A word to the wise (thanks to James Bow)
Silly me; I grew up thinking that this is America, where freedom of speech is still a cherished part of the Bill of Rights. Guess what, y’all; our post- 9.11 reality seems to be somewhat different. Express yourself freely often enough and the terrorists will win.
This reality was not created on 9.11. This was created by George W. Bush and John Ashcroft, who seem to think that killing the patient is the best way to save it. Yes, we’ll protect the Bill of Rights by suppressing the rights actually enshrined within the Bill of Rights. Along the way, we’re create our own little Imperial Presidency.
All Hail King George!
A couple of weeks ago, following the last presidential debate, I said some rather inflammatory things about George W. Bush in a public post in my LJ, done in a satirical style. We laughed, we ranted, we all said some things. I thought it was a fairly harmless (and rather obvious) attempt at humor in the face of annoyance, and while a couple of people were offended, as is typical behavior from me, I saw something shiny and forgot about it, thinking that the whole thing was over and done and nothing else would come of what I said.
I was wrong.
At 9:45 last night, the Secret Service showed up on my mother’s front door to talk to me about what I said about the President, as what I said could apparently be misconstrued as a threat to his life. After about ten minutes of talking to me and my family, they quickly came to the conclusion that I was not a threat to national security (mostly because we are the least threatening people in the entire world) and told me that they would not recommend that any further action be taken with my case. However, I do now have a file with the FBI that includes my photograph, my e-mail address, and the location of my LJ. This will follow me around for the rest of my life, regardless of the fact that the Secret Service knows that I am not a threat.
Obviously, I cannot link to the original LJ post that I made, because I have removed it from my LJ to protect myself and those who commented in that thread from receiving any further visits from the FBI. I apologized for the miscommunication, though I did not apologize for voicing my opinion of George W. Bush.
Now, I’m feeling left out. I want my visit from the jack-booted thugs. I detest George W. Bush (the politician) and everything he and his Neo-Conservative cabal stand for…and yet no one from the FBI has darkened my doorstep. Hmm…am I not being clear enough?
It’s a sad day when someone who maintains a weblog is harrassed by the FBI for the legitimate (and Constitutionally-protected, lest we forget) expression of political views. That these views may be opposed to the policies of our Prevaricator-in-Chief should make no difference. Dissent is a protected right under our Constitution…or at least it used to be.
Sometime between now and Tuesday, I fully expect to get a knock on my door. Just a suggestion…if y’all call ahead, I’ll make sure we have enough beer, chips, and salsa for all y’all. I’ll even give you directions if you need them. It’s tough to miss us; we live on a cul-de-sac
Thanks for the link. I'll add what I added to [my own post on the subject](http://www.bowjamesbow.net/2004/10/27-sharon_win.shtml).
First of all, I read the original post that generated the visit from the secret service. It may still be available on Google cache, but I'm not sure. Anyway, it riffed on the statement that Bush could sense the prayers of others towards him and had her sending up her own prayer to God, asking Him to strike Bush down. Nasty stuff. [She admits so here](http://www.livejournal.com/users/anniesj/331475.html), but stuff that was intended to be (vicious) satire, and which you wouldn't think would merit a visit from the secret service. The point of her post is as much about "be careful what you say in a public forum" as it is "look what your tax dollars get you." She also maintains that the secret service officials were polite and professional and realized quickly that she did not represent a threat to national security.
Secondly, the reason she got the visit is because somebody reported her, and it's likely that the person who reported her had a grudge against her for another reason, using the post to up the ante of harrassment. So, the true villain of this piece, I think, is the person who reported her, who wasted government time, and who clearly intended to use the force of the government to intimidate.
I think it's quite brave of this woman to admit her mistake, and keep posting, despite the alarm she must have felt by getting the visit she did. I also think that it's still a shock that something we post in jest could still warrant a visit from the feds, spurious report or no spurious report. It is something we should highlight, both to illustrate that we should be careful what we say (libel and slandar laws _do_ apply to us) and also to wonder if the government's priorities are really on focus if this situation happened.
Northstar, I think James is onto something.
You don't get a visit from the government (yet) just for airing your own conscience or opinion, particularly if it's done in a nonthreatening way.
Disapprove all you want. Offer (or describe in detail how you'd like) to act on your disapproval, and have someone turn you in for it, and ... presto: the Authorities are at your door.
It's a lot like any other intimidation-by-cop stunt. An adult becomes annoyed with you. So someone reports you to children's protective services regarding your elementary student. Presto: the Authorities are at your door.
Now, I know all the conservatives and libertarians and religious righteous will say,
"If you've done nothing wrong you have nothing to fear."
I call BS. You don't have to do anything wrong in today's America to become "a Person of Interest" or, more ominously, "Subject to Official Attention."
If you're Vernon Howells ... you and a lot of your friends/relatives/coreligionists could end up dead.
If you are NOT congenitally stupid (or mentally impaired by the intake of mind-altering substances or deliberately refusing to acknowledge reality because of your religious beliefs, which in today's America covers a whole awful lot of ground ... cheese n rice, here, people, look at the 700 Club's blind faith in Bush...) however, you may be able to overcome your status as A Person of Interest.
Or you could wind up in Gitmo.
Kinda depends on how you define success, I guess.
(I want my country BACK, damn it. Five years ago everybody and his brother and both their dogs were foaming at the mouth about what an evil man the President was, and the SS didn't go knocking on people's doors over Internet postings ... *this* is "returning honor and dignity to the White House"? My sweet aunt, as 'Pappy' Boyington used to say on "Baa Baa Black Sheep"...)
What I don't get is why they couldn't just investigate her and figure out that she wasn't a threat, without visiting her and thereby intimidating her into keeping her trap shut.
I also wonder... how many times has Bush made "jokes" about how he'd like it better if he was a dictator... Who's investigating that threat? haha!!! ;)