Althouse: "Hunkered down in her trailer in the Texas Panhandle..."

June 12, 2011

"Hunkered down in her trailer in the Texas Panhandle..."

"... a grandmother who had a vision that sparked a media circus and police search for alleged mass graves in Liberty County said she is being wronged and fears for children who may never be found."

30 comments:

Ipso Fatso said...: Why we longed to be hunkered down in a trailer in the Texas Panhandle!!!!; 6/12/11, 8:15 AM
Shouting Thomas said...: She's entirely right to fear the press.

They are vicious vultures.; 6/12/11, 8:19 AM
John henry said...: the idea that judge, anywhere, would issue a search warrant based on a psychic is appalling.

What legal recourse(s) does the poor citizen who was abused have?

I suppose he could sue the psychic but it doesn't sound like she has anyting to sue for.

Can he sue the state for issuing a warrant without probably cause? Or is a psychic probably cause?

After what the news media did to the poor landowner they should go after this woman and make her the shame of the nation.

Appalling as it is, I can't really fault the media reaction. If a search warrant was issued for a bunch of dead children, that is news.

Now they should not let it rest. They need to go after the police who requested the warrant, the judge who issued it and the psychic.

Shame, Shame, Shame.

Hard to believe that this could happen in America.

In Obama's America, no less.

John Henry; 6/12/11, 8:29 AM
Freeman Hunt said...: The police have to look into tips from people claiming to be psychics. The supposed psychics could be people with knowledge of crimes, or people involved with crimes, who are having second thoughts about staying quiet. Such people might throw in the psychic angle to attempt (feebly) to distance themselves from the crimes.; 6/12/11, 8:31 AM
Shouting Thomas said...: The police have to look into tips from people claiming to be psychics.

And, some people actually are psychics.; 6/12/11, 8:33 AM
dbp said...: I don't blame the crazy old lady. We can't expect everyone to be sensible.

I do blame public officials like prosecutors, judges and police for taking a person like this seriously.

The press--they did what one would ordinarily expect them to do.; 6/12/11, 8:42 AM
Martin L. Shoemaker said...: Paging Crack Emcee... Mr. Emcee to the comment thread... Stat!; 6/12/11, 8:47 AM
Phil 314 said...: More Crack-bait.

I don't blame the crazy old lady.

She's 48; 6/12/11, 9:02 AM
Phil 314 said...: Note to self:

Read ALL of the comments before commenting.

(no one likes a copy cat.); 6/12/11, 9:04 AM
dbp said...: Crazy old lady sounded better to me than crazy middle aged lady.; 6/12/11, 9:08 AM
Chef Mojo said...: @Shouting Thomas:

And, some people actually are psychics.

You are whacked. That is the stupidest thing I've seen on Althouse in ages.

Psychics are bunk. Pure and simple. Right up there with ghosts, fairies and leprechauns. To say you believe that there are actually psychics is to say you believe in the tooth fairy and Santa Claus. That you believe in horoscopes and the zodiac. That you are a willful idiot sorely in need of a Penn & Teller Bull Shit Marathon to set your dumb ass straight. That, or Crack Emcee opening up a #10 can of whupass on your loony skull.; 6/12/11, 9:38 AM
Anonymous said...: Shouting Thomas --

"And, some people actually are psychics."

Until they're tested.; 6/12/11, 9:39 AM
dbp said...: I've long had a theory similar to Freeman's, in mine, the police know who did a crime but they learned it in some non-legitimate way.

They use the 'psychic' as an excuse to search a site where they already expect to find evidence. The tricky part must be in manipulating the seer to tell the police what they want to hear.

I really don't see how it could work well in practice though. Won't the warrant eventually be thrown out along with any evidence found as a result of it?; 6/12/11, 9:50 AM
Chef Mojo said...: @Freeman Hunt:

I agree with your premiss that an alleged psychic might have knowledge of a crime not actually related to their "gifts/curse," but to issue warrants solely on that without any other corroborating evidence is just insane.

But predictable. Psychics gonna psychic, and moron judges in East Texas gonna believe. Halleluiah!

(As an aside: My spellcheck just came up with this list...
Halleluiah
Hallelujah
Hallucinate
That, my friends, is awesome!); 6/12/11, 9:52 AM
Crimso said...: "And, some people actually are psychics."

I think they prefer the term "climate modeler."; 6/12/11, 10:16 AM
edutcher said...: Some are psychics, some psychotics.

Problem is, they all believe it's real.

When she lived with us, The Blonde's mother had fun with the alternative realities her Alzheimer's brought her.

Obviously, this woman is self-aware enough that she understands the possible consequences. And she seems to view whatever it is she has as a curse, not a gift.; 6/12/11, 10:18 AM
Sam vfm #111 said...: [quote]Crimso said...

"And, some people actually are psychics."

I think they prefer the term "climate modeler."
[/quote]

You owe me a keyboard :-); 6/12/11, 10:23 AM
Mary Beth said...: When I first read about this, the news story said that the officers had spent two days at the location. They had cadaver dogs and, at one point, 17 police cars.

That seems to be an over-the-top response to a call from a psychic. Also, the son of the man who owns the property is on the sex offender registry but he hasn't lived there in a while. I still assumed that the "psychic" tip was related to that.; 6/12/11, 10:52 AM
The Crack Emcee said...: Oh, now it is she who is being wronged and fears attention, when, before, it was she who made the call to police (drawing attention to herself) that got innocent people investigated - for the mass murder of children. Riiiiight.

