Top Stories of 2009: Pair Awaiting Trial For Plot on School:

The dude with the reverse Hare Krishna haircut is 19-year-old Mark Mentzer formerly of Weir High School in Weirton, West Virginia. I say formerly because he was arrested back in September for plotting an attack against the school.

back then a bunch if text messages started going around the school saying something big was going to happen. Police were able to trace the original texts back to Mentzer. When they searched his home they found unidentified weapons, bomb making material and also racist writings that said things like "Keep America white. Don't give up the fight. Join the KKK."

When Mentzer was arrested they also found a suicide note on him that said...

"If you are reading this it is most likely that I have died I will miss you all it is most likely that I have died for my beliefs. I just hope my and my brothers blood is not shed in vein I believe what Im doing is right and for the benefeit of my people. It is not a selfish egotistical act I am acting on it isn't about me or my brothers for we do not matter it is our children - and the children I am worried about if we do not stop what's (sic) happening we will have no more pride we will all be one giant mix of gods knows what."

Before I go on it's time for a little history lesson. West Virginia broke away from Virginia during the Civil War in part because of the slavery issue. That's right kids. Wst Virginia was a Union State. However in the 20th century that must have been left out of their state history lessons since they keep re-electing a 1000 year old Klansmen to Congress. Now before you get your corn squeezins in a bunch I am not saying that everyone from West Virginia is like that but there are enough of them that this really comes as no surprise to me.

Anyway back to the story at hand.

There were two others arrested but as far as I can tell they were more supporters of Mentzer then cohorts.

Apparently the bad apple doesn't fall too far from the poison tree either as his mom was arrested at the time the search warrant was served for obstructing officers. She was also given probation for giving Mentzer steroids when he was 17. That's just lovely. Nothing, liked a jacked up racist hick.

As usual with these stories we also have an unintentionally funny defense attorney...

Mentzer's attorney, Fred Risovich, called his client "a very stupid kid who has very stupid ideas" - ideas, he stressed, that are not illegal.

He further argued that the "explosive materials" were household items not intended for any threatening purpose, and the alleged map of the school was completely unrecognizable as such, he said. The so-called "suicide note" found upon Mentzer's arrest, Risovich said, was a note his client wrote because he was afraid those he offended with his white supremacist views would seek retribution.

Being in West Virginia I imagine that Mr. Risovich would be familiar that household items are also commonly used to make meth so an explosive is not far out of the realm of possibility. As far as the note defense goes that is a complete joke. Why else would he say that it is not a selfish egotistical act that he is acting on?

If he doesn't get put away at trial they'll just have to put him away later for some hate crime or being at an ATF raided compound.