Secret Service looks into yearbook prank ("most likely to assassinate...")

[truthpusher]

http://www.macon.com/mld/macon/news/nation/11746886.htm

Posted on Thu, May. 26, 2005
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Secret Service looks into yearbook prank
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Associated Press
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WIDEFIELD, Colo. - Most Mesa Ridge High School students got yearbooks with a black mark under one student's picture, covering up a phrase that has caught the Secret Service's interest.

After about 100 yearbooks were distributed May 6, somebody complained about the caption, which reads "most likely to assassinate President Bush." School officials asked students to return the yearbooks, and staff members used markers to cover up the words in those and the still-undistributed books.

(snip)

Lon Garner, special agent in charge of the Secret Service's Denver District, said all threats against the president must be investigated.

"That's our mission," he said. "That's what we do."

complete story: http://www.macon.com/mld/macon/news/nation/11746886.htm

[WI_DEM]

1. In all liklihood that student hates Bush's guts

and so the yearbook "committee" decided to put something dumb like "most likely to assassinate" Bush next to the students picture--causing this uproar.

[KeepItReal]

2. "Most Likely to Assassinate Buckwheat"

One of the best Saturday Night Live skits ever.

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

20. LOL. That was my favorite as well. What was the dude's name? n/t

[TVTech]

28. John David Stutts n/t

[newyawker99]

48. Hi TVTech!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[El Supremo]

3. Sheesh!

All I got was "most likely to be incarcerated."

:cry: :cry: :cry: :cry:

[lastliberalintexas]

31. I was most likely TO BE assassinated

Rather telling, don't you think? :)

[Moderator]

4. kick to combine

[no_to_war_economy]

5. Yearbook Prank Rankles Colorado School

High school yearbooks were recalled so that administrators could black out a joke caption under one student's picture: "most likely to assassinate President Bush."

Mesa Ridge High School officials recalled about 100 yearbooks earlier this month and had staffers use markers to obscure the words in them and in the still-undistributed copies. The Secret Service even launched an investigation.

http://apnews.myway.com//article/20050527/D8ABIDMO0.html

[Turbineguy]

6. Self delete

[Richardo]

7. Idiots

How stupid would you have to be to think that was an OK 'joke'?

[Pacifist Patriot]

9. I agree. Pretty stupid.

[jobycom]

10. Hey, I think it was funny.

They're high schoolers. There was no threat made. Just a joke about an outspoken political kid.

[PunkPop]

11. I agree. They're kids.

Kids do stupid, impulsive things. Idiots is kind of harsh.

[Richardo]

13. 'Idiots' applies. "Old enough to know better" as my parents often said

Not only that, isn't there usually some kind of faculty oversight on yearbook content? I blame them too.

[jobycom]

17. Well, Hell, let's just crush them for telling jokes, eh?

America. I miss it.

[Pharlo]

44. In my experience,

The "Old enough to know better..." statement alternated with the "I raised you better than that..." phrase. Both of which were succeded by "And I'm not going to say another word about it..." which was generally followed by a five minute dissertation on why it was deemed 'NOT WORTHY'.

And, it did not imply idiocy -- it meant I had just done something with which my parent did not agree. For example, if I did not get the mail at the end of the day, and GOD FORBID it remained in the mailbox OVERNIGHT, I could be subjected to the ubiquitous "Old enough to know better" meme.

"Old enough to know better" and idiocy are not synonmous.

They are senoirs in high school. How many activities during homecoming week don't fall into the "Old enough to know better" category? In my experience, not too many. In fact, participation in these activities is encouraged - as long as they remain legal. -- I'm sorry, but in my opinion a caption in a high school yearbook stating "Most likely to assassinate (place name here)" does not constitute the equivalent of yelling "Fire!" in a crowded theater.

Idiocy - no....Youthful exuberance - yes.

Let the Secret Service verify it isn't a legitimate threat and move on to the next matter....

[Richardo]

12. Being high schoolers is no excuse.

As my parents often told me: "You're old enough to know better."

It's akin to the bomb-in-the-suitcase joke at the airport. There are just some things you don't joke about without consequences.

[no_to_war_economy]

15. nothing threatening about this

you can disagree with the type of humor but this does not threaten the president

[jobycom]

18. How? What? When? Where? It was a joke, there was no threat implied.

[CAcyclist]

32. That may be your opinion - it's not mine.

So it's ok for the right wing to make threats against Democrats or judges, but it's not ok for kids to make a joke?

[LivingInTheBubble]

21. less stupid than you'd have to be to actually investigate it . NT

[Pharlo]

43. 20 years ago, I would have been in complete agreement

with your statement. However, with incidences such as Columbine and Red Lake in recent history, to not look into the incident (aka investigate) would constitute negligence by the Secret Service.

However, once they had determined it was nothing more than a 'joke' (I admit, I found it humorous - though I can understand how someone may find it tasteless), they ought to have left it alone.

[jobycom]

8. "With the freest of speech these Divided States of Embarrassment

will allow me to have..."

[Straight Shooter]

14. How about "Most likely to overthrow bush regime"?

Despite myself, my initial reaction was to laugh.

Lon Garner, special agent in charge of the Secret Service's Denver District, said the agency would look into the incident because all threats against the president must be investigated.

"That's our mission," he said. "That's what we do."

"That's our mission." Such puffery. The word "responsibility" is so lame compared to "mission," isn't it.

I wish I knew what that student looks like :7

[gordianot]

27. I was curious as to what is the mission of the Secret Service.?

No need to protect the Whitehouse from false journalists who are engaged in male prostitution with more than 200 documented visits to the Whitehouse not during press conferences.

