29
October
2004
|
04:53 AM
America/Los_Angeles

Friday Watch: "What you say on the Internet can affect your real life"

by Doug Millison for SiliconValleyWatcher.com


A blogger's nightmare come true: criticize the President, get the third degree from the Secret Service.

From the blogger's report on the frightening late-night knock at the door and subsequent interrogation:


A couple of weeks ago, following the last presidential debate, I said some rather inflammatory things about George W. Bush in a public post in my LJ, done in a satirical style. We laughed, we ranted, we all said some things. I thought it was a fairly harmless (and rather obvious) attempt at humor in the face of annoyance, and while a couple of people were offended, as is typical behavior from me, I saw something shiny and forgot about it, thinking that the whole thing was over and done and nothing else would come of what I said.

I was wrong.


At 9:45 last night, the Secret Service showed up on my mother's front door to talk to me about what I said about the President, as what I said could apparently be misconstrued as a threat to his life. After about ten minutes of talking to me and my family, they quickly came to the conclusion that I was not a threat to national security (mostly because we are the least threatening people in the entire world) and told me that they would not recommend that any further action be taken with my case. However, I do now have a file with the FBI that includes my photograph, my e-mail address, and the location of my LJ. This will follow me around for the rest of my life, regardless of the fact that the Secret Service knows that I am not a threat.


Chilling.




Links:


a word to the wise, Live Journal blog entry from the target of the Secret Service investigation




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