Warren County Sheriff David Gallant essentially says he “can’t tell” what a threat is anymore because of the rise of social media websites (“Threats to judges taken seriously in age of Facebook and Twitter, authorities say,” Feb. 24).
Oh, how easy it is for public officials to blame their own ignorance on some indescribable patina of mystification descending on us all by a strange new mysterious phenomena.
Blah, blah, blah. Bollocks, I say.
There’s no confusion about what a threat is. Look it up. This is a serious issue that needs to be clarified, quick.
Last week a man in Cincinnati was ordered by a judge to post a groveling apology to his wife on Facebook because of a previous post that said “all you need to do is say that you’re scared of your husband or domestic partner and they’ll take (your child) away.”
That’s political speech. A judge ordered a man around for it. Not an isolated incident.
Concerned citizens need to vent, but the Violence Against Women Act ensures an accused man will be punished even if the accusation turns out to be false.
In most cases, judges are immune from prosecution, even if their erroneous decisions profoundly harm families.
And if it’s in family court? The watchdog eye of the media is forbidden to ever know what happened.
This is pure insanity. If we are made to be afraid to vent by easily offended ignorant public officials, it’s time to have them removed from office.
ERIK ANDERSON
Independence Township
Published: Monday, February 27, 2012, 4:21 AM
