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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

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Sis: Death Threats Are Out Of Bounds

There have been two recent events flying just below the media radar but which should be sounding alarm bells. Officials in California arrested Gregory Giusti for threatening the life of Speaker Nancy Pelosi. In Washington the FBI arrested a Yakima man, Charles Alan Wilson, for threatening the life of Senator Patty Murray. The crime they're charged with is isn't just for making the threat, but making the threat with the intent to impede, intimidate, interfere or retaliate against an official in the exercise of her official duties. 18 USC 115 et seq. I raise that point to demonstrate that society has rendered illegal threats of violence as a form of political persuasion. This type of violent coercion is not protected political speech under the first amendment nor should our process be tainted by it/Sisyphus, 43rd State Blues. More here.

Question: Do you think we're going to see an attempted assassination of an elected official within the next year? Or are the threats Sisyphus mentions above so much hot air from disgruntled, fringe people?



D.F. Oliveria
D.F. (Dave) Oliveria joined The Spokesman-Review in 1984. He currently is a columnist and compiles the Huckleberries Online blog and writes about North Idaho in his Huckleberries column.

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