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Even at the risk of political party mud slinging that typically accompany these kinds of stories, there's definitely something here worth discussing, and that's what kind of punishment should be levied for abusive emails. Let's back up a moment.
Luke Angel, a 17-year-old British teenager, is now permanently banned from ever setting foot on U.S. soil. What did he do to warrant such a punishment? He fired off an inebriated email to the White House in which he called President Barack Obama the "P" word (and he wasn't talking about felines), among other things, Sky News Online reports.
The FBI intercepted the message and then contacted U.K. police.
"The police who came around took my picture and told me I was banned from America forever," Angel said.
According to the local police, "the individual sent an email to the White House full of abusive and threatening language. We were informed by the Metropolitan Police and went to see him. he said, 'Oh dear, it was me.'"
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security wasn't willing to discusses specifics in this particular case, but did say that there are about 60 reasons a person can be banned from the U.S.
So what do you think, was the punishment too harsh or right on the money?
Comments are closed on this article
Keith E. Whisman
September 13, 2010 at 11:11pm
Obama is suing the state of Arizona, I'm a co-defendant in a case labeled United States vs. Arizona. That's great, what a F'ing pussy. What the hell kind of president sues a state in his own country? Arizona SB1070 just takes Federal immigration law and makes it state law, that all. Obama has complained to the United Nations about how inhumane Arizona law SB1070 is. Arizona is being judged by countries that don't believe in personal liberties for crying out loud. We are being judged by countries that use lethal force to protect their borders and have much more stricter laws than SB1070. Obama is a fucking PUSSY and deserves all the hate male he gets. He certainly isn't serving the people of the United States by going on Vacation 3 times a month, and having dinner parties every fucking night of the week as if him and his family were royalty. Getting elected president has really gone to Mr. Obama's head. If Obama were ever in touch with society, he has lost touch with it now and perhaps even with reality. With all his partying and vacationing, I think he is part of that clubbing mindset where you live at the stupid club. I have no respect for people that spend their life at the club. I've been to one club in my 38 years and I hated it.
When Bush went home, he didn't go on vacation, he has kind of an oval office at his Texas ranch. Bush entertained foreign dignitaries and basically didn't take any vacations even when he was on vacation he still did his job. Obama should have at least tried to accomplish something Positive in his first months in office, but all he has done was party and take vacations and sue Arizona.
He labeled his starting capital budget an economic stimulus, an all out lie. He reinvented the health care system, basically he fucked up the best health care system in the world.
No, there is a lot to complain about when it comes to President Obama, and not just because I'm a republican and he's a democrat. I, a republican, voted for Obama, I was hoping we would do like Clinton and perhaps we would enjoy a job rich economy again. Boy was I wrong. I'm never ever, going to vote for a democrat again, not unless I know him personally.
Keith E. Whisman
September 14, 2010 at 10:23am
Sorry, typo. Now that you have made a reply to my post, I can't in anyway fix it. Thanks a lot.
Keith E. Whisman
September 13, 2010 at 10:47pm
Okay let's get this out of the way first, I agree with the kid, Obama is a spineless pussy. It's not against the law or even illegal to tell the president what you think of him, it is against the law to make threats towards him or anyone else. It's unlawful to threaten anyone in anyway with anything such as physical harm, financial hardship, death, anything and everything. If it's a threat of any kind, you are breaking the law.
You are completely within your rights to tell anyone in Government what you think about them, its better if your a constituent of that politician, but you don't have to be.
I'm an American and I think the current leadership in England is just as spineless, but I did like the previous administration. Shout that statement get me banned from England? Absolutely not. My opinion should never be reason enough to keep me from entering a foreign country.
I don't like Obama and I have a lot of unflattering opinions on the man as a politician, those are my opinions, they are not threats.
So if this kid actually threatened the President then, yeah, go ahead and ban him, what good is it going to do anyway? He can just hire a Coyote in Mexico and get smuggled in through the very open Arizona border.
tom_stone
September 13, 2010 at 5:03pm
I think that unless the words he used physically jumped off the screen and harmed POTUS, banning this minor is stupid. If you look online there are thousands of people shooting off about American leaders, past and current, I have yet to hear anything done to any of them. The article does not say he threatened POTUS with harm but he had a few choice words about him. It's stupid how some minor is banned for calling POTUS a few choice words but we allow killers, rapists and other criminals into the country.
