Food for thought

[lesliepear]

Someone in LJ land got called on by the secret service for something they wrote in their journal - apparently not from live journal or someone googling the net but someone who "knew" them:

http://www.livejournal.com/users/anniesj/331112.html

Makes me wonder. I tend to post pretty much publicly because I write about day to day stuff. I rarely friends lock stuff, I've done it because of work gripes or when I've written a few comments about terriorism/security.

Thoughts?

Comments

[msmichelle.livejournal.com]

I'd heard about that too.
I didn't see the original post but it sounds like some other LJer called the FBI on this person. And, the secret service, paranoid by design--especially as of late, had to go to this person's home (where her parent's also live) and investigate.
I read that the secret service was actually very cool, had cookies and coffee with them, etc. And, concluded that this person was not threatening the president's life and went on their merry way.
I guess I feel it was the result of some other idiot in LJ calling the FBI on this person's innocuous statements of protest during election time.
I will still speak my mind. I hope you do too!

[purple-roses.livejournal.com]

From what I understand...the original post (which has been deleted, so I can't verify this)...pretty much talked of assasination and starting PLANNING it. So, yea...they has some mild grounds for checking it out, but I think observation of the person and maybe a letter would have been better than a rather threatening visit. All in all, it was blown WAY out of proportion.

Also, this comment of "using up your one strike" from the Secret Service is something I find unacceptable. THAT's censorship and as far as I'm concerned, illegal.

[moobabe.livejournal.com]

There's a screenshot of the post here. It's--well, not something I could ever post about anybody. But there it is.

[lesliepear.livejournal.com]

Taken out of context (not knowing the person) that does seem like something that could alarm people.

There are people who I don't like. I've probably wished for not so good things to happen to them. But I've kept them in my head. The worst I ever did was type someone's name in a graphics program and set those letters on fire. That was harmless fun!

[portia.livejournal.com]

Come on, now! Her original post was obviously a joke!

It just shows you how low this paranoid administration has sunk.

[lesliepear.livejournal.com]

I'm sure it was a joke. But if you just saw something that mentioned killing the president from someone you don't know, it could alarm you. I wouldn't call someone on an LJ entry - that seems a bit much.

[eloren.livejournal.com]

I suspect the Secret Service can't afford to have a sense of humor on the matter. I don't like Bush, and I hope he loses next week, but I don't wish him harm either.

[lesliepear.livejournal.com]

I actually doubt the secret service would be interested in what I have to say, although I do speak freely :)

The few comments I lock regarding security/terriorism is to prevent giving ideas to someone.

[cowgrrl.livejournal.com]

I think sometimes we forget how public our posts are (unless we friends-lock them.) A few months ago a popular coffeehouse in Davis Square was in danger of closing (because some big corporation with lots of $ was in a bidding war with them for the space) so someone I know announced a LJ-meetup there to support the coffeehouse. She announced it in her LJ, and in a few LJ communities for Boston area people. And reporters from the Somerville Journal showed up!

I try to think "do I want the whole world to be able to read this?" before I post. Sometimes I friends-lock a lot, sometimes not, depends on my mood.

[dstroy.livejournal.com]

Threatening remarks towards the president... Haven't they always been a bad thing to say in a public forum? And a public diary is a public forum, right? And I read the stuff she wrote [it's cached here (about halfway down)] - to me it seems praying for lots of people to die (even if they don't seem to be the nicest people) doesn't seem quite kosher. If you post it public, it's the same as writing on the bathroom wall isn't it? I mean - who is this stuff being soapboxed to? So someone ran across it and was alarmed or offended, or heck, maybe they just held a grudge for other reasons and reported her...
It's not secret service googled or spyboted or randomly found the comments by Big Brother. The Secret Service has the responsibility to look into stuff like this when it's brought to their attention, no matter how ridiculous, and this has been the case since long before the current administration.

