Over the weekend, Emily told me that Elon Candea, a former college classmate of ours, had joined a cult:
Dr. Phil aired an expose on a Native American guru Clemente Suriano who goes by the name of Golden Elk. The group lives in Chimayo, New Mexico and family members believe that Clemente Suriano is a dangerous cult leader. The show featured three women as they tried to reconnect with family members they believe joined the cult and were subsequently forced to cut contact with them after doing so.
…
Joining the panel and sharing her beliefs regarding Clemente Suriano and his hold over his followers was Golden Elk’s ex-wife Kelly Suriano. … Suriano stated that Clemente Suriano exhibited extreme control over the members of the group. She indicated that at one point he told one of the members to punish himself and the follower beat himself in the face. She also stated that Iris and Leisa’s children, Elon and Ashley are now known by the names Kangaroo and Perla.
The Dr. Phil segments are here. I never really knew Elon very well, but he was a really talented breakdancer and was always interesting to talk to. It seems odd that he’d get ensnared by what seems to be a Z-list cult leader. Obviously, I hope he’s able to break free, though I have no idea how likely that is–and if he’s actually been involved for 3 years, the odds don’t seem good. Anyone with more information about cult member escape rates, please chime in. Update: Weird-subject expert Brendan Koerner doesn’t think it’s too likely, either.
Anyway, I’m pretty sure this wasn’t what my esteemed alma mater had in mind when they came up with the slogan.
A law under consideration in South Dakota would expand the definition of “justifiable homicide” to include killings that are intended to prevent harm to a fetus—a move that could make it legal to kill doctors who perform abortions. The Republican-backed legislation, House Bill 1171, has passed out of committee on a nine-to-three party-line vote, and is expected to face a floor vote in the state’s GOP-dominated House of Representatives soon.
[...]
South Dakota already has some of the most restrictive abortion laws in the country, and one of the lowest abortion rates. Since 1994, there have been no providers in the state. Planned Parenthood flies a doctor in from out-of-state once a week to see patients at a Sioux Falls clinic. Women from the more remote parts of the large, rural state drive up to six hours to reach this lone clinic. And under state law women are then required to receive counseling and wait 24 hours before undergoing the procedure.
You thought Jim Carrey’s autism vaccine thing was nuts? Well…
Evi Quaid called from a pay phone in Vancouver to say that she and her husband, Randy, the actor, had tried to drive to Siberia, but they “couldn’t figure out how to get there.” She said, “We’re running for our lives.” She wanted me to meet them the next day in Vancouver’s Chinatown—which couldn’t be arranged any other way, as the Quaids don’t use cell phones anymore, because, Evi said, “they’re tracking us.”
“They” were “the Hollywood Star Whackers” the couple had been talking about in television interviews ever since they arrived in Canada in October, seeking asylum. The “Whackers,” they said, were the same people who may have “killed” David Carradine and Heath Ledger, possibly set up Robert Blake, and could now be targeting Britney Spears and Lindsay Lohan.
It doesn’t get any saner from there. I love the repeated deadpan “[Target of insane allegation X] declined to comment.” How did I miss this happening?