What's wrong with this picture?

[AngryOldDem]

I heard on the news today that the Secret Service is investigating a middle school student for writing an essay that detailed his fantasies of inflicting harm on Bush. (He turned it in to the teacher, who then showed it to the principal...usual chain of command.) Yet, we have people like Pat Robertson and Ann Coulter, who are in MUCH more influential positions in society and who have MUCH bigger followings than your average middle-schooler, spouting rhetoric just as inflammatory and dangerous. Yet nothing is said. Nothing is investigated. Their remarks literally get a free pass and are dismissed as Pat's "just being Pat" or Annie's "I was just kidding, folks."

Is it just me, or is this a dangerous double-standard at work here?

[shaniqua6392]

1. You can threaten to do harm to anyone

except the prez. The teacher and principal are Repugs for sure.

[Stephanie]

9. Even a Supreme Court Justice?

[BuyingThyme]

14. No, you can't.

[uppityperson]

2. It was a general hate essay, threating lots of folks

He did threaten Mr.bush, but also a whole lot of other people. He got turned in for a mental health thing. Getting it to the SS is a bit much, since it was a general "I hate everyone and they should die" essay.

[pacalo]

3. O'Lielly encouraged terrorists to bomb San Francisco -- no investigation.

Good call, AngryOldDem! :thumbsup:

[AngryOldDem]

8. Oh, yeah, thanks for reminding me about Bill

And didn't John Gibson parrot that threat somehow, too?

I know the kid was probably having a bad day when he wrote that essay. But I still wonder why the uproar over a situation that could probably best be handled by a conference with the parents, school, and a counselor? How does that differ, really, from those in the media who openly advocate harm to federal judges and other world leaders, SCOTUS justices, and entire populations?

Words have consequences. A case in point: When I was a teen the city schools began cross-town busing. At the time an extremely right-wing radio station was on the air, and it had quite the following mainly because it played on the blatant racial divisions of the city. The "talkmasters," as they called themselves, were vehmently opposed to desegregation and the rhetoric they used against those federal officials who were in town working on the plan was horrific. The school board and school superintendent were also frequent targets. One day, a listener took these words to heart, went down to the courthouse with a gun, and shot dead one of the architects of the plan. The only upside to this tragedy was that it more or less put the radio station out of business because everyone in town knew full well where the idea for that action was planted.

That's why I have such a hard time dismissing these "off-the-cuff" comments as jokes. They're serious. They should be treated as such.

ON EDIT: Fixed typos

[SillyGoose]

15. An almost identical shooting happened here in Florida over the busing

issue, too, about 15 or so years ago. It was all over the news and the talk radio hosts were in full battle cry about it. Next thing we knew, a man went in to the School Superintendent's office and shot him, then went out in the parking lot and shot himself. IMO, those who have the opportunity to voice their opinions on the public airwaves really have a responsibility to the public to temper their comments somewhat to avoid this kind of thing.

[pacalo]

18. I agree about the boy. A conference &/or referral to counselling

would have been the common sense approach.

But as long as people are eager to recreate the Salem witch hunts, it's deplorable that those who have access to the airwaves & masquerade themselves as legitimate news sources aren't held to account for promoting violence. They are much more seasoned in life than a young kid writing an essay.

[soup]

12. "Did I just say that out loud?"

Posted: November 13, 2003 at 4:50 p.m.

TALLAHASSEE, FL (AP) -- Gov. Jeb Bush joked during a Florida Cabinet meeting that the people of San Francisco may be endangered and, "That's probably good news for the country."

The topic at hand was environmental land and at the time of his remark, Bush was looking at a map showing locations boasting a lot of different wildlife.

"It looks like the people of San Francisco are an endangered species, which may not be a bad thing," Bush said during the meeting Wednesday. "That's probably good news for the country."

People in the room broke into laughter

"Did I just say that out loud?" the governor asked.
http://www.kron4.com/Global/story.asp?S=1524615&nav=5D7lJ730

--

Yeah, jeb is just a funny, funny guy, too. :grr:

[AngryOldDem]

17. Amazing. Just amazing. n/t

[napi21]

4. I guess it's a good thing most of us aren't writers.

I'm probably the biggest wuss you'll ever meet when it comes to violence, but I'm really hell with my mouth! Sad to say, I'm careful with what I say in public!

[William769]

5. I don't have the link to the article

But I seem to remember there was alot more to it than that.

[AngryOldDem]

11. Don't have a link either...

...mainly because I heard it on my local noon news and it has just stuck in my craw ever since. He did threaten a lot of people, but my point is, you sure didn't hear about anyone investigating Annie after her "joke" last weekend about spiking Justice Stevens's drink. My point is, a threat is a threat is a threat, even moreso when it comes from people who have a large fanbase who thinks everything that comes out of their mouths is divinely inspired (reference to Pat here, and maybe Annie too, for all I know). That's where I see the true danger and the double standard.

[Rocknrule]

6. Threatening to kill liberals good,

threatening to kill the Chosen Ones...i mean Republicans, bad

[Caoimhe]

7. He threatened Oprah

cuff and stuff him! :crazy:

[seabeyond]

10. good point. as a parent of two boys, i dont know why

they would feel that would be ok writing and to hand into teacher. i would be disappointed in my children if they were to do something like this for many reasons. so it isnt a confirmation for this boys choice in writing and i dont think it is healthy, regardless of free creativity and nuturing the writer in him. it is also ridiculous the school took it beyond the parent, to fbi. and that fbi did anything. yet allow the robertsons and coulters.

[SillyGoose]

13. Those in the public eye who make their living as commentators flirt

with the edge of what is legal and what's not in terms of threatening speech. In some cases I think they definitely cross the line, particularly when they advocate violence against a particular person or group. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to realize that they have a great deal of influence on some of their audience members and I have been worrying about the day that some nutcase acts out violently as a result of inflammatory comments made about an individual or particular group. I think its a distinct possibility that it could happen and yet they do it over and over again without repercussion.

I think Ann Coulter is probably the worst offender of the bunch because violence seems to be a recurring theme in her comments. She basically wants to kill everyone who disagrees with her. While I realize that's her shtick and that minus her controversial commentary she'd be living a life of obscurity, I have to wonder at the wisdom of the media who continually give her a public platform for her violence-laced commentary.

As for the student being investigated by the Secret Service, it sounds to me that he is a very troubled child in dire need of therapy. From what I understand, his essay described his fantasies of harming a lot of people, not just the President. Just like Coulter, except they call her a 'political commentator'. Go figure.

[WinkyDink]

16. It's a post-Columbine world. NO JOKE.

Kid sounds whacked.