Secret Service Probing Obama Assassination Poll on Facebook

[TXCharlie]

I would call this dumb and deserving to be investigated, but is it really illegal?
After all, he only asked a question - And it's as likely to be a Democrat hoax as anything else.

Secret Service Probing Obama Assassination Poll on Facebook - Science News | Science & Technology | Technology News - FOXNews.com

Secret Service Probing Obama Assassination Poll on Facebook
Monday, September 28, 2009
By Joshua Rhett Miller
AP


The U.S. Secret Service is investigating a "poll" posted on Facebook that asked users the most unsocial, unspeakable question: Should President Obama be assassinated?

Edwin Donovan, a spokesman for the Secret Service, said the agency will take "appropriate investigative steps" in connection to the survey, which was posted on Saturday and was quickly removed when Facebook employees were alerted to its existence.


Sept. 26: President Barack Obama speaks at the Congressional Black
Caucus Foundation, Inc. dinner on in Washington, D.C.

"We are continuing our investigation," Donovan told FOXNews.com, declining further comment.

The poll asked respondents: "Should Obama be killed?"

The possible answers were "no," "maybe," yes," and "yes if he cuts my health care."


Screenshot of poll

Facebook spokesman Barry Schnitt said a "third-party application" enabled an individual user to create what he said was an "offensive poll."

"The application was immediately suspended while the inappropriate content could be removed by the developer and until such time as the developer institutes better procedures to monitor their user-generated content," Schnitt said in a statement to FOXNews.com.

Facebook is now cooperating with the Secret Service, Schnitt said.

Bob Beckel, a Democratic Party strategist and FOX News contributor, said the individual responsible for the poll should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

"This is the kind of garbage that's generated from the extreme right against Obama, and it's going way over the line," Beckel told FOXNews.com. "It's got to be stopped. Find him, prosecute him and put him in jail." [for what?]

Regardless of political persuasion, Beckel said such threats are "un-American" and simply not acceptable.

"If they don't like what Obama is doing, then maybe they ought to go out and vote for someone else," he said. "But relying on this kind of attack is un-American and unacceptable." [ok, I'll buy that on both counts, but it's not an "attack"]

In November, prior to Obama's landslide election victory, officials from the Secret Service declined to comment on the number of threats he had received, but they said they saw more threats against him than any other candidate during the campaign.

[Dirk]

Bob Beckel, a Democratic Party strategist and FOX News contributor, said the individual responsible for the poll should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

"This is the kind of garbage that's generated from the extreme right against Obama, and it's going way over the line," Beckel told FOXNews.com. "It's got to be stopped. Find him, prosecute him and put him in jail." [for what?]

Regardless of political persuasion, Beckel said such threats are "un-American" and simply not acceptable.

"If they don't like what Obama is doing, then maybe they ought to go out and vote for someone else," he said. "But relying on this kind of attack is un-American and unacceptable."

What's un-American is throwing someone in jail for posting that. That's scary stuff that they think that way.

[TXCharlie]

What's un-American is throwing someone in jail for posting that. That's scary stuff that they think that way.

If they really thought that way, then Bill Maher, John Stewart, Michael Moore, and assorted other Hollywood nuts & flakes would be in jail for joking around about killing George Bush - And some of them weren't even joking.

No, in this case, they're just trying to silence the opposition by casting everyone criticing Obama as a nut or terrorist, even someone that just asks a legitimate journalistic question about what people really think about Obama.

That's why I wouldn't be surprised if the guy who posted it was a Democrat.

And I'd REALLY love to see the results of that poll

[Xiphos]

Yet a movie about assassinating Bush wasn't objectionable to these self righteous folks was it?

It's all in bad taste if you ask me but the double standard is glaring.

[CTR man]

I would call this dumb and deserving to be investigated, but is it really illegal?
After all, he only asked a question - And it's as likely to be a Democrat hoax as anything else.


"This is the kind of garbage that's generated from the extreme right against Obama, and it's going way over the line," Beckel told FOXNews.com. "It's got to be stopped. Find him, prosecute him and put him in jail." [for what?]

