A matter of degree
Sep. 2nd, 2008 12:24 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
pecuniumThis has been naggging at me since it surfaced.
There was, in case you were unaware, a plot to assassinate Barack Obama during the convention.
It seems the three had piss-poor odds of pulling it off. First, they had a small meth habit.
Second they were probably planning outside their league. I'm a pretty good shot, and the plan they had to shoot him from 750 yards away, well that's a tricky shot at a stationary target across open ground. A moving man, with a detail meant to keep him moving, a lot harder. They probably could have hit someone, but probably not Obama.
Third (and perhaps stemming from the first) they had no idea of Operational Security. They weren't knocked down by the Secret Service, no they spent an evening with someone, enjoying their recreational pharmaceuticals of choice and blathered about how they were going to use a scoped rifle to blow away the uppity-nigger who was pretending he had the right to run for president.
She told the cops. The cops arrested them.
Strangely, the U.S. Attorney for the area, one Troy Eid, didn't charge them with plotting to kill Obama.
"The law recognizes a difference between a true threat -- one that can be carried out -- and the reported racist rantings of a drug addict," U.S. Attorney Troy Eid said.
The Secret Service says the White Supremicist threat to Obama is overrated.
In an AP interview last week, the head of the Secret Service's Protective division said the white supremacist threat to Obama has been exaggerated.
"I think that it's something that, at times, the media tried to make more of," Nick Trotta said. "We've always watched them, as we watch all the other groups."
That's so reassuring.
At about the same time the office of Presidential Candidate John McCain got a threatening letter. It was a semi-coherent rant about how McCain had failed veterans, made reference to Agent Orange and said the paper was contaminated and the person reading it was going to die.
Senator McCain,
IF you are reading this then you are already Dead!
Unless of course you can't or don't breathe.
There are numerous substances which are deadly for humans to inhale.
There are just as many time periods for signs of illness to show, by which time it's to late.
Who expects to develop cancer 40 years after Vietnam?
Only those that knew the risk and side effects of Agent Orange.
DoD, DOW, Diamond Shamrock, U.S. Surgeon General
You're out of time.
Allahu Akbar
The man who sent it was quickly traced. Arresting him wasn't neccesary. He was, you see, already in the Arapahoe County Jail.
In the meantime McCain offices around the country were warned to be on the lookout. The Secret Service, you see, takes threatening letters very seriously.
This guy is being charged with sending death threats through the US Mail, with a maximum punishment of five years in the federal pen, and a $25,000 fine.
The justification for this?
We won't stand for threats of this kind in Colorado. A death threat is not a legitimate form of political expression."
The Noble Soul who explained all this...
US Attorney Troy Eid.
So, a quick recap.
*Three men conspire to kill Obama.
They get guns, with scopes (one of which may have been stolen).
The rent a vehicle under someone elses name.
They have body armor.
They express a, violent, antipathy to the candidate.
They have travelled to the city the candidate is going to be in.
This is, "not a credible threat and no charges related to that aspect of things are entertained.
*One man, already in jail sends a nastygram to to Mccain's office.
He says there is some lethal powder in the letter, and the person reading it is dead.
He admits McCain might not be reading it.
He has no actual poisons.
This something we won't tolerate.
So, here you have it.
Death threats, from those incapable of carrying them out against the Republican candidate = charges
Death plots, with overt acts, weapons and actual plans... not credible; not worthy of charges.
Got it. Thanks for clearing that up, Mr. Eid.
There was, in case you were unaware, a plot to assassinate Barack Obama during the convention.
It seems the three had piss-poor odds of pulling it off. First, they had a small meth habit.
Second they were probably planning outside their league. I'm a pretty good shot, and the plan they had to shoot him from 750 yards away, well that's a tricky shot at a stationary target across open ground. A moving man, with a detail meant to keep him moving, a lot harder. They probably could have hit someone, but probably not Obama.
Third (and perhaps stemming from the first) they had no idea of Operational Security. They weren't knocked down by the Secret Service, no they spent an evening with someone, enjoying their recreational pharmaceuticals of choice and blathered about how they were going to use a scoped rifle to blow away the uppity-nigger who was pretending he had the right to run for president.
She told the cops. The cops arrested them.
Strangely, the U.S. Attorney for the area, one Troy Eid, didn't charge them with plotting to kill Obama.
"The law recognizes a difference between a true threat -- one that can be carried out -- and the reported racist rantings of a drug addict," U.S. Attorney Troy Eid said.
The Secret Service says the White Supremicist threat to Obama is overrated.
In an AP interview last week, the head of the Secret Service's Protective division said the white supremacist threat to Obama has been exaggerated.
"I think that it's something that, at times, the media tried to make more of," Nick Trotta said. "We've always watched them, as we watch all the other groups."
That's so reassuring.
