Going to jail for tweets

[hardblue.livejournal.com]

One night last summer, Jarvis Britton of Birmingham, Ala., sent out a series of Twitter messages that he later described as “stupid” jokes. Prosecutors did not think they were funny.

“Let’s Go Kill the President,” wrote Mr. Britton, who is 26 and unemployed. “I think we could get the president with cyanide! #MakeItSlow.”

-- New York Times

Apparently a number of tweeters have gone down this road. Tweets count in real life.

Comments

[madscience.livejournal.com]

Stupid indeed. Especially when he could have said, "Someone should go kill the President with cyanide," and everything would have been fine (http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2011/07/20/court-appeal-to-assassinate-obama-is-protected-speech/).

[hardblue.livejournal.com]

That is wild. Such a legalism, once it is broadly learned, would neuter the law.

[joshthevegan.livejournal.com]

This reminds me of something else I read about today. (http://www.npr.org/blogs/alltechconsidered/2013/07/03/198129617/teen-jailed-for-facebook-comment-reportedly-beat-up-behind-bars?utm_source=npr&utm_medium=facebook&utm_campaign=20130703)

[hardblue.livejournal.com]

Yes, that's even worse. The president and those under protection by the Secret Service can be seen as a special case, but this gamer case seems like an appalling contradiction to our ideals of free speech. Granted, the speech involved is rather anti-social, but for such a law, there should probably be some showing of real intent to make it a crime.

[enders-shadow.livejournal.com]

[hardblue.livejournal.com]

We really do need the 'Joke' defense. Because people are just funny like that.

[enders-shadow.livejournal.com]

I'm not really in favor of the free speech defense being used by people overtly calling for violence; it's just what this post made me think of.

That and the jackass in my college who had the secret service visit him after Obama won in 08'.
He posted some stupid shit on facebook and thought it'd go un-noticed. Secret service knocked on his door and it was a big story for my little college town.

That said:

Mortar launcher.