Starting in January, and throughout the upcoming election cycle, the Independent Gazette will be conducting an in-depth analysis of our current immigration policy, informing not only the voters of Northeastern Pennsylvania, but also voters throughout Pennsylvania about how our Pennsylvania elected officials in Washington plan to address the immigration issue, and what solutions you plan to put forward to help solve our current border crisis.

Immigration reform is one of the top concerns of Pennsylvania voters, and it is imperative, come the primaries and the general election in November that they, the voting public, are informed about how you stand on this issue, and what your plan is to implement it. Recent reporting claims that over 250,000 migrants are being “processed” at border crossings each month, with no end in sight.  

Our first inquiry to you is: What is your solution to addressing immigration reform, and your stand on current immigration policy?

Our second inquiry to you is: Is immigration reform even needed, and, if it is, why has there been no significant immigration reform since the Reagan administration?

We will post your reply in full, unedited on our website, independentgazette.org, and will update our readers here in Northeastern Pennsylvania (as well as throughout the rest of our great state) in our printed edition every ten days beginning, February 10, 2024.

​Thank you for your cooperation,
Independent Gazette

Starting in January, and throughout the upcoming election cycle, the Independent Gazette will be conducting an in-depth analysis
of your fulfillment of your oath to protect the Pennsylvania Constitution and Free and Equal Elections.

Article I, Section 5, of the Pennsylvania Constitution clearly states the following:
Elections shall be free and equal; and no power, civil or military, shall
at any time interfere to prevent the free exercise of the right of suffrage.

– The Constitution of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
All Pennsylvania legislators swear an oath to protect and defend the Pennsylvania Constitution and yet, year after year, decade after decade, elected officials from both the Democratic and Republican parties refuse to honor their oaths by disenfranchising over one million independent and third-party Pennsylvania voters from voting in primary elections.
It is very clear: the Pennsylvania Constitution states “elections,” not some elections (at the discretion of two political parties). “Elections” means all elections.

If primaries are to be funded with taxpayer dollars (as they have been for well over a century), then primaries must be open to all registered voters, not solely Democrats and Republicans. In other words, No taxation without representation.

If the Democratic and Republican parties deem it in their interest to hold closed primaries (functioning as private organizations, with participation limited to party members), that is their prerogative. In that case, however, they ought to fund those elections with party money and not taxpayer monies (just as a so-called third party, like the Libertarian Party of Pennsylvania, selects their candidates for each general election).

The Gazette plans to inform our readers, and Pennsylvania voters, in general, how each and every Pennsylvania legislator stands on this issue, whether they consider themselves a constitutionalist or a party loyalist.
The Independent Gazette’s question to all of our state legislators is simple and straightforward, will you sponsor or cosponsor a bill that affirms our state constitution by ensuring that all elections be “Free and Equal.” Yes or No.

We will post your reply in full, unedited on our website, independentgazette.org, and will also update our readers here in Northeastern Pennsylvania (as well as throughout the rest of our great state) in our printed edition every ten days, beginning February 10, 2024.

​Thank you for your cooperation,
Independent Gazette

Eric March 4, 2024 At 11:17 pm Lackawanna County Family Court is finally getting some MUCH NEEDED ATTENTION and RECOGNITION they DESERVE when it comes to the touchy subject of CORRUPTION in this area. This is LONG OVERDUE and WELL DESERVED!

My 2 youngest children are VICTIMS of Family Court corruption in Lackawanna county.

They were FORCEFULLY REMOVED from my home LAST MARCH after a Scranton police officer came to my home to do a wellness check on my four year old son without anyone present from the OYFS. That was the last time I saw them. They lived with me primarily for their entire lives leading up to this point. They were basically kidnapped from my home by police and OYFS employees that day.

This was after a year long BATTLE with Family Court that involved teenage boys sexually abusing my children and others and this behavior was acceptable according to them and the appointed OYFS caseworker Erik Krauser who was ALREADY being INVESTIGATED and was ALREADY ARRESTED for leaving children in DANGEROUS SITUATIONS. An equally EVIL Guardian Ad Litem and Family Court JUDGE allowed this abuse to go on for almost a year and it only got worse. I was THREATENED with JAIL and JAILED, MOCKED, INSULTED and FORCED to bring my children to their ABUSERS and charged with contempt, jailed multiple times if I didn’t. I was basically EXTORTED by COURT OFFICIALS and given RECEIPTS for my CASH DONATIONS to the RECOVERY BANK for amounts between $500 and $1500 to PURGE the jail sentences IMPOSED by Family Court for PROTECTING MY CHILDREN!

