Four Cornwall-area teenagers have been charged with assaulting a 16-year-old schoolmate who vaulted to national prominence after being charged criminally in connection with a story he wrote for a school assignment.

The charges against the four boys relate to a schoolyard incident last November in which the 16-year-old is alleged to have been knocked to the ground and beaten.

Hat tip to Buzz.ca

Already, the school has disclosed the boy was not suspended [for reading the story in class] and the police not consulted until allegations surfaced that he made direct face-to-face threats to Tagwi students in the days following the monologue.

Three of the four criminal charges against the boy pertain to alleged death threats to specific classmates.

Fellow students also rejected the bullying angle noting that the boy “[seemed to] enjoy being an outcast” (Meghan Baker, a peer counsellor) and that “he was at this school for only two months. And he was not bullied” (Melissa Baker, head girl at the school). And, the boy’s lawyer apparently urged a delay of the bail hearing at least three times (while speaking out about the free speech implications of the case), which seems to be a somewhat questionable course of action. Clearly there are still some holes in this story and clearly I should have been more skeptical (especially with such a sensational story).

However, even though this story is no longer about censorship it still raises some questions in my mind. Certainly, if the boy did specifically threaten classmates then a criminal investigation is the expected response. But, on the other hand, why is someone who doesn’t appear to be particularly interested in school required to be there? Would it not be better for him, and those who do want to attend, for him to be doing something else? Personally, I think that at least a few of the current school system’s problems could be solved by making it a wholly voluntary enterprise.

Update: This story continues.

Hat tip to National Post Headline Scan

“A 16-year-old boy whose hero is Stephen King spent his birthday, Christmas, and New Year’s Day alone behind bars after writing a horror story for his drama class, in which the protagonist — a troubled teenager ‘at the brink of insanity’ — plots to blow up a school.”

The article goes on to note that a raid by the OPP found no evidence of bomb making equipment at his home. And, then they decided to stretch their credibility even further by arresting the writer’s brother (described as “a ‘special needs’ student” by the Boston Globe) in a “midnight raid” after he responded angrily to his older brother’s arrest.

Despite several sources noted that the subject of this story was often bullied and ridiculed (for difficulty speaking, apparently), Crown prosecutor Elaine Evans is reported to have “said that ‘a typical student doesn’t dwell on death and violence,’ and that the boy exhibits ‘psychologically disturbing’ attitudes.” Can anyone honestly be surprised that a boy who is regularly harassed at school, and is a fan of Stephen King, created violent horror story for a class assignment?

Sean Wilson, Artistic Director of the Ottawa International Writers’ Festival, clearly wasn’t surprised noting that the boy “was venting frustration in a nonviolent way, expressing his anger through writing, not action. Isn’t that what we encourage kids to do?” (Note: A statement from the OIWF about this story is featured on their website, which is linked to above.)

The article concluded with a statement by the boy’s mother that sums this ridiculous situation quite well:

“I have always been so proud to be a Canadian, because we are supposedly a country of freedom and ideals,” she said. “Now I have two young boys behind bars in what feels like a police state.”

Update: Apparently, some important details were omitted from this story.

Hat tip to Free-Market.Net’s Freedom News

“These people are increasingly horrifying me. Disturbing doesn’t begin to cover the mindset that would think these things are desirable or necessary.”

The cards are apparently the new ID cards for the Ontario government medical system — which already uses photo ID cards — so this shouldn’t have surprised me. Nonetheless, it’s definitely still unsettling.

“Ontario is looking at use of a ‘unique identifier’ such as prints or eye scans to strengthen privacy and prevent fraudulent use of the new cards, part of a new electronic identity system to be introduced over the next few years.”

(If this is Common Sense, then I’m the President of Canada.)

Hat tip to Moreover