SS (Secret Service) questions student on drawings

[Uninen]

Link! (http://www.cnn.com/2004/US/West/04/27/artwork.investigated.ap/index.html)

Secret Service questions student on drawings

Tuesday, April 27, 2004 Posted: 12:13 PM EDT (1613 GMT)

PROSSER, Washington (AP) -- Secret Service agents questioned a high school student about anti-war drawings he did for an art class, one of which depicted President Bush's head on a stick.

Another pencil-and-ink drawing portrayed Bush as a devil launching a missile, with a caption reading "End the war -- on terrorism."

The 15-year-old boy's art teacher at Prosser High School turned the drawings over to school administrators, who notified police, who called the Secret Service.

"We involve the police anytime we have a concern," Prosser Superintendent Ray Tolcacher told the Tri-City Herald newspaper.

Secret Service agents interviewed the boy last Friday. The student, who was not arrested, has not been identified.

The school district disciplined him, but district officials refused to say what the punishment was. Tolcacher said the boy was not suspended.

The artwork was apparently part of an assignment to keep a notebook of drawings, according to Kevin Cravens, a friend of the boy's family.

The drawing that drew the most notice showed a man in what appeared to be Middle Eastern-style clothing, holding a rifle. He was also holding a stick with an oversize head of the president on it.

The student said the head was enlarged because it was intended to be an effigy, Cravens said. The caption called for an end to the war in Iraq.

A message left by The Associated Press with an after-hours duty officer with the Secret Service in Washington, D.C., was not immediately returned on Monday.

"If this 15-year-old kid in Prosser is perceived as a threat to the president, then we are living in '1984'," Cravens said.

Tolcacher insisted it was not a freedom of speech issue, but a concern over the depiction of violence.

"From what I saw, [school officials] were right to be concerned," Prosser Police Chief Win Taylor said.

:roll:

[WolverineBlue]

Thank you very much, Columbine High School

[American Patriot]

That kid has nice parents I bet.

[Threelions]

And here is the thought police. Gone are the days of free speech.

Cheers

[AFACadet]

That's not free speech, that's under True Threats catagory that's not covered by the 1st. Anything related to the killing of the President will be checked out. That goes for anyone, anywhere in the US.


Now if the kid simply had the satan part, the SS would have no ground to check it out.

[Fox2]

Part of me wonders if this kid had drawn the death of anyone other than the President, and they punished him (which they would), would Uninen and Threelions respond the same way?

Somehow, I doubt it.

I guess people only complain about the "thought police" when the subject lines up with their own leanings? :P

Edited for clarity.

[ibstolidude]

And here is the thought police. Gone are the days of free speech.

Cheers
Please explain - the boy was not arrested, he was not expelled, he was not suspended, he was not failed for the year, he was not detained. It is the duty of the SS to investigate all threats once notified - it appears that they did that with a degree of intelligence, as they have taken NO action against the boy - that is the ONLY federal agency involved in the article - so take your complaint to the school district. Could one make the case that the school administrators over-reacted? - sure - but had the kid flipped out a week later (not that anti-Bush statements or pictures are a precursor) the community would be up in arms about why the school didn't do anything if they saw these kind of pictures a week earlier.

So far the only thought police would be your depiction of a lack-of-thought SWAT team member; it was a nice jump to conclusion on your part though.

[Threelions]

the fact that the kid cant express a political opinion with out the SS (perfect abreviation) investigating is the US goverments attempt to crack down on oppositional thought. If the kid drew a pic of Blair, Martin, Reagan, and the SS showed up i would say the same thing. "Your allowed to think what ever you want as long as its what we tell you to!"

Cheers

[Fox2]

the fact that the kid cant express a political opinion with out the SS (perfect abreviation) investigating is the US goverments attempt to crack down on oppositional thought. If the kid drew a pic of Blair, Martin, Reagan, and the SS showed up i would say the same thing. "Your allowed to think what ever you want as long as its what we tell you to!"

No, it has nothing to do with the boy's political leanings; rather, the caricature of the rather gruesome death of the President of the United States. It is the Secret Service's job to investigate these matters. If the kid had just drawn his anti-war images, and not implicated the death of our President, there would be no investigation. Obviously, you are grasping for straws here, without knowledge of the way our government works.

As for your referrence to Nazi Germany, that is pretty ridiculous.

[AFACadet]

Dude, you know jack squat about the US constitution and how it works...


EDIT: That was not to you Fox, I was a little slow

[Pooga]

If Threelions's bodyguards saw a picture of his head impaled on a stick, they would question whoever drew that picture.

There are more interesting things in life to draw.

[UkrainianAmerican]

I remember walking in with a shirt 'UZI does it', and getting bitched at by the dean (who was a kippah-wearing jew, btw)
And I agree: bad taste. Nothing to do wiht freedom of speech.

[mocking_loudly_died]

What an over-reaction. Christ I use to draw tanks running over Redfern in art class.

I hate Redfern.

[Uninen]

What an over-reaction.

