Air America is in trouble...

[Toxick]

To Toxick, have you seen the posts here from other conservatives?

Yes.

They seem to be quite adament that Air America meant to incite people to kill the president.

No.

They seem to be quite adament that this was a threat. Which it is. I'm quite sure that Air America is not explicitly nor implicitly trying to incite an assassination attempt. Be that as it may - this is a threat. Even if it was done in jest.

This is not something to joke about unless you are particularly fond of greuling background investigations. And it's not like this is a big secret. I'm actually quite surprised that the network's lawyers didn't put the kibosh on this bit before it ever went over the airwaves. (Maybe their lawyers are as bright as their announcers).

This wasn't a death threat; it was a joke.

You're treating these two things as if they are mutually exclusive.
They are not.

A couple days ago I told a friend that i could just kill Howard Dean for the direction he's leading my party...should I be investigated? Should they stick to me like glue? Probably not.

The difference. You didn't broadcast that over a radio.

Context, context, context. You didn't make a recording depicting the assassination Dean and then send it over the airwaves.

I can understand the Secret Service looking into it, but for the general public to be up in arms about something as casual as this is ridiculous. It is hyperbole of the worst kind.

Well, I haven't seen the reaction from the general public, other than what I've seen on these boards - but I'd be willing to wager that upwards of 85% of the general public hasn't even heard about this, and if they did, they'd be going, "Air America? Whats' that?"

 

[willie]

Is Air America on anything besides XM?

 

[FromTexas]

Is Air America on anything besides XM?

Crack.

 

[Ken King]

§ 871. Threats against President and successors to the Presidency

(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.

Is it still a joke?

 

[Ken King]

This wasn't a death threat; it was a joke. A couple days ago I told a friend that i could just kill Howard Dean for the direction he's leading my party...should I be investigated? Should they stick to me like glue? Probably not.

Pssst, RRaley. My memo says that Dean isn't the President.

 

[Larry Gude]

Rr...

I'm on academic probation for what?

Because you are excusing the very kind of behavior that so annoys you in particular. This is the kind of Howard Dean "Bush is the enemy" DU-esque vitriol that has lead the party, YOUR party right over the cliff. It has decidedly and demonstrably marginalized left leaning critiques of ANYTHING because of the overt simple hatred that comes oozing through.

Intelligent, argumentative and principled debate, the sort you at your young age are capable of engaging in, has disappeared from the left of our common political landscape. It has been replaced by raw emotion and venom, period, and it will NOT stop until you and yours DEMANDS it. We will all be worse off until you deal with it. It sabotages everything your side claims to stand for.

On top of that you CAN NOT do that sort of thing as regards the President of the United States. Silly or no? These are the same people who so want to be taken seriously when they argue that hate speech and hate crimes exist and cause or initiate violence.

Trent Lott still thinks we made too big a deal over nothing and Tom Delay is scrambling to get out of the dog house he threw himself in over the Schiavo case.

You're gonna just excuse your sides poor behavior?

 

[Bustem' Down]

Larry, I'm on academic probation for what? Not having your opinion on this one? Come on, Franken, et. al. aren't trying to kill President Bush. Have you ever seen a skit on SNL or any other variety show like this? It was a skit that seems to convey Air America's message to people who try to change Social Security. It's a metaphor; get over it...kinda like when sometimes you say "I swear I could just kill him over this..." or "I will kill you if you do that."

I mean this is like when some of my leftist friends are trying to say that Jon Cronyn from Texas was trying to incite terrorist activity against judges when he made his statements regarding recent violence against judges on the Senate floor. Overreaction by the left on that, overreaction from the right here on this.

Regardless, it is still tasteless and something that doesn't help the message against Bush's Social Security reform. I think that rather than try to "take the AM waves back" from Limbaugh, etc., we should try to take back the government...may be more effective.

I gotta agree with this. A skit is just a skit. It's not like it was a real threat to be taken seriously.

 

[rraley]

Because you are excusing the very kind of behavior that so annoys you in particular. This is the kind of Howard Dean "Bush is the enemy" DU-esque vitriol that has lead the party, YOUR party right over the cliff.
You're gonna just excuse your sides poor behavior?

I have said in this thread that this behavior was not helpful to the liberal cause and that it was classless. I still don't think that it constitutes a real, true threat to President Bush's safety. I'm not excusing it; I'm calling a spade, a spade.

I would also suggest that you hit on your own side's use of hateful rhetoric, such as the statement that the filibuster is used "against people of faith." Or the statement how it's "understandable" why there's so much violence against judges.

Hateful rhetoric occurs on both sides; call it hateful rhetoric, but you don't have to call it a crime or a threat.

 

[Spoiled]

I gotta agree with this. A skit is just a skit. It's not like it was a real threat to be taken seriously.

I agree, people get worked up over some of the most stupid things... I tihnk it would be fairly obvious if al franken was attempting to kill the president, he deosnt strike me as the stealthy sort :x

 

[Bustem' Down]

It's all a matter of perspective. Rebublican Pres, liberal press equals republican supporters upset. If this was a Democrat president and a conservative press did the skit, there probably would not be all this hue and cry.

 

[Bustem' Down]

§ 871. Threats against President and successors to the Presidency

(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.

Is it still a joke?

Yes, you cannot prove "beyond a reasonable doubt" that the threat what serious.

