I've always hoped that I would never have to be ashamed of anything I did. I have tried to live
My live that way and for the most part I have succeeded at it. I know what I am going to say tonight.
I know that before I have finished I will be ashamed of it. I haven't been given much choice but I will
be ashamed none the less.
As I promised, this will be my third and final installment. I will first
re-outline the issue. Then I will recap what has transpired since my last installment.
Then I will give some brand new information and a fascinating perspective. Then I will be
done with this forever.
Constant recurring accusations have been made that I was abusive worked at Elan many years ago. These
Wild accusations have not been made by "legions" of people but one. In 30 years
Not one accusation has been made about me being abusive when I worked at Elan by anyone. Not one.
Except for the bizarre string of wild attacks by Matt Hoffman. In 30 years not a single person
has come forward with any first hand information that either accuses me directly of anything at all
or corroborates even one word of Matt's crazy, irresponsible and wild accusations. Nobody ever will because They never happened. On the other hand everything I say is corroboratable. Please feel free to check my statements out if you wish.
The issue here is not whether anyone was ever abused at Elan. It isn't was Elan good or bad. There is just one single issue. That is "was I abusive when I worked at Elan"? That has been addresses in vivid detail. Not one corroborated or corrobortable claim of me ever abusing has been made. Not one time in 30 years. None have been made on their own. None have been made when I asked for them, when I begged for them or when I have taunted and made fun of people to provoke them to produce a responsible accusation. This is because there aren't any. It never happened. It is a closed, dead issue.
The issue is not "was Elan good or bad?", it isn't "Did anything ever happen at Elan?". Those are interesting questions to some people I think. But not to me. To me the question is "Was Ken Zaretzky ever abusive to anyone when he was on the staff at Elan"?
That's the only question I am addressing here. Sorry. It has Ben quite clearly and convinceably answered.
One guy suggested that I change sides. I'm sorry, I have never been on a side. I'm not going to be on one now. I don't believe in sides.
Someone else posted a google link to some misspelling of my last name which turned up more of Matt's uncorroborated wild irresponsibly accusations.
So what? Someone said "Why don't you be a good person now"? Great question! I was a good person THEN. I don't have to redeem myself. I was a good person then,
I am one now, I have been a good person in between an I will continue to be. Matt said "We were kids, you were an Adult" while he was talking about events in 1973 and 1974. I was born in 1956 (September 3rd in case anyone wants to send a present). As most of us know September is the 9th of 12 months. It is at the
end of the year. In September of 1974 I turned 18. I was 17 during the first nine months of 1974 and the last 3 months of 1973, the first 9 months of 1973 I was 16. That may seem like an Adult to you Matt but to me that's a kid. Sorry, but thats just the math. I was a kid when I worked at Elan. Someone else said "Ken is a mensch". Thank you. I try to be, I will keep trying to be one. To other people who have sent supportive e-mails thank you very much. that meant a lot to me.
The last question that was raised that I feel is worth answering is "Why did it take Ken 3 years to defend himself against Matt's accusations?". Call it a mistake. I was trying to "take the high ground", to be classy. I believed that these accusations were too bizarre to dignify with a response. Actually I still do but I have
learned that some people don't deserve the high ground. That the high ground doesn't always work. I do think I have quite adequately defended myself. It is dead.
It is over forever. A word of warning. The next time someone makes an accusation like this against me make sure you can corroborate it. I won't "take the high ground" again. I learn from my mistakes. If anyone launches another series of bizarre, wild, untrue accusations agains me again they will find that they will be on the receiving end of a lawsuit within days. I hope this doesn't happen.
Now that I've answered all the questions that have been raised. I'll keep my word on exposing why I believe Matt Hoffman seems to "Make Up" these stories about me. You see, I don't think Matt is lying. He believes what he says. There are quite a number of "stories" that Matt tells that are mixed together. What I mean is stories that may have true parts, but have nothing to do with each other being woven together into one story with a different meaning.
For example:
Matt tells a story about Jimmy Shipplett.
Here's the true story:
Jimmy was a friend of mine, Matt knew him, but barely. Jimmy and john Brakey and I shared a trailor together for a while after i graduated. we used to shoot 22's in the back yard for fun. One time Jimmy and I got in trouble (Big trouble) for taking the pistols to a bar (Yes, I know, VERY stupid thing to do, we were 17). There was a group about it and Jimmy told the truth. I lied. This was a few weeks after I graduated. I ended up pulled back in for a few weeks. It was actually not bad for me at the time.
