I am Rachel Wolf.

FOREWORD

Here’s a story about a lovely lady... who was trying to make a difference for abused animals.

This is a case of life being stranger than fiction. I often wish this was merely a nightmare and that when I awoke I would discover it didn't happen. While you may raise an eyebrow -- and if you can raise only one eyebrow, I'm jealous -- thinking my story strains credulity, I assure you this is 100% true. It reflects the sad state of humanity and the dangers of the Internet where people think they can hide behind false identities and anonymity to do harm to others without consequence.

If you are someone who has been bullied, stalked, or defamed, perhaps my story will resonate with you and help you feel less alone. If you have experienced something this horrible, my heart goes out to you. I wouldn't wish this on anyone, not even the vile people who did this to me. Thanks to them, I am more wise and less trusting. I now expect the worst of people because of what the women in this story did to me in 2011.

I know there is a lot to absorb here... this isn't a 140 character "tweet," but I want to do my best and be thorough to minimize confusion or misunderstanding. I know that no matter how detailed I am, someone will nitpick and attack me anyway.

INTRODUCTION

Despite altruistic intentions and a virtual army of almost 50,000 people ready to reform animal welfare laws, a handful of adult women made it their mission to not only destroy a cause that was gaining momentum, but also destroy my reputation and life as the founder of this important cause, by using the Internet to abuse, harass, stalk, vilify, and defame me. And their inexcusable and reprehensible actions were all because of... wait for it... a Facebook® page.

I did not cause them any loss of job or income. I did not cause them any personal harm, or loss of family, life, limb, or health. I did not cause them the loss of a friend or loved one. I did not hurt their fur babies.

All that was taken from them were a few online pages less than a week old, taken down by Facebook® because these women had violated my intellectual property rights by using my protected trademark without consent.

Had they violated the trademarks of Oprah®, Disney®, or the ASPCA®, with those entities enforcing their rights as I did, these women would not have dared to pursue such a hateful mission of revenge. And I assure you, the hammer would've come down on them instantly for violating the IP rights of those organizations. 

Based on the behavior of this posse (less than 10 women at the core), they seemingly had nothing better to do with their lives than go out of their way to maliciously hurt another human being. They disrupted and wreaked havoc on a FB page which had grown quickly to just shy of 50,000 followers (an impressive achievement in such a short span of time), ruining it for everyone. 

Toward the end of the nightmare, I had phone and email conversations with "Kitty," one of the more active members of their group. (Excerpts are further down as evidence.) "Kitty" admitted what they had done was wrong and she was contrite. She revealed the identities of all involved. Some had hidden behind multiple fabricated Facebook® identities. One of the most egregious offenders (let's call her "Pat") used an online blog to fuel the fire of insanity. I reported the fake identities to FB, but Mark Zuckerberg's staff did nothing to protect me from the bullying, despite their knowledge of it.

About a year later, "Pat" gleefully announced on her blog that I was homeless. (I was not. This was simply more of her irresponsible gossip.) She said I deserved it and “karma” had bitten me in the butt. About a year ago, she revealed on her blog that she was homeless and in desperate need of someone to take her in. It appears karma caught up with her instead.

"Pat" uses several different names on the Internet, and on one of her websites she says she is a psychic and spiritual person, and spouts the importance of spreading love, kindness, compassion, and forgiveness. Too bad she doesn't practice what she preaches.

WHY NOW?

This happened four years ago. Why dredge it up again? 

First, because it's going to forever be on the Internet. And I am tired of having to explain it when someone stumbles upon the fabricated story or the link to "Pat's" blog. I'd rather address the lies and direct people here rather than having to recount it repeatedly.

Also, next year I hope to launch a new business. Once my name is in the public consciousness, these women will emerge like rats coming out of the sewer. So I want to get ahead of this and squash any aspersions they may cast, laying to rest any lingering doubt, rumor, or malicious gossip which they saturated the Internet with in 2011.

