Incarcerated For Writing Science Fiction

originally posted by: Hoosierdaddy71

originally posted by: CoherentlyConfused
a reply to: Hoosierdaddy71

He's a teacher. I would hope the school was diligent enough to process his background before they hired him. Applying to become a teacher in a school district is a reason to check someone out. Writing a science fiction book is not.

What was done to this man was wrong and is unfortunately becoming the norm in a paranoid society.


Also...it's not quite the same as having a smoke detector in your home. This scenario would be more like the state coming after you because you have a lighter in your pocket. Maybe you'll set your house on fire!
Who knows. Better safe than sorry. Right?

Teachers have molested children after passing their background check. Does that mean they didn't molest the kids? Of course not. Situations change. He has a questionable hobby and should be checked out. If he's not doing anything wrong he should return to work. Again this is an overreaction. But it still should be checked out.

It is not going to be that simple for him to return to work. Public opinion has made sure of that.

originally posted by: ArchPlayer

originally posted by: Hoosierdaddy71

originally posted by: CoherentlyConfused
a reply to: Hoosierdaddy71

He's a teacher. I would hope the school was diligent enough to process his background before they hired him. Applying to become a teacher in a school district is a reason to check someone out. Writing a science fiction book is not.

What was done to this man was wrong and is unfortunately becoming the norm in a paranoid society.


Also...it's not quite the same as having a smoke detector in your home. This scenario would be more like the state coming after you because you have a lighter in your pocket. Maybe you'll set your house on fire!
Who knows. Better safe than sorry. Right?

Teachers have molested children after passing their background check. Does that mean they didn't molest the kids? Of course not. Situations change. He has a questionable hobby and should be checked out. If he's not doing anything wrong he should return to work. Again this is an overreaction. But it still should be checked out.

It is not going to be that simple for him to return to work. Public opinion has made sure of that.

Because they over reacted, I agree.

Wow, tptb in every state in this country get dumber every day. Hold onto your thoughts everybody the "Thought Police" are large and in charge, I'd be laughing if this wasn't so damn sad.

Very good, now I can take his idea and publish my own Sci Fi novel about the aftermath of a school shooting 900 years from now. Well, after I release my book on how to build bombs with DutyFree items at an airport.

a reply to: ArchPlayer

I know where the issue is. The publication date for the book in the article (Lilith's Heir) is october 11, 2013. However I can trace Lilith's Heir (Naruto fanfiction) back to 2009. Here is the author's fanfiction bio (his name appears to be Chris). They are separate stories that coincidentally have the same title.

By the way, here is the synopsis for the Lilith's Heir that is the source of this controversy:

In this sequel to Voltaer’s The Insurrectionist, it’s been eight months since the Ocean Park and Krossephire Tech incidents, yet images of murder and death still flood the minds of the nation’s populace. Aware of the fear that has gripped its citizenry, the Imperial Union’s Ministry of Defence, in an effort to alleviate the disquiet and demonstrate its superiority, has initiated a shakedown of The Phantom’s Regiment—the nation’s sole remaining narcotics empire. While the government is aware that the society’s operations stretch far beyond narcotics—delving into practices such as illegal weapons trading, cyber terrorism, and more recently biological warfare—over recent decades the society has grown to numbers and obtained weaponry that even the Ministry did not foresee. Once cognisant of the government’s operations, The Phantom’s Regiment immediately resists; and as the war intensifies, the organisation’s leaders plan and initiate an affront that just may bring the entire nation to its knees—forcing the world’s most obdurate authority to capitulate in antecedence of a storm that is projected to cause destruction beyond the imagination’s capabilities and comprehension.

With feelings of anger, resentment, and sorrow concerning the death of his friend, Keith begins his first year of university on a rather reckless path—participating in exploits that bring him to the verge of self destruction. However, his frustration seems to alleviate rather quickly upon entering a relationship with an acquaintance he meets on campus. And as Keith begins to return to his normal state, Nick watches him carefully—and his new companion even more closely—and quickly makes the assertion that Keith’s new relationship is one that ultimately will not only destroy him psychologically, but may perhaps even get him killed.

After numerous admonitions from Nick, Keith ultimately dismisses him and pursues the relationship and consequently finds himself ensnared in the epicentre of The Phantom Regiment’s war. Eventually, the situation reaches a breaking point, and Keith is affronted with the reality that the shadowy society that has wreaked havoc in the Imperial Union for over a century is now on the verge of collapse. But this headstrong society will not relent quietly—and when it goes down, it intends to take Keith down with it.

Still nothing about Naruto in there.

a reply to: Krazysh0t

However I can trace Lilith's Heir (Naruto fanfiction) back to 2009. Here is the author's fanfiction bio (his name appears to be Chris). They are separate stories that coincidentally have the same title.

They said he wrote it in college years back.

a reply to: Char-Lee

Who is they? And how do they know this? In other words, where is the source of this information?

Here is an excerpt from the article that the OP posted in the first post

The 23-year-old language arts teacher is the author of two self-published science fiction e-books set 900 years in the future, written under a pen name. The novels apparently depict the aftermath of a terroristic attack on a school in a futuristic society.

Nothing saying when he wrote it. Here is my article

Dr. K.S. Voltaer is better known by some in Dorchester County as Patrick McLaw, or even Patrick Beale. Not only was he a teacher at Mace's Lane Middle School in Cambridge, but according to Dorchester Sheriff James Phillips, McLaw is also the author of two books: "The Insurrectionist" and its sequel, "Lillith's Heir."

Those books are what caught the attention of police and school board officials in Dorchester County. "The Insurrectionist" is about two school shootings set in the future, the largest in the country's history.

Nothing about when he wrote it there either. There is, however, a reoccurring theme that the books are set in the future (Earth, NOT Naruto universe) and that they are ENTIRELY about a school shooting (guns aren't even in the Naruto universe by the way... They tend to use throwing knives and various magic "ninja" arts). Did you read the two synopsizes that I posted? No mention of Naruto characters there either. Like I said, the fact that the titles are the same between McLaw's second book and that Naruto FF is a PURE coincidence.

Also again, the author of the FF is named Chris (or at least that is what his pseudonym is). BOTH articles (and any other one you find) say that the pseudonym of this guy is Patrick.

originally posted by: Krazysh0t
a reply to: ArchPlayer

I know where the issue is. The publication date for the book in the article (Lilith's Heir) is october 11, 2013. However I can trace Lilith's Heir (Naruto fanfiction) back to 2009. Here is the author's fanfiction bio (his name appears to be Chris). They are separate stories that coincidentally have the same title.

By the way, here is the synopsis for the Lilith's Heir that is the source of this controversy:

In this sequel to Voltaer’s The Insurrectionist, it’s been eight months since the Ocean Park and Krossephire Tech incidents, yet images of murder and death still flood the minds of the nation’s populace. Aware of the fear that has gripped its citizenry, the Imperial Union’s Ministry of Defence, in an effort to alleviate the disquiet and demonstrate its superiority, has initiated a shakedown of The Phantom’s Regiment—the nation’s sole remaining narcotics empire. While the government is aware that the society’s operations stretch far beyond narcotics—delving into practices such as illegal weapons trading, cyber terrorism, and more recently biological warfare—over recent decades the society has grown to numbers and obtained weaponry that even the Ministry did not foresee. Once cognisant of the government’s operations, The Phantom’s Regiment immediately resists; and as the war intensifies, the organisation’s leaders plan and initiate an affront that just may bring the entire nation to its knees—forcing the world’s most obdurate authority to capitulate in antecedence of a storm that is projected to cause destruction beyond the imagination’s capabilities and comprehension.

With feelings of anger, resentment, and sorrow concerning the death of his friend, Keith begins his first year of university on a rather reckless path—participating in exploits that bring him to the verge of self destruction. However, his frustration seems to alleviate rather quickly upon entering a relationship with an acquaintance he meets on campus. And as Keith begins to return to his normal state, Nick watches him carefully—and his new companion even more closely—and quickly makes the assertion that Keith’s new relationship is one that ultimately will not only destroy him psychologically, but may perhaps even get him killed.

After numerous admonitions from Nick, Keith ultimately dismisses him and pursues the relationship and consequently finds himself ensnared in the epicentre of The Phantom Regiment’s war. Eventually, the situation reaches a breaking point, and Keith is affronted with the reality that the shadowy society that has wreaked havoc in the Imperial Union for over a century is now on the verge of collapse. But this headstrong society will not relent quietly—and when it goes down, it intends to take Keith down with it.

Still nothing about Naruto in there.

At least we now have that cleared up that he did write fan fiction, and just used the same title. Good investigation work there KrazySh0t.

originally posted by: Char-Lee
a reply to: Krazysh0t

However I can trace Lilith's Heir (Naruto fanfiction) back to 2009. Here is the author's fanfiction bio (his name appears to be Chris). They are separate stories that coincidentally have the same title.

