It’s Saturday night in Starkton, Colorado, and Missy Childers is lost in a cowboy’s kiss.
Discover the thrilling graphic novel-coloring book “Agenda 21 Comes to Colorado,” arriving soon on Amazon.
Dive into the gripping tale of Starkton — a small town plunged into chaos when a rogue United Nations faction orchestrates a live-fire exercise in a quiet corner of southeastern Colorado.
See Starkton’s townsfolk rally in an epic struggle for sovereignty as they resist political indoctrination, vaccination, food shortages, martial law, and endure cruel interrogations conducted in blatant violation of the Geneva Conventions.
Every saga has its heroes, and one of ours is Missy Childers, who, in a heartbeat, shifts from celebrating at the Harper County Community College Rodeo Booster Club to helping sabotage UN helicopters.
Unleash your creativity and color your way through an inspiring saga of resistance and heroism. Don’t miss this exciting, illustrated story by L.T. Hanlon, the author of “Breaking Fiction” and “Tim McVeigh Died for Your Sins.”
“Agenda 21 Comes to Colorado” — It’s a graphic novel. It’s a coloring book. It’s a warning.
Several folks who volunteered to be beta readers for my graphic novel/coloring book “Agenda 21 Comes to Colorado” especially enjoyed the chapter in which mysterious figures in hazmat outfits are sighted in southeastern Colorado months before the UN launches Exercise Gamma-2. They wanted more of these scenes, which I’m adding despite being way late in the production process. I guess you can’t have too much David Lynch.
In my upcoming combination graphic novel and coloring book, “Agenda 21 Comes to Colorado,” one of my favorite chapters has to be “First Annual U Thant Inclusive Rodeo Party.”
This chapter showcases some truly provocative and daring imagery that promises to either titillate or offend — there’s something for every reader.
The fictional story unfurls a chilling scenario where a rogue faction within the United Nations engages in psychological warfare experiments on an unsuspecting rural community. At the heart of this chaotic revelry is an incident involving a new variant of LSD secretly administered to selected individuals.
In the novel, we learn that although photographic evidence was systematically destroyed to cover up the debacle, a U.S. Senate subcommittee’s hearings bring to light astonishing paintings by Laurie Cooper that vividly capture the bizarre events at a college rodeo team’s victory celebration. This chapter is a wild ride that blends dark humor with a critical look at power and manipulation.
Criminal mastermind Dr. Mabuse loves the smell of gas in Weimar Germany.
Is Fritz Lang’s “The Testament of Dr. Mabuse” linked to bizarre events in Virginia and Illinois?
The Mad Gasser of Botetourt County, Virginia, also known as the “Anesthetic Prowler,” was reported to be active during the winter of 1933-1934. The attacks typically occurred at night when an unidentified assailant sprayed gas through windows or under doors. Victims described symptoms such as nausea, headaches, dizziness, and respiratory issues, which fueled widespread panic and fear in the community.
The phenomenon resurfaced under similar circumstances a decade later in Mattoon, Illinois, leading to further intrigue and speculation. Both incidents remain enveloped in mystery and are often discussed in the context of folklore and collective hysteria.
In the film, criminal mastermind Mabuse, despite confinement in an insane asylum, furiously scrawls plans for crime sprees that include gas attacks – and explains these seemingly senseless acts are but a prelude to a larger goal.
“Humanity’s soul must be shaken to its very depths, frightened by unfathomable and seemingly senseless crimes,” Mabuse declares. “Crimes that benefit no one, whose only objective is to inspire fear and terror. Because the ultimate purpose of crime is to establish the endless empire of crime. A state of complete insecurity and anarchy founded upon the tainted ideals of a world doomed to annihilation.”
That certainly describes what happened in Botetourt County and Mattoon.
“The Testament of Dr. Mabuse,” released in 1933, was part of a more extensive dialogue about the power of mass media and the potential for films to influence public behavior and fears – so much so that Reich Minister of Propaganda Joseph Goebbels banned the film in Germany.
In examining the possible link between Lang’s film and the Botetourt County incidents, one must consider the cultural and media landscape of the 1930s and 1940s. Movies were a dominant form of entertainment and stoked public perceptions and fears. The depiction of a gas attack in a popular film could undoubtedly have planted the idea in the minds of potential pranksters or malicious actors in rural Virginia. The timing of the film’s release and the subsequent attacks might suggest more than mere coincidence; it could imply a direct influence, where the visual and narrative representation of such attacks provided a blueprint or inspiration.
