The Blog That Goes Ping

NWAnews.com :: Northwest Arkansas’ News Source:

The story of Don LaRose reads like a script for an old made-for-television movie - Satanism, brainwashing, kidnapping and assumed identity…

For Ken Williams - who has been mayor of Centerton since 2001 and has been a radio personality in the county since the early 1980 s - the story of Don LaRose has been a deep, well-kept secret…

The similarities between the two men are striking - from a resume history of radio personality, ministry and parallel trips to Israel to facial features and a comb-over hairstyle.

There’s a reason for the similarities: Ken Williams is the name Don LaRose assumed when he began a new life before coming to northwest Arkansas in the early 1980 s.

Apparently this fellow has a history of being “kidnapped by Satanists” and disappearing from his old life and starting a new one under an assumed name. It’s happened a couple times. The last time, it lasted for over 20 years, and his former life was only revealed when he, in his new identity, put up a web site about his old identity, not realizing, apparently, that people who knew him in his old identity (in this case, his nephew, Ed Miller of Holland, MI), who found the web site could track him down via the whois information.

Saw the story originally here via Reddit, and tracked down more info with google. This blogger has many many links if it’s details you crave.

Leaked memo: “Democrats want to force us to focus on defending the surge, making the case that it will work, and explaining why the President’s new Iraq policy is different from prior efforts and therefore justified. We urge you to instead broaden the debate to the threat posed to Americans, the world, and all ‘unbelievers’ by radical Islamists. We would further urge you to join us in educating the American people about the views of Radical Islamists and the consequences of not defeating radical Islam in Iraq. The debate should not be about the surge or its details. this debate should not even be about the Iraq war to date, mistakes that have been made, or whether we can, or cannot, win militarily. If we let Democrats force us into a debate on the surge or the current situation in Iraq, we lose.”

From Google Video, a classic SNL sketch about the phenomenon of premature obituaries — relevant today, of course, as one of Grand Rapids’ own most famous citizens has passed away.

BBC NEWS Obituary: Saparmurat Niyazov
Dang. That guy made Kim Jong-Il look like, um… crap. I’m having a lot of trouble coming up with a proverbially sane, normal, decent world leader to use in this comparison. Somebody help me out here?

What in the world is Turkmenistan going to do without a batshit crazy despot spending all their money on bizarre whims while they starve?

cbs2.com - Pardoned Turkeys To Their New Home: Disneyland:

(CBS) ANAHEIM, Calif. A pair of turkeys that got a presidential pardon Wednesday at the White House will soon be the main attraction of Disneyland’s Thanksgiving Day parade.

In a White House Rose Garden ceremony, President Bush patted the red, fleshy head and feathered neck and back of “Flyer,” a 20-week-old, 36-pound tom, and said, “I am granting a full presidential pardon.”

This would be cute if not for Bush’s past as the executingest governor in recent American history… And his history of pre-emptive pardoning of Americans for war crimes abroad…

As it is, it’s just creepy.

UPDATE: It’s not a Bush thing, it dates from Harry Truman. Which, I dunno, you start thinking about what he did in Japan, maybe it’s still creepy. Presidents can be a creepy bunch.