Faith in humanity: Restored
Fired Judge Blames Elf for Court Mishaps
September 17, 2007 12:50 PM CST
By Debra Cassens Weiss
The Philippines Supreme Court has asked a fired judge who claims he is assisted by three elves to stop making threats of “ungodly reprisal.” The court kicked Florentino Floro Jr. off the bench largely because of his belief in the supernatural, the Wall Street Journal reports (sub. req.). A medical clinic determined that the judge was suffering from psychosis.
"LUIS: It would have been better for them if they had never been born."
Since then Floro has battled to get his job back, appearing on TV and winning converts who seek his healing powers. At the same time, a series of unfortunate incidents have befallen the supreme court justices or their families, including serious illnesses and car accidents.
Floro says the person to blame for the mishaps is one of the elves, "Luis," a "king of kings" who is an avenger. He told the newspaper that the elves help him predict the future, but he has never consulted them when issuing judicial decisions. The Supreme Court has not reversed any of Floro’s decisions since firing him.
http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/fired_judge_blames_elf_for_court_mishaps
Judge Floro's 3 duendes rejoice and run faster than this thoroughbred when Judge Floro's enemies suffer in greatest pain
Debra Cassens Weiss, a senior writer/online, joined the ABA Journal staff in 1986. She had worked as a news researcher for WMAQ-TV in Chicago, as a reporter and editor at the City News Bureau of Chicago, and as a newscaster at WMRO and WAUR radio (Aurora, Ill.). Deb holds a J.D. from DePaul University College of Law and a B.A. in English from the University of Illinois.
http://www.abajournal.com/authors/4
Milagros Geronimo Velasquez, age 27 & Florentino Carreon Floro, age 47, were married in 1952 at the Miraculous Medal Church in San Marcelino St., Manila beside Adamson University. The Philippine Angel of Death at age 1.
Laszlo Quentin Vincent St. James Xalieri was born in the late 1960s at a military base near Alexandria, VA. He latched on to his family towards the end of his father's career as an elisted man, so he only spent a couple of years in Japan as a small child. After that he lived in Georgia.
FIrst a small town, then the backwoods in a county where deer outnumbered humans, and then Atlanta. To save you some math, that's more than thirty-five years in Georgia. He is married and lives in a house exactly as old as he is in Decatur, GA. He has a dog that weighs more than most of his stepchildren. His wife is an artist and writer/poet of no small skill, so now there is competition in the house....
http://www.ngc2632.com/blog/
It all began by this Livejournal letter
Laszlo Quentin Vincent St. James Xalieri
SRF Heavy Industries - Imagination consulting
Lazlo opened the channel of communication when he invoked humanity’s plea to the dwarves’ kingdom regarding his quest for knowledge, truth and wisdom.
An open letter to Florentino V. Floro, with introduction for those who are just now tuning in
Posted by Vidicon on October 9th, 2007
Apparently all it takes to get a visit from judge_floro—or one of his elves—is to mention his name. If I recall correctly a tidbit of the streaming wealth of material I’ve sifted already, Angel (the sister to either Luis or Armand, I forget which) has promised him worldwide fame. Being somewhat of a skeptic, I’d have to say spending twenty hours a day cutting and pasting a couple hundred links into comments on blogs and maintaining a presence on the top twenty social networking sites is a lot of work even for an elemental spirit like Angel, and it is likely that Floro or one or more of his human supporters is doing the bulk of the work. But the effort is, truly, inspired and likely to be effective at least in the short term.
Judge Floro bumps,rejoices and dances with this mystic fat crap when the loved ones of all his enemies, persecutors and detractors suffer lingering illnesses, painful-horrible deaths, car accidents, bad luck and misfortunes
I mentioned his name, made fun of his elves, and have received my own visitation. It’s nothing special—nothing you can’t get off the bio section of user profile page on LiveJournal—so I won’t bother linking. I didn’t perpetrate any serious satire against his elves other than mentioning some uses I might have for elves of my own, so I didn’t receive any serious special attention. Some people are touchy about their elves. In fact, if Kellogg and Keebler were as touchy as they ought to be, there’d be a couple million cease-and-desist notices flying around right about now for the more insipid imagery. I’ve had to put up with during my reading…. But my tortured sensibilities hardly enter into this.
First I would like to apologize to the elves.
I have some respect for the spirits that live in rocks and trees and winds and the wild waters of the earth. I don’t make a career of trafficking with them, but I’ve studied. Some I have summoned and experienced directly, some I have no knowledge of except by secondary effects, but I place some small amount of faith in them. However, these spirits are metals and semi-metals and non-metals and acids and salts and alkaloids and the bizarre suite of -anes, -enes, -ynes, -ones, -ols, -etc that make the chemistry of carbon so arcane, splendoriffic, and harrowing. I eat them, I breathe them, I drink them, and I use them to blow shit up. Twinkies® are made out of these spirits (and not just the organic ones). All hail the spirits. They are to be loved, respected, and occasionally feared.
