The cartoon is a crime

[MrPerson]

According to this law -- 18 USC Sec. 871 -- which reads, in part:

"...Whoever knowingly and willfully deposits for conveyance in the mail or for a delivery from any post office or by any letter carrier any letter, paper, writing, print, missive, or document containing any threat to take the life of, to kidnap, or to inflict bodily harm upon the President of the United States, the President-elect, the Vice President or other officer next in the order of succession to the office of President of the United States, or the Vice President-elect, or knowingly and willfully otherwise makes any such threat against the President, President-elect, Vice President or other officer next in the order of succession to the office of President, or Vice President-elect, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than five years, or both."

[47of74]

1. Yes it is

And it's disgusting and shameful thing. But I don't see the party of personal responsibility taking responsibility for this anytime soon.

[MrPerson]

2. Strict liability - don't need to prove intent.

The crime is committed when the threat is made.

[joeybee12]

3. Even without the allusion to Obama, it's one sick cartoon...

...gunning down a chimp certainly makes for humorous satire.

[barbtries]

4. i'm not familiar.

i noticed another post about probably the same cartoon. is there a place to get a description?

[Why Syzygy]

15. .

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jlBBpB0_XF-eJt6GGtXCSl5bfV1AD96E6PC02

[Tommy_J]

5. For those of us just getting home...

Could someone clue us in on this cartoon issue?

Thanks!

[tekisui]

6. This cartoon ran in the NY Post this morning:

[Tommy_J]

9. Thanks.

I understand the outrage.

[MrPerson]

7. A cartoon shows a two cops standing over a dead chimp

in a pool of blood. One cop says to the other "They'll have to find someone else to write the next stimulus bill"

[geckosfeet]

8. NY Post. Yellow rag.

[cobalt1999]

10. I thought only Muslim extremist government made cartoons a crime.

Maybe I woke up in Saudi Arabia. It's a fucking cartoon! Granted a stupid racist one, but get real!

[MrPerson]

11. People go to jail for this. Clear and present danger exception.

[cobalt1999]

31. No they don't

It's a fucking cartoon that can be interpreted in multiple ways and easily covered by the 1st amendment.

In fact, I wouldn't want to live in place where people go to jail for such cartoons.

[MrPerson]

33. You already do. People have done time for joking about it.

[cobalt1999]

35. Joking about assassination and drawing an ambiguous cartoon are two different things

Give me a link for anyone doing time for a cartoon that can be interpreted multiple ways.

I'm not defending the POS, just saying it's not a crime.

One link, one example.

[MrPerson]

36. My stuff is a year old. Give me a day.

[IDFbunny]

14. Bush assination fantasies

abounded. There was even a movie fantasying an assassination. This cartoon is tame compared to what Bush got.

[Why Syzygy]

Link?

For the movie? I'm skeptical.

[dustbunnie]

21. Here you go. Surprised you never heard of it.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0853096/

[Why Syzygy]

37. Thanks.

I do remember something about it. I was too terrified to go see something like that. Since, threatening a president is a Crime.

[MrPerson]

23. It was an overseas film.

[Lyric]

12. Huh. When I saw it, I took it as

a jab at the old "If a million monkeys typed for a million years they'd eventually produce Shakespeare" thing.

Why does everyone think this is about Obama? The only "chimpy" President that we've had was Shrub.

:shrug:

[MrPerson]

13. The cartoonist will be doing time.

[Zywiec]

28. Bookmarking for when this blows over

without any charge against the cartoonist.

[vaberella]

30. Unfortunately I agree with this. This is not new for The Post...

in the sense of making something that is highly racially charged. It is a first towards a politician that I know of...or even insighting violence against the speaker of the house like the artist said it could have been read as. However...it's probably gonna blow over, although I think it shouldn't.

[MrPerson]

32. Only because Obama is a nice guy.

[MrPerson]

34. Then again, there's that whole precedent thing.

Obama may feel he has to protect the office.

Just like with privilege.

[Dreamer Tatum]

46. No they won't nt

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

56. Some People Are Dumb.

Simple as that.

