'Death To Obama' Sign Holder Detained In Maryland

HAGERSTOWN, Md. — The Secret Service is investigating a man who authorities said held a sign reading "Death to Obama" outside a town hall meeting on health-care reform in western Maryland.

The sign also read, "Death to Michelle and her two stupid kids," referring to the first name of President Barack Obama's wife, said Washington County Sheriff's Capt. Peter Lazich.

Lazich said deputies detained the unidentified, 51-year-old man near the entrance to Hagerstown Community College about 1 p.m. Wednesday after getting calls from a number of people attending the meeting held by Sen. Ben Cardin, D-Md. Obama was not at the meeting.

The sheriff's office turned the man over to the Secret Service, Lazich said.

Barbara Golden, special agent in charge of the agency's Baltimore field office, said Thursday that an investigation is ongoing but declined further comment. A spokesman at the agency's Washington headquarters also declined to discuss the investigation.

Police said there were no other arrests among the nearly 1,000 people, some carrying protest signs, who came to the college for the meeting or demonstrated off-campus.

Cardin's national communications director, Sue Walitsky, called the incident "unfortunate." She said she was unaware of it until Thursday morning.

Comments

[huffingt]

We don't want our country to be like Russia but we will follow Russian Or ly
We are informed citizens, thus follow Pa li n, to see Russia from her porch
We don't want socialism but social security, unemployment insurance and medicare
We want our country back - back from intellectual people
We don't want govt. bureaucrats; we can elect govt. Mo rans
We don't need to show my birth certificate, but demand others to show theirs
We want States right for governance & succession but could use some stimulus money
We don't want govt control but stand by me at every crises & Katrina in my life
We are Americans so we exercise our rights over others
We are unique in our stu pi dity, so, America is the only place for me
We are not angry mob, unamerican, nor militias, just boring left over teabagans
We ha te color people, but, presently on vacation in Puerto Rico to TAN my skin
We yell at meetings to say- hands off when my foot is in my mouth
We have values, good ones, but hard to practice in C. street when lights are off
We don't mind false sided F. news when delivered with a Tear
We are fearful of death panel as it prohibits us from pulling the plug on my rich relatives
We know amendments –to conceal drugs, alcohol, gu ns & soul mates
We understand constitution-"Our forefathers & Sotomayor wrote something.I know she did”

[take10]

Crude truths!

[hairyhuman]

“Russian Or ly”
What?
“to see Russia from her porch”
Obvious joke continually overused out of context. Lame.
“country back - back from intellectual people”
This implies that those not running the country are not intellectual.. it also implies that EVERY one running the country IS intellectual.
“we can elect govt. Mo rans “
Although you spelled morOns wrong, I don’t see your point.
“We don't need to show my birth certificate”
Don’t feel left out. If you run for President, we’ll demand yours.
“We don't want govt control but stand by me at every crises & Katrina in my life”
No, no… that’s strictly for the liberals. Republicans evacuate the cities (like in Mississippi) in an orderly fashion and when the job is done so well, the media chooses not to cover it because success stories do not profit as much as disaster stories such as New Orleans/Katrina.
“We are unique in our stupidity, so, America is the only place for me”
Matter of your own opinion. (as is the majority of your statements in this post)
“We ha te color people, but, presently on vacation in Puerto Rico to TAN my skin”
A very dangerous and extremely inaccurate opinionated point of view.
“We are fearful of death panel as it prohibits us from pulling the plug on my rich relatives”
There is a small percentage of Americans who are “rich”. This is another generalizing opinion.
“We understand constitution-"Our forefathers & Sotomayor wrote something.I know she did”
What?

[BigtimeCassandra]

Why was the person detained not identified? It seems like it would be vital to get the person's name out to the public--people in his community might know if he had a history of instability, going on and off meds, or a history of violence. It seems that much of the investigation might be speeded along if the man's identity were made public.

[take10]

His name doesn't matter as long as he in the "disappeared" status! He just may end up in Egypt or some other country which provides the US with secret prisons for terrorists. Don't forget, Bush started Home Land Security, which still exists and has the right to kidnap any American citizen who represents a threat to government, without notice to family and keep them forever. If it was good under Bush, it should not be a problem now. Or, should there be another rule for right wing extremists who threaten the life of the first Black President and his family? Did the people who lauded everything the Bush administration could imagine, lawful or not, think republicans would rule the country forever? Chit happens!

