Valerie Carlton ~ A Woman Scorned!!

Jewish American Mother Valerie Carlton still languishes in Jail, and will continue to do so for at least another two weeks.  Tortured in solitary confinement in America because she lights Shabbat Candles with her daughter. Jailed for being Jewish !!!!

Rockland County Supreme Court Justice, Judge Kelly  said he has been made aware that the Governor of New York has asked for 30 days to review the case, so it is not yet in the judge's jurisdiction to make a decision about extradition. But, Judge Kelly refused to grant bail to Valerie. It is time to pressurise to educate Jewish America and influence the Governors of both New York State and  Maryland.  This Jewish lady needs our help .... YOU can help by sending EMAILS to the Governor's of New York & Maryland County.

Affidavits from a leading forensic psychiatrist, (Dr. Mark J. Mills), a former prisoner (whom I will not name), a Rabbi, a former attorney, (Roger Malik), three advocate-witnesses, (Dr. Leora Rosen, Michelle Etlin, and the maternal grandmother, Lenna Gordon), have been submitted on Valerie’s behalf in the hope that Judge Kelly, of Rockland County, will not extradite her back to Maryland or back to Harford County where she faces “sure torture and probable death” at the hands of the authorities. These affidavits were submitted in evidence at a hearing at the Rockland County Courthouse in New City.  To No Avail!!!

Valerie Carlton also has letters and affidavits from leading Rabbis about her being a Balaat T'shuva and about her terrible suffering. Rabbi Sheftel Meir Neuberger of Baltimore, Rabbi Hershel Kranz of Baltimore, and the Rabbinical head of Aleph, have all spoken out on her behalf. As I reported in my initial blog    Valerie ~ Victimised for Being Jewish !!! ,  Valerie was severely punished for practicing Judaism with her daughter!

This is quite possibly the worst custody case in 20th and 21st century America. What Valerie Carlton’s ex-husband, Russell Carlton, and the judicial and penal authorities in Harford County, Maryland, did from 2009-2010, and what they are still trying to do to this poor mother, in Harford County, Maryland is as bad, and possibly worse, than what was done to Elizabeth Parsons Ware Packard in the 19th century in Illinois.  The tale I will tell today!!!

Like Valerie Carlton, Elizabeth Packard (above) was also married to a christian Minister (Valerie’s ex-husband is a christian missionary). Elizabeth Packard dared to disagree with her husband about the existence of original sin ...  she believed that people are born innocent, not guilty.  For this, her husband, Theophilus, accused her of “insanity” and, in 1860, had her forcibly removed to an insane asylum where she languished for 3 ½ years.   She was kept in isolation for periods of time, sexually harassed, and once, almost strangled by the Director of the Asylum, one Dr. Andrew McFarland. Freed by the Trustees, she returned home, it was the only way she would be allowed to see her six children.  However, Elizabeth’s husband tormented and isolated her and again threatened to have her psychiatrically incarcerated.

This time, in 1864, she demanded and got a jury of twelve men who pronounced her “sane”. When she again returned to her husband’s custody, she found that he had mortgaged her dowry-bought house and fled to Massachusetts with their children.   Elizabeth supported herself by selling copies of her autobiography .... 'Modern Persecution. Insane Asylums Unveiled (volume 1) and Married Women’s Liabilities (volume 2)'.  She ultimately battled for custody of her still underage children with whom she was finally reunited in 1869, after a nine year separation.

But this is 21st Century America.  The laws concerning custody and the rights of married, divorced, and single women have changed.  Improved.  Thus, the incredible mistreatment of Valerie Carlton is less justified, less understandable, and  certainly less legal, than the atrocious treatment meted out to Elizabeth Packard.

According to her advocate, Dr. Leora Rosen, Valerie’s mother is a Jew.  Her father is a christian who does not like Jews and who was abusive to Valerie who suffers from a learning disorder, one which he absolutely refused to recognize or treat.  Only after her parents were divorced, did a teenage Valerie finally receive a diagnosis of “Auditory Processing Disorder.” According to Dr. Leora Rosen, Valerie's auditory processing disorder means that she has “difficulty processing the meaning of sounds when there is background noise  ~ even a little noise".    She is actually exquisitely sensitive to sound and can actually hear sounds that no one else can hear when there is complete silence around.  However, when people turn away from her while talking, especially when there are other noises in the environment,  she may have difficulty understanding what they are saying.  People have to face her so that she can read their lips.  People do not believe that there is anything wrong with her because she is not deaf.  They don't understand her disability and think she is making things up to be "difficult.”

Valerie’s father treated her like a failure.   Nevertheless, disabled people ~ even very smart and good-natured and only slightly disabled people are easy to view as “mentally ill” or even retarded.  Or as difficult.  Such a woman may be viewed as exceptionally vulnerable prey.

