Before I write about an interesting find from another reader concerning Northern Michigan, I wanted to briefly write about attending a protest yesterday. A protest against the abuses and failures of this administration and the weakness of our federal representatives.

My sign said “Tyranny is at our door. Resist.” Tyranny: “Arbitrary or despotic government; the severe and autocratic exercise of sovereign power, either vested constitutionally in one ruler, or usurped by him by breaking down the division and distribution of governmental powers.”

I went alone. The police were respectful; the crowd was awesome. If I can do it, you can do it. I know it must sound over-the-top to many of you, but do it while you still can.

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Now, check out these very interesting observations from a reader:

Gary Hubbell was 26 and living in Ludington in 1978.  He and his roommate, Joseph Card, were trying to get concealed weapons permits, but each had a record so they could not, despite bothering the cops for several days.  Then Card goes to the cops by himself and tells them that Hubbell knows a lot about the Oakland County child killings and that he would try to convince Hubbell to talk to the cops. The following day, Hubbell took rifle he owned and held Card and his girlfriend hostage in their cottage.  He exchanged a few shots with cops, but there were no injuries.

Upon arrest, Hubbell told cops that he knew who the Oakland County Child Killer was.  He told them that the victims were used to make pornography in Elk Rapids (just northeast of Traverse City) and that Card was actually involved in some way.

Hubbell was very drunk and very high.  He demanded that he get the $50,000 reward money for the OCCK case. . . so the cops just blew him off.  “The bottom line,” said one of the cops, “was that he wanted me to write him a $50,000 check.”  Hubbell was charged and pled guilty.

Now, here’s what’s interesting to me:  all of this comes from an article in the little tiny once-a-week (probably mimeographed) Oceana’s Herald Journal that was written by one of the paper’s reporters.  Although larger papers, including the Detroit News and the Detroit Free Press, carried detailed articles about the standoff, NONE mentioned the OCCK component. 

And this too:  it was 1978.  Even though Fox Island had been exposed with some press coverage and everyone associated with it was on the run, unless I am very wrong, there was little if any conjecture at the time that the OCCK case had anything to do with pornography, let alone Fox Island (I know Elk Rapids is not Fox Island, but it’s within that tight Shelden-influenced northern MI circle: Fox, just 40 miles to the west, and Charlevoix,  just 30 miles to the east).