Ok... before I go ballistic and make a fool of myself I have to ask this. What is the real truth here? I understand it to be like this: A kid writes a story for his english class about an illegal, underground militia that has a bloody shootout in the town.
I can, to some degree, understand it if they arrested him if the story had the shootout IN the school, but as far as I can tell that is not the case. Is it?
(Even if it WAS the case they still couldn't convict him of anything... Right?)
1. The shooting was, I believe in the town. However, that still does not give probable cause that he was actually going to do it(not just that he was thinking about it, but that he was actually planning on executing it). I could understand bringing him in for questioning, but not for charging him with a crime.I can, to some degree, understand it if they arrested him if the story had the shootout IN the school, but as far as I can tell that is not the case. Is it?
(Even if it WAS the case they still couldn't convict him of anything... Right?)
2. I sure as hell hope not. If they have any solid evidence, I haven't seen it anywhere.
This is one of the things I hate, when people try to legislate on possibility. I realize I do support some actions that might be considered as such (like safety standards for businesses and what have you) but as a general rule, I dislike punishing someone because they "might" do something. Having a reasonable amount of proof is one thing, but a story? Come ON!
And another thing, the teachers say they didn't assign such a writing topic. Well, so what? I'm writing a novel myself, people don't ONLY write for school.
Then again, why would he turn it into his teachers if they did not assign that as a writing topic?
I've done it myself on several occassions, generally I trust my writing teachers to give me good feedback if they have time.
I am with Behold the void on this one... I write out of class... and some of it is quite violent.
It is just so silly... I remember 2 years ago we had to write a "scary" story in a place that we are familar with. The teacher told us that we were not allowed to use the names of people we knew.. because that could cause controversy and get us.. and potentially him in trouble... WTH??!!!
it is just a story folks... likely it is harmless.... haven't ya'll ever heard of writing as a way to calm one's soul?!
excuse that rant... but really people should write more... it might up the american literacy rate.
STILL Updating the anime list. . . I didn't think I was that much of an anime freak! I don't even want to consider updating the manga list!
AHHH! ZOMBIES! THEY'RE GONNA EAT MY BRAINS!!!!!!!! Nah, I think he's bluffing and he has lost the plot...BIG TIME. Some freak, trying to rase an army to destroy the world.
I see the four rider's a' coming.
Angel Of Apocolypse, don't mess with me.
I'm going to write ny next paper on porcupines battling eachother with powers bestowd upon them from Satan in Liverpool, England and see what happens. Of course, I'm in Uni, so the result will be quite different, I'm sure.
I like Kung-Fu.
Yeah, see, this is why I don't let anyone but a select few read my writings. In fourth grade, I made a comment about how, if I had a bomb, I'd blow up my bus, and, of course, they flipped out. I'm lucky this was before Columbine, otherwise I might have ended up in Juvy. (Or a mental ward. They tried to do that too.)
Crap, I have so much messed up stuff in my notebook. I better hide it from everyone or else I will be commited for writing my fictional story about someone commiting suicide!
"He faces a second-degree felony terrorist threatening charge after investigators discovered "materials at Poole's home that outline possible acts of violence aimed at students, teachers, and police".
I'd say this is reasonable.
"An 18-year-old US student is today behind bars after police uncovered his plot to raise a zombie army and attack his high school".
*Doubles checks*
"a...zombie...army"
I'd go as far as to say that was absolutely ridiculous.
[center] I Painted My Own Mona Lisa
She's Fixed Everything
Now I'm Spoilt Beyond My Wildest Dreams [center]
But that's not reasonable. "Second-degree felony terrorist threatening" means he had to threaten someone with terrorist actions.Originally Posted by Dr.K
Also, the "materials that outline possible acts of violence" is absurd. That's like arresting someone with a baseball bat who had been in an argument with someone for assault based on "materials that outline possible acts of violence aimed at [whoever he was arguing with]."
That's sick.
Man, where I live I could tell my teachers about how I killed people with a rocket launcher yesterday without having any trouble at all. I guess I could even write about Terrorists in my school books without having problems.
Seriously... all this just because of a story about Zombies? What the **** is up with some people?
As far as 'limitations on free speech' I was taught in government class (in 2001, before the extremely evil Patriot Act) that the only limitations on such were yelling fire in a theatre and threatening to kill the President. I pointed this out and asked "Well, what if we threatened to kill the Vice President? Or a teacher? Or our parents?" these things are not arrestable offenses. Sure, they can get your butt in trouble at school, get you smacked into counseling or sent off to military school (all decisions made by the school/parents) but I was taught that it cant get you sent to jail. The fact that this kid was sent to jail spits in the face of human rights, I feel.
That's really pathetic, if it is true. It's LITERATURE, not a notebook of plans stating the chemicals to a bomb or something.
If this stuff gets any worse, the guy who writes the Lemony Snicket books will get arrested for writing how to make a molotov cocktai in his first book.
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