Misplaced Pages

Talk:Franklin child prostitution ring allegations: Difference between revisions

Article snapshot taken from[REDACTED] with creative commons attribution-sharealike license. Give it a read and then ask your questions in the chat. We can research this topic together.
Browse history interactively← Previous editContent deleted Content addedVisualWikitext
Revision as of 05:13, 30 October 2007 view sourcePopefauvexxiii (talk | contribs)Extended confirmed users2,270 edits Propose to Change the Title of the Page (and other points)← Previous edit Latest revision as of 13:59, 10 November 2024 view source Tom.Reding (talk | contribs)Autopatrolled, Extended confirmed users, Page movers, Template editors3,944,035 editsm blpo=yes + blp=no/null → blp=other; cleanupTag: AWB 
Line 1: Line 1:
{{pp-blp}}
{{oldafdfull|date= 21 April 2007 |result= '''keep (nomination withdrawn)''' |page= Franklin Coverup Scandal }}
{{Skip to talk}}
{{Talk header|search=yes}}
{{Not a forum}}
{{Old XfD multi|date= 21 April 2007 |result= '''keep (nomination withdrawn)''' |page= Franklin Coverup Scandal }}
{{WikiProject banner shell|blp=other|class=Start|1=
{{WikiProject Skepticism|importance=Low}}
{{WikiProject Alternative views|importance=low}}
{{WikiProject Crime and Criminal Biography|importance=low}}
{{WikiProject United States|importance=Low|NE=yes}}
}}
{{Connected contributor|NickBryant|editedhere=yes}}
{{User:MiszaBot/config
|archiveheader = {{aan}}
|maxarchivesize = 100K
|counter = 7
|minthreadsleft = 4
|algo = old(30d)
|archive = Talk:Franklin child prostitution ring allegations/Archive %(counter)d
}}
{{User:HBC Archive Indexerbot/OptIn
|target=/Archive index |mask=/Archive <#> |leading_zeros=0 |indexhere=yes
}}
{{Featured article tools}}


==Bogus Statement== == Boys Town ==


The first sentence of this article:


the "Boys Town" link in this page links to Boys Town , Nebraska -but in fact is meant to link to another article
The '''Franklin Coverup Scandal''' began on ], ], when the front page of the ] bore the headline ''"Homosexual Prostitution Inquiry ensnares VIPs with Reagan, Bush"'', and ended when a grand jury concluded the charges were a "carefully crafted ]".


https://en.wikipedia.org/Boys_Town_(organization)
This is completely false. The scandal began five years before that in Nebraska and ended with several senior Republicans, including one who had previously been involved in child porn scandals, losing their jobs.


] (]) 11:16, 9 March 2016 (UTC)
:Of course, what you fail to mention is that the so-called scandal was investigated extensively by the ], and was found to be without basis. There is/was no scandal, other than in the twisted mind of Sen. John DeCamp. ] 23:18, 20 December 2006 (UTC)
*Done.--] 20:00, 9 March 2016 (UTC)


== Absurdly biased ==
Wow, only an imbecile would be happy with the explantation given by the Unicameral when it was the very entity being accused of these crimes. It is a true scandal when the institution under question is also the institution performing the inquiry and investigation. You think that the O.J. Simpson trial was scandalous? Well what if he had been his own judge, jury and prosecutor? Give me a break...


Reads like it was written by the Republican Party. I won’t even bother trying to follow in others’ footsteps and dare to add the inconvenient information that Paul Bonacci was awarded $1 million for the abuse and life-altering mental damage he suffered at the hands of Larry King. Or the information in a well regarded British film company’s documentary, or several other documentaries, or a book written by a Republican state senator. I would clearly just get subjected to obstruction and abuse. I can instantly see one obstructive editor below has been blocked indefinitely for sockpuppetry and consistent personal abuse. This article is clearly watched be many dedicated eyes. Misplaced Pages seems to be open only up to a point. What a shame. ] (]) 11:53, 10 April 2019 (UTC)
:No break. This was 17 years ago. If there's evidence, then where is it? No reputable source has ever given ANY credence to these allegations, and that's what we have to cite here on Misplaced Pages ]. Blogs and ill-formed notions by Sen. DeCamp mean nothing here. </font><small><span style="border: 1px solid #F06A0F">]]</span></small><font color="#ffffff"> · </font> 22:33, 19 February 2007 (UTC)
:Perfect example of how to not get the article "fixed". Insult editors, accuse them of obstruction and offer zero reliable references. Maybe Misplaced Pages is not the best playground for you?--] (]) 13:13, 10 April 2019 (UTC)
::You ask for the evidence?? It's probably sitting on a shelf somewhere RIGHT next to John F. Kennedy's brain. Philosophically (I lament that I can't say 'Legally') there is a burden of proof that falls on the accused in this case, as is the same in any case where the accused has enough power to POTENTIALLY render the accuser powerless. Had history unfolded only slightly differently, people would refer to the Iran-Contra as a conspiracy theory, and you would be claiming that related articles should be Afd'd.
:I, also, was going to ask: where are the actual ]? — but it just seemed too ranty for me to bother. ] 13:20, 10 April 2019 (UTC)

::So why isn't there mention of a judge awarding $1 million to Bonacci due to King's abuse? Source ] (]) 14:39, 10 April 2019 (UTC)
:::On Misplaced Pages, we are not here to prove or disprove conspiracy theories -- Misplaced Pages requires that we cite verifiable facts, using reliable sources. This is not a forum, it's an encyclopedia. Please see ], ], ], and ]. Thanks. </font><small><span style="border: 1px solid #F06A0F">]]</span></small><font color="#ffffff"> · </font> 00:34, 20 February 2007 (UTC)
:::Why would that be in here. It was not related to a sex ring, only to the court decision against King himself.--] (]) 15:18, 10 April 2019 (UTC)

::::The judge explicitly mentions the allegations of scavenging for other children to be a part of a pornography ring, and the participation of King and others in “masochistic orgies with other minor children”, and that “the defendant King’s default has made the allegations true as to him”. Seeing as the article is concerned with allegations of King being involved in a child sex ring, this is clearly relevant information from a reliable source and needs mentioning in the article. ] (]) 15:30, 10 April 2019 (UTC)
::::Where's the evidence that confirms this is a "Hoax"? There are plenty of[REDACTED] articles on political affairs, where a legislature or even judiciary branch clears somebody/some institution of a charge, but in the minds of many it is still an open question. I believe categorizing this as a "Hoax" violates W:V rules. Misplaced Pages is also not a "Soapbox" - and that goes for self-proclaimed counter-conspiracy theorists as well. The Reichstag Fire could be claimed as a "Conspiracy Theory" if you are an ardent Nazi who believes Hitler and Goebbels were telling the truth, after all, official Government findings said Communists did it.
:::::The is a difference between criminal and civil findings. The case you speak of is civil, not criminal.--] (]) 17:51, 10 April 2019 (UTC)
Perfectly fair to mention the defendants were cleared by the legislature; but not accurate to call it a hoax, as MSM news and witness testimonials, as well as the odd behavior of Boys Town itself still continue to raise questions. Also, there are no links to Franklin Cover Up Scandal advocacy pages.
::::::We're allowed to mention civil law action on Misplaced Pages. For example, ] mentions a civil lawsuit. ] (]) 18:41, 10 April 2019 (UTC)
:There's a good reason we don't link to those pages. None of them are reliable. ] <small>] | ]</small> 04:11, 28 May 2007 (UTC)
:Without a reliable source there's nothing to discuss. ] <sup>]</sup> 22:22, 10 April 2019 (UTC)

::See above. ] (]) 22:59, 10 April 2019 (UTC)
:: Good, you are correct, many of them seem to be zany. Therefore, I've added the Conspiracy of Silence video link, since that was produced by a joint production of the Discovery Channel with Yorkshire Television, which is a mainstream source.] 04:14, 28 May 2007 (UTC)
:::If it's the one on scribd, that's not reliable. ] <sup>]</sup> 00:22, 11 April 2019 (UTC)
Also, I am wondering who the "Carefully Constructed Hoax" craftspeople are? If it is a hoax, doesn't there need to be a hoaxer? Can we get this edited to relate who the likely hoaxers were?] 04:54, 28 May 2007 (UTC)
::::There’s also Executive Intelligence Review Volume 26, Number 12, March 19, 1999. ] (]) 06:51, 11 April 2019 (UTC)

:::::You mean starting at page 65 ? I quote from that piece "Paul Bonacci was a victim of the Monarch project, one of whose headquarters was in the bunkers of the Strategic Air Command (SAC) headquarters at Offutt Air Force Base in Omaha. In written depositions and in hours upon hours of videotaped testimony—during which several of his personalities clearly emerge—Bonacci has provided the most detailed account of the Monarch project ever to see the light of day." Really...--] (]) 12:05, 11 April 2019 (UTC)
==General==
:::::For further context, read ].--] (]) 12:18, 11 April 2019 (UTC)
In the bit of speculation about Jeff Gannon's past, 'Missing Persons' was linked to the wiki entry on the 80s New Wave band of the same name... not an entry about any missing persons list. So I removed the link, and that's all.
::::::Ok. How about The Des Moines Register newspaper, 24th February 1999? Or The Encyclopedia of Unsolved Crimes by Michael Newton ? Or The Franklin Scandal by Nick Bryant ? Or Robert Dorr, Omaha World-Herald newspaper, "King release to close book on Franklin" Jan 28, 2001? ] (]) 13:21, 11 April 2019 (UTC)

:::::::All conspiracy theories or not related. Do you have any reliable references to back up the argument? I mean "Monarch project"? I can't tell who the better hoaxers are, the kids that conjured up these preposterous tales or the grifters/writers that have capitalized on perpetuating these ridiculous claims.--] (]) 13:47, 11 April 2019 (UTC)
==Dispute basis==
::::::::Not sure what you're talking about. This is about Paul Bonacci being awarded $1 million by a district judge due to Larry King's actions. There are reliable sources which explicitly state this fact and they should be added to the article. ] (]) 14:09, 11 April 2019 (UTC)
Google sees about Paul Bonacci on FindLaw. ] 21:08, 23 October 2005 (UTC)
:::::::::Which you have provided zero.--] (]) 14:16, 11 April 2019 (UTC)

::::::::::To reiterate: The Des Moines Register newspaper, 24th February 1999? Or The Encyclopedia of Unsolved Crimes by Michael Newton ? Or The Franklin Scandal by Nick Bryant ? Or Robert Dorr, Omaha World-Herald newspaper, "King release to close book on Franklin" Jan 28, 2001? ] (]) 14:29, 11 April 2019 (UTC)
== it's fixed (sort of)... ==
:::::::::::The $1 million judgment was a default judgment taken when King didn't bother to defend against Bonacci's civil lawsuit claiming that between 1980 and 1988, King sexually molested Bonacci and forced him to be part of secret underground pedophile ring involving satanic ritual abuse. Default judgments are technical in that if you don't bother to respond to the complaint filed by the plaintiff, then the judge rules in the plaintiff's favor. No actual civil trial took place in which evidence would have been presented and the merits of the claims tested. Editors can entertain arguments over whether or not to include the fact that Bonacci got a default judgment when King didn't respond to the one-sided lawsuit, but it seems trivial when understood in its proper context and juxtaposed against the fact that the state and federal investigations and grand jury proceedings that did test the merits of the allegations concluded these events did not happen and that the child sex abuse allegations were a hoax. Regards, ] (]) 15:26, 11 April 2019 (UTC)