LUIS' violet lights strikes at the main vessels and merciless heats of Judge Floro's enemies, persecutors, stalkers and detractors
http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Florentino_Floro&oldid=291975074#Aftermath_and_unusual_circumstances
http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Florentino_Floro&oldid=291975074
But I don’t worship them. That gives them ideas above their station. There are spirits of the mind, too. Subtle patterns of light and sound and electrical potential and thought, delicate and volatile and untouchable and occasionally strong enough to bend horseshoes around and powerful enough to populate or depopulate continents. I study these too. I particularly study encoding these for ease of packaging and effectiveness of transmission. I don’t necessarily eat them, drink them, or breathe them, but I’m not above using them to blow shit up. They are also to be loved, respected, and occasionally feared.
Repentance: The elves did forgive Laszlo
I don’t worship them either. Ideas certainly do not need to get ideas above their station. For those of you who missed the first episode, judge_floro is Florentino V. Floro and was for a number of years an active trial judge in the northern section of Manilla, in the Philippines.
Floro is a religious man—a spiritual man—and claims to have received the gifts of healing and prophecy from God. Fine. Lots of people are religious and/or spiritual and consider themselves to be healers and/or prophets.
Our own President and many of our legislators make similar claims. Ask me for my opinion about that later, when we’re back to discussing my tortured sensibilities. Floro also had a career in a judicial system that accusers (including the semi-respectable James “The Amazing” Randi) claim is rife with corruption, where charges may be raised and lowered via the judicious application of the weight of currency to the scales of justice, and cushy government jobs are frequently just another form of currency.
The Venerable James Randi was operated angioplasty on February, 2006, just months after he ridiculed the dwarves
http://www.randi.org/jr/2006-05/051906sylvia.html#i13
Floro is also one of those accusers. He claims his post was effectively sold out from under him, that he was never actually fired for reason of actual incompetence or bias (merely suspended from duty indefinitely), and that the more-or-less medical diagnosis of psychosis was used as a crowbar to remove him from the bench. He purports that the spirits who serve and advise him are, for the purposes of his judicial competency, a mere artifact of his religion and should not have any bearing on his ability to serve.
Mr. Floro, if you have been persecuted, ridiculed, or ostracized because of your religious beliefs, which are no weirder, when objectively viewed, than many others we find familiar and comforting, then I apologize for any disrespect. If you have lost your position of stability and respect and responsibility due to the political maneuverings a corrupt bunch of hypocrites who uphold the law when it suits them and feel free to abuse it when they think they can work around it to their own profit, then I apologize.
Elf LUIS: Mark my word, they will regret it!
The Philippines' most blessed, prosperous and wealthy family: Chief Justice Reynato S. Puno, wife Luzviminda T. Delgado-Puno (1940-April 12, 2006), children and their spouses, Reynato, Jr. & Cheryl Mae H. Yap; Emmanuel & Rachelle Catherine Fabreo, & their only daughter Ruth Puno; their three grandchildren Alessandra Isabelle, Laticia Raquelle and Elijah Rey Puno.
Mr. Floro, if you espouse ideas that interfere with your physical health and your relationships at work, at home, or with your friends, I do not apologize; but you have my sympathies. The aforementioned interference is the literal definition of illness. Ideas can make you ill as well as healthy, and sometimes cause damage in one area while curing something else. They’re tricky bastards like that.
Judge Floro rejoices and dances with this mystic cat when the loved ones of all his enemies, persecutors and detractors suffer lingering illnesses, painful-horrible deaths, car accidents, bad luck and misfortunes
Don’t forget that religious beliefs are, at bare minimum, ideas to be loved, respected, and occasionally feared. If you realize you might have an illness, however, it’s your responsibility to look for a cure. If you have an illness and don’t realize it, then it’s the responsibility of your friends, family, church, and/or government to shield you from further harm and help you get help.
Mr. Floro, if you espouse ideas that you transmit to others that causes them harm, then I hope you understand that’s an act of violence. And I’m sure I don’t have to explain to a judge that violence is never innately just or unjust; but if it’s not justified it is unarguably unethical or immoral or criminal. In any case it’s pretty much the opposite of healing unless it’s actually part of a medical procedure—and even then it’s a risk. If you use rare gifts, talents, and special abilities to commit violence against others who don’t have similar rare gifts, talents and special abilities to defend themselves, then this makes you, at best, a bully, especially if those uses are petty or self-serving—whether or not the violence is justified.
The greatest blasphemy: James Randi canonized LUIS, Armand and Angel as St. Three Stooges
Retribution is petty and self-serving. Even if you disclaim any responsibility for the actions of your spirit associates, you’re responsible for your associations.
If you can encourage them to heal others, then you can discourage them from harming others. If you are a holy man and a healer, you won’t take credit for their benevolences and hide behind them snickering for their malignancies on your behalf. That sort of behavior is unethical, irresponsible, and pathetic.
I hope that’s not what you’re doing. Although you have said yourself that you are much in favor of curses falling on your enemies and innocent members of their families. I believe you have made your position clear. I’m curious to know why you’d even want your job back. There’s a hundred pages of legal opinion and documentation showing that it would be hell on earth for you if you went back.
You can make more money and have more power as a lawyer or legal consultant. Or a healer / prophet / evangelist. I invite discussion and dialog here, Mr. Floro. If you want to come here and leave responses and discuss things with myself and my other readers, feel free. But this is my blog, my journal, and my forum.
