The FR rule not to threaten a person or urge the murder of someone is a good one. A public threat can come back and bite you.
On the other hand, threats to kill Osama, Chavez, or Islamofascists is probably okay but I could be wrong.
I haven't seen an FR rule about posting a threat to kill killers.
LB initiated a post asking for help with advice & volunteers for the campaign I was running.
I have the entire thread.
Phantom Lord, I'm assuming, was using a tongue in cheek comment, not a threat of harm. Basically, what he was saying in fewer words is that its a lost cause to run a candidate in MA that is a conservative, a republican or even a moderate independent for that matter.
I didnt even chime in to the post until #40 or so in which I explained details about the election, the candidates, and I called the Wrentham Citizens Allaince the "democrat bleeding hearts". I will not retract that statement, basically because I believe it to be true, they are the town NIMBYS. They are anti business. The townsfolk pretty much know this.
Little Bill called the candidate in the beginning a rat, short for DemocRAT, LB didnt even know what town or players were involved in the beginning.
In the midst of the campaign TWO YEARS AGO, Greg (opponent candidate) came accross the original post. I'm assuming that their side were as busy as us and did not do a full analysis of the post, in fact at that time TWO YEARS AGO, the thread was shown to the police and it died on the spot TWO YEARS AGO.
Greg even congratulated us (me) for our victory by shaking my hand and saying congratulations "guinnessboy", I figured I'd give him that one, that it was part of the game.
The original post was taken down from FR 2 YRS AGO.
fast forward to today.
On the original thread that was taken down there were some lampooning posts of the selectmen that were put on the later part of the thread about post #53 or so. It's just name calling pretty much, nothing to lose sleep over, and it was posted by handles that I don't recognize.
The importance of how the police are pulled into all this is:
and this is public knowledge:
The Cheif Colamatti is retiring, they are looking for a successor as far as I see it.
There is an officer with the first name William. Firth and whoever she consults with, were convinced that the William on the force is Little Bill.
This whole thing basically is based on insinuations, innuendos, allegations and hysteria.
So now according to the current cheif the police's image has been sullied. All because those in possession of the original thread that must have figured that it could be used as an agenda tool maybe out of revenge of election defeat 2 YRS AGO (who knows).........
Anyhow, even to this point, when this all dredged up, they continued to not do their homework, both sides are completely lazy and it shows.
They pretty much see it that Little Bill and Guinnessboy wrote EVERY SINGLE POST on the original thread.
Nothing is further from the truth, I've got the whole thread in print here. In fact, there really wasnt much of anything derogatory coming from myself or LB other than opinion, which really wasnt that inflamatory.
Nothing to make them want to say "I'm going home and taking my ball with me".......
Now she finds herself in a mix with the police union because she didnt do her homework.
they never bothered to ask, hey who exactly is guinnessboy and little bill.
The police station is literally 100 paces behind town hall, think in the era of communication that someone could have walked, called on a landline, cell phone or sent an email to ask, hey cheif, you ever had an officer Ronald Groves?
Maybe ask the current Selectman how this whold freerepublic post relates to him? I mean there has to be some kind of communication going on while they are sitting together? This can all come up in small talk.
To sum it up, In my opinion, the absolute truth is not what is wanted here by her/them. They wanted to shoot first and ask questions later. That's why there are so many errors in the Sun Chronicle and Firth's testimony because nobody is doing their homework. Except the DA who cleared the police, and now the police union is asking, where's the beef?
There was no specific threat made against anyone. It even sounds like the actual opponent wasn't named at the time PAR35 or Phantom Lord made that comment. And "kill your opponent" can be taken literally or figuratively (i.e. pile on all the negative stuff you have and bury him). No one ever suggested putting a bullet through a particular person's head to get rid of him.