Will Obama be killed in office?

Jormungander
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Will Obama be killed in office?

I went to the gun range today. While I was waiting at the front desk, a man dropped off some McCain/Palin buttons and yard signs for us to have. Two of the employees began talking about politics and one expressly voiced his support for murdering Obama. He even joked about making buttons that show Obama in a crosshairs and say "Obama: the first target," or something along the lines of that. These people hate Obama, are marksmen and have a great selection of rifles. I wonder if they could/would really kill him if they got the chance. I doubt that these two people that I heard talking today are actually going to kill him, but I suspect that this is a common sentiment amongst certain groups. I predict that if he is elected, then there will be assassination attempts. Somewhere in America there is a man just like the one I heard talking about shooting Obama that has the guts to really do it.

Between people's hatred for Obama, and McCain's old age, I think that this is a great year to be a candidate for Vice President.

"You say that it is your custom to burn widows. Very well. We also have a custom: when men burn a woman alive, we tie a rope around their necks and we hang them. Build your funeral pyre; beside it, my carpenters will build a gallows. You may follow your custom. And then we will follow ours."
British General Charles Napier while in India


The Doomed Soul
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... Ive been toying with the

... Ive been toying with the idea of taking one of those high performance model helocopters (those 6ft long steel bastards that can fly at 100+ kph), strapping a high explosive, and camera system to it, and send it off after Bush durring an outdoor press conference... but im just not that motivated -_-

 

Having a gun nut shoot a president is just... well... hardly original >.>

 

PS; C.I.A i hope you see this, gimme a reason to be motivated

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Jormungander wrote:I went to

Jormungander wrote:

I went to the gun range today. While I was waiting at the front desk, a man dropped off some McCain/Palin buttons and yard signs for us to have. Two of the employees began talking about politics and one expressly voiced his support for murdering Obama. He even joked about making buttons that show Obama in a crosshairs and say "Obama: the first target," or something along the lines of that. These people hate Obama, are marksmen and have a great selection of rifles. I wonder if they could/would really kill him if they got the chance. I doubt that these two people that I heard talking today are actually going to kill him, but I suspect that this is a common sentiment amongst certain groups. I predict that if he is elected, then there will be assassination attempts. Somewhere in America there is a man just like the one I heard talking about shooting Obama that has the guts to really do it.

Between people's hatred for Obama, and McCain's old age, I think that this is a great year to be a candidate for Vice President.

As an avid shotgun shooter at my local range and a political progressive I have to say I share this concern actually. In my experience at gun shows and firearms ranges the political bent seems to be ultraconservative or libertarian in the majority with an often thinly veiled or open racism bluntly discussed. I have heard three different people on my range discussing this same thing. One person said if Obama gets elected he wouldn't mind if he had a repeat of what happened to Martin Luther King Jr. Another person said he just got a new hunting rifle and was going out to set the sights on it with his new scope and said he wished he could use Obama as a target. I can't remember exactly what the third said, but it was something about hoping Obama picked a "good replacement just in case" and then laughing.

My feeling is that most of these people would never actively go out and try to kill him, but I do think he will probably have the most assassination attempts in his presidency in US history. Most people don't have the guts, don't want to get caught, or just aren't smart enough to carry it out. People like that right wing, Conservative Christian Terrorist Adkisson are out there, and they are armed. Its sad really. It gives regular gun owners a bad name, but I live in Arizona where McCain has something like a 75% approval rate and Republicans/Conservatives run everything, so my experience could be slightly skewed toward that talk more than a liberal or moderate state.

