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Book details
  • Genre:YOUNG ADULT FICTION
  • SubGenre:Family / Multigenerational
  • Age Range (years):13 and up
  • Language:English
  • Pages:100
  • Hardcover ISBN:9781098359027

Reverse Santa

Reverse Santa To Read in Darkness Only to Teens & Grownups

by William Stricklin

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Overview
After my arrival in Hawaii, before Christmas 1968, two Chicago mobsters active in Las Vegas arrived in Honolulu dressed as Santas "to teach a lesson" for muscling in on gambling rackets in Vegas. The Company killed both Santas and returned their chopped-up bodies and Santa outfits to Mr. Las Vegas inside a steamer trunk with a note attached: "Delicious, send more." Christmas Eve 1975 gifts awaited my sons were asleep when Reverse Santa entered our residence at 2400 Round Top Drive, Honolulu. Christmas morning we expected to open the gifts under our Christmas tree. There were none. Reverse Santa left nothing. In years that followed John brightly wrapped a six-pack of beer and attached a label "Burglar" hoping Reverse Santa would see which present was hers or his - then leave the others for the rest of us. Asleep in the master bedroom upstairs I was visited romantically by a second Reverse Santa unrelated to the first Reverse Santa stealing the children's Christmas presents. My Reverse Santa slid open and then entered through the shoji screens beside my marble bathtub to share a final visit with me. My father Curtis Stricklin was born in Texas in 1895. Christmas 1945 he related the saga of The Santa Claus Bank Robbery which occurred in the Central Texas town of Cisco (home of "The Cisco Kid") on December 23, 1927. Six were killed as a result of the Santa Claus Bank Robbery, called "the most spectacular crime in the history of the Southwest ... surpassing any of Billy the Kid or the James boys." Texas Bankers Assn had offered a $5,000 reward to anyone shooting a bank robber, and the robber decided to disguise himself as Santa Claus. Six-year-old Frances and ten-year-old Emma May entered the bank hoping to see Santa, not knowing a robbery was in progress. Little Emma May Robinson's testimony identified the Santa Claus robber and on March 30, Santa was sentenced to execution. A lynch mob of 2,000 twice hoisted Santa 15 feet November 19, 1927. (The first rope broke.)
Description
As a lawyer I shall identify Santa Claus's five crimes every year: Santa Claus comes around every year spreading goodness and joy to the world. Children love him for his presents. Parents love him because he gives children a reason to be good all year long. But in order to do his job, Santa Claus must bend the rules a bit. Here are five Christmas crimes Santa Claus commits every year. The world knows Santa Claus for his infectious holly jolly spirit. He lives in the North Pole with his wife, Mrs. Claus and his wonderfully helpful elves. He monitors children and knows if they've been bad or good. Before he leaves on his yearly tour, he checks his list twice to make sure each child get what they deserve, whether it be toys or coal. Children look forward to his visits every year, leaving him milk and cookies. Should Santa Claus be a convicted criminal? Every year he gets away with a multitude of heinous crimes without consequences. Here are five Christmas crimes Santa Claus gets away with every year. 1. Breaking and Entering What would you do to someone who's quietly sneaking into your home late at night? Well, some people call the police, some grab baseball bats, and others do all of the above. In the United States, breaking and entering is a felony charge that can land a year or more in prison. Yet, Santa Claus is able to sneak into every household in the world without even a slap on the wrist. 2.Trespassing Additionally, if Santa Claus will ever face charges for his crimes, the judge can add trespassing to the list as well. Whether he sneaks down a chimney or not, Santa Claus is committing a crime by busting into our homes with the intent of stealing our milk and cookies. Is there ever a mention of Santa showing his passport at each and every country he visits on Christmas? No, of course not. That's because Santa Claus doesn't have a passport. So every year, Santa Claus gets away with illegally crossing borders and back without a passport. While Santa enjoys global travel, we can't even get past security without proper paperwork and thorough security checks. Additionally, Santa gets away with flying without a reindeer, pilot or aircraft license! Not even the smartest criminal masterminds can pull that off. 3. Smuggling Since Santa Claus is immune to border security, he doesn't have to worry about what's in his big Red Sack. Whether it be children's toys or other things, Santa Claus gets away with anything. Only he can get away with smuggling all sorts things into and out of 196 countries. For now, it seems like Santa Claus is using his powers for good. We have yet to hear from parents who claim Santa Claus left anything other than toys and the occasional lump of coal under the Christmas tree. 4. Giving Children Lumps of Coal Although this may not be a true crime, think about how it might affect children when they find a lump of coal instead of presents. Seriously Santa, they're children for goodness sakes! A judge might as well accuse Santa Claus of intentional emotional distress. However, if he's checking his list twice, does that mean the 'bad' children deserve the lump of coal? Maybe. But at least give the children some constructive criticism so they can learn from their mistakes. 