[Why Syzygy]

16. I hope people are prosecuted. This should not be allowed. nt

[nc4bo]

17. This only applies to postal mail not newspapers

"...Whoever knowingly and willfully deposits for conveyance in the mail or for a delivery from any post office or by any letter carrier any letter, paper, writing, print, missive, or document..........

Unless I'm missing something (wouldn't be the first, 2nd or 20th time).

[MrPerson]

19. They mail newspapers.

[nc4bo]

20. Yes they do! Thanks. nt

[nc4bo]

25. I think someone mentioned proving it

that would be something I wonder about too.

It's not a burning cross, racial slur spray painted on someone's house or pamphlets stuffed into doors and mailboxes and like what we saw during the Mccain/Palin campaign, the racism was real sleaze ball stuff that made it difficult to say was deliberately racist.

That's what I think happened here. Those of us sensitive to racism and bigotry sense the meaning and "get it" but it's easy for the offender to claim that's not what he intended, why are you so picking on me.

I hate this shit, I really, really do.

[MrPerson]

18. About a year ago an Atriot joked about assasinating Cheney

He got banned. I did some research and read case after case where there was no leeway. No joking. You say it. You do time.

[MrPerson]

22. The US Attorney will be remorseless.

[MrPerson]

24. And people tell me I contribute nothing to this board. *scoffs*

[undeterred]

26. Its astonishing that somebody would publish

something so vile.

[Political Tiger]

27. I see no threat in the cartoon

As disgusting as it is, I don't see it was a threat against the president.

[MrPerson]

29. Obama will probably let it go. He doesn't have to.

[Political Tiger]

38. I don't think there's anything he could do about it

even if he wanted to.

If poor judgment and bad taste were a crime, then this cartoonist would probably be guilty of a crime, but that's about it.

[MrPerson]

41. You would be shocked to see the cases of people in jail for

threats that were impossible to carry out.

It did not matter.

[Political Tiger]

42. But there is no threat here. n/t

[MrPerson]

43. A dead shot chimp and the stimulus bill.

They don't need a lot.

[Political Tiger]

44. But where's the threat?

A threat is saying you are going to do something harmful to somebody else. As ignorant, racist and even violent as the cartoon is, there is no threat implied.

[MrPerson]

47. Yes there is. A depiction of a dead author of the stimulus bill.

is a definite threat. The US Attorney has no sense of humor. You need to have dealt with them like I have to realize that.

[Thothmes]

54. Lets go ahead and issue a Fatwa against the cartoonist.

[Thothmes]

53. Dont see a threat to the POTUS

recent news story, Chimpanzee shot by police. Chimpanees are black. Every hear of the phrase monkeys and footballs (a FUBAR operation). The POTUS did not write the stimulus package, Congress did, which is why some folks consider it a monkeys vs football situation.

[NYC Liberal]

39. Arresting this guy would be as dumb as arresting Michael Phelps.

Cartoon and the cartoonist are racist POSs, but this is absurd.

[madville]

40. There was a story in the news about cops having to shoot a monkey

it is only a few days old. That probably put the thought in the artists head. Congress wrote the stimulus bill, not the president, how can that be a threat against him? A bunch of monkeys could do a much better job than most policians in Washington when it comes to passing laws though.

[fishwax]

45. he's not going to do time

he may get a visit from a secret service agent, but he won't do time for this. Heck, during the bush administration the LA Times published an editorial cartoon (by conservative Michael Ramirez) of a man with a gun at bush's head. There are countless other stories of cartoonists, kids in art class, what have you who are investigated by the Secret Service. Most don't wind up with jail time.

[MrPerson]

48. Al Sharption is marching tomorrow. This will not go away.

[fishwax]

51. of course it won't -- nor should it

But that has nothing to do with whether the guy will be prosecuted.

[MrPerson]

49. link please, sir.

[fishwax]

52. here's a story on the ramirez incident

http://articles.latimes.com/2003/jul/22/local/me-ramirez22

[J-Lo Biafra]

50. I don't think "Oh, for fucksakes" could accuratley sum up what I think of this idea.

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

55. ROFLMAO!!!!!!

Oh my god, could things get any more irrationally dramatic? You are too much!

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl: