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Tuesday, September 2, 2014

More about Education and the McLaw Affair

When I posted a few days ago, I was worried the story wasn't getting enough attention.  That has changed as the news has gone viral.

J D Wolverton makes good points about how McLaw is not a threat.

The Atlantic covered the story:  In Maryland, a Soviet-Style Punishment for a Novelist

A petition is circling at Change.org to reinstate and apologize to him publicly.

Tananarive Due ‏wrote my sentiments best (she should have written the petition): 
 "@DrHenryVWagner Is there more to the #PatrickMcLaw story than #writing a #scifi novel? If not, please reinstate him"
If there isn't anything else, hopefully everyone involved apologizes and feels shame for their mistreatment for this poor man.

UPDATE:  From the LA Times:

"It didn't start with the books and it didn't end with the books.... McLaw's letter... combined with complaints of alleged harassment and an alleged possible crime from various jurisdictions."   
Then where did the journalist get his information?  He made it appear that police turned up nothing.  Either someone led the journalist to believe that it was solely about the books, or the journalist made up the story.

Here's the original:

"He's a man with many names, and the books he has written have raised the concerns of the Dorchester County Board of Education and the Dorchester County Sheriff's Office."
So two things raised concerns, according to the original:  He used an alias and he wrote a book that has a school shooting in it.  The juxtaposition of the next two lines places the blame of the leave of absence on the books:
"he wrote two fictional books about the largest school shooting in the country's history set in the future. Now, Patrick McLaw is placed on leave."
The author spoke to Dorchester County Superintendent of Schools Dr. Henry Wagner and Dorchester Sheriff James Phillips.  How did he get the story wrong?

In other, related news--demonstrating a similar mindless craziness that can infect the American education system--PTA members plant drugs on another.

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