Freedom of Speech

[tamaranth]

Read this. (And the clarification here).

anniesj received a surprise visit from the Secret Service after making derogatory comments about Bush, and ill-wishing him, in her LiveJournal; this was reported by another LJ user.

I want to make jokes about it being a full-time job suppressing Bush's critics, and how long the list must be, and whether they are going to visit everyone individually or will have group sessions to save time in the election run-up. And whether they do international calls; and if so what they use their frequent-flyer miles for. But for heaven's sake, this is real.

EDIT: would the person who posted, and then deleted, an anti-Bush comment, please confirm that they have not been dragged away and beaten up told to stop by a Yankee hit squad?

Comments

[yonmei.livejournal.com]

The maddest thing about it all is that several Americans have told me with apparent seriousness that yes, the Secret Service have to investigate all threats.

But... but... but... a prayer is not a threat.

[ramtops.livejournal.com]

terrifying ...

[reddragdiva]

It is if you're as religious as GWB!

[sneerpout.livejournal.com]

There goes one seriously naive young person. It's all very well to pat the security services on the back for being so "nice" and "sympathetic" and "just doing their jobs", but I bet their reaction would have been far less cuddly had she been a devout Muslim American or an immigrant.

[alexmc.livejournal.com]

> after making derogatory comments

anniesj has admitted that they were accidentally "threatening comments" and that they weren't intended that way.

[yonmei.livejournal.com]

It is if you're as religious as GWB!

And is everyone running the Secret Service as religious as GWB?

[reddragdiva]

I suspect someone a few levels up expects them to be.