This week: The Epitome of Evil Edited by: Shannon  
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Welcome to the Short Stories Newsletter. I am Shannon and I'm your editor this week.
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| "As a historian, I know that this society, probably above all in the world and in the history of the world, romanticizes childhood. BUT the historical record of child labor, for one thing, indicates this society has not been good to children. Has not protected children. In fact, is contemptuous of children. Heartless to children, and they're such helpless victims. Who can they go to? What constituency do they have? Nobody." ~ Tom Philpott, History Professor at the University of Texas (deceased)
Few topics repulse the public at large like the topic of child trafficking and sexual abuse. As writers, we fancy ourselves bold, daring, fearless, but the majority of us shy away from this subject instinctively as if getting too close will forever mar our souls. The closest I've come is my short story "The Game" [ASR]; historical fiction based on a traumatic event from my childhood. I believe it was this event that kindled my lifelong fascination with crime in its various shapes and sizes.
Violence against children isn't a contemporary phenomenon; it's been happening since the beginning of time. Few writers dare broach the subject, but some tackle it head-on. Panic, an historical essay by crime writer Harold Schechter, details how a series of sexual assault-murders perpetrated against children during the Great Depression "triggered an irrational nationwide hysteria." Fast forward a few decades and we all recognize the horrific crimes committed by John Wayne Gacy, Andrei Chikatilo, Jeffrey Dahmer, and Luis Alfredo Garavito, just to name a few. It's frustrating, infuriating, to see these repeat offenders arrested, receive a slap on the wrist (community service or probation), and released to assault and/or murder more children.
So who are these criminals? What kind of person intentionally harms children? If you're a U.S. citizen you can click on FamilyWatchDog, enter your address, and see a map of all the registered sex offenders living near you. All the little red balloons surrounding your house are offenders who committed crimes against children. You can click on each balloon and see the offender's name, age, race, height, weight, hair and eye color, address, as well as their booking photo. While the majority of child sex predators are men, women account for 14% of sexual assaults against boys and 6% of assaults against girls (see Victims of Crime for more information). Women are also less likely to re-offend.
I recently watched a two-part documentary series on Investigation Discovery titled Children of the Snow about four kids (Mark Stebbins, Jill Robinson, Kristine Mihelich, and Timothy King) who were abducted, sexually assaulted, and murdered in and around the suburbs of Detroit in 1976 and '77. In the film, a writer by the name of J. Reuben Appelman describes how, in the late 1970s at the age of seven, a man tried to abduct him off the street in broad daylight; he believes he narrowly escaped being yet another victim of the Oakland County Child Killer. The still-unsolved killings haunted Appelman throughout his life until he decided to investigate the crimes himself.
His research opened a veritable Pandora's box--a heinous rabbit hole from which there's no escape. He describes it as "The worst story you've never heard of." Twenty minutes into the first episode I'd paused the show and Googled "Oakland County Child Killer", "Frank Sheldon", and "North Fox Island". Why haven't I heard about this? I wondered. Something this big, this sickening should be well known.
Multimillionaire Francis "Frank" Sheldon purchased Fox Island in Lake Michigan under an assumed name, installed an airstrip, and built a boys' camp on the island where young, underprivileged boys from the Detroit area were assaulted and abused by the city's elite--the who's who of Detroit's high society. "The pedophile ring included well-to-do businessmen, politicians and other rich and powerful men who would take children to the island to have sex with them and make films that were distributed around the world, as the story goes." (See link #10 in the "Further Reading" section below.) Were the disappearances of the four murdered children linked to Fox Island? Many are convinced they're connected.
Stories about child sex abuse were everywhere in the 70s and 80s. Having grown up during that time and experiencing my friends (a brother and sister who lived across the street) go missing never to be heard from again, I remember well the "Satanic Panic" broadcast on every talk show and television channel: Satanic ritualistic sexual abuse, kidnapping, murder, and "the devil made me do it." Many believe the "Satanic Panic" was an orchestrated hit--a diversional tactic created to deflect attention away from what was really going on: rampant nationwide individual yet interconnected pedophile rings that methodically abused children on a large scale, creating and distributing pornographic materials around the world.
