I now know that I am not meant to find or feel love, peace, or sanctuary on this Earth. This is because God knows that the pain the Devil inflicts on me on this Earth will only sharpen the judicial and evidentiary blade that I deploy against evil within the Iowa Supreme Court.

I live to serve the Lord My God. Everything is as God wills it.

#pain

#golgotha

United States Department of Veterans Affairs:

Subj:  Freedom of Information Request (5 U.S.C. § 552)/SITREP

1.  I am respectfully requesting a status update on my Freedom of Information Request (5 U.S.C. § 552) dated 05 SEP 2025.

2.  Additionally I am requesting the personnel name, electronic mail address, and USPS mailing address for all Military Sexual Trauma Coordinators within the following:

     (a.)  All VISN Headquarters

     (b.) All VA Medical Centers

     (c.) All CBOC within VISN 23

https://io.phoenixharbor.net/public/grid/BOsT1pTeqyUS489cpXKY52SDl3pnBgFA38ltCvRf6WI

Health SITREP

I have the following VA appointments tomorrow:

Thursday, September 25 ? 9:00 – 9:30 AM
Dennis, Susan Diane/515-699-5807 – Mental Health

Thursday, September 25 ? 9:30 – 10:30 AM
Royston, Clint Patrick/515-699-5999 – Mental Health  

The evidence indicates that I never received a telehealth link to attend these appointments.  It is my understanding these are generally sent out the day before scheduled appointments.  I went to the Marshalltown CBOC today and asked for assistance correcting this anomaly and I was told by the receptionist with brown hair in the middle desk that she had no access to correct this and that I had to call the Des Moines, IA VA.  I informed her that I do not currently have a phone and I asked if I could call the Des Moines, IA, VA at their location and I was told that was not possible.

Due to these circumstances I am requesting the following:

1.  Electronic mail correspondence including a telehealth link to attend these appointments, or

2.  The rescheduling of these appointments including the implementation of telehealth because I do not have a car to travel to these appointments.

These appointments were transferred to the Des Moines, IA, VA Medical Center, Building 6M, due to the evidence of the alleged failure of the Marshalltown, IA CBOC mental health personnel to treat and properly diagnose service-connected mental health disabilities. This failure led to two six-week inpatient treatment events in 2023 and 2025.

During these events, personnel at the Des Moines, IA, VA Medical Center DOM documented previously undocumented post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in 2023 and military sexual trauma (MST) in 2025. At the same time, the professional and compassionate personnel at Des Moines, IA, VA Medical Center DOM corrected and removed the improper diagnosis of a Cluster B Personality Disorder.

In my future complaint to the United States Department of Veterans Affairs and the United States Department of Justice Civil Rights Division, I will be providing a declaratory thesis supported by historical evidence and the DSM-5-TR (5th Edition, Text Revision). This thesis will provide a reasonable conclusion that the Department of Veterans Affairs negligently and improperly diagnosed a twenty-year United States Navy Veteran—with over a decade of Department of Defense mental health tracking—with a Cluster B Personality Disorder, despite zero medical record evidence of such an issue.

I believe the evidence will support a reasonable conclusion that this negligent and improper diagnosis, made by female VA mental health professionals who failed to properly identify military sexual trauma (MST) affecting a male victim, overlooked the trauma symptoms that in fact pointed to an MST/PTSD diagnosis. The basis for this alleged improper and negligent psychiatric diagnosis was not the Veteran’s documented United States Department of Defense historical mental health records or behavioral patterns, but rather a systemic failure to properly identify MST trauma symptoms.  The historical events documented within this case provide evidence supporting there could be many more male Veterans suffering from these symptoms in the post-#MeToo era that the United States Department of Veterans Affairs has possibly failed to provide proper and equal access to health care.

For further reference on MST, see: VA MST Resource

The Form of the Salem Witch Trial Theorem and the Circumvention of American Justice

As we reflect on the historical events and publicly documented evidence from the height of the social “#MeToo Movement” (see me too international), we must ask as a nation:

Was this movement, including alleged victims of sexual abuse, rooted in due process and proper American justice? Or did it, in some instances, manifest as crowd-sourced cyberbullying on social media platforms, organized by what evidence now reveals were actual assailants targeting malicious and heinous attacks through the hashtag #MeToo, that targeted male citizens for personal or legal leverage?

The Federal Bureau of Investigation has noted the existence of false allegations of adult crimes (see FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin), and historical evidence shows that some #MeToo-era accusations were later challenged in court, where accusers were found to have presented no supporting evidence. At the same time, court records demonstrate that allegations of sexual abuse were deployed by a #MeToo supporter (Claudia J. Bergman f.k.a Claudia J. Merritt a.k.a Claudia J. Alatorre) in the immediate aftermath of legal separation for what evidence now shows was personal and strategic gain (see San Diego East County Superior Court Case ED100465, 16 SEP 2021).

(Note: The originator of this correspondence was a pro se party in San Diego East County Superior Court case ED100465, following the dismissal of legal counsel who had sought a nondisclosure agreement (NDA). The NDA was later abandoned after the availability of additional evidence supporting attorney misconduct delayed the release of attorney work-product records.)