HOW IT ALL STARTED

It was mid-March 2011 in Newark, New Jersey. A maintenance worker was emptying an apartment building's dumpster when he saw one of the large plastic trash bags move. He opened it and discovered a skeletal pitbull puppy on the precipice of death. The puppy was rushed to a veterinary hospital where they miraculously kept him alive overnight. They named him Patrick, as it was March 17 (St. Patrick's Day). 

I first read about this and saw the horrific photo on the FB page of Linda Blair (animal advocate and actress from “The Exorcist”). I was infuriated. I was sure Kisha Curtis, the perpetrator, would only be slapped with a misdemeanor and paltry fine despite the heinous nature of her crime. This impotent punishment of animal abusers is standard in most of the U.S. and worldwide.

The wheels of justice turn slowly and often no justice is truly served. I predicted this would happen with Kisha. Two years later in 2013, she finally pleaded guilty to "fourth degree animal cruelty" on the eve of her trial. The judge was way too lenient with her in contrast to the horror of her crime. The punishment? A mere 18 months of probation, no jail time, a restitution fine of only $2000 to the NJ ASPCA for their costs, and forfeiture of her right to Patrick. (The forfeiture should go without saying and is a no-brainer.) The judge's blase attitude was, well, the dog is alive and thriving, so he didn't think it was that big a deal. I'm not sure why the judge didn't also forbid her from ever owning another animal again.

In response to this decision, public outrage is justified. However, complaining about it or being angry doesn't change a thing. Laws must be changed. A judge can only impose a sentence that's in line with what the laws specify. This is why I felt it so important to start a movement on the legal side of things.

I’ve always been an animal welfare advocate, invested in educating people about the plight of abused elephants in circuses. At the time, it felt as if the news was saturated with stories about horrors inflicted on animals. I felt I needed to do more than simply share Patrick’s story in a link and lament about the state of the world. I am not one to turn a blind eye to injustice. I needed to take action.

There are thousands of animal rescue groups around the world. Numerous organizations are devoted to raising awareness of animal rights and animal welfare. Dogs and cats are regularly rescued from kill shelters, rehabilitated, and re-homed. But our laws need reform to be more stringent and enforced. Animal abusers need to be punished more severely. There should be a national animal abuse registry. If you abuse an animal, you should be listed on a registry (just like sex offenders) and forbidden from ever owning an animal again.

GOALS & PURPOSE FOR THE CAUSE

• Elevate this issue to national attention. 
• Create a national animal abuser registry.
• Get politicians in every state involved and passionate about this.
• Get the White House to be a voice for the animals.
• Push for reforming and expanding the scope of the Federal Animal Welfare Act of 1966 so it's a federal crime to abuse and torture all animals. 
• Enact laws requiring that animals raised for consumption only be slaughtered if done humanely and with compassion, causing no fear or pain to the animal.
• Make hunting and killing for "sport" illegal.
• Ban circuses from using animals.
• Implement stronger guidelines for zoos.
• Close places like SeaWorld where animals are on display to perform tricks to amuse humans. Dolphins and whales should not be circling for 20 years in a bathtub. That’s as bad as keeping dogs for breeding in tiny little cages, or cows in narrow cells who are kept pregnant simply to produce dairy products.

PATRICK'S LAW - PROTECTING ANIMALS TOGETHER®

It was with these lofty, ambitious, and idealistic goals that I naively started a Facebook® page. I figured I’d get maybe 100 or 200 people at the most, and together we’d put together petitions, and see if we could get something going. I never anticipated what was about to happen.  

Within 24 hours, I had 1,000 followers. The next day it jumped to almost 5,000 followers. In one week, I had 20,000 followers, and in another week it was approaching 50,000 followers. It was the proverbial runaway train and I was the sole conductor trying to keep it from derailing.

I was up for 24-48 hours at a stretch, in my pajamas not showering and barely eating, sitting at my computer answering posts. I had bought the domain for Patrick's Law® and created an email address which I mistakenly put on the page. I was immediately deluged with at least 20 emails per hour. I tried answering all of them but couldn’t keep up. One heartfelt message came in from a soldier in Iraq who said I was more of a hero than he was because of what I was doing. (I disagree. I have tremendous respect for our military. They put their lives on the line for our freedom.)

