I saw this posted in a MySpace group called “President Bush is an a$sh@le!!! a couple of days ago. I only just got to post it due to BTS hassles, now resolved:
Credible threat? Feds question teen over Web page
By LAUREL ROSENHALL and RYAN LILLIS – The Sacramento Bee – 10/14/06
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The latest Sacramento resident to be questioned by federal agents for threatening President Bush is a 14-year-old girl with a heart on her backpack and braces on her teeth, a freckle-nosed adolescent who is passionate about liberal politics and cute movie stars.…Her name is Julia Wilson, and she learned a vivid civics lesson Wednesday when two Secret Service agents pulled her out of biology class to ask about comments and images she posted on MySpace.
Beneath the words ‘‘Kill Bush, ’’ Wilson posted a cartoonish photo-collage of a knife stabbing the hand of the President. It was one of a few images Wilson said she used to decorate an anti-Bush Web page she moderated on MySpace, the social networking Web site that is hugely popular among teenagers.
It was a 15- to 20-minute interview, Julia said. Agents asked her about her father’s job, her e-mail address, and her social security number. They asked about the MySpace page she had created last year as an eighth-grader at Sutter Middle School.
‘‘I told them I just really don’t agree with Bush’s politics, ’’ Julia said Thursday. ‘‘I don’t have any plans of harming Bush in any way. I’m very peaceful, I just don’t like Bush.’’
The MySpace page under question was a group page, similar to an online club.
I think it might be worth seeing if there’s a similar “Prime Minister Howard…” group on MySpace.au
Do we have to be paranoid, or is it just a survival technique?
It’s USSS policy (and has been for yonks) to investigate all and any potential death threats to the President, no matter how stupid and heavyhanded it makes them look.
Nothing to see here.
Well if you’ve read Joan Didion’s piece on Cheney in the Oct 5th ed. of New York Review of Books….you should be very very scared.
What leinad said. Every threat against every US president ever has been investigated the same way.
The only difference now is that instead of blowhards saying “Id like to kill the president” down the pub, they can now post it on their website where the secret service can find it.
And the US has four Presidents assassinated over the past 140 years, an astounding record for a major Western power in that timeframe. And not one of the shooters clearly announced their intention in advance. Or their backers.
Cue JFK theories. Personally I think Elvis whacked the Haircut. Why? It’s the vibe man.
US Presidential Assassination Quiz!
Name the four Presidents, the dates of the attempts and their (non-conspiracy theory) assassins. Bonus points for naming FOUR serious unsuccessful attempts on same or other presidents.
“US Presidential Assassination Quiz!”
Have you heard of this thing called Google? Kinda takes the fun out of impromptu blog triva comps.
Although I’d argue it was not so much Guiteau that killed Garfield as the ignorance of the medical industry back then. “Wash my hands!? Are you deranged by this tragedy sir!?”
A point worth remembering by those in power now who cut funding for stem cell research.
You can’t have too much medical research.
You’re right Nabsy. I should’ve said no googling, and banned you from partaking as well. How did I know you were going to be the first to mention Garfield?
I think we need pub trivia rules. No googling, no mobile phones.
Who’s bringing the greasy pizza and the jugs of beer?
Cue my annual hilarious mention of the Harold Holt Swim Centre. http://www.stonnington.vic.gov.au/lifestyle/sport/aquatics/haroldholt
On a more serious note, I have been checking out the John Howard groups on MySpace, here’s the numbers:
Pro-Howard Groups
Awesome John Howard Fan Club: 43 members
John Howard Fan Club: 30 members
John Howard makes me giggle: 16 members
Anti-Howard Groups
Email John Howard: 726 members
Against John Howard and the Australian Liberal Party: 264 members
These seem like pretty tame groups, at least from their names, but these recent posts to Against JH…might give some antsy spooks something to think about:
Posted: 4 Oct 2006 10:19 AM
Posted: 29 Aug 2006 3:46 AM
A juvenile’s post, but strong sentiments.
