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    <h3 class="title"><a name="top"></a>Update - October 31, 2005</h3>
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    <p>As I stated last week, if one learns nothing else in life, they should 
      learn to<br>
      &#8220;think twice before speaking once!&#8221;</p>
    <p>I had intended to present in this update recorded conversations of the 
      December 9, 2003 meeting of the State Board focusing on statements made 
      by John Bresnahan, investigator for the State Board &#8211; statements that 
      corrupted the process; statements that were biased and prejudicial; and 
      statements that not only compromised the integrity of the process but the 
      names and reputations of every Board Member and participant attending the 
      meeting on December 9, 2003. </p>
    <p>I was advised to hold off for a week or two before releasing this and other 
      damaging and fatal statements, comments and actions of the State Board as 
      our investigation will soon be completed. </p>
    <p>I turn now to Ronald E. Johnson, a long time friend (or at least I thought), 
      and I ask Mr. Johnson the following questions &#8211;<br>
    </p>
    <ul>
      <li>&#8220;When you called me and asked if I would help Ross Johnson (your 
        son) get a job at Nordgren&#8217;s, since he had been terminated by Chester 
        Caswell (Caswell-King Funeral Home in Worcester while you were away from 
        the office &#8211; on vacation, I believe), did I not ask you why Ross 
        was terminated?</li>
      <li>After explaining to me your understanding of the rationale for the decision 
        and indicating to me Ross was an excellent embalmer (and there had never 
        been a problem with his work as an embalmer), did I not go to Kurt Mangsen 
        and propose that the vacancy that had now been created as a result of 
        the Carrigan&#8217;s selling their interest to the Mangsen&#8217;s and 
        me, that we might wish to consider hiring Ross?</li>
      <li>Kurt Mangsen had heard from the &#8220;funeral director grapevine&#8221; 
        that Ross had a problem and Kurt was reluctant to consider hiring him. 
        Did I not indicate to Kurt that I would get the facts (all the facts) 
        before reacting to rumors?</li>
      <li>Did I not invite you and Ross to my home, at which time I asked some 
        very difficult questions of both of you; and did I not leave with the 
        comfort level that any past problems &#8220;real or perceived&#8221; were 
        no longer a problem?</li>
      <li>Did I not relay this information to Kurt and encourage Kurt to interview 
        and hire your son, Ross?</li>
      <li>Did I not train Ross in the process of dealing with a family (he had 
        not done this up to this point in his career) that had just lost a loved 
        one &#8211; strongly reinforcing the fact that <em><strong>&#8220;A family 
        does not get a chance to say good-bye to a loved one&#8221;</strong></em> 
        and that everything we do or can do must be perfect at all times?</li>
      <li>As I had become Kurt&#8217;s mentor from the time he learned his father 
        was fatally ill till the time his wife, Katherine, entered the business; 
        I, too, had become Ross&#8217;s mentor at your request &#8211; since it 
        had been your experience that it was not always a comfortable business 
        association between father and son. Isn&#8217;t that correct?</li>
      <li>Mr. Johnson, when Kurt and Katherine Mangsen voted to remove me from 
        the Board of Directors even though I was an owner of the funeral home, 
        and appoint you in my place, why would you say to me after the proceedings 
        that you didn&#8217;t realize I was being voted off the Board?</li>
      <li>It is apparent you and Mr. Bresnahan became quite <strong>&#8220;chummy&#8221;</strong> 
        after Mr. Bresnahan&#8217;s visit to Nordgren&#8217;s on November 19, 
        2003 &#8211; so much so that you and he began to call each other by your 
        first names, isn&#8217;t that so, Mr. Johnson?</li>
      <li>What I don&#8217;t understand, Mr. Johnson, is why you would make a 
        statement to Mr. Bresnahan that was not true? Was it to take the attention 
        away from you and focus the attention on me? Mr. Kazlauskas did it and 
        what did it get him?</li>
      <li>On December 9, 2003 after I had left the State Board Meeting and you 
        and the Mangsen&#8217;s and their counsel were invited into the meeting, 
        Mr. Bresnahan, investigator for the State Board, stated and I quote, <strong>&#8220;Ron, 
        tell them (referring to members of the State Board and others in attendance) 
        what you told me about the letters that he (referring to me, Mr. Haddad) 
        has prepared.&#8221;</strong></li>
      <li>Mr. Johnson, you replied, and again I quote from the recorded transcript 
        of the December 9, 2003 State Board Meeting, <strong>&#8220;Oh, he told 
        me that he had over 2,000 letters prepared to go out to the different 
        families, that he would in fact let them know that he was &#8230;&#8221;</strong></li>
      <li>At this point Mr. Bresnahan interrupted you and said, <strong>&#8220;through 
        his clergy people?&#8221;</strong> to which you replied, <strong>&#8220;through 
        his clergy.&#8221;</strong></li>
      <li>Mr. Johnson, I ask you &#8220;what was your motivation for this false 
        statement to Mr. Bresnahan when you apparently felt threatened and made 
        this statement without thinking before you spoke?&#8221; But even more 
        importantly, I ask you, now that you had time to realize you made up the 
        statement the first time, why would you once again restate that which 
        you knew was never said by me or anyone else to members of the State Board?</li>
    </ul>
    <p><strong>For the Record: </strong>Mr. Johnson is a good man and prior to 
      November 19, 2003 I considered him a friend &#8211; a good friend. Unfortunately, 
      that no longer is the case &#8211; nor can it ever be again. Mr. Johnson, 
      for whatever time we have left on this earth, I encourage you to <strong><em>&#8220;think 
      twice before you speak once, for it makes life so much easier to justify 
      today and again when we atone for our actions and statements at the time 
      of our departure.&#8221;</em></strong></p>
    <p>Shortly, I shall present the results of our investigation that will clearly 
      demonstrate that several funeral directors in Central Massachusetts lied 
      to the State Board. I shall demonstrate the State Board acted with prejudice 
      from day one and then utilized every means at their disposal to cover up 
      their actions &#8211; actions that are still on-going. I shall demonstrate 
      with the facts that the State Board continues harassment actions to this 
      day as a means of focusing the issues away from them and onto others. And 
      I shall demonstrate that State Government officials to whom we have brought 
      this matter and the essence of our investigation have declined to get involved 
      and joined the masses of State Employees &#8220;running to hide from the 
      truth&#8221; and the accountability they will soon be forced to address. 
    </p>
    <p><strong>Next Update &#8211; Monday November 7, 2005</strong></p>
    <p>Philip G. Haddad, Jr.<br>
    </p>
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