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Tuesday, September 05, 2006
A Dilemma for Phil Heimlich: Marcus Fiesel v. Bill Gothard
Posted by The Dean of Cincinnati
In Sunday’s Enquirer, Phil Heimlich took the tragedy of Marcus Fiesel (a child who died after being restrained and locked in a closet) as an opportunity for some good, old-fashioned political campaigning—by writing this column about the need to protect children from abuse. I have to wonder, however, how Phil’s mind reconciles the idea for child safety with the behavior of his friend Bill Gothard, a cult leader whose organization has been busted for abusing children as a regular part of its “training institutes.”
Anyone curious to know more about Gothard’s connection to child abuse need look no further than this 2002 I-Team investigation from WISH-TV in Indianapolis.
And if you really have any question about Phil Heimlich’s relationship to the Gothard empire, listen to the name of Gothard coming directly from Phil’s mouth—as featured in this short excerpt from Phil’s 2005 speech at the International Association of Character Cities (a secular front for the evangelical Gothard cult):
Here are some excerpts from the I-Team investigation linked above:
She tells News 8 she was also locked in the prayer room more than once, “I didn’t get any food or water those five days so that was extremely difficult on me physically as well.”
(...)
The training center exists through the Ministry Bill Gothard.
For years, he has drawn millions of people to seminars on christian parenting raising millions for his Illinois based operation: The Institute in Basic Life Principles.
(...)
A former leader talks about an eight year old put into the solitary confinement of the prayer room, where they say a day is added each time you open the door. Former ITC leader Blair Aldridge says, “so when I saw him...I said Alex (the 8 year old) quit opening the door because the more you don’t the sooner you’ll get out. That’s when he said to me I just want to see someone’s face Blair and that’s when I decided I need to do something to get the kids out”
(...)
There are strong allegations—including kids put in solitary confinement with no food and kids beaten with a wooden board. Allegations that the public defender called “disturbing.”
“Tara” was sent to the Indianapolis Training Center by the Marion County courts when she was only nine. She has spent the last ten months there. Monday, the News 8 I-Team sat with the family in court when they learned that Tara was going back home to her mother.
The public defenders office called Child Protective Services after hearing that Tara had been spanked 14 times with a wooden board, had been locked in a prayer room for days at a time and had three leaders—who are teenagers—sit on her stomach, legs and shoulder restraining her.
And Tara is not alone. The News 8 I-Team has talked with others who allege the same abuses. Some former residents are voicing new concerns for the other children inside.
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05 Sep 2006 at 06:44 am | #
I am still wondering who voted with Heimlich, during his City Council stint, to add Cincinnati to the list of Gotherd’s Character Cities?
With that pronouncement, what doors were opened for Gothard?
Which other council people voted with phrills on this and WHY?
05 Sep 2006 at 11:13 am | #
Item # : 200001974
Calendar Date : 09/27/2000
Description : RESOLUTION, submitted on 09/27/2000 by Councilmember Heimlich, to establish the City of Cincinnati as a “City of Character” with the International Association of Character Cities.
Sponsors : MR. HEIMLICH
Status : PASS
Final Disposition : PASSED
ORD/RES # : 0159-2000
VOTES : Final
MR. BOOTH Y
MRS. COOPER Y
MR. DEWINE Y
MR. HEIMLICH Y
MAYOR LUKEN Y
MR. PORTUNE Y
MS. REECE A
MR. TARBELL Y
MR. WINBURN Y
05 Sep 2006 at 02:02 pm | #
Mr. Roark:
Thank you for doing my “homework”. When I get an instance to
dig through this later this week, I will report back to the Beacon.
You are an Emperor!
DF
05 Sep 2006 at 02:58 pm | #
It is my understanding no one knew the Gothard connections here. Who would disagree with “Character” in a general sense?
05 Sep 2006 at 03:14 pm | #
The Dean’s not the only one digging into Character-gate. This Nashville blogger is jumping in, too, trying to find out if the Gothard group paid commissions to Tennessee public officials.
