Politics, Religion & Sedition

I called the Secret Service about the Kill-Barack-Obama FB page. 

And you should too.(1)

In what twisted way, did this seem like a good idea to anyone?

This is a vivid example of not just ignorance, but of how these days people don't seem to understand that freedom of speech does not include sedition. Threatening a US president is a class D felony. 

Consider the legal definition:

LII / Legal Information Institute
TITLE 18 > PART I > CHAPTER 41 > § 871
§ 871. Threats against President and successors to the Presidency
(a) Whoever knowingly and willfully deposits for conveyance in the mail or for a delivery from any post office or by any letter carrier any letter, paper, writing, print, missive, or document containing any threat to take the life of, to kidnap, or to inflict bodily harm upon the President of the United States, the President-elect, the Vice President or other officer next in the order of succession to the office of President of the United States, or the Vice President-elect, or knowingly and willfully otherwise makes any such threat against the President, President-elect, Vice President or other officer next in the order of succession to the office of President, or Vice President-elect, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than five years, or both.  

 

So I called my local Secret Service office, talked to nice agent there. He said he got another call about it this morning, and they are checking it out too. He appreciated that citizens reported it. He took my name and number. Guess i have to be good now that the SS has my number. ;^) As IF I had to give it to them, for them to have it. lol

In September '09, the Secret Service investigated a poll on Facebook entitled "Should Obama be killed?" Facebook was notified and the poll was removed, along with the application that created it. That is as it should be. Though I must interject that removing the application itself sort of smacks of the "remove all guns, so that no one gets shot" school of thought. The POLL itself did nothing wrong. It's about the human who misused it. It's always about the human, isn't it?

So, as for the Kill-Barack-Obama page, those insipid morons who create pages like that one, have no idea how serious their actions are. In fact, i think that they ought to make an example of them. They ought to arrest them and question them for long periods of time, look into all their personal information, parade them around in front of the media, fine them, and let them sit their stupid asses in a cell for a while. Maybe then people would realize that this is not a game. Yet there are players. The colloquial kind, and the kind who just skip through life with their puerile ideas, never noticing what their actions and beliefs are causing.

This country seems inundated with those of paltry education or little intelligence, or both. Indeed, the combination of ignorance and an instrument of damage has always been a threat to our peace and safety. Another argument can be made in this case, that education is essential-- especially learning the skills of logical thought, and the ability to discern facts from fiction.

  

This is a set of creeds-mantras-mottos of mine. Ignorance touches all of us in so many ways. The most compelling and frightening example of it is within the ranks of the Religious Right ; or for that matter, within any monotheistic religion.

It is the very nature of religion to usurp the independent thought of the individual, and to instead encourage people to follow the pack, and do as their book or their leader tells them. This is at the very core of the concept of Blind Faith, after all. When you mix this with politics, we are talking about nothing less than a flirtation with disaster.

The platform of politics is the perfect vehicle for perpetuating this type of ignorance and harm, as well. In recent years we have witnessed an influx of the religio-politic. 

Case in point: Sarah Palin.

One of the most vivid examples of this insipid damaging, and sometimes volatile mixture is to be found in this video of interviews with followers of Palin, at one of her book signings. This is an excellent example of why people like Sarah Palin are dangerous to this nation--just have a listen to those who "follow" and support her. They don't even know WHY. They are so easily duped by rhetoric and campaign slogans, but they can't discuss an issue and don't even know what the issues are. These are the LEMMINGS in our society who aren't intelligent enough to make sound decisions, but are still able to vote. Their votes adversely affect US ALL.

It is my contention, therefore, that stupidity kills. It's no longer okay to be the village idiot. We have a responsibility to protect our society from those who would undermine it in regard to safety and the right to "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness." The things that the zealots say are "wrong" about this country, are things that are rooted in why and how this country began. There has been no insurrection, no coup from secular  or godless rebels who dismantled it and rebuilt it in another image. The imposition has come from the zealots themselves, who seek to change what is already in place through the methodology, agreement and efforts of greater minds. Those who wish to change the fundamental tenets upon which this nation was founded, should first, READ THE CONSTITUTION, and second, instead create their own theocracy on some island in the middle of the ocean, far away from those things they seek to destroy, which disturb them so much. 

Being in a FREE country, means you also have the freedom to leave, when you no longer wish to live there. I entreat you, zealots-all, to do so.

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(1) While composing this blog, the page was removed. Glad i got some screenshots of it first.

Politics, Religion & Sedition