The Form of Crush Depth

It is unfortunate that after serving the rights and liberties of others, we live in a world where the honorable men and women of the United States Armed Forces are required to defend their families and their own rights and liberties against those the historical record shows they have spent their entire lives serving.

Standing the watch in the defense of others is all that I know how to do. I have never witnessed or known defeat because I have never stopped working until I have reached the threshold of success and mission completion.

I am unmoved, uninspired, and undeterred from the evidence of disregard, discrimination, criminalization, corruption, and unethical and alleged criminal conduct I have experienced while standing this watch. It is nothing more to me than seasoning within a meal I will ultimately lawfully serve the country that I served for the benefit of others.

The depths of severe depression are not something we need to fear. They are moments of darkness through which the Light of God will faithfully lead us. Panic does not reflect a true situation report (SITREP), but only the lies spun by the Adversary in his attempt to bring defeat.

Honor, Courage, and Commitment demand that we never give up the ship, nor forsake our country, no matter how deep into the darkness of the ocean’s abyss evil seeks to consume us.

“The study of ethics is a pursuit of understanding the philosophical nature of right and wrong in its most perfect form. A society’s justice system is an ever-evolving pursuit of that perfection. Corruption is the cultural, political, or personal bias that overrules and interferes with that system.”  Perfection, Flaws, and Corruption

Legal Disclaimer: Phoenix Harbor (2025-00002034) is a registered trade name in Marshall County, IA.

Iowa Public Information Board Complaint – State of Iowa Attorney General’s Office

Date of Alleged Violation:

22 July 2025

Government Employees/Officials Involved:

Bird, Brenna (State of Iowa Attorney General) – https://phoenixharbor.net/2025/07/10/declaration-and-evidence-of-attorney-misconduct-attorney-general-brenna-bird/

Peterzalek, Jeffrey – Jeffrey.Peterzalek@ag.iowa.gov – https://phoenixharbor.net/2025/07/10/declaration-and-evidence-of-attorney-misconduct-deputy-attorney-general-jeffrey-peterzalek/

Bull, Ed – Ed.Bull@ag.iowa.gov – https://phoenixharbor.net/2025/07/10/declaration-and-evidence-of-attorney-misconduct-deputy-attorney-general-edward-bull/

Krisko, Susan – Susan.Krisko@ag.iowa.gov – https://phoenixharbor.net/2025/07/10/declaration-and-evidence-of-attorney-misconduct-deputy-attorney-general-susan-krisko/

Wessan, Eric – Eric.Wessan@ag.iowa.gov – https://phoenixharbor.net/2025/07/10/declaration-and-evidence-of-attorney-misconduct-deputy-attorney-general-eric-wessan/

Olson, Leif – leif.olson@ag.iowa.gov – https://phoenixharbor.net/2025/07/10/declaration-and-evidence-of-attorney-misconduct-deputy-attorney-general-leif-olson/

Barnes, Daniel – daniel.barnes@ag.iowa.gov – https://phoenixharbor.net/2025/07/10/declaration-and-evidence-of-attorney-misconduct-deputy-attorney-general-daniel-barnes/

Breitbarth, Dan – Dan.Breitbarth@ag.iowa.gov – https://phoenixharbor.net/2025/07/10/declaration-and-evidence-of-attorney-misconduct-assistant-attorney-general-dan-breitbarth/

Hoffman, Zach – Zach.Hoffman@ag.iowa.gov

Government Entity Involved:
Iowa Attorney General’s Office

Alleged Violation:
Iowa Code Chapter 22

Other Persons with Information:
All State of Iowa recipients of this email, including members of the Iowa press (excluding U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs personnel), as reflected in the State of Iowa’s email public records and my investigative files. Many of these individuals have been routinely updated on this matter since 2019.

Description of Alleged Violation:
Failure to release an email public record, including the email address of Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird. This record was sought in connection with a request for emails showing the Iowa Attorney General’s Office’s involvement in actions by former IPIB Executive Director Erika Eckley. The correspondence in question relates to alleged violations of Iowa Code Chapter 216, involving the Iowa Department of Public Safety, the Office of the Chief Information Officer, and the Iowa Attorney General’s Office. The matter also concerns former Deputy Attorney General and IPIB Chair Julie Pottorff (See:  https://io.phoenixharbor.net/public/grid/OD960dOh8sc-aKmQXAfSLmFuIXU4JNn0fEUZK4xT0po), and numerous entities involved in representing government interests.

https://admin.phoenixharbor.net/share/r8TI1YGBS1OZRucAWcn5zInsWEk1oz0QocKWMUkBUGF91I7Xu7

https://admin.phoenixharbor.net/share/wDxfQAfBFHzVCrRKKE4ZTHSV5BtNIywkMpXIkyN5MAiFtNmtib

Personal Contact Information:

Michael J. Merritt
2510 S 6th Street D24
Marshalltown, IA 50158
pyrebird@ops.phoenixharbor.net

Below is documentation regarding the State of Iowa’s relocation of a former Iowa Public Information Board Executive Director and the changes made to her official contact email account. Historical records and public reporting suggest these changes may be linked to prior conduct concerns stored and preserved in the former executive director’s previous email account.  These materials are being prepared for submission to the Iowa Judicial Branch and federal regulators.

