May 12, 2007 journal, 3 kidnapped American soldiers south of Baghdad massive search by 4000 troops. We are in a foreign country in a lost war while busting down more doors. The Red States have supported this bloodthirsty maniac to the gates of hell awaiting those following off after the Antichrist like hungry hound dogs swallowing everything in path. A wedding here for Andy Gambell marrying a young lady from the University of Miami. Andy was introduced to me by Furman University art department after my show there, he paints apocalyptic art as a trained artist. After receiving his master's degree at University of Miami he ran for a short time their warehouse art gallery in connection with Art Basil. psalm 71-13 "Let them be confounded and consumed that are adversaries to my soul". "Let them be covered with reproach and dishonor that seek my hurt". Dear Marc- you are a guest in this House and you should act like one beside the Christian duties you claim. The scripture says "honor thy father and thy mother that thy days may be long upon the earth". the out rage today over nothing is unacceptable. I am not your whipping boy. Colleen screamed at me insanely for picking up trash off the floor. This is abusive conduct as I have indured from you both for many years but it will stop. I must pick up trash every day because you ignore it and procrastinate until someone else does your work. The condition of your heart is manifested by your outward performance. God has his own videotape of everything you do and say and someday it will all replay. I never screamed at my father or my father-in-law in my entire life. you behave like a tyrant and we all suffer from your tirades. You are living on the land not contributing your share to lease planes and a better shape than you found them because you're lazy. I observe that you are mistreating your daughter also and a similar way. david baldacci is a famous creative nonfiction memoir writer says it must be accurate. I heard him say that on television last Sunday. This guy from Alaska post a comment saying we all think God tackled us to paint. sally has one on this siite under one from anchorage ak http://www.mytopfive.com/f/books/the+outsiders/3/ another English professor at University of Vermont has a book published by Chicago press. see below http://www.uvm.edu/theview/notables.php Subject-Complaint on a staff member, request for investigation. Dr. Daniel Mark Fogel, President of The University of Vermont 802-656-3186 Daniel.fogel@uvd.EDU May 13, 2007 Dear Dr. Fogel: Regarding Creative Nonfiction Memoir writing. I am one of the subjects in Greg Todd Bottoms book The Colorful Apocalypse. He may have told you that there is a great deal of controversy about the book, in which portrays me as a right-wing, Christian Fundamentalist, but I am not, and I ask your indulgence. While I am Christian, I am not the right-wing, prejudiced, or the mental case Bottoms has portrayed me to be. I welcomed him into our home and showed him my artwork in part because of his credentials from the University of Vermont., he then misrepresented me (and others) in his book. In my mind, what he has written is defamation of character. The book is full of lies, exaggerations, distortions and fabrications under the guise of creative nonfiction memoir writings about real people. 62 pages are about me while 55 pages are about my artist friend Norbert H. Kox in Green Bay Wisconsin, a majority of his 182 page book. He speaks of my depression but I am not depressed never speaking with him about it which is a precondition for a case of insanity perhaps like his brother Michael. The controversy is in fact being fed by Bottoms actions. When I attempted to defend myself in public, Bottoms responded by posting long, unprofessional ramblings on book sites. So Bottoms is creating much of the controversy himself. Bottoms was successful in getting all rebuttals removed from Amazon which is his activity to control free speech. While being offered as an art book before and after, the book actually has no art images. I know Bottoms received a grant from your University to write the book and that he is tenured there as a professor. It concerns me that the University is associated with some one so unprofessional. If there was a chance of misinterpretation, he could have contacted me or the other artists for clarification. He should have submitted the manuscript to us for review. If honest, he should have researched his subjects, rather than proceed to writing a book based on his slanted beliefs, his own agenda. We cannot allow this book to become our history. I question the accuracy of his many other books even his "Angelhead" about his brothers descent into madness. My life and art is an open book see arthompson.com My questions are 1-Are you aware that Greg Bottoms is taking creative nonfiction memory writing to the extreme into fictional writing about real people changing their characters dramatically? Then he is threatening us to not speak out against him in his referring to his tapes and notes. Bottoms changed my vision to paint art quoting me as having seen the entire Book of Revelation as the apostle John saw. Bottoms tapes will prove him a vicious liar when compared to his colorful book, why does he hate us so bad? 2-Are you aware Greg Bottoms is practicing psychiatry in diagnosing us all as insane? Are there penalties for practicing psychiatry without a license? 3-Are you aware that Greg Bottoms in his book makes fun of Southern people, Christian people and visionary artist? Hundreds of articles written about these five visionary artists over the years but never has there been one hint of insanity mentioned until bottoms takes it upon himself to prove all Christian visionary artists are like his "schizophrenic brother" whom he never told us about in the interview. I consider Bottoms to be the insane one. It also concerns me that he is teaching writing when he has behaved so irresponsibly. Is he teaching his students that they can use a scatter-gun approach to writing, that it is fine to destroy lives and careers by tossing around opinions? We have asked the publisher to recall the book and give us equal time to correct all the malicious lies and insinuations. Bottoms writes in his book that he is one generation removed from "the poor south" but when he contacted me he said he lived near I-81 in Virginia (not far from Blacksburg). It is my feeling that it would be best to advise you of my concerns. I can only hope you will honestly evaluate Bottoms. Bottoms is acting like a madman and he is now posting replies to all the comments where the books are sold online. Read his many comments on the Powell's Books site under The Colorful Apocalypse, he has posted 2 in one day even though those lines are for readers' comments and not for authors to rewrite their book. Bottoms is no David Baldacci who says his writings must be accurate about real people. Imagine having someone to change your theology and speak for you from his own mind. Sincerely, William Thomas Thompson May 13, 2007 journal, mothers day with Campbell Brown and family with artist mother painting the