PM_DMNKLR
September 13, 2010 at 4:05pm
Obama IS a pussy, and he's proven it time and time again. Maybe he thinks this kid is Damien or something, lol.
nHeroGo
September 13, 2010 at 3:27pm
...let's get back to business and do what we do best. Let's pick on Steve Jobs instead. I heard that it was Steve who sent the message from little Luke's e-mail address and framed him because little Luke had turned in his iThing. Big Steve said "I'm your iFather!" and little Angel said "Noooooo!"
Hannah
September 13, 2010 at 11:45pm
Such ignorance. You've obviously never spent any time outside the US. Most countries are much, much worse.
van_helblaze
September 13, 2010 at 9:11pm
You act like the United States is the only corrupt nation. Every nation has corrupt officials, and greed is just part of human nature.
Keith E. Whisman
September 13, 2010 at 10:52pm
Well said. In fact you can go further and point out that this country is setup to make humans successful, by allowing free thinking, education, and the unending quest to better yourself. Greed is a god given gift that makes man what he is. It's what separates us from lower animals, the need to possess.
stradric
September 14, 2010 at 6:31am
You're actually claiming that being greedy is part of the process of bettering yourself... That is twisted. But then you also claim it's a "god given gift" so it doesn't surprise me that you're crazy. So when the Enron guys joked on the phone about shaking grandma upside down to empty her pockets, they were actually being spiritually enlightened? I get it now... Greed is good. Crush your fellow man in order to get more worthless stuff. That's the secret to happiness!
You live a sad existence if you think "the need to possess" is some kind of significant triumph. That is a cultural phenomenon. Many native, indigenous cultures of humanity don't share that same greedy "need to possess" that western culture does. So your philosophy needs work.
Also, I don't think you understand what critical thinking is.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6OLPL5p0fMg
And just to drive the point home that your idea of bettering-yourself-through-greed is one of the dumbest things I've ever heard, watch this:
Keith E. Whisman
September 14, 2010 at 10:33am
Since you feel the way you do about the Western world, why don't you just move to the fucking Seranghetti and live with a bush talking tribe. If you want a family, you'll need a water buffalo to purchase a woman from her father. Also you better get used to throwing a spear because that's how your going to eat.
So while your screwing your starved bush girl and doing everything you can to hunt down food for your family, I'll be here playing on my computer and going to college, while raising my well fed and clothed family.
And you can take your youtube videos with you to Africa, that is if you don't turn into bush people food.
The very reason why we have the ability to better ourselves is because of greed. Greed led us to go beyond just the bare basics.
In your world, we would still be riding horseback and living off the land, of course that only works in the summer months. In the winter, you only have what you have stored away and can hunt for, which ain't much.
Lhot
September 13, 2010 at 1:29pm
..isn't a 17 year old a MINOR?
I think its time Obama considered retirement!
Let's connect the dots....A republican apologizes to BP for Obama's "shake down" of BP for 20 billion...BEFORE a conviction....then later that day...the same republican retracts his earlier statement, and was obviously forced to do so...Obama has kept NONE of his ongoing and campaign promises....and now Bans a Minor from the U.S...FOREVER...who just happens to be British....and last I heard...emails don't kill. To top it all off, we have the net neutrality bill, that seems to be getting torn to shreads by various large corporations...and Obama and the entire Congress can't seem to see the original bill for the forest of dollar bills. All in all...I think its time for a new President and a new Congress....and ofc a new Dept. of Homeland Security...ya know...one that spies on other countries and not our own.
I realize full well the pressures these politicians must put up with...but all the cr*p going on in our Govt. lately is ...just plain wrong. Our entire Govt. is acting like a Keystone Cops movie....it not just a BAD thing, it's embarassing. Even Nixon wasn't THIS bad :/ If Obama wants to be a twit-ter and a blogger then he should expect to be treated the same as any other citizen...aka...don't go completely overboard when he gets "flamed" by a kid. Time to grow up, grow a pair and start acting like a President, Obama!
tri8gman
September 13, 2010 at 2:41pm
You think the President personally said "Ban that little UK bastard" and the intercepting party (the FBI) and other powers that be had nothing to do with it?
Was the ability to exile one of the powers granted the President?
Without the actual email, I can't judge its severity. "If I were to see you on the street, I'd beat your p****y-ass!" might have been one context.
Not to mention he says the UK Police told him this? I'd rather hear it from either the US Gov. or the UK Police than trust that to be exactly what was said and meant.
