A response.

I received a response from the Winchester, KY mayor's office. Here it is in its entirety:

I did not release any statement on this issue. The original rumor which we
all heard locally and supposedly is incorrect was that CNN bailed out Mr.
Poole. I have not investigated this matter one way or the other.

Dodd

It comes as no surprise to me that rumors about Mr. Poole would be running rampant. Here's the latest one: he is out on bail and has skipped town. I attempted to call the Clark County jail only to get a sleepy woman with a nice, Kentucky drawl.

Sleepy woman: "Hello?"
Me: "Yes, is this the Clark County jail?"
SW: "No, it isn't."
Me: "Interesting."
SW: "What number'd you call?" I gave her the number.
SW: "Well, that's us, but we aren't the county jail."
Me: "That's odd because that's the number they have listed in the White Pages. I'm terribly sorry. Thank you."
SW: "No problem. Bye."

So, not only does the White Pages have the number for the jail listed incorrectly, but the Winchester, KY police department (who I called initially) doesn't have the correct number to their own jail! And I thought all the jokes about Kentucky were just distorted misconceptions.

So much for journalistic integrity...

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NOTE: the following post is based on correspendence that I, the author of this blog, have been having with a person living in Winchester, KY. The thoughts and opinions expressed are that of the original author and not necessarily my own. The article has been modified to protect the identity of the original author.
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The mayor of Winchester, KY has indicated that CNN paid the $5000 bail for William Poole. Outlandish isn't the half of it. As journalism ethics go, it's pretty pathetic. Of course, the original article that WLEX published was pretty lacking in balance as well -- the journalism class used it to study poor reporting. Journalism is supposed to represent all side[s] of an issue, and that article didn't. In about fifteen minutes a bunch of high school journalism students could pick out the week points and what would have balanced the article instead of setting people off on this frenzy.

The violent threats by Poole are from a family member source but not Poole. He was also following schoolbuses earlier this week (that is firsthand from people on the buses) and met his sister (one of the people that he's not supposed to go around because she was named in his writings) at the school bus stop this morning (that's from another kid at the bus stop who knows him). That same source, who knows his grandparents, says that they told her about some of Poole's issues. According to what they told her (she lives two doors down from the grandparents and is close to his grandmother) Poole is a schizophrenic who does not like to take his medication and when he is not on medication he is prone to violence, which is why he's so often in trouble. She's also the one who shared the threats against his grandparents. Poole's cousin talked to a student at GRCHS about the threats to take people out with him and the specific plans of setting three people outside to shoot people running out and take the foyer for himself.

A student was called out to his counselor's office this last week. When he came back he was shaken up. He's one of the kids that Poole tried to recruit who has talked to the police. Poole has learned that he talked to the police and has threatened him. The police called his mother to let him know and his mother called the school counselor about it. He's agreed to be interviewed anonymously for the school newspaper.
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I have written an email to Mayor Dodd Dixon of Winchester, KY asking for a confirmation that he did indeed claim that CNN bailed William Poole out of Jail.

Mayor Dodd Dixon,

I am writing to you in order to confirm reports of a recent press release concerning William Poole. The student from George Rogers Clark High School is apparently out on bail. My question is, did you in fact release a statement claiming that CNN (Cable News Network) posted the $5,000 bail amount for the release of Mr. Poole?

Let's see if the Mayor's office responds.

This...is my boomstick!

Apparently our friend William Poole isn't the only one who writes zombie stories.

Now, I won't jump to conclusions here, but there are some very eerie similarities between Jeff Weise and William Poole: both were living with their grandparents after having suffered from a broken home, both have been associated with writing zombie stories, and both have been in contact with extremist groups.

Could it be that the Winchester, KY police saved the lives of several students and teachers?

You can track my postings on this story here.

I don't get it...

I haven't confirmed this yet, and it seems like it's going to be a little difficult to do so, but apparently our favorite zombie survival story writer is out on bail. Jeffrey Russell, on behalf of an anonymous donor (I'm guessing ACLU, but I could be wrong), has bailed Mr. Poole out.

The dangers of labeling, Part 1.

Why is everyone all of the sudden "innocent"?

There are the "innocent" victims of 9/11. Terry Schiavo is "innocent". The targets of the D.C. area sniper were "innocent".

