Hate Crime or Hoax?

Found by way of Michelle Malkin.

Lawrence Journal-World article by Ron Knox and Eric Weslander.

Douglas County sheriff's deputies are investigating the reported beating of a Kansas University professor who gained recent notoriety for his Internet tirades against Christian fundamentalists.

Kansas University religious studies professor Paul Mirecki reported he was beaten by two men about 6:40 a.m. today on a roadside in rural Douglas County. In a series of interviews late this afternoon, Mirecki said the men who beat him were making references to the controversy that has propelled him into the headlines in recent weeks.

"I didn’t know them, but I'm sure they knew me," he said.

How? Did they address him by name? Ask for his name before they clobbered him? Say anything to him at all? (Note: It turns out they did -- they mentioned his online remarks about religion. So -- goons got computers.)

Mirecki said he was driving to breakfast when he noticed the men tailgating him in a pickup truck.

"I just pulled over hoping they would pass, and then they pulled up real close behind," he said. "They got out, and I made the mistake of getting out."

Well, sure. That's what I'd do if two guys in a pickup truck were following me too closely and then when I pulled over -- which I wouldn't do, for God's sake, not at that time of the morning this time of year, it's dark, or anytime for that matter, I'm not stupid -- they got out to confront me. You betcha. I'd jump right out of my car and hand them a couple of business cards. Brilliant.

He said the men beat him about the upper body with their fists, and he said he thinks they struck him with a metal object. He was treated and released at Lawrence Memorial Hospital.

"I'm mostly shaken up, and I got some bruises and sore spots," he said.

He got off easy, then.

Douglas County Sheriff's Officials are classifying the case as an aggravated battery. They wouldn't say exactly where the incident happened, citing the ongoing investigation.

The sheriff's department is looking for the suspects, described as two white males between ages 30 and 40, one wearing a red visor and wool gloves, and both wearing jeans. They were last seen in a large pickup truck.

I guess he didn't notice the make or model, or even the color. Even I would have noticed the color.

Now, if it turns out that this is the truth, that these two thugs beat this guy up, they should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. But there are so many inconsistencies, even on first reading, that I'm skeptical.

Beyond the stupidity of getting out of your fully functional vehicle to confront two large men in a pickup truck, rather than stomping down on the accelerator and getting out of there while dialing 911 on your cell phone, how come the location hasn't been named? Wouldn't the sheriff's department want to talk to witnesses? What if someone driving by happened to see something? Without at least a general location, people won't make any connection. He only recalls their skin color, that they were wearing jeans, and one guy had a red visor and gloves on. No shirt colors, no hair color, weight, height, nothing.

Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 843-TIPS or the sheriff's office at 841-0007.

Good luck with that.

Then there's this:

Mirecki recently wrote online that he planned to teach intelligent design as mythology in an upcoming course. He wrote it would be a "nice slap" in the "big fat face" of fundamentalists.

The remarks caused an uproar, Mirecki apologized, and KU announced last week the class would be canceled.

And in would be a "nice slap" in the "big fat face" of fundamentalists if he could accuse some of them of aggravated assault, now that his class has been cancelled. The mere inability of law enforcement to produce suspects wouldn't be proof that it happened, or that it didn't. People get away with assaulting other people all the time, especially when the victims are remarkably sparing with useful information.

A subsequent article in the Lawrence Journal-World, again by Eric Weslander, said:

As he waited outside the sheriff's office, Mirecki said he'd stopped returning phone calls from the media. And he declined to talk with a reporter about details of the case.

Within moments, a sheriff's deputy came out to meet him and bring him into the office.

So maybe they asked him not to discuss the case with reporters. Or maybe his lawyer told him not to discuss the case with reporters.

Early Monday, Mirecki reported to deputies that he was driving in a rural area south of Lawrence when two men in a large pickup truck began tailgating him and he pulled over. He said he got out and the two men beat him with their fists and a metal object while making references to the recent Internet controversy.

Isolated area, dark, early morning, college professor jumps out of his car to confront two goons. Got it.

"I got the hell beat out of me," he told the Journal-World on Monday.

Not really. Not if he's still standing, and hasn't been hospitalized.

Key facts about the reported attack remained unclear Tuesday, including exactly where it happened. A report released by the Douglas County Sheriff's Office said the location was "unknown" and listed it as south of 31st Street on either East 1400 Road or East 1500 Road.

Louisiana Street turns into East 1400 Road outside the city limits. Haskell Avenue becomes East 1500 Road.

Also, there was conflicting information about whether Mirecki reported it at the scene or at the hospital. In an interview Monday with the Journal-World, he said he called police from the side of the road, but sheriff's officials said they were dispatched to the hospital.

Mirecki declined to clarify the discrepancy when asked about it Tuesday outside the sheriff's office.

"I can; I just don’t want to," he said.

Yup. No point in disclosing a perfectly good lie too early, is there?

The sheriff's report, which is classified as an aggravated battery, says that Mirecki suffered minor injuries. It says the incident started about 6:20 a.m. and was reported about 6:40 a.m.

Minor injuries. The "aggravated" in aggravated battery refers to the use of a weapon, not the resultant injuries. Quite a different thing from getting "the hell" beat out of you, as anyone who has actually had the hell beat out of them can tell you.

Wouldn't be the first time someone staged a hate crime for political purposes, would it? People have been known to use it as a standard tactic for times when they don't actually have an argument.

So I'll wait to see how this turns out. If he's lying, his story will unravel very quickly. It's likely it already has.

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