Posted on 12/24/2005 10:13:27 AM PST by John Jorsett
It rocketed across the Internet a week ago, a startling newspaper report that agents from the US Department of Homeland Security had visited a student at the University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth at his New Bedford home simply because he had tried to borrow Mao Tse-Tung's ''Little Red Book" for a history seminar on totalitarian goverments.
The story, first reported in last Saturday's New Bedford Standard-Times, was picked up by other news organizations, prompted diatribes on left-wing and right-wing blogs, and even turned up in an op-ed piece written by Senator Edward M. Kennedy in the Globe.
But yesterday, the student confessed that he had made it up after being confronted by the professor who had repeated the story to a Standard-Times reporter.
The professor, Brian Glyn Williams, said he went to his former student's house and asked about inconsistencies in his story. The 22-year-old student admitted it was a hoax, Williams said.
''I made it up," the professor recalled him saying. ''I'm sorry. . . . I'm so relieved that it's over."
The student was not identified in any reports. The Globe interviewed him Thursday but decided not to write a story about his assertion, because of doubts about its veracity. The student could not be reached yesterday.
(Excerpt) Read more at boston.com ...
After how many apologies, firings and retractions did it finally take for the Globe to show a bit of responsibility? Now if only some of this could rub off on the NYT, Wa.Post and CBS.
If the liar is 22 years old, why is his identity being protected? I could understand it if he were a minor child, but he's an adult and should be responsible for his actions. He made public statements and has caused a great many adults to run around after his story; he should be held to account for the problems he has caused.
Exactly. And, as I posted on the other thread, I want to know who the 78 callers were on the kid's cell phone???
"This 'student' should face some serious prison time..."
He sounds as whacked out as the runaway bride...wonder if he's related to her?
Was there anyone on FR who believed this story? Even a little?
If he's related to her then prison time might well should be "loony bin" time....
Searching around on the Internet a bit, I see that Laura Capps is also mentioned as "former Clinton speechwriter" and "Director of Government Relations" at Berkeley. What a surprise.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.