1.  https://ethics.iowa.gov/news-and-announcements/2025-05-14/eckley-appointed-ethics-director

2.  https://web.archive.org/web/20250316093348/https://www.legis.iowa.gov/publications/departments/details?groupID=333

3.  https://www.legis.iowa.gov/publications/departments/details?groupID=84

4. https://phoenixharbor.net/2025/06/25/declaration-and-evidence-of-attorney-misconduct-iowa-public-information-board-executive-director-erika-eckley/

5. https://phoenixharbor.net/2025/07/11/the-jurisprudence-of-the-iowa-judicial-branchs-form-of-law-and-ethics/

6. https://phoenixharbor.net/2025/07/14/the-form-of-light-revealing-evidence-of-cracks-in-the-iowa-judicial-branchs-limestone/

7. https://iowacapitaldispatch.com/2023/09/22/how-one-mans-actions-led-to-proposed-new-limits-on-public-records-access/

Below are news references I believe should prompt Iowans to consider the affiliations and actions of certain State of Iowa leaders.

8.  https://iowacapitaldispatch.com/2024/05/13/ag-brenna-bird-travels-to-new-york-joins-trump-for-hush-money-trial-appearance/

9.  https://www.npr.org/2024/05/07/1249318101/stormy-daniels-trump-trial-new-york

10.  https://www.npr.org/2024/05/30/nx-s1-4977352/trump-trial-verdict

11.  https://www.gettyimages.com/photos/donald-trump-miss-teen-usa

12. https://www.cnn.com/interactive/2018/politics/trump-business-empire/?asset=90

13.  https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jul/18/trump-epstein-friendship

14.  https://apnews.com/article/trump-rape-carroll-trial-fe68259a4b98bb3947d42af9ec83d7db

15.  https://abcnews.go.com/US/appeals-court-upholds-sex-crimes-conviction-jeffrey-epstein/story?id=113755904

16.  https://www.npr.org/2025/07/07/g-s1-76367/doj-jeffrey-epstein-memo

17.  https://www.newsweek.com/karoline-leavitt-bondi-desk-jeffrey-epstein-client-list-2095628

18.  https://www.npr.org/2025/07/15/g-s1-77698/pam-bondi-jeffrey-epstein-justice-department

19.  https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/elections/endorsement/2024/03/07/iowa-governor-kim-reynolds-senator-joni-ernst-endorse-donald-trump-for-president-over-joe-biden-2024/72882340007/

20.  https://iowacapitaldispatch.com/2024/07/16/iowa-ag-brenna-bird-tells-rnc-supporting-trump-means-supporting-law-enforcement/

21. https://www.npr.org/2024/01/26/1227277229/the-court-was-tense-today-as-jury-ordered-trump-to-pay-e-jean-carroll-83-3-milli

22. https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/appeals-court-upholds-e-jean-carrolls-83-3-million-defamation-judgment-against-trump

Evidence regarding Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird’s handling of testimony and evidence related to the alleged interstate concealment of two children, who, as documented, were concealed from court-ordered appearances in San Diego East County Superior Court Case No. ED100465 and thereby prevented from providing testimony involving allegations of sexual abuse. At the same time, they were concealed in Ames, Iowa by Iowa State University Reiman Gardens Education Director Sara Merritt. Nearly 1,000 pages of public records show that Sara Merritt, at the time, coordinated field trips for State of Iowa public school children to visit Iowa State University’s Reiman Gardens.

23. https://admin.phoenixharbor.net/share/FPlDvj4Av87trvx3WiPLP8gtp88wZxDTA5IQMlty3kmQjRaMqT

24. https://admin.phoenixharbor.net/share/H96aMyG8V6EeQIX77f8F17hNgTsCj09AXuBWkaBkxPmAHEzeiP

25. https://admin.phoenixharbor.net/share/0ubZaVDdPb0oDPbhn0OQ6DPkLWvgrFMWhVamtfqZgSSk7duwDH

26, (a.) https://admin.phoenixharbor.net/share/0Ch3QctPPlTZWSc58yqA2n1uLlI97JWRgACOdy6ailn6bvIxNN

(b.) https://admin.phoenixharbor.net/share/QbN6vSqMBEzaYwdLL0v6mLOSRnxT8SpAi8qcQ8ftL04gyR2dQe

27. (a.) https://admin.phoenixharbor.net/share/xvrv2Uq6U8KmAjsKCIMSSFjVefbfmtmBGUyeIBouJ4zbAWZrij

(b.) https://admin.phoenixharbor.net/share/EWWz69S6SJIOKz15kbuakhkfT4MsUbQpE9yv56ORcIgalIGmCp

28. (a.) https://admin.phoenixharbor.net/share/djUEB54maudTzRkba5fg0k3V0kX77gqmvbJK9F62HeJGQVEeF4

(b.) https://admin.phoenixharbor.net/share/WkPk18FwqEhpw2nRf24K6bMwloXhaL2m3HiPCBN9Tcv1F1pVSt

(c.) https://admin.phoenixharbor.net/share/pkDQ2INBtjz2arIyFXuGetKgR8Jn5Oqj4ax6zX5ndNsLrWXqiZ

(d.) https://admin.phoenixharbor.net/share/6kTH6XrdXC8KE3KUtVwIWPSLMuw5XZciml0fv2jWphYEq2Vusf

(e.) https://admin.phoenixharbor.net/share/3gDSoqp76x6FUeOqwU7ZAcMcz7ivzZDG6Pq8JrwD7DvXf3Nqgh

(f.) https://admin.phoenixharbor.net/share/uJi8cbGKHnZ8lkJcwmvY4TceMMqoazYI2OWapyyBaWSvEsosf1

(g.) https://admin.phoenixharbor.net/share/9yZIeHkNLBo2I0vrEZZcuf3vNjayAFXJoiuV9aUDuek4OpQPQq (Note:  Ames IA, Community School District released student information protected by the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act  of 1974 (FERPA – 1974) during a request for public records pursuant to Iowa Code Chapter 22.)

