commentary by Patrick H. Moore
Q: “What do we got brothers and sisters?
A: “We got bad religion!”
Q: “What do we got brothers and sisters?
A: “We got bad religion!”
Q: “Say it LOUD!”
A: “WE GOT BAD RELIGION!
I am not dissing on the good folks of Oklahoma and I’m sure that the vast majority of them are kind and sincere individuals. One of our earliest All Things Crime Blog supporters is a wonderful Oklahoma mother, housewife, and I believe grandmother (and she may also have a career although I don’t know the details). She has always been unfailingly kind and supportive of me and our Blog, even though she may secretly believe that I am some kind of professional liberal or wild-eyed radical.
So I want to make it crystal clear that I do not in any way believe that what follows in any way reflects on good decent Oklahomans, notwithstanding their political and religious views.
So what happened in El Reno in Canadian County, Oklahoma to inspire this disclaimer and post?
Well, it seems there was a 6-year-old boy living there in El Reno in an attractive stone house with two very attractive “parents” and 3 siblings. At some point in time, according to his very attractive parents, who may not be the most trustworthy source in this instance, the boy developed the bad habit of hearing voices. It’s not clear how the boy responded to the voices and/or if he did their bidding. Actually, we don’t even know for sure that he heard voices. What we do know is how his “parents” responded to the fact they believed he was hearing voices.
First, they engaged in a logical exercise and tried to determine the source of the voices. (I’m not sure if a 6-year-old can develop auditory hallucinations that are schizophrenic in nature, but I assume it happens, perhaps rarely.) The unidentified boy’s parents apparently did not consider the possibility that the voices were an indication that their “son” was suffering from some sort of early onset mental illness. Oh no, that would make entirely too much sense!
Instead, these concerned parents and good citizens concluded that the boy must be possessed by demons. Now far be it from be it from me to make the foolhardy claim that there is no such thing as demonic possession. Although I don’t believe that I personally have suffered from this horrific phenomenon, I know god-fearing folks here in Catholic Southern California who have called upon their kindly priest to exorcise their home in order to rid of uninvited spirit guests.
So I’m not ruling out the possibility that the boy may indeed have been possessed by demons, and if true, that would certainly be a problem. That would not, however, be THE PROBLEM. The problem in this case would be the manner in which the parents attempted to rid the boy of the demons.
Here’s what happened, according to Jay Dillion of OKCFox.com:
The Canadian County Sheriff’s Office says it has pulled four children from an El Reno home after learning a six-year-old was locked up like a wild animal and being abused. The sheriff says it’s one of the worst cases he’s ever seen.
Edward Everett, 28, and Krystal Everett, 32, were both arrested in El Reno Thursday night.
The sheriff’s office received a call saying a six-year-old was locked in a small room and was being abused and neglected. The caller said the room had no furniture, the child was barely given food, and was forced to use the bathroom in a bucket. According to deputies, the caller said the child was locked up because the adults believed the child to be demon possessed.
According to deputies, when they arrived, they were led to a door that was latched from the outside. (It’s unclear whether they were led willingly or unwillingly.) The door was unlatched and they went inside where they discovered a small child wearing only underpants and lying in fetal position on an egg-crate style mat. The deputies report that the child had large bruises on his forehead, two black-eyes, and various other bruises, burns, and sores on his body.
The deputies report that when Edward and Krystal Everett were asked about the injuries, they claimed they were all self-inflicted.
Naturally, the Department of Human Services was called to help with the investigation. According to the sheriff’s office, a DHS investigator discovered the child was only fed one meal a day, was tormented and beaten with a leather belt and buckle, and was shocked and burned with a cattle prod. When he had to go to the bathroom, he was required to use a plastic apple juice container that was left in the room.
“This is one of the worse cases of child abuse and neglect I’ve ever seen,” said Randall Edwards, Canadian County Sheriff.
According to the authorities, the boy and his three “siblings” (their precise relationship is unknown) were all removed from the pretty stone house (which was apparently not so pretty inside) and placed in protective custody. The child was taken to a local hospital for evaluation.
The Everetts are now cooling their heels in the Canadian County Jail. Edward Everett was booked on complaints of child abuse and child neglect and Krystal Everett was booked for enabling child abuse.
Dominic Kelly of Opposing Views writes:
“There was a lot of talk at the Sheriff’s Office this morning,” said Officer Chris West. “On one hand it’s just a terrible, terrible thing to happen. You can’t imagine in your wildest dreams finding something like that. Especially if you’re a parent and have your own children.”
The couple reportedly fed the boy once a day and only went in the room to give him his meal or to shock him with a cattle prod.
“I wouldn’t even treat my animals that way,” said neighbor George Heupel.
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It’s important to note that I’m not irreligious or anti-Christianity or anti any other organized religion that treats its members with kindness. I’m undoubtedly the most religious member of my large family and, over 30 years ago, had a moving and life-changing experience in which, while I was at work in a sheet-metal shop, a force I perceived of as the Lord apparently sealed off the door to my office (I was a layout man), and very kindly spent 20 minutes or so with me inspiring me to stop being stubborn and to instead go to college to IMPROVE MY MIND.
So I did… Of course, I could be crazy. You never know…
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Q: “What do we got brothers and sisters?
A: “We got bad religion!”
Q: “What do we got brothers and sisters?
A: “We got bad religion!”
Q: “Say it LOUD!”
A: “WE GOT BAD RELIGION!