Be Careful of What You Say...

[SgtRock]

So, you can kill some one in game but, you go to jail if say your going to kill some one while in the game, huh?

[Father Ted]

I suppose it's not unreasonable, in the light of previous crimes, to take such a threat seriously, and report it.  The kid could then be investigated, told off and informed that he's being watched.  Thus any potential crime could hopefully be averted, but without a wildly (IMO) over-the-top punishment for a loss of temper and demonstration of poor taste.  He could also be stopped from buying firearms (if that is possible/legal).

We had a similar thing in the UK a few years back when somebody who was pissed off at his flight being delayed by bad weather tweeted that he would blow up the airport.  He was convicted (don't recall the sentence) but eventually managed to overturn it on appeal.

[panzerde]

I suppose it's not unreasonable, in the light of previous crimes, to take such a threat seriously, and report it.  The kid could then be investigated, told off and informed that he's being watched. 

A completely rational approach, and one that comes out of a casual discussion on a forum dedicated to computer wargaming.  While I'm happy to assert that collectively our happy band is clearly of above average intelligence, I can't believe we're that much smarter that this would occur to us, but no one in the entire Texas justice system or state government.

People really need to start pulling their heads out.  The response to every damn thing that has even a possibility of going wrong is not to pass a bunch of laws and always take the most extreme interpretation of things possible, and then plaster is all over cable news 24/7 to have a load of no-talent pretty talking heads gush about it.

We are better than this.

(Apologies for the rant and straying from the topic of gaming.  Sh*t just makes me grumpy)

[sandman2575]

We had a similar thing in the UK a few years back when somebody who was pissed off at his flight being delayed by bad weather tweeted that he would blow up the airport.  He was convicted (don't recall the sentence) but eventually managed to overturn it on appeal.

To me, there's a significant difference between what this kid did while playing a video game and what that bloke did in an airport.  IMO, that guy deserved to be charged with a crime.  It's well known that you don't make (much less broadcast over Twitter) terroristic threats in an airport, even in jest.  Given the context, that moron deserved to be arrested.  Saying "I'm going to blow up an airport" in an airport is a deliberately provocative act. It's like saying "please arrest me, I'm an idiot, and potentially an unstable idiot."  What the kid did was stupid and disgusting, but I fail to see how he even potentially posed a threat. He responded in a stupid way to someone else's provocation, and in a way that seems clear he was just making a stupid, exaggerated claim, not hinting at actual intent to carry out a violent act.

[Nefaro]

Ugh.  I realize Newtown altered the landscape, but this is still stupidity & paranoia triumphing over common sense.

Indeed.

The heavy interventionist hand of society & gov't is reaching ever-deeper down our throats. 

Now that I've typed this out on an internet forum, perhaps big brother will be showing up to take me away.   Ya know.. for the good of the whole, right?  ;D

[LongBlade]

And then there were two.

http://dailycaller.com/2013/07/02/second-teen-spends-months-in-jail-for-video-game-threat/

[Father Ted]

We had a similar thing in the UK a few years back when somebody who was pissed off at his flight being delayed by bad weather tweeted that he would blow up the airport.  He was convicted (don't recall the sentence) but eventually managed to overturn it on appeal.

To me, there's a significant difference between what this kid did while playing a video game and what that bloke did in an airport.  IMO, that guy deserved to be charged with a crime.  It's well known that you don't make (much less broadcast over Twitter) terroristic threats in an airport, even in jest.  Given the context, that moron deserved to be arrested.  Saying "I'm going to blow up an airport" in an airport is a deliberately provocative act. It's like saying "please arrest me, I'm an idiot, and potentially an unstable idiot."  What the kid did was stupid and disgusting, but I fail to see how he even potentially posed a threat. He responded in a stupid way to someone else's provocation, and in a way that seems clear he was just making a stupid, exaggerated claim, not hinting at actual intent to carry out a violent act.

To be fair, I just cited that off the top of my head - I don't know the exact wording or timing of his tweet.  What I remember is that to me, when it was reported at the time, it seemed pretty obvious that he was joking.  And the point I made was not that the arrest was inappropriate, but that a check to make sure that he wasn't really planning to blow anything up, followed by a ticking off for worrying everybody, would have been a better way of dealing with it.

And,  @panzerde, thanks for damming me with faint praise ;)

[panzerde]

And,  @panzerde, thanks for damming me with faint praise ;)

Apologies for not making it absolutely clear that you're not only considerably more intelligent than the entire Texas legislature and justice department combined, but are also better looking and a far superior judge of character!  ;D

[Martok]

And then there were two.

http://dailycaller.com/2013/07/02/second-teen-spends-months-in-jail-for-video-game-threat/

Bloody hell. 


And of course, nothing happens to the little shit who provoked him into making that comment in the first place.  I hope he gets penis cancer. 

[Kushan]

If were going to start arresting people for what they say online, how about we arrest just about everyone from the DOTA community. And just about every 15 year old kid who plays COD for yelling things like "I'm gonna F*** you in the A**", etc. over voice chat.

[LongBlade]

If were going to start arresting people for what they say online, how about we arrest just about everyone from the DOTA community. And just about every 15 year old kid who plays COD for yelling things like "I'm gonna F*** you in the A**", etc. over voice chat.

...which explains the entire NSA snooping debacle.

So you load up a database with millions of people's phone conversations bitching about XYZ. Now what?

Somebody has an unhappy experience at the DMV and gripes about it over the phone? Does that result in a terror warning?

At what point will idiocy no longer trump common sense? Or law?

[Dolan50]

Wow!
It seems the thought police in Texas are hard at work trying to set new precedents for thought crimes.

[W8taminute]

At what point will idiocy no longer trump common sense? Or law?

Never the way I'm seeing things.

[Dolan50]

Indeed.

The heavy interventionist hand of society & gov't is reaching ever-deeper down our throats. 

Now that I've typed this out on an internet forum, perhaps big brother will be showing up to take me away.   Ya know.. for the good of the whole, right?

Looks like you just won yourself an 8 week all expense paid caribbean cruise to the lovely island of Cuba where you'll be staying at the world famous Guantanamo Hilton.

During this 8 week stay you will be required to attend daily mental health and hygiene conditioning seminars along with some lengthy classes on internet etiquette and be required to view many hours of thought crime awareness videos.

After all required tasks are completed in a satisfactory manner you will then be allowed to reclaim your US citizenship and rejoin your community on a probationary status until it has been determined you are no longer a threat to yourself or society.

We look forward to your visit and wish you the best of luck.

With warm regards,
Department of Homeland Security. :)

[Father Ted]

And,  @panzerde, thanks for damming me with faint praise ;)

Apologies for not making it absolutely clear that you're not only considerably more intelligent than the entire Texas legislature and justice department combined, but are also better looking and a far superior judge of character!  ;D

That's more like it!