:hug:

And also a very bad call, all in all.. "they" should know, "this" wont make "them" look good. :cantbeli:

[ibstolidude]

the fact that the kid cant express a political opinion with out the SS (perfect abreviation) investigating is the US goverments attempt to crack down on oppositional thought. If the kid drew a pic of Blair, Martin, Reagan, and the SS showed up i would say the same thing. "Your allowed to think what ever you want as long as its what we tell you to!"

Cheers
It isn't the secret services job to protect Blair - I would waer if the kid drew Reagan they would show up as it is their task to protect Reagan.

by their own admissions they must investigate all threats - this has included such things as popular artists songs when they threaten to kill the President. They took no action they simply need the ability to say "yea, we looked into it and it was nothing."


"Your allowed to think what ever you want as long as its what we tell you to!" - again I ask - please explain what this kind of statement has to do with the Secret Service looking into the incident and then dismissing it without action. We are all ears. (or eyes in this case)

[DPGLAW]

This has to be one of the most ridiculous things I have ever heard. I really hope that this isin't true. Mabye were lucky and it's an Onion article. I am inclined to agree that this really steps on our first amendment rights. As much as I hate to see the point that is so often made by the 99% of the time moronic Democrats, there is no way that a 15 year old BOY, I emphasize the word BOY because there is no concieveable way that he could be percieved as enough of a threat to warrant calling the Secret Service. This definitely a case of 1 of 2 things; 1)either the officer, detective, captain, etc. of the Prosser police department who had enough"concern" over these drawings to call the S. Service is an absolute ****ing moron (certainley possible), or 2) It is an attempt to stomp on first amendment rights.

As an aside, I like the use of "SS" to depict the secret service in the title. In this case the title SS is definitely appropriate.

[Uninen]

I like the use of "SS" to depict the secret service in the title. In this case the title SS is definitely appropriate.

This is something i learned from "American guys" at this forum, they were discussing Secret Services weapons and called it as "SS" and also i think they have used that in some news also.. IE in CNN..

So what the hell... if "you" guys use it, why dont i, and also "the Gestapo style" of this incident offered a perfect place and time.

:|

Just think about it, if they do this to 15 year old... im scared what they actually would do to a adult..

Me, they would most propably just shoot out of hand without Q:s asked.. Cause i have a oppinion..

:|

[ibstolidude]

I like the use of "SS" to depict the secret service in the title. In this case the title SS is definitely appropriate.

This is something i learned from "American guys" at this forum, they were discussing Secret Services weapons and called it as "SS" and also i think they have used that in some news also.. IE in CNN..

So what the hell... if "you" guys use it, why dont i, and also "the Gestapo style" of this incident offered a perfect place and time.

:|

Just think about it, if they do this to 15 year old... im scared what they actually would do to a adult..

Me, they would most propably just shoot out of hand without Q:s asked.. Cause i have a oppinion..

:|
Could somone please explain what they actually did to the 15 year old?
The Secret Service MUST investigate when threat complaint are made - they did NOTHING to the 15 year old. Complain about an overreaction on the part of the school admin - but when a police department calls the Secret Service and says some kid is making threats on the Pres and drawing pictures the Secret Service shows up looks at the pics and maybe (article is not clear) talks to the kid and then DOES NOTHING. THEY TOOK NO ACTION. How is this censorship by the Secret Service. How is theis GESTAPO like. For all you know they showed up and said nice freaking picture kid, told the cop stop wasting out time and left. The article is clear that the kid was not arrested, will not be tried, is not detained, nor is punished by the Federal governement.

[Maine Finn]

:roll:

What a bunch of cry babys, you dont fooking get a joke? Damn..... :cantbeli:

You don't get that it's not a funny joke at all? If there's one thing you do not do here, it's talk about another member's family. It's perhaps the worst offence that can be committed.

[Trigger]

:roll:

What a bunch of cry babys, you dont fooking get a joke? Damn..... :cantbeli:

ahh, yes. The standard answer given by all idiots when they get their ass handed to them. 'It was only a joke'.

Pussies.

[ibstolidude]

DO NOT POST AGAIN ANY ANTI-or PRO ABORTION CRAP IN THIS THREAD

I don't care who started it.

The other comments have been split to a thread marked KNOCK IT OFF and have been locked to be preserved.

Threads exist for this debate, there is no need for it to take place here.

[Uninen]

:roll:

What a bunch of cry babys, you dont fooking get a joke? Damn..... :cantbeli:

ahh, yes. The standard answer given by all idiots when they get their ass handed to them. 'It was only a joke'.

Pussies.

Do you want a piece of me? Come and get it you ****! Cause ive had it with you.

[Uninen]

DO NOT POST AGAIN ANY ANTI-or PRO ABORTION CRAP IN THIS THREAD

I don't care who started it.

Nice move, why dont you go on banning and deleting me also?

[radon]

unecessary overreaction.

[ibstolidude]

DO NOT POST AGAIN ANY ANTI-or PRO ABORTION CRAP IN THIS THREAD

I don't care who started it.

Nice move, why dont you go on banning and deleting me also?
I'd be delighted, since you asked for the invite.

[ibstolidude]

unecessary overreaction.

- thanks for the PM - sorry I originally thought you meant the locking of the forum - not the overreaction by School/Police and Federal officials in the original thread - I agree it was an overreaction.