Welcome to Oregon, where the level of corruption in state government and in the state judicial system makes Al Capone's mob of the 1930s look like choir boys at Easter Sunday mass.

If you are planning on moving to Oregon or simply planning on a visit to Oregon you best leave your children elsewhere or you COULD very easily lose them.

All it would take is a politically correct busybody sticking their nose where it doesn't belong and making an anonymous telephone call, as in the Ruth & Brian Christine family situation, and your children could be taken from you, by force, and without any justification whatsoever.

From: "Edgar J. Steele" <conspiracypenpal@topica.email-publisher.com>

Sent: Friday, April 12, 2002 4:27 PM

Subject: RUTH CHRISTINE FREE ON BAIL; NBC COVERAGE IMMINENT; TRIAL IN 19 DAYS

ROSEBURG, OREGON - Before leaving for their home in Britain with the Christines' three oldest children in tow, Ruth Christine's parents posted her bail bond deposit in both Josephine and Douglas Counties, a total of $10,000, thereby freeing her for the first time in nine months.

Ruth's husband, Brian, remains in custody in this picturesque central Oregon town, unable to post the $55,000 deposit necessary to satisfy the half million dollar bond requirement Oregon has placed upon him.

The Christines are slated to stand trial April 30 on charges of kidnapping their own children from Oregon's child services department last year, allegedly at gunpoint, then fleeing the state. The children had been taken into custody in August 2000 following an anonymous call to Grants Pass, Oregon officials, wherein it was claimed that one of them looked "neglected." The children were taken as they sat down to lunch with their mother.

The Christines have seen their three oldest children only twice since then, both during supervised visits, following the second of which the alleged kidnapping took place. During this period, Ruth has given birth to two more girls, both of whom have been placed with Brian's mother in Indiana.

NBC's award-winning investigative journalism show, Dateline NBC, has taped extensive interviews with both the Christines and many others, with the intent of airing a full-hour segment just prior to the trial. Ruth and her attorney, Edgar Steele, are also scheduled to appear on NBC's top-rated morning news show, "Today," on Thursday, April 18.

Local network affiliates and Court TV, a cable and satellite specialty channel, have established the prerequisites necessary to broadcast the trial live, in its entirety. Oregon courts have been particularly receptive to the presence of cameras during proceedings, so live national coverage of the trial seems a certainty.

Responding to a question about the extensive coverage the case is suddenly receiving, Steele noted, "We have been very selective about on-camera interviews of both Brian and Ruth, given the gravity of the charges hanging over their heads, and have rejected far more requests than we have been able to accommodate." Stating that he was endeavoring to respond to as many interview requests about the case as he could personally handle, Steele added that this story highlights the excesses of child protective services nationwide and, particularly, in Oregon, where it is known as Services to Children and Families (SCF): "It is vital that every parent in America hear of the Christines' plight because, next year, it could be any one of us sitting in jail awaiting trial for what amounts to rescuing our children from a rogue state agency."

Edgar J. Steele, an attorney with offices in Sandpoint, Idaho and San Francisco, California, stated that negotiations for a brokered plea bargain continued with Oregon's Douglas County District Attorney, Rick Weisenberg. "We're still quite a bit apart, so that I expect we will try the case, but one never knows about these things," said Steele.

Immediately upon Steele's reentry into the case, Oregon cut off all funding for public defenders, investigators and expert witnesses, without giving a reason. Steele is serving pro bono, meaning without pay.

Donations to a fund for Brian Christine's bail bond may be directed care of the
Christines' attorney, Edgar Steele, PO Box 1255, Sagle, Idaho 83860, who also encourages donations to defray actual costs of the upcoming trial.

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