"Throughout my life, I have seen narrow-shouldered men, without a
single exception, committing innumerable stupid acts, brutalizing their fellows and
perverting souls by all means.
They call the motive for their actions fame."
Isidore Ducasse, Comte
de Lautréamont (1846–70), French author, poet.
On March 26, 1999, we wrote: WERE WE RIGHT TO BELIEVE THAT HE'D BE BACK? YOU BET! And in December, 2001, Ken was still at it with another of his anonymous websites. A year later, though, Ken was gone. Truth is a powerful cleanser when applied consistently. |
We're certainly not the first to expose the inane arguments of Kenneth Wayne Mitchell. In fact, Mr. Mitchell has the dubious distinction of being named - along with other liars and frauds - in a book by Art deHoyos and S. Brent Morris titled "Is it True what they say about Freemasonry?" How many people today can write with pride that a published book with worldwide distribution specifically names them as.... well, an idiot!?! That's 'our boy Ken'....
Below, we've tried to summarize his many proclivities. It's difficult to explain such complex, aberrant behavior. We've also added some supplemental material which elaborates on Ken's many identities, tells you about Ken's racist beliefs, and shows you the usual babblings to which you'll be exposed.
Welcome to the strange mind of Ken Mitchell....
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IMPORTANT!!! PLEASE READ!!!! Folks: Please note that just because someone has the name 'Ken Mitchell' does NOT mean that he is the same Ken Mitchell as the one we're profiling here. Frankly, we're amazed that people would jump to such conclusions. After hearing from Ken Mitchell in New York, though, we felt it important to add this disclaimer. The Ken Mitchell we discuss here is from Slidell, Louisiana: if you know some other Ken Mitchell, PLEASE don't insult them by associating them with the foolishness of this individual. And for Mr. Mitchell in New York who has been gracious and understanding, our sincere apologies: lunch is on me if we ever get a chance to meet! |
The 'Master' of the ever-changing on-line identity!
If
you're involved with Usenet newsgroups and want to write/read about Freemasonry, you'll
likely head to alt.freemasonry where you'll ultimately become acquainted with Ken Mitchell
and/or one or more of his many, many aliases. Ken, under his 'guise du jour',
was a 'regular' for several years but now appears far less frequently. We understand that
he arrived on alt.freemasonry after many
misadventures on and being removed from FIDO NET. For a reader to understand what's going
on, it's important to know about several of the 'games' that have been played on
alt.fm (the common 'shorthand' for the alt.freemasonry USENET newsgroup)
involving Ken.
'Name that Poster'
Ken has been the master of using different names in his posts. He has posted under many aliases, including KWayne, Joken, Christians Against Lucifer's' Lodges (C.A.L.L.) and more. In fact at the last count in December 1998, Ken had used well over 60 different names or variations of names. Dubbed OFLF (Our Funny Little Friend) by alt.freemasonry 'regulars', Ken's style and approach are easily recognized regardless of his various names.
Are we sure that these other posts are sent by Ken? Yes.
 | The writing style, signature style, and software have been consistent. |
| All the posters use either a national Internet Service Provider, a 'hidden identity' mailing address, or an ISP which is within the calling range of Ken's home. (The argument put forth currently is that some of these identities are 'friends of Ken' but we find it strange that they all use the same ISP and that they all post using similar language patterns. Perhaps it's something in the water there?....) |
| An initial refusal of these different posters to acknowledge whether they are or are not 'the real Ken Mitchell' but with growing confidence that the hidden identities cannot be traced, making bold claims that they are not Ken. Because Ken's television pastor, Arnold Murray, reminds his following of the problems with lying, we believe Ken has chosen to ignore his beliefs in Christianity even more. However, his 'identity du jour' steadfastly refuses to say if the physical being which created the post in question has ever posted under any other 'nicknames' to alt.freemasonry. |
| And finally, the obsession with several specific Masons, including one whom Ken has followed all around the internet. Making salacious comments in football newsgroups about this individual is just one tactic Ken has used. He has also been known to post seemingly innocuous 'invitations' to those who might correspond with this Mason to join the alt.freemasonry newsgroup in order that they might learn the 'real truth' - as Ken sees it, of course! |
In the 1960's there was a television game show in the US called "Name That Tune" where contestants sought to identify the titles of musical works based on the fewest number of notes. Alt.freemasonry regulars now engage in a similar game, playing "I can identify Ken in just three posts....".
