Myspace Threat... (lol)
 

Here's the link...
http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/20...tm?POE=TECISVA

This is hilarity. Another proof of the general meaningless of Myspace. Tons of people spouting out nonsense, and then someone gets called on it because she crossed the line. Good riddance.

And kudos go out to the secret service for doing the above and beyond in this. Kinda creeps you out that they check Myspaces though. I guess no stone is left unturned.

Thoughts, reactions?

GEORGE BUSH IS A TERRIBLE PRESIDENT BECAUSE I AM AN INFORMED YOUNG WOMAN AND I KNOW POLITICS BECAUSE DADDY YELLS AT THE TV AFTER A FEW BEERS. Honestly, as if these out-of-principle pubescent anti-Bush "threats" aren't enough, they're actually getting a reaction from the government - What the hell? What's more is that people probably get sent to government-sponsored "holiday camps" for less.

Also, her laptop is far too fucking good for what she uses it for. srsly, any fourteen-year-old-girl who prioritises Myspace and "wants" to kill the president doesn't deserve that kind of machine. geez

Good to know the Secret Service hates Bush as much as I do.

Seriously. The "threat" was made last spring and they only follow up on it now? God job, guys.

Making girlies cry is a great way to use tax money, I must say.

I heard rumor of something like this happening when I was in high school. Some kid wrote some paper about... how to kill the/a president (I'm hoping it was humourous) I think, and he got pulled out of class and questioned.

I understand their concern at least, as silly as it sounds in the long run.

That was almost exactly my response.

Okay. So it's a felony. I got that. But I AM SURE that they figured "O look. A school girl who hardly knows her ass from her elbow when it comes to politics.

She broke the law, yes. But I am sure she was unaware of it. And I also can not STAND the fact that they showed up AT HER SCHOOL, yanked her from class, and interrogated her without the presence of a parent. Way to veto that bill, assholes.

Seriously, though. It seems like it was an attempt to scare people shitless. Overkill ++

Whatever happened to freedom of speech and peaceful protest?

+1 +

This is inexcusable. At the MOST, ask the kid and parents and gauge their "threat"...wtf yanking her from class!!

And it's not their first time doing that, if my story is true. And I think that was back while we still had Clinton. I wonder what other stories there are like this? Lawl.

I don't think she'd do anything, I'm more worried about grade school students hurting classmates than the president with his leet security guards, but I suppose if she was able to encourage the right person... Hahaha. Oh well.

I hate MySpace.

I think this was part of Bush's great "strategery" to protect americans.

Hmmm... Interesting look into how slow the Secret Service is to threats on MySpace.

I am glad I live in Canada... then worrying about President Bush and the Secret Service is more limited.

It happens enough that I've already read that story and met someone who posts here to whom it also happened, and under a different president if memory serves right. =/

Nice to see the american government dont just see muslims, islams etc as a threat anymore. 14 year old caucasian white girlies are killers too you know.

No one is above the law, what she did was a little extreme, making a picture of her stabbing bush in the hand, I mean no one likes bush, but doing that kind of stuff is a little silly. Its like saying bomb while on a mobile phone or running around looking panicked in a tube station, its just asking for trouble.

Oh and what she did was not peaceful protest, it was a very hostile, but unfounded security issue.

Commenting on the article itself, there's something about "real danger" and "checklist" that doesn't add up. If there's a possibility of a "real danger" shouldn't it like... become a priority and not just some number on a checklist?

There must just be that many "real dangers" out there. So many that I just cannot comprehend.

There have always been exceptions to the right of freedom of speech, even in America. I'm not surprised by this story at all, because threats against the President have always been considered a serious offense, as far as I know.

I think that the secret service response in this case was a little disproportionate to the actual threat, and to the capacity of the girl to carry out that threat. In essence, I agree with Sassafrass, but I'm still not surprised by the actions that were taken. I don't agree with the nature of those actions, but that isn't the same thing. The girl did break the law, we shouldn't forget that.

Are you sure? I'd be surprised if that really was the case. He's appeasing the religious right pretty well, don't you think? They must love him. After all, he's successfully gone a long way towards reversing the separation of church and state. I wouldn't be surprised if he still has a big fanclub.

