You can find tons of leading questions in any of these daycare cases. The mention of "Satan" seems to provoke knee-jerk credulity throughout large swathes of Christian America.
During the 80s, the quintessential decade for spotting day-care demonics, a number of conferences were held, by those of an anti-Satan persuasion that is, with the idea of reaching out to law-enforcement.
At these conferences, a number of "check-lists" were distributed, such as this one listing "occult-related homicide clues:"
1. Where the body is located: Most cults are held in deserted isolated areas. Wooded areas away from people, desert areas, graveyards, abandoned buildings, churches and/or residences. (Which, I think makes just about everywhere a potential cult crime scene)
2. Position of the body: Note direction of the body, whether body is formed in the shape of a circle(facing inwards or outwards), it may be nailed to a cross or formed in the shape of one, it may be hanging from something like a tree either by its feet, hands or neck. If rigor mortis is present the body may still show signs of being tied down (bondage).
3. Missing body parts or organs: In occultic blood rituals many times parts of the human body and/or organs are removed. They may have been eaten (cannibalism) or kept for use in another way. (Gee, I wonder if the Catholic custom of chopping up their saints and distributing among the faithful would qualify as "use in another way?")
4.Body dressed or undressed. (Hmmm....that one's kind of wide open, eh?)
5.Stab wounds or cuts: Particularly important, the size and location of stab wounds or cuts, if done in patterns or symbols, if done to allow blood-letting or draining. incisions to the sex organs, mutilation, Note the number of cuts and/or bruises if in numbered patterns(i.e., 3's, 6's, 7's or 13's). The location of human teeth marks and cannibalism. (In the case of the West Memphis 3, the initial investigation missed a number of bite marks on the victim. This was only discovered later by a qualified forensic investigator hired by the boys defense lawyers. None of the bite marks matched any of the convicted.)
6. Ink marks or tattoos: Again look for patterns and/or symbols. It may even be a message written in an unknown alphabet or code. (Given the fact that everyone seems to be tattooed today, I wonder if this still has any relevance to the anti-Satanists.)
7. Painted with a substance or paint.
8. Branded with a branding iron or any burns.
9. Jewelry on or near the cadaver.
10. Jewelry that is missing. (These two about jewelry again appear awfully wide open.)
11. Any cords or colored ropes on or near the body: Check for implements of bondage. (Implements of bondage? Like black leather and dog collars and such? I suppose they're either Satanists or punk rockers or...ummm...bikers...or Goths...or metal heads...again we're left with more wind than substance)
12. Any implements near the body.
13. Oils or incense on the body.
14. Wax dripping from candles on or about the body.
15. Sign of hands and feet having been tied or shackled, rope burns, etc. (So, unless you go quietly to your own murder, you were killed by Satanists?)
16. Semen near or inside the cadaver. (Is every sexual crime Satanic?)
17. The presence of occult ritual paraphernalia or Christian artifacts. (Since those investigating McMartin used one of the suspect's graduation gowns as evidence, calling it a "Satanic robe" in court, this also appears to be fairly useless as an indicator.)
18. Biblical verses and graffiti written in blood. (If there written with, say, spray paint, should they be disregarded.)
19. Nondiscernable alphabets, witches' alphabet, cabalistic writings, etc. (Would gibberish count as a "nondiscernable alphabet?")
20. Animal's body parts. (Since many bodies are dumped in wilderness, where...ummm...animals tend to die, I wonder what the criteria is for discerning the Satanic animal deaths .)
21. Drawings or photographs of victims.
22. Photography of mock weddings(?), child pornography or sexual activity fixated on anal abuse. (I guess that Satanists like the back-door as well as the left-hand path.)
23. Marks of the Beast-the alphabetical letter numbers for heaven and hell, 666, occult symbolism, etc. (Since Oxford scholars have recently uncovered a 3rd century papyrus which gives the number as 616, and an 11th century manuscript lists the number as 665, I assume that up to date Satanists can confuse investigators by using these numbers instead of the old 666 stand-by.))