5. Invasion of Privacy He knows when you are sleeping, he knows when you're awake. When people peer or spy into private lives, it's a crime. When Jolly Santa does it year after year, he gets away with it. In fact, it's socially acceptable. While people have baby video monitors, security monitors, and other sorts, Santa Claus holds the ultimate piece of monitoring technology. Until there is a better way of him knowing how well children behave, he will continue to get away with a global invasion of privacy. Santa Claus may be the best criminal mastermind of all time, he might not be so bad. He works hard every year to give presents to the good boys and girls of the world. All Santa does is for the greater good, even if it means bending the rules.
About the author
Military Training and Service • Life Member of "Military Order of World Wars", • Bill received training initially at Ft. Lewis; basic infantry training, Ft. Benning, Georgia; followed by Fort Holabird, Counterintelligence Corps training for US Army service at Ft. McNair and in the Pentagon • Honorable Discharge two years active service (wartime); followed by four years US Army Reserve Professional License History • State Bar of California 036559 Active 1964-2020 • Hawai'i State Bar Association JD0962 Active 1970-2020 • Washington State Bar Association Attorney 10456 Active 1969-2020 • State of Washington General Contractor: Type I steel/concrete 1968-1970 building Denny Building • State of Hawai'i "B" General Contractor CT6406: 2/16/1973-4/30/1996 building Amfac Center • State of Hawai'i Real Estate Broker 1968-2015 (currently "inactive") • State of California Real Estate Broker: Commercial, Residential real estate sales and leasing 1958-1999 • Financial Consultant, Montecito Bank & Trust. Santa Barbara 1997-1998 Courts Admitted to Practice • Supreme Court of the United States 1964-2020 • United States Court of Appeals for Ninth Circuit • United States Tax Court 1964-2020 • United States District Court for the Northern District of California 1964-2020 • United States District Court, District of Hawai'i • Supreme Court of State of California 1970-2020 • Supreme Court of Hawai'i 1970-2020 • Washington Supreme Court (Rule 18 reciprocity in 26 states) 1969-2020 Bar Affiliations, Activities and Memberships • Hawai'i Bar's Model Rules Committee, rules of lawyers' conduct • Hawai'i Bar's Government Lawyers Section • Hawai'i Bar's Litigation Section • Hawai'i Bar's Natural Resources Section • Founding Charter Member Washington State Bar Association Civil Rights Section. Active Member of Bar Association of San Francisco (BASF) 162968 • Environmental Law Section of BASF • Conference of Delegates Committee of the BASF • Ethics Committee of BASF • Member Race and Ethnicity Committee of BASF • Member of Disability Rights Committee of BASF Honors Philanthropic Affiliations and Awards • Order of Golden Bear to promote statewide unity of University of California campuses • Chair, University of California Alumni Association, Washington DC 1960-61 • Listed in National Trust for Historic Preservation Directory of Historic Preservation Lawyers • Chair, Hawai'i Advisory Committee, American Arbitration Assn 1975 to 1985 • Master Mason 3° Berkeley 363 Blue Lodge 1959 • Scottish Rite 32° Mason Oakland Temple 1959 • Hawai'i Shriners Temple 1968 • Hawai'i Shriners Hospital Clown Corps • Hawai'i Opera Theater Board of Trustees • Hawai'i Ballet Board of Trustees • National Board of Trustees, American Arbitration Assn, New York, 1990-1994 • Santa Barbara Board Trustees, Planned Giving Chair, American Red Cross 1998-2000 • Member Santa Barbara Board of Trustees, Catholic Charities, 1998-2000 • Member Santa Barbara Board of Trustees, Cottage Hospitals, 1998-2000 • Elected Member of Montecito Santa Barbara All Saints by the Sea Episcopal Church Board, 2000-2002 • Hawai'i's "Mediator of the Year" 1989 American Arbitration Association • Robinson Cox Visiting Fellow, Law School, University of WA (Perth) 1989 to 1990, teaching dispute resolution to the Law Society and students • Facilitated the Australian Minister of Land's return of land the size of Rhode Island called Silver Plains Station Queensland to the traditional owners, Lama Lama Peoples • Charter Member Founding Secretary, Hawai'i Lambda Alpha (Land Economics Honor Society) • Confrere Order of Knights of the Hospital of St. John of Jerusalem, appointed by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II to help serve medical needs of children of all faiths caught up in the wars of the Middle East

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