Bush-hate earns Secret Service visit?

[misscam]

LJ post makes Secret Service come visiting?

I don't know if this is true or not (sometimes, it's hard to know on the Net, as past experience has shown me). I'm not even sure what to think of it if it is true. This is apparently the original post that earned the visit.

Now, anyone who reads just a wee bit in my LJ, know of my intense dislike of Bush. And there have been times perhaps when I have been thinking things that might sound threatning (trout-smacking, for one thing). But what you think in frustration or post in frustration - should this be reported, recorded, put in a file somewhere?

Of course, LiveJournal is a public medium. What I post here, anyone can read. It is not a diary. And it is not always easy to know what is joking and what is not. But still, there's a nasty feeling in the pit of my stomach.

How much the price for safety?

For the record - yes, I really, really, really don't like Bush. And I would not cry for him. But I wish death upon no one.

What do you think? Is it true? And if so, does this worry you?

Comments

[pipibluestockin]

Nice find - this looks like the best LJ *DRAMA!!!!* since the Thalia Crisis.

Some thoughts:

- Americans pay tax dollars for personal intimidation in their own homes?
- there are exactly how many active LJ accounts?
- now how many of LJers live the other side of the various moats from the good ol' USA
- if this is real somebody at the FBI has waaaay to much time on his hands (and has been sniffing glue)
- do you think the FBI budget is big enough to allow them to come after all of us?
- Isn't this contravening their precious free speech laws?
- It is also a nasty form of election manipulation

And finally: the longer this election drags on the more it looks like the preliminary bipartisanship for a civil war (have you ever taken a look at this part of American history? - interesting stuff for a journalist I should think)

[puredeadthingy.livejournal.com]

They say that someone on lj reported them-I really don't know if it's true or not. All I know is there are 5 days to go and that would be very good Bush-bashing strategy.

[sinneahtes.livejournal.com]

It could be true, but I'm suspicious... well, just because this is internet land. I would still be careful about saying "kill Bush" (or anyone) -- actually, I have been since Columbine. I remember that tragedy brought up the "Zero Tolerance" rule at school and some kid in my English class got reported to the police for making up a joke hit list (though it WAS stupid to write down a list of "People to Kill" and include real teachers' names and then leave it on a desk, even if they were included with other examples such as "Miss Piggy")

Somehow I feel more worried that somebody who read her LJ supposedly reported this than the fact that she got a Secret Service visit. I was in my Immigrant Culture class yesterday, where I have an Albanian classmate who told us about how even insulting the hairstyle of a leader could get a spy to turn you in and get you in deep trouble -- how many steps does it take to get to that level even in America? We don't need a culture of a super-controlling government and freaking Informers.

Something that recently freaked me out lately was when I got bored and decided to see what happened when I Googled my screen name, and found this: http://www.blogpulse.com/04_10_09/keyPerson_leader_3.html -- some website that links to different blogs that mention certain things caught my LJ saying I was distantly related to George Bush and linked to it from there (preceeded by the statement that he's a distant relative I *hate*). O_o I guess that sort of thing bugs me because you never know who will see only that one entry, not bother to look at the rest of the journal or to see what kind of person you are and only judge by that one entry, and give you trouble for it. Definitely something that makes me want to be more careful about what I say in public.

[sinneahtes.livejournal.com]

Oh, note on that Albanian classmate -- he said this "insulting a leader's hairstyle could get you in trouble" was back when he was a little kid. I'm not sure how it is today.

[norwegianne.livejournal.com]

I think at least one reason NOT to wish death upon Bush, aside from the fact that I wish death upon no one, is that then Dick Cheeney will be the president, no matter for how short period.

How true the post was? I have no idea. I do know that the Secret Service has to check out all death threats to the people they protect (lovely lessons learned by The West Wing.), but they probably wouldn't google for them... Which is why I'm inclined to believe that someone from LJ, either someone from her own post, or someone who read it Metaquoted, reported it.

As for searching for posts via Google... well, I don't want random people turning up in my LJ, thus it's unsearchable. (At least I checked that opinion.)

I don't think posts like that should be reported, but on the other hand I think we should learn to be increasingly careful with what we say on public forums, which LJ actually is unless you lock your journal to a select few.

[shandydann]

Well she says they came round because someone reported her. The FBI were not scanning her LJ. I dont think like some do that the CIA or FBI scan LJ or blogs.

What really disturbs me is that someone would report her, the post wasnt threatening it was a wanky rant. But someone deliberatley reporting her isnt nice.

[belegcuthalion.livejournal.com]

Ah... that post was tasteless and dumb. I would wish that a "normal" use of the democratic machinery should keep that man and his camarilla from destroying America's good reputation for four more years.

Today I saw an internet article about the fact that Americans abroad who wished to register for voting found out that the internet sites they wanted to use were blocked for an unusually long time. But army members were given other sites that worked perfectly. Interesting enough 69 % of the soldiers abroad are Bush-voters. What does this tell us about american democracy?

