Secret Service strained as leaders face more threats

[Faygo Kid]

Source: Boston Globe

WASHINGTON - The unprecedented number of death threats against President Obama, a rise in racist hate groups, and a new wave of antigovernment fervor threaten to overwhelm the US Secret Service, according to government officials and reports, raising new questions about the 144-year-old agency’s overall mission.

The Secret Service is tracking a far broader range of possible threats to the nation’s leaders, the officials said, even as it also investigates financial crimes such as counterfeiting as part of its original mandate.

The new demands are leading some officials, both inside and outside the agency, to raise the possibility of the service curtailing or dropping its role in fighting financial crime to focus more on protecting leaders and their families from assassination attempts and thwarting terrorist plots aimed at high-profile events.

“If there were an evaluation of the service’s two missions, it might be determined that it is ineffective . . . to conduct its protection mission and investigate financial crimes,’’ according to a internal report issued in August by the Congressional Research Service. . . .

Read more: http://www.boston.com/news/nation/washington/articles/2009/10/18/secret_service_under_strain_as_leaders_face_more_threats/

---

Beck, Limbaugh and Mark Levin are screaming daily to get him killed. If they prevail, they should be ready for the backlash. Awful story; awful stuff.

[iamjoy]

1. Scary Stuff

:scared:

I, however, am more worried about the quiet ones than the loud mouthed buffoons.

[Anakin Skywalker]

63. Quiet Ones are Often Followers/Listeners of the Loud Mouths

[aggiesal]

66. Actually, I believe the quite ones are ...

elected members of the GOP.

When have you heard any of these morons denounce what is being fed over the airwaves?

Only 1 said that Glenn Beck doesn't speak for the GOP, when GB is a registered Republican,
and continues to align himself with the GOP.

[GTurck]

70. Shouldn't that be...

whitehouse.gov? I understand your address is a porn site. Fine it that is where you want to go but is it?

[Vickers]

72. Did you try clicking on it, or did you just jump to a conclusion?

:shrug:

[Anakin Skywalker]

79. THANK YOU, Vickers.

LOL It's not a porn site, just a clever parody site.

[Anakin Skywalker]

78. .

.

[Dennis Donovan]

2. Recommended!

Limbaugh, Beck, Hannity et al had better hope that nothing happens to President Obama - the backlash will indeed be HUGE!!

[TheEuclideanOne]

57. It won't matter. They will be rejoicing!

and their followers will promote them to hero status if anything ever did happen. Remember, in their rhetoric, they are saving the country from destruction. From a mathematical standpoint, 100% of racists are their supporters. I am not saying that all Republicans are racists, but by definition of racism you can easily argue that all racists are republicans. If you count all of the skin heads, KKK members and the like, you will get a percentage of the country that are self-proclaimed or closet racists. Whatever that number is, that gives you the percentage of the Republican party that is racists. A pretty high number I presume. On top of that, you get these millions that buy into the Beck's, Limbaughs and Hannity's of the world and ask yourself, how many of these people would be upset if the President was assassinated. Probably a lot higher number than you (or I) would care to acknowledge.

One more thing... if something DID happen, these scumbags would start by saying that they had nothing at all to do with it, then would probably spend the rest of the show spewing out the kind of crap that has lead the Secret Service to the point of being overwhelmed.

[digidigido]

67. They'll rejoice for about 30 seconds then the rioting will probably begin, and it

will make the Newark riots seem like a picnic

[Pirate Smile]

3. The threat referencing the family is particularly disgusting:

"Obama, who was given Secret Service protection 18 months before the election - the earliest ever for a presidential candidate - has been the target of more threats since his inauguration than his predecessors.

Two days before Obama’s appearance at San Francisco fund-raisers on Thursday, a 59-year-old Northern California man was indicted on charges of sending a racist, profanity-filled e-mail threatening to kill Obama and his family. The rambling e-mail included specific references to Michelle Obama and the phrase, “do it to his children and family first in front of him,’’ according to the indictment.

The Southern Poverty Law Center says that antigovernment militias and white supremacist groups have strengthened in recent years, responding to an increasingly diverse population and what they see as an expanding government.
A center study released in August found a nearly 35 percent growth in racially based domestic hate groups since 2000 - from 602 to 926. The center concluded that opposition to Obama’s election has only increased the phenomenon.

“A key difference this time is that the federal government - the entity that almost the entire radical right views as its primary enemy - is headed by a black man,’’ the report said. “One result has been a remarkable rash of domestic terror incidents since the presidential campaign, most of them related to anger over the election of Barack Obama.’’

