I am certain that very few ignorant Americans are aware of this sad legal development:
There is a long history, state by state, there are 50 of them, I am sure, of criminalizing threats of all sorts and descriptions, as distinguished from ' encouragements ' shall we say.
There is a long history, state by state, there are 50 of them, I am sure, of criminalizing threats of all sorts and descriptions, as distinguished from ' encouragements ' shall we say.
Written threats to kill are certainly an important one. I am sure there are as many as there are states in the so called union.
I had such a case, a written threats to kill case, long ago....
He was acquited by directed verdict, on motion based on what was called a reasonable hypothesis of innocence...
Americans think they can threaten anyone anytime with death, or say death by slow torture, and that this is nothing to think twice about. They may vaguely imagine that they are protected by freedom of speech or freedom of expression, the 1st Amendment trotted out by the press which actually has teeth, things like that.
The reality is that probably millions, or at least hundreds of thousands of ignorant Americans commit written threats felonies all the time on the internet.
They are generally unaware that this stuff, depending on various circumstances, may be punishable by, say, up to 5 years in their state's prison system.
Americans think they can threaten anyone anytime with death, or say death by slow torture, and that this is nothing to think twice about. They may vaguely imagine that they are protected by freedom of speech or freedom of expression, the 1st Amendment trotted out by the press which actually has teeth, things like that.
The reality is that probably millions, or at least hundreds of thousands of ignorant Americans commit written threats felonies all the time on the internet.
They are generally unaware that this stuff, depending on various circumstances, may be punishable by, say, up to 5 years in their state's prison system.
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