Silly Caucasian Girl Likes to Play with Samurai Swords
by Scott Hardie on October 25, 2006
I heard that a teenager was questioned by the Secret Service after she posted an icon saying "Kill Bush" on her myspace page. My companions were up in arms over it, saying that's a violation of free speech and how dare they scare her, et cetera. I don't see how she was charged with any crime or how this how this disrupts anything but her school day. Yes, it's silly that the Secret Service had to investigate a 14-year-old, but even they say it's silly: (link)
When I was 16, Speed was a big hit in theaters. One day my friend and I drove past a school bus, and for laughs we scribbled "bomb on bus" on a scrap of paper and held it up to the window. I absent-mindedly put the scrap in the back window of my car and left it there until a few days later when I was pulled out of class by the dean and questioned over my "bomb threat." They knew it was just a dumb kid being a dumb kid, and I knew they were just doing their job by asking about it.
Now, if that teenager wants to make a real killing, she should put her artwork on a CafePress t-shirt and soak in the free publicity.
Three Replies to Silly Caucasian Girl Likes to Play with Samurai Swords
Denise Sawicki | October 25, 2006
I probably mentioned at the time, Scott, that a guy I knew in high school suffered a similar fate shortly before the 2000 election. He had printed an article in his college newspaper saying he advocates the killing of the winning presidential candidate (whichever one was to win) because he felt the vice-presidential candidates were better. It was meant to be a "Modest Proposal" style satirical piece but of course the Secret Service took it seriously. He was banned from attending a presidential appearance later, because of it. I can't find any links to that story in the news anymore though. I wonder if this 14-year-old will have a similar ban on her head.
I guess at the time I was extremely dumb and didn't realize these kinds of words were a big deal but I do understand now why they have to investigate. :P
Jackie Mason | October 26, 2006
[hidden by author request]
Logical Operator
The creator of Funeratic, Scott Hardie, blogs about running this site, losing weight, and other passions including his wife Kelly, his friends, movies, gaming, and Florida. Read more »
Other Contents Under Pressure
"So this guy is on a dinner date, and he has terrible gas, but he waits because he doesn't want to be embarrassed. When they get back to her house, he can't wait any longer. He desperately asks where her bathroom is, and she says first door on the left. Go »Eschew Obfuscation
For any FIN players wondering where in the hell the game is: I used my little free time over last weekend writing a mini-post – three whopping paragraphs – and at the end of the weekend I just couldn't bear to publish it so short. (The title of this post was the planned title of that post.) I have now rearranged my social so that weekends are more free, and one thing I plan to do with the time is resume writing FIN, starting this weekend by expanding my three paragraphs into more like three pages. Go »Twit
Have you heard of Twitter? It's this great new web site where you report to your friends exactly what you're doing at that moment in time. Neat stuff! Go »Kissingerian
Another of Fareed Zakaria's perfectly lucid articles today, suggesting the only way out of Iraq: (link) Go »Falling Snow
It was twenty years ago today that my father passed away. I almost didn't write something today, because I don't feel particularly creative enough at the moment to do his memory justice. But a plain remembrance is better than none at all, and besides, he's been on my mind a lot this week. Go »
Lori Lancaster | October 25, 2006
[hidden by author request]