Posted on 06/11/2009 3:52:31 AM PDT by An.American.Expatriate
In recent days, David Letterman has repeatedly made comments about a juvenile private citizen (Willow Palin) on his nationally broadcast television show.
These comments were made with the full knowledge that Miss Palin herself, as well as her freinds and schoolmates, would hear them and were calculated to cause the utmost in emotional distress on the part of Miss Palin.
By using the public airwaves to broadcast these comments, David Letterman has violated Title 18, Part I, Chapter 110A, §2261A Stalking:
Whoever—
(1) travels in interstate or foreign commerce or within the special maritime and territorial jurisdiction of the United States, or enters or leaves Indian country, with the intent to kill, injure, harass, or place under surveillance with intent to kill, injure, harass, or intimidate another person, and in the course of, or as a result of, such travel places that person in reasonable fear of the death of, or serious bodily injury to, or causes substantial emotional distress to that person, a member of the immediate family (as defined in section 115) of that person, or the spouse or intimate partner of that person; or
(2) with the intent—
(A) to kill, injure, harass, or place under surveillance with intent to kill, injure, harass, or intimidate, or cause substantial emotional distress to a person in another State or tribal jurisdiction or within the special maritime and territorial jurisdiction of the United States; or
(B) to place a person in another State or tribal jurisdiction, or within the special maritime and territorial jurisdiction of the United States, in reasonable fear of the death of, or serious bodily injury to—
(i) that person;
(ii) a member of the immediate family (as defined in section 115 [1] of that person; or
(iii) a spouse or intimate partner of that person;
uses the mail, any interactive computer service, or any facility of interstate or foreign commerce to engage in a course of conduct that causes substantial emotional distress to that person or places that person in reasonable fear of the death of, or serious bodily injury to, any of the persons described in clauses (i) through (iii) of subparagraph (B);[2]
shall be punished as provided in section 2261 (b) of this title.
Furthermore, the unstated but inherit implication of further smears and attacks against the minor daughter of the Govenor of the State of Alaska amounts to Extortion - and in a much as these threats are communicated via the public airwaves are a violation of US Code Title 18, Part 1 Chapter 41 § 875 Interstate communications:
(a) Whoever transmits in interstate or foreign commerce any communication containing any demand or request for a ransom or reward for the release of any kidnapped person, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than twenty years, or both.
(b) Whoever, with intent to extort from any person, firm, association, or corporation, any money or other thing of value, transmits in interstate or foreign commerce any communication containing any threat to kidnap any person or any threat to injure the person of another, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than twenty years, or both.
(c) Whoever transmits in interstate or foreign commerce any communication containing any threat to kidnap any person or any threat to injure the person of another, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than five years, or both.
(d) Whoever, with intent to extort from any person, firm, association, or corporation, any money or other thing of value, transmits in interstate or foreign commerce any communication containing any threat to injure the property or reputation of the addressee or of another or the reputation of a deceased person or any threat to accuse the addressee or any other person of a crime, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than two years, or both.
shall be punished as provided in section 2261 (b) of this title.
[1] So in original. Probably should be followed by a closing parenthesis.
[2] So in original. Provision probably should be set flush with par. (2).
Letterpedo should also be charged for child pornography. Fantasizing about a teenager getting impregnated violently and prostituting for Eliot Spitzer is verbal pornography.
Agree, but much more difficult to prove ....
It is a nice thought. But the 0bama administration doesn’t prosecute crimes perpetrated by the left.
Also, I’d like to see if a case can be made for Child Abuse (emotional) - it would still be federal since he used an means of interstate commerce to commit the act.
David Letterman - liberal putz parrot.
plain and simple.
Oh, come on. He’s a jerk who made a jerky comment. This posting looks like something an aggrieved lib would write while filing a report on a hate crime. Is that where we are now, legitimizing the libs’ BS because it suits us?
If enough of us continue to pouind the issue, the US Attorny / FBI & media will not be able to ignore it.
Oh, so in your mind it is okay for someone to go on national television and abuse a child emotionally?
—Any legal eageles here that can provide some insight?—
Somehow, I doubt that satire or satricial comedy, however crude or tasteless, directed against a public figure or his or her family, falls under [section] 2261A. In fact, I can’t belive that is being seriously discussed on this forum.
—This posting looks like something an aggrieved lib would write while filing a report on a hate crime. Is that where we are now, legitimizing the libs’ BS because it suits us?—
In the immortal words of Fonzie, “exactamundo.”
It was not "jerky", but vile and defamatory towards innocent children. No need to play down the utter filth this pervert is spewing.
His comments regarding Willow were not satirical nor satrical commedy by any definition of those terms.
He should be charged for slander...
but so far I think we should fully concentrate on pounding his sponsors and CBS (especially your local CBS affiliates):
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2269359/posts
Thanks - someone who understands. ....
Well... how does one (presumably legally) handle situations like this when the law isn’t going to help you?
Just another dooooooooosh bag entertainer......
Come to think of it the Obama administration might be able to use the same argument to move ahead with the "Fairness Doctrine" or one of it's permutations to censor talk radio.
We have to pick our battles. We must choose wisely.
prisoner6
“Oh, come on. He’s a jerk who made a jerky comment. This posting looks like something an aggrieved lib would write while filing a report on a hate crime. Is that where we are now, legitimizing the libs’ BS because it suits us?”
Exactly. The whole stalking thing is pretty stupid stuff. Besides, the joke is clearly about Bristol, who got herself knocked up and can hardly be considered “innocent”. Some people are twisting themselves into knots trying to make this a much bigger thing than it is.
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