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A spirit that is not afraid

Our View: Fannin' the flames of Toomer rumor

Sunday morning about 2 a.m. a concerned citizen called the fire department to report a fire in the Toomer's tree.

Several witnesses were interviewed and the police now believe a Georgia fan between 4-foot-11 and 7-foot-2 both shirtless and wearing red and named Mark Richt set fire to the Toomer's tree while yelling "Auwbarn's a pack of cheaters! Go Dawgs!" before scampering into the darkness.

Separate witnesses called the fire department at 2:56 a.m. and again at 4:20 a.m. to report the return of the arsonist(s).

"Me and my friend Jill were on the Bodega porch when we saw the first fire," said an unnamed source. "We were just smoking and stuff and then there was just smoke everywhere.

"Jill said she saw a little man in a red shirt and black pants running down Magnolia across from SkyBar, but she also told me she made out with Cam Newton in the unisex bathroom."

No arrests have been made, but the police remain confident they will find answers on the Internet.

A police spokesman said the department has had an employee monitoring Facebook, Twitter and various Auburn and Georgia football message boards since Sunday in a search for answers.

Various Facebook status updates from persons who wish to remain nameless have led the police to believe a Georgia fan or fans were at fault in the fire Sunday morning.

One promising lead read: "Georgia fans just couldnt handle us. Go back to Athens losers!!! War Damn Eagle!"

Another read: "We won, you lost. Get over it. Nuff said. 11-0. War Eagle forever."

A post by a dawgman82 on a prominent Georgia football message board has also drawn considerable police interest.

In the post, dawgman82 said Auburn deserved "what they got" and that Auburn is a "team and town full of cheaters. I wish the whole town had burned down."

"Sounds like probable cause to me," said an unnamed police officer.

Police are now attempting to locate and question dawgman82.

The employee tasked with monitoring Internet activity said he feels he will find the truth if he remains diligent and keeps searching.

All the above was fabricated in an attempt to show the ridiculousness of Internet speculation and how fast rumors become fact, both in the Toomer's tree fire and the Cam Newton scandal allegations.

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