::::::::::::The ideas were tested in court by the judge. The judge ruled that “the uncontradicted evidence is that the plaintiff has suffered much by the wrongful actions of the defendant King”. $1 million was awarded to Bonacci. The fact that King never appeared in court does not invalidate this information or imply that it should be censored. This is public information backed up by reliable sources. Misplaced Pages is not censored. ] (]) 15:37, 11 April 2019 (UTC)
Okay, I've revamped the page, ditched the goofy vandalism, and given a capsule explanation, with sources, of this complicated matter. Included the fringe conspiracy theory aspect of it as well as the (relatively) legit parts as covered originally by the Washington Times, New York Times, and Senator DeCamp. Still so much more that could be added though. ] 07:06, 13 November 2005 (UTC)
::::::::::::Seriously if that was truly how things worked then I could accuse anyone of anything, with no evidence, and if they don’t show up in court then they’d have to pay me money. The evidence was tested in court by the judge. ] (]) 15:58, 11 April 2019 (UTC)

:::::::::::::That's correct, if someone files a civil legal complaint alleging you committed various torts against them, and you never bother to file a response to their petition, then the judge will order a default judgment against you and in the petitioner's favor presuming that the alleged facts are true. The merits of your case are never actually addressed. No trial, no witnesses, no testimony, no evidence tested in court. And yes, you still have to pay the money. That's what happened in the Bonacci - King case. I assume you don't have a legal background, hence you probably didn't realize this. Regards, ] (]) 16:13, 11 April 2019 (UTC)
== Gunderson link ==
::::::::::::::I tried three times to type what you just did as succinctly as that but failed miserably each time.--] (]) 16:31, 11 April 2019 (UTC)

:::::::::::::::No. That is not the case. “If a defendant (the person or business sued) doesn't appear at trial, the plaintiff will likely win—but not always. The judge will verify that the plaintiff served the defendant with court papers, that neither party requested a postponement, and that there is some basis (evidence) supporting the plaintiff’s case before issuing a default judgment.” There needs to be evidence. Otherwise, like I said, anyone could win damages from anyone else with zero evidence. Why don’t we include all this information in the article? That Bonacci won after King failed to turn up in court? ] (]) 16:43, 11 April 2019 (UTC)
I removed the ] external home page link again, with the following rationale:
:::::::::::::::Moreover the judge makes specific reference to the evidence presented. “The uncontradicted evidence is that...” ] (]) 16:51, 11 April 2019 (UTC)

::There are reliable sources though
* Gunderson himself is notable, that is, he qualifies for a Misplaced Pages article, has been noted in mainstream media, etc. However, that does not make him a ] for Misplaced Pages purposes, or provide any sort of verifiability for the Guckert/Gannon allegations that had previously been in the article. He's still a fringe figure, and his unsupported (and not confirmed in mainstream media) speculations about the Franklin and and Guckert/Gannon are not encyclopedic.
::http://www.guilfordpress.co.uk/books/details/9780415718073/

::http://franklinscandal.com/Bryant_DID_Chapter.pdf ] (]) 14:53, 22 May 2022 (UTC)
* The external link was to Gunderson's home page itself, not to anything related to this article. It does not provide any assistance or deeper reading for a Misplaced Pages reader of this article.
{{outdent}}Autonova, you do understand the civil judgement was a default judgement which the judge had to issue due to the way the law is set up?--] (]) 17:14, 11 April 2019 (UTC)

:Autonova, let me try to provide additional understanding for you. When a petitioner files a complaint, they are required to provide a basis in the form of their sworn affidavit which must accompany the complaint. The affidavit is notarized, states the facts as alleged by the petitioner, and in it the petitioner swears that those facts are true. A defendant must file a timely written response to the complaint denying each and every allegation by the petitioner line-by-line within 30 days, or the court must presume that each and every fact alleged by the petitioner is true and enter a default judgment for the petitioner on the basis of the sworn affidavit. The "uncontradicted evidence" the judge was referring to was the required sworn affidavit filed by Bonacci along with his complaint; the affidavit is evidence and supplies the legal basis. The judge was not referring to the kind of compelling evidence you would expect to be presented at a trial with direct and cross examination of the testimony of witnesses, exhibits containing records and/or physical evidence, and so forth. There was no adversarial trial in the Bonacci - King case to ascertain the real truths and facts, just a one-sided default judgment based on original complaint and its legal basis in the supporting sworn affidavit. Does that help clear up any remaining confusion? Regards, ] (]) 18:19, 11 April 2019 (UTC)
I think if you take a good look at ] I don't think a link to Gunderson's home page would qualify. Best, --] 01:08, 17 July 2006 (UTC)
::According to The Franklin Scandal by Nick Bryant, , "US District Court Judge Urborn declared Bonacci's accusations as "bizarre". He granted Bonacci a default judgement against King. Senator DeCamp then requested a hearing on the single issue of damages, and called Bonacci to the stand along with other witnesses who corroborated his bizarre accusations. After Judge Urborn listened to the testimony, he awarded Paul Bonacci a one million dollar judgement. The ruling was based on some of the horrific events Bonacci related to me. "I don't think the judge would have given Paul a million dollar award if he didn't think he was telling the truth", DeCamp said of the ruling." So the judgement was not solely based on the complaint - it was also based on testimony from witnesses. ] (]) 18:09, 12 April 2019 (UTC)
:: I don't follow your logic. Like him or not (and I don't), Gunderson is a major figure in this subject, and his website features information on the subject. Furthermore, external links are not subject to ], so I don't even know why you're talking about that. The article is not using Gunderson or his website as a source, it is merely providing a link to him because he is mentioned in the article, and rightfully so. It doesn't matter whether Gunderson is a loon or not, he ''is'' prominently connected to the case. Unfortunate as that may be. ] 11:47, 17 July 2006 (UTC)
:Would I be allowed to add any information whatsoever from the books The Franklin Scandal by Nick Bryant, , or The Franklin Coverup by John DeCamp, or are these censored too? Yes/no? ] (]) 19:54, 11 April 2019 (UTC)
:::I don't believe Gunderson is "prominently connected" to the case at all. Just because a loon makes some pronouncement about a subject does not mean that the pronouncement, or its maker, should be included in the article about the subject. If some fringe figure declared that the ] was caused by little green men from the planet Zorkon, should that be included in the earthquake article and his web site listed as an external link?
::I think some text taken from Bryant and supported by Charles Young's would be a good addition to the article. Tell the reader that some prominent people think the pedophile ring was not a complete fabrication or conspiracy theory. ] (]) 20:45, 11 April 2019 (UTC)

:::What prominent people? A jury called it a carefully crafted hoax. There has never been anything but conspiracy theories surrounding this nonsense and only those uneducated in the facts of the case would think this preposterous fable has any element of truth. Maybe you need to refresh yourself on the BLP issues here.--] (]) 23:09, 11 April 2019 (UTC)
:::Again, please read ], specifically the guideline ]: ''"Any site that contains factually inaccurate material or unverified original research. (See ] for further information on this guideline.)"''. Hence my citation of ]. Gunderson's unverified original research adds nothing to either the article or to the links section. It should remain out of the article. --] 16:49, 17 July 2006 (UTC)
:::The article as it now is accurately summarizes the reliable sources. The article does not use unreliable sources; it doesn't pick and choose facts to synthesize claims that don't appear in reliable sources; it does not, and cannot, blow the lid off a heinous conspiracy of mind control and child abuse, and it cannot give undue weight to fringe claims or violate ]. Within those limits, what is it you want to add to the article and what is the source? ] <sup>]</sup> 10:27, 12 April 2019 (UTC)
:::: Who ''says'' it's factually inaccurate? I mean, besides ''you''? It's all a conspiracy THEORY in the first place. And Gunderson has been interviewed in mainstream media about the Gannon-Gosch connection, so he's more than just a "fringe figure", even though I do concede he is a raving nutcase. But it isn't up to we editors to make that judgment for others. If you have read up on this subject on the net, you will see that Gunderson's name, unfortunately, comes up often. Also, you are still confusing Misplaced Pages policies: Gunderson is not a Misplaced Pages editor, so it is meaningless to use the term "unverified original research" to his writing. ] 03:00, 18 July 2006 (UTC)
::::It does not accurately summarise all the reliable sources. There are reliable sources which state that investigators received death threats. Journalists were being followed. The lead investigator was killed in a plane crash when bringing back evidence, the cause of which was never found. That the FBI pressured the victims to recant their stories. That King dropped his appeal of the $1 million he was ordered to pay Bonacci for child abuse and involvement in a paedophilia ring. A viewer phone-in poll by Omaha television station KETV channel 7 showed a 10-1 viewer dissatisfaction of the grand jury’s report, with over 3000 responses. That Alisha Owen successfully appealed her conviction of perjury. All this information is left out of the article. ] (]) 11:44, 12 April 2019 (UTC)
:::::Really, it's not ''me'' who is confusing Misplaced Pages policies. The language from ] quoted above is not at all ambiguous: avoid linking to sites with unverified original research, which is what Gunderson's site is. (If you can demonstrate that his work is, in fact, based on reliable sources, in the Misplaced Pages sense, or that he should be considered a reliable source on his own, then feel free to do so; however, we both agree that he's a raving nutcase.) Yes, the phrase "unverified original research" is in the guideline, and yes, it refers to people who are not Misplaced Pages editors. And yes, sites linked to are expected, except in rare illustrative cases, to be reliable sources. It's a good policy and it helps keep articles free of crackpot linkcruft. As for Gunderson's "prominent" connection to the case, if you can find reliable, citable, sources for that, then by all means add them to the article. Cheers, --] 05:23, 18 July 2006 (UTC)
::::That you're dismissing two reliable sources as a "preposterous fable" without bothering to provide so much as a single objective reason is why this article is viewed as biased. You're clearly censoring information which isn't part of a pre-conceived agenda. There is such a wealth of documented information about this case outside the content of the article as it stands. It worries me how someone supposedly contributing openly and faithfully to Misplaced Pages would be so obstructive. Can you give a single reason why Nick Bryant's book, or the Counterpunch article provided above should not be cited in the article? ] (]) 23:33, 11 April 2019 (UTC)

:::::Circled back here to read the latest after having been gone for four days, but I see not much else has come of this thread. In general, I don't think editors will be very supportive of trying to include these sorts of things as they look to be an attempt to synthesize some kind of conspiratorial minded argument that the child prostitution ring was actually real and that justice has somehow been thwarted despite the state and federal law enforcement investigations and court proceedings that found the claims were a hoax. Obviously some people have written some books about it still claiming such, but the sourcing looks like fringe viewpoints which lack credibility in the mainstream. Misplaced Pages articles aren't really meant to be the kind of place where these kinds of claims get aired out. However, in the list you've provided above, if Alisha Owen successfully appealed her conviction for perjury, then it does warrant adjusting the article to change or remove what is currently stated in the last few sentences of the "State and federal investigations" section. Can you provide us with a source to confirm that her conviction was indeed thrown out? Regards, ] (]) 19:49, 15 April 2019 (UTC)