Judge Floro's cursed enemies are turned into frogs
If you’re pasting a hundred links in comments here just so Angel can increase your fame and world-wide impact, then that is abusive, and you’re inviting “ungodly retribution” from my own elf-buddy Cracker (mentioned in my previous post).
Laszlo Q. V. St-J. Xalieri
http://vidicon.livejournal.com/504998.html
Origin: Descended from old English money, Vidicon was raised by 400 pangolins on acid in the mountainous rainforests of the North American Southeast. He was inevitably captured by a troop of well-meaning Libertarians posing as Girl Scouts (for their own personal reasons) and reintroduced into a society against which satire is a barely sufficient defense. He fell for the snare baited with carob-coated Taiwanese crickets.
Vidicon will test positive for the following controlled substances: testosterone, caffeine, theobromine, ethanol, nicotine, Algernon Swinburne, human growth hormone, political discontent, serotonin, animal proteins, human blood, monosodium glutamate, transhumanism, thujone, powdered sugar, Gothic temperament, mojo sauce, woodgies, anomie, and hummus. Some of the above, he dubiously claims, was administered against his will.
Superpowers: Vidicon is way too smart for his own good. He also loads his pockets with enough miscellanous weird stuff to single-handedly jump-start civilization just in case there's a spontaneous collapse. "McGuyver is a [obscene participle referring to the act of sexual intercourse] [feline epithet idiomatically linked to female genitalia]," he's been known to say. Also, on a more mystical front, Vidicon is a world-class synchronicity-surfer and a practicing (but unlicensed) Quantum Mechanic.
LUIS' UFO-rocket-spaceship uses VIOLET and yellow lights to suck the merciless hearts of Judge Floro's enemies, detractors and persecutors
Schools:
John O. Arnn Elementary School - 相模原市, 神奈川県, Japan (1973 - 1975); Britt David Elementary School - Columbus, GA (1975 - 1979); Harris County Carver Middle School - Hamilton, GA (1979 - 1981); Harris County High School - Hamilton, GA (1981 - 1985); Georgia Institute of Technology - Atlanta, GA (1985 - 1989)
http://vidicon.livejournal.com/profile
http://moblog.net/profile/xalieri/
http://www.ngc2632.com/blog/
http://www.ngc2632.com/blog/?p=82
http://www.ngc2632.com/blog/?p=81
This guy was not satisfied with what Judge Floro posted as dim answers to man’s quest to know more deeply about the world of LUIS’ per his letter. Thus Lazlo sent this follow-up memorandum to ask for an appointment or personal audience with the King of kings of elementals. Here is his 2nd query:
Laszlo Q. V. St-J. Xalieri (vidicon) wrote,
@ 2007-10-02 14:23:00
Faith in humanity: Restored.
What condition my condition was inFollow this link to footage of the Furries vs. Klingons league bowling tournament held this past weekend in Midtown Atlanta. Many thanks to "El Lebowski Grande" for the recordings.
Luis, Armand and Angel: The three little elves that cost Philippine Judge Florentino Floro Jr. his place on the bench and netted him a request from the Philippines Supreme Court to stop making threats of "ungodly reprisal" in an effort to get his job back. Luis, for instance, is a "king of kings" and an "avenger" as is apparently none too happy that Floro has been kicked out of the courthouse for being a bloody loony. Rumor has it that the families of the Philippines Supreme Court judges have been falling ill and suffering accidents....
Apparently it's time for me to start hiring a few elves of my own. Not that I particularly need a seat on the bench in the Philippine courts, but being able to threaten my enemies with ungodly reprisals (with a straight face) appeals to me somewhat, as does the promise of extending my healing ministry to the television networks. Hell, it's working for Floro.
It seems obvious that "Luis", "Armand" and "Angel" are references to fictional vampires (as opposed to the other kind) from Rice and Wheedon, and are therefore code names. The "king of kings" reference is the real clue, though, hearkening back to the fifteenth, sixteenth and seventeenth century goetic works (c.f., The Lesser Key of Solomon, The Lemegeton and The Steganographia of Trithemius—the last of which is actually a work on cryptography disguised as a work on summoning and compelling angels and demons, but I digress) classifying demonic abilities and heirarchies (now and forever "lowerarchies" in my head, thanks to Pratchett and Gaiman), and is about the only place you'll find someone with a rank of "king of kings" who will still deign to pick your nose for you.
Anyway, as of this minute, using cryptographic sorcerous techniques left lying around in insufficiently banned books from the tail end of the fifteenth century, I have compelled service from "Smack", "Cracker" and "Punk"—who will now beat the living shit out of anyone who reads this who does not either XVFFZ LUNVE LCVAX NFF or promise a dollar to my 2008 Presidential Campaign Fund. And be warned: Cracker is a Duke of Emperors or some shit and has certified training as a chiropractor and a dental assistant, so he knows about ungodly reprisals, particularly the ones that involve excruciating pain. (Punk, on the other hand, is an auto mechanic, and he'll just make sure you get good and screwed on your next car repair. As far as I can tell Smack isn't good for anything but an unhealthy amount of weight loss and providing a decent jazz soundtrack to the rituals, but you can't just have two elves. They come in a three-pack, minimum.)