Cut The Crap: These NewAgers Are Sick Puppies; 6/12/11, 11:12 AM
The Crack Emcee said...: Freeman Hunt,

The police have to look into tips from people claiming to be psychics. The supposed psychics could be people with knowledge of crimes, or people involved with crimes, who are having second thoughts about staying quiet. Such people might throw in the psychic angle to attempt (feebly) to distance themselves from the crimes.

The psychics are criminals, the crime is fraud.

ST,

Some people actually are psychics.

Dude, I know you do yoga, and now you're starting to scare me.; 6/12/11, 11:19 AM
The Crack Emcee said...: On a related note, last night on Facebook, a friend of mine scrubbed a comment I made because I pointed out that a friend of his is being monitored by the cult deprogrammer Rick Ross. So, of course, I've gone wall-to-wall "CULT" on FB, and now fully expect everything from being "defriended" in mass to my life being put in danger. Like this "psychic," these people have no sense of propriety and don't consider consequences - or anyone else - so don't be surprised if I somehow end up in a bad situation:

Putting someone else in a bad situation, while elevating themselves, is all these people are about.; 6/12/11, 11:27 AM
The Crack Emcee said...: edutcher,

Obviously, this woman is self-aware enough that she understands the possible consequences. And she seems to view whatever it is she has as a curse, not a gift.

That's a cover story. Who can dislike, or act against, someone who claims they're born with this awful curse to see the future of whatever? John Henry is already calling for her head (in a legal sense) while dbp "don't blame the crazy old lady" - and, since we all want to be nice people, who wins that debate? I'll tell you who loses:

The people this bitch brought an investigation for the mass murder of children upon, that's who.

But what's more important to me is why this can happen anyway: because we don't have a culture that makes it clear we're not buying this bullshit. I keep telling you Oprah Winfrey's success is a sign of a nation that's lost it's attachment to reality - especially where it comes to morality and ethics.

This "psychic" needs to be in jail or in the hospital - I really don't care which - but, whatever we do, we've got to get these people off of our streets.; 6/12/11, 11:37 AM
Chef Mojo said...: Question:

What would have happened if the psychic had said something along the lines of, "...and they're getting ready to kill a little girl with knives. They've got her strapped to a table! You gotta help her, before it's too late!"

SWAT team bursts in, guns blazing.

Think it can't happen? Think it won't?

At what point do the believers stop believing the psychic? They didn't hesitate to issue a warrant based on the "vision" she posited to them. What if the "vision" had been several degrees more dire?; 6/12/11, 11:39 AM
Chef Mojo said...: @Crack:

This "psychic" needs to be in jail or in the hospital - I really don't care which - but, whatever we do, we've got to get these people off of our streets.

Totally agree, but she's not the danger, really. The danger comes from the people with a shared belief system who are willing and able to take action based on her "vision," because they have the means and power to do so. By herself, she's just your usual East Texas charismatic fruitcake. The problem occurs when the supposedly "normal" people in law enforcement and the judiciary won't show the slightest skepticism because, to them, the charismatic fruitcake issuing visions is part of their daily lives. There's a huge disconnect to that.; 6/12/11, 11:47 AM
The Crack Emcee said...: Chef Mojo,

The problem occurs when the supposedly "normal" people in law enforcement and the judiciary won't show the slightest skepticism because, to them, the charismatic fruitcake issuing visions is part of their daily lives. There's a huge disconnect to that.

Agreed to the fullest, and didn't mean to imply anything different. I just can't type, man.

It really pleases me to see how "on it" you are, BTW.; 6/12/11, 12:47 PM
Freeman Hunt said...: If it were my department, I would treat a "psychic" tip just like an anonymous tip. Sure, the person says she's psychic, but I don't know how she might have obtained the information. It could very well be real information, and she doesn't want me to know where she got it.

I'm also betting that if she says she's "psychic," she's more likely than average to hang around criminal types and therefore more likely than average to have real information on criminal activity.; 6/12/11, 1:23 PM
The Crack Emcee said...: Freeman Hunt,

If it were my department, I would treat a "psychic" tip just like an anonymous tip. Sure, the person says she's psychic, but I don't know how she might have obtained the information. It could very well be real information, and she doesn't want me to know where she got it.

Only one problem there: no "psychic" has ever provided useful information to the police in the history of law enforcement. You'd be no better than these Texas cops, harassing the innocent- and investigating them for heinous crimes - over nothing.

I'm also betting that if she says she's "psychic," she's more likely than average to hang around criminal types and therefore more likely than average to have real information on criminal activity.

Now you're getting somewhere: if it were my department, I'd arrest all "psychics" for fraud and get a search warrant for their computers, etc.; 6/12/11, 2:24 PM
jeff said...: "I just wish that people would understand that, as a law enforcement agency, we're obligated to investigate things, and yesterday was simply us conducting an investigation to find out factual information," Evans said. "There was nothing more."

I had a dream last night that there was a mass grave of murdered people hidden in Obama's college transcripts. When can I expect the search warrent to be served?; 6/12/11, 6:19 PM
Freeman Hunt said...: Only one problem there: no "psychic" has ever provided useful information to the police in the history of law enforcement. You'd be no better than these Texas cops, harassing the innocent- and investigating them for heinous crimes - over nothing.

That's true as far as allowing a psychic to come and help with an already known case.

But a crime tip? I think that's worth looking into. Not because the person is actually psychic but because the person could very well be providing real information under the guise of claiming psychic powers.

Also, I don't think people who claim to be psychic while giving information about crimes and are later revealed to be people with intimate firsthand knowledge of crimes are counted in statistics of psychics. Once you know they had information through ordinary means, their visions claims are trash canned.; 6/12/11, 7:57 PM
jimspice said...: But "Jesus told me to run for office" is a perfectly reasonable statement.; 6/13/11, 10:17 AM