I asked for help managing the page but didn’t know how to vet people to be sure I was aligning myself with the right people. Animal advocates are a passionate group, and many call for action outside of the law. I did not want to be involved with that. I also needed to be careful which people would have my personal info. (Little did I know that it would be plastered all over the Internet thanks to "Pat" and her posse.)

Meanwhile, the page was growing by the hour. NBC did a story about me and Patrick’s Law®. I did not request it. I had not reached out to any Media. Honestly, I didn’t want the attention. I just wanted to make a difference and all of a sudden, I had an army of 50,000 people who expected me to single-handedly save the world of abused animals. Because I am wired to be a leader, I rolled up my sleeves and accepted the responsibility. I had started this and now I needed to take charge.

Because I have an extensive legal background and my father was an intellectual property ("IP") attorney, he had taught me the importance of protecting IP rights. So I quickly began protecting Patrick’s Law® as a trademark, just as the ASPCA®, Humane Society, and other 501c3 organizations have done. My intention was to eventually form a non-profit since I had clearly tapped into a cause worth developing.

Aside: I'm not going to use this blog to educate people on intellectual property law, e.g. patents and trademarks, or copyrights. I even have friends who don't understand the differences in these concepts, or the differences between "common law' protection and actually filing for protection. Information about patents and trademarks is easily found on the USPTO's website. Information about copyrights is readily available on the U.S. Copyright Office's website.

Buying a domain and hosting plan cost me money I didn't have. Paying the fee to file the trademark application was similarly money I could not afford to spend. I was not making a penny doing this, and I didn't ask for money from anyone (despite my stalkers' claims). 

I did not start Patrick's Law to get attention. I never anticipated it would take off as quickly as it did. I was unprepared for the overnight success. I didn't solicit any news outlets to cover the story. I wanted to keep my life private. But now that I had launched a cause, I had to think like a leader.

There were already enough rescue groups. I intended to form an organization solely focused on changing and enforcing laws. So I proceeded to do what was necessary to prepare for that. I created a hierarchy chart and planned how to implement this on a national level with the intention of being the hub for the movement. I was approaching it as a CEO of a new company.

DARK SIDE OF THE INTERNET

Here’s where the story takes a dark turn. 

A gal in New Jersey ("Lizzie") who had been following the growth of my page decided to create her own page: “Patrick’s Law – New Jersey.” It came to my attention because someone came to my page and asked about "Lizzie's" page. They were confused and wanted to know if the new group was me. I realized this could be problematic. If a second group formed, it would dilute the effort. If the cause splintered off into multiple small factions, nothing of substance would get done. There had to be a leader to keep it organized and focused. And it’s more impressive to have one single page with 50,000 followers when trying to get the attention of legislators.

By the way, these women ended up forming their own "movement" with many pages and no one person overseeing the effort. It is now simply pages about rescuing animals, sharing cute animal videos, and stories about other animals in the news. No one pursued the most pressing issue, to wit, getting the laws changed.

I reached out to "Lizzie" privately via Facebook®. I told her of my concern and that I planned to have a conference call the next week to organize people interested in spearheading the effort at the state level. I planned to build a community website on my domain with each state having its own forum, that would also connect everyone as one group. I asked her to be patient and give me time to implement this strategy. I asked her to take her page offline temporarily until I could get my footing since the pace was dizzying and overwhelming.

Her response was, “Fuck you. Who put you in charge?" 

(Um... I did, when I came up with the idea; I took action; and I started the cause?)

The next day she had several of her friends create more Patrick’s Law pages, with other state names appended thereto. This was going to be a problem if I didn’t rein it in quickly. I didn’t want the cause to be misrepresented. I didn’t want some extremist group doing something outside of the law, e.g. calling for the death of the perpetrator. I didn’t want anything to potentially reflect poorly on the effort or misuse the name Patrick’s Law®. I had to protect it from the start.