::::::I appreciate the need for proper weight and the avoidance of WP:FRINGE. However, there is a wealth of reliable material that is not included in this article. Similar material is included in the article for ]. In this article, there is omission of material from: a book by a journlist who investigated the case for 9 years ; an article in a reliable news outlet endorsing the book ; a book by a state senator who was an attourney in the case ; a documentary, Who Took Johnny ; a documentary, "Conspiracy of Silence", by Yorkshire Television ; the fact that Bonacci won civil damages from King after the district court judge heard corroborating testimony, where he decided on a $1 million amount; a viewer phone-in poll by Omaha television station KETV channel 7 which showed a 10-1 viewer dissatisfaction of the grand jury’s report, with over 3000 responses; Episode 5 of the podcast Sword and Scale . Is there any possibility that any of this material could be added to the article? ] (]) 23:08, 16 April 2019 (UTC)
why is this wrongly labeled a conspiracy theory? there's a reputable news source, witnesess testimony, plenty of facts. ?
::::::In response to the Alisha Owen question, my mistake - she was in fact freed on parole after only 4.5 years due to exemplary behaviour. This material should also be added to the article, per BLP. ] (]) 23:10, 16 April 2019 (UTC)

:::::::I assume the "similar material " in the Marc Dutrox article is the "Allegations of a cover-up" section in that article, as that is where you linked to. However, that content appears to be about 10% of that article, which handles its overall subject much more in-depth than the small summary article we have here. For proper weight purposes, inserting the items above would unbalance the Franklin article in favor of poorly sourced material arguing (or at least insinuating) the fringe claim that the Franklin child sex ring was real and just covered up. I say poorly sourced because there doesn't appear to be reliable secondary sourcing discussing these items in context. It's Misplaced Pages policy to avoid creating article content that is synthesized claims using primary sources. Looking at the items above, I could see adding a single sentence to the "Commentary" section of this article stating that some authors have written paperbacks alleging that the child prostitution ring hoax was a real criminal conspiracy covered up by the authorities, but that's about it. On the Owen's situation, lets get a source so that we can add that. Do you have something indicating she was released early for good behavior? Regards, ] (]) 13:35, 17 April 2019 (UTC)
==John DeCamp Conspiracy Theory==
::::::::{{u|AzureCitizen}}, without preconceptions, never having encountered this topic before, I searched for reliable sources. I found nothing I would feel comfortable adding. Self-published material by ] endorsing the conspiracy - as he did the McMartin satanic abuse nonsense - doesn't give me a good feeling about it.
Citing to John DeCamp right-wing blogsites does not constitute citing to ]. If there are sources for this story, provide them. If they're not there in 14 days, this one goes up for Afd. ] 20:46, 29 October 2006 (UTC)
::::::::We're talking here about allegations of satanic abuse against real people. We have to be really careful about undue weight, and I find pretty much nothing beyond dismissive mentions of DeCamp's book in obituaries. When a major TV company makes a documentary and then doesn't release it, that indicates a substantial problem with the underlying facts, and I think we should not be amplifying those claims without massively better sourcing than we have.

::::::::In short: the Franklin suppression conspiracy theory is obviously bollocks, but it's not notable bollocks, so we can't cover it. ''']''' <small>(] - ])</small> 11:15, 3 May 2021 (UTC)
: How can you possibly consider this source which appears as an external link (third listed link), is not able to be used as a secondary source? It is a news site, it doesn't appear to be a personal website but a commercial website and it presents a photograph of a the Washington Times, front page, an article about the issue. - ] 01:24, 30 October 2006 (UTC)
:] why do you evidently disagree with AzureCitizen that one sentence of sourced material can be added at the bottom of the article? Do you have any alternative ideas in the interest of consensus? ] (]) 07:09, 30 April 2019 (UTC)

The article already says "Numerous conspiracy theories evolved, claiming that the alleged abuse was part of a widespread series of crimes including devil worship, cannibalism, drug trafficking, and CIA arms dealing." That's appropriate weight. ] <sup>]</sup> 10:53, 30 April 2019 (UTC)
::Indymedia.org cites do not meet the reliability requirements of Misplaced Pages. If you have reputable secondary sources, such as the Omaha World-Herald or others, cite to them, not some Leftist rag. ] 05:26, 30 October 2006 (UTC)
:And the Manchurian Candidate things that were done at Offutt AFB too...--] (]) 12:10, 30 April 2019 (UTC)

::Can I at least add the sources to that statement? ] (]) 18:32, 30 April 2019 (UTC)
Seeing as the Omaha World-Herald is itself implicated in the scandal by John DeCamp, it would be pretty retarded for a person to consider it a reputable source on this particular matter. Again, would one consider O.J. Simpson a reputable source regarding the controversy over his own murder trial? Give us SOME credit...
:::They all seem pretty much primary sources to me.--] (]) 18:50, 30 April 2019 (UTC)

::::All apart from the book by DeCamp are ]. "A secondary source provides an author's own thinking based on primary sources, generally at least one step removed from an event. It contains an author's analysis, evaluation, interpretation, or synthesis of the facts, evidence, concepts, and ideas taken from primary sources." There is an article from a reliable source, a book written by a journalist, a podcast, and a documentary. All of which are not directly involved in the event. DeCamp was a lawyer involved in the event so his book could be considered a primary source - but it's still relevant to the statement because the statement is not an interpretation of primary sources, just an acknowledgement of them. ] (]) 21:35, 30 April 2019 (UTC)
:Well, if you can produce a reputable source that says that it's true, then add it. Blogs, self-published sources and videos (including DeCamp works), don't qualify as ] here -- please read ]. The problem is that there are ZERO reputable sources that say this is true, so, you can go on believing whatever it is that you want to about the supposed scandal, but as far as Misplaced Pages is concerned, it didn't happen. </font><small><span style="border: 1px solid #F06A0F">]]</span></small><font color="#ffffff"> · </font> 23:54, 19 February 2007 (UTC)
:::::{{u|Autonova}}, the problem as I see it is the advancement of ]. Bryant's book is published by TrineDay, "a small publishing house that arose as a response to the consistent refusal of the corporate press to publish more repressed titles." That's a massive red flag for fringe advocacy and credulous editorial oversight. ''Still Evil After All These Years'' is in ''Counterpunch'', which is a "biased or opinionated source" and not reliable for these claims. DeCamp is scarcely a disinterested party. ''Who Took Johnny'' was produced by RumuR, a small company specialising in conspiracist nonsense. ''Conspiracy Of Silence'' is unreleased, which implies that lawyers were unable to sign off on its allegations. The books appear to be primary sources for the conspiracy theories, they are proponents, not documenters.

:::::What's lacking here, and what I can't find, is any analysis of the conspiracy theories beyond the primary documents. Per , "The DeCamp story is linked from a Misplaced Pages article and has shown up on sites that discuss the Franklin Credit Union scandal. He's seen on various YouTube interviews." "Still, the Franklin stories live on, on various internet sites, and mentioned surreptitiously on occasion on TV shows."
:: That's a pretty bizarre statement by you. Per Misplaced Pages standards, John DeCamp's works do qualify as a reputable source. He's a Republican and former Nebraska State Senator, who was hired by State Senator Loran Schmit, Chairman of the special committee to look into the allegations, as an investigator for the committee. DeCamp came into the case thinking that the charges must certainly be false and was hired because it was thought that he would help to whitewash the case, but he found out that the evidence showed that the charges are true and spoke out about it. Former CIA Director William E. Colby is interviewed in the documentary Conspiracy of Silence (1994), wherein William E. Colby backs up the importance of this case and also talks about the real risks of assassination that John DeCamp faces for speaking out about it.
:::::It's abundantly clear that this is not taken seriously in mainstream media, and it is absolutely not our job to fix that. In fact we are forbidden from doing so. ''']''' <small>(] - ])</small> 11:02, 3 May 2021 (UTC)

:: Now, by reputable source, that doesn't mean that anything he says will be written up as an undesputed fact. Rather, what it means is that relevant points he made can be included along the lines of "DeCamp investigated such and such, and found that ..."--] 04:06, 25 April 2007 (UTC)


There is absolutely no reason to deny John DeCamp the status of a reliable source. All names of the witnesses he mentions can be checked and he refers to written testimonies which can be checked, as well.

:I can tell you are new here, because you are not familiar with our reliability rules. Please review ] and ], which are our primary rules regarding citation. Thanks. </font><small><span style="border: 1px solid #F06A0F">]]</span></small><font color="#ffffff"> · </font> 19:13, 15 June 2007 (UTC)

== Merge proposal ==

I am proposing that ] and ] be merged into this article.--] 00:56, 2 November 2006 (UTC)
*I certainly do not think they should be merged. The other articles are about fairly notable and controversial media works, which if given time will expand in their own right, irrespective of other articles. ] 01:58, 2 November 2006 (UTC).
::The alleged event occurred in 1989, and has been thoroughly discredited through very formal proceedings in the State of Nebraska, which have long since been concluded. It enjoys a second life now, because of blogs, but blogs don't develop any new information, they just discuss prior information, and further, are not reputable sources under the rules of Misplaced Pages. The notability of the people involved or the subject is not likely to increase -- the subject is basically dead, even in the OWH, where you would expect considerable coverage if the subject still bore fruit for the journalistic mill. ] 02:15, 2 November 2006 (UTC)
:*Merge of "The Franklin Coverup" and "Conspiracy of Silence" not needed - film/book separate from the incident. Seems if the articles on the people were merged in the article might become confusing. Perhaps if someone wants to create what they think the merged article would look like in their user space it would be easier to consider. ] 02:20, 2 November 2006 (UTC)
*I would add the articles ] and ] to the proposed merger as well. Bonacci and King have no notability except for being featured parties in this conspiracy theory. Neither the DeCamp book nor the never-aired documentary received any particular media attention or wide public notice; there are very few if any ] discussing anything here -- it's practically all fringe advocacy sites, blogs, web discussion boards, etc. There seems to be enough interest in the subject to support a single, reasonably well-sourced Misplaced Pages article; certainly not more than that. --] 03:06, 2 November 2006 (UTC)
*Merging all of the above would be appropriate. None of them are notable on their own, only as they interrelate to this page. Go for it. ] 03:31, 2 November 2006 (UTC)
*I agree. There is really only one story here, and it's not a long story. ] <sup>]</sup> 03:34, 2 November 2006 (UTC)
*'''Merge those that don't get Afd'd'''. To the extent that any of this story still has legs, all 6, count them, 6, articles should go into one place. The Nebraska Legislature's special investigative committee decided that these allegations were unfounded in 1989 (indeed, officially declared a "hoax"), and the subject has not received mainstream press coverage since. Any notability of these 6 subjects today is wholely a fabrication of the advocacy blogosphere, and thus unencyclopedic by Misplaced Pages standards. ] 03:38, 2 November 2006 (UTC)
*One thing I really noticed looking at these articles is they all seem to waste nearly 1-2 thirds of their space re-explaining the Franklin Coverup Scandal. That really drove home the justification to merge, at least for me.--] 03:45, 2 November 2006 (UTC)
*'''Ditto Sparkhead'''. Let's see what you have in mind first. ] 07:42, 2 November 2006 (UTC)

==Illuminati==
Apparently the ] is at least partially responsible for “covering up” this scandal according to notable author. Are the ] and the ] now working together? ] 02:50, 2 November 2006 (UTC)

:Now are we all sure that this is an acceptable link? I'm not so sure that it cites Reputable sources... could be a concern as far as integrity goes.

