Is the Secret Service Investigating Liz Trotta and Fox News?
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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Of course they are criminally negligent .....and so is Hillary Clinton.
I was wondering how many posts I would have to read before someone brought Senator Clinton's name into the discussion --- and under the requisite theme as evil incarnate.
Arianna and other bloggers have been posting intelligent, sensible blogs to help begin the healing process between the two camps and certain Obaminations continue to pour gas on the fire.
Like it or not, neither of the candidates can write off the others supporters and expect to win in November.
It isn't an Obama supporter, it's a McCain lurker.
fine by me. I'll drag this party down to prove a point. I don't care what the numbers say. That's just the way it's gotta be. Gas on the fire!
- a certain obamination
NOT discussing Hillary while discussing assasination hype would be a grossly hypocritical double standard: it's hard to justify holding a journalist to a higher standard than a candidate, leading light in the party, and former first lady.
For us to be having this conversation, for Fox News, Hillary Clinton, and Mike Huckabee to have brought this kind of language into the public discourse, all aimed at one candidate, by the way—we never talk about the fact that Obama is the only one who has been the target of this disgusting rhetoric—is frightening to me. And that's the point.
All these people are fearmongering.
That is really important for all of us to understand, because when we're afraid, we don't think clearly. And fearmongering has been working for the Bush Administration for eight years. This is an attempt to change the electoral outcome by fearmongering.
This is unacceptable rhetoric, and we need to make it plain to anyone employing this tactic—I don't care whether it's Hillary Clinton or the biggest buffoon on Fox—that we will not accept this kind of talk. Under any circumstances. And that we will withdraw support from anyone speaking like this.
McCarthyism is back, apparently. Let's turn the country into a cauldron of paranoia, why don't we? What we need to fear, however, much more than words, is Obama and his radical followers tearing America apart and de-stabilizing the Middle East.
The Secret Service doesn't comment on procedure. Haven't you seen "The West Wing"?
Seitzman's article is well written and should be sent to someone of influence in the Secret Service.
Agreed. The Secret Service should be served with some kind of legal writ demanding some accountability for it's lack of action on the matter. That way, they won't be able to later say they weren't aware of who said what.
GREAT essay/post, I agree, it was out of bounds, no question about it, FOX should have it's license on the line for this, a steep fine without question.
Sadly in her clarification, Liz Trotta still finds her assassination comment humorous.
Liz Trotta, "It is a very colorful political season"-- she chuckled at this point--"
I dont think that Liz Trotta is an "employee" of Fox News . She is listed as a Fox News Consultant. When the story came out about all the former Military members who were appearing on Fox and other networks to hype the Iraq War it was revealed that these people have contracts that pay them a 'per appearance fee' each time they show their faces on a program.
We can ask that she not appear on any future Fox programs but I don't believe that she can actually be fired in the traditional sense of that word.
Well, if she's doing this on her own, then she better get a lawyer because she can now be investigated as an individual for her threatening comments.
Michael, Try yelling fire in a restaurant, or theater, and see where it gets you!
Liz Trotta is symptomatic of a broken system where civility has been overtaken by hopeful thinking in the terms of assassination. And just how right wing is she? She portrays the right wing as the crazy, lunatic fringe of America, rightly or wrongly. The fact that people are openly joking about assassination belies the increasing acceptance of the idea. Or the inevitability.
After all, ten years ago, torture was unacceptable to the average American. Today, the President openly admits that our government tortures the guilty and innocent alike. Torture is acceptable. Torture has prevented the prosecution of those who would harm us.
Her display, and Clinton's, illustrates the decline of America most poignantly. We are all frustrated by the paralysis of our political system to affect any meaningful change. Now, the two "independent" parties are only interested in maintaining power. Political assassination is now openly joked about. How long before it becomes the vehicle of change de jour?
Perhaps this is all much sicker than we want to believe. Is this FOX gonna' trotta little Trotsky out for the folks to enjoy?
Watch how Fox news would scream and the secret service would react, if anyone said that about the bungling babbling buffoon sitting in the White House. If it is wrong to say it about one politican it should be wrong to say it about any other politican, also..
'lil bush smacks 'lil kerry down at the flagpole affer skewl ...
I mean, who really has the liscence to put our political candidates into prose and literary tools that are metaphors of violence?
That is an extremely important question for those that wish for U.S. to be violent.
Fox news is an unamerican company and should be viewed as such. These folks want to keep the pot boiling and keep the American people in conflict over cultural issues that have no bearing on their everyday quality of life issues, i.e. economic issues. The fact is that 99% of our media is conversatively slanted and obvously corporate held and supported by republicans. The republicans would like us all to believe the media is liberal and elitiest. This could not be further from the truth. People need to wake up and start getting directly involved with their elected officials instead of listening to these talking heads and taking their lead.
Wrong. Fox is the quintessential idea of what America has become. Just another symptom of the disease and rot within the body politic.
Let's not forget who chose to syndicate and feed this ... to the big, nasty, filthy, violent ... media.
That the journalist could make such a huge and dangerous and slanderous comment to the election system of 300 million good americans is an indictment of the major media. The major media is the biggest purveyor of violence and terror.
This journalist obviously felt comfortable enough to 'slip'. Whereas you or I would literally feel repulsed by making this type of statement and even fearful.
No one I know truly wants to see these radical liberals harmed, but I can assure you there are millions upon millions of Americans who wish we could stick them (B. Hussein and H. Rodham) in a NASA Shuttle and launch them (with spouses) into a very, very long space mission. Say, 20-30 years. That should about do it.
How 'bout we keep them here and instead send Bush, Cheney, you, and McCain. The world would rest easier with Bush and Cheney in hyperspace.
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