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Should Facebook remove groups that want to kill George W. Bush?

By: Charlie Spiering
Online Community Manager
09/29/09 3:20 PM EDT

Facebook users and the national media are wringing their hands over the appalling poll that was posted on Facebook asking users if Barack Obama should be assassinated.

Facebook has since taken down the poll, created by a third party user, and now the Secret Service is investigating its source.

Case closed for Barack Obama, but should Facebook have offered the same courtesy to his predecessor?

Several groups on Facebook are dedicated to the demise of George W. Bush. Most of the dozen or so groups dedicated to killing him however, have only a few followers, but some of them have become quite popular.

For example there is a group named "We all Want To Kill George Bush" with 429 members, and LETS KILL BUSH WITH SHOES has 484 members.



The optimistic leader of the group "I bet that I can find 1000000 people who wanted to kill Bush" has fallen short with 518 members.



A quick search for any threatening groups towards Bill Clinton suggests that he got off the hook, but his wife Hillary has earned a few threatening fans such as the members of the group "Kill Hillary" and "If Hillary Clinton is Elected, I'm shooting her."

Fortunately only 7 members joined the group "If 20 people join we're going to pay the Russians to kill Hillary Clinton." 

It's clear that the Secret Service's job is to take threats to the president seriously but what should be the standards for Facebook?

Facebook spokesman  Barry Schnitt admitted to the San Jose Mercury News that Facebook frequently disables content that violates its taste standards, and says that, "There is a lot of gray area."

Should that gray area include all politicians?




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Reader Comments

All comments on this page are subject to our Terms of Use and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Examiner or its staff. Comment box is limited to 250 words.

Ken at Popehat

Sep 29, 2009

Perhaps people have a better sense of what is, or isn't, a "true threat" when it isn't their own guy who is being treated badly.

Personally, I think it is crystal clear that NONE of them are true threats.

 

ladybug

Sep 29, 2009

I'd prefer that all threatening websites be treated as real threats, taken down immediately, and the posters visited by the law to make sure they realize the effect that their words could have on people with unbalanced minds.

To wait until some wacko does something stupid and then wring our hands as we rue what we might have done makes no sense.

It is another reminder that the left engaged in as bad as anything they are wailing about now that we have a president of color. It shouldn't matter whether the president is white, black, or purple; we should have a zero tolerance towards any threats to the president, regardless of his/her party.

 

Meredith

Sep 30, 2009

Facebook's AUP says you can't create groups that encourage hate/threaten or attack someone personally. However, it seems that they very rarely enforce it when conservatives are attacked...

 

Mad Monica

Sep 30, 2009

Though the left thought it was funny and a real hoot when Bush was in office, NO ONE EVER should speak of such an act whether in humor or no. It's despicable and wrong and anyone who participates is, IMHO, a scumbag. That said, how pathetic is is that after eight years of lefties wet-dreaming over the death of Bush, they're now terrified that such activities might put THEIR guy in danger. Feh.

 

1uncle

Sep 30, 2009

Sounds like freshman humor-especially killing Bush with shoes. He is no threat to anyone. On the other hand The Kenyan is killing our military by tying their hands fighting in Afghanistan.

 

katahdin

Sep 30, 2009

facebook, youtube, google ads , google searches all tend to have a lib bias. Some blatant. Too bad. I've been around since when we only had BBS's. And I used to think that control of media was only behind the iron curtain.

 

catty mama

Sep 30, 2009

It's not freedom of speech when it's boarderline terroristic threats. Young people today have no appreciation of human life. When encouraged by their peers, they could do stupid things that they would regret for a very long time. Sites encouraging such actions should be removed regardless of the target!

 

Anela808

Oct 1, 2009

What idiots! any threat is a threat! whether it be on our President or a family member. It should be taken down and not tolerated! It is easy for people to point fingers and say they aren't doing a good job (President past and present)If you were in that position the same thing would be happening to you as well..How would you feel if some idiot made a poll of killing you?... dumb! idiotic! not freedom of speech.. plain and simple dumb!

 

The Grim Reaper

Oct 1, 2009

We should not wish anyone dead before their due time. Now a trial and conviction for high crimes that is another story.

 

Rob in GA

Oct 1, 2009

Excuse me there was a movie in 2006 that was all about Bush dying and the liberals thought it was great! Titled "Death of a President". So if I did that same movie using Obama, how great of reviews do you think it would get? Thats what I thought too ...

 

Rod

Oct 1, 2009

Liberals are hypocrites, but I am sure that title does not offend them (they are without honor). Anyway, no, I suspect that as other have said it is all fine and dandy to say anything you like against a republican or conservative. Yet these same folks act as if it is treasonous to voice your opinion based on fact and call you racist when you argue about totally non-racial principles and premises, again based on facts. ANY threat to a president should be taken seriously. Vote out all the progressives in 2010. Every last one. They are destroying our country.

 

special

Oct 1, 2009

i think that people have a right to free speech, as long as nobody's life is in danger...

onto a lighter topic, i also think that specialsagent.com is a pretty cool site that could be checked out...

 

Kim

Oct 1, 2009

Yes, get rid of them, as well as the NRA. I would prefer Bush be sent to prison for the nutless terrorism he and his pale male cronies perpetrated against this fine country. But on work detail so he finally gets the infrastrtucture fixed and earns his keep. Killing him lets him off the hook and he would just hit around talking to Hitler all day getting new ideas for his reincarnation.

 

JP

Oct 1, 2009

Kim, you are the one who should be pelted with shoes for your stupidity. Obviously you belong to the club of liberals who have become so open minded their brains have fallen out.

 

Katra

Oct 1, 2009

Lastime I checked, it was against the law to threaten to kill a president, either currently sitting or a past president. I am not sure, but I think it is illegal to threatenanyone with death or bodily harm. I certainly hope so. And on that basis alone, Facebookshouldshut down any posts along those lines as they are by the very act of not remving them, condoning and consenting to engage in illegal activities. I understand that there are so many posts to monitor and some will slip through, but taking no action is uncontionablee. Facebook shuld be facing legal actioo aginst them. I know if it were me, someone would be trying to put me in jail, so why not them?

 

SSG Z CAV

Oct 1, 2009

Amazing the level of sheeple stupidity that arises over meaningless drivel.

This was a POLL asking about peoples opinion......NOT a credible threat in any law enforcement sense of the word. Facebooks actions and even the Secret Service (Poor guys) are purely political correctness run wild over nothing. The fact that it is predominately in favor of protecting a corrupt lying Fascist puke whose very political career is a joke makes it that much worse.

Wake up dummies.........

 

JOSEPH

Oct 1, 2009

WHY IS BUSH NOT BEING TAKEN DOWN ? THIS SITE IS SUPPOSED TO BE UNBIASED BUT IT IS NOT ANYMORE .

 

Hananova

Oct 2, 2009

Facebook should shut down sites that threaten to kill people. Where is their corporate ethics? Their responsibility to society?

On the other hand, it's obvious there was no intent to actually kill anyone in any of these sites (I think!) so no one should be prosecuted.

 

Elizabeth

Oct 2, 2009

People that have threatening opinions about bodily harm to any president or public figure ARE a threat. All people in groups threatening Bush, Hillary, or Obama should be investigated as a potential threat. A threatening opinion can do possible harm and should be taken seriously.

 

Beth

Oct 10, 2009

Yes any threats of harm to ANYONE should be shut down...Freedom of speech does not include the right to threaten injury!!!!!!!!!!

 


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