20. januar 2004

Child killed in possible exorcism ceremony A married couple arrested by police after being spotted walking naked on the street in freezing cold have been charged with murdering a 6-year-old girl. The police suspects that the girl's death was the result of an exorcism ceremony gone wrong. She was found with a broken back, and she had been strangled and stabbed. Based on what the adults told authorities, investigators believe "they were involved possibly in a ritual of some sort," police spokesman John Quigley said. "It may have had something to do with undemonizing the child in some manner." Christopher Carey, 29, and Valerie Carey, 27, were charged with murder late Monday, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported on its Web site. They initially were charged with cruelty to children, public indecency and obstruction of police and were taken to a psychiatric ward. They were later moved to a jail. Lots of crazy cults with crazy people out there. 8:43:25 PM    comment []  trackback []

As if there wasn't enough of them already Behold, the Bush Conspiracy Generator: George W. Bush allowed 9/11 to happen so that oil companies, Ann Coulter, SUV owners, and the Christian Coalition could offend The French. Close enough for me! Via (the other) Dean's World. 7:23:44 PM    comment []  trackback []

Most unlikely headline of the day "Iowans Reject Kerry!" (Mickey Kaus, who hasn't really been too lucky with his election punditry so far) 5:27:06 PM    comment []  trackback []

Satanic ritual stories debunked by German police In the wake of the horrible cannibal killing in germany, a media craze erupted over allegations about a Satanic sex cult, especially focused on one 33-year old woman who claimed to have experienced evil ceremonies with sexual abuse, murder and cannibalism. The claims were made by a woman who said she had been a victim for 18 years of sexual abuse by members of a Satanic and cannibalistic cult, including relatives. She said she was repeatedly forced to undergo abortions at "procreation ceremonies", while at other rituals victims were killed, their corpses sawn up and parts of them eaten. In a statement to police in April 2002, the then 33-year-old woman claimed the ceremonies took place in and around Trier, western Germany, and once in Belgium. Such crazy stories actually have a 2000 year history in Europe. The Romans accused Christians of the exact same atrocities, then Christians accused heretics and Jews of it. Later, the vile accusations were hurled at people accused of being witches, resulting in the torture and murder thousands. Finally, of course, these myths were part of Nazi propaganda against Jews (and still some Arabs repeat them). From the 1980s especially, an unholy alliance of Christian fundamentalists and superstitious therapists revived the claims under the name Satanic Ritual Abuse, sometimes combined with real cases of sexual abuse, but just as well not. Practically every country has at some time experienced Satanic media panics, sometimes triggered by real events, and blown massively out of proportion. And no hard evidence of Satanic Ritual Abuse has ever been found. German prosecutors appear to have knowledge about past panics in this case, and quickly found these stories to be untrue. However, state prosecutor Horst Roos said investigations had found nothing to substantiate her allegations, and many of them had been proved to be untrue. Roos said in a statement that psychiatric and medical experts who examined her found her allegations "highly unlikely to be based on actual events". The findings tallied with police investigations which showed that not only were her claims doubtful, but many had been successfully contradicted. In some cases, police found that the events could not have taken place, in others that her claims were so inconsistent that it was impossible to find any basis for reality. "In sum, nothing remains of the alleged actions that were still able to be investigated," he concluded. Armin Meiwes, one cannibal, is still on trial in Germany. 4:54:07 PM    comment []  trackback []

— Suicide bomber blew herself up to avert "honour killing" Israeli officials say that Marim Aryechi, the young woman who blew herself up and killed four Israelis at a checkpoint, was an adulteress who did the act as penance for her sin. They said she was fitted with the explosives belt by her lover and driven to the Gaza checkpoint by her husband. The 22-year old woman was forced to commit the act and become a marty to restore her family's tarnished honour. She was the first female suicide bomber for the extremist Islamist group Hamas. By turning herself into a human bomb and taking as many Israelis as she could with her, at least she might be elevated to “martyr” status in the twisted eyes of her Muslim militant leaders, Israeli officials said. “In this case, she had the choice of being murdered or turning herself into a suicide bomber, so she chose the latter,” retired Israeli Colonel Moshe Elad, an expert on Palestinian terrorism, told Israeli state radio last night. Israeli officials said she had cheated on her husband, a Hamas activist, with another Hamas member. She left behind an 18-month-old daughter and three-year-old son, about whom she said in the video of herself just before her death, “Only God knew how much I loved them.” If only the Palestinians realised who their real enemies were. Story via MacRaven. 11:51:59 AM    comment []  trackback []

Sixteen sailors still missing The rescue teams managed to save three more sailors, bringing the number of survivors to twelve, by cutting a hole in the hull of Rocknes, the ship that lies upside down in the calm seas of Vatlestraumen just outside Bergen. Sixteen sailors are still missing, and the hope is fading. The rescue teams are still working hard, however. The three latest survivors, as well as most of the missing, are from the Philippines. It appears a mystery how the large ship could capcise in a few seconds in good conditions. Now survivors say that the ship grounded just before the incident. A thorough investigation into the disaster is already underway. The plan now is to stabilise the ship in the sea so it can be towed to harbour for a comprehensive search. 11:21:03 AM    comment []  trackback []

— Saddam arrest hurt Dean David Yepsen, political editor of the Des Moines Register in Iowa, traces the start of the decline of Howard Dean to one specific moment in time: the capture of Saddam Hussein. [Brit] HUME: Perhaps more interesting than the Kerry surge, which has sort of caught everybody's eye because he seemed to be so down for so long, has been the drop in support for Dean. I mean this hasn't been massive, I think we can agree; but it's been noticeable at least in the polls. From when do you mark that? YEPSEN: The arrest of Saddam Hussein. HUME: Really? YEPSEN: When Al Gore endorsed Howard Dean, it just lit his afterburners. He really took off. HUME: Out here? YEPSEN: Out here, I think elsewhere. But certainly you could sense it out here. There was some real energy. And then came the arrest of Saddam Hussein and it flattened his numbers out. You could see that in polls here and in New Hampshire. But what it did was it caused a lot of undecided Democrats to take a second look at him. And in the end, Kerry won, Edwards being a close second with the biggest comeback. Dean only made a dismal third, and Gephardt at fourth looks set to resign.. 8:35:25 AM    comment []  trackback []

© Copyright 2004 Jan Haugland. Last update: 01.02.2004; 11:32:46.