Thursday, November 26, 2015

GIVING THANKS!

The Mansonblog would like to give our thanks to our many readers, commenters and contributors!  It's not often that such a diverse group of people can mostly get along and exchange thoughts on such a controversial subject.  I believe we have made some headway towards a better understanding  about the case and the people involved.  We couldn't have done it without you, you are what helps makes this blog a success!

Now everyone go stuff yourselves silly and watch football.

 
Not pictured are Austin Ann and George Stimsom






40 comments:

Anonymous said...


Hi,

I'd like to wish Happy Thanksgiving to the team at Manson Blog and all it's US members/readers - even Vera!. (It's not a holiday we have here in the UK, but I know it is important in the US).

The site is brilliant in its content and how you guys constantly find new material/angles on a case which is now 46 years old constantly amazes me ,and is a testament to your research and writing skills.

Love the photograph. I take it that it's St Circ on the extreme right, but I don't know who the guy is on the left (it's possible he doesn't even know himself!!)

Have a great holiday everyone

Anonymous said...


Left to Right - Stoner Van Houten, DebS, Steve Grogan, Matt's wife, Ziggy thinks that's Patty, Coors Light Man.

SusanB said...

Enjoy your Thanksgiving everyone. Warmest regards to all. ☺

Anonymous said...


Ziggy, thanks for that. Stoner was a mystery to me!!

Unknown said...

Happy Thanksgiving to all!

Matt said...

Thank you, all for feeding this very interesting hobby we all share. Most of all, thank you for making it fun.

DebS said...

Ziggy, you have a wicked sense of humor! I don't know why George isn't in the picture, he was there that day. We hope that Austin Ann can join us on the next tour, none of us have met her in person yet! BTW Coors Light Man is St. Circumstance. Cheers!

MHN said...

Happy Thanksgiving to you all over the pond, and thank you for this great site, for its content, and for its discontent.

What happened to Stoner? Stoner without his beard is like Hillary without her pantsuit. Stoner looks like a hedge-fund manager now. I hope the bodysnatchers haven't got to him. If he goes over to the dark side we're all f*cked.

Matt - you look like a very well-looked-after husband, Mr once-a-week-minimum indeed.

Deb S looks way too cool to be such an awesome research machine.

Is it possible George was behind the camera? And of course Col wouldn't fit in the cave so I guess he's lurking out of shot somewhere, moaning about what a pointless photo it's going to be.

Anonymous said...


There should have been a photo of Mr H because he is one of the great characters on this site. Where would be without his ability to mention his loathing of LBJ at every opportunity.



MrsMatt said...

Lol, MHN!
Geez, I was a tad overweight in this pic. No more! Now, let's eat some turkey. Happy Thanksgiving, everyone.

Matt said...

Indeed, MHN. George was the photographer. We all met him shortly beforehand and I think he was uncomfortable being photographed with me and my short hair.

MHN said...

'Steve Grogan' is awesome work. Big lol.

Anonymous said...


@equinox12314 - Cheers, mate! And my fingers are crossed in hopes that Ben gets a response back from Lynnette on the Jimmy Page question. :)

@DebS - How about a compromise? St. Coors Light

@MHN - Wasn't it - he gets cranky after 2 days if he doesn't get some? I think that means that, at the very least, every other day is humpday for Matt, because he's never cranky.

Poor Mrs. Matt (and the Colonel).

Mr. Humphrat said...

Great shot. Happy Thanksgiving to all. Thank you for such a meaty,
intelligent, mostly courteous, well run site. I learn so much each
week from bloggers and posters alike.

Patty is Dead said...

Patty is thankful for her mansonblog friends who have not kicked her out yet for non-productivity xoxoxoxo

stoner van houten said...

i just want to say i am SO THANKFUL i met everyone from this blog you guys have been so good to me and you really help me promote what i do at SPAHN ranch AND I HAVE MET SOME WONDERFUL PEOPLE THROUGH YOUR BLOG ..THANK YOU MANSONBLOG !!!....YOU GUYS REALLY HELP ME TO PROMOTE STONER VAN HOUTEN !!!

Robert Hendrickson said...

Happy Thanksgiving to EVERYONE !

