A captured moment in time

A captured moment in time.

This recording was captured to be used to set the record straight, of an injustice that occurred to me. Unfortunately, when I presented the recording to my doctor (Carl Benzio), he laughed and told me that I managed to acquire a nice souvenir. He then explained the only way I could use that recording was to have it presented into evidence in a court hearing. He said that it would need to be verified and that he would not go against the diagnosis made by his colleague. I was told that in order for a judge to consider that evidence I would need corroborating testimony and he would only be willing to come to court as an expert witness. His testimony would cost me $200.00 per hour and he would have to be paid while waiting for the court to convene. He might be required to spend a whole day at the court house and eight hours could be realistic as well as the possibility that it could take several days.

What was captured on audio tape was a conversation between my mother and I a moment that my wife was also included in. I had my first meeting with Dr. Carl Benzio and at that meeting he told me now that I was released from the hospital, that if I didn’t agree with taking the medications that were prescribed that I didn’t or couldn’t be forced to do something that I didn’t agree with. When I first met with this new doctor that was paid for by the East Swamp Mennonite Church, we talked for a little and he point blank looked at me and asked or questioned, “So you think the whole world is lying to get you in trouble?” I said, “Well yes.” So much had happened and so that night when I got home and told my wife what the doctor said about the medications that were prescribed, and that I wasn’t going to take any, because I didn’t need to be medicated and I didn’t like being on medications that would prevent me from doing my job. I didn’t like the reactions and how I felt being on medications, that I didn’t and do not need.

That night my mother came over and while barging around the house into my bedroom where I was trying to get away from my mother, just to lie down and rest while she was over to visit. I knew that she had something to do with the lies that would land me into the hospital and have me diagnosed with a condition that I didn’t have. My mother hated my father and always saw him in me, for that reason she felt that she needed to control my existence, and being a nurse, she felt that she had the answer. To her way of thinking everything could be fixed with medicines.

I was being honest as I’ve always tried to tell the truth even to my detriment, I would not hide my own faults or the faults of others. Being the victim of abuse, we often are taught to hide the truth, don’t tell, it’s our little secret. Keeping things in the dark; causes a lot of problems for our society.

This recording transcribed starts just after my mother trying to convince me to take the doctors medications that according to Dr. Benzio I didn’t have to take. She was telling me of her friends husband that at the age of 40 needed to be medicated and that all men at the age of 40 need to be medicated. She then had this idea, standing clenched fist by my bed and trembling. She suggested that she would hit herself and report it to the police that I struck her.

I called out to Mary my wife and asked her if she could hear what my mother was saying. I came down stairs and fiddled quickly with the radio that had this John G. Elliot tape in it. I recorded a tape, so that I wouldn’t wear out the original. Quickly I had to switch sides and hit the record button and as I did that in the dark, my mother walked in. I was saying something about telling everyone.

Gary: to everybody
Mother: That I’m lying but who’s going to know but you?
Gary: I don’t know.
Mother: There not going to believe that. Are they?
Gary: I don’t think they would.
Gary: You would punch your lights out just to commit me?
Mother: To get you under control, to get you feeling better to get you back to your old self. Yes.
Gary: You would do anything it takes; you would lie to put me in jail.
Mother: Not jail
Gary: to make me take medications?
Mother: Yes.
Gary: You would lie to make me take medications?
Mother: Yes.
You would hit yourself?
Mother: Yes.
Gary You would hit yourself and punch your lights out?
Mother: Yeah,
Gary: Mary, Do you hear what my mother is saying?
Gary: Mary
Mother: Why did you call the mortgage company and tell them to get rid of the mortgage?
Gary: Mary?
Mother: Huh?
Gary: Mary, Mary Please come here and tell me that you heard this too. Please.
Mother: I could do it in front of the ministers.
Gary: Yes, you could.
Mother: yeah
Gary: Why don’t you do that?
Mother: yeah
Gary: You tell the ministers
Mother: Yeah
Gary: that you hit yourself and it was my fault and you would lie about that in court.
Mary: Has a quiet conversation her and my mother head out of the living room.
Mother: All as it would be, all as you would have to do is take your lithium for a week Mary: and get control.
Mother: And get control

The phone rings.

Mother: and your life would be back to normal instead of this high gear hateful pace that you’re in.

Mary is talking on the phone in the back ground.

Gary: I will not take any medication, I am not sick.
Mother: No
Gary: I will not lie,
Mother: yeah
Gary: I will not lie
Mother: yeah
Gary: to you and I will not lie to myself.
Mother: Well you’ve been lying to me pretty much tonight.
Gary: Have I?
Mother: In your way. Yeah.
Gary: In my own way I’ve been a liar.
Mother: It’s its what you’re saying. What I did was totally wrong than what really happened.
Gary: No it isn’t
Mother, Yes it is.

Gary: Is there anything else that you would like to lie to me about?
Mother: No, I’d just like to see you get better, I want to see my Gary come back to being, Gary
Gary: And you’d do anything, to that point including lie.
Mother: If I would have to, yes.
Gary: You’ve done that already though.

Mary: Okay, Uhm, hold on one second,

Mary hands the phone to my mother, and I start talking to Mary as my Mother heads out of the living room and into the parlor.

Gary: I need a protection from abuse order. I’ve been abused, and abused, and abused, I can’t believe I can’t believe that I’ve been abused by my mother like this. You’ve heard it and you saw it. Forgive me for being abused. The victim!

Mary: Everybody’s abused or the victim of something Gary
Gary: But this time it went
Mary: I don’t want to hear it.
Gary: so far.
Mary: I don’t want to hear it. I am the mother of an almost 11 year old victim across the street.
Gary: Uh-huh.
Mary: And yeah, I agree with her with that part, you are putting her through hell. Whether you believe it or not,
Gary: What -
Mary: you are tearing that child apart.
Gary: I would do to prove a lie


Mary: She’s speaking to Dr. Benzio
Gary: Umhmm…

Gary put on the phone with Dr. Benzio

Gary: She came over and attacked me while I was sleeping, I uhh, have it recorded that she was lying and that she’d do anything to lie to me and she would uhahh she would even go as far hitting herself and report that to the police. I have it recorded, I have it recorded thank you very much for listening.

While talking to Dr. Benzio, he told me that she shouldn’t do things like that and he asked if I had any proof that she said what I claimed that she said or did.

Gary: Here he wants to talk to Mary
Mary: I can’t do that.
Mary: Talk to my mother in law right now
Mother: I want to talk to him just for a second please

Gary: She has to credit her, I…

John G Elliot: For here I stand… Here I stand…