More people were coming to my page and asking about the ever-increasing number of similar pages named Patrick's Law. The people creating those pages must have had egos which overrode common sense, since they failed to understand (or care about) the bigger picture. It was spinning out of control. I kept politely asking each person creating one of those pages to hold off for a few weeks. I promised they’d be involved in the process, but I first needed to put a framework in place. 

This concept is no different than starting any new business or even building a website. Planning is the key to success. Without the proper architecture in place to anticipate expansion, the foundation will crumble under the weight of rapid growth.

These women responded with vitriol on my page, accusing me of being a control freak, saying that I thought I was a god, etc. This went on for several hours until I finally snapped. I had had minimal sleep for weeks and my level of frustration was at its peak.

I responded with (paraphrasing), “I've asked nicely several times. Now I'm no longer asking. I'm telling you. Either take your pages down or I will have them taken down for you.” I also made an off-handed remark that I was tired of dealing with idiots. That comment was not directed at any one person, but simply a generalization. 

And I still feel that way. I have no patience for idiots. Never have. Never will. Ignorant people (bigots and bullies), please form a line to the right. No, not the left. I said, the right.

Well, my seemingly non-specific comment which was merely an expression of frustration (and not addressed to anyone in particular) set off a firestorm. This handful of women - less than 10 of them - started calling me names on my Patrick's Law page. 

I reported the trademark infringements privately to Facebook® via their page, and provided proof. The FB legal team concurred and took down all infringing pages which had been started by these women without my consent, which they had neither removed nor taken offline, even after being asked nicely several times. 

Let me clarify. I was glad I was inspiring people. Some said I should've been flattered because "imitation is a form of flattery." I was not flattered. My ego was not a factor. An undertaking of this magnitude must have its visionary at the helm to keep it on track. If everyone goes off willy-nilly (love that phrase), it becomes anarchy and nothing gets done. Successful companies are not run as democracies. Someone must be the leader.

When their pages were taken down, this group of women decided to make it personal and take revenge. They were hellbent on destroying the cause and me. They selfishly tainted an altruistic cause that was beautiful and pure.

Over the next days, they referred to my alleged "downward spiral of embarrassment." I was not embarrassed in the least.

For the next weeks, their cyberbullying was unconscionable. "Pat" used her blog to slander me. The throng joined in like ravenous animals. You would think I had committed some sort of crime, or that I was a dentist who had lured a lion out of a protected area to murder it for "fun." 

They posted insults and lies, accusing me of being dishonest, a crook, a thief, a con, a “washed up has-been no talent” who was desperate for attention, and worse.

On "Pat's" blog, one nasty poster was a guy whose logo I had chosen not to use for the cause and this was his way of getting even. Another was the boyfriend of "Jane" with whom I had once been friends, but I had severed the friendship. Since then she had bombarded me with hateful emails to which I never replied, yet she continued to harass me in spite of being ignored. I finally had to send a "cease and desist" (C&D) letter via her parents to get "Jane" to leave me alone.

"Pat" would link to her blog by the hour, filling her blog's tags and keywords with "Rachel Wolf is a serial cyberbully" to get search engines to put her blog at the top of the first results page. It seems "Pat" was desperate for attention and wanted credit for allegedly being the one to "out" me for something I hadn't even done.

Google doesn't care if a blog is defamatory or libelous. They don't care if people manipulate their system for nefarious purposes. Interestingly, on her blog, "Pat" had a link where people could donate money to her via Paypal. She had also monetized her blog so traffic to her blog put money in her pocket. And she was accusing me of starting the cause to make money! 

I believe psychologists would identify "Pat's" behavior as a classic case of projection and displacement, or in lay terms, the pot calling the kettle black. 

I'd also like to examine her use of the phrase "serial cyberbully." The word "serial" implies an ongoing repetition of behavior or action. Calling someone a "cyberbully" requires there be actual bullying involved. I had done neither. My "crime?" Blocking and deleting "Pat" and her cohorts from my page when they posted something nasty or linked to her libelous blog. What I did was the polar opposite of bullying. I stayed on the high road, ignored them as best as I could, and tried to stay focused on moving the cause forward. 

