Did you hear last month about the Maryland teacher who was arrested? Early reports pointed to two science fiction books he’d written as a reason he was considered a threat. Later reports placed the blame on a letter he’d written.
The first report I saw was from The Atlantic mobile site (In Maryland, a Soviet-Style Punishment for a Novelist – Atlantic).
It all seemed bizarre. A bit too 1984 or The Trial. So I went looking for a follow-up story and found “What I Didn’t See At First About The MD School Teacher/Sci-Fi Writer” in the Daily Kos.
I finally found an article in The Baltimore Sun that seemed to explain the story a little better. (Letter penned by teacher placed on leave a point of contention for lawyers).
In the end, I’m left with more questions than answers. Did a young man need help? Did his fiction really play a role in his detention? Was race a factor? Will the full story ever come out? Or will some other novelist have to explore the way things play out?
Threat assessment
sharon p. lynn 