== Merging people writeup ==

Rosicrucian's merge request section above is for the movie/book articles. The merge requests for the people is from two other editors. I'm requesting that merge be written up in one of their user spaces (or if someone else cares to volunteer) so we can review it. Thanks. ] 12:47, 2 November 2006 (UTC)
:I have done so at ]. Note how much of ] can be trimmed when it doesn't have to re-summarize the actual scandal. Current sandbox article only encompasses the three articles I proposed merged, feel free to tweak it.--] 15:47, 2 November 2006 (UTC)
::Like I stated, I don't think merging the book/movie is a good idea. The writeup I was looking for was those who suggested the merge of the people into this article. ] 23:02, 2 November 2006 (UTC)
:::To be candid, the article about the book is likely to be deleted, so the only mention of it will probably be a sentence or two in this article, which seems about right to me. --] 23:39, 2 November 2006 (UTC)
::::And really, the book article itself is roughly two sentences, one of which is redundant in the context of the main article.--] 00:23, 3 November 2006 (UTC)
:Nice write-up. Go for it. Merge away! ] 21:59, 3 November 2006 (UTC)
::Any other comments against the merge? Not seeing much justification for them being notable on their own.--] 22:48, 5 November 2006 (UTC)
:::I just feel that we should leave more time for other editors to potentially come in and expand upon the articles in question, before merging them. ] 02:19, 6 November 2006 (UTC).
::::::Expand what? A story that was discredited 17 years ago? Do you honestly think that new facts are going to develop? ]<font size=2><font color="Blue">]</font></font>] 04:31, 6 November 2006 (UTC)
::::In my mind it's just as easy to keep all three under the most likely search term, and split them out later if the sections get big enough.--] 02:24, 6 November 2006 (UTC)

== Time to proceed with the merger ==

I propose that it's time to proceed with the merge, using ]'s draft at ]. Does someone want to do this, or shall I? Thanks, --] 21:44, 11 November 2006 (UTC)
:Be my guest.--] 07:19, 12 November 2006 (UTC)
::OK, partially done; I copied the draft to the article space. It still needs the following:
::*Add Paul Bonacci case
::*Redirect the merged-from articles
::*Evaluate and delete references that do not meet ], ], or ]

::I'll be working on these in the next few hours/day. --] 06:28, 13 November 2006 (UTC)


==Other==
I wrote up a quick txt on King while watching Conspiracy of Silence, not sure how much is true, how much is exaggerated, that's why I wrote it down - just to have it as a jumping point. After all, presumably at least part of it is true (hard to "hoax" what charges police laid, for example...though no mention of a verdict) Anyways, if anybody cares to look into this at all, here's what I had written.
<blockquote>Lawrence King was a ... throughout the 1980s.

Franklin Federal Credit Union's general manager (Omaha, Nebraska), which he turned around.

He sponsored Boystown accounts, and several Boystown youth worked for FFCU's companies.

Conspiracy of Silence claims that he prostituted boys from the school, including Paul Menasse(?) who claimed to have been employed to "win the confidence" of youngsters at the school.

In 1986, Father Val Peter, CEO of Boystown, is told that King is "plundering" Boystown. In 1988, Nebraska's Foster Care Review Board investigates King's relationship with Boystown, after multiple youths at the school made allegations against King, and others
-Department Store Millionaire Allen Baer
-celebrity columnist of Omaha newspaper, Peter Sytron.

King spent a reported ten million dollars out of the Credit Union's coffers, on gifts of jewelry, private planes and similar luxury items, allegedly to buy himself political alliances.

Owned four homes simultaneously, three in Omaha, and one in DC

On April 11 1988, the IRS and FBI raided and shut down the Franklin Credit Union. King was arrested, and charged with the theft of forty million dollars from the CU. The following month, the Nebraska State Government set up a parallel investigation.

Carolyn Stitch testified before the legislative committee</blockquote> ] <sup>(]) </sup> 06:25, 6 December 2006 (UTC)

:* There was a standalone article about Lawrence King which, at various times, had some of the information above; however, there was a consensus to merge it into this article for a number of reasons, including lack of personal notability, unreliability of sources (including ''Conspiracy of Silence''), ] concerns, the difficulty of keeping a number of minor articles about figures in the case in sync, and the general fringe-conspiracy-theory nature of the entire Franklin case. --] 07:10, 6 December 2006 (UTC)


I would like to mention here that one victim-witness of the case, Troy Bonner, had been subjected to a polygraph test by the reporters of "Conspiracy of Silence" from Yorkshire Television (1993/94), which was done by the Keeler Polygraph Institute in Chicago. This test convinced the reporters that he was telling the truth (John DeCamp, "The Franklin Cover-up", 286).

== Whatever you decide to do here... ==

...make sure you also do it to ], which contains a paragraph on the subject. ] 08:28, 9 January 2007 (UTC)

==Biggest Omission==

There is one GLARING issue here that I think should be addressed: if this was truly a "carefully crafted hoax", then who exactly was involved in crafting it? Are people to believe that the young minds of Alisha Owen and Paul Bonacci dreamed up and "carefully crafted" the whole mess, despite the fact that both grand juries concluded that the Owen and Bonacci had indeed been abused?

:Senator ] is the originator, but ] and the Leftist blogosphere have turned it into a minor conspiracy industry. Please get a username, and sign your posts with four tildes. Thanks. </font><small><span style="border: 1px solid #F06A0F">]]</span></small><font color="#ffffff"> · </font> 00:28, 20 February 2007 (UTC)
::Yes, but wouldn't the unicam have recommended ethics committee actions/legal charges against them? Also, isn't it odd that the victim who was charged with perjury is still in jail, but King for massive fraud and Tax cheating was freed in 2001? ] 04:57, 28 May 2007 (UTC)


The author of the article fails to come up with any reasonable motive let alone evidence why Ernie Chambers/John DeCamp should have crafted this hoax. This claim is totally unfounded.

==Biggest Omission 2==
I think it's highly relevant and deserves noting that the grand jury came to these two conslusions: one, that this was a "carefully crafted hoax", and the other, that both Alisha Owen and Paul Bonacci had indeed been abused by SOMEONE. Here's the thing: for the grand jury to have come to that first conlusion, there must have been evidence of the "hoax" having been "carefully crafted". For the grand jury to draw the latter conclusion, there must have been evidence of abuse. So what CAN one conclude from the EVIDENCE? That some MYSTERIOUS (to this date) person(s) is responsible for the careful crafting of this "hoax", and someone, perhaps the same person(s), perhaps not, is responsible for the real abuses suffered by Owen and Bonacci. Claim what you want about lack of evidence for other stories behind this matter, it doesn't change the facts, and the facts BEG explanation and speculation, because TOO MANY questions that should've been answered by the inquiry remain unanswered to this very day.] 00:45, 20 February 2007 (UTC)Smithers

:It's no big mystery. ] made it up. </font><small><span style="border: 1px solid #F06A0F">]]</span></small><font color="#ffffff"> · </font> 01:20, 20 February 2007 (UTC)

::Oh, great, mystery solved. Where can I read about how he made it up? Oh right, you'll say flat out that he made it up, but you won't cite yourself.<small>—The preceding ] comment was added by ] (]) 22:13, 21 February 2007 (UTC).</small><!-- HagermanBot Auto-Unsigned -->
:::Why on Earth would I cite myself? </font><small><span style="border: 1px solid #F06A0F">]]</span></small><font color="#ffffff"> · </font> 08:15, 22 February 2007 (UTC)
Pardon the awkward wording here. You should cite the source for your claim that "Ernie Chambers made it up", that way we can assess the validity of your claim. Sound good? <small>—The preceding ] comment was added by ] (]) 21:38, 23 February 2007 (UTC).</small><!-- HagermanBot Auto-Unsigned -->
:I don't have to cite anything -- I'm not trying to get the assertion into the article. I'm just answering your question. </font><small><span style="border: 1px solid #F06A0F">]]</span></small><font color="#ffffff"> · </font> 00:30, 1 March 2007 (UTC)
:: If an article is categorized as a hoax, it must have proof of hoaxers, named explicitly by reliable sources, otherwise, it's just a conspiracy theory. Were there ethics charges or criminal charges brought against Ernie Chambers/DeCamp? ] 05:00, 28 May 2007 (UTC)

:::The grand jury's report called the whole affair a "carefully crafted hoax", and that fact, which is a matter of public record, was reported as such by the ''Omaha World Herald'', a ]. That the grand jury was unable or unwilling to identify the hoaxers does not make it less of a hoax. (By the way, I personally don't believe it was Ernie Chambers.) --] 19:46, 28 May 2007 (UTC)

Thank God Misplaced Pages never got rid of the discussion page

Those looking for more information should look --] 18:35, 19 March 2007 (UTC)

:Thanks for that, but we don't cite to Youtube as authority here on Misplaced Pages. </font><small><span style="border: 1px solid #F06A0F">]]</span></small><font color="#ffffff"> · </font> 18:59, 19 March 2007 (UTC)

Here at Misplaced Pages, we have a standard called ], and this means that we can't just insert random, unproven assertions and treat them as fact. An encyclopedia is a repository of facts. Conspiracy theories have no basis in fact. I hope this helps! ] 05:02, 25 April 2007 (UTC)

: It's quite interesting to hear you say here that the U.S. government's official position on the 9/11 attacks has no basis in fact. As you said, "Conspiracy theories have no basis in fact." A conspiracy is simply when two or more people take part in a plan which involves doing something unrightful or untoward to another person or other people (of which plan may or may not be kept secret, i.e., secrecy is not a necessary component for actions to be a conspiracy). Since obviously more than one person was involved in planning the 9/11 attacks, then *by definition* it is a conspiracy, even if one completely accepts the U.S. government's official story. Hence, *by definition* the U.S. government's offical account is a conspiracy theory, as the U.S. government is putting forth a theory concerning the 9/11 attacks which involves a conspiracy.--] 05:19, 25 April 2007 (UTC)

::I never said that the government's official position has no basis in fact. That's a bullshit straw man attack. And secrecy ''is'' required for something to be considered a conspiracy theory. Al Qaeda has never kept it a secret that they used those planes as missiles. ] 05:25, 25 April 2007 (UTC)

::: Well, from your replies I can see that you're special, to use a turn of phrase. And here you sit in judgement of me. I think that's rather fitting. I shan't have it any other way.

::: And yes, you most certainly did indeed say that the U.S. government's official position has no basis in fact. But of course, if one is willing to be contradictory, then they can (non-coherently) claim otherwise. As you said, "Conspiracy theories have no basis in fact." And as I pointed out, a conspiracy is simply when two or more people take part in a plan which involves doing something unrightful or untoward to another person or other people (of which plan may or may not be kept secret, i.e., secrecy is not a necessary component for actions to be a conspiracy). Since obviously more than one person was involved in planning the 9/11 attacks, then *by definition* it is a conspiracy, even if one completely accepts the U.S. government's official story. Hence, *by definition* the U.S. government's offical account is a conspiracy theory, as the U.S. government is putting forth a theory concerning the 9/11 attacks which involves a conspiracy.