Also also, suck it, Geico Gecko:
http://vidicon.livejournal.com/504657.html
Notes on King of kings:
Johannes Trithemius (1 February 1462 - 13 December 1516) was born Johann Heidenberg. He was an abbot and occultist who had an influence on later occultism. The name by which he is more commonly known is derived from his native town of Trittenheim on the Mosel in Germany.
He studied at the University of Heidelberg. Travelling from university to his home town in 1482, he was surprised by a snowstorm and took refuge in the Benedictine abbey of Sponheim near the Bad Kreuznach. He decided to stay and was elected abbot in 1483, at the age of twenty-one. He set out to transform the abbey from a poor, undisciplined and ruinous place into a centre of learning.
Judge Floro's dwarf convened the elementals' caucus to punish all his enemies
In his time, the abbey library increased from around fifty items to more than two thousand. However, his efforts did not meet with praise, and his reputation as a magician did not further his acceptance. Increasing differences with the convent led to his resignation in 1506, when he decided to take up the offer of the Lord Bishop of Würzburg, Lorenz von Bibra (bishop from 1495 to 1519), to become the abbot of the Schottenklöster in Würzburg. He remained there until the end of his life. Trithemius was buried at the Schottenkirche St. Jakob with a tombstone by the famous Tilman Riemenschneider. In 1825 the tombstone was moved to the Neumünster church, next to the cathedral. In 1945 it was damaged in the firebombing and subsequently restored by the workshop of Theodor Spiegel. Among his pupils were Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa (1486-1535) and Paracelsus (1493-1541).
Tomb Relief of Johannes Trithemius by Tilman Riemenschneider
His most famous work is Steganographia (written c.1499; published Frankfurt, 1606, placed on the Index Librorum Prohibitorum in 1609). This book is in three volumes, and appears to be about black magic - specifically, about using spirits to communicate over long distances. Since the publication of the decryption key to the first two volumes in 1606, they have been known to be actually concerned with cryptography and steganography. Until recently, the third volume was widely still believed to be about magic - but recently the "magical" formulae were shown to be covertexts for yet more cryptography content. The work has lent its name to the modern field of steganography.
Judge Floro's dwarves promulgated a guilty verdict against all his detractors and persecutors
Steganography is the art and science of writing hidden messages in such a way that no one apart from the sender and intended recipient even realizes there is a hidden message. By contrast, cryptography obscures the meaning of a message, but it does not conceal the fact that there is a message. Today, the term steganography includes the concealment of digital information within computer files.
For example, the sender might start with an ordinary-looking image file, then adjust the color of every 100th pixel to correspond to a letter in the alphabet -- a change so subtle that someone who isn't actively looking for it is unlikely to notice it.
The Lesser Key of Solomon or Lemegeton Clavicula Salomonis (the Clavicula Salomonis, or Key of Solomon is an earlier book on the subject), is an anonymous 17th century grimoire, and one of the most popular books of demonology. It has also long been widely known as the Lemegeton, although that name is considered incorrect because it depends on faulty Latin.
Polygraphia (1518) — the first printed book on cryptography
Cryptography (or cryptology; from Greek κρυπτός, kryptos, "hidden, secret"; and γράφω, gráphō, "I write", or -λογία, -logia, respectively) is the practice and study of hiding information. Modern cryptography intersects the disciplines of mathematics, computer science, and engineering. Applications of cryptography include ATM cards, computer passwords, and electronic commerce.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cryptography
A grimoire (pronounced /grɪˈmwɑr/) is a textbook of magic. Books of this genre, typically giving instructions for invoking angels or demons, performing divination and gaining magical powers, have circulated throughout Europe since the Middle Ages.
King of kings, Lord of Lords
King of Kings is a lofty title that has been used by several monarchies (usually empires in the informal sense of great powers) throughout history, and in many cases the literal title meaning "King of Kings", i.e. Monarch elevated above other royal rulers in a vassal, tributary or protectorate position, especially in the case of Semitic languages, is conventionally (usually inaccurately) rendered as Emperor.
The first written record of its consistent use dates to Iranian Kings of the Persian Empire (pronounced Shahanshah) with an implicit notion of relation to a deity, and later with an overt spiritual connotation in the latter Persian empire of the Priest-Kings of the Sassanian Persian Empire.
The well known story of the Iranian Magi that traveled to Holy Lands to hail the heralded new King of Kings further establishes the Royal Priest connotations of the title, King of Kings.
Ramesses II (about 1279-1213 BC) was the son of King Seti I and Queen Mut-Tuy. Ramesses is shown on a stela behind Seti I as the crown-prince. Ramesses had an older sister named Tia. Tia married a treasurer who was also named Tia, and this couple was buried in the necropolis of Saqqara, close to the tomb of Horemheb.
In pharaonic Ancient Egypt, an inscription on the base of one of Ramesses II's commemorative statues, according to Greek Historian Diodorus Siculus, referred to him as "King of Kings". This was paraphrased in Percy Bysshe Shelley's famous sonnet, Ozymandias: "My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings: / Look on my works, ye mighty, and despair!"