Not to mention, I dunno if you know this or not, but minors can shoot guns, too. Just not necessarily legally. :)
p47riot
September 13, 2010 at 2:19pm
Great post! Right on the nose if you ask me. The Twitter-in-Chief does seem to get awfully butt-hurt if you don't agree with him, doesn't he? So not only does he think that we here in America aren't entitled to our Constitutional rights, now he wants to impose his ego on the rest of the world. Impeachment proceedings will begin right after the November elections btw!
AkuPenguin
September 13, 2010 at 9:13pm
As tri8gman said above, do you really believe that the President makes absolutely every decision on everything in the country? Besides the fact that he doesn't, every decision the President DOES make goes through committees. He does not have absolute power. Far from it. In fact, most of the President's ideas or decisions will never make it to the public eye. Anyway, it says right there in the article that it was the FBI that intercepted the e-mail and made the decision to ban the kid.
MµDiyéh
September 13, 2010 at 2:14pm
Right, this is much worse than that Canadian diplomat who called GW Bush an idiot at the beginning of his first term. I hadn't noticed that every government and courteous citizen of a keystone country in the Western world was knuckling under to the nation that saved everyone's ass west of the 13th parallel in 1945. Secondly, what are the odds that a british teenager gives two sharts about not being able to visit a country run by a guy whom he was stupid enough to less than diplomatically insult and create a international incident. Thirdly, politics is serious business, and lives depend on it; so if one doesn't intend to get exiled, or kick/banned one considers the gravity of the words or the situation before opining your foolish mouth. And finally, if one couldn't seriously be kick/banned from a country, Irony and it's lesser forms of humour would lack the tangy bite that invigorates them - for example, if you want to complain about any president, proceed thus in the parody of Tom Hanks:
This is an excellent president, sir, with extremely valuable achievements this year, sir, worthy of my best purple prose and commendations, sir. Moreover, I feel heartfelt sorrow for the offended sensibilities of president Barack Hussein Obama and am willing to lay down my passport and the right to ever travel there - especially to Washington - to ease her suffering.
Don't doubt for one second that it's so-called abuses of power like this that remind everyone that an armed society must be a polite society. Otherwise, passing ruffians could say pussy at will to old ladies and publishing houses could be banned from World Wide Development Conferences for implying that a company pioneered the art of selling essentially the same device in different form factors. For those of you hipsters born after 1984, Death To America! and if you don't like it, go move to the other country that saved everyone else's ass east of the 13th parallel in 1945.
I hope I get the Presidential Medal of Freedom and a Congressional Gold Medal for this!
Nimrod
September 13, 2010 at 12:00pm
This is absolute police state bullshit.There are so many things wrong with this idea that its disgusting to me.
someone87
September 13, 2010 at 10:37am
Does anyone else think it's funny the sledge hammer pictured was made on a 3D plastic printer?
http://www.dimensionprinting.com/
I guess it's so they could have the "BAN" written in type, because that's not found on real hammers very often......
Just found that funny, tis all.
DanDog
September 13, 2010 at 10:28am
Quote from
http://bit.ly/daiOME
Joanne Ferreira, of the US Department of Homeland Security, said there are about 60 reasons a person can be barred.
Dougan47
September 13, 2010 at 10:02am
Beleive it or not, there are over 20 ways to lose your american citizenship.
draconis123
September 13, 2010 at 9:45am
"oh dear"? Only in Britain will you find a 17 year old saying that. Here is america it's more like, "homie, #@$^%%& #^ %#*$^ @(% ^%()#^ #$%#@ (#, got that?"
nedwards
September 13, 2010 at 9:54am
I don't know; I didn't learn how to pronounce "#@$%*&^" until I was 22.
Vernak
September 13, 2010 at 9:36am
I am surprised that no link was provided as is customary for Maximum PC articles. I had to dig a little myself. Here it is for those who care enough to follow this news:
http://bit.ly/daiOMe
The Bedfordshire Police Department link is off the link I provided but nowhere do I see any additional information regarding the actual email itself.
Your last question, Paul, is difficult to answer without knowing the true nature of the offense. If the youngster just sent out an inflamatory email, I would say this is overkill. If the youngster made any threat to the President of the United States implicitly or explicitly, the Department of Homeland Security is going to take it pretty damn seriously.
Some of the forum responses on the Sky News Online page make a few arguments about freedom of speech but it is important to emphasize the fact that this is a foreign citizen and not a citizen of the United States.
michaelh
September 13, 2010 at 1:25pm
That's precisely what I was going to say. It depends entirely upon what was said. If he'd called Obama a P___y and told him to sack up and end the war, nuke Iraq or leave Michelle for Courtney Love (as examples) it shouldn't merit a permanent ban. If there was a threat towards the President or country then, drunken rant or not, they have to treat it seriously and the ban would be justified.