Games Kennie Plays
The 'Talk to Me' Game
Some of Ken's nickname personas indicate that they communicate by e-mail, phone or personal visits with Ken although Ken is no longer posting messages under his real name. Strangely, Ken seems to have the time to nurture and guide these other posters in the very things which bothered him the most, yet he doesn't post directly any more. We wonder why.... Sometimes the personas say that they've been reading for quite some time yet we can't imagine what now prompts them now to suddenly post dozens of messages in a day/hundreds in a week, not ever having been motivated to do so previously.
Ken wants attention - and on alt.freemasonry, he gets it.
The 'Anything You Can Do' Game
Ken has some peculiar 'techniques' for his Internet presence. Whenever something is done, which is seen by many as being 'over the top', the predictable response is, "If a Mason can do it, so can I." Perhaps no one ever said to Ken - or any of those who support him - "If everyone jumped off a building, would you do it too?" Totally disregarding the issue at hand, there's then a tirade against a selected Mason (or two or three) on the list.
He particularly enjoys re-quoting the outbursts of Masons who've lost their temper and began 'ranting' after being goaded and goaded. Using incidents such as this, the argument is repeated ad nausea that Masons do horrible things (like canceling posts etc. or using racist slurs). Interestingly, Ken and his personas also are very adept at "Jew baiting" and seem to get great glee at attacking those who are not professed Christians. Does this all sound a bit childish? Long-term readers of alt.freemasonry certainly think so but that's no deterrent.
The 'Harass Your ISP' Game
Ken, from all accounts, doesn't work; his wife provides for his family while he harasses Masons via his computer. His most recent game has been to send messages to the Internet Service Provider of various Masons (or anyone who disagrees with his persona du jour) claiming that the person is engaging in harassing tactics and asking that their ISP service be removed. It would appear that this is in reaction to a campaign undertaken by some list members to have Ken stop his relentless attacks. Ken, of course, delights in even negative attention and this 'persecution' gives him even more ammunition in his tirades.
The ISP often will make an assumption that the complainant is right and their user is wrong. Wasting much time, other Masons then write to the ISP explaining the situation. However, because there's now no recourse in cyberspace for 'filing a false claim', Ken and his personas succeed in disrupting the life of another Mason and he thereby gains an advantage - although we seriously question whether it's in keeping with his so-called Christian principles.
Ken has never disclosed his religious affiliation - yet he's swears that Freemasonry is either (a) a religion or (b) against religion. With Ken, it's always hard to tell what the issue really is!
The "I can find out things about YOU!" game
Learning his way around the Internet, Ken's harassment now extends to finding web sites related to individual posters against whom his venom extends. Publicizing the business web site of this site's owner, for example, he hoped to instill fear into those who might challenge him. While we had nothing to hide, Ken's puerile attempts to scare people could likely dissuade others from taking a public stand against his ludicrous claims and charges.. In addition, using Deja News archived posts, he seeks to present snippets of information which, out of context, make the target Mason look foolish (at best). His cowardly actions bespeak a person who has little in the way of moral rectitude.
His Position on Masonry
While Ken's posts seem limitless, his 'position' is far from clear. He rails against individual Masons much more often than against the body of Freemasonry. His (now deceased) father and his brother are both Masons and Ken is often asked why he chooses to dishonor his family by accusing all Masons of lying, cheating, perversions, etc. His answer has not been forthcoming as of this writing. Based on his own messages and web sites, Ken's racist and hate-filled mentors, its easy to see how/why his hatred continues. You can read about Ken's heroes and their ideologies here.
Ken at one point referred to nearly all Masons as "MMM" - "Moronic Master Mason". Doing this, of course, makes one wonders how he has determined that some four-six million people (not to mention the many famous Masons of the past and the millions of now deceased Masons including his father and his brother) were all "Morons". It's an interesting question which remains unanswered.