The Armenian king Tigranes the Great, was known as "King of Kings", due to having several kings under his rule.
Buddha is referred to as "King of Kings" in the Pali Tripitaka.
Thai Buddha
In Judaism, "King of Kings" - in Hebrew Melech ha-M'lachim - is a euphemism to refer to God, whose name may not be said. It is usually rendered as Melech Malchei Ha-M'lachim (King of Kings of Kings), to put it one step above the title by which Babylonian and Persian kings are referred to in the Bible (specifically in the Book of Daniel).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johannes_Trithemius
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Lesser_Key_of_Solo
Jesus Christ is termed King of Kings in the Bible, particularly in the Book of Revelation, 17:14 and 19:16 - although he clearly states in the New Testament that his realm is not of this earth (Hebrew: olam hazeh, "this world, or age", in contrast with the olam haba, "the world to come", in which he will rule),...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King_of_kings
Persistence and Determination to Decipher LUIS
Millions of dwarves consolidated their lights and powers against Judge Floro's enemies, persecutors, stalkers and detractors
Lazlo might have had a drunken notion of what an elf or king of dwarves would look like in human understanding, short of the wisdom of fools or bias of clowns, and he seemed very impressed with his minimal glimpse into the world of the unknown per the mirror of footnotes.
So, Lazlo emailed Judge Floro another query letter, to put LUIS in the microscope of science, lest humanity be incarcerated in a grim world of fantasy, paranoia and of course, in delicious discussion on Neverland.
Here is Lazlo’s December, 2007 long essay (which more than cripple the mind’s limbs; and one would feel that by reading his memo, a mental theraphy of some sort is achieved; however, as a philosophy subject teaches, the reader is entitled to more questions than answers, or to a sequel, so to speak). Lazlo writes or rather edits the email answers of Judge Floro for cinematic or soap drama anthology purposes:
Snow-flo suffered painful judicial death in the hands of his cursed enemies resulting in the wrath of the mystic dwarves
LUIS the Elf of Cosmic Holy Justice
and His Pet Human, His Honor
Florentino V. Floro, Jr.
by Laszlo Xalieri
December 2007
http://www.thefootnote.net/v5q3/1201heck.html
When I'd just started college, one of my good friends professed to be a duke of Hell. In a "no, seriously" kind of way. What the heck, I figured. I wasn't done being a Christian at the time, which meant means I was supposed to buy the possibility of supernatural-type crap.
This was all back in the mid-1980s at the Georgia Institute of Technology, by the way -- an engineering school with an international reputation and a bastion of Science. I was seventeen.
An open mind is essential to a scientist. It's not so essential to a scientist who has fallen into the trap (in my opinion) of putting faith into, among other things, a) the possibility that science can explain everything, b) that there are basic laws that govern nature, and c) that the supernatural is either explainable in terms of science or it's crap.
As a scientist, I have to recognize that one of the basic tenets of science is that any framework of rules we currently use and trust can be proven worthless by a single unlucky example.
We have to be ready to let go of anything and everything, possibly even the process of science itself, if a single valid counterexample presents itself. Thus, an open mind is required. Even if that means doing all of your dangerous thinking without a net.
Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech) campus, Atlanta, GA, USA.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georgia_Institute_of_Technology
In fact, the duke of Hell isn't really any part of this story -- except to show that certain unlikely things can flourish in any environment. To the best of my knowledge, he got a degree, spawned children, and was by the time I lost track of him gainfully employed by a multinational technology firm based in Germany.
Instead, this story is about a man who, not quite ten years after I left Georgia Tech, landed an appointment as a trial judge in the Philippines. I won't call his career particularly uneventful. It had events. And it was over, for all intents and purposes, in under nine months.
Around then, everyone with a job like mine was wrapped up in Y2K-proofing every piece of code we'd ever touched. If anything hit the news from the Philippines , I pretty much missed it. I remember Imelda Marcos and her shoe collection. A bit more locally, I remember Bill Clinton and his misplaced cigar.
The 7 snow-flo dwarves out to inflict pains and horrible deaths upon Judge Floro's enemies
Judge Florentino V. Floro, Jr., passed his bar exam with high grades. He passed an interview okay, didn't do so well with a psychological evaluation, got a second opinion that was allowed to overrule the first one, and took a seat on the bench. In eight months or so, he was suspended pending an investigation regarding a handful of irregularities. Blue robes, for instance, instead of black ones (except on Fridays, in order to recharge his psychic powers).
Before you shout "Looney!" recall the definition of pathology: It's not an illness or a disease unless it interferes with one's ability to work or study, with relationships with friends or family. Short of that, and it's just a quirk. A trait.
And if belief in psychic powers isn't quite your bag, suck it. A lot of people believe in psychic powers. It doesn't matter if it's bunkum. You can't go firing or imprisoning people because they have a belief you think is funny. Hell, there'd be maybe seven or eight of us incredulous skeptic bastards left outside the prisons, each trying our dead-level best to lock up the last six or seven.
