Friday, April 08, 2005

Gosch-2-Gannon, again

Here's the story Blogger didn't want you to see! (In other words, the interface conked out when I tried to post yesterday...)

Remember the odd theory that kidnapped paperboy Johnny Gosch grew up to be he-hooker-turned-newsfaker "Jeff Gannon," also known as Jim Guckert? I've attacked this notion in previous columns, mostly because I have little reason to trust its promoters. Researchers at the Democratic Underground and elsewhere have have uncovered plenty of counter-evidence, including Guckert's high school yearbook photos.

Nevertheless, some people continue to find this notion fascinating. For the most complete overview yet -- including an interview with Johnny's mother, Noreen Gosch -- check out this Des Moines Online article.

Maybe I'm just being ornery, but to my eyes, the evidence favoring this particular conspiracy theory remains thinner than onionskin. What, in the end, does it all come down to? Simply this: Former FBI man Ted Gunderson, tireless exposer of massive Satanic conspiracies, claims to have received "confirmation" of the Gosch-to-Gannon tale from a trusted, but unnamed source. The afore-linked story indicates (but does not state) that this source is yet another claimed former victim of this same child-snatching conspiracy. Gunderson videotaped an interview with this person, and Noreen, upon viewing the tape, found it persuasive but not wholly convincing.

But what about her gut feeling? Her maternal instinct?

"Honestly, it changes," she says. "Sometimes I think, 'oh, yeah, that looks like him,' and other times the jump is too much to think about. When you factor in the facts, it's hard to believe. I've spent a lot of sleepless nights over this. I really wish I could say for sure."
Any other evidence? Well, Paul Bonacci has said that Johnny Gosch has recently shaved his head; how Bonacci would know this detail, I cannot say. Johnny had a birthmark which may correspond to one allegedly visible on one photo.

Alas, Gunderson has a history of believing what he hears. There are a lot of troubled people out there claiming to be victims of conspiracies involving Satanism, mind control, cults, secret societies, and so forth. Uncritical acceptance of such stories is dangerous. (Read, for example, the sad but instructive tale of Lauren Stratford.)

On the other hand, we may have a situation here in which someone is trying to spread the Gosch/Gannon rumor. But why? Personal motives, or something deeper?

For more earthbound news on the Gannon front, check out Soundbitten.

This just in... Readers may recall my original posts about the Gannon/Guckert story, in which I brought up the last time someone mentioned male prostitution in connection with the White House. That was in 1989-90. I just peeked at my in-box, and spotted a missive -- apparently a rather angry one -- from none other than former Reagan staffer Todd Blodgett, who was mentioned in the news accounts stemming from that period. Blodgett has gone on to have a rather odd history.

Having dealt with a bit of unpleasantness in my personal life earlier this day, I'll hold off on reading that letter for now. Later, I'll let you know what Mr. Blodgett has to say...

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

I don't have an opinion one way or another regarding whether Gannon could be Gosch, but this is the second or third time I have come across quotes attributed to Noreen Gosch. Her comments all strike me as obfuscations. Something in the way she words her responses leads me to believe that any statements she makes are designed to mislead anyone with a real interest in this story.

Barry Schwartz said...

I think that Apollo 13 was actually intercepted by an alien spaceship. The aliens planted a seed in the capsule, which was not noticed until too late. The gov't has been covering up the incident ever since. The movie with Tom Hanks was part of the cover-up, and so was that movie "The Right Stuff." The seed became James Guckert; he is an intelligence scout for the Aldebaran Army.

The Challenger disaster was also part of the cover-up; the gov't had to destroy the evidence that the Challenger had earlier returned to Earth with another gay alien on board, Andrew Cunanan. Cunanan was with the Rigelian secret service, and his mission was to kill Gianni Versace, who was an alien rebel who passed messages in the fabric of designer clothing. He succeeded but was almost caught by the rebels, so he had to kill himself.

Okay, I made all that up, but frankly it makes more sense than what's actually been going on since November 2000.

Anonymous said...

I understand your reluctance to accept the possibility that Gannon is Gosch. But I suggest you go to this link: http://rigorousintuition.blogspot.com/
This links to a story in a Des Moines alternative weekly which has its own subplot.