If I remember correctly, when I was that young I was politically and socially retarded. But at least before I'd jump to conclutions I'd look more into what I was ranting about. I am in no way defending Bush but how much of an idiot do you have to be to post something that says "Kill Bush" on the internet, in the public eye mind you, that you won't get in some sort of trouble for it?

They shouldn't have pulled her out of class either and at the least without a parent or some adult figure present.

What? How is this bad? Do we not get that channel?

At least she was questioned in nations like the United States.

In places less tolerable to such dissent, there would've been harsher consequences.

They were probably threatening her because she was using myspace. I say these measures should be followed up with beatings. Its the only way we can reclaim the internet for what its really for. Copious amounts of porn.

I think he means loudly saying something like, "A BOMB?!" while on a phone in a crowded area for the purpose of creating panic as a joke.

Big no no.

I could have sworn the right to free speech and expression was protected in the First Amendment.

I can say you're a fucking piece of shit. You can kick my ass for it.

You can say you're gonna kill the president. The secret service can come out and question you for it.

You can say whatever you want. But dont expect to not take responsibility for it.

You have freedom of speech. But some things are going to cause a negative reaction.

EDIT: Though, I still think what they did to the girl is fucking retarded. The girl may be an idiot but way for them to over react. Like she could really act on what she says on the net.

No, I can't kick your ass for calling me a name. That would be assault. The protections of the President violate the First Amendment, and there's no way around that fact.

Okay, so that was a pretty crappy example. But I was still trying to show that saying something that's obviously going to cause a negative reaction under the notion that free speech is going to protect you fully from any harm isn't really smart.

Does this even really matter. I mean it's not like she's out to kill Clinton, so who really gives a shit.

Its great to know that the secret service is taking time out of their schedule to look at myspace! Don't mind the fact there are more important things but why not go check myspace pictures. 50 year old men (not for sure) are looking at profiles of 14 year old girls, hmm...that seems good.

Hey...while they're at it, why don't they take google into questioning for all of their anti-bush, kill bush type things. Oh! maybe internet photograph sites, maybe even flash cartoons.

Yeah...bravo secret service...you have continued to destroy my faith in america.

IMO Bush is a horrible president and should be taken out of office if not, cheney should take Bush hunting. I hate the man because he has wasted countless resources for a cause we shouldn't even be involved in.

There was this whole thing a few years back that by saying certain key words on mobile phones would trigger a recording device at the exchange to record the rest of your conversation, to see if you were a terrorist. It was never proven and nothing ever came of it. It just kind of sank back into the media desert.

There are specific limitations to the freedom of speech. The classic example that you will learn in your government/civics class is that you are not free to yell "Fire" in a crowded movie theater. While this is a clear abridgement of the freedom of speech, it's a case where there is a compelling reason for society to curtail that natural right for the common good.

The 1st ammendment does not protect:

- Libel & Slander

- Calling in a bomb threat to a school

- Threatening assault or bodily harm

- Lying under oath

- Sexual discussion with a minor

What the 1st ammendment does protect, and protect well, is political speech.

Anyway, the Secret Service's job is to protect the President from nuts, and there are plenty of them out there. Remember that the last assassination attempt was by a mentally ill man who wanted to impress Jodi Foster. Who would have thought that credible. Anyway, they interviewed her for an hour, and deemed her a non-threat, so they did their job.

I remember there was an old guy at my church back when I was in high-school. When he was younger, he got a Secret Service visit because he wrote a threatening letter to president Eisenhower. They investigated, and determined he was a harmless crackpot, which he was.

As for whether the parents should have been present, I'm not sure what the law says on these issues. I do know that if we are going be concerned about this young, sweet, vibrant young lady being interviewed alone, then we need to apply the same concern to the young black adolescent in the city who's being questioned by authorities about a shooting.

Ohhh... I hadn't heard that one. Kinda surprised that I didn't, with one of the teachers I had in college. Big anti-Bush kinda guy, always discussing political stuff in class. I love that teacher, but I finally started bringing my headphones and music to class to drown him out.

After the 9/11 attacks a guy in MY SCHOOL in AUSTRALIA who's name was Osama registered osamabinladen@hotmail.com and the CIA contacted him as if he was a huge threat to US national sercurity.

=0
How do sex ed classes in school work then?