Psych eval might be appropriate. And this is one more reason to go easy on the indiscriminate chirpings of “Thank you for your service!” There’s all kinds of interesting people in the military.
Maybe he thought he’d be thanked really profusely afterwards?
Seriously? Five years for a 23 year-old weekend warrior blurting out an impulsive statement? And knowing PA, the only reason anyone heard about it later is because it’s Trumplandia–betting all his peers hate him because he’s probably the one person on the unit who doesn’t like Trump.
Here’s hoping he gets off with a warning and some counseling. About when and where to open your damn mouth.
He’s white.
Don’t expect any tweets from the President about Muslim bans or Mexican Walls.
Is that really a threat? This is getting close to a thought crime.
It would be interesting to know more of the details in this case. I think we’d find it was a lot less serious than anyone might think.
Its the PA Guard, and conservative, Trump-worshipping locals dominate (My husband’s family lives there, and it’s rabid). Most of them know this kid. I’m betting he’s one of very small minority that didn’t vote Trump, and his peers turned him in for saying something really stupid because they are pissed as hell he doesn’t agree with them, where as had it been Obama, they’d have said “Dude, cool it! Don’t joke around like that! You’ll get arrested!”
Instead they backstabbed their buddy and turned him in for not giving the hand salute to the Vice-Fuehrer.
Mike Pence is alive?? Wha??
Close enough.
We don’t need that kind of grief.
You are assuming he would have done it.
I don’t make those assumptions. I think he was talking.
That’s really stupid and clueless.
I’m not making any assumptions. He needs a severe talking-to immediately, and then we can go from there.
I know it’s kind of hard to take seriously. That’s why the psych thing came to my own mind. Still, if he said this about a neighbor, say, we wouldn’t have heard about it but the neighbor would have a right to be concerned and the authorities would be obligated to treat it as serious I think. You can’t have people walking around threatening to do murders—it ain’t couth.
He could get 5 years. Severe enough for you?
I would imagine that everyone better watch what they say about this administration under these circumstances. It was not even a direct threat aimed at Pence. It was a statement about basically a fantasy until he took a step and he did not.
I don’t think he would have confessed if it was a false accusation.
No argument there. Not a reasonable crowd.
Is that really a threat? This is getting close to a thought crime.
This guy would kill Pres. Obama for free… he took early retirement (5 months early, not a big sacrifice )
That may be… and while I am no great fan of the Human Q-Tip… we need to tread very carefully here. It has long been the case that threats to the chief Executive, (and I presume, the vice-president, too), are considered crimes. There’s the free speech aspect, but there’s also the bit about the Secret Service can’t ignore a stated threat to the folks they have to protect. And, of course, someone in the military is, by definition, subordinate to the Commander-in-chief.
I’d be angry if he threatened Joe Biden…
It was a stupid thing to say, and, stupid has consequences. (I mean, have you seen who the Ameriacans elected President???!?)
To quote/paraphrase Darrow or Twain or someone: I’ve never wished a man dead, but I have read some obituaries with great pleasure.
I would too = if he actually threatened him.
I don’t like these speech crimes. I think they violate the 1st amendment until someone takes a step toward making the threat real. That’s how it used to be.
Now we have to be careful what we say? I grew up in the US. Now I"m living in Russia.