Secret Service questions teen over Web threats, California girl quizzed over threats to Bush she posted on MySpace pag Options

[Chii]

California girl quizzed over threats to Bush she posted on MySpace page
SACRAMENTO, Calif. - Upset by the war in Iraq, Julia Wilson vented her frustrations with President Bush last spring on her Web page on MySpace.com.

She posted a picture of the president, scrawled “Kill Bush” across the top and drew a dagger stabbing his outstretched hand. She later replaced her page on the social-networking site after learning in her eighth-grade history class that such threats are a federal offense.

It was too late.

Federal authorities had found the page and placed Wilson on their checklist. They finally reached her this week in her molecular biology class.

The 14-year-old freshman was taken out of class Wednesday and questioned for about 15 minutes by two Secret Service agents. The incident has upset her parents, who said the agents should have included them when they questioned their daughter.

On Friday, the teenager said the agents’ questioning led her to tears.

“I wasn’t dangerous. I mean, look at what’s (stenciled) on my backpack — it’s a heart. I’m a very peace-loving person,” said Wilson, an honor student who describes herself as politically passionate. “I’m against the war in Iraq. I’m not going to kill the president.”

Her mother, Kirstie Wilson, said two agents showed up at the family’s home Wednesday afternoon, questioned her and promised to return once her daughter was home from school.

After they left, Kirstie Wilson sent a text message to her daughter’s cell phone, telling her to come straight home: “There are two men from the secret service that want to talk with you. Apparently you made some death threats against president bush.”

“Are you serious!?!? omg. Am I in a lot of trouble?” her daughter responded.

‘They yelled a lot’Moments later, Kirstie Wilson received another text message from her daughter saying agents had pulled her out of class.

Julia Wilson said the agents threatened her by saying she could be sent to juvenile hall for making the threat.

“They yelled at me a lot,” she said. “They were unnecessarily mean.”

Spokesmen for the Secret Service in Sacramento and Washington, D.C., said they could not comment on the case.

Parents unhappy with questioning
Wilson and her parents said the agents were justified in questioning her over her MySpace.com posting. But they said they believe agents went too far by not waiting until she was out of school.

They also said the agents should have more quickly figured out they weren’t dealing with a real danger. Ultimately, the agents told the teen they would delete her investigation file.

Assistant Principal Paul Belluomini said the agents gave him the impression the girl’s mother knew they were planning to question her daughter at school. There is no legal requirement that parents be notified.

“This has been an ongoing problem,” said Ann Brick, an attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union in San Francisco.

Former Govs. Pete Wilson and Gray Davis vetoed bills that would have required that parents give consent or be present when their children are questioned at school by law enforcement officers. A similar bill this year cleared the state Senate but died in the Assembly.

Julia Wilson plans to post a new MySpace.com page, this one devoted to organizing other students to protest the Iraq war.

“I decided today I think I will because it (the questioning) went too far,” she said.

She deserved a talking to but I'm not sure if it should have been from Secret Service. She went too far with the whole dagger/stabbing thing. So much unnecessary rage from a 14 year old.

Peace loving my ass.

[*StanleyThePanda*]

haha I was thinking the same thing, "peace-loving my freaking butt"

[*WHIMSICAL 0NE*]

That's crazy. I'm not saying it was right for her to do that, but the FBI should have had someone with her, like a laywer when they questioned her.
With the way security issues are I'm surprised it hasn't gone farther.
I wonder how they found her.

[Serendipity]

That almost happened to one of the kids in my history class. He made some comment about Bush and the teacher told him it was a federal offense - and he could be investigated by the Secret Service, etc. etc. But he was joking, apparently.

[pandamonium]

These days, it sucks cause thats how she felt and she thought she should put it in her myspace, which gives her the freedom to say anything but then she gets in trouble for making it about the president ughh these days, you cant say anything without overlapping or crossing a boundary with another law or rule.

i feel bad cause i know how she feels, she has an opinion too, and her myspace is her space. but then again she could be planning a visit to the white house with bombs lol. kids these days.

[*WHIMSICAL 0NE*]

^^ That's what I was thinking. I mean, the girls only 14... I'm pretty sure she wasn't carrying out a plan to actually kill the president. But then again, over in Iraq they have kids who kill people.
I'm pretty sure if they take this to court the defense will push for freedom of speech. I can agree that she has the right to say she dislikes Bush (Not saying she has the right to put up and image of him being hurt). People can say they love Bush, why can't they say they don't like him?

I wonder if in the myspace TOS they're going to have listed not to make innduendos of death threats to our government leaders.

[rochelley-o]

That was a big deal at my school. I live in Sacramento, and my Advocacy teacher was talking to us about it. It did seem like she went a little overboard with her Bush hating, but it didn't seem enough to get the FBI involved.

[demolished]

Where's the picture?

[lovescream]

There's a whole shitload of people who want to "kill" bush, yet I don't see news on them. Yeah, but it's probably because they didn't neccessarily want to STAB Bush. Still.. Wow. Image a 14-year-old assasinator. That'll be the day.

[*WHIMSICAL 0NE*]

I still want to know how they found her. There's plenty of people on myspace who have something about Bush in their about me section.

[blucheri]

in my opinion. both people r wrong in this case.

The girl - shouldn't have posted something like Kill Bush on the internet. but she didn't know. even thought she should have known. u can't post threats on the internet. specially towards the president duh

FBI - should have taken matters more responsibly. parents should have been there, and all that other stuff.