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Secret Service Reads Livejournal
Prong_Thunder writes "A livejournal post written on October 18th (google cache, scroll down to 'a prayer for dubya') resulted in a visit from the US Secret Service nine days later, as it 'constituted a possible threat to the president'."
No country tolerates incitement to assassinate its leaders. I'm not at all disturbed by what happened to this militant hatemonger. I say KUDOS to the Secret Service for doing their job. I hope they put her through the wringer.
What's scary to me is that this American (?) would spew such venom that you would expect only from outright enemies. Her sentiments are identical to those of Osama bin Laden, Saddam Hussein, Yassir Arafat, Kim Jong-il, and every other dictator and terrorist out there. Her actions are clearly seditious. They represent not only a threat to George W. Bush but to the nation's civility and democratic processes.
... the president!
Yes, I have free speech. But I can't go around yelling "Fire!" in a crowded theatre. I can't call up the cops and report non-existant crimes, or call the FBI and say, "I have the man you are looking for." Just as well, I can't go around telling people, "I am going to kill you!"
If I use my "free" speech to testify in court, and tell lies, and get found out, guess what? I go to jail. If I'm a lawyer and I use my free speech to tell my clients that what they're doing is A-OK! when it's really not, I go to jail! If I'm a doctor and I use free speech to tell a patient, "Here, take three of these cyanide pills a day and you'll get better in no time!", what should happen to me?
Let's just clarify: Sure, you have free speech. The government can't throw you in jail because you disagree with them. But they can throw you in jail for threatening people, harming people, or doing all kinds of bad stuff with your free speech!
The radical sect of Islam would either see you dead or "reverted" to Islam.