchel was in contact with him during her arrival or while Ares was being recreated as Ares. Indeed, Rachel said, "Later, when I fell in love with my childhood sweetheart, Martin, someone helped me with the paperwork to change my last name from Smith to Blake." So it looks to me like MArtin wasn't involved in Rachel's arrival or the doctoring of Ares into Kookoburra at all. And, she's registerted, as Kookoburra, in Western Australia, but I don't know of any Australian law that violates, and Martin didn't do it anyway. I am unable to say how they do things in Western Australia. I do know I had to produce proof of ownership when I registered my vessels in the State of New York.. Seeing as no one in Australia had valid proof, it must have been a forgery. Do you really believe it is not a crime to do that in Australia? As to Martin helping with the forgery, I cannot prove it. However he has been operating a charter using Kookaburra for an extended pereiod of time. The only question that comes to my mind is: Would Rachel allow Martin to use a boat, with a false registration, and not tell him? Now, as for me saying two but listing three, you are forgetting; Martin Blake and Craig Grundig (two of the three) are Australian! Therefore, we need to count them with Australian maths. 1+1+1=3, which is half of 6, but in Australia 6 is upside down so it's a 9, so you subtract one (for Gonzalez, who isn't in Australia) to give you 8, then subreact the 3 (which is half of the six from whence came the 9) to get 5, and then subtract the 3 we started with, and you've got two: Gonzalez, Grundig, and Martin Blake. It's quite simple so long as you bear in mind that, relative to the northern hemisphere, Australia is upside down. This final paragraph makes as much sense as the majority of the rest of this post by CJ. There are several unexplained facets that puzzle me. I will wait patiently until the final chapter is posted. One statement I have made, I will say again. Rachel doesn't care who's life she screws up, as long as she does not pay any penalty.

CJ, You sound like Frank Tittle. A blankety blank Ultra Liberal Defense Attorney. According to him in Chapters 98 and 99 Dirk and Rachel are the victims of bad laws. Dirk is sounding off in the same choir. Half a world away Rachel is singing from the same book. Agreed, the two of them might not have known about the Merchant Marine Act when they started with the Ares. But they sure as hell knew about it when they expanded their operation by buying the Atlantis for cash. Shane is a thief. How short your memory is CJ. I have a clear recollection of Shane admitting to trespassing and vandalizing Ned Kelly’s toolboxes by using super glue on them. Ahh Trevor. Again you’re memory is selective. I seem to recall Trevor admitting to concealing the income he received from tips. Then he conspired with Joel to use Atlantis in an illegal charter in Greece. Although the tax year for 2006 is not ended, I doubt he intends to report the income from the charter. He also entered into a conspiracy with Joel to smuggle the diamond engagement ring. Maybe you need to review the chapters where Mike Gonzalez conspired with Henry and failed to stop or take action while Henry broke one law after another. His partner Greg dragged Craig into his transgression. When Greg arranged for his nephew Trevor to be able to regain custody of the revolver he broke the law. This in spite of the fact Trevor admitted breaking the law. Craig failed to enforce the laws he is sworn to uphold. When Rachel arrived in Australia she conspired with her sister, Ned and Melody Kelly, along with Martin Blake to conceal the true identity of the Ares. They planned and altered her appearance. Are you trying to tell me you are not required to register boats in Australia. Here are two quotes from Rachel in Chapter 99. CJ are you trying to tell me Martin Blake has been using Kookaburra as a charter business and does not know she has a false registration. Who is your next candidate? Sanchez. BTW Again you proved you are unable to count. You said two but listed three.

Zombie I do not know if you are being factious or if you are oblivious to the basic concepts of law. Laws fundamentally forbid or require an action. Laws governing the actions of individuals are classified as either, “Mala in Se,” OR, “Mala Prohibita.” “Mala in se,” basically translates as, “Evil in itself.” The action addressed by this classification is evil in its very nature. I.e. Murder, theft, etc. “Mala prohibita,” laws are evil because some human entity has said they are evil. There is nothing inherently evil about speeding in or of itself. However, if your speeding is irresponsible based on the circumstances, it is no longer speeding, it is considered Reckless Driving. Failing to pay your income taxes is not evil. These are my recollections of the basic concepts of law from a course I took many, many years ago. The instructor then asked the students to consider the Ten Commandments. We had to consider each commandment individually. We then discussed and attempted to classify each of them, as whether they were, “Mala in Se,” Or, “Mala Prohibita.” Believe me when I say, “It changed what could have been a very boring class, into an interesting one. The best example of that is here, in my response to your post. I did not have to do any research to prepare this answer. Are you now ready to put forward a candidate from the storyline, or were you just playing the role of a Devil’s Advocate. I personally classify the offense of creating a, “Cliffhanger,” as, “Mala in se.” Marty