Their lynch mob went to the NBC online article and filled the page with comments that were fabrications and more libel. NBC got wind of this and did a follow-up, buying into the viral gossip. NBC threw me under the bus. It was irresponsible journalism at its worst.

The bullies tracked down private information about me and posted it on the Internet. They discovered I had filed bankruptcy. They called me a loser and a failure. They somehow even found my social security number.

Referring to someone who filed bankruptcy as a loser/failure deprecates and insults the thousands of people who have had to take similar action after mounting medical bills, extended unemployment, and other circumstances beyond their control.

"Pat" and her group formed multiple fake identities and would join my page, then post hateful things and links to her blog. I would delete their comments and block them. They would come back five minutes later with a newly created FB identity and claim I had deprived them of "free speech" by banning them from my page. They were relentless with the defamation and bullying.

After "Kitty" revealed all of their identities to me, I had posted one blog that outed them, and addressed what they were doing to me. "Pat" immediately got a lawyer through LegalShield® and threatened me with a lawsuit for defaming her simply because I identified her as one of the bullies. She tracked down my bankruptcy attorney from years before, sent him a letter, and posted it (with my private home address) on her blog.

Who was the cyberbully? Whose behavior would be defined as "serial?" 

Would you characterize a single blog post defending myself and identifying the bullies who were hiding behind multiple fake names (which Facebook similarly did nothing about despite the fact that it violated their terms of service) as serial or cyberbullying? 

Or would the term "serial cyberbully" be more aptly applied to the group of women who were wreaking havoc and destroying my reputation for weeks on Facebook® and Twitter®?

To their credit, 99% of the followers on my page were equally outraged by what these women were doing. They cheered whenever I would delete and block the stalkers. They kept encouraging me to ignore the real serial cyberbullies and push forward to stay focused on the cause. But my supporters weren't in my shoes. 

BETRAYALS

By that time, I had assembled a small supportive team in my town. We would meet at coffee shops and my home, strategizing the cause and also how to deal with the stalkers. One woman on my team was a realtor who suggested I post an apology even though I had done nothing wrong, simply to assuage the group and make them stop. I resisted doing so but finally succumbed to her pressure, against my better judgment. As I predicted, the apology was met with more ridicule and simply made me look weak.

This realtor then betrayed me by defecting to join the stalker group, sharing intimate details with them, ridiculing me, distancing herself from me, and pulling a full 180 on the promise she made in my living room just days earlier, that she had my back. Yep, she had my back, with a knife sticking in it.

Adding insult to injury, my former friend “Jane” had also reached out to that group privately. She had previously infiltrated another group I had formed the previous year, getting another admin to unknowingly allow her in as an admin, as a way to stalk me. (I had to hand that group over just to get away from her.) When "Jane" was unsuccessful with that attempt and this debacle went viral, she reached out to the cyberbullies and shared intimate details about me which she had learned during our friendship. She joined their cause to destroy my life.

THE PLOT THICKENS

A few days went by and a new user joined my page and posted a comment under the name of “Stansi Farkas.” Why is this relevant? Because that used to be my name. My strange moniker had made me the subject of bullying and ridicule throughout my childhood. I cringed hearing it spoken aloud. You know, when someone says your name, you want it to feel good... and not bring up painful memories.

So when I was 32, I changed my name. I went to court and did it legally. I wanted to put the old name in my rearview mirror, never to see or hear it again. My friends instantly called me "Rachel" and were supportive of my doing what I needed to do in order to be happy. Even relatives adjusted quickly; my mother was delighted and admitted she never liked my birth name (it had been my biological father's choice since his name was Stanley).