[take10]

Correction: "as long as he's in"

[citizensrus]

Prohibitive Activities: Statute covering threat to the President:

http://books.google.com/books?id=3rJbkWnsiE4C&pg=PA41&lpg=PA41&dq=legal+responses+to+international+terrorism+and+threat+to+president&source=bl&ots=40Szi1xh-o&sig=G5FDsiTyyhQdOEFy3BvT3mNjRiM&hl=en&ei=jq6FSr-iHMqTlAfC5diCBQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1#v=onepage&q=&f=false

[take10]

Thanks for providing the facts! The problem is that the right wing is 90% dependent upon talk radio and Fox Noise, both of which are surviving because they don't have a truth seeking audience, don't find it necessary to provide facts of any kind. Innuendo and misinformation are the staples of their programing. They also are not incapable of telling out right lies in order to sustain their talking points and control the minds of these people who thrive on being victims in search of an incident!

[StopSexismNow]

this f**ktard will be getting free medical care in prison. ironic.

[JNagarya]

And "Three Hots and a Cot" welfare.

[tjwdraws]

Don't feed the righties.

They are trying to compare our desire to Impeach Bush/Cheney for war crimes, misleading Congress, falsifying testimony, unlawful firing of prosecutors for partisan reasons, war profiteering, etc., to their side's threats to the President's life and that of his family as well as his administration and don't forget Beck's desire to poison the Speaker.

The left did not threaten the lives of anyone. We respect the law and would love to see JUSTICE SERVED upon the treasonous Bush administration.

[GOP1]

Isn't threatening the life of the President of the United States a felony?

[citizensrus]

Special statutes prohibit threats to the President and successors to the President;mailing threatening communications to the United States from a foreign country demanding ransoms or rewards for releasing kidnapped persons,or threatening to kidnap or injure anyone; threatening to kill,kidnap or assualt a foreign official,official guest or internationally protected person, or make extortionate demands of them,

[citizensrus]

And threatening to kill,kidnap or inflict bodily harm against specified categories of persons legally entitled to Secret Service protection. The 1984 statute protecting family members of federal officials extends to threats to assault,kidnap or murder a protected person."
Federal Anti-Terrorist Legislatio­n..pg,41,-­Legal Responses to International Terrorism: U.S. Procedural Aspects.By M. Cherif Bassiouni

[citizensrus]

'Presidential Threat Protection Act of 2000'."
look it up

[AKWrongWinger]

Hello Mister unidentified 51 year old man, welcome to your worst nightmare GITMO!

[ChiGuy]

What the he// is wrong with some right-wingers?!?!

[gallon]

Could you be more specific?

[JNagarya]

Everything.

Sufficiently specific for you?

[progressivelady]

Wingnuts out in full force.

[gallon]

Big overtime payroll for the Wingnut funding organizations.

[bongogirl]

Republicans want death to Obama's wife

[MissingAmerica]

These are the mentally disturbed people who are having their illnesses treated by people such as Rush Limbaugh, Ann Coulter, Michelle Bachman and the like. We need to put more money into healthcare so they can be treated by doctors rather than Republicans.

[bongogirl]

I agree that we have a right to express our thoughts for or against health care reform. But when the republicans wants the presidents' wife and daughters dead, that is over the top. The republicans did not want an African American president. And, they surely don not want him to pass a bill as significant as health care.

[take10]

McCain and the the rest of the elected republicans are depending on these outrageous threats and other subversive acts by their base and the incitement by senators like Grassley to stop all efforts to change the way their bosses in the insurance industry rip off the vulnerable public. They are cowards who not only won't distance themselves from the threats of violence against our first family, but who also, help fan the flames of this insanity by encouraging more of it. The GOP is proving that they place their interests above those of the country. Why hasn't their token Black Michael Steele spoken out against the threats to our first family? He seems to hate the Obamas as much as the racist republicans he glorifies as the answer to our problems. Just to think that not one republican is willing to speak out against the present discourse is a shameful legacy they can't escape. Is there no decency in the republican party? Perhaps, seriously violent encounters are what they feel will save the day for them. I think not, as it may not have the outcome they expect! I just wish our President would step up to the plate and act like the winner we made him, and stop taking this chit! Why isn't DOJ director Holder doing something about the obvious sedition and treason being committed by talk show hosts who make threats of death against our congressmen and first family? Department of Justice or the Department of Jelly?

[Bude]

How's this for the audacity of hope! I hope they be@t the sh*t out of the guy.

[right Alice]

These people are being led by example with so many idiots spewing and encouraging hate on the airwaves. It's like rotten fruit that's ripening - home-grown hate. As I've said before, there's a difference between 'free speech' and 'freebasing speech' and the contemptible people who are saying hateful, tyrannical things on TV and radio should be restrained. THEY are bad for American, period. And they know exactly what they're doing. Chaos and uprising is the intention. Or worse.