SEX IS DEATH. (The shifting sands of normalcy)

I came to Carthage, where I found myself in the midst of a hissing cauldron of lusts. I had not yet fallen in love, but I was in love with the idea of it, and this feeling that something was missing made me despise myself for not being more anxious to satisfy the need. I began to look around for some object for my love, since I badly wanted to love something. —St. Augustine, Confessions


Try to see Citizen Devlin as a normal guy with normal problems...

Southeast Missourian: Suspect in two abductions says years while Hornbeck was missing were happy ones
Union, MO - The man accused of kidnapping two Missouri boys and holding one of them for four years said life was good for him during that period, a newspaper reported Sunday.

He yearns for the simple pleasures of days gone by.

Michael Devlin, 41, said his own parents, who live nearby, have not visited him since his arrest earlier this month, The New York Post reported.

"I don't know how I'm going to explain myself to my parents," Devlin told the Post in two 15-minute interviews at the Franklin County Jail in Union, Mo., in his first public comments since his arrest, aside from a brief court appearance.

He has trouble relating to family members.

"It's much easier talking to a stranger about these things than your own parents."

He worries his family cannot understand him.

The 41-year-old pizzeria manager is accused of taking 13-year-old Ben Ownby just after the boy got off a school bus Jan. 8 in Beaufort, Mo., about 50 miles southwest of St. Louis. A schoolmate's tip about a white pickup led authorities to Devlin's apartment in Kirkwood, Mo., a St. Louis suburb, where they found Ownby and Shawn Hornbeck on Jan. 12. Hornbeck had been missing since 2002.

His career progression has not lived up to his dreams or his expectations.

"I guess I was relatively happy" during those four years, Devlin said.

He finds happiness elusive. He is unsure of its definition.

He pleaded not guilty Thursday to charges of kidnapping Ownby. He also is charged with kidnapping Hornbeck but has not entered a plea in that case.

"I will not discuss anything related to the case," he told the Post.
Devlin said he "was never really interested in" romantic relationships but wouldn't say whether he was attracted to women.

He has trouble with romantic relationships. He finds women problematic.

"I can't talk about that because it has to do with the case," he said.

He is oppressed by lawyers.

The Post said Devlin appeared downcast and red-eyed during the first interview Friday, but was smiling and more upbeat during an interview Saturday.

He suffers from mood swings.

"I feel nothing," he said in the first interview. "I hide my emotions from other people. I hide the way I feel."

He is oppressed by medieval notions of manliness.

Around 2002, he started losing contact with close friends, most of whom he knew from Imo's, the pizza parlor he managed in Kirkwood.

Others change while he remains steadfast.

"I guess you could say I was lonely. All my friends starting getting married and having kids," he said. "Hanging out with friends just becomes a lower priority [for them]."

He is oppressed by the right wing Christian concept "family".

In jail, Devlin is separated from other inmates because his lawyers and guards believe other prisoners could attack him.
Devlin's attorneys, Michael Kielty and Ethan Corlija, criticized jail security Sunday and said they had previously advised their client against talking to the media.

He fears for his life.

They said they planned to ask a judge Monday to move Devlin to a "more secure" facility, perhaps in nearby St. Charles or St. Louis counties. Franklin County officials have said they believe appropriate security measures are being taken.

He wants to be left alone to live his life as he sees fit.

Kielty and Corlija said they also were concerned about Devlin's arraignment last week by closed-circuit TV in which he appeared in an orange jail jumpsuit. They said they had filed a motion to have him appear in street clothes but did not argue the point because they were assured he would only be seen by the judge. The images were widely broadcast, however.

His wardrobe is a source of concern.

"What else can these people do to hurt his case?" Kielty said.

He is a victim.

Here are a couple of different headlines for the same story:

KTRE-TV: Accused Kidnapper Reportedly Ashamed

Really? I hope so.

WSLS: Kidnap suspect says he hasn't talked to his parents

Here is an excellent rule of thumb for us all, kiddies: Do not do anything to make your parents ashamed of you.

My parents often tell me stories of ancient days when neighbors knew each other and looked out for one another.

As an example, a real neighbor might have said the following to Mr. Devlin:

"Morning, Mike. Where'd you get the eleven year old boy?"

New York Post: Screams in 'kidnap' apartment
A man who lived upstairs from suspected St. Louis kidnapper Michael Devlin said he often heard "weird sounds" - like whimpering, screaming and pleading - coming from the apartment, according to a published report.