Wendy’s Double with Everything and Cheese is fed by Judge Floro's 3 mystic dwarves to all loved ones of his enemies so that they will suffer massive stroke and cancer
http://www.bizjournals.com/birmingham/stories/2009/12/14/daily35.html
Like I said, suck it. Judicial, congressional, and educational sessions are opened with prayers worldwide. Floro had a reading from the Bible he liked to include. He also claimed to have a God-given gift to heal people, which he exercised on breaks. And a few other things, all of which are very well documented, if you are interested in the gory details. Start here, if you feel like being thorough.
Anyway, he was suspended pending investigation. It was supposed to take around sixty days. Ninety max. Floro fought back, challenging the qualifications and impartiality of the investigators, challenging any questionable detail, and at the same time getting upset (and filing complaints accordingly) that things were taking so long.
Sno-Flo's 7 duendes rejoice on top of each other, when Judge Floro's enemies suffer in greatest pain
http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Florentino_Floro&oldid=291975074#Aftermath_and_unusual_circumstances
http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Florentino_Floro&oldid=291975074
A couple months short of seven years later, the Supreme Court of the Philippines issues a ruling on the thirteen charges and/or other points to be investigated for Floro's suspension. In the end they fine him forty thousand pesos (around $1,000 US), reimburse him three years of back pay (blaming him for dragging things out, so sticking him with responsibility for the other four years) and declare him unfit for judicial service due to his unsavory psychological quirks and apparent unwillingness to present a dignified image consistent with trial judges in the Philippines. Separated from service. Fired. More or less.
Consistency check: His beliefs interfered with his work. Therefore, according to the definition of pathology, he is ill.
Except, say, if he had a job as an evangelist or a faith healer or some other kind of non-judge bureaucrat, at which point he would be sufficiently sane. In fact, the sixty-plus-page ruling I linked to above pretty much said that. Is it possible to be conditionally ill, depending on your job? Given the definition of pathology, I'd have to say yes. For instance, I'd be nuts to be a linebacker for the New England Patriots. I'm 5'4" and less than a hundred and sixty pounds. Even if I were otherwise qualified, it would be clear evidence of a suicidal urge. I haven't gotten to the elfs yet. Duendes, Elemental spirits of great power, the Red ones forever at war with the Blacks. Like ants here in Georgia. Except in the Philippines (and probably elsewhere) the Red ones are the good guys. Provisionally speaking.
Judge Floro's eyes emit mystic fires to strike the merciless hearts of his enemies, persecutors, stalkers and detractors
Elfs appear to feature prominently in Floro's case. I'm assuming they're Catholic elfs, as Floro is himself devoutly Catholic. And before you say anything here, let me mention law, and Santeria, and how all the classic pagan deities and heroes of the British Isles ended up as Catholic saints. I've read the Bible in its entirety, even the slightly fatter Catholic one, and, let me tell you, a lot of popular proper nouns are missing. Among the missing names are Luis, Armand, and Angel -- the three duendes who have been an integral part of Floro's life since 1996 (although Angel didn't come along until 2006).
Sno-Flo's 7 duendes rejoice in circles when Judge Floro's enemies suffer in greatest pain
http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Florentino_Floro&oldid=291975074#Aftermath_and_unusual_circumstances
http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Florentino_Floro&oldid=291975074
Floro's mildly retarded brother, who, according to Floro, retains enough innocence to experience the beings directly, introduced Floro to Luis back in 1984, around the time of death of their father. Floro himself experiences Luis as a nearly daily visitation of violet and white lights and, at least once each, as a "regal violet king" and as a chicken. Floro's compact with Luis et al grants Floro certain healing gifts, psychic powers, and the ability to bestow curses to punish the wicked and corrupt. (In particular the wicked and corrupt justices of the Philippine court system, which, indeed, have an international reputation for being quite wicked and corrupt.)
This is the part that attracted the attention of the international press, of course. According to the take on the story you'd get from just reading the headlines and no deeper, you'd discover that Floro was fired from his position because of his association with killer elfs. Those headlines were indeed what caught my eye. I commented about them (irreverently, as usual) in my blog.
Floro himself responded. And, sensing with my own psychic powers a depth of story only hinted at by the headlines, I asked him for an interview. He said, in effect, bring it. He's been interviewed a number of times before.
LUIS: Mark my word, they will regret it!
http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Florentino_Floro&oldid=291975074#Aftermath_and_unusual_circumstances
http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Florentino_Floro&oldid=291975074
I read those interviews over and set up a bunch of questions that I believed filled in some gaps from previous interviews.
These are the questions I sent:
* What's the ideal outcome for your current situation with respect to your career, your family, and you daily life?
* What is your typical day like? To what extent do supernatural elements of any kind affect your average day, if at all?
* What was the best day of your life? What was the worst?
* If you had to choose to give up one of your goals or gifts, which one would it be and why?
Ultimate rejoicing, jumps for joy, happiness and dancing of LUIS-Judge Floro, when loved ones of Justices, Judges, of his enemies, persecutors, stalkers and detractors die, suffer accidents, cancer, massive stroke, spinal cord-nerve disorders and dire illnesses
http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Florentino_Floro&oldid=291975074#Aftermath_and_unusual_circumstances
http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Florentino_Floro&oldid=291975074
* How would you describe your relationships with your brothers?