BUT what do you mean "accross the pond" in ther UK you DON'T celebrate Thanksgiving?

I thought YOU folks invented the Holiday - to give thanks for the idea to ship those religious rebel-rozers OFF to that GOD forsaken land of wild savages.

Anonymous said...


Hi Mr H,

We're too miserable and tight to celebrate on this side of the Pond.:)

However, I wanted to bring you an uplifting story for Thanksgiving Day relating to your interest in Vietnam. You may be aware of this already, but a US doctor has provided laser treatment free of charge for the little girl, Kim Phuc who was badly burned by napalm in Vietnam and was featured in the iconic photograph. Here's a link to the story:-

http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/oct/26/vietnam-wars-napalm-girl-kim-phuc-has-laser-treatment-to-heal-wounds

Anonymous said...


@stoner van houten

Stoner, sorry I asked who you were in the blog photo - I didn't recognise you without your beard!!

I have been working my way through your videos on YouTube and am thoroughly enjoying them, and learning so much, especially as you say - question everything!! It's particularly useful for those of us over here in the UK to be taken by you to the various sites free of charge!!

You are a natural born presenter.

Farflung said...

Happy Thanksgiving to all; and to our foreign colleagues who compensate the lack of a similar celebration with some sort of bank holiday, or the inexplicable Boxing Day.

This blog is a genuine cornucopia (see what I did there?) of research, viewpoints, and a little bat shit crazy; just like my family is today. But it's worth making the pilgrimage (see what I did there?) to gorge from the relish dish of comments, even the turkeys (see what I did there?), then drink too much, and pass out in the fetal position. Thus creating a point of discussion for Thanksgiving 2016, where shame and embarrasment will manifest in drinking too much, and crafting a discussion for 2017. The cycle gleefully continues.

Whew, all this typing made me thirsty.

Staceey L. said...

Happy Thanksgiving to all my friends. Been lurking around...

Staceey L. said...

Happy Thanksgiving to all my friends. Been lurking around...

Patty is Dead said...

Lurking in the bushes where Patty found you yesterday good too see you again long time fob (friend of blog)

HellzBellz said...

We dont have the ,,ThanksGiving,, celebration here in Holland/Netherlands, but I wanna wish all you Yanks a Nice Day.... Have a Good Day !!

mrgroove said...

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone here!

Anonymous said...

Farflung said...

"Happy Thanksgiving to all; and to our foreign colleagues who compensate the lack of a similar celebration with some sort of bank holiday, or the inexplicable Boxing Day."

Farflung, it gets even more confusing here in Scotland where we refer to New Year's Eve as 'Hogmanay'!

Six Miles From Cielo said...

Just wanted to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving! Plus thank everyone who makes this blog possible

AustinAnn74 said...

Sorry I am late in my commenting. I've been distracted with cooking, family, eating, over drinking, napping, etc. I didn't think I was welcome after the verbal thrashing I took on my last post. Glad to see I haven't been given the boot. I also hope I will be at the next tour too. Take care, everyone!

Matt said...

AA, you are the straw that stirs the drink. We are thankful we have you.

AustinAnn74 said...

Matt, salud!!

Robert Hendrickson said...

I purposely waited to write this comment until AFTER the Holiday.

The night before Thankgiving I came across this PBS doc on the Mayflower and it's destination to set-up a "trading post" in the Americas. What made this program different from ALL the other Ra-Ra-Boom-de-a "Indians and Europeans LOVE each other so deeply" stories is that it drew upon actual written journals.

AND the show even explained how certain historical events have been enhanced and even convoluted to a varied extent. BUT especially when a rather simple event like an expedition to set-up a "trading post" in a foreign land, becomes some GREAT historical voyage to "escape RELIGIOUS persecution and violence" as the U.S. President publically stated on OUR now sacred Thanksgiving Holiday.

NOT unlike the great American Civil WAR, which ignited over the Southern States succeeding from the Federal Union government, which may have related or was connected to "slavery," but was NOT the "cause" of it.

The point being, maybe the Prosecution merely "enhanced" a version of the Manson Family Story to distract attention from the really horrible Mi Lai Massacre in Vietnam.

Remember, the END result ALWAYS justifies the means.

