so much for freedom of speech

[wildchild]

http://www.todaystmj4.com/news/local/94313854.html

guess the late night talk show hosts better pay attention. no picking on the "rock star" he'll send his boys to get you.
where do you draw the line. newspapers make caricatures of presidents. talk shows make jokes, people have rallies. at least they have against past presidents, maybe the new kid thinks he's special and can't be disliked by anyone.

while I personally would never do this against a president, I don't see it as illegal. people have opinions. this was done inside a bar not on a public street.

[askmrjesus]

I doubt Obama "sent his boys". I'd be surprised if he even heard about the incident.

The Secret Service is obligated to follow up on any potential threat, no matter how small.

JC

[the chi]

Apparently they take this stuff waaaay seriously. I read an article yesterday about a teacher getting suspended for teaching angles to children using the assassination of the President as his example.

[pauldun170]

You think this is a freedom of speech issue because secret service are investigating?

[the chi]

I can see his point. Look at the teacher I posted about. Dude didnt have high tech plans to take out the president, he was using the topic to make it relatable to students. If someone had taught me angles and used something interesting like that, I'd probably have listened better. That poor guy could lose his job.

The whole burning effigy thing is a bit off color, but dont we have the right to say or do what we want in our places of business and homes, so long as it isnt illegal. (Tho they could be violating fire codes. )

[jtemple]

There's a teacher at my wife's school who got suspended without pay for sending an email to the other faculty that included some quoted text that had a racial slur in it. It was an email explaining the importance of proofreading your emails, the racial slur was actually an example of how a typo can go seriously wrong. Kind of like the cookbook in the UK that was printed with the words "freshly ground black people" on one of the recipes.

[Trip]

This isn't a free speech issue at all, it's not protected speech, there are many laws against threatening the life of our president and regular people as well.

[shmike]

Originally Posted by Trip

This isn't a free speech issue at all, it's not protected speech, there are many laws against threatening the life of our president and regular people as well.

Unless it was a voodoo doll I don't understand how it was a threat to the president?

[askmrjesus]

Originally Posted by shmike

Unless it was a voodoo doll I don't understand how it was a threat to the president?

It most likely wasn't, but how is the Secrete Service going to know that, if they don't ask?

JC

[shmike]

Originally Posted by askmrjesus

It most likely wasn't, but how is the Secrete Service going to know that, if they don't ask?

JC

They wouldn't.

I see nothing wrong with them doing an investigation.

Paul will be along shortly to chastise those who don't understand the word "investigate".....

Originally Posted by pauldun170

Oh HAI!!!

I'm sorry I missed the part where the guy was arrested or charged with anything or has had any thing resembling a punishment for roasting a doll.

Lets be clear,
If you burn an effigy of your neigbor and the police find out they will investigate.
If you threaten to burn, kill or maim anyone and someone reports your ass the police will investigate.

If you burn an effigy of your local sheriff, Mayor, governor, county clerk, or senator.
THE POLICE WILL FUCKING INVESTIGATE.

If you are dumb enough to burn an effigy of the president, not only do you get the police involved, you get the secret service involved. What will they do?
Investigate.

Do you people need an explanation of what "investigate" means?

...damn, that was fast.