Ky. man who admitted writing poem threatening Obama's life is sentenced to 33 months in prison

Associated Press ^ | December 6, 2010 | DYLAN LOVAN

[Gomer1066]

LOUISVILLE, Ky.

[Gomer1066]

Defense attorney?

Not a very good one.

This case should have been taken to trial.

Protected speech under the First Amendment.

Spencer could still win on the appeal.

[flowerplough]

“Since CBS probably won’t be repeating the August 4, 2000 edition of “The Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn” anytime soon, here’s (http://www.thesmokinggun.com/documents/crime/kilborn-cbs-target-bush-0) a video still from that evening’s infamous “In The News” segment. In a monumentally dumb bit, the show super imposed the words “Snipers Wanted” over an image of Bush delivering his acceptance speech at the Republican convention. Both CBS and David Letterman’s Worldwide Pants (which produces Kilborn’s nightly smug fest) apologized for the “inappropriate and regrettable” graphic/threat.”

[Gomer1066]

Like I said before, the leftards had a field day with threats against Bush by way of comedians, movies, plays and books without a “Boo” from the Secret Service.

Clearly, the current SS witch hunt against alleged threats to Obama are directed by either his staff or himself.

We need to indict the people responsible for this terrorism against free speech.

[Gomer1066]

Thanks!

I’m doing an article on my blog highly critical of the actions of the SS since Obama became president, as it looks like to me an SS witch hunt against the First Amendment is in progress.

I’m going to make the article in the form of a request to the Attorney General for the arrest of the Director of the Secret Service.

I know this request will go nowhere in this Administration, but those officials responsible for this terrorism are a clear and present danger to the Republic, and must removed from office.

[gdzla]

Interesting.
Some one musing on destroying 0bamas life is sent to jail. All the while 0bama is actually succeeding in destroying the American way of life.

[HIDEK6]

He should have just made a rap song out of it and he’d have gotten a Grammy.

[P-Marlowe]

I can't count the number of books and movies I have read and seen where there are threats to the president.

The problem here is that this poem was posted on a White Supremacist site. If it had been posted during Bush's presidency on a liberal blog, then it would have been given some kind of webbie award.

[SeeSac]

>I can’t locate a complete copy of the poem, which seems to have disappeared down the Ministry of Truth’s memory hole, <

It is in the complaint:

http://www.wlky.com/download/2010/0219/22615404.pdf

It is also here but be forewarned about clicking on it if you are at work.

http://whitereference.blogspot.com/2010/02/johnny-logan-spencer-latest-thought.html

[SeeSac]

Spencer could still win on the appeal.

Possibly, but it is much harder when you plead guilty.

[behzinlea]

Anyone who threatens a president is an idiot and should expect to be prosecuted and perhaps thrown in jail.

Unless it's a Republican president, apparently. If it's a Republican president, one may write books, write screenplays, make movies, and do stand-up comic routines about it and be the toast of academia and Hollywood.

[hosepipe]

No doubt some democrats are thinking of ways to "Martin Luther King" ->>OBAMA as we post..
Just the thought of it offends me.. the funeral would last for a full year..

[P-Marlowe]

There is nothing in the poem that indicates that the target of the sniper is the President and there is nothing in the poem which actually threatens anyone.

It is obvious that the only reason he was prosecuted was because of where the poem was posted and not because of the content of the poem itself.

The poem is filled with racist references, but then so is nearly every single rap song ever published.

[behzinlea]

But you are right. Threatening the life of a president—regardless of political affiliation—is seriously wrong and should be vigorously prosecuted.

[P-Marlowe]

But you are right. Threatening the life of a president—regardless of political affiliation—is seriously wrong and should be vigorously prosecuted.

Did you read the poem? It is not a threat. It is a poem. A great example of bad poetry, but certainly not a credible threat to anyone other than the reader.

If this is a crime, then 99% of the political thriller books in print where there are threats to the president contained in them would subject the authors to prosecution.

If this law were applied even handedly, then all the producers of "24" would be serving out their sentences with Logan.

[struggle]

So why is Craig Kilborn not in jail?

[xzins]

I haven’t read the poem. Is there anything in it that specifically mentions Obama?

If not, then the guy gets a Darwin for admitting to what isn’t evident in the poem at all.

Speaking of Darwin, we had a couple of guys start to hold up the local bank while the police chief was cashing a check.

[P-Marlowe]

I haven’t read the poem. Is there anything in it that specifically mentions Obama?

Here is a link to the complaint which contains the poem.

And no there isn't anything in there that mentions Obama or the president. It's just a bunch of racist dribble. Poor taste, certainly, but also clearly protected by the first amendment.

[Stonewall Jackson]

Back in 1990, Stephen Coonts wrote Under Siege, in which an assassin shoots down Marine One, critically wounding President Bush the Elder. He then uses a sniper rifle to kill a Supreme Court Justice and at least one other senior government official before being tracked down and killed by the book's main characters.

[xzins]

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — A Kentucky man who acknowledged writing a poem threatening the life of President Barack Obama was sentenced Monday by a federal judge to 33 months in prison.

Johnny Logan Spencer apologized for writing the poem, which depicts a fatal sniper shooting of the president. Spencer, 28, said he was upset at the time over the death of his mother and had fallen in with a white supremacist group.

"These groups were just a way for me to cope," Spencer said Monday in federal court in Louisville. "I took things they said a little too far." Spencer said the group helped him kick his drug habit.

He had pleaded guilty to a charge of threatening the life of the president, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison.

It appears to me from the article that the guy admitted it was a threat against the president, something that wouldn't have been obvious had he not acknowledged it.

It sounds like if he'd kept his mouth shut, that there was no problem. But, as soon as he admitted it was about an assassination, that's when he incriminated himself.

The question becomes for me, if I write something that is just imaginary about assassination, and I acknowledge that it is about assassination but it is only imaginary, then that should be first amendment.

But what if I right something that I'm serious about, and then say, "Yes, I was hoping to off the guy or have someone else do it.", is that still protected?

I don't know that I wrote that clearly, but you probably get my drift. What do you think?

[wmfights]

It's just a bunch of racist dribble. Poor taste, certainly, but also clearly protected by the first amendment.

Thank you for the link. I read the poem, your description of it is spot on. I didn't see anything saying he was going to do it.

It seems we have now taken "zero tolerance" out of the classroom and imposed it on a formerly free people. I can't believe he was brought to trial, or convicted.