 

“Fear is the path to the dark side. Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering.” Yoda


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Jormungander wrote:I went to

Jormungander wrote:

I went to the gun range today. While I was waiting at the front desk, a man dropped off some McCain/Palin buttons and yard signs for us to have. Two of the employees began talking about politics and one expressly voiced his support for murdering Obama. He even joked about making buttons that show Obama in a crosshairs and say "Obama: the first target," or something along the lines of that. These people hate Obama, are marksmen and have a great selection of rifles. I wonder if they could/would really kill him if they got the chance. I doubt that these two people that I heard talking today are actually going to kill him, but I suspect that this is a common sentiment amongst certain groups. I predict that if he is elected, then there will be assassination attempts. Somewhere in America there is a man just like the one I heard talking about shooting Obama that has the guts to really do it.

Between people's hatred for Obama, and McCain's old age, I think that this is a great year to be a candidate for Vice President.

 

That really saddens me.

And I bet they call themselves Christians too.


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I hope they know even joking

I hope they know even joking about something like that can lead to detention and a lengthy interrogation by the Secret Service.

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The thought must have

The thought must have crossed pretty much everyone's mind. I mean, just the shear fact that he's black is enough to get most people talking about it.

But I would like to point out that I believe there are probably always nutters out there that want to kill the president, regardless of his party, his creed, or his colour.

I mean, I've heard lots of examples of people "jokingly" talking about killing Bush, or just wishing him dead. I think it's actually very common to talk about the death of the political leader of whatever you are opposed to (Republicans or Democrats alike). I also think that to talk about killing people and to actually seriously considering it is very different.

I think all presidents, regardless of political stripe, are in overhanging danger of assasination, purely by merit of him being the president. That's what the Secret Service is there for.

But it takes a psycho to pull it of, and a psycho's motivation could be anything, not just Obama's politics, so it's just as likely that Obama would be the target of an assasin because he has big ears (because the stepdad of "Psycho Pete" Obama's would-be assasin, had big ears and he abused Pete and his mother when Pete was a kid).

I mean look at the guy who shot Reagan (I forget his name): he did it because he had fallen in love with Jodie Foster after seeing Taxi Driver.

I mean, of all the possible reasons to shoot Reagan, would you have expected that to be the reason?

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MattShizzle wrote:I hope

MattShizzle wrote:

I hope they know even joking about something like that can lead to detention and a lengthy interrogation by the Secret Service.

To be fair Matt, I have heard a lot of liberals, progressives, and independents say they wished death on Bush though too. No one on the range though.


 

“Fear is the path to the dark side. Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering.” Yoda


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HeyZeusCreaseToe wrote:I

HeyZeusCreaseToe wrote:

I have heard a lot of liberals, progressives, and independents say they wished death on Bush though too. No one on the range though.

But liberals aren't usually servicing what appeared to me to be a heavily modified AR15 when they talk of wishing that Bush was dead. When someone is servicing an rifle and talking about how they would like to murder Obama at the same time, I get worried. Conservatives have most of the guns, so it seems to mean more to me when they talk of killing.

 

MattShizzle wrote:

I hope they know even joking about something like that can lead to detention and a lengthy interrogation by the Secret Service.

On the contrary, the facility that I went to is a police training range as well as a civilian range. It has many warnings in it that it is a police training range, so there are special rules. If they find you taking pictures in there they will ban you for life, out of fear that you are taking pictures of police practicing. I fear that police officers may feel similar sentiments as the man I heard speaking. The employee who said he wanted to kill Obama apparently didn't care if any police officers overheard.

"You say that it is your custom to burn widows. Very well. We also have a custom: when men burn a woman alive, we tie a rope around their necks and we hang them. Build your funeral pyre; beside it, my carpenters will build a gallows. You may follow your custom. And then we will follow ours."
British General Charles Napier while in India


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Jormungander

Jormungander wrote:

HeyZeusCreaseToe wrote:

I have heard a lot of liberals, progressives, and independents say they wished death on Bush though too. No one on the range though.

But liberals aren't usually servicing what appeared to me to be a heavily modified AR15 when they talk of wishing that Bush was dead. When someone is servicing an rifle and talking about how they would like to murder Obama at the same time, I get worried. Conservatives have most of the guns, so it seems to mean more to me when they talk of killing.