Sound too outlandish, too disgusting to be true? I wish that were so. Boys For Sale is a 90-minute documentary from 1981 detailing similar crimes and introducing some of the men tasked with stomping out the evil.
WARNING: This documentary contains graphic, disturbing language.
Viewer discretion is advised.
Dr. Tom Philpott, the University of Texas professor sitting second from the right in the above video, was a bulldog determined to expose these creeps for what they are. He spoke about the crimes openly, and he named names. The day after part one of Boys For Sale aired Tom's van was vandalized and the tires were slashed. The following week he was shot in an apparent assassination attempt with his own .38 caliber handgun during a home invasion, and ultimately died under suspicious circumstances in 1991. His death was ruled a suicide; he was shot in the heart. Of course, in 1991 autopsies weren't performed on "suicides". How convenient.
Frank Sheldon, the owner of Fox Island, fled to the Netherlands and died of natural causes in 1996.
In conclusion, some stories are revolting yet need to be told. Evil thrives in darkness; sunshine is the best disinfectant. As writers, we have the ability to wield great power with every stroke of our pens. We can use that power to break down and destroy or build up and empower. We can use our gifts for good or evil. The choice is ours. While all writers give part of themselves to their craft, some, like Tom Philpott, gave all in an effort to do what's right. One can only hope to make such a positive impact on the world.
"The books that the world calls immoral are the books that show the world its own shame." ~ Oscar Wilde
Thank you for reading.
P.S. Every registered author who shares their ideas and/or creative endeavors relating to or inspired by this week's topic will receive an exclusive trinket. I will retire this month's limited-edition trinket at 11:59 p.m. WDC time on Tuesday, April 16, 2019, when my next short stories newsletter goes live.
Further Reading/Viewing/Listening:
1. Children of the Snow
2. Much Sickness: North Fox Island, Shelden, Grossman, Starchild, Richards, The Franklin Scandal
This blog is written by the sister (Catherine Broad) of one of the murdered boys (Tim King). 3. Oakland County Child Killer Docuseries
4. A Father's Story: Oakland County Child Killer
This is a blog/book written by the father (Barry King) of one of the murdered boys (Tim King). This link will take you to the first page of his story. It's in reverse order, so this link will direct you to page 9. Scroll to the bottom and the beginning of the story/book and work your way up and back. 5. Secrets and Lies
6. The Oakland County Child Killer Part 1
7. The Oakland County Child Killer Part 2
8. Dark Minds: The Babysitter Killer
Some people refer to the Oakland County Child Killer (OCCK) as "The Babysitter" because he/they kept the children for 3-19 days before killing them. I'm sorry, but "The Babysitter" is offensive to me. I prefer to call him/them what he/they are: The Oakland County Child Killer(s). 9.NORTH FOX ISLAND, CIRCA 1975-76
This blog is written by the sister (Catherine Broad) of one of the murdered boys (Tim King).
10. Children of the Snow uses DNA to shed light on cold Oakland County case |
I hope you enjoy this week's featured selections. I occasionally feature static items by members who are no longer with us; some have passed away while others simply aren't active members. Their absence doesn't render their work any less relevant, and if it fits the week's topic I will include it.
Thank you, and have a great week!
|  | Malice Intended (ASR)
Who is the slapdash, foolish criminal behind a crime scene in a hotel?
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The following is in response to "Trust No One" :
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Mary Ann MCPhedran  writes: Being an author in the UK I haven't had much knowledge of the CIA, but I the examples you do like the stories on TV, Sky gives a great insight to some of the stories. I have read only the opening story in the newsletter and found it to be a very exciting book and give the author praise for the writing.
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Princess Megan Snow Rose  writes: I try not to think about what viruses and diseases and nasty things go on in the lab. CIA. I shudder. Truth is stranger then fiction. I know there are experiments going on and it chills me to the bone. This is informative and something to think about. I don't even watch crime shows. Too true to reality. I enjoyed reading this and The FBI has cases we will never know about. Great newsletter.
