Deputy Dismissed Over Tweets

[Willowdared]

Indiana attorney general fires deputy over 'live ammunition' tweets aimed at Wisconsin protestors | The Indianapolis Star | indystar.com

Indiana Attorney General Greg Zoeller has dismissed a deputy, Jeff Cox, for posting inappropriate comments online critical of the labor union protesters in Wisconsin.

Cox sent out a message on his Twitter account saying that police should "use live ammunition" against the protesters.

A staffer for the political news site Mother Jones sent a message back to the person, who was then only known by his online account name. Cox messaged back that the demonstrators were "political enemies" and "thugs."

"You're damned right I advocate deadly force," Cox wrote to the Mother Jones staffer.

Earlier today, the attorney general's office said it was investigating whether Cox had sent the tweet and said it was a serious matter.

This afternoon, the office issued a statement saying Cox was no longer employed there. The office said it had conducted "a thorough and expeditious review" after it learned of the Mother Jones article.

"Civility and courtesy toward all members of the public are very important to the Indiana Attorney General's office. We respect individual's First Amendment right to express their personal views on private online forums, but as public servants we are held by the public to a higher standard, and we should strive for civility," the office said in a statement.

Cox told WRTV he realizes the tweet wasn't a good idea, but he doesn't think public employees should lose their free speech rights.

Cox is the son of WRTV reporter Norman Cox.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

[Jenna]

An Indiana deputy attorney general lost his job Wednesday after commenting online that authorities should use "live ammunition" to run off the throngs of protesters railing over union collective bargaining rights two states away in Wisconsin. The former state prosecutor, Jeffrey Cox, attached the comment "Use Live Ammunition" in response to a Feb. 19 Twitter posting by a writer for Mother Jones magazine. The writer, Adam Weinstein, wrote that riot police officers had been ordered to clear protesters from the Wisconsin state capitol in Madison.
The rumored 2 a.m. Sunday expulsion of protesters in Madison never happened.
Mother Jones on Wednesday published an article about Cox's Twitter posting and other inflammatory remarks the former state prosecutor had made online. By the end of the day, Cox had been fired from his job.

More here: Indiana state prosecutor fired over remarks about Wisconsin protests - CNN.com

[Five-0]

The dumbass can go to Libya. I hear they are hiring people willing to shoot civilians. Then again the public employees holding signs calling for the governor's death.....should they be fired too?

[pgg]

The dumbass can go to Libya. I hear they are hiring people willing to shoot civilians. Then again the public employees holding signs calling for the governor's death.....should they be fired too?

Funny how it only works for one side

[MacLean]

Common sense fail.