::: But then, the above assumes logical coherence. I realize this isn't a factor with you, as you have made abundantly clear. But still the fact remains: if you say 1+1 = 2, then 2+2 must = 4 (with 4 here meaning 1+1+1+1). Hence, if you say "Conspiracy theories have no basis in fact," then you are by logical necessity saying that the U.S. government's official position has no basis in fact. But I realize that such things as logical truths hold no meaning for you.--] 06:00, 25 April 2007 (UTC)
::::There is a difference between a conspiracy and a conspiracy theory. It is true that Al Qaeda conspired to attack us on 9/11. However, treating that as fact is not a conspiracy theory. And please don't make any personal attacks against me again. I attacked your content, not you. Although, I must admit that it takes a lot of guts to attack me while hiding behind an IP address. ] <small>] | ]</small> 01:14, 2 May 2007 (UTC)


The author of the article has failed to provide any reasonable motive on the part of the victim-witnesses to invent their allegations, especially since it has been acknowledged by the Grand Jury that the victim-witnesses really had been abused.
The author also fails to provide any evidence for who had crafted that hoax and what his motive would have been.


He also fails to elaborate on the key witness of the case, Paul Bonacci. Charges of perjury against him were dropped, which practically means his testimony could not be disproved. He alone gives so many details that he either should have been in jail, too, or what he says is actually true.
Also, why was it that Larry King was unable to provide evidence in his own favour in the civil lawsuit against him? It should have been possible, facing such grave charges, to come up with at least some pieces evidence in his own favour.

==Censorship of Things the U.S. Government Would Like to Keep Under Raps==

On the vote page for this article's continuance I posted a very innocuous argument as to why it should be kept that was completely in keeping with Misplaced Pages standards. Yet a certain person (whose name I cannot mention here lest he delete this post, per his convenient standards) deleted my comment under the obviously false pretext of "" (his words). Only one person had been mentioned regarding unseemly acts in said comment of mine, and that was a person who pled guilty in the government's case against him (available through government and news article records). All the other mentions of names in that comment by me can be verified from the public record (e.g., video-recorded interviews and mainstream major media news articles).

In that comment by me I presented a very concise and cogent argument (given my space limitations) as to why the article should be kept, which involved prodiving evidence that the children's charges are correct. Obviously this P.O.ed (to use a colloquialism) some people to a very great extent. So much so that they attempted to remove my comment under obviously self-invented and fallacious standards. Nowhere on Misplaced Pages have I ever seen this arbitrary standard applied: not on talk or vote pages, and not even in the articles themselves. The censors who deleted my comments are acting as hypocrites, as they don't dare apply the same standard to the very article in question (which has been taken over by U.S. government apologists). They allow themselves and those they agree with to mention names of living people, but they cynically miscite and misapply Misplaced Pages standards in an attempt to erase from the record any suasive voice of opposition.

That is to say, one who disagrees with them (at least in a persuasive manner) isn't even allowed to step up to the plate. They'll invent arbitrary and fallacious standards which they (in actual empirical fact) don't apply to themselves or those they agree with. (And I wish I could mention actual names here, but I can't, for the above reasons.)

This is appalling behavior. It's beyond Orwellian. But then, being beyond Orwellian is the standard practice of the ruling elite and their apologists throughout mankind's brutal history. It is sad.--] 05:09, 25 April 2007 (UTC)

:Once again, ] is not a self-invented and fallacious standard. The users who have reverted your comments, myself included, have been doing it to uphold Misplaced Pages policy. ] 05:12, 25 April 2007 (UTC)

:: Any vandal can cite Misplaced Pages policy. Merely citing Misplaced Pages policy doesn't prove anything. There is no cause whatsoever within Misplaced Pages policy for what you are doing, any more than any vandal. You have never attempted to demonstrate how Misplaced Pages policy applies to your deletions. And there is a good reason for that. The reason is because nothing I have done violates Misplaced Pages policy. Have I mentioned names of living people? Of course I have, as you so also have, as have so also those you agree with who you do not delete. Indeed, virtually everyone posting on Misplaced Pages has. Which is hardly much of a surprise, as it would be next to impossible to conduct a sane and intelligent conversation without mentioning the names of living people.

:: But as I previously said, only one person had been mentioned regarding unseemly acts in said comment of mine, and that was a person who pled guilty in the government's case against him (available through government and news article records). All the other mentions of names in that comment by me can be verified from the public record (e.g., video-recorded interviews and mainstream major media news articles).

:: I will here ask you to apply your self-invented standard across Misplaced Pages. By your standard that you have applied to me, any article on Misplaced Pages that mentions any living person must be deleted. As well, any mention of any living person on any of the talk pages must be deleted.--] 05:41, 25 April 2007 (UTC)

:::It's clear to me from what you are saying that you are not reading the policy correctly. I refuse to continue this discussion until you interpret ] correctly. ] <small>] | ]</small> 01:25, 2 May 2007 (UTC)

== Name Change? ==

<div class="boilerplate metadata" style="background-color: #edeaff; margin: 2em 0 0 0; padding: 0 10px 0 10px; border: 1px solid #8779DD;">
:''The following discussion is preserved as an ]. <span style="color:red">'''Please do not modify it.'''</span> Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page. No further edits should be made to this page.'' <!-- from Template:Archive top-->


In the recent AfD discussion, there was a suggestion that the name of the page be changed to ''Franklin Coverup Hoax''. I would support that change, but I want to act with consensus, so tell me what you guys think. ] 08:57, 27 April 2007 (UTC)

#I agree. 'Hoax' more accurately describes what was finally determined, and is the word used by the grand jury. ] <sup>]</sup> 14:01, 27 April 2007 (UTC)
#Ditto. </font><small><span style="border: 1px solid #F06A0F">]]</span></small><font color="#ffffff"> · </font> 21:51, 27 April 2007 (UTC)
#'''Concur'''. --] 22:59, 27 April 2007 (UTC)
#I might as well endorse my own proposal. ] <small>] | ]</small> 21:51, 28 April 2007 (UTC)
#I agree. Keep the current title as a redirect. ] 09:05, 29 April 2007 (UTC)

Thanks for your input guys. I posted my proposal five days ago and no one has contested moving the page (with five editors in favor), so I'm going to go ahead and move it. ] <small>] | ]</small> 00:14, 2 May 2007 (UTC)

:''The above discussion is preserved as an ]. <span style="color:red">'''Please do not modify it.'''</span> Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page, such as the current discussion page. No further edits should be made to this page.''<!-- from Template:Archive bottom --></div>


== this article is still not objective! ==

"and was believed to be unable to pay for legal representation"

that line alone, regardless of anyone's opinion - should not be in the entry. He was '''believed''' to have done a lot of things. Should we just list all of those as well? (Article edited, that line was simply removed). If anyone feels the need to add it again, then it would only seem fair to list everything the man was accused of, and believed to have done.

== Think article is fair enough, but could use more information.. ==

Hope you do not delete this article. It is the first I have read about the subject. More detail about different opinions would be helpful. I have partly wanted to read the controversial book written on the subject, but in all these years have been unable to bring myself to do so. Honestly, even after all these years, it is painful to read ths article with people arguing back and forth like it is something off E Entertainment. I am not one to believe conspiracy theories or anything like that. I don't buy the whole bit about the prostitutes entering the White House or any involvement by Reagan or Bush. All I have known about the case has been what one of my best friends told me at the time, which was more from a personal, rather than political angle. His sister was involved and because of her my friend also became involved (he believed his sister). Supposably he committed suicide during the trial (he was only 16). We were close. Although I do not buy the whole "satanic ritual" bit, etc, I do know the fear my friend lived with and the frustration as witnesses kept dropping out of the case, etc, leaving his sister later to be called a liar and his family devastated. I don't know what the truth is, but I believe there was definitely some kind of corruption and foul play. I know it is useless, but in my friend's memory, whom I loved and still miss, I hope he did not die in vain. I hope someday justice will be wrought. ] 02:29, 20 June 2007 (UTC)

== This entry is not accurate in regards to Craig Spence and the Washington Times article ==

The article was about the Henry Vinson homosexual prostitution ring and not the Franklin S & L. This is very misleading and misuse of the redirect on Craig Spence. He was a key figure in the Vinson sex ring, which had nothing to do with the Franklin "hoax", nor did the WT article. From the original WT article

''One of the ring’s big spending clients is Craig J. Spence, Washington socialite and international trade consultant, according to documents and interviews with operators and prostitutes who say they engaged in sexual activities with Mr. Spence.''

''Mr. Spence spent upwards of $20,000 a month for male prostitutes who provided sex to him and his friends, said to include military personnel who also acted as his “bodyguards.” It was Mr. Spence who arranged the nocturnal tour of the Reagan White House. Repeated attempts to reach Mr. Spence by telephone, fax machine and personal visits to his home, were unsuccessful.''

...

''In addition to credit-card fraud, the investigation is said to be focused on illegal interstate prostitution, abduction and use of minors for sexual perversion, extortion, larceny and related illicit drug trafficking and use by prostitutes and their clients.''

''One of the chief operators of Professional Services Inc. and a regular client of the service speculated in separate interviews that the investigation would be restricted because “big names” were involved.''

''Henry Vinson said a high level official is going to try to block the investigation and may succeed,” said Mr. Balach, the labor secretary's liaison to the White House. Mr. Vinson said he believes a highly placed federal official, whom he would not name, is working to derail the investigation, but he would not elaborate.''

''Authorities have been investigation possible credit card fraud by the ring operators since last fall.''

http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2003/02/06/15709461.php

''KARLYN BARKER, WASHINGTON POST, JULY 24, 1990: The alleged leader of what authorities have called the largest male prostitution operation in the Washington area surrendered to federal agents yesterday and pleaded not guilty to racketeering charges that have been filed against him and three alleged accomplices. Henry W. Vinson, 29, of Williamson, W.Va., a coal miner's son accused of setting up the homosexual escort service, was arraigned in U.S. District Court here yesterday afternoon after turning himself in to Secret Service agents . . . At a news conference after the arraignment, Stephens said the investigation into the alleged prostitution ring "is concluded" and that the indictment, which was unsealed yesterday, focused on those who allegedly set up the ring rather than on clients who reportedly patronized it. Asked about earlier reports that some of those clients included high-level officials in the Reagan and Bush administrations, Stephens said the investigation had not revealed "additional conduct which suggests criminal conduct on behalf of other people." . . . The Vinson case provoked additional notice after The Washington Times published reports last summer suggesting that the alleged prostitution ring had been patronized by government officials. The Times named as clients several low-level government employees and Craig J. Spence, a Washington lobbyist and party-giver who, the paper said, took friends and prostitutes on late-night tours of the White House. Spence was found dead in a Boston hotel room last fall, and authorities ruled his death a suicide.''

http://prorev.com/sexindc.htm

''Vinson ultimately pled guilty and received a 63-month sentence.''

http://www.the7thfire.com/Politics%20and%20History/Pedophocracy/child_sexual_abuse_in_US.htm

There was a sex scandal that involved some White House players at the time. It did not get much attention and was pretty much forgotten about when Vinson served his time. It did happen, it was not a hoax, and this entry is innacurate. If you want to read the original WT article go to the indybay link it has captured the entire article. There is no mention of the Franklin S & L angle which appeared later.] 12:16, 21 June 2007 (UTC)

== john decamp documentary section ==

i have just added the whole john decamp documentary section - please explain why you keep reverting it. it is unopinionated and cites verifiable facts. there is no good reason to delete it.
<small>—The preceding ] comment was added by ] (] • ]){{#if:{{{2|}}}|&#32;{{{2}}}|}}.</small><!-- Template:Unsigned -->

:I removed it under our policy on ]. It is slanted, sourced to some conspiracist material, and uses innuendo. If you keep restoring it, it will be necessary to suspend your editing privileges. ] <sup>]</sup> 13:02, 9 July 2007 (UTC)

Conspiracist = untrue? ALL conspiracies are fake? THAT sounds like a conspiracy theory.