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Quick-Quill  writes: Again you have freaked my mind. Our government is devious. I'm watching Project Blue Book. Another crazy government scheme. I wouldn't work for them. Not for any project. I'd just hide my head and realize they kill for the cause, and at some time, the cause changes and so does one's value. There is no value of life. This makes for crazy plots and movies. It what drives writers to pick and chose their plots. When they seem the most unbelievable, it is usually based in truth.
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BIG BAD WOLF is Howling  writes: Don't know about CIA-type stuff, but what I do have is an interactive dealing with Area 51 [see the submission below]. The Campfire Pilots for it are about an NYPD officer who went to Las Vegas for a trip. Problem is, on his way home, he took a wrong turn, and got a flat tire. Luckily, the personnel at the nearby base allowed him to spend the night while the base mechanic fixed the vehicle. Problem is, he left his room during the middle of the night, and saw something that he shouldn't have seen. Luckily for him, he doesn't have an "accident", but is instead given a choice between 20 years in a military prison, or serving 5 years as a police officer in a very Top Secret city.
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Jeff  writes: I love conspiracy theories and secret government programs, but I've never really been particularly drawn to the MKULTRA story. I have no idea why, because it seems like it's something that would be right up my alley, but it's just never grabbed my interest the same way that other mythology about secret government programs have. One of these days I might do a little more research though; you never know where good story ideas are hidden. 
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KingsSideCastle  writes: Great article. Really shocking to read. I've never written a story delving into government conspiracies before but it seems like the CIA would be a great setting for a future psychological thriller storyline. It would make for a really tense plot.
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eyestar~*  writes: Gosh. You are like an undercover agent with all the depth of knowledge you find! I like how you tie it inot potential writing scenarios. I would not have a clue. I find your insights and information very interesting to read. the links are cool too. I appreciate the work and reserach that goes into your newsletters. Thank you.
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Hannah ♫♥♫ writes: Wow! I've never heard of BIID before this. It does take cutting oneself to a whole new level. Very sad! Very disturbing, and I hope and pray all those afflicted by it can get the help they need.
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Cubby  writes: Very interesting newsletter, Shannon! It's a bit scary to think that our government has taken part in such experiments. I remember hearing about those LSD experiments years ago and I was shocked! (in response to "Secrets and Lies" )
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dragonwoman writes: Trust No One, is I believe easier said than done, even for a would be assassin. I believe it is in most human's natures to be unable to keep everything to themselves, especially something that is dangerous if revealed. Of course, professional assassins get used to living life like that, perhaps and so find it easier to do than most. But what happens if something accidentally slips, like during pillow talk?
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eyestar~* writes: Oh my gosh! How did I miss reading this newsletter? Busy I guess. I have never heard of this odd issue and cannot imagine where the idea would come from to a person's being or mind. It is certainly fascinating and I can see how having a doctor assist would go against do no harm. Wow! I don't know where you find these mysteries, but thanks for sharing. I think. LOL (in response to "Secrets and Lies" )
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⭐Princette♥PengthuluWrites  writes: I'm not surprised at all re: horrible government projects. The only thing that ever surprises me is when people actually believe they're real, because like you said, it seems too bizarre and awful to actually exist.
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Lisa Noe  writes: This is shocking that our nation would give Nazi scientists immunity, I think this is just wrong. I don't trust my country although I love it and don't know of any better one. I think these mind control experiments is just so terrible, I am ashamed of them for what they are doing and have done. I don't put anything past them.
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Dragon is hiding writes: Mystery is always fun, as is thriller! I'd hate to know too much and become a liability. 
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GabriellaR45 writes: Your Feb 19 Newsletter is intriguing and engaging, Shannon! You have a wonderful eye or nose for great stories.
Bravo and all the best,
Gab
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sindbad  writes: Hi. Indeed I support your observation on trust no one...surely full trust on God never fails.
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Short Stories: March 20, 2019 Issue [#9442]
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