The success of such attacks in unnerving Virginians might have provided the impetus for the incidents a decade later in Mattoon.
While it is possible that “The Testament of Dr. Mabuse” could have influenced the gas attacks in Botetourt County, showing a definitive link requires more than circumstantial evidence. The film’s release coincides with the initial attacks, and its content provides fertile ground for speculation.
Still, this discussion underscores how art and life can sometimes intersect unexpectedly and disturbingly.
DO YOU WANT TO KNOW MORE?
Books
Historian William B. Van Huss serves history, perspective, and speculation with a healthy side dish of skepticism in “The Mad Gasser of Botetourt County: Reconsidering the Facts.” Van Huss examines the incidents in Botetourt County as well as Mattoon and provides a wealth of documentation and attribution. His book is see-worthy for anyone with an appetite for legends, urban and otherwise.
In “The Mad Gasser of Mattoon: Dispelling the Hysteria,” chemistry teacher Scott Maruna not only suggests that the Mattoon gas attacks were real but names a suspect. Maruna’s book is out of print; the link above takes you to a Google Books page where you can read it.
I like to sprinkle goofiness into my stories, and one of my favorite recurring elements is a quirky little gem known as the Dollar Snatcher.
This franchised free shopper publication bursts into the world in my novel, “The Life and Times of Josh Webo.” Imagine this: a tired, rural Montana town where the community newspaper has held sway for over a century. And then comes the Dollar Snatcher, a cheeky, sassy, budget-friendly hub for classified ads, much to the annoyance of the old guard.
The Dollar Snatcher’s true star is “Snatchy,” a cartoon mule lovingly crafted by talented artist and writer Frank Mariani.
With his goofy grin and knack for mischief, Snatchy’s not just a mascot; he’s almost an institution.
This past weekend, inspired by Snatchy’s antics and paper-rustling exploits, I ventured into new creative territory: music. Emboldened by Udio, I composed the “Dollar Snatcher Song.” Please give it a listen!
I’m impressed by how Udio helped me create “8-Second Secrets.”
I recently dug into Udio, an AI songwriting assistant garnering attention in the music tech community.
Udio is part of a new wave of tools designed to provide music and lyrics based on simple input. It’s praised for its ability to quickly generate music that captures the essence of a user’s initial ideas.
While Udio can craft lyrics and melodies, inputting my lyrics provides better results. This connection to the song’s emotional core and Udio’s strong music composition capabilities enhance my creative process.
Recently, I applied this approach to a new country track, “8-Second Secrets.” The results were astonishingly quick; within minutes, Udio provided a promising musical sketch based on my lyrics.
The result, while still in its nascent stages, is impressive. It’s rough around the edges, but the speed and ease with which Udio turned my written words into a palpable musical piece were nothing short of astonishing.
For musicians, whether seasoned or novice, integrating AI tools like Udio can ignite a spark of creativity and open up a world of possibilities. It’s about finding the perfect harmony between human creativity and technological assistance, and for me, Udio strikes that balance beautifully.
Composer Barry De Vorzon infuses “Red River Valley” with an epic, emotional sweep.
Uncovering hidden gems is a thrill that never fades. So, imagine my delight when, during a YouTube rabbit hole expedition, I stumbled upon several music tracks from John Milius’ 1973 film “Dillinger.”
This discovery is a treasure trove not only for its rarity but also for its connection to Barry De Vorzon. His score in this underappreciated movie is a textbook example of musical understanding.
De Vorzon masterfully combines classic tunes with new expository material in “Dillinger,” encapsulating the Gangster Era of the 1930s and blending it seamlessly with Milius’ gritty, unapologetically romantic vision of the outlaw’s life. De Vorzon’s score is an important narrative force, helping Milius capture the tumultuous spirit of the 1930s and the raw, chaotic energy of John Dillinger’s criminal escapades.
The tracks available on YouTube mix adrenaline-pumping compositions with melancholic melodies. Among these, the renditions of “Red River Valley” stand out. This classic tune becomes an emotional anchor in the film, evoking lost innocence, the fading American dream, and the outlaw’s inevitable decline into despair, defeat, and death.
L.T. Hanlon 