Anyway here is their mission: see link: http://www.secretservice.gov/mission.shtml



VISION STATEMENT
"Building on a Tradition of Excellence and Meeting the Challenges of the Future."



MISSION STATEMENT
The United States Secret Service is mandated by statute and executive order to carry out two significant missions: protection and criminal investigations. The Secret Service protects the President and Vice President, their families, heads of state, and other designated individuals; investigates threats against these protectees; protects the White House, Vice President’s Residence, Foreign Missions, and other buildings within Washington, D.C.; and plans and implements security designs for designated National Special Security Events. The Secret Service also investigates violations of laws relating to counterfeiting of obligations and securities of the United States; financial crimes that include, but are not limited to, access device fraud, financial institution fraud, identity theft, computer fraud; and computer-based attacks on our nation’s financial, banking, and telecommunications infrastructure.

[meganmonkey]

16. That's hilarious

:rofl:

It is also inappropriate, irresponsible, and overall not a good idea, but it sure got me laughing. Then again, I tend to be a little inappropriate and irresponsible once in awhile myself ;)

[DavidDvorkin]

19. Is the Secret Service filled with twits?

Seems to be a shortage of common sense in the agency. Their mission includes investigating real threats against the president, not wasting their time and resources and our tax money this way.

Good grief.

[Supersedeas]

33. the Emperor does not take kindly to just jokes....that and....

the Bush S/S must have a lot of time on their hands?

Control the citizenry...control the joking!!!

[BlueIris]

41. Oh, I know. Also, their mission is, and has always been,

first and foremost, to secure the integrity of the currency in America. That priority is actually higher than protecting the life of the President. Geez, LON, get it right.

[Debau2005]

22. Tax dollars at work.

How did the Secret Service even find out about it? Are they so bored that they have time to look through school year books? I love when my tax dollars are spent into playing these trivial little games. :banghead:

[mikelgb]

23. all I can say is...

this must be the busiest the Secret Service has ever been in the history of American Presidents

[Lori Price CLG]

24. That's *Dictator* Bush, not president. He has never been elected. :) n/t

[deanathon]

30. Bush was elected in 04

As much as I can't stand him we were beat. To deny that is just not facing reality.

That would be like a repug saying Clinton was never elected. That would sound just as dumb as saying Bush who won by 3 million in votes wasn't elected.

Believing Bush wasn't elected is very dangerous because we will keep picking loser canditates like Kerry and keep whining when they lose that they really won.

[Straight Shooter]

35. bush was sooo not elected

Vote tampering and a tainted election process sealed the deal.

Saying that bush won is like stealing my wallet and then telling me you "won" my money.

And, anyway, since he was installed through legalistic maneuvering in 2000, and it was proven that Gore won when all the votes were in fact finally counted, then bush should have been disqualified from running in 2004. It was a hostile takeover, and we're still being run by an illegitimate regime.

That's all I've got to say about it. Peace.

[darkism]

37. Ummm...no. Perhaps you should wander over to the Election 2004 forum.

TruthIsAll does an excellent job of mathematically proving fraud.

[Lori Price CLG]

25. Self-delete...

[Lori Price CLG]

26. Was there a choice, 'all of the above?' Does that mean mathmatically...

... there are more 'chances' of the assassination taking place?
LOL!!

Lori Price

[lies and propaganda]

29. funny how they can catch that....

but just a few days ago in Tx, a little black girl in her National Honor Society pic had her name read "Black girl"
Well, fucking a. Thank god black girl doesnt want to assassinate anyone, then we would surely not know black girls name.

[progressivebydesign]

34. That was unbelievably wrong. regardless of who is president.

There is something called restraint and bad taste that should have been used. Geez.. that passed the muster of a school official???

[darkism]

36. At least they didn't put "black girl" if they didn't know someone's name.

[magellan]

38. Did the Secret Service investigate Ann Coulter

...for writing in 'High Crimes and Misdemeaners: The Case Against Bill Clinton' (1998), "The only question is do we assassinate Clinton or impeach him?"

I didn't think so.

If you have the stomach for it, go read the reviews of KKKoulter's book. The double standards from the moral Right will slay you.

[Art_from_Ark]

39. Did they investigate Jesse Helms, for that matter?

"On Nov. 22, Helms, slated to be the new chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said Clinton is so unpopular on military bases in North Carolina that "he better watch out if he comes down here. He'd better have a bodyguard."

Helms made this astounding threat to Clinton in a Raleigh News & Observer interview. The newspaper was questioning Helms about a statement he made Nov. 18 on CNN's "Evans and Novak" program. When asked then if he thought President Clinton was "up to the job" of Commander in Chief, Helms stated: "No, I do not. And neither do the people in the armed forces."

While Helms' threat created nothing less than a worldwide sensation, it was written off by Republican leaders as "That's just Jesse." Helms later said his statement was unwise, and that he "should have said it better."

http://www.workers.org/marcy/cd/sam94/1994html/s941208.htm

[saigon68]

40. Jesse = Extremist Right Wing Nut Job.

[BlueIris]

42. Embarrassingly, I just found out about that comment last year, but

it still shocks the pants off of me that a U.S. senator openly threatened the President like that, in the modern age, and wasn't even rebuked. Like Kennedy, I am stunned, looking back, that Clinton made it as far as he did.

[realdemocrat]

45. Secret Service...

Secret Service...S/S...HHmmm...!

[Theres-a]

46. If they weren't so busy editing yearbooks

Maybe they'd have a better plan than "RUN!" when a cessna gets in the WH airspace.

[mitchum]

47. And they say that today's kids have no ambition

[Octafish]

49. Hey! Secret Service! HERE's somebody "most likely to assassinate."

SOURCE:

http://www.internetpirate.com/bush.htm