Threatening language has also found its way into talk radio broadcasts and social networking websites, raising fears that individuals not normally considered threats to the president could be incited to violence."

[Overseas]

4. Station a few at Americans for Prosperity and FreedomWorks

so they can stay ahead of the game by keeping up with the latest fear mongering those amoral right wing darlings are funding.

[kestrel91316]

5. That is part of the reason for the huge numbers of threats. The RWers

are DELIBERATELY trying to overwhelm presidential protections in hopes that a legitimate attack will have a greater chance of success. Stretch the Secret Service to the breaking point, seems to be the MO.

Something Rushbo and Beck and friends need to consider, however. If a single hair on Obama's head (or Michele or the girls) is harmed, those assholes will have to spend the rest of their lives in hiding, because they WILL be targeted. Hypothetically speaking, of course.

[earcandle]

50. The want to employ American Police Force (Blackwater's domestic group)

To protect our officials here as they do abroad.

To justify, they got to drum up the need, don't they?

Assfucks, all of them.  

We need to get our country back and prosecute everyone
connected to violence and financial crimes so they cannot
fund poor people to lip synch their scripts and arouse the
American public as has been done repeatedly in other
countries.

These mercenaries are working under the auspices of the 
Project for the New American Century and funded by the wealth
stolen from our treasuries and also funded by our state
department.

What is the end game?  What do they do it for?
Beats me.  May their karma start soon. 

[debbierlus]

6. WTF? They are going to stop fighting financial crime? Why don't they HIRE MORE PEOPLE?

I call serious bullshit. Just when we need investigation into the massive economic fraud that is Wall St, they are stating they are going to drop it.

If they need more people to fight threats, fine. HIRE MORE PEOPLE.

This article is very disturbing, not just because of the threats and hate against the President and the increase in hate group activity. It is equally disturbing that they are talking about cutting investigation into the criminals who have been at the core of destroying our economic structure.

[glitch]

8. I see your WTF? and raise you a WTFS?!?!

All the money for hiring was given to the criminals as bonuses.

[SpartanDem]

9. They investigate counterfeiting

not Wall St. matters. What they're talking about is possibly giving that job to another agency focusing only on protection issues

[shanti]

30. and i did not know that

i assumed that protecting the president (and other officials) was their ONLY job. learn something new ever day...

[Drunken Irishman]

44. I wrote a screen play about the president being assassinated...

It was a few years ago and a Who Done It type thing with pretty much most of the movie following the secret service around as they try to establish who killed the president.

So I had to read up on the agency and read everything about their counterfeit work.

Exciting stuff. Well not really. :D

Oh and for those wondering...

The President, a NE liberal Democrat, was murdered by his VP's, a southern Democrat, chief of staff.

And the murder is pinned on the VP.

[MilesColtrane]

53. That makes sense since they are no longer part of the Treasury Dept.

[redqueen]

73. No response to this... and several below you appear not to have read it.

Disappointing.

[man4allcats]

15. Agreed. My first thought as well.

There should be no problem here. I do not believe for one second that sufficient money isn't available to expand the agency into additional departments. One department's job is only to investigate assassination threats, another department handles financial crime, etc. If you're short on help, hire somebody! God knows there are qualified people looking for work.

[caseymoz]

28. If the safety of elected officials is an issue, they'll find the money.

What I am really worried about is whether the Secret Service is infiltrated.

[my2sense]

45. Bingo!

Who's working for the SS and has it been infiltrated?

[Posteritatis]

34. The SS can't print its own money - its job is to arrest those who do

If they're strained, then it's Congress' responsibility to give them the resources.

[quakerboy]

56. +1

Granted, the SS is more involved in matters of protecting the money supply (so counterfitting rather than wall street), but I suspect that even without that they really need to hire more people to protect this president.

I worry about our nation if anything should happen to this president at this point in history. The thought of it challenges my pacifism, which indicates to me that others without that inhibition would be, well, less inhibited.

[Hippo_Tron]

58. It would make more sense to create a separate agency for that

SS fighting financial crime made sense when it was an arm of the Treasury Department. Now that it's under homeland security I think they should give somebody else that responsibility.

[nilram]

60. ditto. are the financial investigators suddenly going to start jogging beside Obama's limo?

Can yo say "different skill sets"? Jeeze.

[54anickel]

62. The greatest heist in the history of this nation and they're going to stop fighting financial crime.

WTF indeed!