Eoraptor
September 13, 2010 at 10:14am
Yup, doesn't matter who you are, or where you are, you threaten the PotUS and they stick your name on a nice long list that follows you around for the rest of your life.Incidentally, Freedom of Speech, as most people convienently forget, does not protect hate speech or threats directed against an individual. yes you can go to jail for telling someone if you ver meet them in an alley you'll $%^&* them in their ^&*(, wither its PotUS or the guy on the other end of the couch.
Kid should count himself lucky (underage drinking aside and why are the cops not asking about that, I duno the drinking laws across the pond) that this is the worst he gets. In ancient Rome they woulda put out his eyes with the wireless fob of his mouse (or lead stylus as was more common back then) for slandering or threatening the emperor.
p47riot
September 13, 2010 at 3:44pm
Hate speech and threatening speech IS INDEED protected under the First Amendment. Threats only become a violation of law if the threat of violence is imminent. Telling someone you're going to kill them isn't necessarily a crime; telling someone you're going to kill them while pointing a gun at them is. If unpopular and inflammatory speech was not protected by the First Amendment, what use would there be in having it at all? It's unpopular speech that is the reason why this right exists. No one has ever said "We need to protect pleasant and friendly speech!"
We appear to make special consideration for the President when it comes to making threats, but the reality is that it follows the same standard and is also protected speech. A meaningful threat of harm or the intent to incite others to cause violence against the PoTUS qualfies as a crime. Calling him a p*ssy because you don't like him doesn't (and shouldn't)--sorry!
Nimrod
September 13, 2010 at 12:02pm
Your an idiot. The president gets thousands of threats EVERY DAY. So do congress and other govrenment workers. Nothing ususally ever happens about them.
Nimrod
September 13, 2010 at 12:02pm
Your an idiot. The president gets thousands of threats EVERY DAY. So do congress and other govrenment workers. Nothing ususally ever happens about them.
nmanguy
September 13, 2010 at 9:35am
The hell's the "P" word? Is it something British, or am I just drawing a blank?
draconis123
September 13, 2010 at 9:46am
the p stands for p*ssy. Drawing a blank on this, trying to tell us something? Just kidding. lol.
nmanguy
September 13, 2010 at 2:15pm
But I thought the article said it wasn't that word. Also, is it really that offensive? I thought it was just a low-level insult like damn. I mean, if I typed it right now would I be banned from the comments for a week?
Keith E. Whisman
September 13, 2010 at 11:21pm
Come on, You can say PUSSY on the radio and regular broadcast TV now. The FCC dropped it as a bad word. It's perfectly acceptable to say pussy on the radio and tv now without any hardship from the FCC. So if that's the case then why the fucking censors here at MaximumPC? I can understand censoring fuck as that is a really bad word but come on, pussy? Hell bet you didn't know that BITCH is a clean word now too. You can say Bitch on broadcast TV and Radio now without getting in trouble with the FCC. It was about 10years ago when the FCC revised it's list of banned words that were not allowed on broadcast TV and Radio. Very few people know this. Of course Fuck is still not allowed on the Radio or TV unless it's Pay TV and Pay Radio.
Joshin
September 13, 2010 at 9:27am
Interesting too. Does that mean emails to the "president" actually get sent to the FBI? or how does that work. If this becomes more publicly known I'm sure people will slander its racism towards russians or something. either way it makes for a great Laugh! Thanks Mr. 17 from Russia!
Eoraptor
September 13, 2010 at 11:09am
No, email sent to the president doesn't "go to the FBI" but just as with most major corproations, there's a front end on the email system that scans for certain keywords, email behaviors, viruses, etc. Obviously anything that has words like "kill" and "president" and "beat with a rubber hose" trigger certain flags and get pulled aside the same ways we wish out own email would with words like Viagra, Quick Mortgage Aproval, and Anthro-fetish.
TechJunkie
September 13, 2010 at 9:23am
I think Obubba needs to banned from the U.S. forever. I mean, him not being a legal citizen and all, needs to be deported back to Kenya.
Caboose
September 13, 2010 at 2:38pm
Really? I hope you're being sarcastic (it's so hard to tell with text, we need some sort of... emoticon to indicate sarcasm heh)