A few months later Jimmy Shipplett joined the Marines. He was was back about 8 months later. presumeably because he had been kicked out. I never knew why but just assumed it was
because he was too crazy (jimmy was known for that).
Around this time the staff at Elan five (which was in Auburn at the time) ad been suspended. Joe Ricci and I went over to Elan Five to be the staff (This basically meant I worked all day, slept there at night and did all the work. Luckily, it was just for a week. This was actually my first day on the staff of Elan.
Some time during that week or so I got a call from Joe telling me not to talk to the press and that Jimmy's girlfriend Cathy, had been arrested and that Jimmy had tried to bust into the Portland Police department, "guns a blazing", to break her out. The police had blown him away. Jimmy Shipplett was dead.
everything I outlined above can be corroborated.
Matt tells this story...:
Ken Zaretzky gave Jimmy Shipplett a gun and drove him to the portland police station where he was blown away because of evil ken.
Not true, but Matt believes it.
Matt says that he drank qwell shampoo because of pressure and abuse at Elan. He did it because of Elan. Everyone here felt pressure at Elan. Some also felt abused, How many drank Qwell Shampoo? No, I would say that Matt drank Qwell Shampoo because of Matt. He was predisposed to do something like that.
Just my opinion.
Here's the big one,,,,I will be ashamed of saying this after it's printed. But it's a decision I have made.
When Matt Hoffman was a resident at Elan 2A in the middle of the night he snuck up behind a young man named Robert Abrams and stuck a kitchen knife in his back.
This is ABSOLUTELY corroboratable and verifiable. This is the incident that caused the terrible shot down, gm's and people not liking him that Matt keeps talking about. Matt didn't do something wrong, he didn't break a rule. He snuck up behind a kid in the middle of the night and stuck a knife into his back almost killing him. The oxford and Androscoggin county sherrifs both wanted to have Matt arrested for attempted murder. Through Gerry Davidsons assertion that Matt was quite insane and agreements between robert Abrams parents, the the sherrifs departments and Elan, criminal prosecution for attempted murder was avoided. Granted, Matt hoffmans stay at Elan after that was I'm sure, quite far from pleasant.
Why did Matt do it? Matt will say it was because of pressure and abuse at Elan. Everyone here felt preassure at Elan and some felt abused. How many snuck up behind a young man in the middle of
the night and stuck a kitchen knife in his back?
Mathiam Cornelius Hoffman did. Nobody else.
Did he do it because of Elan? I think not. Otherwise we all would have. No, I would have to assert that Matt Hoffman stabbed Robert Abrams at Elan 2A because of Matt Hoffman.
He either did it because he wanted to or because he was so psychotic that he was compelled to by his psychosis. I have no idea which.
Matt goes on and on that he suddenly got all his memories back because joer ricci said two words on tv. Maybe thats true. Matts memories in that case came back quite jumbled and mixed up. Either that or he's lying. I have no idea which.
Presumeably, the reason why Matt had this "amnesia" was because of his elan experience. This could be true. After Matt stabbed someone his Elan experience was quite far from comfortable or pleasant. Matt says he was scarred for life by Elan. I really don't know if he was or not. I do know one thing for absolute certain. Robert Abrams was scarred for life by Matt Hoffman.
That?s it. I did what I promised I would. I'm not proud of it but it had to be done.
It's been a full week since i dared anyone to give a first hand account of me being abusive to anyone. All people have done is talk about other issues. There is nobody who can provide a first hand account of me abusing anyone when I was on the staff of Elan because I never did it. and in 30 years not one person (besides Matt) has said so. Nobody has come forward to corobborate one word of Matt's accusations. Nobody ever will. They never happened.
This issue is dead. It's over. It's closed. Of course, I expect a few people to go on and on. Matt Will. He won't be able to stop. he's believed his fantasies for so long he can't be without them. Art will. Art needs to feel important. He chimes in whenever my name comes up. I think that Art doesn't have much life of his own. By making himself the "guy who took on Ken Zaretzky" I think he must find some internal sense of importance. I have never met Art, i did have two or three telephone conversations with him though. I consider Art to be a rather pathetic character. He doesn't enrage me. I do find him somewhat annoying. I believe it's easier to just ignore him than to engage in his endless tit for tat. I will continue to do so. In the case of Ginger, I don't know her, I don't know why she does what she does and I really don't care. She doesn't know me either and that?s just fine. This conversation wasn't about Elan. It was about me and accusations that were being made about me. That conversation is over. I won't be replying to anything else written here. If anyone wants to talk to me ElanAlum.com is where you can do that.
Best Wishes,
Ken Zaretzky