[paulsby]

69. um, no

the secret service does not investigate the type of fraud that happens on wall st. their financial crimes are crimes having to do with counterfeiting etc.

http://www.ustreas.gov/usss/financial_crimes.shtml

the types of crimes that wallstreeters engage in are the baliwick of the SEC not the secret service.

i've done about a 1/2 dozen investigations with the SS.

[Name removed]

7. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Name removed]

11. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Fire1sKid]

38. I think If I were to ever see...

any of the three in public (especially Beck)I think I would fuckin spit on him.Then again Beck is such a fuckin pig I think he would do as the orphan Oliver and ask for more.

[Vidar]

10. Go after the domestic terrorists: FOX News. As long as it's on the

books might as well use the "Patriot Act".

[Aviation Pro]

12. Well, if the Skinfold Bag 'O Shit can play that game....

...I mean I'm just wondering what would happen if a stolen 18-wheeler t-boned the Oxycontin chugging motherfucker's limo as he was being driven to his golden phallic symbol and a team of eight, hard, pipehitting mofos dragged him into an open van and drove away at high speed after deploying a series of spike lines across the road to prevent the police from giving pursuit.

I mean I'm just wondering.

(Any semblence to the movie, "Heat," is purely intentional).

[Mopar151]

65. What you want is an Appalachian coal truck

Big power, built to be massively overloaded, more manuverable, capable of nearly 100MPH fully loaded.

I'm just wondering myself... and if Glen Beck's SUV were manuvered behind this (theoretically, mind you)masterpeice of insanity
http://www.dailyitem.com/0200_sports/images_sizedimage_246081552/xl
I've seen this monster in person - 200+mph in 1/4 mile.

Jet car pioneer Doug Rose burns a car

I sure would hate for that to happen to the Phelps family - I'm just sayin'.......

[Fight the Right]

13. Now you are talking

They'll harm my President OVER MY DEAD BODY!

[Faygo Kid]

14. Wow. Welcome to DU.

I fear that the remainder of the year will see the worst yet. Fox, Rush, Beck, Levin are totally out of control. Not long before one of them calls for outright assassination. They have pretty much done so already.

[Name removed]

22. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[treestar]

16. Not such a great idea to publicize this

Embolden the teabaggers.

[dana_b]

20. how?

yes, I'm slow and need more coffee this morning but it seems to me that it proves what a bunch of hate filled extremists they are. Promoting fear and hate of Obama is on their heads. The every day person who likes Obama will not take kindly to having their President threatened like this.

[billh58]

27. But, pointing

out the racism and hatred is either being an "apologist Obama-bot," or at the very least giving undue attention to a very small and insignificant group of racists. Just ignore them, and let the SS deal with the Limbaugh- and Beck-inspired Baggers, Hallers, and Birthers...

:sarcasm:

[jeffbr]

17. Start prosecuting. Make some examples out of those threats!

[Fire1sKid]

29. Exactly

Out of all the threats against Obama I havent heard about any of the people behind them being prosecuted.
:wtf:

[pattmarty]

18. This ought be pushed big time in the media. Be one more thing to................

................help shut these motherfuckers up. Put up figures side by side of Bush vs Obama, I bet I would even shit my pants seeing the contrast.

[dana_b]

19. unprecedented number of death threats

something that is hard for me to wrap my head around is why it is always the people who want peace, bipartisanship, to work with others etc. like the Kennedys, MLK, Ghandi,even Lennon and now Obama who are threatened and/or killed. Why are these folks such a threat to others? Peace and cooperation is a THREAT? Yes, some of it is out and out racism but not always. Meanwhile, the people who create fear and violence live long lives or are protected behind their ivory towers.

[madamesilverspurs]

23. There's no profit in peace.

Warmaking, on the other hand. . .

[Kablooie]

21. It's obviously a result of the extremist media pushing them combined with the internet.

This could be a case of our freedoms creating a huge disaster for the whole world.

There must be some constitutional way to muzzle major corporations that try to inflame hate and violence.

[Name removed]

24. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Faygo Kid]

26. Very tough words. Can't endorse them, but they would deserve it.

They have gone too far. Period.

[Hawaii Hiker]

35. Absolutely they would deserve it

I wouldn't care in the least what may happen to Limbaugh, Hannity, or Beck if anything happens to our wonderful president and/or his family...

[valerief]

25. One would think encouraging the murder of the president and members of Congress would be treason.

Go figure.

[47of74]

36. There's 18 USC 41 § 871

There's already 18 USC 41 § 871 - Threats against President and successors to the Presidency that covers this.

