So, by now most of might have heard what happened, which, at least to me was just as shocking as the death of Avicii. My original idea was before an almost heatstroke this week, that I start a discussion on the recently pardoned Scooter Libby, more specifically on his pretty scatological novel called The Apprentice (no relation to the guy who pardoned him). Originally I wanted to talk about the sexual repression so traditional among social conservatives that goes as far writing fiction focusing way more on the kinky sex than character motivation. Kind of like a different former fanfiction turned into a disgrace to the BDSM community. I have to admit I've enjoyed the mediocre mystery, the suspense and the action, but the morning after, in my metaphorical walk of shame I thought back how the villain's plan is an inconceivable long con of epic proportions and dumb luck. Anyhow, what's known about The Apprentice, I better hope the scenarios described within are not meant to represent past real actions.

Which is where reality comes in. As a crime fiction writer, I've heard about and researched cults, which adopt an MLM scheme to appear legit, if anybody is brave enough to recall it, even a soapy a series, like the original Melrose Place had such a storyline in the '90s. However, both that and the Libby book is fiction. While I support the presumption of innocence, much like Asperger having been a Nazi (he too has only researched neurological diseases to cull the Aryan pool of "deformities"), the revelation of them being a cult wasn't born this week, even if I did hear about them just now, following Mack's arrest yesterday.

The most atrocious thing is that the hook was empowerment and advancement for women, which was a but a front to break them psychologically and turn them into sex slaves through a very long period of time. Sadly we have to take a pick on what front this is the most damaging. For one, it's yet another glimpse into the seedy underbelly of our Western values, where people are still being enslaved, two, it's not done by foreign agents, like the Russian mob or cartels, but what's most important to me that they had disguised themselves as progressives and used prominence and notoriety as recruiting tools.