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[James Dasher <jdasher AT ibiblio.org>]

On Oct 27, 2004, at 8:31 PM, Ian Meyer wrote:

> http://www.livejournal.com/users/anniesj/331112.html
>
> After posting a political post that someone construed as threatening
> to the president, an anonymous reader of this person's blog reported
> them to the FBI who turned it over to the secret service, who showed
> up at their door.

I took my brother to see Michael Moore at Carolina when he was on a 
book tour back in the '90's, and he talked about contacting the Secret 
Service when Jesse Helms commented that Clinton should be careful 
traveling to NC, because of soldiers, guns, etc.  (Moore talked about 
the same thing in the book - _Stupid White Men_, I think.)  Moore said 
that the Secret Service assured him that they were keeping an eye on 
Helms - as if Helms was seriously encouraging people to shoot the 
president.

(Okay, so some people probably believe that, but some people believe 
NASA faked the moon landings, too.)

> Nope, no problems here, these are not the civil rights you're looking 
> for.

Without knowing what the girl said, I can only quote her: "... they 
WERE very nice – we even gave them coffee and shit, and they laughed 
with us and were generally very cool about the entire situation...."

In all seriousness, what do you find objectionable?  The Secret Service 
visit?  That someone can't legally threaten the life of the president?  
That someone reported her for whatever it was that she said?

Admittedly, none of those are the methods I would nominate to dial back 
the rhetoric whipping around the public square.  But about the only way 
to do that is to hold public executions every time some windbag (not 
excluding list members, even yours truly ;) opens his or her pie-hole 
and lets fly some ill-considered rejoinder to an escalating crisis of 
rhetorical catharsis; not to mention general spleen-venting.

Suggestions, of course, would be welcome.  Workable ones might even get 
you a donation toward your next campaign for political office....

--
James Dasher
misterdasher dot com
IM misterdasher