Herman Ohme

San Antonio, TX

<><>  It felt something like the WTC Towers 9-11 attack <> <>

If America felt revulsion and confusion on September 11th, our FMS parents had known those exact feelings years earlier when they opened and read the letter from their adult child undergoing repressed memory therapy, now commonly known as the "Letter of Accusation" .

Those were my feelings and reactions when I read my oldest daughter's "Letter of Accusation" in December of 1992 accusing me of doing unspeakable things to her when she was a very tiny baby of six-months old...my feelings that day are impossible to accurately describe, but our nations' 9-11 terrorist attack of the WTC Towers and Pentagon comes as close as anything.

Both events permanently changed the world....America will never be the same after the 9-11 attack. ....and my life would never be the same after that letter in December '92 .

In early January of 1993 I heard of other FMS parents and several former RMT patients had a discussion group on the Internet where they could discuss RMT and support each other....but I knew nothing about computers but I bought an  XT computer (PC) for $600 and had the newest and fastest modem installed (1200 baud ) and learned just enough to join my new FMS friends in cyberspace..

" Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed people can change the world, indeed it is the only thing that ever has. " Margaret Mead

After several years and much practice, I became skillful enough with my computer to start teaching other FMS parents to come online and join our group. I also realized how computers and modems would enable our FMS group to change state and federal laws to stop this therapy that had crept into our lives and almost destroyed us. And if we succeeded, just like Margaret Mead assured us,

__ We__would__ change__the__world . . . . . .

I knew I had to educate my Texas legislators about this therapy destroying TX families... I began a relentless one-man lobbying campaign to every key member of the TX House and TX Senate Committee's on Health and Human Services. These two committee's totally regulated the Mental Health industry and licensing boards in Texas and all the other states, as well. After countless personal visits, phone calls, faxes, to the State Capital 70 miles away in Austin, I gained the support of the Chair of the Senate Health Committee, Senator Judith Zafirini, who agreed to sponsor my legislation banning RMT in Texas...

I had been contacted by FMS leaders in Florida and Illinois to help them lobby their legislators and was invited to be Keynote Speaker at the FL State FMS Convention in Orlando and asked to speak at the Illinois State Convention in Chicago about lobbying techniques I had used.

So In early 1994, I met with activists friends, Bob Koscielny (Ohio) Chris Barden, Ph D. in Chicago, before the Illinois State FMS Conference, and we formed a national lobbying organization we named National Association for Consumer Protection Against Mental Health Practices [NACPMHP].. Bob and I became the National Co-Chairs and Chris Barden was named President of the NACPMHP organization. We then enlisted and organized FMS leaders from each state that wanted to change state and federal laws against the practice of any unsafe or unproven therapy. In less then 4 months, 38 state organizations were lobbying their state legislators for new anti- RMT legislation under the banner of the national organization we formed in Chicago , The NACPMHP.

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[ 2 ]

Revised the 1974 CAPTA Law

[ a.k.a. Mondale Act ]

When the Republican Party took control of the U.S. House of Representatives in 1994, after 40 years as the Minority political party, I saw the opportunity to change the CAPTA laws (Mondale Act of 1974) which had been the root cause of the child sex abuse hysteria and false accusations. I had been an active member of the RNC (Republican National Committee) for years and had some voice with the new party in control. I enlisted the help of nationally known CAPTA experts, Richard Gardner, M.D., Carol Hopkins, San Diego Grand Jury Foreman, to testify before the U.S. House and Senate Committee's to overhaul the Mondale Act of 1974. Our team was successful in correcting some of the worst features of the old CAPTA law but were blocked from deleting the "mandatory reporting" feature. New CAPTA was signed by Clinton and became law in 1986.

[ 3 ]

Helped Organize 1997 Salem Conference with KeynoteSpeakers playright Arthur  Miller - The Crucible  Wm. Styron - Sophie's Choice

The 1997 Salem "Day of Contrition" Conference that was attended by leading child abuse experts from around the world and brought together every day care and other falsely convicted prisoners that had been released...Kelly Michaels, Ray and Peggy Buckey, Bobby Fijnje, Cheryl and Violet Amirault, etc... Playrite Arthur Miller (The Crucible) and author William Styron (Sophie's Choice) were Keynote Speakers.

[ 4 ]

Every FMS group I spoke to about legislation, I stressed it was imperative they learn to use a computer...and get over the fear of something new ...Just Point and Click was my motto...and I promised everyone at every state conference I was invited to speak, "You buy your computer...and I'll teach you to "Point & Click"… To date, over 100 FMS members have taken me up on my promise to help them learn to “Point and Click"...

[ 5 ]

Since 1994, I have maintained an email news service and distribute current and relevant articles and court decisions to approximately 300 FMS members, and also send his same info to all our legal and memory experts, as well as many of our friendly media sources.

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Like many of you, I spend much time supporting the families and the prisoners who are the real hero's of the memory wars...Those families paying the ultimate price for the betrayal by their child who decided to dredge up false memories of child sex abuse...and now their parents are spending the remainder of their lives in prison...My main projects are Texas prisoners Bruce Perkins and Fran and Dan Keller, one the last of this nations' Day Care Center travesties.

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On a personal note: As I write this, today is January 6th, 2002, and it's also my estranged daughter, Laura's, 37th Birthday .........and in two weeks, on January 20th it will be exactly 13 years since I have been able to give her a birthday hug and kiss.....

I wonder if she will ever know that January 6, 1964 was one of the happiest days of my life. The day my first child was born..... I felt like I could conquer the world, no, conquer the whole Universe that surrounds our world.

How could we have known 37 years ago today, my dreams and life would be shattered when this tiny baby in my arms  would take the False Memory path and I would never know Laura in the same innocent and loving way again.