The story of Joseph and his coat of many colors seems to apply the treatment of Robert by his siblings. John Hedges was one of the sibling offenders.

John was born when Robert was nine years old. John was in extreme pain for the first few years of his life, and he had numerous operations to relieve the interocular pressure which the absence of duct in the eyeball causes. [glaucoma]. This pain he suffered caused him to grow without any appreciation for the pain he causes others. He had to face the fact that "life is tough" and "life is not fair", and this attitude carries over into his treatment of others. The bonding and attachment during first two years of life is the source of aggressive, reckless, and cruel behavior. No one could alleviate his pain. He was left to cry alone. This led to his developing a pathological mistrust and deep seated rage like an abandoned child, which would make him angry and mean, emotionally needy, and willing to go overboard in participation to prove his worthiness.

The exposure to chemicals used in the garden, or the natural breakdown of eggs with the advancing age of the mother may be responsible for his eyes having no ducts to drain fluid. All wear glasses but he alone has an abnormality as described.

Learning is the natural process of absorbing information from the surroundings, and is a continuous process, beginning with the baby's exploration of his environment soon after birth. John was unable to spend his time learning in a normal manner, because much information is visual, and absent the usual visual input, any creature must concentrate their energy on avoiding danger, rather than usual learning. John did not learn many things because he had to avoid danger rather than absorb visually. He had to have someone else write his themes for him, and he was unable to extensively read either books or magazines and he cannot see signs or billboards.

Robert was a toy trader from an early age and had the habit of selling hobby supplies and toys when done with them, but after John arrived at an age where he was a natural inheritor of toys, John got many of Robert's toys. For example, John took over the play- house, ( a small building in the yard) and in a pattern which he maintained and extended in his life later, padlocked it to exclude his older brother, Robert, who had preceded his tenure as occupant. John was very possessive and unable to share with anyone, even though he received from their bounty. He failed to ever recognize that he owed others because of their generosity to him.

Due to the physical limitations of his visual handicap he was allowed unlimited borrowing. Robert failed to set rules about borrowing because he wanted to encourage achievement in John to whatever level John could achieve, and so John never learned that he had to respect Robert's property rights or that he had to share with Robert just as Robert shared with him. John borrowed record albums, clothing, tools, and anything else he wanted to use, and he repaid Robert's kindness with antagonism and spite. He used all of the electrical tools and supplies which Robert had accumulated.

John received a check in the mail from Social Security and was not employed, so he had not apprenticed in a manner conducive to the understanding of the business which he was allowed to interfere with. He set at the house and watched TV. He never bought and sold to develop a net worth. He accumulated from the checks which he received, while he was frequently without commensurate expenses. He never had to invest in an auto, and transportation for him was a bus route away. He never had to pay for a truck for the farm, or any of those type expenses. John never offered a dime in reimbursement for expenses of his transportation.

John was in a shop class in high school for years, and he received the lumber for his projects from the supply which Robert had sawed after he logged walnut and oak. Robert hauled all these supplies to John at school, since John couldn't see well enough to drive himself. John also took lumber from Robert's supply for projects which John started out side of school, but John never recognized that he did not contribute to the accumulated materials. John helped at the saw mill on three days, out of months and months of logging, skidding, hauling, sawing and storing. John had the nerve to take boards which Robert had specific purposes for, and earmark these for his own project. John paid no attention at all to the value of that work or the resulting value of the lumber when he hired an auctioneer.

Robert first noticed that something was wrong in December of 1978.

78/12/18 = John said "did the back window fit your truck?" This was the night that Driscoll said " I held them, while they knocked their teeth out" . At some later point in time he said " We want money . . . " which in retrospect may mean that he had heard that Robert was not going to sell the land, and was exposing his own basic motive. Robert had no idea what John intended at the time however, and responded with " get a haircut and get a real job "(like your big brother Bob" ).

78/12/23 = John was the first to harass, and he ceased to be a loyal brother this day if he had not ceased to be sooner. "I don't like you I don't like what you did " " have you been to the dentist yet "

John participated in the harassment of Robert beginning in 1978, and the rift remained. When Robert inquired to determine what was happening around him, John retorted with "If you're so smart you figure it out". Robert's known intellect is such a wound to John's image that John would not give Robert the information he needed. All knowledge is acquired from outside the individual, and intelligence does not take the place of facts.

79/3/ = John Hedges said "you got tom wills". This weathercaster from WAVE3 has broadcasted his deviant sexual orientation on the news frequently enough that is public knowledge. Robert had no reason to want Tom Wills, nor did he have the time to listen to TV news during that phase of his life.

79/5/ = John Hedges said " you have to stick with your old friends, I mean really stick with them". Robert has no idea what this is supposed to mean.

80/6/ = John Hedges said "we tripped you" [ Robert literally experienced a clinical symptom of LSD poisoning after this date, rather than before. This is more hatred.......]

80/5/ = John Hedges said "we gave you a bad name at church" [more hate by John Hedges]

80/4/ = John Hedges said "we always do it to people like you" [John presumably hates Robert]

John wanted to invite his church group out to the farm for a church social on a summer Sunday evening in 1980, and he made it clear that Robert was to leave the house where he lived while the group was visiting the farm. Robert was forced to drive around out in the country with no particular place to go, and waste gas for several hours. It is a very unfriendly gesture to make a person unwelcome in the house they live in, but it is particularly ugly when a church group exhibits such exclusion activities. Robert ceased to drive John to church after this. What is the difference between being welcome in your own home and being welcome at church. ?

