Internet Threats

This story interests me.

From the Post-Tribune:

A Purdue University graduate student was arrested and charged with threatening to kill President George W. Bush, Laura Bush, Vice President Dick Cheney and Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld.

Vikram Buddhi allegedly posted the detailed and threatening messages on an online message board.

...Buddhi told investigators he posted the message, along with other derogatory messages aimed at the president, but [Buddhi’s attorney John] Martin said Buddhi’s actions should be covered by the First Amendment since Buddhi would have never actually carried out his threats.

In the various messages posted, Buddhi urged the Web site’s readers to bomb the United States and for them to rape American and British women and mutilate them, according to court documents. Other messages called for the killing of all Republicans.

“What was allegedly said certainly is derogatory and may be inflammatory,” Martin said. “But there’s no real serious threat more than it was chat on the Web.”

Buddhi allegedly posted his messages on a Yahoo finance board dedicated to Sirius Satellite radio, a site that receives 2 million to 3 million hits a day, Martin said. A concerned citizen contacted the Secret Service office in Dallas to report that a subject was posting threatening messages about Bush, according to the criminal complaint filed in Hammond’s federal court and unsealed Monday.

Buddhi was arrested Friday and told investigators he is not suffering from any mental illnesses nor is he taking any illegal or prescription drugs.

Read any lib message board.

What Vikram Buddhi wrote is run of the mill stuff. It happens ALL the time.

Such messages are so prevalent that the Secret Service would need to establish a special unit to follow up on the all the threats directed at President Bush, members of the Administration, and conservatives in general that are posted online.

I'm glad that the Secret Service got tough with Buddhi and tossed him in jail.

It's one thing to use an Internet discussion board to voice a dissenting opinion; it's quite another to threaten to do physical harm to someone.

Buddhi was incredibly stupid to think that he could threaten the President with impunity.

Don't these supposedly anonymous posters realize that they leave a slimy electronic trail?

When their ugliness on the Internet becomes truly threatening, it's no longer free speech.

It's a crime.