Ames Community School District in Ames, Iowa, maintains educational records showing that Sara Merritt enrolled my children in the district at the same time they were under court order to provide testimony regarding alleged sexual abuse reported by Claudia J. Bergman (f.k.a. Claudia J. Merritt, a.k.a. Claudia J. Alatorre) in San Diego East County Superior Court Case No. ED100465. Evidence indicates that Claudia J. Bergman, Sara N. Merritt, and Matthew E. Merritt coordinated the concealment of my children across the states of California, Iowa, and Montana. At that time, neither Matthew E. Merritt nor Sara N. Merritt possessed any court documents authorizing the out-of-state transfer of my children or the unauthorized custody they recorded on Ames Community School District registration forms.

It is my belief that a reasonable conclusion can be drawn that the State of Iowa’s repeated attempts to criminalize me directly correlate with its possible desire to discredit my investigation, protect institutional credibility (related to these events and subsequent public records requests and complaints), and conceal evidence showing that taxpayer dollars were used to fund the education of two students whom Ames Community School District registered without properly verifying authorized custody. At the same time, evidence indicates that their minors’ counselor, Meredith Levin (#226437), did not know where her clients were located or who had custody of them.

The evidence revealing the true form and ethics of Iowa’s leadership is shown not only in its attempts to criminalize me for pursuing the Truth in the Light of God, but also in overwhelming proof of municipal, county, and state inaction. The record demonstrates deliberate disregard and complete failure over years of events.

I believe the evidence showing Governor Kim Reynolds’ indirect handling of these matters, through her historical non-responses to public records requests and through the subsequent complaints related to records requests seeking data about these events that were submitted to state officials she appointed and which the evidence shows were ignored or improperly dismissed, is consistent with her public act of kissing a politician on stage who was implicated in the very conduct described in the referenced news articles (see Reference 19).

It is not logical to expect Attorney General Brenna Bird to protect children from what the evidence shows was interstate concealment and sexual abuse when the record also shows she traveled to New York to stand beside a man whom the Associated Press reported was found liable for sexual abuse in civil court (see Reference 8). At the same time, the evidence shows she supports a President with questionable ties to individuals and organizations that evidence indicates are involved in the sexual exploitation of children.

The Sailor’s Creed

I am a United States Sailor.

I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States of America
and I will obey the orders of those appointed over me.

I represent the fighting spirit of the Navy and those who have gone before me
to defend freedom and democracy around the world.

I proudly serve my country’s Navy combat team with Honor, Courage and Commitment.

I am committed to excellence and the fair treatment of all.

The sum of my work in this investigation has little to do with my military training, my education, or my obsessive-compulsive disorder.  It has everything to do with Jesus Christ carrying me during moments when I wanted to give up while revealing a glowing thumb drive in darkness containing the Truth that was believed to have been lost.

“The Law came in so that the offense would increase; but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more,“

Romans 5:20, New American Standard Bible

Respectfully,

Michael J. Merritt, USN (Ret.)Founder, Phoenix HarborWriter/MusicianOSINT/Information Warfare SpecialistInformation Systems Manager
2510 S 6th St. D24
Marshalltown, IA 50158
Matrix/Element
pyrebird@phoenixharbor.net (PGP)
Fingerprint: 6223 16C7 F3CA 5A3A DAF2 6164 22E2 C888 3B06 BCC1
@pyrebird@journal.phoenixharbor.net
eng.phoenixharbor.net/pyrebird
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“The study of ethics is a pursuit of understanding the philosophical nature of right and wrong in its most perfect form. A society’s justice system is an ever-evolving pursuit of that perfection. Corruption is the cultural, political, or personal bias that overrules and interferes with that system.”  Perfection, Flaws, and Corruption

Legal Disclaimer:Cipher Hunter (2025-00002035) is a registered trade name in Marshall County, IA. Cipher Hunter is a division within the Phoenix Harbor network of web properties.

This correspondence does not communicate, imply, or endorse any past, present, or future violation of the United States Code or the Iowa Code. It is submitted solely for the lawful purpose of documenting the lived experience of injustice and respectfully demanding adherence to our laws and the ethical standards and disciplinary procedures set forth by the Iowa Judicial Branch pursuant to Iowa Court Rules.

The section “The Sailor’s Creed” includes the United States Navy Sailor’s Creed including the very definition of honor, courage, and commitment to duty. The included video’s intent is to communicate a creative allegory supporting this creed and promise to the American people that no matter how dark the night becomes at sea or how many days have passed without fair winds and following seas we will stand this watch until every order is executed and every lawful act is completed until the completion of our mission and deployment.

