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From: gsmith@garnet.berkeley.edu (Gene W. Smith)
Newsgroups: news.admin,misc.legal
Subject: God save the King, er, President...
Keywords: assassination conspiracies
Message-ID: <15403@agate.BERKELEY.EDU>
Date: 13 Oct 88 08:17:08 GMT
References: <1278@cbnews.ATT.COM> <509@optilink.UUCP> <1957@spdcc.COM> <15229@agate.BERKELEY.EDU> <225@obie.UUCP>
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Reply-To: gsmith@garnet.berkeley.edu (Gene W. Smith)
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Organization: Garnet Gang Gems of Wisdom, Inc.
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In-reply-to: wes@obie.UUCP (Barnacle Wes)

In article <225@obie.UUCP>, wes@obie (Barnacle Wes) writes:

>Don't be ridiculous; assassination (and conspiracy to commit
>assassination, which is what was taking place) has never been protected
>by ANY part of the constitution.

  Here we are worrying about what is and isn't a good idea to do
on the net, and you accuse someone of conspiracy to assassinate
the President, which as you point out is a crime with severe
penalties attached. Don't look now, but that sounds like libel.
Or else why was no one arrested?

> You might also note that
>assassinating, or conspiring to assassinate the President of the U.S.
>also carries the title of "High Treason."

  Treason is defined in the Constitution and I don't think can be
redefined by act of Congress, but I'm no lawyer. Nor, I'll wager,
are you.

> You might think it quite a stretch to consider "joking" on the
>net to conspiracy charges, but look at it from the point of view
>of the Secret Service.  There are a lot of wackos out there
>trying to kill politicians, and they have to take EVERY threat
>seriously.

  Why don't they do their damn job and check them out instead of
trying to undermine the Bill of Rights and turn the country into
a police state full of Good Germans like you, then?
--
ucbvax!garnet!gsmith       Gene Ward Smith/Brahms Gang/Berkeley CA 94720
Intolerance is a state of mind, rudeness is a way of life. -- C. Wingate