Hobya, you don't want to see the situation as being the same as those I described because of your obvious loathing (not undeserved) of Dubya. But want to or not, it is the same kind of thing.

How many examples of people "going postal" do you have hear about on the evening news in order to accept the reality that some of these "idiots" follow through on their threatening remarks (or "jokes" as you prefer to call them)?

You genuinely think that someone talking about the possibility of the president being dowsed with flammable liquid and set on fire is the same as someone saying they wouldn't mind if Saddam took a bullet to the braincase? No, it ain't so.

You can say "I wish the president would get shot in the head!" in this country without being arrested,---hell, NP probably says it every night preceded by "Star light, star bright, first star I see tonight..." Wishing for that aloud isn't illegal. It's when you start verbally working out the logistics (i.e. "...someone pouring a flammable liquid on Bush and lighting it.") that you get in trouble with the law. The law doesn't have the luxury of shrugging off such "jokes" like you do, they have to take them seriously. And if this idiot serves as an example to the rest of the idiots out there to mind how they wish for something, fine.

And you dodged my question, by the way. I'll re-word it slightly if that would help. All it needs is a simple "yes" or "no" answer,---would you still shrug off such a comment as just a stupid joke if it had been aimed at someone close to you?

C'mon, just answer truthfully.