This correspondence contains expressions of public sentiment and a redress of grievances protected by the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States of America and by Article I, §§ 1, 2, and 7 of the Constitution of the State of Iowa.

State of Iowa Department of Revenue:

Introduction

Good morning I appreciate your time in reading this correspondence. The events and difficulties I have navigated within the State of Iowa since retiring from the United States Navy that have manifested the path I am on and the condition that I currently find myself in are irrelevant.  Personal deficiencies that manifest within our lives while trying to navigate adversity and crisis can either be met with excuses or productive solutions that will produce logical, ethical, and lawful resolution.  I retired from the United States Navy in 2017. My state taxes from 2017–2020 while I was investigating the concealment of my children across the states of California, Iowa (Ames), and Montana were filed improperly and failed to protect my rights and liberties granted by the State of Iowa legislature pursuant to Iowa Code § 422.7(20)(a) (see all Senate File 303 (85th General Assembly, 2014).  

From 2020 – 2024 I managed life variables that crippled my ability to optimally and proficiently maintain scheduled operational life events leading to the delinquency of my 2021 – 2024 annual tax returns while improperly calculated balances filed between 2017 – 2020 accumulated interest and penalties.  At the same time, as the historical record shows I have only accumulated approximately $15,000 – $20,000 of taxable income between 2017 and 2022.  Furthermore, my understanding of Iowa Code § 422.13 and Iowa Code § 422.7(20)(a) indicates that I have not had a legal requirement to file a tax return in the State of Iowa since 2023.  During the summer of 2025 prior to the State of Iowa’s transmission of Letter ID:  L0007388127 I completed my legal requirement regarding filing my state returns for 2021 and 2022 and it is my understanding that my return that was within statute was applied to my balance that accumulated during 2017 – 2020.

In late August I set up a payment arrangement with the Iowa Department of Revenue for the balance shown in Letter ID:  L0007388127 and I purchased a money order to complete my 01 SEP 2025 payment.  At the same time, the evidence I have indicates the State of Iowa Department of Revenue failed to send correspondence confirming the payment arrangement nor did it provide correspondence including a payment stub confirming the amount due on 01 SEP 2025 and which office within the Iowa Department of Revenue (i.e. main office, collections office, etc.) to send the payment.  Due to current circumstances I have cashed the money order I had purchased to send to the Iowa Department of Revenue so that I have money for food.  I have invested everything that I have in the work that I do and I will not abandon it until it reaches a logical and lawful conclusion.

I feel zero grief or guilt regarding these events. My state and federal tax filings from 1997–2017, prior to moving back to Iowa after honorably retiring from the United States Navy, provide no evidence of a similar pattern of delinquency. My historical record shows consistency, supporting the conclusion that issues after 2017 arose from external variables, not neglect.  This provides evidence supporting a reasonable conclusion that the current state of my tax balance possibly has more to do with the dynamics and variables I have been forced to navigate regarding evidence supporting municipal, county, state, and federal negligence and misconduct that I have endured from 2017 – 2025 that has significantly impacted my health and ability to pursue life and liberty in accordance with the constitutions of the State of Iowa and the United States of America.  Regardless, these related tax matters require resolving and I am currently in the process of accommodating this legal requirement.

Plan of Action

1. 2023 Federal Income Tax Return will be filed before 30 SEP 2025 as I instructed my H&R Tax preparer at 204 E Linn St Ste C, Marshalltown, IA 50158 during June/July of 2025.
2. 2024 Federal Income Tax Return will be filed before 30 SEP 2025 as I instructed my H&R Tax preparer at 204 E Linn St Ste C, Marshalltown, IA 50158 during June/July of 2025.
3. 2017 – 2020 State of Iowa amended tax returns will be filed before 31 OCT 2025 which should neutralize my entire documented delinquent tax liability shown in Letter ID:  L0007388127.

Strategic and Tactical Context

As the historical evidence shows I have experienced nothing more from the leadership of the State of Iowa, Jasper County, IA, the City of Newton, IA, and the City of Marshalltown, IA, than its failure to protect my children and I from documented domestic abuse (City of Newton, IA, Jasper County, IA), service connectable military sexual trauma (City of Newton, IA, Jasper County, IA), the persecution, criminalization, and discrimination of my service-connected mental health disabilities (State of Iowa, Iowa Attorney General’s Office, Iowa Department of Public Safety, Iowa Public Information Board, Iowa Civil Rights Commission, City of Marshalltown, IA), concealment of public records related to these events (State of Iowa, Jasper County, IA, City of Newton, IA, Marshalltown, IA, Ames, IA, Iowa Public Information Board, etc.), nearly half a million in fraud while preventing access to public records (City of Marshalltown,IA), and evidence supporting a strategic and purposeful action by the Iowa Judicial Branch to minimize and suppress evidence of state-wide attorney misconduct since 2012 which I will be presenting to state and federal officials in the upcoming weeks.  

My retirement benefits post into my Paypal account at the end of every month.  My account and routing information are available to the State of Iowa immediately upon request should it determine to follow through with the levy articulated in Letter ID:  L0007388127.  I respectfully submit the following to the leadership of the State of Iowa:  If the leadership of the State of Iowa intends to pursue a levy, let that action stand as a public admission and evidence supporting its hypocrisy: enforcing the law selectively against a retired U.S. Navy veteran while documented failures to uphold the law as the evidence supports that I have provided the elected and appointed leadership of the State of Iowa remain ignored and unaddressed.  I will continue to lawfully investigate the elected and appointed leadership of this state and their alleged failure to manifest and adhere to our laws to protect the lives of others from being impacted as the evidence shows my family’s lives were.  Let’s see where we both stand when the dust settles.