At about the same time the office of Presidential Candidate John McCain got a threatening letter. It was a semi-coherent rant about how McCain had failed veterans, made reference to Agent Orange and said the paper was contaminated and the person reading it was going to die.
Senator McCain,
IF you are reading this then you are already Dead!
Unless of course you can't or don't breathe.
There are numerous substances which are deadly for humans to inhale.
There are just as many time periods for signs of illness to show, by which time it's to late.
Who expects to develop cancer 40 years after Vietnam?
Only those that knew the risk and side effects of Agent Orange.
DoD, DOW, Diamond Shamrock, U.S. Surgeon General
You're out of time.
Allahu Akbar
The man who sent it was quickly traced. Arresting him wasn't neccesary. He was, you see, already in the Arapahoe County Jail.
In the meantime McCain offices around the country were warned to be on the lookout. The Secret Service, you see, takes threatening letters very seriously.
This guy is being charged with sending death threats through the US Mail, with a maximum punishment of five years in the federal pen, and a $25,000 fine.
The justification for this?
We won't stand for threats of this kind in Colorado. A death threat is not a legitimate form of political expression."
The Noble Soul who explained all this...
US Attorney Troy Eid.
So, a quick recap.
*Three men conspire to kill Obama.
They get guns, with scopes (one of which may have been stolen).
The rent a vehicle under someone elses name.
They have body armor.
They express a, violent, antipathy to the candidate.
They have travelled to the city the candidate is going to be in.
This is, "not a credible threat and no charges related to that aspect of things are entertained.
*One man, already in jail sends a nastygram to to Mccain's office.
He says there is some lethal powder in the letter, and the person reading it is dead.
He admits McCain might not be reading it.
He has no actual poisons.
This something we won't tolerate.
So, here you have it.
Death threats, from those incapable of carrying them out against the Republican candidate = charges
Death plots, with overt acts, weapons and actual plans... not credible; not worthy of charges.
Got it. Thanks for clearing that up, Mr. Eid.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2008-09-02 08:53 pm (UTC)http://www.progressnowaction.org/page/community/post/ralphtrenary/CqRT
no subject
Date: 2008-09-02 09:00 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-09-02 10:27 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-09-02 11:58 pm (UTC)my concern over the upcoming election is definitely not diminished.
no subject
Date: 2008-09-03 12:24 am (UTC)I would have figured any kind of death threat against any kind of elected official at that level would at least be worthy of lobbing it into court. God knows some of the RNC protesters are getting charged on less evidence, eh?
Though I have to say I'm halfway credulous on the white supremacist thing. The Secret Service does a pretty credible job of keeping up on the whackos, and there have been plenty of African-American officials they've had to protect.
no subject
Date: 2008-09-03 02:19 am (UTC)The model they espouse is the, "Lone Wolf", the guy who collates all the things they teach, absorbs the things they preach and (with no one to point to as culpable in conspiracy) puts the desires of the leadership into action.
It's the model Tim McVeigh used. If these guys hadn't blabbed while getting high, they probably would have been able to set up house and take a shot, or two. The odds are against them hitting the target, but the Secret Service wouldn't have known they were trying until the took the shot.
As it was, the Secret Service didn't know about them. It's not The Aryan Nations I worry about, nor yet the "Orders", but the stray onesie-twosie sorts who decide to keep their mouths shut and get down to business.
no subject
Date: 2008-09-03 02:00 pm (UTC)And now that I think more on it, I remember having a number of discussions while we were in Iraq about how we would run the insurgency so much more efficiently, were we on the other side. I guess doing that kind of thing "properly" is pretty much the same game. If you halfway know what you're doing, and what you're up against, staying undetected, at least in advance, is much easier.
no subject
Date: 2008-09-03 02:20 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-09-03 03:05 am (UTC)Kinda like when Watergate burglars were arrested, and their handlers tried to get them out on lesser charges, and failing that, paid for defense council.
I HATE conspiracy theory (but hey, after the last 8 years I have been TOTALLY indoctrinated), and this sounds like a lot of cover up and get them gone.
We need a new Woodward and Bernstein (Woodstein as Ed Bradley called them).
As to the DOJ/USAG- Remember "Let the Eagle Soar" while he was draping the statuary?
Oh yeah-- THAT was comforting.
no subject
Date: 2008-09-03 03:13 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-09-03 11:36 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-09-03 02:35 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-09-03 02:58 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-09-03 04:10 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-09-03 04:21 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-09-03 04:22 pm (UTC)Death plots, against Democrats, those aren't credible.
That the terrorism directed against the Democratic candidate comes from the group which has provided more acts of terrorism than any other (racist/religious extremists), and the terrorism against the Republican candidate comes from the out group du jour is just icing on the cake.
Part of it is news value. A plot to kill Obama would make news. A bunch of meth-heads being stupid sinks without a trace.
no subject
Date: 2008-09-03 12:39 pm (UTC)