Regardless of political persuasion, Beckel said such threats are "un-American" and simply not acceptable.

What a bunch of crybabies. This has been going on since the beginning of time. Although such threats do need to be monitored, I think Beckel is going way overboard.

If they really thought that way, then Bill Maher, John Stewart, Michael Moore, and assorted other Hollywood nuts & flakes would be in jail for joking around about killing George Bush - And some of them weren't even joking.

Yeah, Beckel. Where were you or your counterparts and cohorts when Bush was getting the death threats? Fair is far, right?

No, in this case, they're just trying to silence the opposition by casting everyone criticing Obama as a nut or terrorist, even someone that just asks a legitimate journalistic question about what people really think about Obama.

That's why I wouldn't be surprised if the guy who posted it was a Democrat.

And I'd REALLY love to see the results of that poll

You and me both.

[MacLean]

The Secret Service has no sense of humor.

I've worked with them and around them. They. Have. None.

[213th]

Landslide victory? He won but it wasn't a landslide, atleast I didn't perceive it that way.



I think I voted in that poll....does that mean I'm going to get investigated to?

[TXCharlie]

I think I voted in that poll....does that mean I'm going to get investigated to?

I'm dying to know - What were the results when you voted in it?

[MacLean]

Landslide victory? He won but it wasn't a landslide, atleast I didn't perceive it that way.



I think I voted in that poll....does that mean I'm going to get investigated to?

Possibly.

You don't have any federal tail time left do you?

Leavenworth is nice this time of year

[TXCharlie]

Possibly.

You don't have any federal tail time left do you?

Leavenworth is nice this time of year

Well, we don't have "thought police" - YET. May be against military law, though, since he's Commander in Chief.

Answering a poll about assassination is not advocating, making a threat, nor is it planning. Seems to me that for an ordinary citizen, expressing an opinion even about assassination would be protected speech - It may get them fired from their jobs, but illegal? I'd like to see the USC that outlaws that.

I suppose it may be disorderly conduct by state law if someone is offended, and it could be considered "fighting words" - but that's about it as far as I can see.

[MacLean]

Yes Chuck, but he and I are military.

[matt86]

That's probably not the smartest thing to do and probably wasn't very well thought out. I wonder if they've got a visit personally from the secret service yet.

[213th]

I'm dying to know - What were the results when you voted in it?

You can't see results unless you sign up for the application I think, so if I vote I never sign up.

[213th]

Possibly.

You don't have any federal tail time left do you?

Leavenworth is nice this time of year

IRR til 2012.

I checked and I didn't vote in it anyway. Just one about whether I'd use a gun to defend myself in my home or something like that.

[Willowdared]

SAN DIEGO, July 28 (UPI) -- A California man was found guilty in San Diego Tuesday of making threats against Barack Obama when he was a presidential candidate in 2008, U.S. officials said.
A U.S. district judge found Walter Edward Bagdasarian of La Mesa guilty of two counts of making threats against a major candidate for president in violation of federal law, the U.S. Justice Department said.
Obama officially declared as a candidate in 2007 and was assigned Secret Service protection.
Thirteen days before the November general election, on Oct. 22, Bagdasarian made two racist statements threatening gun violence against Obama on a public Yahoo! message board, the department said.
Secret Service agents traced the Internet messages to Bagdasarian's residence, where law enforcement agents found six firearms, including a .50-caliber rifle and .50-caliber ammunition.
The Secret Service also found evidence of two e-mail messages from Bagdasarian to an unnamed associate on Election Day discussing the need to obtain a Barrett model 82a1 rifle, and threatening statements suggesting gun violence, the department said.
Bagdasarian is to appear for sentencing before a federal judge on Oct. 26.

[TXCharlie]

I think I remember that one - Whole new level of stupidity.

[dadyswat]

Well I see the poll was put by a kid and was determined to be no threat. Will Beckel still want him prosecuted to the full extent of the law?