Man sentenced for threatening to castrate Bush
[An israli-born] man of Palestinian descent has been sentenced to federal prison on charges that he threatened to castrate US President George W Bush while involuntarily committed at a mental hospital.
US District Judge David Herndon sentenced Arafat Nijmeh, 27, to seven months in prison after he pleaded guilty to two felony counts of threatening the President.
He gave up without a fight. I would have advised him to go to trial.
What he said was protected speech under the First Amendment - classic political puffery said in a bout of anger while involuntarily committed.
However, Nijmeh was freed after Herndon credited him with eight months he has already spent in federal custody since being charged.
Nijmeh had been jailed without bond after a US magistrate judge deemed him a flight risk and possible threat to society.
What a joke - he's a flight risk for joking about castrating a man who probably has nothing to castrate - meanwhile, a gang of violent thugs - clearly flight risks - are let out on bail.
Could it have something to do with the fact that this guy is Palestinian born? Nah!
His criminal past includes a three-year prison sentence for recklessly discharging a gun and probation for striking a woman on the head with a rock.
Alright, maybe the guy's not a model citizen. But, that's beside the point.
"This would have been an interesting trial," Nijmeh's attorney, John O'Gara, said afterwards.
"It was a difficult situation whether to go to trial and accept an agreement (involving a plea). Mr Nijmeh wanted to accept the agreement and move on."
Felony counts Federal grand jurors indicted Nijmeh on March 23 on two counts of "knowingly and willfully" threatening to harm Bush.
On March 18, he first threatened in comments to two workers at the Alton Mental Health Centre where he was being treated, then a day later to two Secret Service agents.
Where the hell were they before 9/11???
On a donut run?
The indictment alleged Nijmeh told the agents, including John Brooks, that is earlier threat to castrate Bush "is not too harsh, considering what he has done to my country.
If not that, then maybe something else, you know?"
Nijmeh later said he was joking. (AP)
America, land of the free (slaves).
But the guy has got no balls, anyway - what's the fuss?
but, apparently, it's a crime nonetheless.
All joking aside. this is unconstitutional - the guy was joking. He was singled out and prosecuted, that is, persecuted, because of his ethnicity.
that's why one should not only read the topic before commenting, my bad.
Of course it's unconstitutional, and I'd say that's even the point of it. This kind of abuse is meant to erode peoples' rights by trespassing incrementally and getting people accustomed to it - boiling the frog, basically...
And if one babystep doesn't cause an outrage, the next won't, either. And so, babystep by babystep, the road to tyranny is toddled along.
I'm not saying we shouldn't at least be trying to cause an outrage, btw :)