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November 7, 2008

Secret Service investigate cartoon

Facebook posting brings visit from Secret Service

By STEPHEN BARTLETT

PLATTSBURGH -- Josh Weiner aimed for funny when he posted a political cartoon of Barack Obama in cross-hairs on Facebook.

But humor turned to fear when a Secret Service agent interrogated him two days later to determine if the Plattsburgh State junior was an aspiring assassin or gun-toting racist.

"I didn't want to go to Guantanamo Bay," said the economics major from Long Island.

IDEA FOR CARTOON

Sitting in class doodling Wednesday, Weiner got the idea to make a political cartoon.

He's heard people express fears that an assassin's bullet will prevent Obama from making it to office, so he started brainstorming ways to depict that concern.

"I know how he talks about change," Weiner said Friday, sitting in his apartment on Couch Street.

So he drew a picture of Obama's head in gun cross-hairs and wrote underneath, "Change is in Sight."

"I decided it would be a political joke."

Not overly impressed with his rendering, Weiner got a picture of Obama off the Internet and centered the president-elect's head in cross-hairs above the slogan. He posted it on Facebook late Wednesday night as a bumper sticker and sent the image to 15 friends.

By Thursday, more than 100 people had added it. That number swelled to 200, and Weiner started receiving hate mail from places as far away as California.

AGENTS ARRIVE

He was walking to class Friday morning when his roommate, Josh Obercon, called him.

"I got a message that investigators were looking for him," Obercon said.

Weiner ran back to his place but ended up at a friend's house, wondering if he should seek legal representation. Obercon started making calls to ensure others knew what was happening, in case his friend disappeared.

"I came back to my apartment to put myself down and figure out what I was gonna do," Weiner said. "I figured it was the bumper sticker because I didn't do anything else."

Other students had joked the night before that the Secret Service may come looking for him, and Weiner's own mother worried her son might get into trouble.

Both students spoke with Plattsburgh State political science professor Dr. Olivia O'Donnell for advice. She told Weiner that he should talk with the investigator, not hide from him, but to do it on campus, offering use of her office.

She mentioned that you have to be careful what you post on the Internet because it can be seen by anyone.

INTERROGATED

Next thing Weiner knew he was in Hawkins Hall, sitting in a room with a University Police investigator and a rather large Secret Service agent.

"He started questioning me on who I would have voted for, if I would assassinate the president, if I owned guns and if I was a racist."

Fear took over as Weiner worried he'd end up in jail, or worse, some unknown location under more intense interrogation.

"I didn't want to get in trouble for trying to be witty."

Ultimately, the Secret Service agent told Weiner he didn't think he was a threat, although he said that if headquarters disagreed, the agent would be paying him another visit.

"He said they could take my computer and arrest me."

RIGHTS

Weiner thinks his rights were violated.

"I feel that it is not fair that they can take down a witty political cartoon and question my friends."

"It's freedom of speech," Obercon agreed. "People shouldn't have to fear the government for open statements on political ideas."

The bumper sticker has disappeared, the pair said, and without the usual Facebook message left when an image is removed.

"It's like it never existed," Obercon said.

Weiner remains shaken and worries he may run into trouble when applying for a new passport to see his grandfather in Mexico.

He's since fielded a distressed phone call from his mother and says he's learned his lesson.

"One run-in with the Secret Service is enough for my lifetime."

sbartlett@pressrepublican.com

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