I guess to some extent, I see it more like this:
I get mad that the Islamic community isn't somehow doing more to reign in the extremists on their end. Not saying all Islamics are terrorists, but just pointing out that most terrorists are Islamic. I dont think a society can function if you overrule civility with "free speech rights" in the name of overwrought PCness.
Why should the standard be different for extremist language from a side that supposedly represents MY views? I get pretty damn mad when I hear the liberal left extremists in my town spouting hatred and violence and so on... like having Bush compared to Hitler by the tin-foil hat crowd and then spoutings about police states and so on... Especially when the excuse is used "Oh, well I was just KIDDING!" If you throw it out into a public forum, you're spouting to the general public. Not everyone can be expected to know you're kidding and eventually some pissed off wacko may get some ideas and actually follow through.
I call BS! and I'm supposedly on the side that generally agrees that the president we have isnt that nifty!
If anything, I've seen more threats to "free speech" coming from the venom spewing leftists than I have from the government that they love to bash, because anytime anyone seems to imply they are exaggerating they get all up in arms about Gestapos bashing in your doorways with giant boots.
We all say that public figures giving hate speeches which set off riots or acts of violence against minorities is bad...and yet when we find within our own group folks that spout the same sort of language against our government the reaction is "I'm sure they were kidding - I'm sure they'd never do anything like that" or some other lame excuse. Yet the folks that made those speeches that set of riots are convicted in our minds because we already disagreed with them, even though in many cases they never actually did anything besides "talk" either.
I find that really weird and hypocritical.


That said, I dont think you have anything to worry about, as I've seen only worries and concerns and disagreements, not outright inflamatory language, coming from you! But I've definitely run across more than a few rabble-rousers in LJ that border on the kook-ball limits in terms of the language they use to inexpertly articulate their frustrations.

[ericainohio.livejournal.com]

Thoughts? Well, I'm going to have to be the bitch of the group again, I guess. Sorry, but I'm not feeling particularly sorry for this person. At some point, you have to take some responsibility for what comes out of your mouth (hands?).

Yes, we have freedom of speech in this country.... BUT there are limits, reasonable limits. It does not mean we have the freedom to shout "FIRE!" in a crowded theater. And I think basically saying, 'I want the President to die and here's how I want to see it happen' is a bit more serious than shouting "Fire!". It's not a joke. It's just not.

That said, would I have reported this person? No, of course not. But if I'd just stumbled across that entry, it sure as heck would alarm me.

I think the Secret Service responded entirely appropriately. I'm sure they were plenty polite and the whole incident was rather brief. I'm more concerned about the LJ-er who posted that thing - thanks to the person above, by the way, who gave us a link to read the screen shot. Bush-haters are getting way way WAY out of hand, and it's a testament to our system that follow-up on these folks is as peaceful as it is.

People who get THAT wound up about any individual human being scare me; she may say she's a 'non-violent' person, but cripes! That was some serious violence she was talking about. Anger management, anyone? Counseling, perhaps?

And I'm not talking out of my butt here. Folks, I have an FBI/Secret Service file on me too. I've been interviewed by the Secret Service. Yep, boring lil me, midwestern mom.

For a period of several years, my husband and I hung out with known felons. The leader of our group spent several years in jail for treason. Others in our group had their homes and businesses searched. What was our "crime"? Being Native American and being activist. That's all. Our leader was Dennis Banks, one of the co-founders of the American Indian Movement in the 70s (ever heard of Wounded Knee?). Our group meetings were watched, and we knew it - we would sometimes get their goats by waving at the panel vans when we saw them. All of us had FBI files opened, and we knew it.

It is not a big deal. The original poster may be indignant about it right now, but I can almost guarantee that she has heard the last of the incident. If she's an ordinary, honest person - and it seems she is, albeit a bit angry, shall we say - it will never be a problem for her again. The notion of "using up your one strike" is just silly. Yes, she could go protest and whatever she wants to do, and no one will say boo to her. The only possible repercussion I could think of is that she probably wouldn't get clearance if she applied to be in the same room with George Bush, at least for the next few years. *shrug*

That's my 4 cents on the issue.

[lesliepear.livejournal.com]

And a good four cents it is.

I don't like Bush and am not voting for him. However I'd never wish anything so bad on him - I'm just not that sort of person.

I didn't know you were Native American or into their causes - your activism is interesting!

[dstroy.livejournal.com]

I dont think you're the "bitch of the group" here - my views line up right along with yours!

[dstroy.livejournal.com]

btw.. I just found myself responding to someone elses rant, in which they alluded to "nazis" in connection with this same post, and used words extremely similar to what you've said:
People who get THAT wound up about any individual human being scare me; she may say she's a 'non-violent' person, but cripes! That was some serious violence she was talking about. Anger management, anyone? Counseling, perhaps?

Couldn't have put it better myself!