Karr update

Mainstream news sources have taken notice of John Mark Karr's usenet trail, and of the "Powerwurks" ploy he attempted back in 1996. Powerwurks appears to have been a "company" (if we can call it that) designed to help Karr contact vulnerable young people. (For more details, scroll down or go here.)

So far, though, nobody else seems to have noticed that Lara, his wife at the time, used a Powerwurks address. To my way of thinking, this means that she probably had some idea as to what her husband was up to. (And no-one has identified or contacted the other Powerwurks-linked individual, the mysterious George Wheeler.)

Incidentally, Lara may have backtracked -- just a bit -- on her alibi.

Let's throw a little cold water on the oft-heard suggestion that all this journalistic Karr-nage is a nothing but a ploy to divert national attention from Iraq (or Lebanon, or whatever). Back in the '60s, some fringe folk believed that Beatlemania was a conspiracy designed to divert young people away from studying the JFK assassination. You can't think that way without becoming too paranoid to function in society.

Of course, some will counter that if you're not paranoid, you're not paying attention.

PS: Sometimes I wish I had Xymphora's certitude. He fastens on a theory early on and never lets go. Me, I change my ideas on l'affaire Karr about once an hour.