(a) Whoever knowingly and willfully deposits for conveyance in the mail or for a delivery from any post office or by any letter carrier any letter, paper, writing, print, missive, or document containing any threat to take the life of, to kidnap, or to inflict bodily harm upon the President of the United States, the President-elect, the Vice President or other officer next in the order of succession to the office of President of the United States, or the Vice President-elect, or knowingly and willfully otherwise makes any such threat against the President, President-elect, Vice President or other officer next in the order of succession to the office of President, or Vice President-elect, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than five years, or both.

(b) The terms “President-elect” and “Vice President-elect” as used in this section shall mean such persons as are the apparent successful candidates for the offices of President and Vice President, respectively, as ascertained from the results of the general elections held to determine the electors of President and Vice President in accordance with title 3, United States Code, sections 1 and 2. The phrase “other officer next in the order of succession to the office of President” as used in this section shall mean the person next in the order of succession to act as President in accordance with title 3, United States Code, sections 19 and 20.

It's past time the government really, really starts enforcing this. If they enforced the laws that were already there RimJob's board would've been shut down months ago by the government.

[oddvids]

40. How about...

...that pastor Steven Anderson who said Obama should 'melt like a snail' and 'deserves to die' the day before Obama came to Phoenix? That was pretty much egging the crazies on.
The man who carried a rather large gun to the same event the following day had attended that sermon! People do follow these preachers!

[onehandle]

31. I see a clear case of conspiracy here. Half of the Fox News anchors alone should be in prison.

Round them up. Start there, then move to radio hatemongers.

[Demeter]

33. Making an Example Ought to Be Sufficient

The legal expenses alone would give these big mouths pause.

[maxrandb]

76. It is time to stop "pussy-footing" around

and bring Rush, Beck, Limbaugh, Faux News, Freedom Works and the RNC up on RICO charges!

It's the racketeering of hate!

[proud patriot]

32. disgusting

[47of74]

37. Make financial stuff someone else's mission then

Return the financial stuff back to treasury, and make protecting our leadership the sole mission of the Secret Service.

[greiner3]

39. The other side ot the Secret Service's coin;

Is that they are probably recruiting heavily, at least on the sly. This would strain the checkers (... and who will watch the checkers?), possibly leading to assassins being let in to the very organization that is on the watch out for them. Imagine letting someone into the Presidential Detail like that ass hat in Phoenix with the assault rifle bumping on his ass. Sorry state my country has found itself in.

[billh58]

41. Believe me,

the screening and background check process for these positions is much better than many could imagine. That is one of the reasons that the SS (and other federal law enforcement agencies) have such long application-to-hire cycles.

[Beacool]

42. There are a lot of sick people out there.

To threaten to do harm to someone's family in front of their eyes is beyond contemptible. Even the mob had a code about harming wives and children. These threats are more like the drug trade, they don't care who they hurt.

The threats have increased not just for the Obamas, as stated in the article they have stepped up for all our leaders. Even the despicable Cheney had to have his SS protection extended due to all the death threats against him. Regardless of party politics, I hope that no one harms any of our leaders.

x(

[JohnWxy]

43. WHat things are Levin, Limbaugh and Pecker saying? There is a limit legally how far they can go.

I don't monitor what they are saying (get's me too fucking mad).

Great post, by the way.

[mackerel]

46. I wouldn't just blame the pundits. Government begins at home.

It just seems to me that on many levels we have become less tolerant as a society. A lot has to do with home environment and the school environment.

The mob may have had a code against threatening families but gangs don't carry that same code.

[Beacool]

49. The one factor they share is their strong dislike for the administration.

Beck I can't stand to listen to for 5 minutes, so I can't opine much.

Limbaugh is a bombastic windbag, arrogant and sexist. Although sometimes I think that his gaseous comments are more about pure entertainment than true beliefs.

Levin, on the other hand, is a true believer and the best educated of the bunch. He's smart and his latest book was the #1 non fiction best seller for quite a few weeks in a row. He worked in the Reagan administration and is very conservative.

Hannity is a mix of the other two. A conservative who is not a deep thinker like Levin, but who is self effacing and not full of braggadocio like Limbaugh.

Regardless of what we think of them, since January their listeners on the radio and viewership of their programs has vastly increased. On some afternoons FOX has more viewers than CNN & MSNBC at night.

I think that they have tapped into a segment of society that is scared. Scared of losing their way of life, of not finding another job or losing the job they currently have, of losing their homes to foreclosure or not be able to pay the rent. They worry about paying their bills and feeding their children. Some have health issues and inadequate insurance or no insurance at all. Or course we have the same concerns, but where we differ is in what each side believes is the best way to handle all these problems.

