FOX News political pundit Liz Trotta jokingly suggested this weekend that someone should assassinate an American presidential candidate. She had first "mistakenly" referred to Obama as "Osama" while discussing theories that Hillary Clinton's recent comments about the RFK assassination was in fact a suggestion that someone "knock off Osama." When she was corrected and reminded that she meant "Obama," she then said, "Well, both if we could."
The United States Secret Service is charged with the protection of Senator Obama and famously takes all threats seriously, so it's important to ask the question whether they will be investigating Liz Trotta's comment, FOX News' response to that comment, and any collateral threats that may have been generated by the comment.
Assassins throughout our history have repeatedly claimed to find their motivations in the media. John Hinckley claimed his attempted assassination of Reagan was because of his obsession with Jodie Foster, Mark David Chapman cited The Catcher in the Rye and the film Ordinary People as inspirations for his assassination of John Lennon, and Charles Manson claims his murders were a result of his twisted interpretation of The Beatles' "Helter Skelter."
While these so-called motivations are inexplicable to a healthy mind, it is foolish and naive not to accept as a terrifying fact that psychotics can and will be triggered by almost anything, which is why it's not only vulgar but completely reckless, irresponsible and bordering on criminal for those who comment on politics and political figures to say the kind of disgusting thing that Liz Trotta said. It's also, not incidentally, why the world pounced so quickly and decisively on Hillary Clinton's comments about the RFK assassination.
This from the Secret Service website: "The Secret Service is interested in legitimate information relating to threats, plans or attempts by individuals, groups or organizations to harm Secret Service protectees. However, the agency does not desire or solicit information pertaining to individuals or groups expressing legitimate criticism of, or political opposition to, the policies and decisions of the government or government officials."
The questions the Secret Service should be asking are: Were Liz Trotta and FOX News criminally negligent in using the public airwaves to suggest the assassination of a presidential candidate; Is the suggestion of political assassination an example of legitimate criticism; and, If the First Amendment doesn't allow one to yell "Fire!" in a crowded theater or "Bomb!" on an airplane, how could it allow a public "joke" about assassinating a political candidate?
And what is the question the rest of us should be asking? How about, what kind of world are we creating for ourselves and our children where we allow our political divisions to become so deep that the suggestion or even the joke about a political assassination is in any way acceptable?
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I wouldn't have minded Hillary running on the ticket as VP with Obama if he is the nominee, but not now. Now I am too afraid for his life of him being harmed by her. I have no reason to trust her around him since she amd Ms Trotta made those remarks.
If Obama is killed because of Hillary's or Liz Trotta's references to assassinat
What kind of a person becomes a secret service agent?
The kind that put their hearts into the path way of a bullet to save the life of a president.
The kind of individual
No compensati
The fact that Huckabee would dare joke in public suggesting the most outrageous commentary regarding a U.S. Senator, or that Hillary Clinton would draw parallels between why she remains in the race while pointing out that RFK was assassinat
Sen. Clinton knows first hand what those secret service men and women put on the line for her and her family.
Huckabee's comments are a disgrace.
Fox news used PUBLIC AIRWAYS to generate the unthinkabl
It is unconscion
The disregard for the secret service and what they contend with and sacrifice, is reflected in these depraved, unconscion
The kind of country that gives its citizens a farce like the Warren Commission and the magic-bull
Big brother is watching and listening.
:-)
Vote!!!
It is HOPED that the american public doesn't get side tracked by emotionali
Title 18, Crimes and Criminal Procedures
Sec. 3056. Powers, authoritie
(7) Major Presidenti
within 120 days of the general Presidenti
of such candidates
Presidenti
individual
after consultati
Speaker of the House of Representa
the House of Representa
of the Senate, and one additional member selected by the other
members of the committee. The protection authorized in paragraphs (2) through (7) may b
First, they were commenting on Hillary's remarks when they made a remark even worse! Second, Don Imus was removed from his position of authority when he made a racial slur against a female African-Am
The undercurre
If something untoward happens, it's going to be the leftist nuts who gloat over this whole imbroglio, keeping it alive, who should be severely punished by their countrymen .
Hypocrites