EverCurious
Gold Member
Eastern Shore teacher removed for troubling writing - carrollcountytimes.com
I've done a bit more research and hunted up his books (there are two on the fictional school shooting investigation)
Firstly, should a teacher be removed for writing about a school shooting? Agreeably there is the model of the school he works at, but given my distrust of the media I wonder how many other models he has built and housed in his backyard workshop. Then there is the supposed "suicide letter" though they say they 'alleged' so it is unsure that McLaw wrote it. They say that writer was complaining about a teacher who had made complaints about them...
If we assume that the "suicide letter" is from McLaw, and wasn't a) written by a pissed off student or b) a review that got mistranslated, I can understand having him go talk to someone and make sure he's alright.
On the other hand, doesn't a language arts teacher have the right to write about things without fear of losing his/her job?
As a fellow writer I find myself intrigued by farther reaching implications of this situation. I am perhaps a bit safer since my writing is typically fantasy, but it still begs the question of if would be proper for one of my employer's to dismiss me for writing about destroying a corporation. Should I also be worried about the Fed's checking me out because I've oft written about characters who intend to destroy the current government?
As a secondary point of discussion; I find myself terribly perturbed by McLaw's excerpts on Amazon; the spelling is terrible and this man is supposed to be a teacher?!? No wonder our children are struggling! What happened to quality control??
I've done a bit more research and hunted up his books (there are two on the fictional school shooting investigation)
The Insurrectionist - http://www.amazon.com/Insurrectionist-K-Voltaer-ebook/dp/B0075CP2SG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1409726883&sr=8-1&keywords=Dr. K.S. Voltaer
On 18 March 2902, a massacre transpired on the campus of Ocean Park High School, claiming the lives of nine hundred forty-seven individuals--the largest school massacre in the nation's history. And the entire country now begins to ask two daunting questions: How? and Why? After the federal government becomes involved, and after examining the bouquet of black roses that lies in front of the school's sign, it becomes evident that the hysteria is far from over.
Eight hundred twenty-five kilometres north of Ocean Park High School, situated in the suburbs of Phantom Park, Pacifica, is Krossephire Technical Academy. Having a student population that exceeds nineteen thousand, it is the nation's largest school. Krossephire is known as a very structured, academically superior institution with very minor problems. At least, that was before the threats began.
After Krossephire Tech begins receiving sinister threats foreshadowing the occurrence of a massacre substantially larger than that of Ocean Park, Agent Jessica Leigh Hearn and her federal investigative unit become involved and the severity of the situation only intensifies as they pursue a dangerous and intelligent killer who is as invisible as the government agency they work for.
Amid the hysteria that inescapably follows, Keith, Nick, and Mitchel--three twelfth-year students at Krossephire Tech--intervene after Mitchel overhears a confidential conversation. As the administrative effort to conceal the terrorising occurrences rapidly begins to fail, the three begin to conduct their own amateur investigation that ultimately puts them into serious conflict with the federal government, the Krossephire administration, as well as themselves. Simultaneously, Jessica and her team discover that the events of Ocean Park and Krossephire Tech are interrelated. And as they follow the trail of black roses, they learn an interesting yet appalling story--a parallel of the shooter's identity. And as Nick, Keith, and Mitchel struggle to survive their slowly deteriorating school, this teenage executioner makes known that he is not like typical school assassins. He is not a copycat killer. He is not a psychologically unstable maniac. He is intelligent and knows how to kill silently and without detection. His victims are not selected at random. He is after someone--and he will stop at nothing until he is face-to-face with the one person to whom he owes much retribution. However, he will not distinguish between those he hunts and those who get in his way.
Lilith's Heir - http://www.amazon.com/Liliths-Heir-K-Voltaer-ebook/dp/B00FUL3ZRY/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1409726883&sr=8-2&keywords=Dr. K.S. Voltaer
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.
On 18 March 2902, a massacre transpired on the campus of Ocean Park High School, claiming the lives of nine hundred forty-seven individuals--the largest school massacre in the nation's history. And the entire country now begins to ask two daunting questions: How? and Why? After the federal government becomes involved, and after examining the bouquet of black roses that lies in front of the school's sign, it becomes evident that the hysteria is far from over.
Eight hundred twenty-five kilometres north of Ocean Park High School, situated in the suburbs of Phantom Park, Pacifica, is Krossephire Technical Academy. Having a student population that exceeds nineteen thousand, it is the nation's largest school. Krossephire is known as a very structured, academically superior institution with very minor problems. At least, that was before the threats began.
After Krossephire Tech begins receiving sinister threats foreshadowing the occurrence of a massacre substantially larger than that of Ocean Park, Agent Jessica Leigh Hearn and her federal investigative unit become involved and the severity of the situation only intensifies as they pursue a dangerous and intelligent killer who is as invisible as the government agency they work for.
Amid the hysteria that inescapably follows, Keith, Nick, and Mitchel--three twelfth-year students at Krossephire Tech--intervene after Mitchel overhears a confidential conversation. As the administrative effort to conceal the terrorising occurrences rapidly begins to fail, the three begin to conduct their own amateur investigation that ultimately puts them into serious conflict with the federal government, the Krossephire administration, as well as themselves. Simultaneously, Jessica and her team discover that the events of Ocean Park and Krossephire Tech are interrelated. And as they follow the trail of black roses, they learn an interesting yet appalling story--a parallel of the shooter's identity. And as Nick, Keith, and Mitchel struggle to survive their slowly deteriorating school, this teenage executioner makes known that he is not like typical school assassins. He is not a copycat killer. He is not a psychologically unstable maniac. He is intelligent and knows how to kill silently and without detection. His victims are not selected at random. He is after someone--and he will stop at nothing until he is face-to-face with the one person to whom he owes much retribution. However, he will not distinguish between those he hunts and those who get in his way.
Lilith's Heir - http://www.amazon.com/Liliths-Heir-K-Voltaer-ebook/dp/B00FUL3ZRY/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1409726883&sr=8-2&keywords=Dr. K.S. Voltaer
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.
Firstly, should a teacher be removed for writing about a school shooting? Agreeably there is the model of the school he works at, but given my distrust of the media I wonder how many other models he has built and housed in his backyard workshop. Then there is the supposed "suicide letter" though they say they 'alleged' so it is unsure that McLaw wrote it. They say that writer was complaining about a teacher who had made complaints about them...
If we assume that the "suicide letter" is from McLaw, and wasn't a) written by a pissed off student or b) a review that got mistranslated, I can understand having him go talk to someone and make sure he's alright.
On the other hand, doesn't a language arts teacher have the right to write about things without fear of losing his/her job?
As a fellow writer I find myself intrigued by farther reaching implications of this situation. I am perhaps a bit safer since my writing is typically fantasy, but it still begs the question of if would be proper for one of my employer's to dismiss me for writing about destroying a corporation. Should I also be worried about the Fed's checking me out because I've oft written about characters who intend to destroy the current government?
As a secondary point of discussion; I find myself terribly perturbed by McLaw's excerpts on Amazon; the spelling is terrible and this man is supposed to be a teacher?!? No wonder our children are struggling! What happened to quality control??
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