Another Sample of the "Anything You Can Do' Game Once a Mason posted that Ken had x-archive=no on ALL of his
usenet posts. Ken hadn't done that to every single post. He'd actually left a few out of his
several thousands of messages posted. He then took great delight in claiming that the Mason was a liar
and people could simply go see (those few) for themselves. And since a Mason had "lied", it
was ok for him to lie as well! Does this rhetoric sound a bit tortured? It gets better - or
worse - depending on your point of view! |
Because Ken has indicated that Christianity and Masonry are not compatible, he has been asked repeatedly about his religion. Masons know that Christianity and Masonry certainly are compatible so they seek to determine where he's obtaining his information from. Ken argues in response that the questions are either (a) off-topic for the newsgroup or (b) not anyone's business but his own. On both points, we'd generally agree. However because of Ken's claims, it would appear that it's a very legitimate point of inquiry!
Ken absolutely delights in dredging up ghosts out of the closets of Masons. If one had ever posted an inappropriate post anywhere, Ken will dig it out and throw it in the poster's face, regularly taking things out of context to make his supposed point. It's sad he feels the only way to build himself up is by tearing others down.
While regularly using 'put-downs' and personal insults himself, when a Mason becomes upset with a Ken message and responds in kind, the reply will either (a) demand that the Mason practice the virtues of Masonry (which Ken thinks are wrong) or (b) contain his current favorite 'straw man' argument. Just as soon as Ken or one of his personas contacts us, we'll post a couple of pages with a bunch of examples for folks to see. Of course, because Ken has removed most of his messages from the archives of DejaNews, it'll be easy for him to claim forgery (another tactic he's used). Readers can judge for themselves, however, and there are MANY who have identical copies available for reference. (Masonic conspiracy? Hmmmm....)
Ken establishes and then cancels with great regularity various web sites,
nearly all of which include a link to white supremacist David Duke and/or
defrocked Holocaust denier David Irving. When asked about those links, Ken defended
one by saying that Duke was a local politician. There are, however, no
links to his other local politicians or to any other politicians for that
matter! One must wonder
why.... It's also interesting that a Ken persona uses the Masonic membership of George
Wallace to cast aspersions on Masonry. Such an odd complaint from a Duke supporter....
(And, as of March, 2003 with Duke having confessed to various criminal charges
and awaiting likely imprisonment, we wonder what Ken might have to say about the
former Grand Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan now!)
On the web: Ken's websites over the years have never identified him in conjunction with them. Whether it was attempting to lure students at the local university into chatting with him online or simply anonymous screeds against Freemasonry, Ken was usually careful to keep his name away from any site he'd built. Ken also claimed at one point that one of his identities was maintaining a web site chronicling all of the supposed evils of one regular poster in the alt.freemasonry newsgroup. Of course, we can't point you to it because - as Ken's identity says - "(Oh, the page is encrypted, even if you find it, you won't be able to read it. Don't worry, you have proven as true everything they say about you. Ken sure has your number!)". <shrug> We always wondered: if the page was encrypted, what good would it be for his anti-Masonic diatribes? Who knows.... How could anyone resist not simply howling in laughter with statements like this?
"Friends" of Ken (almost always Ken in another persona) will argue that it's improper for us to treat Ken this way when he's not there to defend himself. They'll talk about receiving e-mail from and sending e-mail to him about this. One must wonder then: why can't Ken speak for himself?
| FLASH UPDATE: Ken, the devout follower of 'Preacher' Arnold Murray, now uses CATHOLIC (or - more appropriately - PSEUDO-Catholic) diatribes against Freemasonry from the likes of the Saint Benedict Center and other non-recognized Catholic wanna-be's to bolster his claims. What'll be next? Will Ken adopt the anti-Masonic rhetoric of the Middle East? Desperation apparently knows no bounds when it comes to Ken's obsessive anti-Masonry. His late father and his blood brother, an active Mason, must be SO embarrassed. See the links at this site for some examples. |
Ken has been described by many as a 'piece of work'. Decide for yourself. 'Our
Funny Little Friend' is given as much attention as any anti-Mason when in reality, he's
the least persuasive of all. In fact, there have been quite a few people who have read his
messages, investigated further and decided that they'll become a Freemasons.