Thats right, even the link to WASHINGTON TIMES ARTICLES are completley made up? RIGHT? I dont get it? There is NO mention of the people who lost thier jobs.
There us NO mention of Craig Spence's suicide.
The documentary was made by the DISCOVERY CHANNEL - A MAINSTREAM SOURCE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
WHAT IS YOUR PROBLEM?
:Discovery Channel is not cited as a source in your material, and the other citations do not meet our standards under ] and ]. Please review those provisions. </font><small><span style="border: 1px solid #F06A0F">]]</span></small><font color="#ffffff"> · </font> 18:29, 9 July 2007 (UTC)

:Note too that the policy on biographical material applies on this talk page as well. ] <sup>]</sup> 18:49, 9 July 2007 (UTC)

== Something Strange About All This ==

I just learned about this whole thing and it is obvious to me that info has been and is still being suppressed. This kind of opposition to open discussion on the matter gives me the feeling that this was no hoax. So I would watch out. We might all end up in one of those new concentration camps they are putting up all over the country.<small>—The preceding ] comment was added by ] (] • ]){{#if:{{{2|}}}|&#32;{{{2}}}}}.</small><!-- Template:Unsigned -->
:Looks like you need to make sure all of us know the TRUTH. Feel free to go over to 911blogspot.com and spread the TRUTH for all to SEE. </font><small><span style="border: 1px solid #F06A0F">]]</span></small><font color="#ffffff"> · </font> 17:45, 10 July 2007 (UTC)

Because of the persistent violations of our policy on ], that are partly driven by promotion of someone's video, I have protected the page from anonymous editing. ] <sup>]</sup> 20:39, 10 July 2007 (UTC)

I've protected the talk page as well. ] <sup>]</sup> 21:04, 10 July 2007 (UTC)

== Can Someone Address Why Spence and the Washington Times Article are Involved? ==

I have listed links that show that the Franklin Hoax does not involve either Craig Spence nor the Washington Times article listed as starting this episode. Could someone please explain why they are still listed in this Franklin Hoax article, along with any links or books that would verify the connection. If you don't want to change this Franklin Hoax article I can understand, I would just like a simple explanation as to what their connection is to the episode. I have never read a newspaper article that linked Spence to the Franklin story. Thanks.] 04:23, 11 July 2007 (UTC)
:I'm not sure what you're trying to say here... the whole story is basically made up, in any case, with a number of newspaper reporters apparently having been sold a bill of goods involving some supposed child sex and "satanic ritual abuse" ring.

:But out there in the conspiracy-theory world, the stories always make reference to both Spence and Franklin and others. Some examples:

:http://www.thelawparty.org/FranklinCoverup/franklin.htm
:http://www.francesfarmersrevenge.com/stuff/archive/oldnews2/boystown/

:These are not sources we can use in Misplaced Pages, obviously, and there's a good reason that the stories don't exactly make a lot of sense when put together, which is that they were apparently part of an elaborate hoax created for personal or political purposes. The purpose of this article is to describe the hoax, which was notable and got a lot of press coverage, in a neutral and factual manner. Hope this helps. --] 07:18, 11 July 2007 (UTC)

That's my whole point. There are two stories, the Franklin Hoax and the Vinson prostitution ring. The Washington Times article references Vinson and Spence. Vinson was charged with 63 months for racketering. It is not a reference to the Franklin story which was centered in Nebraska and allegedly involved King. King and that angle are never mentioned. The Franklin story had begun almost a year earlier and it is never mentioned in the actual article. This article on the Franklin hoax is using those internet references and repeating their mistakes. There was a prostitution ring involving Spence that Vinson ran. The story was covered by the Washington Times and Washington Post. Sometimes the Barney Frank scandal is also thrown into this mix by irresponsible internet posters. They were three seperate "stories" seperated by 3 years and none of them ever had any connection.

"In 1990, Vinson vowed that he'd never be convicted, because he said his "call boy" service had been utilized by officials of the Moore administration in Charleston and by officials of the Reagan-Bush White House in Washington. But the next year, he pleaded guilty and got a five-year prison term."

http://www.newsmakingnews.com/sexandcapitol7,18,01.htm#article11

There was a prostitution ring that involved the White House on some level (my personal opinion is that it involved low level staffers). This article gives the impression the Times article was about the Franklin Hoax it was not. The Washington Times article that supposedly created the Franklin hoax never mentions King. Why? Well the Franklin affair started at least a year earlier when the FBI and IRS raided King's Franklin Credit Union.

It is basically similiar to stating Jesse Owens was suspected of being involved in the Lindbergh kidnapping, because both made headlines approximately the same time. If you look up Craig Spence you get redirected to this article and he had nothing to do with the Franklin conspiracy until irresponsible internet conspiracy theorists invented his participation in the hoax.

However, he was a key figure in the Vinson prostitution ring which did exist and this article doesn't seperate the fact from the fiction, it just regurgitates others shoddy "research". It give the impression the allegations in the Washington Times article didn't pan out. They did, Vinson was went to prison. Now some of the more sensational claims may not have been proven in a court of law, but the article wasn't a hoax and it had nothing to do with the Franklin Hoax. From the Misplaced Pages Franklin Coverup Hoax article:


''The article, by Washington Times journalists Paul M. Rodriguez and George Archibald, alleged that key officials of the Ronald Reagan and George H. W. Bush administrations were connected to an elaborate Washington, D.C male prostitution ring, and reported that two of these prostitutes even entered the White House late at night. The allegations included, among other things, "'''abduction and use of minors for sexual perversion'''."''

The section about "abduction and use of minors for sexual perversion" is not in the Washington Times Article at all.

http://www.voxfux.com/features/bush_child_sex_coverup/WashingtonTimes.htm

The way this Franklin Hoax article reads, it gives the mistaken impression there was no White House Sex scandal. It also gives the impression that the Washington Times article was part of the Franklin Hoax when it doesn't even mention King or Franklin. There must be some way of describing how Spence and the Washinton Times article were used by Franklin peddlers to sell the conspiracy, but describe who Spence actually was and the actual thrust of the Washington Times article. Thanks again for responding.] 01:33, 12 July 2007 (UTC)
::Absolutely right. Feel free to jump in and make those changes. ] 20:57, 27 July 2007 (UTC)

==Citation needed==
On 5.19.1989, did the federal grand jury say it was a hoax, or did the federal grand jury charge Lawrence E. King Jr. with forty felony counts? Wasn't his wife also indicted on twelve counts? Weren't employees of Franklin indicted on tax evasion charges? What's the real hoax? Please cite where the federal grand jury said this was a hoax, or revert the article. Cheers. —] 19:37, 8 September 2007 (UTC)

:It's already cited: Robert Dorr. "Judge Clears 3 More in Bonacci Suit Claims of Sexual Abuse Called Unsubstantiated and Bizarre", Omaha World Herald, The Omaha World-Herald Company, 1997-06-13, p. 26. ] <sup>]</sup> 21:44, 8 September 2007 (UTC)

::How can the Omaha World-Herald be used as a reference when they are a named party? Just cruising around I've found that quite a bit of what they published on the case is contradicted by documents released under FOI so they are definately not a reliable source. Any claims they make that are supported should be available from other media sources so they can be easily replaced. Any not reploaced should be deleted after a reasonable time. Also I'm a bit confused about the claims above that De Camp is not a reliable source. I can only find one libel suit for his book and De Camp won it after proving there were no false claims in it (according to the judgement along with a financial settlement the other party had to publish an apology for saying there were false claims in it). ] 08:16, 18 September 2007 (UTC)

:::Ultra-left wing blogs are not reliable sources. ] <small>] | ]</small> 10:11, 18 September 2007 (UTC)

::::What's that got to do with what I asked? The Omaha World-Herald is not a reliable source due to COI and one of the websites I got my info from appears to be a good one as it seems relatively nuetral and up to date with links to other newspaper articles. ] 05:01, 19 September 2007 (UTC)

== Propose to Change the Title of the Page (and other points) ==

After reading the article and other pages provided under the links of this discussion, I propose that if a Merger does not happen, that the title of the page be changed to "Franklin Cover-up Incident". I have not seen any proof that this is indeed a hoax and that it is inaccurate to label it as such. Further information is needed on the incident as the bias of this article seems to be represented much differently than what the links suggest.

In addition, I would suggest this article be either rewritten with a more neutral POV or it be deleted. The quality isn't up to par, there is obvious bias, and it is incorrectly titled to a neutral POV.

Beyond that, I also would suggest that Lawrence King have his own page as a political figure, not matter what this incident entails. I do not agree that his name should be redirected to this document.
] 19:31, 13 September 2007 (UTC)

:You're coming into what's been a pretty stable version of the article based upon the current title. Nobody here is going to give you any problems if you make modifications that cite ] according to Misplaced Pages standards, but if you start straying into blogosphere territory to support your version, and try to assert that there's some grand masterful conspiracy out there and that us Wikipedians are trying to suppress the TRUTH to protect the evil Halliburton-Cheney-Rosicrucian Triumvirate, you will get lots of resistance from editors here. You are welcome to make edits, but please follow ], ] and ]. Thanks. </font><small><span style="border: 1px solid #F06A0F">]]</span></small><font color="#ffffff"> · </font> 02:10, 14 September 2007 (UTC)

::That's no problem. I am no conspiracy theorist but just from what I've read and what news articles I've seen, it does feel that this does have a slight bias without seeing the criticisms of the topic. I personally don't feel qualified to make any major changes, as, to be honest, Misplaced Pages does intimidate me a little =P . But if I do make some slight changes, will I have to worry about anyone yelling at me? :) Thanks for the quick reply! ] 05:00, 14 September 2007 (UTC)

:::The title was changed to this one with unanimous support four months ago. Of course, ], but I doubt you would receive support for a move to another title. As for the intimidation thing, Misplaced Pages encourages editors to ]. ] <small>] | ]</small> 05:35, 14 September 2007 (UTC)

::::I'd like to say that I completely agree with Conexion. The current "Hoax" title is disgustingly slanted. "The Franklin Cover-Up Incident" is completely objective and lets the reader decide for him/herself without any preconceived notions. I second Conexion's idea for a new title. ] 16:01, 27 October 2007 (UTC)
:::::Problem is, Misplaced Pages requires citation to reliable sources -- i.e. some other reputable source would have to say that there was a coverup. No reliable sources say that. What reliable sources do say is that it was a "carefully crafted hoax." We don't rely upon blogs here, and don't allow original research. Crackpot blogdom ideas belong on blogs, not here. </font><small><span style="border: 1px solid #F06A0F">]]</span></small><font color="#ffffff"> · </font> 00:55, 28 October 2007 (UTC)
::::::I would like to point out that, regarding sources, "official" is not synonymous with "reliable". detractors contest that the "official" source you cite--the court's verdict--was compromised. This case was very high profile, and this article is shamefully devoid of substance. --] 05:13, 30 October 2007 (UTC)

