# Is wishing Assassination allowed? **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [January 17, 2017, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-wishing-assassination-allowed/777391 "2017-01-17T15:30:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2017, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-wishing-assassination-allowed/777391/41 "2017-01-18T16:24:24Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > The board rules prohibit not only speech which is illegal, but also speech which encourages illegal activity. Saying that you wish someone would commit a particular crime is encouraging illegal activity. While I don’t think wishing assassination leads to reasoned debate, I think it’s a stretch to say that it encourages someone to assassinate. It’s pretty common for folks to argue “yeah, and I wish I had a pony”. Do you think that encourages someone to give the poster a pony? ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2017, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-wishing-assassination-allowed/777391/42 "2017-01-18T16:25:02Z")
> [@Fenris](#): > > [Because it’s illegal?](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Threatening_the_President_of_the_United_States) :rolleyes: > > The Secret Service has taken the broadest view for years of what counts as a credible threat and what triggers an investigation with scary men in black suits and dark sunglasses with subpoenas in hand. > > Wishing death on Putin? Probably no problem, legally. Wishing assassination on Jimmy Carter or Bill Clinton or Barack Obama or Donald Trump? Potentially a “Class E” felony, depending on how the Secret Service interprets what you’re saying. > > So…yeah. US Presidents get special treatment. Do you know the difference between wishing for someone to die, and personally threatening to kill them? ---
**Author:** ![Drunky\_Smurf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drunky_smurf/32/449_2.png) [@Drunky\_Smurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drunky_Smurf)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2017, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-wishing-assassination-allowed/777391/43 "2017-01-18T16:25:48Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > While I don’t think wishing assassination leads to reasoned debate, I think it’s a stretch to say that it encourages someone to assassinate. It’s pretty common for folks to argue “yeah, and I wish I had a pony”. Do you think that encourages someone to give the poster a pony? If the world was fair it would. ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2017, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-wishing-assassination-allowed/777391/44 "2017-01-18T16:52:24Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > … > It’s illegal to say: I’m going to kill the… > > … You just said it, Man! (Be sure to report back if you get a visit!) ETA P word redacted for fear of my own visit. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2017, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-wishing-assassination-allowed/777391/45 "2017-01-18T16:55:29Z")
> [@bobot](#): > > You just said it, Man! > (Be sure to report back if you get a visit!) > > ETA P word redacted for fear of my own visit. If I get a visit, I won’t be able to report back! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Fenris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fenris/32/498_2.png) [@Fenris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fenris)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2017, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-wishing-assassination-allowed/777391/46 "2017-01-18T18:09:58Z")
NM ---
**Author:** ![Morgenstern](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Morgenstern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgenstern)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2017, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-wishing-assassination-allowed/777391/47 "2017-01-18T19:16:29Z")
Quoting **Chronos** in post # 15 \*[Moderating] Even more relevant is an earlier portion of the passage kunilou quoted: Quote: Do not post threats or state or imply that any individual or group is deserving of harm. Also relevant is an earlier passage: Quote: You agree not to post material that in our opinion encourages activity that is illegal in the U.S. If you see any violations of this, please report them. Most often, the reason why a rule violation goes unmoderated is that it just happens that no moderator saw it: We don’t and can’t read every single post.\* This just compounds the problem. Example. News flash. Hitler found alive and living in South America. Poster responds. Hope they kill that SOB. Warning issued for wishing harm to Hitler. Or News flash…Man rapes 12 young kids in one evening. Poster…They should cut off his balls… Warning issued - Wishing harm to an individual. This really kills the purpose of a message board. I understand not wishing harm to a member, but there are, at times, people who do deserve more than a spanking and a few bad names. ETA… News flash. WW3 breaks out with surprise attack on American installation. Poster posts…Hope the Army kills those bastards. Warning issues, wishing harm on an enemy combatant. ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2017, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-wishing-assassination-allowed/777391/48 "2017-01-18T23:54:19Z")
Enemy combatants, Hitler, Islamic terrorists. Etc etc are not the president. US laws are made for the US. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2017, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-wishing-assassination-allowed/777391/49 "2017-01-19T00:00:51Z")
> [@Leo\_Bloom](#): > > Enemy combatants, Hitler, Islamic terrorists. Etc etc are not the president. US laws are made for the US. Stating that one wishes that someone will assassinates the president isn’t against the law. ---
**Author:** ![aldiboronti](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9fc348/32.png) [@aldiboronti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aldiboronti)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2017, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-wishing-assassination-allowed/777391/50 "2017-01-19T01:57:56Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > Stating that one wishes that someone will assassinates the president isn’t against the law. Many things aren’t against the law but might still attract unhealthy interest from the authorities, especially wishing death on the President. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2017, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-wishing-assassination-allowed/777391/51 "2017-01-19T02:26:10Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > The board rules prohibit not only speech which is illegal, but also speech which encourages illegal activity. Saying that you wish someone would commit a particular crime is encouraging illegal activity. No, it is not. Wishing something would happen is not the same thing as encouraging the activity to happen. Wanting something to happen and encouraging people to do it are completely different things. “I wish I had a pony” is not the same thing as me trying to get someone to give me one. I can’t believe this is even being discussed. The OP itself gives the answer. We have allowed this sort of thing to go unmoderated for a long time. It comes up in most Trump threads. There is no way the mods have not seen any of them, or that none of the Trump supporters have reported it, if no one else. There is no way I’ve been able to say it without someone who hates me reporting me and me getting a Warning. It is clear that the status quo is that you can wish death on particularly heinous individuals on this board. The only restriction is given in the rules: if the mods think the conversation has become uncivil. But, that’s the rule regardless. Please do not change how the rules are interpreted because of Donald Trump of all people. I’m flat out begging you. ---
**Author:** ![Morgenstern](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Morgenstern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgenstern)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2017, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-wishing-assassination-allowed/777391/52 "2017-01-19T03:02:45Z")
> [@aldiboronti](#): > > Many things aren’t against the law but might still attract unhealthy interest from the authorities, especially wishing death on the President. It’s not against the law to publicly state that you’d love to see the president suffer a fatal heart attack. It may be against board rules, but not any existing law. ---
**Author:** ![TimeWinder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bcef8e/32.png) [@TimeWinder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TimeWinder)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2017, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-wishing-assassination-allowed/777391/53 "2017-01-19T03:23:51Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > Stating that one wishes that someone will assassinates the president isn’t against the law. I think historically the technique is something like: “Won’t someone rid me of this troublesome prez?” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-wishing-assassination-allowed/777391.md?page=2)