What are your opinions on the recent shooting in the area?
The story in the Rhinelander Daily News is wild to say the least, and it sounds to me like a new book in the making or maybe a movie of the week. If it is all true it is one of the wildest stories I have read.
http://rhinelanderdailynews.com/articles/2006/04/28/news/local_news/news01.txt

first of all...why would it take a person that was shot 6 hrs to seek help? Why would the suspects drive past his house in Rhinelader & just happen to run into him again in the woods in Tomahawk? Sounds like allot more to this story than Mr. Van Meter is telling....

He probably burned them on a meth deal.

Is it me, or does this just not add up?...

...As a matter of fact, now that I think about it... at no point in this rambling, incoherent tale, was it even CLOSE to anything that could be considered a rational explanation. Everyone that has been told this story is now dumber for having heard it. I award him NO points, and may God have mercy on his soul.

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The early bird may get the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese....

FOX News is reporting that he was 'accidentally' shot at close range by Vice President Cheney. The dark SUV was the Secret Service detail.

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When you wish upon a falling star, your dreams can come true. Unless it's really a meteorite hurtling to the Earth which will destroy all life. Then you're pretty much hosed no matter what you wish for. Unless it's death by meteor.

I guess the thing that bothers me the most is that I have not seen any follow up on this story.
1. Are these guys still out there?
2. Was there any blood from others found out there?
3. Was the SUV ever found?

Nothing seems to add up in this story along with what the police have said up to now.

Absolutely NOTHING about this story is believable.. and to be honest with you, it's too stupid for fiction!

Not only should this outlandish story be investigated to the furthest extent possible, I don't think it's out of the question for our good Mr. Van Meter's HEAD to be examined too while they're at it (and I'm not talking about where a "bullet grazed it")...

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The early bird may get the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese....

Does ANYONE believe this story? I'd be very interested to hear about others' opinions either way.

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The early bird may get the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese....

No, I do not believe the loggers story, and apparently it is now a dead issue as no more or new information has been released. The stories reported are weird enough for "Ripleys Believe It Or Not." I have a hard time even believing that MOST loggers carry several guns in the woods because they are afraid. The whole thing does not make any sense to me.

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Spay or nueter your pets!!!!!!!

A relative of mine logs in a similar fashion. He doesn't even own a gun let alone carry two of them in his skidder and he is in his early 70's. In the skidder you are well caged in by steel protection, yet Van Meter claimed loggers commonly carry guns because of wild animals. What kind of animals would present a threat? When he ran for the Wisconsin Assembly some years back he ran on a very pro-gun ticket but this is way beyond that sort of promotion.

One theory is he suffered some sort of delusional episode and shot himself and the police know better than waste time on it.

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"Know ye not why We created you all from the same dust? That no one should exalt himself over the other." -Baha'u'llah

The loggers I have spoken to say it is the wolves they are afraid of. I find this very humorus. They told me of several account, where there have been wolves in the area that they were working and they got frightened. I however believe it is the other way around. That is, that they were working in wolf habitat and incountered them while invading the wolves home area. And before anyone asks, yes, I do live in an area that has wolves and have never had ONE problem with wolves, I have live stock and pets. They have explored my area but have never even shown anything other then curiosity.

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Spay or nueter your pets!!!!!!!

If they believe that he suffered a "delusional episode", than he should be:

A: Brought up on charges himself for filing a false report, and wasting law enforcement resources, and/or-
B: Be required to undergo a mental/psychological evaluation and possibly institutionalized depending on the outcome.

And by the way, the excuse of having several firearms with him while working because of "wild animals" is ridiculous as well.
One gun for extreme (and EXTREMELY RARE) situations is one thing.. but having several guns with several hundred rounds of ammo?! No.

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The early bird may get the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese....

Update on this:

http://www.wsaw.com/breakingnews/3245706.html

Police may now charge him in order to recover expenses.

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90% of people are caused by accidents.

Your link didn't work for me, but from what you said.. I say GOOD!

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The early bird may get the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese....

Sorry I tested it when I posted it but the trouble with links to news stories is "good today, gone tomorrow."

Here it is from another source (radio station).

Lincoln County sheriff: Woods shooting is a hoax

The Lincoln County sheriff’s department will refer a Rhinelander man to prosecutors for charges he obstructed justice and withheld information.

Homer Van Meter claimed two men shot him in some woods near Tomahawk in April. He told investigators he didn’t know the suspects, but later changed his story and said he did. Van Meter says he had shot back at the two and they later died from their injuries, but would not reveal any other information.

Lincoln County sheriff Tom Koth says Van Meter made up the whole story and says Van Meter shot himself. Koth says the investigation cost Lincoln County more than 10-thousand dollars.

Van Meter also faces an obstruction charge in Oneida County and a charge of making a false report in Sonoma County, California.

Van Meter declined comment for this story.

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90% of people are caused by accidents.

I find it interseting, and a comment on this man's state of mind, that he constantly refers to himself as "Homer Van Meter" when his name is John. The reason that I find it interesting is that there was an actual historical Homer Van Meter who just happened to be John Dillinger's right hand man in the 1930's... Makes you go hmmmmm doesn't it.

I heard also that he indeed shot himself and was trying to use this publicity to sell his story for a book...

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*** The opinions expressed herein are uniquely MY OWN and should not be construed as an endorsement of any sort by my employers or of any professional associations to which I hold membership. I can dig myself into holes just fine without their help, thank you very much***

Maybe he had a bad up bringing,, and his parents smoked or something?? Therefore it would not be his fault because his parents did not bring him up "right".. I am sure we can blame his weird behavior on his parents or some other thing society made him to be...

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Take care of yourselves and each other.