A "Search Warrant Checklist" was also distributed at these 'conferences.' Apart from the usual suspect items such as altars and Satanic Bibles, officers are supposed to look out for:
Occult games such as Dungeons and Dragons. (If I remember my Christian American mythology correctly, this D&D tie in with the occult was as bogus & overblown as it was feared by gullible Christians everywhere.)
Ashes from fire pits including fireplaces and wood stoves. (Compulsive barbecuers beware.)
Mirrors. (This would include everyone.)
Ferns, palms. (Why ferns and palms? Wouldn't Jimson Weed or Psylocibin Mushrooms be more appropriate?)
Small animals in cages. (This is just silly.)
Posters of heavy metal and punk rock stars. (Because we all know that the only safe music to listen to is "soft rock" or "country & western").
Paraphernalia related to the martial arts.(Damn those akido master Satanists. I guess that mastering these fighting arts help the diavalos amongst us to kick God's ass.)
Then there is this list of "Satanic Indicators" used to discern RA, compiled by therapist Catherine Gould:
Preoccupation with urine and feces. (Define preoccupation. My oldest daughter, at about 14 months painted her entire walker with her feces, laughing the entire time, My older brother painted the hallway at my parent's home in the same way. Does this make them victims of Satanism?)
Preoccupation with passing gas...wild laughter when the child or someone else passes gas. (Are they serious? Kids who laugh at farts and fart jokes are suspect? I'd say that this encompasses most kids along with a large number of adults)
Aggressive play that has marked sadistic qualities. (Another "indicator" that could apply to most children.)
Preoccupation with death. (Also seems fairly normal, especially if there was a recent death in the family or amongst friends. A few years back a 12 year old boy was struck by a car and killed directly in front of my house. My kids had many death related questions for months afterwards.)
Fear of ghosts and monsters. (This is also quite silly as it is quite common amongst the kiddies)
Fear of jail, or being caged. (?)
Child is "clingy," demonstrates fear of being left with babysitters, particularly overnight. (So whenever I sit down and all my kids leap on me and "cling" to me I should assume Satan's in the house? Right? When my oldest son was small he'd freak whenever I tried to leave him with my mom. As he got older he explained that he was terrified that grandma would die(she was in her late 70s at the time), leaving him alone until I returned.)
Mentioning other people at school besides teachers. (?)
Writing letters or numbers backwards in the "Devil's alphabet" (Every one of my kids started out writing assorted letters and numbers backwards)
Fear of bad people taking the child away, breaking into the house. (Again, common fears that I'd imagine are exacerbated by having the "don't go with strangers" discussion that I assume every parent has with their wee ones)
Preoccupation with the devil, magic, potions, supernatural power, crucifixions. (I'd think that a kid's television viewing habits would probably cause much more of this than Satanists. Harry Potter comes to mind. & crucifixions? Do devout Christians qualify as Satanists? Wait a minute...now I see the logic here.)
References to television characters as real people. (Damn that Barney and his Satanic sidekick Dora.)
Nightmares or dreams of any of the above. (Fairly useless since all this imagery is fairly ingrained in the collective unconscious and can occur spontaneously without any external impetus being present).
All in all, it appears that proponents of Satanic Abuse are an entirely credulous lot who think that everything that isn't in the "Leave It To Beaver/Better Homes & Gardens" category is "Satanic." I doubt they could have entirely discredited themselves any better if they would have set out with that motive.
Hmmmm.....
I really don't have trouble buying the orphanage angle, or the kidnapped kids angle, but the daycare angle just seems highly suspect. It seems that the concealment of child abuse at these places, where kids go home to their parents every night, would be a very short lived affair. I have a bunch of kids. I know every bump and bruise on them. Any changes in behavior would be immediately apparent.
If the entire SRA phenomenon is legitimate, why does every case have to be true? Why can't some of the more outlandish ones, such as McMartin, be obvious hoaxes that can be later used to cast doubt on any legitimate cases that may make it past the normal media conduits of censorship?
Why do folk choose to continually defend, what appears to be, such outlandish bullshit?
And why do they continually fail to understand the concept of "innocent until proven guilty?"