They said he wrote it in college years back.

I haven't been able to find any posting that definitely can prove he wrote either work in his college years. All I have seen is that he wrote in college, but nothing to pinpoint the time/date of writings.

It would be interesting though if he went to Virginia Tech around those shootings. That could at least get him off the hook.

We Americans have officially become a herd of cattle. Ever see the way fear courses through an entire herd all at once? Well nowadays, all one need do to witness herd shock reaction is open the newspaper. When did we become so paranoid and weak as a collective people? Wolves that do not exist howl in the night and Americans go racing for succor from police, the media and the federal government. They've trained us well to fear--so well in fact we mistrust if not outright hate any idea or belief different than our own, shun those they tell us are unlike our kind, and escalate the least malevolent acts of our fellow citizens into wildfires of impending mass death.

The gentlemen in the article likely published under a pseudonym to avoid just such a conflict with his teaching career. Nice shot, man, at least you tried. Unfortunately, once such a scandal goes down there's rarely any coming back--professionally speaking.

a reply to: Hoosierdaddy71

He has a questionable hobby and should be checked out.

Writing is a questionable hobby?
I dont know what to even say to this, I guess all of us short story writers are of questionable character according to you

If I write a story about finding everyone involved with this travesty and slapping them upside the head in a frantic attempt to shock them back to sanity, would I be investigated, too?

Parents have to get a grip and remember evil freaks who like to hurt kids are extremely rare... even rarer are evil freaks who actually hurt children.

I know... they exist... but do you want those kids you're "safeguarding" to grow up in a world like we are creating?

Thought police... really???

a reply to: Baddogma

Parents have to get a grip and remember evil freaks who like to hurt kids are extremely rare... even rarer are evil freaks who actually hurt children.

I guess you mean kill because hurt is pretty common.

a reply to: Char-Lee

Yeah, to clarify I meant hurt/kill by those not in immediate family... sadly.

I surely know that when sexual predation and physical/mental abuse is combined, then "hurt" is closer to the norm... rather than the exception.

But the paranoia is disgusting... especially when the real dangers are more often closer to home.

Everybody okay with 'the walking dead', 'Firefly', 'falling skies', 'defiance', 'above and beyond', 'lost in space' 'the hundred' ?

originally posted by: HomerinNC
a reply to: Hoosierdaddy71

He has a questionable hobby and should be checked out.

Writing is a questionable hobby?
I dont know what to even say to this, I guess all of us short story writers are of questionable character according to you

Well if a daycare worker was writing books under a fictitious name about cutting up preschoolers, I think as a parent it would be concerning. Now should anyone jump to legal action and what action should they take, now days I have no idea, but as a parent if I learned of it I would not feel comfortable with my child in their care.

originally posted by: pikestaff
Everybody okay with 'the walking dead', 'Firefly', 'falling skies', 'defiance', 'above and beyond', 'lost in space' 'the hundred' ?

You examples are not at all in context.

hum it is sounding more like he had a problem with possible harassment and they took it to investigating him. I hope if he really was being harrased it all comes out.

UPDATE (September 2, 2:51 p.m.): According to The Los Angeles Times, a law enforcement official is saying that McLaw drew the attention of authorities not because of his books, but because of a "a four-page letter to officials in Dorchester County." The report goes on to say, "Those concerns brought together authorities from multiple jurisdictions, including health authorities."

The story goes on to state, "McLaw's letter was of primary concern to healthcare officials, Maciarello says. It, combined with complaints of alleged harassment and an alleged possible crime from various jurisdictions led to his suspension. Maciarello cautions that these allegations are still being investigated; authorities, he says, "proceeded with great restraint."

www.theatlantic.com...

I like this part...

I'm glad local authorities are releasing more information about McLaw, but these are the same authorities who last week told the press that McLaw was removed from his job because he wrote novels about a school shooting under a pseudonym (see, for instance, this CBS story: "Police: Md. Teacher Placed on Leave for Authoring Fictional Book of the ‘Largest School Massacre"). I've been trying to get the sheriff of Dorchester County on the phone, to no avail. It would be useful at this point for the authorities to get their story straight.

a reply to: ArchPlayer

Illegal detention. 1st Amendment violation, plain and simple. I'm never surprised though by the stupidity of others. Just when I think we've hit bottom, nope! we've found another level, lets dig a little deeper.

what next ...people will be getting arrested for playing FPS online...quick arrest that teacher he was playing battlefield 4,he must be crazy and wants to shoot people in real life...(face palm and eye roll)