[norwegianne.livejournal.com]

But, on the other hand: Bush's campaign website is currently not available to anybody who doesn't live in the States or Canada, whilst Kerry's is.

[huinesoron.livejournal.com]

What does this tell us about american democracy?

I think we can best respond to this with a mangled quote from Ghandi.

'So, Mr Not!Ghandi, what do you think of American democracy?'

'That would be a good idea.'

(The original reading, of course, 'Western civilisation')

[da-think.livejournal.com]

Gotta love the patriot act! If this is true this girl should contact Michael Moore!

[elvea-aure.livejournal.com]

You know, if that would be true, I'm not at all surprised. This world's upside-down and gone completely nutters already, and with fools and idiots such as the Shrub in control, all kinds of crazy links are made, and all kinds of crazy, unjustifiable things happen all of a sudden. Just look at the war in Iraq.

Craziness. Craziness, I say!

[sasja-sokolov.livejournal.com]

Hrmm. Conflicted. Could be true, with some of the stuff I've heard, but then again, could be just someone seeking attention. I don't know the person, so I can't say anything about their character either way. Still, I was considering making my journal friends-only, and this is one of those things that gives one even more reason to do so. :/

[evilstorm.livejournal.com]

And we all know the joke about them bloody furriners and the REAL Western civilization, of course.

[reia.livejournal.com]

I'll admit, when I first stated reading her post I thought it was bullshit. I'm still thinking it was bullshit. *If* it is true I think it's silly and stupid. But you know what, it makes me wonder. If the President were John Kerry or Bill Clinton and she made remarks against him, would anyone care or would they just say "Well, this crazy Republican brought it on her/himself."?

Like it or not George Bush *is* our president and Americans have always been taught to respect the office - even if they don't respect the *man*. Another thing that can be taken to heart is that he WILL NOT ALWAYS BE PRESIDENT. Even if he wins this upcoming election, in four years someone else will be president.

By the way, if she had been in Washington looking at the White House and she had said something against Bush (or, if this were four years ago, and she said something about Clinton) she *would* be arrested or escorted away. The Secret Service does not play games with things like that. When I was in DC (and this was during the first Clinton term, we actually got to go in the White House, which was uber!cool) they had Secret Service, military, and police EVERYWHERE. Everything got scanned. Of course, since Sept. 11 it's much tighter and you can't even go in the White House anymore.

I think this is just wank. But take from it what you will.

[evilstorm.livejournal.com]

Iconlove, reasons obvious.

[reia.livejournal.com]

Oh, and just to say. It doesn't worry me. It would worry me if the Secret Service *didn't* take threats of any kind, big or small, seriously. Frankly, after Sept. 11, I wonder who is out to get us. Little things are a big deal now, and yeah it's an inconvenience to those of us who are good citizens, but it's worth it in the long run.

[reia.livejournal.com]

Oh, thanks! Gotta love kitties with big teeth. ;)

[evilstorm.livejournal.com]

Somehow, assuming it's true, I'm not in the least bit surprised. They did block www.georgebush.com from the rest of the world, too. They've wised up to the fact that the net is a damn powerful medium that currently happens to be passing around a good deal of Bush-hate; think this is a last minute threat kind of thing before the election date? Hrmm.

Worry me? As a matter of personal safety, no, because I'm happily hidden on the far side of the world (i.e., East Asia). As a reflection on what the POSSIBLE future U.S. government is gonna be like as well as what certain Americans are thinking...you'd have to be stupid not to be scared. But that's the way it's always been, really.

But I'm not even certain it's real. Who can tell?

[evilstorm.livejournal.com]

Hee, yeah. Who's that in yours, btw?

[reia.livejournal.com]

It's Yzma from the Emperor's New Groove. She's hilarious!

[evilstorm.livejournal.com]

Ohohohoh yeah! I loved that movie!

LLAMA!

[beautyid.livejournal.com]

They blocked georgebush.com from the rest of the world? How come I can still get to it, then?

Maybe Canadians are speshul.

[lotus79.livejournal.com]

What scares me is how many people commented on the post to the B5 community saying they didn't see anything wrong with it.

Wow.

The comparison to Night Watch and the Ministry of Peace seemed prettyapt to me, though. (I've always though "Homeland Security" had a sinister ring to it.)

[(Anonymous)]

Hmm...well, I would put very little past my government, in terms of intelligence information. I have no objections to Mr. Bush as a human being.(I mean, I assume he's a nice enough guy if you meet him for coffee)However, that being said, politically, I disagree with him in most respects(particulary foreign policy, gay marriage, taxes, and the environment), and when I cast my vote on Tuesday, it will be for Kerry.

[misscam.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I've read about the American Civil War. Did an essay on it when I was younger, in fact. One can wonder how history would have gone with the US split and divided. Keeping such a large country together isn't easy. There will always be divides. The key is, I guess, to let them strengthen you, not tear you apart.

I'd be pretty amused if teh Secret Service tried to track me down, I gotta say.