The Marshall County, IA Recorder can be reached at:
Nan Benson
Auditor/Recorder
1 E Main St
Marshalltown, IA 50158
Phone: 641-754-6323
nbenson@marshallcountyia.gov

The Form of the Pyrewolf In The Light of the Wolf Moon

When we take complete ownership and responsibility for the evidence of our historical conduct and the life events we encounter we seize control and operational risk management of variables that the Adversary may wish to exploit against us.  At the same time, those who produce minimal evidence of adhering to our laws weaken their position within moral influence regarding being deserving of a position that provides them with the authority to enforce the law.

To lawfully dismantle the evil that seeks to destroy our nation all that is required is the honor, courage, and commitment to lead the evidence of its historical misconduct into a collision course with its current trajectory.

Never fear the Adversary; lead it to its lawful conclusion.

Respectfully,

Michael J. Merritt, USN (Ret.)
Founder, Phoenix Harbor
Writer/Musician
OSINT/Information Warfare Specialist
Information Systems Manager
2510 S 6th St. D24
Marshalltown, IA 50158
Matrix/Element
pyrebird@phoenixharbor.net (PGP)
Fingerprint: 6223 16C7 F3CA 5A3A DAF2 6164 22E2 C888 3B06 BCC1
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pyrebird – dev.phoenixharbor.net
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“The study of ethics is a pursuit of understanding the philosophical nature of right and wrong in its most perfect form. A society’s justice system is an ever-evolving pursuit of that perfection. Corruption is the cultural, political, or personal bias that overrules and interferes with that system.”  Perfection, Flaws, and Corruption

Legal Disclaimer:Phoenix Harbor (2025-00002034) is a registered trade name in Marshall County, IA.

Mrs. Covington:

Good afternoon, Ma’am. I am preparing correspondence to the Secretary of the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, the Honorable Doug Collins, regarding my historical evidentiary record of experiences with the United States Department of Veterans Affairs. I am preparing letters of appreciation for the following personnel and requesting confirmation of spelling or full names:

• Liz McNeil
• Jackie (Last Name Unknown), DOM Mental Health Provider
• Kendra Covington
• The name of the Respiratory Therapist who has helped me with my CPAP use through years of degraded use due to worsening OCD symptoms

Health Background

I was in the emergency room on 24 AUG 2025 with pain in my upper right quadrant, and over the course of specifically the last year—and cumulatively the last few years—I have been feeling increasingly sick and fatigued.

I have taken time off from my investigative work to stabilize my health, including the following steps:

• Implementation of a 30-Day Med Center with 4 daily alarms to track VA prescription medication use due to increased mental fog and problems focusing
• Daily tracking of vitals to isolate symptoms of organic system failure
• Construction of a database to track and automate life management processes to help improve my health while investigating government corruption that led to the collapse and destruction of my family for the purpose of protecting the lives of others

Experience with VA Care

I had an experience today with my VA primary care provider, Dr. Jensen of the Marshalltown CBOC, that left me emotionally distraught because it seemed very evident to me that she possessed no compassion or empathy for what I am going through, or cared about my attempt to explain the deterioration of my health in context with historical events.

I have experienced numerous events where VA health care providers have provided feedback that indicated a conclusion had been reached that I am damaging myself because I should just move on with my life. At the same time, these same individuals—who have family and friends—never expressed the same sentiment when I invested twenty years of my life defending their lives, in contrast to the last few years I have spent advocating for myself and the lives of others while providing a public record of evidence.

This evidence supports:

• Gender-based discrimination related to military sexual trauma (MST) and domestic abuse (see Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act ? 42 U.S.C. § 18116 )
• Sexual-orientation-based discrimination related to MST (see Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act ? 42 U.S.C. § 18116 )
• Sexual-identity-based discrimination related to symptoms of MST (see Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act ? 42 U.S.C. § 18116)
• Inconsistent care for heterosexual males with symptoms of MST compared to similar care provided to members of the LGBTQ+ community (see Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act ? 42 U.S.C. § 18116 )
• Inconsistent provision and failure to provide health care and federal benefits based upon service-connected mental health-based discrimination (see Rehabilitation Act of 1973 ? 29 U.S.C. § 794 (Section 504))
• State of Iowa–based discrimination, criminalization, and persecution of service-connected mental health disabilities (see Iowa Code Chapter 216) for what evidence indicates was desired strategic, tactical, civil, professional, or personal gain

Military Sexual Trauma (MST) Coordinator

I am also requesting the name of the female Des Moines VA Medical Center Military Sexual Trauma Coordinator who denied me health care because, in her words, I was not a victim of MST since there was no penetration. This was the conclusion she arrived at during a phone interview with me for indoctrination for care and health benefits.

I will be presenting an evidentiary record suggesting that this alleged institutional, cultural, and social bias manifests as a default stereotype or bias—indicating that sexual trauma is only recognized within protected classes that have been penetrated by what evidence suggests is an institutional and societal default assailant group that possesses something that may be used for penetration.

