Washington – The Federal Bureau of Investigation has opened an investigation into messages posted online offering rewards for the murder of President Obama and his family as well as former President George W. Bush, members of the Bush administration and specific members of Congress, an FBI spokesperson told CBS News. No one has yet been arrested.
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The New York Times first reported that the FBI and Capitol Police were investigating the messages, in which “a Google user offered up to $100,000” for the killings. The user also reportedly called for bombing of iconic monuments, bridges and buildings, including the Washington Monument, the Brooklyn Bridge, American embassies and the headquarters of defense contractors. He or she urged Americans to set the bombs and “KILL as many FBI, CIA, DNI and NSA PSYCHOPATHS as possible,” the Times reported.
This invastigation needs to be done by the secrat service not by the fbi ?
Why should people have to suffer death threats, just to run for office in this country?! I realize there are crazies everywhere… but it seems as though politicians suffer it the most, even though there are so many others that affect our societies on the whole in a much larger way!
People complained that President Obama needed the Secret Service before he even got elected, but he was *already* receiving so many death threats just as a candidate, (him & his family both- 2 small children, mind you), that the gov’t felt it best to protect him just as a normal citizen, as best as they could, until the election was over! Crazy!
I told my hubby that if anybody (on the right or left) is facing THAT much risk, just to run for office, they deserve to be protected, because it’s just not right that somebody should have to face DEATH, just because they want to serve the public!
They aren’t signing up for the military! (lol) They’re just running for political office! I think it’s crazy NOT to protect people if they genuinely need the protection.
I realize it’s their choice to run or not… but they are running to *help* society- they shouldn’t get killed for it!
Fortunately we no longer have to respond to some former posters (remember “Milhaus”) who defended such threats on the life of the president as a form of “protected speech”)
Sherry, you are very silly. Politicians don’t suffer. They get decent pay, great pension and numerous great opportunities before and after their terms are over. I’ve never met a congressman (present or former) below the poverty line. Also, why would you say it’s not like their in the military? It’s more likely to be killed in the presidency than in the military. And why would it be any sadder if Obama was killed, than if a standard citizen is killed? Murder is murder is murder and it’s sad no matter when and to whom it happens to. And you don’t need to cry for the members of congress, obama, bush etc., for they’ll live a better quality of life (materially at least) than you or I will ever live. And say if a high status politician gets kidney failure, and there is a typical citizen and politician seeking to receive a transplant, yet only one kidney available, who do you think receives it?
So Brian, are you saying that death threats against a public official are acceptable or that assasinating a public figure because one doesnt’ agree with their policies is ok.
No one condones such behavior. You just can’t make treaths like these. However, what we fail to realize and we don’t speak openly is the fact that so many ordinary citizens are extremly dissapointed with the us goverment and their policies. That’s why these types of extreme messages resonates and people buy into it.
Unfortunetly, this country has shifted from being a democracy to a brutal and communist regime. Freedom of speech but no chance of standing up and defending ourself against a gvmnt raid or libel is not considered freedom. Let’s not be kiddin ourselves.
We have had some good politicians and some that we still have no matter which state they may be in, do not deserve this!! They have families and small children!!
Of course it’s not okay, it was just weird how sherry was painting a picture as if they live their lives in sub par standards when they, especially the obamas, live like royalty. No tears from me for them.
Like them, love them or hate them, elected officials are not there for target practice. The idea of political assassinations is a totally un -American one which no person should ever condone. We vote people out of office…that is the real American way.