 

[Toxick]

I agree, people get worked up over some of the most stupid things... I tihnk it would be fairly obvious if al franken was attempting to kill the president, he deosnt strike me as the stealthy sort :x

In the words of Chris Tucker:
"Do you understand the words that are comin' outta my mouf?"


Are any of you guys actually listening to what is being said about this? Nobody here has said or implied that this is an act of physical aggression. Nobody here said that Randy Rhodes made an actual assassination attempt.


But what this is, no matter how you deny or try to justify it, it's an implied threat to the President of the United States. It was an audio depiction of SHOTS being FIRED at the PRESIDENT. You can dance around the issue and say, "Hey - just a joke!", but the simple fact of the matter is that it was an ILLEGAL act of hostility against the president - as outlined by the law provided earlier by Ken King, Esq.


The fact that it was "just a joke" and that it wasn't a "credible act of violence" is beside the effing point.




I remember a few years ago that jackass Hannity wished AIDS on one of his callers. I remember the absolute cacophony of horror that resounded from the left. The same people who are blowing this off going, "Eh, this was only a radio bit! He didn't mean nothin!"

Pfftt.




Me, I'm not worked up about this. I am, however, getting a bit worked up at all the justification and defending of it, however.



Curiosity: Have any right-wingers done anything similar toward Clinton or Carter or any prominent Democrats? What was the reaction from the left? (Calling Hillary "thunder-thighs" doesn't count).

 

[Bustem' Down]

In the words of Chris Tucker:
"Do you understand the words that are comin' outta my mouf?"


Are any of you guys actually listening to what is being said about this? Nobody here has said or implied that this is an act of physical aggression. Nobody here said that Randy Rhodes made an actual assassination attempt.


But what this is, no matter how you deny or try to justify it, it's an implied threat to the President of the United States. It was an audio depiction of SHOTS being FIRED at the PRESIDENT. You can dance around the issue and say, "Hey - just a joke!", but the simple fact of the matter is that it was an ILLEGAL act of hostility against the president - as outlined by the law provided earlier by Ken King, Esq.


The fact that it was "just a joke" and that it wasn't a "credible act of violence" is beside the effing point.




I remember a few years ago that jackass Hannity wished AIDS on one of his callers. I remember the absolute cacophony of horror that resounded from the left. The same people who are blowing this off going, "Eh, this was only a radio bit! He didn't mean nothin!"

Pfftt.




Me, I'm not worked up about this. I am, however, getting a bit worked up at all the justification and defending of it, however.



Curiosity: Have any right-wingers done anything similar toward Clinton or Carter or any prominent Democrats? What was the reaction from the left? (Calling Hillary "thunder-thighs" doesn't count).

Like I said, it's all about perspective. If it were something serious, do you think that a bunch of people in a Maryland forum would be debating it, or would the people resposible already be in custody?

Not that it's not inappropriate, tacky, or out of line. Just not criminal.

 

[vraiblonde]

You guys are UFB. This is a clear threat against the POTUS. Anyone who "sees it differently" is just being stupid and excusing ugly behavior from their fellow liberals. Or maybe they think the AA people have a point and that Bush should be shot for trying to straighten out Social Security.

Either way, this incident and you all's comments have served to put me back on my team. Democrats suck and the hypocrisy of you Leftists is beyond belief.

 

[SamSpade]

You guys are UFB. This is a clear threat against the POTUS. Anyone who "sees it differently" is just being stupid and excusing ugly behavior from their fellow liberals. Or maybe they think the AA people have a point and that Bush should be shot for trying to straighten out Social Security.

Either way, this incident and you all's comments have served to put me back on my team. Democrats suck and the hypocrisy of you Leftists is beyond belief.

Dee Jay, try to read the above post as though it was written about *CLINTON* and Democrats, and the radio personality was Howard Stern.

You're doing what you don't like when liberals do the same - "anyone who sees it differently is just being stupid". That's the kind of reaction that seems to most annoy you, in the past.

I think the skit was juvenile, in bad taste, and shows the world what twits these guys are - and I'm glad it's getting a lot of attention, because if the best argument against the President is to use teenage buffoonery rather than anything *resembling* rational thought, it just makes their case worse.

I *know* I've heard morning DJ's do the same damned thing about just about anyone. Heck, I'm sure I've heard T-Bone and Heather do something like this. It's juvenile, but not criminal.

Calling it criminal is the same kind of PC crap that leads to "Judas Priest made my kid commit suicide" or "Beavis and Butthead caused my kid to burn down our trailer".

 

[vraiblonde]

Threatening the President is a crime. But if you want to pretend it's not, whatever.

 

[Chasey_Lane]

Skit.

 

[SmallTown]

One thing I realized by reading this thread. Looks like we have found all of the people who actually listen to Air America

 

[Chasey_Lane]

One thing I realized by reading this thread. Looks like we have found all of the people who actually listen to Air America

I hadn't even heard of it before.

 

[Bogart]

I agree, people get worked up over some of the most stupid things... I tihnk it would be fairly obvious if al franken was attempting to kill the president, he deosnt strike me as the stealthy sort :x

Franken has already physically attacked and beaten conservatives in public. He has a screw loose and would probably be very pleased if some nut job killed Bush then said it was because of the mssg Air America was beaming into his skull.