No, you don't say...

Tenant Harry Reichard said that on one occasion, it seemed that Shawn Hornbeck - whom Devlin allegedly held captive for four years - was trying to get the 300-pound loner "to stop doing something."

I'll bet.

What does a 300-pound loner do? Anything he wants...

Another time, Reichard tells Newsweek, he heard Devlin yell, "What the f- - - did you do that for, you f- - -ing idiot?" The screaming was followed by what sounded like a blow.

Again, no surprise there.

Reichard tells the magazine there was often loud banging and blaring music coming from the apartment, including bands like Insane Clown Posse, a metal-rap group with a live show that features open fires, chainsaws and dousing the audience with soda.

Talk about setting the mood with music!

"It was like a maniacal workshop," Reichard says.

A nice turn of phrase, that.

Hornbeck, now 15, was freed on Jan. 12 by cops looking for Ben Ownby, 13, who had been held for four days.

Devlin has been charged with kidnapping Hornbeck. Prosecutors say he threatened the boy with a gun to get him to cooperate. Devlin pleaded not guilty last Thursday to abducting Ownby.

Part 1: SEX IS DEATH. (Stories for boys) is here.
Part 2: SEX IS DEATH. (Distaff death) is here.
Part 3: SEX IS DEATH. (Joyously dispensing death) is here.
Part 4: SEX IS DEATH. (Sex is depression) is here.
Part 5: SEX IS DEATH. (When self-pleasuring becomes self-destruction) is here.
Part 6: SEX IS DEATH. (Sex is theft) is here.
Part 7: SEX IS DEATH. (A review of Bareback Mountain) is here.
Part 8: SEX IS DEATH. (What is the ultimate penalty?) is here.
Part 9: SEX IS DEATH. (Haven from reality) is here.
Part 10: SEX IS DEATH. (Sin-redemption-reasons-reason) is here.
Part 11: SEX IS DEATH. (Mommy loves you) is here.
Part 12: SEX IS DEATH. (George Gilder offers a clue) is here.
Part 13: SEX IS DEATH. (Post-killem depression) is here.
Part 14: SEX IS DEATH. (Whither womanhood) is here.
Part 15: SEX IS DEATH. (Saving psychology 1) is here.
Part 16: SEX IS DEATH. (Saving psychology 2) is here.
Part 17: SEX IS DEATH. (Fear of the boomers) is here.
Part 18: SEX IS DEATH. (The battle continues apace) is here.
Part 19: SEX IS DEATH. (Hot for teacher) is here.
Part 20: SEX IS DEATH. (Kids do the darndest things) is here.
Part 21: SEX IS DEATH. (Defects) is here.
Part 22: SEX IS DEATH. (Privates' privacy) is here.
Part 23: SEX IS DEATH. (National Condom Week) is here.
Part 24: SEX IS DEATH. (Wegenics) is here.
Part 25: SEX IS DEATH. (White wedding) is here.
Part 26: SEX IS DEATH. (Literally) is here.
Part 27: SEX IS DEATH. (Can't get me no satisfaction) is here.
Part 28: SEX IS DEATH. (Wrestle with mania) is here.
Part 29: SEX IS DEATH. (Press one for death/Presione uno para la muerte) is here.
Part 30: SEX IS DEATH. (Raunch culture) is here.
Part 31: SEX IS DEATH. (Gimme some of that sweet zombie lovin') is here.
Part 32: SEX IS DEATH. (The devil made me eat my baby) is here.
Part 33: SEX IS DEATH. (Mind control = womb control) is here.
Part 34: SEX IS DEATH. (The expense of playing with yourself) is here.
Part 35: SEX IS DEATH. (You can't always get what you want) is here.
Part 36: SEX IS DEATH. (Whom does a master serve?) is here.
Part 37: SEX IS DEATH. (Shootin' 5 for 8) is here.
Part 38: SEX IS DEATH. (Being a never-wed mom of four and an illegal alien is no picnic either) is here.
Part 39: SEX IS DEATH. (Duane indulges himself then goes out in a blaze of cowardice) is here.
Part 40: SEX IS DEATH. (The line is not fine at all) is here.
Part 41: SEX IS DEATH. (Worse than homelessness) is here.
Part 42: SEX IS DEATH. (Attack of the hooker dolls) is here.
Part 43: SEX IS DEATH. ('Benefits' for men - death for women) is here.
Part 44: SEX IS DEATH. (Even in India) is here.