* Why did you drop the suits you had pending against those people you were accusing of trying to ruin your career? What made you decide to let them off the hook?
* Do you ever have disagreements with Luis, Armand, and Angel? Do they ever scare you?
* I have a big problem with punishing one's family for crimes one has committed. In modern days, it's permissible to choose your wife or husband, but children can in no way be responsible for the actions of their parents.
You mention that some judicial official's child was born with epilepsy as punishment for something a parent has done to you. Where is the justice in that?
And doesn't it imply that that your brother's mental disabilities might be punishment for something you or your parents might have done?
Ultimate parties and laughter of LUIS-Judge Floro, when loved ones of Justices, Judges, of his enemies, persecutors, stalkers and detractors die, suffer accidents, cancer, massive stroke, spinal cord-nerve disorders and dire illnesses
http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Florentino_Floro&oldid=291975074#Aftermath_and_unusual_circumstances
http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Florentino_Floro&oldid=291975074
In response I received ... well, it's hard to describe what I received. When reformatted to single-spaced ten-point type, around ten pages. Later expanded to fifteen--and simultaneously filed with the Philippine Supreme Court, lightly seasoned with my own personal information harvested from various and sundry sites and what passes for my credentials. To be followed by a death announcement, a travelogue with some nice pictures, and previous versions of mailings reissued with expansions, illustrations, and attachments. All in good fun.
The question about "ideal outcome" was skipped, or else embedded elsewhere. In all, he seems willing to accept whatever horrors Luis drags him through as an acceptable substitute to "ideal."
Ultimate Christmas, holidays of and cheers by LUIS-Judge Floro, when loved ones of Justices, Judges, of his enemies, persecutors, stalkers and detractors die, suffer accidents, cancer, massive stroke, spinal cord-nerve disorders and dire illnesses
http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Florentino_Floro&oldid=291975074#Aftermath_and_unusual_circumstances
http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Florentino_Floro&oldid=291975074
Here's a portion of his response to the "typical day" question, lightly edited for style and grammar and shrunk like a new cotton t-shirt in a super-hot clothes dryer:
“I've been jobless since July 20, 1999. I begged for compassion from the most powerful in our judicial, executive and legislative departments ... from all my classmates (Ateneo Law, Class of '82, including 2 incumbent Supreme Court Justices).
I asked all of them to give me clemency, compassion, justice, kindness, and a job. But as Luis desired, I failed in my quests.
I've been financially helped by a kind brother (we are five) since last year and, in my most difficult times, just to survive. Luis would not permit me yet to have a job. He wanted me to suffer more. By bearing my cross, Luis would be able to infuse upon my mortal body the higher violet and white pure lights to fight evil or the black angels (fallen, the instruments of 666, in Revelations).
Ultimate ecstasy and euphoria of LUIS-Judge Floro, when loved ones of Justices, Judges, of his enemies, persecutors, stalkers and detractors die, suffer accidents, cancer, massive stroke, spinal cord-nerve disorders and dire illnesses
http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Florentino_Floro&oldid=291975074#Aftermath_and_unusual_circumstances
http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Florentino_Floro&oldid=291975074
Two of my brothers are multimillionaires. (They have mansions in Valle Verde, Pasig City, Metro Manila, in Bulacan and in Greenhills; they are engaged in gold, diamond and foreign exchange trading; they have expensive cars - Mercedes, Volvo, Pajero, Nissan Durano, etc., and several security guards...) I have only rented a house since 1989. I walk and take the bus.
From April 7, 2006 until today, as I am unemployed, I wake up at 10 AM. I eat vegetables and fishes and sometimes meat. I sit in an Internet cafe from 12 Noon to 12 Midnight (with breaks, 8 to 10 PM to eat). I respond to a thousand blogs' comments, like yours and thousands of posts in 140 forums that reported my case based on more than a hundred international wire reports and front-page headlines. I am an established Wikipedia editor and contributor. Recently, I spent about 10 hours daily editing Wikipedia and creating articles.
Ultimate happiness and mystic bliss of LUIS-Judge Floro, when loved ones of Justices, Judges, of his enemies, persecutors, stalkers and detractors die, suffer accidents, cancer, massive stroke, spinal cord-nerve disorders and dire illnesses
http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Florentino_Floro&oldid=291975074#Aftermath_and_unusual_circumstances
http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Florentino_Floro&oldid=291975074
I'm assuming the best day involved entering into his agreement with Luis. For worst days, he mentions three attacks on his life. I'm assuming ordinary muggings, as he doesn't mention suspected links to enemies in the courts system or elsewhere. In response to my question about gifts to give up, he says he basically has no choice in the matter and it's impossible to give any up, adding that his life would be worthless without Luis and the impact he has had.
Of his four brothers, two of them are wealthy, and at least one of those, I'm assuming, is his benefactor. His brother Robert is the mildly retarded one, and Floro has custody. There is another brother who apparently believes Floro should not have custody of Robert and has sued unsuccessfully to take Robert away.
Their relationship is understandably somewhat cool. Floro filed suits against a number of people who he believes acted with malice to try to get him fired from his job. He says his reason for dropping the suits was that he could forgive them somewhat for their fear and discomfort in working with him, and also the suits were about to be dismissed on technicalities anyway. It was an easy concession.
