[Jet Jaguar]

Ping

[nickcarraway]

Threatening a Republican’s life is illegal?

[jakerobins]

There are people in SC with a real hate for Gov. Haley....I spoke with a Dem neighbor that spoke in harsh language about her that I thought was reserved for Sarah Palin or President Bush.

[Dr. Sivana]

A South Carolina man is accused of threatening the life of Gov. Nikki Haley on Facebook, but he claims he was only making a point about free speech.

He did a good job of demonstrating that threatening someone's life is NOT free speech.

[Repeal The 17th]

Words mean things...

[MovementConservative]

He thinks this is blown out of proportion? Does he understand irony? He needs to be monitored by the criminal justice system until he gets a better perspective. Wishing one’s political opponents dead is really blowing things out of proportion.

[fwdude]

All such speech must be view within its context. This thug made his threat with a throng of hateful, vicious, proven lawbreakers at his back. It is every bit plausible that he would follow through with his threat.

[magooey]

Since we have equality before the law, do tell what happened to all the folks who ran around with Kill Bush signs, wrote newspaper columns lamenting that there was no John Wilkes Booth for Mr. Bush, and created a movie about the assassination of President Bush.

It really looks grossly hypocritical for the authorities to have such different reactions to "threats" to politicians. Are we supposed to believe "dissent is patriotic" only for one corner of the political spectrum?

[Democrat_media]

This is ridiculous. Typing words on a screen is a crime? We have no freedom of speech. Without freedom of speech we have no freedom. Why give government thugs more power to censor the Internet and to arrest you for what is on a web page? What if some one impersonating you types something on some web site and then government thugs then come arrest you and put you in prison ?

Look I hate liberals/democrats/socialists, but freedom of speech is very important.

[Cindy]

Thread bump.

[OnlyTurkeysHaveLeftWings]

At issue, according to the court, is whether a "reasonable person" would view the statement in question as a genuine threat. In Shafer's case, that remains to be seen.

Here's the rub. IN CONTEXT, a "reasonable" person could swing either way. I'm something of an absolutist when it comes to the first amendment, so seems to me he's making a point--an extreme point, a distasteful point, but a point nonetheless--about what he perceives to be Gov. Haley's disregard for free speech.

But.

I also think if you're stupid enough to say something like that in print and with your real name on it you can't expect nothing to happen.

So basically it comes down to which 12 people wind up in the box and I'll shed no tears nor celebrate either way.

[Lazamataz]

"I hope someone murders you before I do," Shafer said he commented on the post. "How's that for freedom of speech?"

Damn, dude. That was freakin' stupid.

[MinuteGal]

We have Constitutional Law and Obama Law.....and never the twain shall meet.

Obama Law trumps all.

Leni

[Lancey Howard]

Throw the simple little twink in jail. Fine with me.

[BIGLOOK]

Since when are threats 'Freedom of Speech' rights, JJ? Or is this just a case that'll be passed over because it involves another Occupy movement?

Nothing like an apology before the arraignment.