Relax, Feste. The book is barely being promoted at all, and any profits are going to be negligible. Don't make Barry's stupid mistake of thinking the book is going to be a sensational bestseller.
And he's hardly "promoting himself as a murderer." He's telling his story because he thinks it will help others. He can't exactly leave out the fact that he committed a murder. What's central to the book is that he has apparently recovered from paranoid schizophrenia. Boast may not be the best word, but Sem being a murderer is central to how the book is being promoted (even though he was found not guilty by reason of insanity). If he is going to promote himself as a murderer, I think all profits from his book should be donated to the family of the victim. ---In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, <authfriend@...> wrote : If the book is self-published, as this one was, the author has total control over every step of the process. (That's what "self-published" means, you see.) Who dreamed up the phrase "Maharishi Murderer" isn't important. but it's highly unlikely it was either Sem or the PR firm that wrote the blurb. What's important is whether he meant it to be a "boast," as you and Feste so unkindly propose. As to your even more unkind suspicion below: http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/science/2012/08/faking_insanity_forensic_psychologists_detect_signs_of_malingering_.html http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/science/2012/08/faking_insanity_forensic_psychologists_detect_signs_of_malingering_.html You could have found this and a bunch of other articles on the Web about the likelihood of someone being able to convincingly fake paranoid schizophrenia--especially to get out of a murder charge, where the person is under the most extreme scrutiny--had you really wanted to know. (The answer is, basically, no.) But you didn't. You (and Feste) prefer to demonize Sem rather than blame MUM for not dealing with him properly. So compassionate of you. I think I'll go take a bath now. salyavin, probably his book publicist thought up that phrase. But that would mean that Sem agreed for that phrase to be used, doesn't it? I'm not familiar with how much control an author has over the selling of his or her book and all the various steps included in that process. As for his faking it, I don't know enough about schizophrenia to know if that is even possible to fake. But I do know some of the details about what transpired between his first stabbing and the second one which was fatal. Knowing those details, questions arise in my mind. But the justice system has already spoken so that's that. If his book helps some people, than that's good. I think it's good when something beneficial can come even out of such a horrible tragedy. On Tuesday, April 8, 2014 9:41 AM, salyavin808 <no_re...@yahoogroups.com> wrote: I don't get that he was boasting about it. But he did murder the guy and not guilty by way of insanity is obviously the correct decision as it wasn't premeditated or deliberate. Insanity is a legal term which means you aren't responsible for your actions. You would only be right in objecting to him writing about it in a book about schizophrenia if you think he faked it to get a shorter jail term. ---In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, <sharelong60@...> wrote : Good catch, feste, that bit about Sem now seeming to boast about being a murderer when he was found not guilty of murder by reason of insanity. I guess he really wants his book to be a bestseller which is understandable. But really?! On Monday, April 7, 2014 9:28 PM, feste37 <no_re...@yahoogroups.com> wrote: This whole tragic incident was discussed extensively on FFL at the time it happened. I never heard the phrase "The Maharishi Murderer." I think Sem has just made it up to get publicity for his book. I also find it regrettable that he uses the word "murder" in the title. It's as if he is laughing at the justice system. After all, he was found not guilty by reason of insanity, but now he wants to boast about being a murderer. Disgusting. ---In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, <mjackson74@...> wrote : I was pretty surprised too - I think if he just said that he had mental problems and this is how he dealt with it, that would be one thing, but using the handle that apparently was given him by the press is capitalizing on what he did - not the first killer to do so, but opportunistic I think. I wonder if the Butler family knows he is doing this? Wonder what happened to the guy he got the knife from, Joel Wysong? Did MUM censure him for poor judgement at all? Another interesting thing that I got from an article about this is former MUM professor Dr Kai Druhl. I looked him up online and see that he has a TM story to tell - after years of TM and being governor and MUM faculty, he jumped ship and has very little good to say about TM - he's a born again Christian. This is what he said about MUM at the time of the murder "Dr Kai Druhl taught physics at the university for 13 years. He has since left to teach at a college 20 miles away after becoming disenchanted with the movement. He said: 'There were certainly initial benefits for some of the students but the promise of complete enlightenment is just not true ... it just doesn't happen and I saw how this intense meditation can damage some students, particularly if they have mental problems.' Druhl recalled a student with schizophrenia being told to come off his medication, as meditation along with a herbal remedy would cure him. The student had a major breakdown. Druhl described a culture where such events were treated as 'top secret'. He said: 'There was a definite understanding between staff members that you must not allow any bad news to leak out. You were required to keep up this image of a perfect campus at all costs." -------------------------------------------- On Mon, 4/7/14, feste37 <no_re...