Not sure who else has been browsing the news circuit this morning but I stumbled across this:
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2012/09/07/1128805/…
You can also see a few other news outlets which are covering the story, and I'm sure some of the more major ones will by tonight or tomorrow.
Usually I would just shrug this off as ultra-left wing politics (Daily Kos). If you can stomach to read through the article and comments, they proceed to call the 16 year old 'white' girl who said, "Someone needs to assassinate Obama...like ASAP ", a racist, hatred-filled, Republican-brainwashed (irony) vessel of the greater American conservative sentiment. How you interpret anything from that 7 word statement other than, "huh, don't think this girl likes Obama" is beyond me but cheers to American politics guys. And here's to the first amendment!
What I wanted to talk about though is the speed at which a mob mentality can be created with the internet. Take a look at the recommendation of the article (to invade the girl's privacy and call her school to report the tweet). Apparently thousands upon thousands of people did so. How would you like to be the principal this morning at Bumblefuck Cincinnati High? 'You have...four..thousand..messages." Damn. It had never really occurred to me how fast you can get people in a mob mentality with the internet, but one look at the comments section of the article is a pretty good piece of evidence.
Personally, this sort of shit scares me to death. I grew up in a place where the mob mentality is really bad (Brazil) and I know how dangerous it can be. Opinions?
As soon as I say the daily kos as a link I vomited in my mouth.
She and her parents are going to have a lovely conversation with the Secret Service.
Death threats are not protected speech under the First Amendment, and I think she'll find the Secret Service doesn't have a sense of humor about these things. The lesson that needs to be learned here is that (A) nothing you write on the internet is 'private', and (B) it will follow you around forever.
"SOMEONE needs to kill the president"...hardly a death threat, at least under a logical interpretation of the English language.
Doesn't matter, the Secret Service follows up on all these things, as they should. And again it doesn't matter if you're only a kid, if you were just kidding, if it wasn't a direct threat--anything that sounds like a threat against a President gets followed up on. And no, it's not protected speech--and if you put it on the internet, it's not 'private'. Ms. Douglas may very well find herself having to explain herself to her college admissions officer, while applying for a job, trying to get security clearance--this could follow her around for a long, long time.
A harsh lesson? Yes, it probably is. But actions have consequences.
Her twitter account is no longer active. Still the damage is done. People already posted her personal information online including where she goes to high school, likely home address etc not to mention her picture splattered all over the internet. The Internet has a long memory. This thing is going to haunt her for a while.
Poor girl. Judging from the liberal response to anyone that questions their President or logic I am sure this kids life will be destroyed for disagreeing with the anointed one. The daily kos makes me sick.
A 16 year old kid making a comment on twitter is hardly the same as planning out a strategic hit. Have you never wished someone dead in anger or jest?
Get real.
I'm pretty sure 16 year olds have been tried as adults and convicted of murder. At what age would you say is old enough for her comment to be taken seriously? And how would one determine using twitter alone if it is or isn't serious?
Some of the stuff you post really makes me scratch my head. I wonder if said 16 year old was a minority whether the same support would be offered. Twitter is a public forum. Anyone with an account should be wise enough to populate it with information or tweets that are appropriate. 16 is a responsible age to me, especially in this day and age. And simply disagreeing with someone hardly warrants death threats. I'm sure she thought it would be funny and controversial for her moron friends the next morning at school however you reap what you sow.
So you are calling me racist huh?
If this girl was black and saying she wanted to kill G.W. I would say who cares.
Thanks for the dog whistle though. Nothing like race baiting on a Friday.
There has never been anything wrong with questioning a President but this tweet is clearly not a question of logic. This has nothing to do with liberal or conservative, right or left, democrat or republican. It would not matter who the sitting president was this, at the very least would need to be followed up on. This 16 yr old girl needs to learn the hard lesson that saying something in an open forum can have consequences. Maybe the statement was, in her head, nearly a statement but had she directed this tweet towards your mom, your brother, your child, your spouse wouldn't you at least want somebody to follow up on it. No matter your political affiliation as a reasonable, logically thinking adult you should see that this act by this girl could not just go completely ignored.
I would bet dollars to donuts that the secret service doesnt do jack shit about this.
They're probably not going to do much more than talk to her and her parents, but rest assured, they do follow up on things like this. Even people who think they are posting anonymously can find themselves getting a followup from your friendly neighborhood Secret Service.
You're free to disagree with the President. You're free to write on the internet and say he's wrong, he's an idiot-you don't like him etc. What you're not free to do is threaten to kill or suggest that someone else should--that is not protected speech under the First Amendment.
Thanks for the 1st amendment lesson.
Post something stupid like wishing death upon the president and this is what happens. Secret Service probably spent 15 minutes figuring out that there's no threat. Depending on her parents' views, she's either getting grounded or a bigger allowance.
.
Well the lady in your video clip made the death threat in spanglish so it doesn't count.
Hes not the president duh, and I think its only after the convention is over for both parties do they come under S.S protection.
Romney is under SS protection currently. I believe that you get protection during the Primary depending on how you are doing.
Dumbest comment so far of this calendar day. Congrats.
Umm, just yesterday a Democrat delegate to the DNC said that she would like to kill Mitt Romney.
http://nation.foxnews.com/2012-democratic-national-convention/2012/09/0…
Difference is that this is an adult and a delegate to the DNC.
Edit: I was already beaten to the punch.
I'm all for not killing people, but this seems like a bit of an exaggerated response to a teenager's rant. Thank god they didn't have twitter and the like when I was a kid.
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