Across radio, television, and digital media, Corny Koehl has executive produced for the biggest names in media today. In the first half, she discussed the wrongful conviction of Jarvis Jay Masters, how Oprah Winfrey got involved in his case, and featured his autobiography in her Book of the Month club. Masters became an inmate at San Quentin at age nineteen in 1981 after being convicted of armed robbery. Four years later, a prison guard was stabbed to death, and though he was locked in his cell at the time, Masters was accused of creating the shiv (weapon) used in the murder, though the object was never found. He was convicted of conspiracy to commit murder and has been on death row since 1990, waiting for his appeal to be heard. Koehl noted that Masters has consistently maintained his innocence over all these years.
"In fact, all of the individuals that were involved in it [the guard's murder] have...said that he had absolutely nothing to do with it," Koehl reported, adding that even the "prison snitches" that had initially pointed the finger at Masters, have recanted their testimonies in recent years, and publicly stated that "Jarvis had nothing to do with it." A federal hearing for Masters is scheduled for this October, and he is represented by the global law firm Kirkland & Ellis, who took on the case because "they saw the validity of the fact that he is an innocent man," said Koehl. A hip-hop musical about Jarvis' life and his experience in solitary confinement called "Boxed in & Blacked Out in America" was created by the Truthworker theater company in Brooklyn in collaboration with Masters. A petition to support his exoneration can be found here.
------------------
In the latter half, financial commentator Jim Paris spoke about his relationship with God, money, and life. He shared his story of becoming a multi-millionaire by age 30 and going bankrupt by age 40 after he was the victim of an embezzlement scheme perpetrated by his brother, who worked for him as his accountant. Over two years, his brother embezzled around $2 million. Paris said that his brother recently passed away and that he was able to forgive and make peace with him before his death. After his economic downfall, Paris found that by praying to God, and then listening for a response, he could receive solutions for getting his life back on track.
His method of prayer is done in quiet 1+ hour sessions, in which he brings a yellow pad to a park bench or outdoor area to take notes on what he receives. "Asking God for wisdom, and realizing that he will put...ideas in your mind and give you specifics that you can act on" was the biggest lesson for me, Paris said. The biggest mistake that people make, he continued, is that they come up with their own plan and then ask God to bless that-- instead, they should pray and ask God what his plan is. He also talked about the current financial outlook and how he expects that physical cash will be eliminated and replaced with a digital currency within the next ten years.
News segment guests: Howard Bloom, Mish Shedlock