My Single Mom Life

After the Virginia tech shootings, student Allen Lee who was set to join the marines, was asked in his writing class, to write an essay with the following rules.

The essay was written during Lee's creative writing class on April 23, in which students were given a "free writing" assignment.

Teacher Nora Capron told students not to censor what they write

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What follows is Allen Lee's essay.
It contains graphic written images which some may find disturbing.

Blood sex and Booze. Drugs Drugs Drugs are fun. Stab, Stab, Stab, S...t...a...b..., poke. “So I had this dream last night where I went into a building, pulled out two P90s and started shooting everyone..., then had sex with the dead bodies. Will, not really, but it would be funny if I did.” Umm, yeah, what to wright about...... I’m leaving to join the Marines and I really don’t give a F*** about my academics, so why does the only class that’s complete Bull S***, happen to be the only required class...enough said. The model citizen would stay around to vote in new board member to change the 4 years of English policy, but no one really stays around to vote for that kind of local crap, so whoever gets there name on the Ballet with a pretty face gets to do what the F*** ever they want with local ordinance. A person is smart, but people are dumb selfish animals. We can’t make rules for ourselves so we vote others to do it for us, but we can’t even do that right, I meen seriously, Bush for President? And our other option was John Kerry who claimed to partake in Vietnam Special Forces missions that haven’t been declassified....F***ing Bull S***. So Power Flower Super Mario. Pudge, hook, rot, dismember “Fresh Meat.” Most new/young teachers are laid back, and cooperative with students as feedback and input into the curriculum and atmosphere. My current English teacher is a control freak intent on setting a gap between herself and her students like a 63 year old white male fortune 500 company CEO, and a illegal immigrant. If CG was a private catholic school I could understand, but wtf is her problem. And baking brownies and rice crispies does not make up for it, way to try and justify yourself as a good teacher while underhandidly looking for complements on your cooking. No quarrel on you qualifications as a writer, but as a teacher, don’t be surprised on inspiring the first cg shooting.

The following "Author's Note" was passed out to students at his school in reference to his essay.

Author’s Note: This production of the writing is done in the most accurate manner I can depict of the original writing. Grammar and spelling mistakes are included at the best accuracy possible. The first phrase in questions is in fact a Green Day song. The second reference to drugs is in relation to the schools history of drug problems. I am personally clean of all controlled substances. The statement in quotes is done so as a non personal statement as I would have done in reference to a character for a story. The reference to the gun P90 is from a video game, combined with a reference to necrophilia as a comment regarding a seriously messed up situation. A situation such as the rape of villagers during a raid by U.S. troops in Vietnam. I really do not care too much about by continuing academia as in relation to grades. I do however believe on continuing my personal education, and I am actually still working for my classes. My views on the graduation requirements explain themselves. The reference to Mario and Pudge(a DOTA character) are completely random in this essay. The reference to a person being smart and people being dumb is based on a quite from “Men in Black.” I generally do believe the public opinion is best. The rest of the essay is rather self explanatory, the main statement in question I have already released a comment online about. I request that all information I have released is read together, and nothing is given separately or as an excerpt as the administration has seen fit to do.

On an additional note, I have completed the MEPS (Military Entry Processing Station) examinations, and yes a psychiatric evaluation is included in the process. If I’m qualified to defend the country, I believe I am qualified to attend school.

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Teacher Nora Capron handed his essay over to school administrators who handed it over to police.
The police arrested the 18-year-old senior the next morning as he walked to school. McHenry County prosecutors have charged him with two counts of disorderly conduct, a misdemeanor punishable by up to 30 days in jail and a $1,500 fine.
This kid is now being possibly dismissed from the marines.
Allen Lee was following the instructions of his writing teacher, "Write whatever comes to your mind. Do not judge or censor what you are writing."
Now he faces criminal charges and dismissal from the marines.

Do we really want the thought police? Are we that scared of ourselves that we need thought police? What will this mean to writers of fictional stories?
Are we going to start reading every single essay a student writes and scour it looking for kids who may pull the trigger, and turn them over to the police?
Students everywhere now need to hold back, stop writing, stop being creative.
It's all pink fuzzy bunnies and rainbows now folks.
Let's just stifle creativity because we are a scared nation.
Don't take my words as not caring about school shootings, because I do care, but censoring, being frightened, ruining good kids lives because teachers are afraid of what kids write after telling them to be creative, not to edit or censor themselves, and then the teachers freak out and turn the papers over to cops.
Is this really the path we want to take?
Do we really want thought police?
This was a good kid, an athlete, a non-drug user, a kid planning on serving his country.
Now what? Now what happens to Allen Lee?