@yahoogroups.com mailto:no_re...@yahoogroups.com> wrote: Subject: [FairfieldLife] Re: The Maharishi Murderer To: FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com mailto:FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com Date: Monday, April 7, 2014, 10:47 PM I find this utterly appalling and repellant. This man should not make money from the murder of Levi Butler. Whoever encouraged him to write this book and make himself available for lectures and God knows what should not have done so. This man should perform penance in private and be very humble about it. He was given a second chance; Levi got no chance at all. ---In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com mailto:FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, <mjackson74@...> wrote : New Autobiography Gives Insight into Maharishi Murder Tue, 19 Feb 2013, 14:47:52 EDT Edited by Debra Tone LANCASTER, Pa., Feb. 19, 2013 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) -- It is a story that could only be written by one person. A compelling autobiography that not only pushes the boundaries of sanity, it takes readers on a frightening voyage to meet it face-to-face. 'Murder and Misunderstanding; One Man's Escape from Insanity' (ISBN-13: 978-1479256969) is the story of Shuvender Sem, who on March 1, 2004 became known as 'The Maharishi Murderer.' LANCASTER, Pa., Feb. 19, 2013 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) -- It is a story that could only be written by one person. A compelling autobiography that not only pushes the boundaries of sanity, it takes readers on a frightening voyage to meet it face-to-face. "Murder and Misunderstanding; One Man's Escape from Insanity" (ISBN-13: 978-1479256969) is the story of Shuvender Sem, who on March 1, 2004 became known as "The Maharishi Murderer." The murder took place in Fairfield, Iowa, on the campus of a university that prided itself on non-violence. The Maharishi University of Management used a variety of techniques towards its non-violent goals including twice-daily use of Transcendental Meditation. It was to no small degree that this setting put the murder in the national spotlight. In one moment Sem was a college student. In the next he was "The Maharishi Murderer." Shuvender killed freshman Levi Butler without provocation on the campus by stabbing him four times in the chest with a paring knife. The murder took place following an incident earlier in the day when Sem stabbed a student with a pen. That previous incident led to the student getting seven stitches to his face. Deemed competent to stand trial, the judge ruled he was "not guilty by reason of insanity" at the request of both the defense and the prosecution. Against popular belief, NGRI is an extremely rare plea, used in less than one percent of criminal cases. A not guilty result is even more uncommon, occurring just one-quarter of one percent of the time. Now, after years of psychotropic medications and intense therapy, Shuvender is telling his story of schizophrenia in his autobiography, "Murder and Misunderstanding; One Man's Escape from Insanity." It is not only an extremely rare look into the mind of a killer from his own perspective, but it is also a deeply personal story that explores the darkest, most grim places of the mind. "Our mental health system is broken. We need to fix this before more crimes are committed," says Sem. In his book, Shuvender tells of his relationship with his father, and the events that led to that day on campus. He describes his struggle with, and eventual escape from this misunderstood illness. It is a story of recognition and realization. A story of redemption desired, and hope delivered. It is a book written to serve as a beacon for those with schizophrenia and their families, by a man who was held in its strongest grips, and managed to escape. Shuvender Sem, or Shubi as he is known, now speaks publicly about his experience with schizophrenia in the hopes of helping others. He is available for presentations and Q&A sessions for law enforcement, mental health groups, attorney associations, academic institutions and others who may feel they can benefit from his story. The self-told story of Shuvender Sem, "Murder and Misunderstanding; One Man's Escape from Insanity" is available at http://www.ShuvenderSem.com/ http://www.shuvendersem.com/ . The book is available in paperback; as well as Kindle, iPad and Nook digital editions.