The officer spoke with my 4 year old son for a short time and then asked to come into my home to have a look around.
Something just didn’t seem right with this “WELLNESS CHECK” in my opinion. For almost a year leading up to this I called MULTIPLE police departments MULTIPLE times on separate occasions to report CRIMES of SEXUAL ABUSE reported to me by my children and the police NEVER even spoke to my children up until this point. This wasn’t the first  time a wellness check was done at my home in regards to my children and on every other occasion the police may have been present for the check but never questioned my children or even spoke to them during the wellness checks.
There was always a OYFS employee present and they would talk to the children and eventually leave without incident but on this occasion they weren’t present and the Police officer conducted the interview.

After he interviewed my son he told me that he needed to come into my home to check things out but was denied access after I explained that this wasn’t the first check that had been done at my home. I questioned him if this was regular policy or procedure involving wellness checks with children. I explained that my children always spoke to someone from the OYFS but never spoke to the police in these situations, even when they were present and he replied, by telling me yes and that it was but I refused to let him into my home without a warrant. I thought the officer left but minutes later I had to go get my older son off the school bus and was jumped on the side of my home by him and other officers and accused of having a warrant for a DUI but there wasn’t any warrant.

I fell behind on a fine from another county and they arrested me. My mother and Power of Attorney also lived with me and my children BUT they didn’t care SEE or HEAR about POWER of ATTORNEY PAPERS that she PRESENTED TO THEM that SPECIFICALLY EXPLAINED about CUSTODY SITUATIONS and her role if need be as POWER OF ATTORNEY and she was able to care for my children but her DESPERATE PLEAS and SCREAMING CRYING PLEAS of my TERRIFIED CHILDREN were ignored and they were removed from their home and sent to LIVE WITH THEIR ABUSERS.
This was all recorded.

Everything in and outside my home was for that entire year. 

I have a lot of recordings of things from talks with my children about the abuse they’ve been subjugated to endure by the people that are supposed to protect them from. Audio from Video court hearings where PURJURY DOESN’T EXIST!

RECORDINGS of INTERVIEWS at my home between my children and OYFS EMPLOYEES where my children tell them they’re being touched under their clothes. That it happens all the time when they’re with their mother. My kids repeated ALL THE TIME AT MOMS so many times in this one recording and the CASEWORKER came downstairs after the interview and said, Well with little elaboration on the events there isn’t anything I could do. 

I have texts between Erik Krauser and myself where he admits that my son told him that he was being abused. That my son said he was being touched and that he tapped his mouth and his privates during this interview that took place at school after a mandated reporter reported what my son said at school and RECORDINGS OF the video COURT HEARING where KRAUSER lies ON THE STAND about being told anything ever about SEXUAL ABUSE by my children.
Where the GUARDIAN AD LITEM LIES and states that my son took medications that are known to cause thrush that he was never even prescribed after he was abused and needed to be seen by a doctor because of what was done to him.

I have so much dirt on these CORRUPT Court OFFICIALS and would love to know who to get it to next.

No one has helped us at all.
​
They have also retaliated against me and I’m dealing with criminal court proceedings because of this.
All of these recordings, texts, emails, witnesses, are available. If anyone could help us with some resources.
It would be greatly appreciated.

Starting in January, and throughout the upcoming election cycle, the Independent Gazette will be conducting an in-depth analysis of the family court system, not only locally here in Northeastern Pennsylvania, but throughout the balance of the state, and even across the nation as a whole.

Ten years ago, we as an organization brought to the attention of our elected officials, the media, law enforcement, and court officials, injustices that were taking place in the courts, and for the most part it fell on deaf ears. We addressed the report by the AOPC (Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts), gag orders, shredded documents, missing documents, and horrific stories brought to us by individuals throughout our region of abuses they accused the courts of inflicting on families and individuals. The retribution was, and still is, real. The overcharging for services by court officers was, and still is real.

Current lawsuits filed locally against court officials (with more coming) will only highlight the abuses. Tragically, what was happening ten years ago is still happening today, at times with the same court officials, and, in our opinion, will continue to take place in another ten years, if serious court reform and court transparency are not implemented.

With precedent right here in Northeastern Pennsylvania with the “Kids for Cash” scandal, and, subsequently, with the “Custody for Cash” scandal we’ve sought to document, we cannot accept a court system that proclaims it protects children while insisting to operate in darkness.

Transparency protects everyone, citizens and courts alike, and that is our impetus for advocating for cameras in every courtroom, and for seeking support from elected officials to hold open hearings addressing concerns everyday citizens harbor about what they have witnessed in Pennsylvania courts.
​
Court reform is a top concern of Pennsylvania voters, and it is imperative, come the primaries and then general election in November, that they, the voting public, are informed about where you stand on court reform, and about solutions you may offer when it comes to transparency in our courtrooms.

We will print your reply in full, unedited on our website, at independentgazette.org, and will update our readers here in Northeast Pennsylvania, and throughout Pennsylvania in our printed edition every 10 days beginning February 10th, 2024.

Sincerely,
Independent Gazette