American flag upside down with scorched edges and Campbell described it as controversial. I want to paint this covering the entire world on fire as I see it and as I saw it in my vision. Republican Senator Chuck Hagel said on television today that this war is lost and being kept going for political reasons predicting that by September this president will be standing alone without one political supporter. The dead bodies of those soldiers were so mutilated they could not be identified so the army does not know which remains remain and which are kidnapped. Everyone predicts worse times ahead while the our Iraqi parliament plans a 2 months' vacation and will most likely not have a seat when they return. The Prince William is headed for Iraq saying something about his sorry a--. Hagel said this is not the same Republican Party as the party of Eisenhower, Goldwater or Ron Reagan, that this current Republican Party has been hijacked by a bunch of separatist (profiteers) refusing to negotiate with our enemies, going to war on artificial intelligence. The 11 Republican House members meeting with the president on Tuesday reading to him the facts of life is a clear indication that this war is over and it is time to face reality. The Pentagon is quoted as saying that by April they will not be able to supply any troops. This country faces grave crisis and we abroad and on ourselves by our bigotry and our commercializing wars and our militarizing of the whole world. The red states is the color of blood fuelled by the Christian Right running from the Left right into the clutches of the great deceiver. You are looking at Baghdad today and you are looking at us tomorrow. Dear Sally. I've decided to send this letter to Fogel and I hope you approve. Norbert has said he cannot continue but I would have to do the Vermont myself. you are teaching me too much I guess and Norbert is also about the restraints of writing. I am reminded of people saying that I should not go art school because I may become aware of what I am doing wrong and quit doing what I am doing. people reading my journals would know when I have an editor. yet I want to sound credible because I believe this is the key, one of many to bring this awful book down. I still want to say bottoms is late compulsive pathological liar. Is that too strong? Please note your recommendations when it is convenient. Subject-Complaint on a staff member, request for investigation. Dr. Daniel Mark Fogel, President of The University of Vermont 802-656-3186 Daniel.fogel@uvd.EDU May 13, 2007 Dear Dr. Fogel: Regarding Creative Nonfiction Memoir writing. I am one of the subjects in Greg Todd Bottoms book The Colorful Apocalypse. He may have told you that there is a great deal of controversy about the book, in which portrays me as a right-wing, Christian Fundamentalist, but I am not, and I ask your indulgence. While I am Christian, I am not the right-wing, prejudiced, or the mental case Bottoms has portrayed me to be. I welcomed him into our home and showed him my artwork in part because of his credentials from the University of Vermont., he then misrepresented me (and others) in his book. In my mind, what he has written is defamation of character. The book is full of lies, exaggerations, distortions and fabrications under the guise of creative nonfiction memoir writings about real people. 62 pages are about me while 55 pages are about my artist friend Norbert H. Kox in Green Bay Wisconsin, a majority of his 182 page book. He speaks of my depression but I am not depressed never speaking with him about it which is a precondition for a case of insanity perhaps like his brother. The controversy is in fact being fed by Bottoms actions. When I attempted to defend myself in public, Bottoms responded by posting long, unprofessional ramblings on book sites. So Bottoms is creating much of the controversy himself. Bottoms was successful in getting all rebuttals removed from Amazon which is his activity to control free speech. While being offered as an art book before and after, the book actually has no art images. I know Bottoms received a grant from your University to write the book and that he is tenured there as a professor. It concerns me that the University is associated with some one so unprofessional. If there was a chance of misinterpretation, he could have contacted me or the other artists for clarification. He should have submitted the manuscript to us for review. If honest, he should have researched his subjects, rather than proceed writing a book based on his slanted beliefs and his own agenda. We cannot allow this book to become our history. I question the accuracy of his many other books even "Angelhead" about his brothers descent into madness. My life and art is an open book see my art on- arthompson.com My questions are 1-Are you aware that Greg Bottoms is taking creative nonfiction memory writing to the extreme into fictional writing about real people changing their characters dramatically? Then he is threatening us to not speak out against him in his referring to his tapes and notes. Bottoms changed my vision to paint art quoting me as having seen the entire Book of Revelation as the apostle John saw. Bottoms tapes will prove him a vicious liar when compared to his colorful book, why does he hate us so bad? It is a terrible thing to be falsely accused when it is all coming from Bottoms imagination. 2-Are you aware Greg Bottoms is practicing psychiatry in diagnosing us all as insane? Are there penalties for practicing psychiatry without a license? 3-Are you aware that Greg Bottoms in his book makes fun of Southern people, Christian people and visionary artist? Hundreds of articles written about these 4 visionary artists over the years but never has there been one hint of insanity mentioned until bottoms takes it upon himself to prove all Christian visionary artists are like his "schizophrenic brother" whom he never told us about in the interview. I consider Bottoms to be the insane one. It also concerns me that he is teaching writing when he has behaved so irresponsibly. Is he teaching his students that they can use a scatter-gun approach to writing, that it is fine to destroy lives and careers by tossing around opinions? We have asked the publisher to recall the book and give us equal time to correct all the malicious lies and insinuations. Bottoms writes in his book that he is one generation removed from "the poor south" but when he contacted me he said he lived near I-81 near Roanoke Virginia. It is my feeling that it would be best to advise you of my concerns. I can only hope you will honestly evaluate Bottoms. Bottoms is acting like a madman and he is now posting replies to all the comments where the books are sold online. Read his many comments on the Powell's Books site under The Colorful Apocalypse, he has posted 2 in one day even though those lines are for readers' comments and not for authors to rewrite their books. Bottoms is no David Baldacci who says his writings must be accurate about real people. Imagine having someone to change your theology and speak for you from his own mind. Sincerely, William Thomas Thompson