Last I checked, none of those people had been charged with a crime. Who's concerned that these people might be guilty? That's not even a question in these incidents. So why the use of the word "innocent"?

Use of the word "innocent" instantly absolves someone of any wrongdoing. If someone is innocent it can mean one of two things: this person has never done anything wrong (only certain, young children can make this claim), and this person has been accused of doing something wrong but has been absolved of guilt. So, is Terry Schiavo innocent? She is not innocent by either definition; she has neither led a perfect life nor has she been accused of committing a crime.

Labeling a person as being innocent endears that person to the public. Innocence conjures up images of children, the "innocence of youth" (i.e. better times, familiar faces, places, and smells), blonde-haired, and blue-eyed, little girls in sun dresses bounding through open meadows of daisies while giggling. There is a longing for innocence: freedom from worrying about the mortgage, freedom from fears over losing a job, freedom from the heartache the comes from broken relationships, and a return to the carefree days of yester-year.

Here is what I imagine is what "innocence" labelers want you to think, "They haven't done anything wrong. Why should they be punished?" This brings me to my next point: the building of the case against whoever is on the other side of the "innocent" victim.

There is now a conundrum. Someone has now been identified as being innocent. Wait! What's the crime? Ah. So now we have questions. People will subconsciously start asking the following questions. "If they are innocent, who's guilty? What's the crime?" Now we have a problem. If people start asking those two questions and they aren't given answers, the whole case for someone's innocence falls apart. This is where our "innocence" labelers get crafty. They have to label someone else as "guilty".

We're not fascists...we're just militantly conservative.

I have observed a disturbing trend in conservative circles: an undying devotion to an American ideal of fascism. Is it right that we are supporting a push for super-patriotic agendas (click on the first link under "News results..."), and a denial of the cries of the poor and disenfranchised?

Sure, there are some extremists that make the whole thing sound too far-fetched, but overall the evidence is rather compelling.

Heil, Bush! Heil, Bush!

No Limited Soldiers.

The journal entries written by a one William Pool of Winchester, Kentucky were read in court yesterday but have been sealed to protect several minors who were mentioned by name. Even if this was not a story about zombies and was in fact a plan to attack George Rogers Clark High School, it wasn't a very good plan. The accounts of what was in the journal entries sound like a work of fiction simply because they sound like the plot from a horrible B-grade movie.

I still hold that William Poole could be innocent and that the school administration, William's grandmother, and the Winchester PD are reading way too much into this. The fact that his grandmother was reading his journal in the first place is disturbing.

Maybe it said "I ehat my andmotherg."

Some corroboration...

Apparently, my anonymous source is more likely correct, and William Poole wasn't really arrested for writing a zombie story. Turns out that his "story" makes no mention of zombies and in fact is promoting violence in his school and the surrounding area.

This isn't just from an anonyomous source anymore (thank you ever so much, whoever you are), this is from Detective Steven Caudill's testimony in court yesterday. In situations like this, I always ask this question, "Who gains the most?" Does the Winchester, KY police department have more to lose than William Poole in this case? The Winchester PD has very little to gain from throwing an innocent kid in jail. William Poole has everything to lose: if convicted, he could very well be an old man by the time he gets out of jail. Now, it is not necessarily the case that the party with the most on the line will lie to save their own necks, but that really does seem to be the way the ball bounces. How many people do you know that would lie about something this serious if they had nothing to gain or lose by telling the truth?

This law doesn't change anything...

In an attempt to make Ohio a less appealing state to live and do business in, Gov. Robert Taft has signed a law that would require auctioneer licenses for online sellers within the state of Ohio.

"If someone buys and sells on eBay on a regular basis as a type of business, then there is a need for regulation," said State Senator Larry Mumper.

But eBayers needn't be worried. According to Hani Durzy of eBay "We do not believe the law applies to people who sell items on eBay or to eBay itself." So, apparently the new law concerning online selling and auctioning does not apply to eBay, the world's largest online selling and auctioning website.

No, eBay, no laws actually apply to you; they only apply to the other online selling and auction sites. Good thing you dodged that bullet...

Court hearing today.

Today is William Poole's day in court. LEX18 isn't much help as the headline they give links to their original story. Way to go, LEX18! There's some real investigative journalism (CAUTION! link contains disturbing pictures) for ya.