Living in Hollywood, a name change is not a big deal. Many celebrities have changed their names for one reason or another. Rachel Wolf felt like a writer’s name to me… and I liked how I felt when someone said “Rachel” aloud. I always felt like a Rachel. It’s a strong yet feminine name. And “Farkas” (Hungarian) translates into Wolf. (My biological father's surname was "Loupus," which also translates into Wolf, from Romanian. So changing my last name to Wolf made perfect sense.) Ironically I later discovered Rachel means “ewe.” So I’m a sheep and a wolf. Go figure.

Anyway, a member named “Stansi Farkas” joined my page. My stomach went into my throat. Who was this and how did they know? They were clearly doing it to torment me.

These women were insulting my followers as “sheep,” and calling me a wolf in sheep’s clothing, saying I was a crook. One gal even claimed I had been arrested four times. (I’ve never been arrested in my life. I’m squeaky clean. Heck, I haven’t had a speeding or parking ticket in 10 years. Remember, my dad was an attorney. I have a tremendous respect for the law.)

They formed a private FB group solely devoted to sharing information about me and bashing me. Don't these women have lives?

At this point, barely a month had passed and my reputation was destroyed. Something that started out beautiful was ruined by 10 women simply because I had their FB pages shut down when they violated my trademark rights. As I said above, what had I done to them personally to deserve this kind of retribution? Some Facebook® pages that hadn't cost them any money and maybe a few days of their time? Really?

EXPOSING THE TRUTH

I reached out to "Kitty," one of the organizers of the posse. After some tense emails back and forth, she and I finally connected by phone. As she heard me crying, she broke into tears and apologized for what they had done to me. She admitted they were wrong and it was out of control. She admitted they were stalking and bullying me simply because I was an easy target and they were having fun. She realized how they had destroyed my reputation forever. She promised to withdraw from the group and publicly acknowledge what had happened. "Kitty" never fulfilled her promise, although I have it in writing in an email from her. An excerpt is further down this page.

In other emails, "Kitty" identified and confirmed the names of all involved, including "Jane," who had provided them with personal information about me, including my name change.

I found an attorney who specializes in Internet defamation. He sent a letter to all of the offending parties, suggesting they immediately cease and move on with their lives. Barbara, who lives on Long Island, tweeted “Bring it on bitch!” (Again, this shows you the level of people I was dealing with.)

Finally and sadly, I was forced to close the FB page. These women did to me what Kisha Curtis had done to Patrick, the pitbull puppy. They had put me (and the cause) in a plastic trash bag in a dumpster hoping I would die. And I almost did. I certainly thought about it. It felt like my life was over. I couldn’t get a job. A date. A roommate. Whenever someone “googled” (when did this become a verb?) my name, it was pages of this nonsense. Rather than hearing my side… aka the truth… people made an assumption based on Internet lies and gossip. I understand why victims of bullies commit suicide.

Remember, these weren't teenagers doing this. These were women between the ages of 30-60, who should have known and behaved better. I don't know how they can look at themselves in the mirror and be okay with what they did to me.

Here we are four years later, and this remains a monkey on my back until the Media uses its voice in a responsible way to help clear my name and vindicate me. "Kitty's" email confessional is evidence that what I say is true.

Because of the permanence and unfortunate construct of the Internet and search engines, that group's destructive behavior will forever be “out there” for anyone who digs for dirt. This is why I am telling my story, so the truth can be heard. If you continue to choose to believe what you read on the Internet, particularly what was written by this group, that’s your choice.

I do hope "Pat" is arrogant enough to resurrect her blog with new defamatory posts and false information about me. Although the statute of limitations expired in terms of prosecuting her for what she did in 2011, new posts would be reset the clock.

MESSAGE FROM A CYBERBULLY

Here’s a message from one of them who lives in Wyoming. I intentionally didn't correct her typos.