 

This is true, I just didn't want to paint conservatives as evil killers and liberals as never wishing death on anyone. I am quite convinced that people with familiarity of weapons, talk of murdering, and military history of killing people are more likely to murder someone than someone who just talks about it offhandedly in a political discussion.

One of the guys at the range who my stepdad is friends with is a guy who was a policeman during the Watts Riots and he has talked about pumping shotgun rounds into the riot as crowd control and "population control" as well. This guy probably murdered poor black people as a sanctioned agent of the state. Many of the people I shoot with are ex-military and have killed people before. Talking about killing someone isn't really as big of a deal in that environment for some people.

 

“Fear is the path to the dark side. Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering.” Yoda


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HeyZeusCreaseToe wrote:I am

HeyZeusCreaseToe wrote:

I am quite convinced that people with familiarity of weapons, talk of murdering, and military history of killing people are more likely to murder someone than someone who just talks about it offhandedly in a political discussion.

 

>.>

 

<.<

 

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*Sigh*Some people are just

*Sigh*

Some people are just plain stupid.

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A few thoughts:Yes, I think

A few thoughts:

Yes, I think Obama will be at higher risk than other candidates because he's black.  The Craigslist R&R board for my town is littered daily with racist rants about how blacks should never have been allowed to vote, or pictures of Obama morphing into a monkey.  Stupid southern rednecks with guns are definitely dangerous.  Luckily, most of them don't even know how to get out of their own county, and can't read maps.  The odds of them making it to Washington are thankfully low.

Curiously, I have met a reasonably large number of blacks who don't want a black president.  Search me as to why... I dunno.

All things considered, I think Biden would probably make an ok president.  Palin, on the other hand, would be a disaster.  I still think Obama ought to take his chances.

 

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They also don't realize just

They also don't realize just how incredibly hard it would be to assasinate a US president. It hasn't happened in nearly 45 years. Nobody's even come close (that we know of) for nearly 30 years. As much as right  wingnuts hated Clinton nobody came close. They tend to seep areas for snipers and make sure nobody comes anywhere close to a president/vp/family member or former with a weapon. The secret service learned a lot from the JFK assasination (and for those of you who think it was a government conspiracy - fuck off) and the attempt on Reagan.

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Right.  For illustration,

Right.  For illustration, consider that when I was in DC last year, I was approached by a secret service agent because I was taking pictures of the White House from two blocks away.  They are really, really serious about security in DC.  I had to show him the photos in my camera and explain that I was a freaking tourist and that I wanted to remember my trip to DC with pictures.

When the president goes anywhere, they have insane levels of security, and if you haven't noticed, the president is NEVER seen in public the way JFK was.  He is always completely surrounded by bodyguards, and never, ever goes into an open area that hasn't been completely swept by security.

 

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If someone gets killed in office

If someone has a high risk to get killed in office than it is McCain. What advantage would it be to anyone if Barack Obama would get killed while being president? Joe Biden would succeed him and the nations politics wouldn't change all to much.

If on the other hand McCain would get shoot by some guy with a rifle, Sarah Palin would follow into office. And that would mean that a lot of political dreams in the real far right of the American political scenery would come true.

So if we really asume that such a political assasination would follow the rules of political logic Barack Obama should be safe.

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GermanMike wrote:If someone

GermanMike wrote:

If someone has a high risk to get killed in office than it is McCain. What advantage would it be to anyone if Barack Obama would get killed while being president? Joe Biden would succeed him and the nations politics wouldn't change all to much.

So if we really asume that such a political assasination would follow the rules of political logic Barack Obama should be safe.

Ah, but you're using logic here.  Think like a member of the Klan.  There are still way too many Americans who would be happy to be a part of a lynch mob and get all those "uppity" folks.