I don't think that the majority of these people wish any physical harm to come to our leaders. But there's a fringe out there that has been dormant and now feel validated and are ready to act.

[flamingdem]

47. WHO is going to make this an issue? Do we or do we not have a civil society? nt

[jwirr]

48. They should ask to use the FBI resources when necessary. With

these crazies running wild it is a national problem.

[Golden Raisin]

51. And Heaven forfend that

Congress denies the Defense Department even a tiny fraction of the cost of one Stealth bomber, aircraft carrier or nuclear submarine, EACH of which cost gazillions of tax-payer's money. How about funnelling a little bit of that $$$ over to protecting the President? Also agree that the outrageous and unprecedented rabble-rousing of Murdoch's Fox Network and other rightwing pot-bangers has directly and severely increased the hate/fear/racism level. Having lived through JFK, Bobby and Dr. King I don't want to see those dark days come back, but that's exactly what is being encouraged.

[earcandle]

52. As I said earlier, but probably too early on after many posts...

I think they want to employ the American Police Force (Blackwater's domestic group)to protect our officials here as they do abroad.

To justify, they got to drum up the need, don't they?


We need to get our country back and prosecute everyone connected to violence and financial crimes so they cannot fund poor people to lip synch their scripts and arouse the American public as has been done repeatedly in other countries.

I am thinking these mercenaries are working under the auspices of the Project for the New American Century and funded by the wealth stolen from our treasuries and also funded by our state department.

What is the end game? What do they do it for? Beats me.

I just make music and rant. And do accounting.

Here, have a new cover song by Donovan.

Riki Tiki Tavi

"won't be comin around for to kill your snakes no more my love"

[mrbarber]

59. Right. So all the death threats is just play acting....

That tin foil hat on a little too tight?

[earcandle]

61. its not the tightness that matters, its the thickness.

Yes, I think it is all staged for a purpose.
To frighten us and make us give up more of our freedom.

I don't think the government (Obama"s Admin) is staging anything,
but Cheney's shadow government that just won't give up the ship.

Got a song for him too!

Wanna hear it?

Atlas Wept

[never cry wolf]

54. The comments at the link are disgusting

They could use some DU enlightenment.

[Ruby the Liberal]

55. And right on cue: Fox News says its not true!

LOL!

{snip}

...an agency spokesman refuted the newspaper's report, telling FOX News it is "not accurate and lacks a good deal of information provided to the writer."

"In the longest and most expensive campaign in history, the Secret Service has proven it can maintain its dual mission of both protecting individuals and conducting criminal investigations," the spokesman said. "The Secret Service had asset forfeitures totaling $140 million and investigated the largest data breach in history. There were also zero arrests at the largest inauguration ever."

Sources close to the Secret Service told FOX News there was a spike in threats against Obama immediately following the election, but said those numbers are now within the range of threats leveled at former presidents, like George W. Bush and Bill Clinton.

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/10/18/secret-service-refutes-report-claiming-agency-stretched/?test=latestnews

[Mind_your_head]

64. Oh b*llshit.!!!!

:rofl: :rofl:

Just divert some of the funds that go the the war profiteers to Obama protection.

H*ll, it's prolly the "war profiteers" who want to see Obama "go away" in the first place. He's threatening to their existence/profits.

[No Elephants]

68. Is it smart to leak that threats are overwhelming the Secret Service?

[mvd]

74. Good point

And if the SS is being overwhelmed, every effort must be made to strengthen it!

[Triana]

71. You know if they'd do something about the MEDIA some of this crap might stop

The Ignorants are being whipped into a racist, hate-frenzy by the Becks, Limbaughs, O'Really and Fox Nuisance.

FIX THE MEDIA!

OR are we going to wait until these loudmouth neanderthals GET SOMEONE KILLED FIRST - and then scream "oohhh but the media has First Amendment riiiights 'cause they're owned by corporations and corporations are PEOPLE - we can't limit their free speeeeeech!"

FIX THE MEDIA!

[liberal N proud]

75. Shut down Beck and Limbaugh and most of those would go away

Those two are inciting violence in this country. It is only a matter of time before someone takes their que from these two and does something really stupid.

[ConcernedCanuk]

77. If the USA stopped interfering in other countries affairs, would that not reduce threats

.
.
.

to USA leaders?

When one messes around in other peoples affairs,

that tends to make them upset.

Imagine if the USA spent all that War-Machine money at home to take care of the homeless, the uninsured and the unemployed . . .

Silly me I know

TOO simple.

[CJCRANE]

80. delete