CharlieManson.Com Newsletter, June 3, 2001
=== The Murder Confession ===
For those who follow the CharlieManson.Com online message board, you may have
noticed a murder confession several days ago. The person claimed to have picked
up "a little girl" named Molly Ann Bish from a Massachusettes shopping mall. An
online search confirmed that a girl is missing in that state but she disappeared
from a beach where she was a lifeguard. Also, she was 16 years old, which was
older than what I feel is a "little girl". It should be noted that this case
was covered by "America's Most Wanted" TV show, so it has probably drawn more
than one false confession. The same person posted another message the same day
claiming to have met Manson at a rally, which I found doubtful. You can read
about the Bish case at:
http://www.gomcs.org/usa/0138-usa.htm
http://www.state.ma.us/msp/missunid/miss.htm
http://www.masslive.com/news/bish
Although I feel the confession is false, it has caused concern among several of
the board's participants. It even seemed to cause the entire board to slow down
for a couple of days as if people didn't quite know what to post afterwards. As
for myself, I spent several hours researching the case and e-mailing various
officials (who have NOT responded to me). Even if the confession was false, I
guess it could possibly be considered a crime for providing false information.
I know that many of you immediately felt the confession was false but several
people weren't sure. Additionally, some of those felt the poster needed some
sort of help. To cover ourself and all the board's participants, we took the
step of contacting officials rather than letting it slide by and never knowing
whether we should've said anything. So, if any of you felt that you should have
taken steps, you can rest assured that I did.
I'd also like to point out that this very possibly has drawn police to the
message board, so everyone may want to keep that in mind when you post. I can't
remember anyone ever writing a message that would get them in trouble, but
tempers do flare occasionally. It's also an opportunity to show that us
non-police people do find their work interesting and put a lot of thought into
some cases. I think it would be interesting to know how the Manson case
would've gone if the internet had been in existence then.
I think the message was a prank but it was apparently written by someone
obsessing on the Bish case. Perhaps this should serve as a reminder to everyone
that even though we find cases (such as Manson and Bish) interesting, it is
important to remember that people truly did die.
And on that note, I'd like to say that the message board can be quite fun and
interesting and I'd like to invite everyone to join in. There are some very
good discussions that may make you re-think a few of your opinions or even open
your eyes to things you'd never considered before.
Yeah, there are some silly arguments once in a while, but overall there's good
content from various viewpoints. I'm constantly asked in private e-mail whether
I'm pro or anti-Manson. And I get mail from each side that seem to think they
know (and are frequently wrong). So, perhaps I'm not doing too bad at trying to
keep things on-topic or keep both sides involved. No matter which side you're
on, we all find the case fascinating for a number of reasons. So, it's a rare
example where two opposites can discuss something and learn from the other.
=== Pro or Anti-Manson? ===
So, am I pro or anti-Manson? Let's just say that I think some of the Family
would've been interesting or fun to have been around. And some wouldn't have
been. Some were intelligent and some weren't. Some had depth. Some didn't.
It's hard to imagine that such a group actually existed together, but that was
likely due to Manson's rather unusual background. So, I think we all know that
there had to be something that attracted people (heck, even celebrities were
sucked in, to some degree).
But then there were the murders... They just don't seem to fit with a lot of
the other image we have of the group. But then we hear of satanism or
motorcycle gangs and drug dealing. So, maybe they do fit... How could a group
that attracted such a wide range of people have also gone down the path to
murder? Well, I guess that's why I find the case interesting! And possibly why
I can say "Manson would be interesting to talk to, but I don't want him moving
in next door!"
So, I like to think that there had to be both good and bad qualities. Maybe I
just don't like to think that these people were all drawn together out of hate.
So, am I pro or anti-Family? Well, without the murders, I largely may have been
"Sounds like a wild/fun/bizarre group of people" but with the murders I'm sort
of "That's terrible." So, it's a group of people that I both like and dislike
(depending on the person) that did something I don't like. But if they hadn't
done it, none of us would've ever heard of them.
So maybe it's kinda like Ted Bundy. Seems to have been a likeable guy. Unless
he grabbed you out of a parking lot...
Okay, that ends the rant of the week. Now, for the usual TV listings:
=== MANSON TV ===
June 4, Monday, 10:15am, Encore True Channel - "Helter Skelter"
June 4, Monday, 11:55am, Encore True Channel - "Helter Skelter"
June 5, Tuesday, 1:30am, Encore True Channel - "Helter Skelter"
June 5, Tuesday, 3:10am, Encore True Channel - "Helter Skelter"
June 12, Tuesday, 8:00pm, E! Channel - "Mysteries and Scandals" (Hollywood
Ghosts)
June 13, Wednesday, 9:30am, E! Channel - "Mysteries and Scandals" (Hollywood
Ghosts)
June 14, Thursday, 12:30pm, History Channel - "History's Crimes and Trials:
Manson Family Murders:
June 14, Thursday, 5:30pm, History Channel - "History's Crimes and Trials:
Manson Family Murders:
June 15, Friday, 12:45pm, Encore True Channel - "Helter Skelter"
June 15, Friday, 2:25pm, Encore True Channel - "Helter Skelter"
June 16, Saturday, 8:30am, E! Channel - "Mysteries and Scandals" (Hollywood
Ghosts)
=== WEB PICK OF THE WEEK ===
Here's nice one. You can listen to the Roman Polanski police
interview/polygraph following the murder of Sharon. It is very long and I have
trouble with it on my lousy dial-up connection, but he reportedly talks about
Mama Cass, Witold K and Billy Doyle. This is in two parts, so here are the
links:
<<<<Deleted links. No longer work.>>>>
I would LOVE to get hold of this in something that I can actually listen to.
Can anyone come up with an MP3 copy by chance? Or a cassette? Anything???!!!
