What kind of speech could cause the Secret Service to show up, question and perh

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   Xenonlitposted 12 years ago

   What kind of speech could cause the Secret Service to show up, question and perhaps arrest someone?
   
   The recent Ted Nugent debacle has caused a national stir. Many Americans are expressing themselves in wild and crazy ways. An awful lot of them do not realize that some statements can get them arrested.

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   WD Curry 111posted 12 years ago

   Are you kidding? If I gave you an example, You will never hear from me again! Are you working for them, Too?

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      heavenbound5511posted 12 years agoin reply to this

      You're funny , but right!
      The law now says in the USA we can be detained for no reason at all- so watch out for the abuse of this new laws passing to be used against all that will oppose the Government..Secret service will comply too as it is goven

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3. 68

   Jim Bryanposted 12 years ago

   Use of force doctrine includes the threat of force. Threating to commit violence is not protected speech. If I threatened to hurt someone, I might go to jail. The Motor City Malingerer is being investigated for making threatening statements against the President, et al. Rightfully so. Disagreeing with someone is one thing, threatening or attempting to incite violence is another. Calling on people to impeach the President is protected speech, calling on people to cut his head off probably doesn't fit within those confines. If the statements he made are found to be hyperbolic, then they will close the investigation without further ado, however, if they find his statements credible, they have a duty to take actions including requesting psychological testing, a review of his firearms collectors license to the BATF, or even arrest. Making "statements" won't get you arrested, making threats might. Read my HUB "What's so terrible about Ted Nugent?" for more details. This isn't the first time the aging rocker has made threats of this nature.

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      Gusserposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      The Secret Service found nothing threatening in "the aging rockers" statements after interviewing him today. Some you win and some you lose eh?

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   Joelipooposted 12 years ago

   If you find yourself a Columbian prostitute, they would probably come.

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      Xenonlitposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Apparently Todd Palin knew how to keep the secret service happy. Lovemychris has a post about that mess.

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   Larry Wallposted 12 years ago

   I can not give you specifics. I know they take their job very seriously. Many years ago, when I was a young reporter, I was attending a press conference of former President Gerald Ford, about two years after Jimmy Carter beat him for the presidency.
   
   After the press conference there was a reception for the ex-president and all the media was assembled on the stage of the auditorium. I tapped an agent on the should and asked why. He just looked at me and turned around. A few minutes later we were allowed off stage. The organizers did not want the media crowding the former President and asking more questions when he was there for the purpose of political fund raising.
   
   Freedom of speech is a basic right for us. However, showing a little restraint at times can be beneficial.

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6. 61

   Xenonlitposted 12 years ago

   It is a lie that the Black Panthers attached DOA to their bounty. They put out a bounty for a citizen's arrest.
   
   For the rest of you, great discussion! I have been caught up on a few things and hope that others will be, too. We can't just mouth off and threaten people.
   
   I am most concerned about the free range mentally ill who have gotten their hands on guns and worse weapons. They are the ones who will act.

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      Gusserposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      They were hanging DOA posters. Try google. The Rev Jesse Jackson even denounced them for it. Read Meadite.

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      Xenonlitposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Oh, and the racists haven't been a million times busier? The DOA did not come from the panthers.

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   jpcmcposted 12 years ago

   The Secret Service has two main obligations:  Protect the president and oversee counterfeiting the currency.  Perhaps anything that deals with these two can get your attention.  I'm not sure but saying you want or will assassinate the president can get you in jail even if you don't mean it.

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   ChangeAmericaNowposted 12 years ago

   You have to directly threaten the presidents life. Violent speech can get you questioned but you are not getting arrested unless there is a credible threat towards the president.

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   daborn7posted 12 years ago

   My father actually had the secret service show up to his house because of a statement he made to a coworker on the job. He is a hunter and used to be in the military, so he loves guns and shooting and whatnot.
   
   So these guys were messing around and making jokes about who had the best aim with their gun, and somehow the presidents name got brought up at one point in the conversation.
   
   The next thing you know, these guys showed up on my dads doorstep and he had to go through a ton of questioning at his home and downtown. They even hooked him up to a lie detector. He was never arrested, but they sure did give him hell!
   
   So, yeah, anything that threatens the president in any shape or form, or a number of words in the same sentence will catch their attention and get someone in some pretty deep trouble.

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    Lateral3posted 12 years ago

    This is a good question, and not untimely given some recent cases.  I think the intelligence services can distinguish between hot air and genuine intent or incitement. In other places I have called for the public execution of the entire political establishment in the UK and they haven't sent the boys round yet; hang on, I think there's someone at the door.

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    royalblkroseposted 12 years ago

    usually speech that could be interpreted as threatening the president, overthrowing the government, or terroristic in nature.

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