“Oh Racheypoo you brought this all on yourself honey. having pages deleted, trademarking names, don't you think you got exactly what was comming to you precious? You accused everyone of doing the exact same thing you were doing. You didn't think all the advertising you did would come back to haunt you? You have a murky past. The video of " what kind of Jew am I? really? you bashed so many people in your " talkumentary. Why did you hide all your videos? If you did nothing wrong and had nothing to hide? You are just butthurt that we didnt let you get away with exploiting Patrick. Sorry babe. You are a compulsive liar, and the Glitches page just proves all of our points. Feel free to keep posting my name in your blogs. I have talked to an attorney, posting things that are public knowledge found by a google search is not against any laws. you were not slandered pookie. Just exposed"

She's referring to a video on my YouTube page of a parody song I did. For a while I put my YouTube page in hidden "invite only" mode to deny them access because they were spamming it with insults, linking to it on FB and mocking me. Her reference to the talkumentary™ is a 2004 movie I am very proud to have produced and directed that discussed sociopolitical hot button issues including religion, assisted suicide, capital punishment, medical marijuana, and gay marriage. Obviously we were a decade ahead of our time with it.

You can tell by the language in this Wyoming woman's note... well, I don't need to say it. Compare it to the articulate level of my writing and reach the conclusion yourself.

Her comment about "trademarking names" is relevant for several reasons. First, it was apparent that none of these women had a grasp of legal concepts. Heck, their stalking demonstrated they had no regard for the law. They insisted that anyone who trademarks a word, phrase, or name, must be doing it solely for financial gain or with criminal intent.

Ironically, within weeks of my trademark filing, "Stella" (one of the primary stalkers and bullies in their group) filed a trademark application on behalf of their group for "The Patrick Movement."

The United States Patent & Trademark Office (USPTO) rejected their application, citing that it was too similar to mine. At least I got some satisfaction that they spent $300 for nothing and were put in their place by the USPTO. 

So here they were bashing me for filing a trademark and painting me as a criminal for doing so, and here they were doing the exact same thing. 

"Stella" had said in a post at one point that I was an "easy target" for their bullying. Oh, and one of her alternate fake identities was "Cordelia Creeper." Yep, you read that correctly. I'm telling you, I can't make this crap up. This shows you the mindset of these women.

MESSAGES FROM "KITTY" ("Deep Throat")

Here are excerpts from "Kitty's" emails to me. She provided me with details and confirmation of each woman's identity. I've redacted certain information out of respect for "Kitty's" privacy as she also shared things about her personal life which are not my place to share. And obviously I've renamed all of the offenders as well.

April 29, 2011 from "Kitty" (referring to the Wyoming woman):

"She's an idiot who has documented multiple personality disorder and had to go get on anti-depressents because she spent SOOOOO much time on Facebook 'exposing' you. Her husband stopped speaking to her and was angry with her because she refused to get off the internet, because of her obsession with you. If she doesn't stop, I'm going to show her what 'bashing' someone really is, and I assure you I won't be calling her 'pookie' when I do it.”

Also April 29, 2011 from "Kitty":

“Your assumption would be correct . . . "Pat" - I don't know much about her. She rubbed me the wrong way from day one. I will see what I can find though. I think she had it posted on a Movement page . . . I would almost rather them turn their stalking behavior over to me and give you a rest for a while. I know people all over the world, I'm really not the one they want to mess with... LOL! They are being extremely childish and my patience is running real thin with all of them. I just got an email from "Betty" ---- she's trying to buddy up to me again. They swear I'm stupid.”

Note to Reader: "Betty" was one of the admins on my page whom I mistakenly trusted. This is what I meant above when I said I was concerned about how to "vet" people to help with the cause. I didn't know how to protect myself from potential problems. When I removed "Betty" as an admin, she took revenge by joining the stalking group and shared things she learned about me while being one of my admins.

Another from "Kitty" on April 29, 2011:

“I don't mind the e-mails! Gives me something to do at work :) Don't thank me. I was speaking with one of my admins last night about this. And I told her, you know what: I was a part of this. Although I never harassed or stalked, I was still a part of this and I am just as responsible. I'm also not one to bury my head in the stand and not stand up, even if the majority may be against me. Because of this, it is my responsibility to not only YOU, but to myself to help clear the air and reverse whatever damage I can . . . At the time I was blogging, I felt in my heart that I was doing the right thing. I think we all made a lot of mistakes in the grand scheme of things due to serious lack of communication on everyone's part. However, I might not hold regrets, but I do have appologies.

