Friday, November 14, 2008

Obama has more threats than other presidents-elect


By EILEEN SULLIVAN, Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON – Threats against a new president historically spike right after an election, but from Maine to Idaho law enforcement officials are seeing more against Barack Obama than ever before. The Secret Service would not comment or provide the number of cases they are investigating. But since the Nov. 4 election, law enforcement officials have seen more potentially threatening writings, Internet postings and other activity directed at Obama than has been seen with any past president-elect, said officials aware of the situation who spoke on condition of anonymity because the issue of a president's security is so sensitive.
Earlier this week, the Secret Service looked into the case of a sign posted on a tree in Vay, Idaho, with Obama's name and the offer of a "free public hanging." In North Carolina, civil rights officials complained of threatening racist graffiti targeting Obama found in a tunnel near the North Carolina State University campus.
And in a Maine convenience store, an Associated Press reporter saw a sign inviting customers to join a betting pool on when Obama might fall victim to an assassin. The sign solicited $1 entries into "The Osama Obama Shotgun Pool," saying the money would go to the person picking the date closest to when Obama was attacked. "Let's hope we have a winner," said the sign, since taken down.
In the security world, anything "new" can trigger hostility, said Joseph Funk, a former Secret Service agent-turned security consultant who oversaw a private protection detail for Obama before the Secret Service began guarding the candidate in early 2007.
Obama, of course, will be the country's first black president, and Funk said that new element, not just race itself, is probably responsible for a spike in anti-Obama postings and activity. "Anytime you're going to have something that's new, you're going to have increased chatter," he said. READ

4 comments:

Lite }{ said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Lite }{ said...

well, they did kill JFK. I been scurred for Obama since day 1. }{

www.litefreedomariposas.com

Samax said...

haters hate... that's how it is.
Obama will live. America will reap the benefits of having a smart, compassionate President. haters will hate. full circle.

raw said...

Wow. It's ironic how us minorities are often viewed as the violent ones. But Joe the Plummer and Joe Six pack are ones who are packin'. They give all the cool white people out there a bad name.