In my opinion, the entire article ought to be replaced with one that takes a closer look at the testimonies of the witnesses and the supporting information.
At least have the title changed to "Incident".
] 23:49, 27 October 2007 (UTC)

Latest revision as of 13:59, 10 November 2024

Page semi-protectedEditing of this page by new or unregistered users is currently disabled to promote compliance with Misplaced Pages's policy on the biographies of living people.
See the protection policy and protection log for more details. If you cannot edit this page and you wish to make a change, you can request unprotection, log in, or create an account.
Skip to table of contents
This is the talk page for discussing improvements to the Franklin child prostitution ring allegations article.
This is not a forum for general discussion of the article's subject.
Article policies
Find sources: Google (books · news · scholar · free images · WP refs· FENS · JSTOR · TWL
Archives: Index, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7Auto-archiving period: 30 days 
This page is not a forum for general discussion about Franklin child prostitution ring allegations. Any such comments may be removed or refactored. Please limit discussion to improvement of this article. You may wish to ask factual questions about Franklin child prostitution ring allegations at the Reference desk.
Articles for deletionThis article was nominated for deletion on 21 April 2007. The result of the discussion was keep (nomination withdrawn).
While the biographies of living persons policy does not apply directly to the subject of this article, it may contain material that relates to living persons, such as friends and family of persons no longer living, or living persons involved in the subject matter. Unsourced or poorly sourced contentious material about living persons must be removed immediately. If such material is re-inserted repeatedly, or if there are other concerns related to this policy, please see this noticeboard.
This article is rated Start-class on Misplaced Pages's content assessment scale.
It is of interest to the following WikiProjects:
WikiProject iconSkepticism Low‑importance
WikiProject iconThis article is within the scope of WikiProject Skepticism, a collaborative effort to improve the coverage of science, pseudoscience, pseudohistory and skepticism related articles on Misplaced Pages. If you would like to participate, please visit the project page, where you can join the discussion and see a list of open tasks.SkepticismWikipedia:WikiProject SkepticismTemplate:WikiProject SkepticismSkepticism
LowThis article has been rated as Low-importance on the project's importance scale.
[REDACTED] Alternative views Low‑importance
[REDACTED] This article is within the scope of WikiProject Alternative views, a collaborative effort to improve Misplaced Pages's coverage of significant alternative views in every field, from the sciences to the humanities. If you would like to participate, please visit the project page, where you can join the discussion.Alternative viewsWikipedia:WikiProject Alternative viewsTemplate:WikiProject Alternative viewsAlternative views
LowThis article has been rated as Low-importance on the project's importance scale.
WikiProject iconCrime and Criminal Biography Low‑importance
WikiProject iconThis article is within the scope of WikiProject Crime and Criminal Biography, a collaborative effort to improve the coverage of Crime and Criminal Biography articles on Misplaced Pages. If you would like to participate, please visit the project page, where you can join the discussion and see a list of open tasks.Crime and Criminal BiographyWikipedia:WikiProject Crime and Criminal BiographyTemplate:WikiProject Crime and Criminal BiographyCrime-related
LowThis article has been rated as Low-importance on the project's importance scale.
WikiProject iconUnited States: Nebraska Low‑importance
WikiProject iconThis article is within the scope of WikiProject United States, a collaborative effort to improve the coverage of topics relating to the United States of America on Misplaced Pages. If you would like to participate, please visit the project page, where you can join the ongoing discussions. United StatesWikipedia:WikiProject United StatesTemplate:WikiProject United StatesUnited States
LowThis article has been rated as Low-importance on the project's importance scale.
Taskforce icon
This article is supported by WikiProject Nebraska.
The following Misplaced Pages contributor may be personally or professionally connected to the subject of this article. Relevant policies and guidelines may include conflict of interest, autobiography, and neutral point of view.


Toolbox

Boys Town

the "Boys Town" link in this page links to Boys Town , Nebraska -but in fact is meant to link to another article

https://en.wikipedia.org/Boys_Town_(organization)

68.34.127.226 (talk) 11:16, 9 March 2016 (UTC)

Absurdly biased

Reads like it was written by the Republican Party. I won’t even bother trying to follow in others’ footsteps and dare to add the inconvenient information that Paul Bonacci was awarded $1 million for the abuse and life-altering mental damage he suffered at the hands of Larry King. Or the information in a well regarded British film company’s documentary, or several other documentaries, or a book written by a Republican state senator. I would clearly just get subjected to obstruction and abuse. I can instantly see one obstructive editor below has been blocked indefinitely for sockpuppetry and consistent personal abuse. This article is clearly watched be many dedicated eyes. Misplaced Pages seems to be open only up to a point. What a shame. Autonova (talk) 11:53, 10 April 2019 (UTC)

Perfect example of how to not get the article "fixed". Insult editors, accuse them of obstruction and offer zero reliable references. Maybe Misplaced Pages is not the best playground for you?--MONGO (talk) 13:13, 10 April 2019 (UTC)
I, also, was going to ask: where are the actual reliable sources? — but it just seemed too ranty for me to bother. El_C 13:20, 10 April 2019 (UTC)
So why isn't there mention of a judge awarding $1 million to Bonacci due to King's abuse? Source Autonova (talk) 14:39, 10 April 2019 (UTC)
Why would that be in here. It was not related to a sex ring, only to the court decision against King himself.--MONGO (talk) 15:18, 10 April 2019 (UTC)
The judge explicitly mentions the allegations of scavenging for other children to be a part of a pornography ring, and the participation of King and others in “masochistic orgies with other minor children”, and that “the defendant King’s default has made the allegations true as to him”. Seeing as the article is concerned with allegations of King being involved in a child sex ring, this is clearly relevant information from a reliable source and needs mentioning in the article. Autonova (talk) 15:30, 10 April 2019 (UTC)
The is a difference between criminal and civil findings. The case you speak of is civil, not criminal.--MONGO (talk) 17:51, 10 April 2019 (UTC)
We're allowed to mention civil law action on Misplaced Pages. For example, this featured article mentions a civil lawsuit. Autonova (talk) 18:41, 10 April 2019 (UTC)
Without a reliable source there's nothing to discuss. Tom Harrison 22:22, 10 April 2019 (UTC)
See above. Autonova (talk) 22:59, 10 April 2019 (UTC)
If it's the one on scribd, that's not reliable. Tom Harrison 00:22, 11 April 2019 (UTC)
There’s also Executive Intelligence Review Volume 26, Number 12, March 19, 1999. Autonova (talk) 06:51, 11 April 2019 (UTC)
You mean starting at page 65 in this Larouche rag? I quote from that piece "Paul Bonacci was a victim of the Monarch project, one of whose headquarters was in the bunkers of the Strategic Air Command (SAC) headquarters at Offutt Air Force Base in Omaha. In written depositions and in hours upon hours of videotaped testimony—during which several of his personalities clearly emerge—Bonacci has provided the most detailed account of the Monarch project ever to see the light of day." Really...--MONGO (talk) 12:05, 11 April 2019 (UTC)
For further context, read this full article.--MONGO (talk) 12:18, 11 April 2019 (UTC)
Ok. How about The Des Moines Register newspaper, 24th February 1999? Or The Encyclopedia of Unsolved Crimes by Michael Newton ? Or The Franklin Scandal by Nick Bryant ? Or Robert Dorr, Omaha World-Herald newspaper, "King release to close book on Franklin" Jan 28, 2001? Autonova (talk) 13:21, 11 April 2019 (UTC)
All conspiracy theories or not related. Do you have any reliable references to back up the argument? I mean "Monarch project"? I can't tell who the better hoaxers are, the kids that conjured up these preposterous tales or the grifters/writers that have capitalized on perpetuating these ridiculous claims.--MONGO (talk) 13:47, 11 April 2019 (UTC)
Not sure what you're talking about. This is about Paul Bonacci being awarded $1 million by a district judge due to Larry King's actions. There are reliable sources which explicitly state this fact and they should be added to the article. Autonova (talk) 14:09, 11 April 2019 (UTC)
Which you have provided zero.--MONGO (talk) 14:16, 11 April 2019 (UTC)
To reiterate: The Des Moines Register newspaper, 24th February 1999? Or The Encyclopedia of Unsolved Crimes by Michael Newton ? Or The Franklin Scandal by Nick Bryant ? Or Robert Dorr, Omaha World-Herald newspaper, "King release to close book on Franklin" Jan 28, 2001? Autonova (talk) 14:29, 11 April 2019 (UTC)
The $1 million judgment was a default judgment taken when King didn't bother to defend against Bonacci's civil lawsuit claiming that between 1980 and 1988, King sexually molested Bonacci and forced him to be part of secret underground pedophile ring involving satanic ritual abuse. Default judgments are technical in that if you don't bother to respond to the complaint filed by the plaintiff, then the judge rules in the plaintiff's favor. No actual civil trial took place in which evidence would have been presented and the merits of the claims tested. Editors can entertain arguments over whether or not to include the fact that Bonacci got a default judgment when King didn't respond to the one-sided lawsuit, but it seems trivial when understood in its proper context and juxtaposed against the fact that the state and federal investigations and grand jury proceedings that did test the merits of the allegations concluded these events did not happen and that the child sex abuse allegations were a hoax. Regards, AzureCitizen (talk) 15:26, 11 April 2019 (UTC)
The ideas were tested in court by the judge. The judge ruled that “the uncontradicted evidence is that the plaintiff has suffered much by the wrongful actions of the defendant King”. $1 million was awarded to Bonacci. The fact that King never appeared in court does not invalidate this information or imply that it should be censored. This is public information backed up by reliable sources. Misplaced Pages is not censored. Autonova (talk) 15:37, 11 April 2019 (UTC)
Seriously if that was truly how things worked then I could accuse anyone of anything, with no evidence, and if they don’t show up in court then they’d have to pay me money. The evidence was tested in court by the judge. Autonova (talk) 15:58, 11 April 2019 (UTC)
That's correct, if someone files a civil legal complaint alleging you committed various torts against them, and you never bother to file a response to their petition, then the judge will order a default judgment against you and in the petitioner's favor presuming that the alleged facts are true. The merits of your case are never actually addressed. No trial, no witnesses, no testimony, no evidence tested in court. And yes, you still have to pay the money. That's what happened in the Bonacci - King case. I assume you don't have a legal background, hence you probably didn't realize this. Regards, AzureCitizen (talk) 16:13, 11 April 2019 (UTC)
I tried three times to type what you just did as succinctly as that but failed miserably each time.--MONGO (talk) 16:31, 11 April 2019 (UTC)
No. That is not the case. “If a defendant (the person or business sued) doesn't appear at trial, the plaintiff will likely win—but not always. The judge will verify that the plaintiff served the defendant with court papers, that neither party requested a postponement, and that there is some basis (evidence) supporting the plaintiff’s case before issuing a default judgment.” There needs to be evidence. Otherwise, like I said, anyone could win damages from anyone else with zero evidence. Why don’t we include all this information in the article? That Bonacci won after King failed to turn up in court? Autonova (talk) 16:43, 11 April 2019 (UTC)
Moreover the judge makes specific reference to the evidence presented. “The uncontradicted evidence is that...” Autonova (talk) 16:51, 11 April 2019 (UTC)
There are reliable sources though
http://www.guilfordpress.co.uk/books/details/9780415718073/
http://franklinscandal.com/Bryant_DID_Chapter.pdf Futurefirst (talk) 14:53, 22 May 2022 (UTC)