The other anti-Howard groups are quite small. Well, they’re tiny in fact, but the names are certainly *in your face*. Perhaps one reason they don’t attract many people:
Anti-Howard C()nts: 22 members
PM John Howard is an a$sl!ck3r: 4 members
Howard the Coward: 3 members
I’d be interested to know how many of ASIO’s recent graduate recruits who are tasked with *open source* intelligence gathering are masquerading as 14-y.o. kids to surveil this group of anti-social teens and tweens.
I think it’s more interesting that myspace is being used in this way. Political as well as social networking.
In the US, myspace is being used as a campaign tool:
http://online.wsj.com/public/article/SB116078551947392672-zyh6DxHcplUe8iwIjjdGm_gLTWk_20071015.html?mod=tff_main_tff_top
Yeah Mark, the Against JH group seems active; there are posts advertising a rally at Parliament House on 16 November and backposts about the ACTU’s WorkChoices [puke] demos earlier in the year.
I wrote in my Griffith Review article recently about the use of social networking sites among Gen Y folks for political purposes, Eric. I also had in mind the politics of identity and community, but I’m not surprised, particularly after having attended TINA! in Newcastle recently, to see this level of activity. While sites like vibewire try to harness youth activism and interest in public affairs online, it’s not surprising as well to see it bubbling up from below. It would be interesting to look more closely to see whether it’s partisan in the sense of associated with organised groups. I suspect some is, some isn’t.
Why not just conduct yer whole bloody campaign in cyberspace?. Like to see Diebold trying on funny games there with several thousand very smart hackers hanging around.
Here’s a question for the punters, is myspace getting traction outside of the young 20 something and teen demographic. As a late 20 something I know a lot of people into blogging but not so many that are into myspace. Most that I talk to think that myspace is a little stalkerish and a bit creepy.
I set up a myspace account because my ex sent me an invite. Now of course I’m chuffed that I have Lola the Vamp and The Alibi Room as my friends.
However, my myspace page has been accurately described as “minimalist”.
I should fess up that I also have one. I needed it to download an mp3. The Alibi Room has one, cool (or should that be kewl?).
Kewl, I think.
http://www.myspace.com/thealibiroom
I’m not sure the lovely Trina is all that happy that her photo appears next to the Alibi Room’s demographics – female, 34. That of course refers to the owner! Trina’s more like 24.
Myspace just makes me cringe aesthetically if nothing else.
Still, since Rupert just bought it, I’m sure they’ll all get the memo on one way or another. Sex good. Politics bad. And no screaming yellow loglines on dark type-laden backgrounds.
It all proves Julie Bishop’s point that teaching the kiddies how to text for VCE English is a Maoist conspiracy?
OMG! HoWARd like totally sux
I’m sure their invititations to join the blogging crew at LP are on their way, if the recent addition of this Eric Blair character is any guide.
Plenty to see here – listen up.
While still waiting for my FOI request to the US SS as to why an agent of their was present at my arrest in Australia in 2001.
I’m not holding my breath.
There is a glaringly obvious tactic here to bring down the US SS or call its bluff. Simply DDoS it until it admits that it doesn’t investigate every complaint because it would be physically impossible.
A relatively small group of volunteers could so jam an entire upper echelon of the last empire. This could be sold as radical civil disobedience and even done anonymously through proxies.
KILL THE PRESIDENT – rinse, repeat until the US SS cry ‘ uncle’.
‘ We mean it maaaaa-n’
“Girl Friday”, Yobbo?
Don’t you ever get out of the house?
Garfield’s been assassinated? Thank God! Mickey Mouse next!
“There is a glaringly obvious tactic here to bring down the US SS or call its bluff. …A relatively small group of volunteers could so jam an entire upper echelon of the last empire. This could be sold as radical civil disobedience and even done anonymously through proxies.
KILL THE PRESIDENT – rinse, repeat until the US SS cry uncle.
‘We mean it maaaaa-n’”
p. rat — sometimes I wish I’d had a much shittier upbringing, which would allow me the social slack to express in rather more colorful terms exactly how much contempt I have for you. Don’t think for a moment that I don’t know how to do it; I’m just too fatally well-behaved. Oh well! We don’t get everything we want!