# Twitter Stupidity! or I want to be a felon! **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [November 9, 2012, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/twitter-stupidity-or-i-want-to-be-a-felon/640446 "2012-11-09T03:18:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Dr.Colossus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.colossus/32/9423_2.png) [@Dr.Colossus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Colossus)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2012, 6:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/twitter-stupidity-or-i-want-to-be-a-felon/640446/41 "2012-11-10T06:05:42Z")
^quick point: the “tolerance” of the SS does matter, as laws are quantified much more quickly when pertaining to the President. ie; 6 levels of threats vs the normal 12, immediate visits vs no visits at all if, say, i was the target of the threat. same is applicable to advocacy of violence. threats to the POTUS are all treated with less tolerance than others (as explained in 18-871). it’s very important because your distinction is to apply what you are convinced is common sense to something that is not just a precedented law, with cited examples, but a law that apparently lacks much toleration comparatively speaking. so, in conclusion, altho you think “meh that’s no so bad,” there are cited cases where other people said exactly the same things and the SS certainly considered it illegal. i tend to agree with you that we can wag about their intention or how serious to take them. it’s just the SS and law doesn’t wag. esp on this matter. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Colossus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.colossus/32/9423_2.png) [@Dr.Colossus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Colossus)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2012, 6:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/twitter-stupidity-or-i-want-to-be-a-felon/640446/42 "2012-11-10T06:15:51Z")
> [@](#): > > United States Sentencing Guidelines take a number of factors into consideration in determining the recommended penalty, including evidence of the person’s intent to carry out the threat; disruption to the government function; **and the possibility of inciting others to violence**.[6] There is also a 6-level official victim enhancement, which makes the recommended penalty, per the sentencing table, **approximately double that which would apply if an ordinary citizen were the victim.** [7] ^both indication advocacy of violence: still illegal, and SS tolerance is much lower, wicked relevant. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2012, 10:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/twitter-stupidity-or-i-want-to-be-a-felon/640446/43 "2012-11-10T10:28:41Z")
> [@The\_Dord](#): > > Did a person report you or did the secret service have the chat service bugged/monitored? I was informed that my comment had been reported to AOL and AOL forwarded it to the Secret Service. Ironically enough, the context of the conversation that lead to the remarks was the question of whether the government did indeed “bug” such rooms, and part of my motivation for making the comment was to prove that they didn’t. The Secret Service agent informed me that they do not engage in that kind of monitoring (not that I’d expect them to tell me so if they did). ---
**Author:** ![The\_Dord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3be4f8/32.png) [@The\_Dord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Dord)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2012, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/twitter-stupidity-or-i-want-to-be-a-felon/640446/44 "2012-11-10T20:34:13Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > I was informed that my comment had been reported to AOL and AOL forwarded it to the Secret Service. Ironically enough, the context of the conversation that lead to the remarks was the question of whether the government did indeed “bug” such rooms, and part of my motivation for making the comment was to prove that they didn’t. > > The Secret Service agent informed me that they do not engage in that kind of monitoring (not that I’d expect them to tell me so if they did). Hmm, I see. So someone probably snitched to AOL and sent screencaps, they vertified what you said and send it to the proper authorities? I gotcha. ---
**Author:** ![Morgenstern](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Morgenstern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgenstern)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2012, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/twitter-stupidity-or-i-want-to-be-a-felon/640446/45 "2012-11-10T20:35:44Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > Only the last 4 are actually threats and I’d imagine they’re joking/blowing off steam/trying to impress someone. I’m going to guess the SS is going to ignore it. OTOH, I could see them sending someone from the local FBI branch around to knock on their door and scare the shit out of them and make a small example out of them just to get the point across that you don’t joke around with that kind of stuff. I’m assuming what they said was technically illegal (I don’t know if it is) and if it’s not, then maybe they just send someone around to ‘follow up on the threats they received against the POTUS’ knowing that it would make the news, spark some media discussion and probably keep it from happening again. > > The one, IMO, that deserves some real attention is the person that put a $20K bounty on the presidents head. Only because someone else may attempt to take her up on that offer thinking that if they take out the president, they’ll get a check in the mail from her. The SS does not ignore any threat made towards the President or his family. They will assess the validity of each threat and act accordingly. I just saw a Discovery Channel special on the SS and how they followed up on every threat they hear about, from bar gossip to emails to the first family. They are quite proactive when it comes to protecting the POTUS and his family. ---
**Author:** ![gamerunknown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/6bbea6/32.png) [@gamerunknown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gamerunknown)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2012, 10:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/twitter-stupidity-or-i-want-to-be-a-felon/640446/46 "2012-11-11T10:45:30Z")
> [@The\_Dord](#): > > Hmm, I see. So someone probably snitched to AOL and sent screencaps, they vertified what you said and send it to the proper authorities? I gotcha. I think AOL has moderators for the chat. I got my parent’s internet cut off for a week because I swore at people for ignoring me in there when I was like 11. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Dord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3be4f8/32.png) [@The\_Dord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Dord)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2012, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/twitter-stupidity-or-i-want-to-be-a-felon/640446/47 "2012-11-11T21:55:17Z")
> [@gamerunknown](#): > > I think AOL has moderators for the chat. I got my parent’s internet cut off for a week because I swore at people for ignoring me in there when I was like 11. Man weren’t those the old days.. mid/late 90’s with AOL and yahoo chat. Chat is pretty much dead. Thanks Facebook! :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2012, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/twitter-stupidity-or-i-want-to-be-a-felon/640446/48 "2012-11-12T01:05:29Z")
> [@Morgenstern](#): > > The SS does not ignore any threat made towards the President or his family. They will assess the validity of each threat and act accordingly. QFT. The Secret Service ain’t allowed to have a sense of humor about this kind of stuff. There _WILL_ be an investigation into each one of these. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2012, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/twitter-stupidity-or-i-want-to-be-a-felon/640446/49 "2012-11-12T01:24:40Z")
And every single one of those idiots can kiss any hope of ever getting any governmental clearance. Hope you like working at Burger King, because that’s where you are going to peak, assholes. ---
**Author:** ![Kolak\_of\_Twilo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kolak_of_twilo/32/73_2.png) [@Kolak\_of\_Twilo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kolak_of_Twilo)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2012, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/twitter-stupidity-or-i-want-to-be-a-felon/640446/50 "2012-11-12T01:44:55Z")
> [@BrokenBriton](#): > > On a slight tangent, this is new and interesting: > > [Mapping racist Tweets in response to President Obama's re-election | News | theguardian.com](http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/datablog/2012/nov/09/mapping-racist-tweets-president-obama-reelection) I’m not sure anyone would be surprised by what that shows. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/twitter-stupidity-or-i-want-to-be-a-felon/640446.md?page=2)