I'm a tough cookie with a very soft heart. I wish we would have spoken sooner before this all got out of hand. But like you said, hindsight is 20/20. All we can do is push forward and go from here. And like I said to you yesterday, as long as we're being 100% truthful with one another, I will be there to help this all turn around.”

Note to Reader: Despite "Kitty's" comment about being 100% truthful, she never followed through on her promise to turn it around and clear my name.

"JANE" - FORMER FRIEND

The next excerpt is part of a FB message from "Jane" (while we were still friends) who revealed intimate details about me to the cyberstalkers. She told "Kitty" she was “afraid” of me, yet after I severed the friendship with "Jane," she was the one stalking me endlessly for almost two years, despite my ignoring her abusive emails. (I will retain her emails as evidence until the day I die.) 

Again, I redacted sections since some of her note reveals private things about her. Despite her betrayal, I will continue to conduct myself with dignity.

April 21, 2010 from "Jane":

“Hey there. My boss sent me home from work today. She told me I looked like death. I didn't sleep at all last night . . . Ugh.. I don't want to be angry. It's eating me alive. But not getting any validation from people who are supposed to be my "friends" is just opening a gaping wound. I feel like all of these so-called friends are basically rendering him a blameless and innocent bystander who got caught up in my web of "issues." I really do. And I am so sick of this. I realize that I made some bad judgement calls that I would certainly undo if I could go back in time . . . They don't know what happened. They are not me. But they feel the right to judge and the right to blame and the right to defend him. I give up. Only you and my mother have been the ones who have truly, truly listened to me. And I thank you for that. I think I would have offed myself if not for that.”

Note to Reader: How did "Jane" repay my friendship, support, and kindness? By sharing things she learned about me during our friendship with total strangers in order to bully, harass, stalk, defame, and hurt me knowingly and intentionally.

CLOSING THOUGHTS

Now that you’ve read all the way down to here, you can decide who has integrity and who doesn’t. You can come to your own informed conclusion as to who is telling the truth, and whether to believe the nonsense you read on the Internet when it says horrible things about anyone. Odds are you weren’t given all the facts or enough information to render an opinion. So don’t be so quick to judge, ridicule, or condemn someone.

What if my story had happened to you? How would you handle it? How would you feel? How would you react? How would you try to clear your name?

If this resonates with you, please feel free to share my story so others who are bullied -- on or off the Internet -- know they are not alone. Being bullied is not limited to teenagers or the LGBQT (or LGBTQ, whichever acronym version you prefer) community. People who are bullied come in all sizes and shapes, and are all ages, all races, all genders, and all sexual orientations.

You know what? I refuse to be their "victim" any longer. I hereby take my power back.

Perhaps this will go viral and strip the masks off the cowards who did this to me. Because that’s what bullies are. Cowards. 

While it's said "no good deed goes unpunished," I hope the bad deeds of these women do get punished and they are each held accountable for their actions.

Okay. Go out there and do some good in the world. Be kind to people. Be kind to animals. Be kind to yourself.

EPILOGUE (2017)

Here are updates. 

"Pat" posted on her blog a few years later that she'd heard I was homeless. (I wasn't.) She found tremendous enjoyment in that rumor, gleefully writing that karma had bit me in the ass and I got what I deserved. Annually, I would check her blog to see if there were any new vile posts about me. What did I find? Pat announcing that SHE was homeless, and begging people to send her money and help her. Yep. That karma thing's a bitch.

I then decided to Google the names of the other women who were part of the posse that terrorized me to the brink of suicide. Want to know what happened to Barbara, the one in Long Island who tweeted "Bring it on, bitch" after she got my attorney's Cease & Desist letter? She's dead. In July 2013, she drowned in her daughter's backyard Nesconset pool, just two years after she destroyed my life. Yep. Karma, baby.