This is a post, not a board of directors meeting.

November 6, 2007 1:33 PM

Keep calm and lie down on the floor The John Dillinger Died for You Society has been commemorating the death of Public Enemy #1 every July 22 (last July Pope Michael Flores spoke) Their major spiritual teaching comes from the eminently quotable St. John Dillinger the Martyr who said: “Lie down on the floor and keep calm” during his bank robberies. (Considering his other quotes, it’s ironic that he was canonized) You can join just for the hell of it. Maybe check out a scrapbook of his greatest (ahem) hits. If you’re in Indiana some time you can check out his grave . And of course there’s Dillinger’s women (and everyone’s got a myspace page) But was he a hero for burning mortgages or a villian for robbing banks? Really, does it matter?
posted by Smedleyman (14 comments total)

Apparently though his gigantic dick is just a myth
Or is it?
More on Dillingers organ here (nsfw?)

And some basic background from the Indy Star.

And from the folks who worked for “Speed” and “Mary” Hoover.

And of course teh wiki
posted by Smedleyman at 1:34 PM on November 6, 2007

Weird. Here’s the grave link again.
posted by Smedleyman at 1:42 PM on November 6, 2007

Hail Eris!
posted by carsonb at 2:02 PM on November 6, 2007

Well, which is it, young feller? You want I should freeze or get down on the ground? Mean to say, if'n I freeze, I can't rightly drop. And if'n I drop, I'm a-gonna be in motion. You see...
posted by Astro Zombie at 2:04 PM on November 6, 2007 [1 favorite]

Brought to you by the founder of the Veterans of the Sexual Revolution!
posted by Pope Guilty at 2:32 PM on November 6, 2007

Wow, that last pic of him in the morgue explains SO much about that rumor.
posted by shmegegge at 3:03 PM on November 6, 2007

Sometimes it's not if they're a hero or a villain, it's more about the cut of their jib. Who amongst us hasn't wanted to raise the black flag, empty a few vaults and burn a few mortgages? If only she hadn't worn red, huh?
posted by Divine_Wino at 3:28 PM on November 6, 2007

As words to live by "keep calm and lie down on the floor" are better than most. Good post, smedleyman.
posted by Kattullus at 3:43 PM on November 6, 2007

Will Rogers summed it up:  "Well, they had Dillinger surrounded and was all ready to shoot him when he came out, but another bunch of folks came out ahead, so they just shot them instead.  Dillinger is going to accidentally get with some innocent bystanders some time, then he will get shot."
And of course, they set him up and gunned him down in cold blood (the gun the FBI was showing off as the gun Dillinger had on him had not been manufactured until after his death).
posted by Smedleyman at 3:51 PM on November 6, 2007

"messiah"?
posted by DMan at 4:14 PM on November 6, 2007

fnord
posted by sourwookie at 4:32 PM on November 6, 2007

Who amongst us hasn't wanted to raise the black flag, empty a few vaults and burn a few mortgages?

"Every normal man must be tempted at times to spit on his hands, hoist the black flag, and begin to slit throats." -H.L. Mencken
posted by Pope Guilty at 5:07 PM on November 6, 2007

Yes, that was what I was getting at there.
posted by Divine_Wino at 10:02 AM on November 7, 2007

"messiah"?

Of at least a temporary duration. Hey, he looks better than Jesus does with a tommy gun.
posted by Smedleyman at 10:13 AM on November 7, 2007