81/6/ = John's church group at the farm on a Sunday outing . . . " You're supposed to be boggled . . . we got the whole Psych-dept on you . . . and the Sociology dept. on you . ." This is a statement that the harassment at UnivLou was caused by outside influences. UnivLou fought Robert with a lawyer from a large firm.
Edwin Harmon said . . . " it was us that started it . . . we have to find someone to blame it on . . . we can always leave town . . . " Ed Harmon was the youth leader and Baptist Seminary student.

Robert spent $1200. to get a lawn tractor which he hoped would give John a feeling of being part of a farm operation, during 1979. John could mow the grass and claim the small tractor as his own. He said that he couldn't see the ground, and thus escaped mowing grass.

81/12/6 = John removed 50 lbs. lead, 150 lbs. copper, 175 lbs. brass, and hid two pairs of large bolt cutters, as a prelude to other interference and removal of property.

Bernard Cheek had rented the grain bin from Robert for 6 cents per bushel per month for the 1981 harvest season, and Bernard Cheek needed electrical current to operate the fans and motors on the bin. This led to the only physical altercation which ever occurred between Robert and John.

The milkhouse had been one of the first buildings which Robert had complete use of on the farm. John demolished the milkhouse early in 1981 and took the contents of the building to various other places around the farm. John then put locks on all the alternate storage buildings, and did not give keys to Robert. Robert needed his electric supplies to make a repair on the underground wire, and he had been delayed due to John not arriving earlier from Fern Creek with the keys. Houston arrived at the farm after lunch, accompanied by John. John refused to return the equipment and supplies to Robert. Robert had purchased, paid for and transported these supplies. Robert was obligated to Bernard Cheek to get the electricity working. Robert yanked John up by his collar and pushed him back into a tree in front of the house. Houston Hedges then left with John and took him to the emergency room in Louisville.

83/7/ = John said, "but your [supposed to be] queer ." Robert does not believe that the word "queer" in it's present-day usage of orientation applies to him. Robert believes that this is clearly a case of projection, and Robert refused to discuss his love life with John or any other person, before this situation became so large.

The alleys of Louisville are frequently littered with bed frames and mattress, when students move out of town and do not feel the value of a used bed is worth the cost of shipping the bed to some distant city. John Hedges was in UnivLou and was selling furniture to students, and furnishing his apartment in Louisville. John would trade beds, without asking Robert if Robert would like to keep this one or that one. Robert would discover that the bed he slept in suddenly was switched for one of lesser quality. John could haul one of these cast-off beds to Fern Creek, and sell the box springs and mattress located there, which was not broken down. It is a well known fact that a broken down bed which sags will cause back trouble. John made this type of switch with Robert several times, and put Robert on a bed which caused his back to begin to hurt in 1986. This type of inconsiderate behavior is annoying, however, it alone would not merit attention except John's behavior since is such that these acts are more likely intentional rather than accidental injury. The actual animosity which John exhibits toward Robert is more than manifest subconscious hostility. If it had never been admitted vocally to Robert there is sufficient evidence to prove it's existence. John had the support of Catherine Hedges, who considered herself the owner of the furniture, and the last word in disposing of it.

John Hedges participated in the taking of the D4-Cat Dozer from Robert, and when Robert said "I know you are trying to help me get rid of a machine because you just don't think I know how to handle my business" -John responded honestly that he was not trying to help Robert. This means he intended to harm Robert by the taking of his property.

John lack of business experience makes him an easy mark. This makes him popular with those who want to buy cheaply. John interfered with the chimney repairs on the old house in 1981. John interfered with the implement shed being increased to house the combine, and then he left the lumber outside to rot in the weather. John removed keys from Robert's key ring, to deny access to locked items. This was his favorite tactic. He would lock it up and deny his brother access.

John hated his brother for being "taller" and mentioned that "he couldn't measure up", and apparently he believed that he could gain an illusion of height if he were to help 'shorten his brother'. [6]

Some of the damage which John has caused or made no effort to prevent have been:
• a) a food shortage, starvation, which causes a body to catabolize. There are many physical changes resulting from the absence of proper nourishment, such as calcium reduction and damage to bones.
• b) poor bedding- the spine damage resulting from sleeping on a bad bed or sleeping in a car seat for several weeks.
• c) Taking away the work which resulted in physical exertion, and destroying good work habits by enforced idleness can possibly result in cancer, because sweating purges a body of toxins, such as cadium, lead, zinc, and nickel which can reduce or eliminate cancer.
• d) tooth decay results from improper diet and lack of dental care.
• e) Premature aging due to any number of reasons. Unnecessary stress, worry, and anxiety cause aging. Exposure to microbes which were not in Robert's environment earlier in his life can cause harm also. Worry and improper diet cause stomach ulcers.

[5] Violence is most often precipitated by work lay-off, not past history of violence or metal illness. Time p 21 Aug. 19 1994 Bad News section.

[6] " Don't expect to build up the weak by pulling down the strong" Calvin Coolidge.

[7] People with prejudices usually subconsciously don't like themselves and compensate by clumping with others alike.