Smiley Faces, Urban/Non-Urban Legends, Serial Killers, and Crop Circles

Quoting the immrtal Yogi (Berra) again:  "It is deja vu, all over again." 

If you look in the archives of this blog, WEEKS ago, you will find a "You Are a Kook If:" entry about this nonsense "theory" of two former New York detectives that there is a GANG of serial killers DROWNING (generally) drunken young college men AROUND THE COUNTRY, without leaving any clues except "smiley faces" designed to taunt the authorities.  My position was, and is, that you are a KOOK to take this seriously, and worse than that if you are a "journalist" reporting this seriously.  Well, AOL has resurrected the story from CNN, and it is a featured story on AOL right now.

I really can't believe that this non-story which is total SPECUALTON rather than "news", is still being HYPED--weeks after I lableled people who beieved in this "urban legend" type story as KOOKS.  See again the archives of this blog for what I said then--not much different from what I am saying now, as there has been no developments which give the story any more creidibility..

Yes, I stand by it.  You are a KOOK (applies to all of CNN anyway) if you take the following seriously--much less BELIEVE it:

1.  There is a NATIONAL gang of serial killers killing people in widely separated locations by DROWNING, without leaving any EVIDENCE.

2.  Although smart enough to kill HEALTHY YOUNG STUDENTS without even once leaving real evidence or letting one escape, this gang is leaving "smiley faces' to identify their work, thereby undermining the care with which the alleged murders have been commmitted.  ONE serial killer, by the way is even MORE ubelievable than a gang, although when you reach this level of fantasy the difference in unbelievability is not great.

3.  Regular law enforcemnt, including the FBI, is so incompetent as to be unable to even recognize murder when they see it, but RETIRED ex-cops wanting to make a name for themselves are to be believed with nothing but speculation to support their "theory".

4.   This gang of serilal killers is so good as to often leave no evidence tat a murder has even been committed, even though they are killing young students who you would expect to be able to FIGHT for life.  These "murders" are often, on the actual EVIDENCE, suicides or accidents.

I repeat.  You are a KOOK if you believe all of this--which is not to say any individual case is nota murder if EVIDENCE so indicates.  This is "crop circle" type stuff (well known HOAX taking amazing amounts of effort and skill--as people constructed thsese elaborate "crop circles" in fields with the idea of suggesting they were left by alien spacecraft or some such thing).