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Some guys in Denver had a

Some guys in Denver had a plan and the equipment to try an assassination.  They were caught and naturally released without charges filed.  On the other hand, one guy went up to Cheney and said he disagreed with his policies and he was thrown in prison.

One positive thing will turn up in an Obama administration, all the reich-wing, racist Christian nuts who make threats against Obama don't have to pass Go on their way to prison.

There's a mockumentary out from Britain called, "To kill the President" (I'm going off memory so it may be something else).  It's about the what-if scenario if Bush were to be assassinated (as with all good British shows it was never shown in the States).  As it turned out Cheney became President and that wasn't good for America.  I can imagine the brimstone let down upon the reich-wing if Obama is assassinated and Biden takes over.  Biden has never been known for taking crap from anyone.  However, there's some nutty Charlie Manson type out there who figures killing Obama will start some holy race war so now doubt someone will try, like they did with Bill Clinton.


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GermanMike wrote:If someone

GermanMike wrote:

If someone has a high risk to get killed in office than it is McCain. What advantage would it be to anyone if Barack Obama would get killed while being president? Joe Biden would succeed him and the nations politics wouldn't change all to much.

I think with McCain people will just look at their watches and tap their feet waiting for the old geezer to go.  If they're in a hurry they'll blow into a paper bag and pop it to see if the ol' heart gives out.


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Virtually all heads of state

Virtually all heads of state assume the office knowing that they are potential victims of assasination.  How many Presidents, Prime Ministers, high ranking political dignitaries, etc from around the world can you think of that are not supplied a security detail ?

  Of course "it" can happen, everyone knows it, least of all the politicians themselves.  

 

  Of course, a left wing president would most likely be the target of a right wing terrorist.   Obviously there are militant left wing groups that have no problem spilling blood if they believe it serves their cause.  Even in America during the turbulent '60's there was a left wing group calling themselves The Weathermen who had a special fondness for blowing things up.  In Europe there were left wing groups such as Baeder Meinhof / Red Army Faction, in Columbia their is FARC, etc.  Violence is not the exclusive province of right leaning groups.  It's simply a matter of what methods certain political factions prefer to use.

 


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Quote:I predict that if he

Quote:
I predict that if he is elected, then there will be assassination attempts.

 

Assasination attempts? ...probably a given.

Killed in office? .... got a coin?

At this point though its all cart before the horse.

 

 


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Hambydammit wrote:When the

Hambydammit wrote:

When the president goes anywhere, they have insane levels of security, and if you haven't noticed, the president is NEVER seen in public the way JFK was.  He is always completely surrounded by bodyguards, and never, ever goes into an open area that hasn't been completely swept by security.

 

No kidding. 

A few years back, Bush gave a speech at my university.  I live on the top of a mountain on the outskirts of town, and (without getting into too much tedious geographical info) I have to cross a small bridge that runs from mountaintop to mountaintop over the interstate to get to campus. 

This is no joke:  I couldn't cross the bridge (or get anywhere near it for that matter) for about an hour before (and several minutes after) the presidential caravan was scheduled to pass beneath it.  Mind you, this isn't a large bridge--it's just a small backroad bridge that is regularly used by a relatively small number of people--so needless to say, they did a security sweep of the entire area through which he travelled.  I knew it would be tight all day, but that kind of blew my mind. 


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Jormungander wrote:I went to

Jormungander wrote:

I went to the gun range today. While I was waiting at the front desk, a man dropped off some McCain/Palin buttons and yard signs for us to have. Two of the employees began talking about politics and one expressly voiced his support for murdering Obama. He even joked about making buttons that show Obama in a crosshairs and say "Obama: the first target," or something along the lines of that.

I wonder if these are of the same cloth as the man who, when I protested the Iraq war before we invaded, said, "You can't question the President, Traitor." When I asked why not, he replied, "Because he's the fuckin' President."

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And we know how many of

And we know how many of those same fucktards refused to criticize Clinton when he was president, especially over something as trivial as a blowjob.

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