Oh oh, I'm in trouble...

[Rex_Goodheart]

On a political talk message board attached to a website dedicated to my college football team, I wrote this in response to somebody asking for impressions on Bush's speech last night:

Bush's speech last night was his offical jump the shark moment. He's now an irredeemable lame duck.

There was nothing new. He drummed up the tired, discredited Iraq - 9/11 link. His only applause was blatantly staged and unenthusiastic. He finished up with some miserable, weak-looking tears.

Just shoot the sonofabitch. Put us all out of our misery.

That board, by the way, is dominated by rightwingers, so I probably should have guessed they'd be threatening to report me to the FBI for threatening and urging to shoot the president.

Well, I only meant it as a joke... how we usually shoot lame creatures to put them out of their misery. And even though I stated clearly afterward that NO, I DO NOT URGE ANYBODY TO SHOOT GEORGE BUSH I am still being threatened with an FBI call.

So, OK... the lesson here... don't go shooting off in an impetuous manner in a room full of vindictive rightwingers.

Did I actually commit a crime?

[nadinbrzezinski]

1. no but the secret service may want to talk to you

and these mofos don't even know this, protection of them president is the job of them boys down at the secret service, NOT the FBI

[Roland99]

2. Let 'em call the FBI...they're just blustering. You did NOT threaten *

I had some post a msg to the mods at another board that I'd threatened the president's life. They deleted the complainer's thread rather quickly.

[sui generis]

5. all bluster aside - if anyone is stupid enough to talk to you

after examining your response and determining that it was clearly hyperbole, take your time and chew their liver out since it's your tax dollar they'd be wasting.

These whackjobs - do they think that after multiple decades of traveling you are going to suddenly wake up one day, don a turban and start storming cockpit doors?

Don't worry about the neanderthals -

[JuniperLea]

3. not a stated crime

but if you count the unwritten no free speech law, maybe. you said someone should, not that you planned on doing the deed. good luck with all that! sheesh.

[Tom Rinaldo]

4. I'm no lawyer

Doubt you committed a crime, but the Secret Service/FBI sometimes do investigate people based on some suspicion that they might in the future commit a crime. I have heard some pretty stupid accounts of them checking out people over idle comments. I really doubt that will happen here. But I really don't know what I'm talking about, lol.

I do suggest that you post a full retraction of any actual intent to take any violent actions yada yada, but I bet you already did that.

[Rex_Goodheart]

6. LOL. Yes, I've already followed it up with this:

No, for you obtuse Bush defenders... I don't really wish for somebody to go up and shoot GW Bush. I am not urging anybody to do it. It was a joke, probably a bad one, on his lame status and how we shoot lame creatures to end their misery. If I really wanted George Bush shot I wouldn't advocate it on this forum. If I was really suggesting a hit on George Bush I wouldn't do it on this forum. If you feel an urge to shoot George Bush because of my statement, DON'T DO IT! Grow some sense, instead.

Sheesh... I constantly overestimate people.

[tubbacheez]

7. I'm no lawyer, but...

I think at worst you've opened yourself up to being *accused* of a crime.

Whether somebody actually pursues such an accusation, and if so, how their case fares in court would remain to be seen.

Of course, merely dealing with accusations is a tiresome process and could degrade your enjoyment of life. So in the future, maybe think twice before taking on this kind of vulnerability. I'm not saying play it safe or censor yourself. But if you're going to stick your neck out for something, make sure it's worth it.


I wouldn't fret about it immediately. If you get investigated, have a good lawyer ready to call.

In the meantime, continue being a positive and productive citizen. :)

[hootinholler]

8. Not unitl an alumnus pulls a Hinkel

Not a problem til that happens.

-Hoot

[kwolf68]

9. Dont say Just shoot

That's not cool. You could have made your point w/o that.

Sometimes I say "Just Shoot Me" in talking about the Shrub...none of us are serious one way or the other, but any comment to assasinate the President (no matter how criminal) is not cool.

us Democrats should know how having our guys shot in cold blood feels. Dimson is a shithead, a liar, a war monger...he's a lot of things, but we should never advocate shooting him, no matter how much a joke it is/was.

[magnolia]

10. I heard on a news program...

...just a few weeks ago (wish I could remember where) that although it is a crime to threaten to kill the president, since Bush has been in office the FBI has had so many reports of people threatening to kill him that they couldn't even begin to investigate them all. This is true. I bet the right-wing wackos call them constantly with reports every time someone says anything against their precious leader. They probably think they are going to get people in trouble, when in fact they have made it impossible for the FBI to protect Bush from real threat.