OH! and BTW look at the ISIS EVIL-doers taking over the entire Middle-East and compare that with what the "Europeans" did with the land that once belonged to the Indians - for thousands of years.

Chris B said...

Mr Hendrickson, I am not quite sure how the district attorneys office in Los Angeles works to deflect media interest in a court martial being held in Georgia beginning November 25 1969.

In 1976 the conviction of Calley was overturned owing to 'never in the history of american courts, has any accused ever encountered such intense and continuous predjudicial publicity'.

A gag order was not upheld.

At the conclusion of the court martial Calley apparently received 5,000 pieces of mail in a single day. The majority in his favour.

President Nixon, as a result of the public outcry, became involved, pre-empting the miltary appeals process. Later in 1974 his miltary secretary had his sentenced reduced.

Exactly how was the Manson trial a distraction from the Calley trial?



Robert Hendrickson said...

CHRIS: I never said either TRIAL was a distraction over the other.

BUT when the story of the Mi Lai Massacre "broke" (after being covered-up for a year) just before the December 19, 1969 issue of Life magazine with Charlie on the cover came out, it disappeared behind the headlines. Charles MANSON stole the SHOW !!!!! HE became the story media people ONLY dream about.

I'm sorry, BUT I lived it and it "changed" MY life FOREVER. Was it ONLY coincidence ? Was the Manson Story the perfect storm ? Maybe, but I was already a Vietnam veteran and when I "SAW" the "Love and Terror Cult" take control of the entire worldwide media enterprise, including the sooo important Mi Lai Stiry, I knew it was time to jump on the band wagon.

AND what a fuck'in ride its been. BUT all the media had to do was "exploit" the CULT of "sexual savagery" in Vietnam and the Manson Family would have been starved right out of the NEWS. Accident or by design - that is the question for inquiring minds. Whether the U.S. government has the "power" to CONTROL how its little people THINK or whether its all just a game of hap-hazard chance ?

DebS said...

The irony of both Manson and Calley appearing on the front page above the fold of most every newspaper across the nation on March 20, 1971, Charlie and the girls were given the death penalty and Calley was found guilty, was not lost on the counterculture. The Freep ran a satirical piece on a Manson/Calley face-off. If you haven't been reading the blog for more than two years, you may have missed it.

http://www.mansonblog.com/2013/10/manson-and-calley-to-death.html

candy and nuts said...
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candy and nuts said...
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Robert Hendrickson said...

YES Deb and I just dug into the old MANSON audio tapes, for obvious reasons.

Guess what's written on the box(s)
The Family Jams Tape B - Vox 9/5/68 Sunset transfer 12/22/69

The Famliy Jams Tape "C" - recorded at Vox 6/6/68 (Looks like)(Korin Randall) with ??
Transfer (looks like) Sunset Studio 12/22/69

Also boxes with harmony recorders 5611 Melrose Ave. Hollywood 38, California / 466-7238 Copy " 1

So here are 3 PLACES of interest for your next LA tour.

But ALSO take notice of the "transfer" date 12/22/69 just days after the famous LIFE magazine, with Charlie on the cover, hit the stands. That magazine set the Manson Story pubplicity machine into gear. It was that time that the Beach Boys had "Never learn not to Love" re-copyrighted.

AND it's most likely Mark played these exact tapes for me at his house, late at night - the house where ZERO died. Which song might have been playing when ZERO drifted OFF into the land of eternal darkness ?

So WHO took the "original" recordings to be transferred ?

Matt said...

Blogger MHN said...

What happened to Stoner? Stoner without his beard is like Hillary without her pantsuit. Stoner looks like a hedge-fund manager now. I hope the bodysnatchers haven't got to him. If he goes over to the dark side we're all f*cked.


I tried my best to convince him to not grow the facial hair back. He was having none of it.


MHN said...

Thanks for the update Matt - if I ever get over there to join the tour one year (please God please please please please!) I want to be greeted by nothing less than the full ZZ Top from the legendary Stoner.

And you too Matt - you could totally rock the face fur!

Anonymous said...

MHN said...

"..if I ever get over there to join the tour one year (please God please please please please!)"

Exactly my sentiments, Michael. It's a great thing they've got going with the tours.