Jezebels and Stolen Slates
I should have figured it would happen. As part of my dissection and sleuthing into the backstory of True Detective, I posted to the @TD_HBO Twitter feed on February 17th:
I also posted it on the True Detective Facebook page. I had been chronicling the Hosanna Church cult story under my pen name from 2005 until about 2008 or so, when I abandoned my blog.
Hosanna Church Cult and Coverup - Index
Look at what Jezebel (a Gawker site, along with io9) posted on Friday the 28th:
Did a Horrifying Real Satanic Sex Abuse Case Inspire True Detective?
No attribution. Thanks, Jezebel. I posted in the comments that maybe they might give me a proper attribution, since no one had been talking about this case in relation to the show until I brought it the Interweb's attention. No dice.
And today (March 4, 2014) I see this on Slate (which also mentions the Cthulhu on the bayou allusions I wrote about recently):
I realize the Internet is a giant thieving echo chamber, but come on—would it really be too much to give credit where it's due? I spent years tracking the alleged Satanic cult* in Ponchatoula and posting every news item I could find, and even spoke and emailed with many of the people involved.
I don't expect to get attribution, but at least I'm posting this to claim my little contribution to the folklore surrounding the show. For what it's worth.
*After reading court documents from Louis Lamonica's trial, I'm far less certain this was an actual cult as initially portrayed. Both of Louis Lamonica's sons recanted and said there was never any abuse. This could be yet another example of crazy religious people whipping up hysteria and a town that fell for a pack of lies. I doubt we'll ever know. But what a crazy story it was.