Judge Floro's elf diplomat in LUIS' Kingdom burns the merciless hearts of of his enemies, persecutors, stalkers and detractors
http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Florentino_Floro&oldid=291975074#Aftermath_and_unusual_circumstances
http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Florentino_Floro&oldid=291975074
The final two questions generated a bit more in terms of response. I gather from Floro's words that Luis and company terrify him all the time. They ask him to perform horrible curses on the corrupt judges and justices -- former coworkers and associates -- and their families and spouses and children. He's refused a number of times and eventually was forced to compromise or give in completely.
He sent me huge catalogs of material, documented in English and Tagalog (not that I can read Tagalog, but that's my problem, not his), detailing pretty much every horrible thing that has happened to judges and supreme court justices and their families, and claiming personal responsibility for deaths, illnesses, accidents, birth defects, and the occasional courthouse fire.
As you can see in my final question, I take issue with visiting divine retribution on innocent children and generations unborn and ask to hear his justification.
LUIS: Mark my word, they will regret it!
http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Florentino_Floro&oldid=291975074#Aftermath_and_unusual_circumstances
http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Florentino_Floro&oldid=291975074
His response is largely that it's always been done that way and gives numerous biblical references, paying particular attention to the 109th and 73rd Psalms, which are, indeed, quite grim.
That doesn't help me much; I've carried that same objection to God Himself, who offers absolutely no justifications for anything He does.
God's Divine Finger of Holy Retribution is roughly ten miles wide at the tip and has all the fine motor control of an epileptic ape on an anthill.
God possibly thinks so, too. In the Old Testament, even before there were kings, His prophets set up the office of judges (with whole books dedicated to the phenomenon) and legal systems to help give attention to the fiddly details of human interactions and prescribe sentences, while still a tad harsh by modern Western standards, perhaps less overkill than worldwide flooding, plagues of frogs, killing all the firstborn males, and torrents of burning brimstone. And -- if you believe modern evangelists -- hurricanes, earthquakes, and tsunamis.
LUIS' violet light makes Judge Floro's guides dance with joy when fire strikes at the main vessels and merciless hearts of his enemies, persecutors, stalkers and detractors
http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Florentino_Floro&oldid=291975074#Aftermath_and_unusual_circumstances
http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Florentino_Floro&oldid=291975074
It's my opinion that even a laughably corrupt judiciary is (albeit slightly) preferable to "a STAIN on his blood unto the FOURTH GENERATION," because at least with the former you can have hope of justice if you can raise enough money for the bribe.
My further opinion, Mr. Floro, is that Luis is bad news for you. He may have a tremendous plateful of holy work for you to do and bizarre and cool holy gifts with which to pay you, but you won't have a peaceful, normal life until you give him his walking papers. In your own words, "HIS WAYS ARE NOT OUR WAYS." I believe there's good reason for this. I also believe that the supernatural should be left to its own devices and that we humans should stick with what we're good at --discernment and fine manipulation with our tiny fingers. And justice on a human scale.
Judge Floro's owl in LUIS' Kingdom burns the merciless hearts of of his enemies, persecutors, stalkers and detractors
http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Florentino_Floro&oldid=291975074#Aftermath_and_unusual_circumstances
http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Florentino_Floro&oldid=291975074
24/7-endless music, dancing, giggling, rejoicing, jumping of Judge Floro-LUIS, Armand & Angel's 3 mystic music makers, when loved ones of his enemies, Biblically cursed Ateneo Law School Classes 1982, 1980, 1981, 1983 to 1990, suffer dire illnesses, massive strokes, spinal-other nerve disorders, car-fire-motorcycle accidents, slow & painful-horrible deaths-suicides
Anyone who wants copies of Floro's literal and lengthy responses can feel free to contact me. I will happily forward them along.
Laszlo Xalieri is a Senior Contributor to the footnote.
mailto:
laszlo@thefootnote.net
-- Laszlo Q. V. St-J. Xalieri
1967-12-11 (Birthday)
vidicon@ngc2632.com
(James S. Cosby, 3659 Mecklinburg Place Decatur, GA, USA - 30032-3868)
In the spirit of worldly brotherhood though he drinks as much arak as bourbon. Irrelevant fact: Both the words whiskey and vodka derive from the local languages' words for water. In Arabic, arak means "sweat." Close enough. He writes about science, technology, religion, politics, culture, and human nature as if he had some kind of direct knowledge of any of that crap.
http://www.twoheadedcat.com/content/author.php?authorID=17
http://www.thefootnote.net/newabout.html
http://www.twoheadedcat.com/content/outputImage.php?action=user&id=17
24/7-endless dancing, giggling, rejoicing, jumping of Judge Floro-LUIS, Armand & Angel's mystic cat, when loved ones of his enemies, Biblically cursed Philippine Supreme Court retired, incumbent and future Justices,and court personnel, suffer dire illnesses, massive strokes, spinal-other nerve disorders, car-fire-motorcycle accidents, slow & painful-horrible deaths-suicides
http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Florentino_Floro&oldid=291975074#Aftermath_and_unusual_circumstances
http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Florentino_Floro&oldid=291975074