Although Valerie nearly completed all the work for a Degree in Social Work and planned to study Horticulture, she was, essentially, waiting to marry and have a family. This is no crime, in fact it is seen as the highest for a Jewish Woman in life .... it does involve some risk.

A woman like Valerie is utterly dependent upon the goodwill of her protectors ... Her husband,  her Rabbi, her Synagogue.  If they fail her,  she has little recourse.  Thus, Valerie followed in her mother’s footsteps and married an xtian. She attended church with him. But, Russell was not merely a “christian.” He was a Christian Evangelical missionary who lived in a small predominantly white (80%) and christian county in Maryland, Harford County.

Wait and see what these presumed “christian” church goers did.   According to Valerie’s advocate, Dr. Leora Rosen, “Valerie never objected to Russell continuing to take their daughter to church. But when Valerie began her return to Judaism and began to light Shabbat candles with her daughter present,”  both Russell,  his church, and the judges and sheriffs they controlled viewed her religious practice as a crime. And treated it as a high crime.  Her Crime ..... Practicing Judaism !!!!!

In court papers, one of her previous attorneys, Roger W. Malik, Esq. said that “During my representation of Ms. Carlton, I became aware that, at the onset of the criminal case against her, an application for a search warrant of her domiciliary premises had been made, and that the search warrant was judicially signed and issued. The application for the search warrant states in substantive part Ms. Carlton’s status as an “Orthodox Jew who practices with her religion with her daughter.”    Did they accuse her outright of being a Jew? Did they list it as a crime? Not exactly.

They (her ex-husband and his church-related law enforcement associates) came at Valerie in another way.  According to one of her New York attorneys, Michael Ettinger, and her advocate, Dr. Leora Rosen, Russell  had allowed their five year old daughter to be sexually abused by his nephew, Winnifer began acting out sexually in school.  And that’s when Russell falsely charged Valerie with sexually abusing her own daughter and a neighbour’s daughter as well ~ a neighbour who has a history of making such false charges.

The way the Harford County prosecutor and Judge (Judge William Carr) decided to treat Valerie was not only to falsely charge her with 28 counts of child sexual abuse but to put her in solitary confinement for thirteen months (2009-2010). And in a detention centre with male (as well as female) inmates and guards, all of whom had been informed that Valerie was a lesbian pedophile. You see, since prisoners hate pedophiles, they had to keep her in lockdown for 23 hours every day “for her own protection.”

Valerie needed protection from her guards.  During this time, they often kept Valerie in restraints, often tightly shackled, both hands and feet. She was threatened. Her food was contaminated. She was cursed as a “kike” and a pedophile. She was seriously “roughed up” by the guards when they transported her and at other times. In one instance, “she was ‘helped’ into a transport van while chained. They also rammed her head, hard, into walls. Her jailors denied her medical treatment after these beatings.     According to a former inmate, (this is contained in an affidavit), he “personally witnessed”  Valerie’s 'Kosher food' opened and handled by numerous male prisoners inappropriately. It was then partially rewrapped and taken to her,  for Valerie to consume.”  She was also constantly taunted.

“She was singled out for this treatment especially by the ‘Black Muslims’ working in the kitchen. They wanted to contaminate her food because she is Jewish.”  In addition, “There were numerous stories (circulated by the inmates) of Valerie and what she looked like while sleeping, in the shower, and in situations in which any person has a right to privacy."

Why did the authorities allow these injustices to occur? Because they wanted to literally drive her crazy so that she would never be allowed custody of her daughter or even visitation. The sheriff and various law enforcement officials,  kept offering her a way out ..... If she pled to being “Not Criminally Responsible,”  she would be allowed out. But she would forever after be seen as an “insane” mother whose visitation, if any, would have to be supervised and very limited. Valerie absolutely refused to sacrifice her rights as a mother or her right to protect her daughter.  Or her right to be a Jewish Mother ..... She was literally tortured because she loved her daughter and wanted to share her Jewish faith with her.

Many prisoners subjected to solitary confinement become Psychotic. Valerie did not. A major psychiatrist has literally testified to that. (His is one of the affidavits being submitted into evidence in Rockland County). But, there is no way to endure this kind of terror and isolation without becoming afflicted with a serious case of post-traumatic stress disorder.  It is the normal human reaction to torture. Even so, this does not mean that Valerie is “insane” or incapable of being a good mother to her child.  

Let Valerie Go.  Return Winnifer to her mother. Let Valerie live with her loving mother, the maternal grandmother of little Winnifer who has only recently been allowed to see her granddaughter again.  This is a Miscarriage of Justice.  And a Jewish Mother needs our Assistance.