The reality is that Ken seems far more interested in attention than actually persuading anyone that Masonry is wrong. Masons on the alt.freemasonry Usenet have come to consider Kenny as one of the most effective 'recruiting posters' that Masonry could have.
Internet Stalking
Under several guises, Ken very actively used the tactic of Internet Stalking and specifically sought to find any location where a Mason named Russ might appear.
Regardless of the nature of such post, Ken then attempts to cast it as something sinister. It's a sad commentary but it also shows how someone progresses from simply irritating to irrational for no apparent reason other than the fact that he's receiving insufficient attention!
Not long ago, Ken decided to use this site's owner as a target for his
activities. It appears that those who make him look the most foolish are those
for whom he saves his most vitriolic behavior. First, he chose to post my address and home phone information in the Newsgroup
(using the alias of subnomore@ my-dejanews.com). Finding a single message posted to
alt.freemasonry in 1996 from the same ISP which I used until 2001 when the
company was bought by Adelphia and closed (and which uses my actual name
in the address), he falsely claimed that because the bottom of the message was signed with
an online nickname that I've had since 1992, I was hiding my identity!!! (Does
this sound totally bizarre? Of course it is....). Seeing that Ken was actively stalking me
in addition to others, I complained loudly to DejaNews and within a week, they advised
that they would close Ken's pseudonymous account; since then, though, he has created several others
there. <sigh>
The day before I received notice that his subnomore address was being cancelled, Ken/subnomore posted a message saying, "I am requesting that DejaNews cancel this account. Due to past forgeries of certain members of the freemasonry HATE GROUP, I feel that the security of this account has, or will be, threatened." Needless to say, the post was a lie and Ken's account was cancelled by DejaNews based on my complaints rather than his planned action!
Update: Following the "I can find out things about YOU" game scenario described above, Ken - using a hidden identity as usual - has felt it appropriate for some reason to further stalk this site's owner. Stay tuned for the continuing saga....
Update March 26, 1999:
When we wrote the sentence two lines above, we just knew there'd be more. On Ken's 'main' web site (now defunct), located at Compusurf.com the following was found:
Hello! Due to harassment, lies, and threats
from certain freemasons in the UseNet group
'alt.freemasonry', I am closing all my internet
accounts. I fear that these internet stalkers
have become very dangerous and pose a threat
to myself and my family.
I would suggest two things, if you visit
any of the masonic UseNet newsgroups, never
give them your real name. If you disagree
with their views, instead of discussing
opposing views, certain freemasons there
will begin a terror-hate attack on you.
Protect yourself by not giving them any
personal information about yourself.
Also, if you are in the service area of
Compsurf.com, I would suggest giving their
service a try. It has been working pretty well
for me and I hate to cancel my account but
I choose to do so in order to protect my
family from future harassment and attacks
from those freemasons who are getting more
and more aggressive.
At some later date I may choose to return
to the internet but with work and other
projects, I am limited for time at the moment.
Also I plan to write a book about "on-line"
freemasonry, maybe I will be able to work
on that project some.
Thanks to all the nice people at Compsurf
and to all the nice folks that I've met on
the net.
Kenneth Wayne Mitchell 03-31-99
We wonder what'll be next in the ongoing saga of the infamous 'Joken'.
| "Work"? Ken reportedly hasn't worked for years. |
| "...lies and threats...."? If you want to read about lies and threats, perhaps you should read the pages linked below covering Ken's OWN behavior! |
| "...a threat to (himself) and (his) family." Like all of Ken's statements, unsupportable by fact. People have known about Ken for years and yet no harm has ever befallen him. His deceased father was a Mason and his brother is a Past Master of his Masonic Lodge. |
| "...freemasons who are getting more and more aggressive."? Perhaps he means that no longer are Masons willing to let him lie, defame, insult and condemn the Fraternity without being challenged? |
| Writing a book? If you've ever read Ken's messages, you can catch the plot in five or six lines - or just read our page on his 'baker's dozen' of customary rants. |
Yep, Ken's quite an individual. We'll see what's next - and surely there will be something!
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In addition, |
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click on "Prince, the Search Dog" to find things on our site. He's on every page
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