Investigative Work

I am in the final stages of finalizing my investigative work product for state and federal agencies documenting systemic and institutional misconduct and corruption, supported by evidence of the Iowa Judicial Branch’s procedural posture toward covering up evidence of attorney misconduct within the State of Iowa pursuant to changes made in 2012 to the Iowa Rules of the Court. I have also implemented a safety plan and lawful operational risk management contingencies in preparation for future evidence, supported by a historical record of public evidence of attorney misconduct (see Iowa Rules of the Court Chapter 32) that indicates the Iowa Judicial Branch and its licensed community’s default practice to preserve institutional integrity is the persecution, discrimination, and criminalization of lawful whistleblowers that the Iowa Judicial Branch and its licensed community have determined are civil and lawful threats to their chosen internal institutional posture and procedures.

The reason this is an ethics war to me is because:

• I served this country for twenty years because I believe in what we as a people stand for.
• When I returned home, my life—as the evidence shows—was persecuted, discriminated against, and criminalized.
• This led to my interracial daughter being abandoned in an environment of white national supremacy, involving those who concealed her across three states, causing her to be homeless and the victim of being drugged and sexually assaulted.

I will be working with the State of Montana to collect public records documenting this for my complaint against Honorable Judge Miller and Honorable Judge Martin of San Diego East County Court with the California Judicial Council.

Freedom of Information Request (5 U.S.C. § 552)

1.  All United States Department of Veterans Affairs internal training materials related to Military Sexual Trauma utilized from 2017–2025.

2.  All United States Department of Veterans Affairs publicly published materials related to Military Sexual Trauma utilized from 2017–2025.

3.  All United States Department of Veterans Affairs internal training materials related to Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) from 2017–2025.

4.  All United States Department of Veterans Affairs publicly published materials related to Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) from 2017–2025.

Any fees (if required) to complete the processing of this freedom of information request are to be communicated and arranged with the records requester prior to the performance of this request.  Any fees requested by the United States of America without evidence of prior coordination with the records requester regarding any fees claimed will be disregarded by the originator of this request.

Conclusion

You are a good person, Mrs. Covington. Never forget that the light, hope, and positivity that evidence shows you manifest across your professional career may be one of the few rays of light that keep those who are damaged on course in this life and this world. Thank you for your service.  I am in the process of building a full org chart to facilitate my advancement into investigating the federal government and lawfully halting what evidence indicates has become a corrupt, unethical, discriminatory state and federal MAGA _____ show. 

Please update my email address with the VA to the following:

pyrebird@med.phoenixharbor.net

Respectfully,

Michael J. Merritt, USN (Ret.)
Founder, Phoenix Harbor
Writer/Musician
2510 S 6th St. D24
Marshalltown, IA 50158
(641) 387-9935
pyrebird@phoenixharbor.net
 phoenixharbor.net

Legal Disclaimer:Phoenix Harbor (2025-00002034) is a registered trade name in Marshall County, IA.

Iowa Judicial Branch:

1. Introduction

Within the Iowa Supreme Court Attorney Disciplinary Board 2024 Annual Report submitted pursuant to Iowa Court Rule 35.25, the court communicates under the section “Complaint Intake” on pages 5 and 6:

“Since 2012, Iowa Court Rule 35.4 has given the director for attorney discipline the discretion not to open an investigation when the information provided by the complainant, “if true, would not constitute misconduct or incapacity, or if the complaint is facially frivolous, stale, lacking in adequate factual detail, duplicative, or outside the board’s jurisdiction, or does not otherwise reasonably warrant investigation.

In 2024, approximately 756 potential complaints were filed with the Board. The director exercised her discretion to decline to open investigations of at least 445 of them. Each potential complainant was notified of the decision not to investigate; many complainants chose to resubmit complaints with additional supporting documentation.”

Iowa Supreme Court Attorney Disciplinary Board. 2024 Annual Report: Attorney Disciplinary Board and Grievance Commission. Iowa Judicial Branch, 2024, https://www.iowacourts.gov/static/media/cms/2024_ADB_and_GC_Annual_Report_1B6DD9BD5DA9C.pdf.

2. Records Requested

The following public records request is being submitted to the Iowa Judicial Branch pursuant to Iowa Code § 22.4(2):

(a.) The Iowa Judicial Branch is requested to provide a copy of the 445 or more (“The director exercised her discretion to decline to open investigations of at least 445 of them”) complaints the Iowa Judicial Branch has publicly documented that, “The director exercised her discretion to decline to open…”  Please produce the full text of each of the 445 or more declined complaints referenced in the 2024 Annual Report, including any written intake, dismissal, or explanatory documentation. This request does not presume or concede confidentiality under Iowa Code Chapter 22 and Iowa Code § 22.7, nor does it authorize the redaction or withholding of any record not explicitly protected by law and supported with a legal justification and burden-of-proof met by the agency.  If any record is withheld in part or in full, the undersigned demands a written justification specifying the statutory basis, including the subsection invoked and the agency’s burden-bearing rationale for each withheld portion.