Autonova, you do understand the civil judgement was a default judgement which the judge had to issue due to the way the law is set up?--MONGO (talk) 17:14, 11 April 2019 (UTC)

Autonova, let me try to provide additional understanding for you. When a petitioner files a complaint, they are required to provide a basis in the form of their sworn affidavit which must accompany the complaint. The affidavit is notarized, states the facts as alleged by the petitioner, and in it the petitioner swears that those facts are true. A defendant must file a timely written response to the complaint denying each and every allegation by the petitioner line-by-line within 30 days, or the court must presume that each and every fact alleged by the petitioner is true and enter a default judgment for the petitioner on the basis of the sworn affidavit. The "uncontradicted evidence" the judge was referring to was the required sworn affidavit filed by Bonacci along with his complaint; the affidavit is evidence and supplies the legal basis. The judge was not referring to the kind of compelling evidence you would expect to be presented at a trial with direct and cross examination of the testimony of witnesses, exhibits containing records and/or physical evidence, and so forth. There was no adversarial trial in the Bonacci - King case to ascertain the real truths and facts, just a one-sided default judgment based on original complaint and its legal basis in the supporting sworn affidavit. Does that help clear up any remaining confusion? Regards, AzureCitizen (talk) 18:19, 11 April 2019 (UTC)
According to The Franklin Scandal by Nick Bryant, , "US District Court Judge Urborn declared Bonacci's accusations as "bizarre". He granted Bonacci a default judgement against King. Senator DeCamp then requested a hearing on the single issue of damages, and called Bonacci to the stand along with other witnesses who corroborated his bizarre accusations. After Judge Urborn listened to the testimony, he awarded Paul Bonacci a one million dollar judgement. The ruling was based on some of the horrific events Bonacci related to me. "I don't think the judge would have given Paul a million dollar award if he didn't think he was telling the truth", DeCamp said of the ruling." So the judgement was not solely based on the complaint - it was also based on testimony from witnesses. Autonova (talk) 18:09, 12 April 2019 (UTC)
Would I be allowed to add any information whatsoever from the books The Franklin Scandal by Nick Bryant, , or The Franklin Coverup by John DeCamp, or are these censored too? Yes/no? Autonova (talk) 19:54, 11 April 2019 (UTC)
I think some text taken from Bryant and supported by Charles Young's "Still Evil After All These Years" would be a good addition to the article. Tell the reader that some prominent people think the pedophile ring was not a complete fabrication or conspiracy theory. Binksternet (talk) 20:45, 11 April 2019 (UTC)
What prominent people? A jury called it a carefully crafted hoax. There has never been anything but conspiracy theories surrounding this nonsense and only those uneducated in the facts of the case would think this preposterous fable has any element of truth. Maybe you need to refresh yourself on the BLP issues here.--MONGO (talk) 23:09, 11 April 2019 (UTC)
The article as it now is accurately summarizes the reliable sources. The article does not use unreliable sources; it doesn't pick and choose facts to synthesize claims that don't appear in reliable sources; it does not, and cannot, blow the lid off a heinous conspiracy of mind control and child abuse, and it cannot give undue weight to fringe claims or violate WP:BLP. Within those limits, what is it you want to add to the article and what is the source? Tom Harrison 10:27, 12 April 2019 (UTC)
It does not accurately summarise all the reliable sources. There are reliable sources which state that investigators received death threats. Journalists were being followed. The lead investigator was killed in a plane crash when bringing back evidence, the cause of which was never found. That the FBI pressured the victims to recant their stories. That King dropped his appeal of the $1 million he was ordered to pay Bonacci for child abuse and involvement in a paedophilia ring. A viewer phone-in poll by Omaha television station KETV channel 7 showed a 10-1 viewer dissatisfaction of the grand jury’s report, with over 3000 responses. That Alisha Owen successfully appealed her conviction of perjury. All this information is left out of the article. Autonova (talk) 11:44, 12 April 2019 (UTC)
That you're dismissing two reliable sources as a "preposterous fable" without bothering to provide so much as a single objective reason is why this article is viewed as biased. You're clearly censoring information which isn't part of a pre-conceived agenda. There is such a wealth of documented information about this case outside the content of the article as it stands. It worries me how someone supposedly contributing openly and faithfully to Misplaced Pages would be so obstructive. Can you give a single reason why Nick Bryant's book, or the Counterpunch article provided above should not be cited in the article? Autonova (talk) 23:33, 11 April 2019 (UTC)
Circled back here to read the latest after having been gone for four days, but I see not much else has come of this thread. In general, I don't think editors will be very supportive of trying to include these sorts of things as they look to be an attempt to synthesize some kind of conspiratorial minded argument that the child prostitution ring was actually real and that justice has somehow been thwarted despite the state and federal law enforcement investigations and court proceedings that found the claims were a hoax. Obviously some people have written some books about it still claiming such, but the sourcing looks like fringe viewpoints which lack credibility in the mainstream. Misplaced Pages articles aren't really meant to be the kind of place where these kinds of claims get aired out. However, in the list you've provided above, if Alisha Owen successfully appealed her conviction for perjury, then it does warrant adjusting the article to change or remove what is currently stated in the last few sentences of the "State and federal investigations" section. Can you provide us with a source to confirm that her conviction was indeed thrown out? Regards, AzureCitizen (talk) 19:49, 15 April 2019 (UTC)
I appreciate the need for proper weight and the avoidance of WP:FRINGE. However, there is a wealth of reliable material that is not included in this article. Similar material is included in the article for Marc Dutroux. In this article, there is omission of material from: a book by a journlist who investigated the case for 9 years ; an article in a reliable news outlet endorsing the book ; a book by a state senator who was an attourney in the case ; a documentary, Who Took Johnny ; a documentary, "Conspiracy of Silence", by Yorkshire Television ; the fact that Bonacci won civil damages from King after the district court judge heard corroborating testimony, where he decided on a $1 million amount; a viewer phone-in poll by Omaha television station KETV channel 7 which showed a 10-1 viewer dissatisfaction of the grand jury’s report, with over 3000 responses; Episode 5 of the podcast Sword and Scale . Is there any possibility that any of this material could be added to the article? Autonova (talk) 23:08, 16 April 2019 (UTC)
In response to the Alisha Owen question, my mistake - she was in fact freed on parole after only 4.5 years due to exemplary behaviour. This material should also be added to the article, per BLP. Autonova (talk) 23:10, 16 April 2019 (UTC)
I assume the "similar material " in the Marc Dutrox article is the "Allegations of a cover-up" section in that article, as that is where you linked to. However, that content appears to be about 10% of that article, which handles its overall subject much more in-depth than the small summary article we have here. For proper weight purposes, inserting the items above would unbalance the Franklin article in favor of poorly sourced material arguing (or at least insinuating) the fringe claim that the Franklin child sex ring was real and just covered up. I say poorly sourced because there doesn't appear to be reliable secondary sourcing discussing these items in context. It's Misplaced Pages policy to avoid creating article content that is synthesized claims using primary sources. Looking at the items above, I could see adding a single sentence to the "Commentary" section of this article stating that some authors have written paperbacks alleging that the child prostitution ring hoax was a real criminal conspiracy covered up by the authorities, but that's about it. On the Owen's situation, lets get a source so that we can add that. Do you have something indicating she was released early for good behavior? Regards, AzureCitizen (talk) 13:35, 17 April 2019 (UTC)
AzureCitizen, without preconceptions, never having encountered this topic before, I searched for reliable sources. I found nothing I would feel comfortable adding. Self-published material by Ted Gunderson endorsing the conspiracy - as he did the McMartin satanic abuse nonsense - doesn't give me a good feeling about it.
We're talking here about allegations of satanic abuse against real people. We have to be really careful about undue weight, and I find pretty much nothing beyond dismissive mentions of DeCamp's book in obituaries. When a major TV company makes a documentary and then doesn't release it, that indicates a substantial problem with the underlying facts, and I think we should not be amplifying those claims without massively better sourcing than we have.
In short: the Franklin suppression conspiracy theory is obviously bollocks, but it's not notable bollocks, so we can't cover it. Guy (help! - typo?) 11:15, 3 May 2021 (UTC)
MONGO why do you evidently disagree with AzureCitizen that one sentence of sourced material can be added at the bottom of the article? Do you have any alternative ideas in the interest of consensus? Autonova (talk) 07:09, 30 April 2019 (UTC)

The article already says "Numerous conspiracy theories evolved, claiming that the alleged abuse was part of a widespread series of crimes including devil worship, cannibalism, drug trafficking, and CIA arms dealing." That's appropriate weight. Tom Harrison 10:53, 30 April 2019 (UTC)

And the Manchurian Candidate things that were done at Offutt AFB too...--MONGO (talk) 12:10, 30 April 2019 (UTC)
Can I at least add the sources to that statement? Autonova (talk) 18:32, 30 April 2019 (UTC)
They all seem pretty much primary sources to me.--MONGO (talk) 18:50, 30 April 2019 (UTC)
All apart from the book by DeCamp are secondary sources. "A secondary source provides an author's own thinking based on primary sources, generally at least one step removed from an event. It contains an author's analysis, evaluation, interpretation, or synthesis of the facts, evidence, concepts, and ideas taken from primary sources." There is an article from a reliable source, a book written by a journalist, a podcast, and a documentary. All of which are not directly involved in the event. DeCamp was a lawyer involved in the event so his book could be considered a primary source - but it's still relevant to the statement because the statement is not an interpretation of primary sources, just an acknowledgement of them. Autonova (talk) 21:35, 30 April 2019 (UTC)
Autonova, the problem as I see it is the advancement of tiny minority views. Bryant's book is published by TrineDay, "a small publishing house that arose as a response to the consistent refusal of the corporate press to publish more repressed titles." That's a massive red flag for fringe advocacy and credulous editorial oversight. Still Evil After All These Years is in Counterpunch, which is a "biased or opinionated source" and not reliable for these claims. DeCamp is scarcely a disinterested party. Who Took Johnny was produced by RumuR, a small company specialising in conspiracist nonsense. Conspiracy Of Silence is unreleased, which implies that lawyers were unable to sign off on its allegations. The books appear to be primary sources for the conspiracy theories, they are proponents, not documenters.
What's lacking here, and what I can't find, is any analysis of the conspiracy theories beyond the primary documents. Per , "The DeCamp story is linked from a Misplaced Pages article and has shown up on sites that discuss the Franklin Credit Union scandal. He's seen on various YouTube interviews." "Still, the Franklin stories live on, on various internet sites, and mentioned surreptitiously on occasion on TV shows."
It's abundantly clear that this is not taken seriously in mainstream media, and it is absolutely not our job to fix that. In fact we are forbidden from doing so. Guy (help! - typo?) 11:02, 3 May 2021 (UTC)
Categories:
Talk:Franklin child prostitution ring allegations: Difference between revisions Add topic