Too many people are all too willing to jump on the "this is against the First Amendment" bandwagon without looking into the case. If some government, somewhere doesn't like what someone wrote and arrests them because of it, thousands instantly cry foul. So far, the only real sources I have been able to find for this story are a local T.V. station and an anonymous poster that appears to be making the blog rounds. And from all the research I have done, that really is all anyone has.

Let's see what happens in court...

I don't know what to say...

Wells Fargo has got to have the dumbest management team in the industry, nay, the world! Seriously! How many beers does it take to make "Hey, Bob, let's hook all our ATMs up to the Internet. And heck, let's do it with Windows software" sound like a good idea?

There is no such thing as impenetrable software...

Spare the rod...

Arrested? Sounds like this kid needed his rear-end to meet the business end of a leather belt. No, I'm not being harsh. When my children throw tantrums they get a spanking and are sent to their rooms. You know what happens? No, they don't get more violent and start drawing up plans to bomb their school. They quiet themselves down and realize that violent outbursts are not tolerated in our home. The longest I have ever had my children stay in their room without calming themselves down has been ten minutes. Ten minutes!!! It doesn't take handcuffs to restrain an eight year old. It takes parents that aren't afraid to punish their children. I was spanked, denied dinner, bed-time stories, and not allowed to watch TV. You know what? I've never beat up a teacher, taken weapons to school, or even gotten so much as a speeding ticket.

I applaud any and every parent who isn't afraid to discipline their child(ren) properly and is smart enough not to allow a bunch of uptight, spoiled adults to dictate to them how to raise their children. It doesn't take a village; it takes a mother and father who only want what's best for their kids (and yes, sometimes that means corporeal punishment).

...

A moment of silence and a prayer for our soldiers.

Psalm 91 - The Soldier's Psalm

1 You who live in the shelter of the Most High, who abide in the shadow of the Almighty, 2 will say to the Lord, "My refuge and my fortress; my God, in whom I trust." 3 For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the deadly pestilence; 4 he will cover you with his pinions, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness is a shield and buckler. 5 You will not fear the terror of the night, or the arrow that flies by day, 6 or the pestilence that stalks in darkness, or the destruction that wastes at noonday. 7 A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you. 8 You will only look with your eyes and see the punishment of the wicked.

9 Because you have made the Lord your refuge, the Most High your dwelling place, 10 no evil shall befall you, no scourge come near your tent. 11 For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways. 12 On their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone. 13 You will tread on the lion and the adder, the young lion and the serpent you will trample under foot. 14 Those who love me, I will deliver; I will protect those who know my name. 15 When they call to me, I will answer them; I will be with them in trouble, I will rescue them and honor them. 16 With long life I will satisfy them, and show them my salvation.

You're not wearing any pants...

According to an anonymous source, Poole has a rather troubled
background including an unstable home situation, and a history of
offences at school. He's no Eagle Scout either; he may have been
lying about the reason behind his zombie story (which may or may not
contain actual zombies) and may have been coached by a lawyer prior to
his discourse with WLEX.

A source close to William has apparently read the story and claims
that it has nothing to do with zombies but actually contains weapon
lists, instructions for breaching school security, and a list of
potential recruits.

William, you're starting to look a little suspicious. Part of me
hopes you're right and the police are wrong because I love a good
Second Amendment infringement story. However, the evidence is
starting to stack up against you. I sure hope you have a good lawyer
and that the prosecuting attorney is smart as a whip. In other words, I hope your trial doesn't go anything like this:

"Judge: 'Mr. Hutz, are you aware you're not wearing any pants?'
Lionel Hutz: 'Uh, your Honor, can I call for one of those bad trial thingys?'
Judge: 'You mean a mistrial?'
Lionel Hutz: 'Yeah ... that's why you're the judge, and I am the law ... talkin' ... guy.'"
"The Simpsons" ^TM and ® FOX and its related companies

Followup.

According to this anonymous source, William Poole has gotten in trouble before. I called GRCHS back and got as far as the Freshman principal's office. He gave me the name of the school's principal, John Atkins. Apparently, Mr. Atkins is not talking about the incident much to anyone but the police.

And yes, Anonymous, I am giving the kid the benefit of the doubt. He's either a terrorist or a nerd. As a nerd myself, I know that our kind is very often misunderstood.

I trust our courts to to sort the matter out to the benefit of both William Poole and the American public...and if you knew what was good for you, you would trust the government's decisions blindly too...