'Just A Prank' | Liberals and Progressives Only

Message 2246 of 5082

"Just A Prank"

From USA Today:
Secret Service IDs kid for Facebook 'assassination poll' -- no charges

The Secret Service announced today that a juvenile was behind the Facebook posting that asked whether President Obama should be assassinated, calling it a prank that would not lead to prosecution.

The agency declined to release the juvenile's name, age or residence.

The Facebook posting, put up Saturday but since removed, posed a quiz to readers, "Should Obama be killed?" The options were no, maybe, yes, and "yes, if he cuts my health care."

Secret Service agents -- who investigate all potential threats against presidents -- spoke with the child and the parents, and determined that there was no intent to harm Obama, agency spokesman Ed Donovan said.

"This is something we classified as a mistake on the juvenile's part," Donovan said.

(Posted by David Jackson; photo by Gus Ruelas, Associated Press)

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Oh yes, that's a cute little prank. Almost as cute as the two kids who set fire to a third kid in order to simulate a video game.

posted by roslyn217

Wow. You'd think they could have come up with something a little more stringent than a good talking to. Community service, at least. Something to impress on the "juvenile" how serious this is.

What is a "juvenile," anyway? 5? 10? 16? The poll's last option . . . the one dependent upon healthcare . . . would seem to indicate a level of political awareness that would be unlikely for a pre-teen. And what kind of conversations is the "juvenile" hearing at home?

Not thrilled about this shoulder-shrugging Oh, well . . . kids will be kids attitude.

posted by MsTick1
over 2 years ago

We have no way of knowing what action is being taken at home to prevent this kind of thing from happening again but I do think there is a huge difference between a prank that resulted in no harm and a crime that resulted in the injury of a young man. We can only hope that the juvenile's parents see to it that he has too much work to do in order to be creating any more polls on facebook.

posted by merlinsflame
over 2 years ago

It is only by the grace of God that it was a "harmless" prank. Too many lunatics would take it as a call to arms. I can hear O'Reilly saying that its the will of the people.

posted by roslyn217
over 2 years ago

a "prank"??? really ?? wtf....I wholeheartedly agree Ms Tick and ros...

posted by TeamOne
over 2 years ago

Threats against the President historically were criminal, Federal offenses...!?!
What Happened?

posted by ageingbeautifull
over 2 years ago

These smells! I'd dare to guess that if some kid who'd gone before a judge in this country and got thirty days community service for truancy and then posted a similar thing about the judge he'd have gotten in big trouble!