Michigan State Police warn: blogging could mean jail time
Not content to let Michigan School Officials naysay about the dangers of blogging (as reported here on Feb 11), Michigan State police have joined in the blog bashing fun warning that blogs could result in kiddies going to jail.
Lt. Tim Lee, Michigan State Police Department warns:” [Kiddies] can say horrible things about a principal or horrible things about their parents, or horrible things about the kid next door, and they feel like no one’s going to find them..But what kids often don’t realize is that saying horrible things about a person on the internet could get them into trouble with the law.”
But not content with warning off kiddies from using name calling on blogs, Lee goes one further: “That person goes out there, reads the posting and says, yeah I’m nervous about this, or I feel uncomfortable, I’m afraid for my life. They contact law enforcement, and that’s when we get involved…If we can identify those individuals, and there’s enough information to believe that person’s threat is accurate, that person could actually carry out that threat, then that is a threat that would be prosecuted.”
What’s even more bizarre, is that WLNS.com news reports that blogging is a serious problem, but authorities “are still playing catch up… State police don’t have enough resources and even psychologists are grappling with this issue.”
Yikes! Has blogging become the new platform for evil in the 21st Century? Should Michigan State Police be creating a dedicated Blogging squad to trawl for hate blogs instead of dealing with less important crimes like murder and rape?
The answer, it seems, is yes, in Lee’s words: “It’s actually become a psychological phenomenon.”
First we have to worry about being fired by our bosses and now the Michigan State Police are going after little kids. I’m sure glad I don’t live in that state. After reading about the little girl from Florida we they should be more worried about the pedifiers and not whats on some kids blogs.Besides it’s freedom of speech what we put on our blogs..
Sticks and stones may break my bones, but names can never hurt me.
You can’t go to jail for what you’re thinking.
Whatever happened to free speech?
Sounds like the cops go for the soft options thus to raise their batting average.
Love it or leave it.
Hate it and leave it.
The sky is falling. George Bush CAUSED the hurricanes. Everyone, including the Michigan State Police is out to get ME.
elpd is out of control. What ever happened to freedom of speech? I realize it is illigal to threaten someone but to criticize and prosecute is crossing the line. Just another reason why I dispise the men in blue within East Lansing.