Here’s an article from Elisabethton TN, one of “Character Cities,” which shows how another Gothardite city councilman hustled the Character program into that town:
The City Council adopted a resolution in March of 1999 that established Elizabethton as a City of Character with the International Association of Character Cities (IACC). The city will not be able to use the IACC’s national logo until it trains city officials and business owners in the Character First program. City Councilman Richard Sammons fully supports the program. “It is my goal to be a leader in Eastern Tennessee, if not the whole state of Tennessee with this,” Sammons said.
(snip)
(Character First) teaches 49 different character qualities including self-control, leadership, creativity, enthusiasm, forgiveness and generosity. Each month the Character First concentrates on one particular quality and issues bulletins that teach the promotion of that individual quality.
Local businesses interested in the program would be charged $1,950 for a one-day consultation and training session. Non-profit organizations and the local government would be charged only $975 for the same session.
There will be an open training course for Character First held in Elizabethton on Feb. 27 from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The cost is $195 for the cost of materials and lunch.
05 Sep 2006 at 03:17 pm | #
Domenique: You are an Emperor!
Better an Emperor than a Centurion:
According to Gothard’s interpretation, first century Roman Centurions were admirable figures of authority who followed their orders without question....
05 Sep 2006 at 05:45 pm | #
philpandering v. n. , pl. -pies . The effort or inclination to increase the well-being of self, by way of human tragedy; city paper endorsements. To make up for philapathy n. lack of interest or concern, especially regarding matters of human importance or appeal due to radical philoscopy n. , pl. -pies . Examination of the colon by way of head looking for philheimophyn. , pl. -phies . pursuit of wisdom by political partisanshit
05 Sep 2006 at 07:27 pm | #
philatio (fil-a-shee-po) n. Profound expression of gratitude towards a political donor.
05 Sep 2006 at 08:35 pm | #
how is this group associated, if at all, with the character council?
06 Sep 2006 at 07:40 am | #
Gotherd? what about parallels to kids in his own county? where are your heads? up your butts?
06 Sep 2006 at 09:56 am | #
one advocate: how is this group associated, if at all, with the character council?
Presumably you’re referring to the Character Council of Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky. This is the local Gothard front group which was brought into Cincinnati by Phil Heimlich when he was on city council. (See Howard Roark post above and this 2001 Post article.)
Did Phil Heimlich inform the other council members that the group was a front for evangelist Bill Gothard? Why not contact those who signed the proclamation and ask them?
MR. BOOTH Y
MRS. COOPER Y
MR. DEWINE Y
MR. HEIMLICH Y
MAYOR LUKEN Y
MR. PORTUNE Y
MS. REECE A
MR. TARBELL Y
MR. WINBURN Y
06 Sep 2006 at 10:25 am | #
The May 17, 2000 Council Motion to bring in the Character First! program was signed by Luken, Heimlich, DeWine, Cooper, Booth, Reece, and Winburn.
The link above contains documents submitted into the public record along with the Council Motion. The only connection to Gothard I spotted is buried on page 18 of the documents, a Ray Nash “Police Dynamics” newsletter. (Nash is a Gothardite whose company trains police departments via the Character Cities franchises. Nash trained the Cincinnati Police Department.) The newsletter mentions a law enforcement conference sponsored by the Institute in Basic Life Principles, Gothard’s $65 million/year evangelical organization.
More on Nash, Character Cities, and the Gothard connections in this recent South Carolina Times and Democrat article.
06 Sep 2006 at 08:10 pm | #
re: character council of grtr cinti.
i’m pretty sure that group was one of those judging me for an ‘extra mile award” (a new car) for my comunity service. suposedly there were over 700 nominees for this award and i won. here’s the funny part. the sponsor of the program was contacted after pictures of me appeared on tv as the winner and she got a call from “someone” who complained that they shouldn’t have given me the award because i was nothing but a “public nuisance” hahaha
i’ll bet it was phil! it was someone high up because she pulled all her promotional commercials centered on this award program for outstanding community service. she said she lost tens of thousands on the “problem” with this lone complainant.
that’s hysterical -