The purpose of this public records request is to collect data stored and preserved by the Iowa Judicial Branch pursuant to Iowa Code § 22.1(3)(a) for the purpose of building a public database showing all complaints the Iowa Judicial Branch chose to decline to open.  The undersigned has documented evidence suggesting a possible paradigm exists that the Iowa Supreme Court Attorney Disciplinary Board Director of Attorney Discipline and the Executive Director she reports to are complicit in attorney misconduct through manipulated procedural dismissals of complaints brought to their attention by the people of the State of Iowa.  This request is made in the public interest and for non-commercial, civic accountability purposes.

(b.)  The Iowa Judicial Branch is requested to provide the original complaint and investigative case file for the 2024 investigation and case against Brick Gentry, P.C. shareholder Matthew S. Brick.  If any record is withheld in part or in full, the undersigned demands a written justification specifying the statutory basis, including the subsection invoked and the agency’s burden-bearing rationale for each withheld portion.  The undersigned has documented evidence suggesting that Matthew S. Brick has committed the following acts, which support a forthcoming misconduct complaint that will be submitted during Q4 2025.

• Misrepresentation of the Iowa Code and public records stored and preserved by the City of Newton, IA, while attempting to manipulate a third-party’s understanding of their rights.
• False statement on court document unsupported by evidence.
• Misrepresentation of facts during an Iowa Public Information Board case(s).
• Concealment of records not protected by Iowa Code § 22.7 (public records) related to documented domestic abuse and military sexual trauma (MST).
• The deployment of false allegations of criminal conduct and the restriction of rights and access to public accommodations while failing to present a case with evidence supporting these allegations before the Iowa Court.
• Preliminary review indicates ongoing concern regarding possible misrepresentation of information system capabilities while fraudulently elevating costs (see Iowa Code § 22.3) and delaying and burdening a third-party’s request and right to access public records.

(see also:  Kauffman, Clark. “Lawyer for Iowa Cities and Counties Agrees to Law License Suspension.” Iowa Capital Dispatch, 31 July 2023, https://iowacapitaldispatch.com/2023/07/31/lawyer-for-iowa-cities-and-counties-agrees-to-law-license-suspension/).

A response is respectfully requested within the time limits set by Iowa Code § 22.8.

3.  ISCADB Complaint – Iowa Supreme Court Attorney Disciplinary Board Director of Attorney Discipline Tara M. van Brederode

An ISCADB complaint against Tara M. van Brederode, Director of Attorney Discipline, will be submitted to the Iowa Judicial Branch by July 21, 2025, with documented evidence supporting violations of:

• Iowa Court Rule 32:4.4(a) – “In representing a client, a lawyer shall not use means that have no substantial purpose other than to embarrass, delay, or burden a third person, or use methods of obtaining evidence that violate the legal rights of such a person.”
• Iowa Court Rule 32:8.4(a) – “violate or attempt to violate the Iowa Rules of Professional Conduct, knowingly assist or induce another to do so, or do so through the acts of another;”
• Iowa Court Rule 32:8.4(c) – “engage in conduct involving dishonesty, fraud, deceit, or misrepresentation;”
• Iowa Court Rule 32:8.4(d) – “engage in conduct that is prejudicial to the administration of justice;”
• Iowa Court Rule 32:8.4(g) – “engage in sexual harassment or other unlawful discrimination in the practice of law or knowingly permit staff or agents subject to the lawyer’s direction and control to do so.”

4.  The Form of Judicial Complicity and Passive Misconduct Within the Iowa Judicial Branch

An Iowa Judicial Branch judicial officer or licensed attorney’s silence or capitulation when facing evidence of another judicial officer or attorney’s misconduct or criminal acts (see Iowa Court Rules 32:8.3(a) and 32:8.4(d), conduct prejudicial to the administration of justice, when a legal authority knowingly fails to act upon documented evidence of misconduct).

5. The Mercenary and the Idealist

To disarm a mercenary, you simply destroy their source of wealth. To destroy an idealist, you must have what it takes to destroy that man or woman. Otherwise, you would have been better served to never have set foot on the battlefield.

Respectfully,

Michael J. Merritt, USN (Ret.)
Founder, Phoenix Harbor
Writer/Musician
? 2510 S 6th St. D24
Marshalltown, IA 50158
? (641) 387-9935
?? pyrebird@phoenixharbor.net
? phoenixharbor.net

Legal Disclaimer:Phoenix Harbor (2025-00002034) is a registered trade name in Marshall County, IA.

This correspondence does not communicate, imply, or endorse any past, present, or future violation of the United States Code or the Iowa Code. It is submitted solely for the lawful purpose of documenting the lived experience of injustice and respectfully demanding adherence to the ethical standards and disciplinary procedures set forth by the Iowa Judicial Branch pursuant to the Iowa Rules of the Court.  At the same time, the author utilizes creative writing allegories and United States military history to illustrate the evidence supporting the current internal social and political war for the spirit of America.

This correspondence contains expressions of public sentiment and a redress of grievances protected by the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States of America and by Article I, §§ 1, 2, and 7 of the Constitution of the State of Iowa. The unethical within the Iowa Judicial Branch and its licensed community are respectfully requested to contact the following personnel regarding any future false allegations of criminal conduct supported by zero evidence:

• Marshalltown, IA Police Department Chief of Police Christopher Jones—641-754-5771
• Marshalltown, IA Police Department Captain Kiel Stevenson—641-844-1802