Texas Teen Jailed for Joke

[mistermack]

You're playing fast and loose with your definition of "terrorism." It's not "terrorism" when it's just some crazy person.
Try and be more "reasoning."
So, in your opinion, are the tens of millions of gun owners across America, all potential "terrorists?"

I don't see you offering a better definition of terrorism. Violence designed to cause terror sounds ok to me, but if you know better, spit it out.

Gun owners have the means to cause terror.
If they make threats, then they should be taken seriously. They have the means, and they made the threat.
They might well wrap up the threat as a joke. People often do that

In a country where this sort of thing rarely happens, and gun ownership is very rare, you can ignore this kind of joke.
In Texas, you should treat it seriously.

[Collector1337]

You're playing fast and loose with your definition of "terrorism." It's not "terrorism" when it's just some crazy person.
Try and be more "reasoning."
So, in your opinion, are the tens of millions of gun owners across America, all potential "terrorists?"

I don't see you offering a better definition of terrorism. Violence designed to cause terror sounds ok to me, but if you know better, spit it out.

"Terrorism" is a propaganda term. "Terrorism" is a word used to instil fear among the masses in order to more easily control them.

And it appears you have fallen for it.

Every act of violence isn't "terrorism." That's obviously absurd. Just think of how vague the word "terror" or "terrorism" is. Getting mugged is certainly a terrifying experience, but it isn't "terrorism." "Terrorism" is something big, like a bomb, with mass devastation. Not a guy with a gun, who can be stopped at any moment with a bullet to the head.

Gun owners have the means to cause terror.

Yes, people can be terrified by a gun, but that doesn't equate to a "terrorist" attack or "terrorism."

If they make threats, then they should be taken seriously. They have the means, and they made the threat.

Sarcasm is not a threat.

In a country where this sort of thing rarely happens, and gun ownership is very rare, you can ignore this kind of joke.
In Texas, you should treat it seriously.

Ethnocentric stereotyped thinking.

[Mysturji]

The kid might even have learned something about responsibility and thinking before shooting off at the mouth/keyboard.
Actions have consequences, even stupid ones. and rightly so.

If that's the case, than the majority of this forum should be arrested and have their home searched.

You know... "just in case."

No-one here is threatening to kill anyone.
[edit] ...and if anyone here did, and it came to the attention of the police, I would expect a cursory investigation. What happened next would depend on what that cursory investigation turned up.
[end of edit]
You're an asshole.

[Mysturji]

There is also a very real potential for joking being a plausible deniability tool for serious threats, as well as a potential for an innocent and seemingly obvious joke to be taken seriously if it bears enough resemblance to real threats and harassment.

Yes it is real. As real as it ever has been in human history. It is not sufficient cause to curtail freespeech, nor even to bring charges against something, and much less to jail them.

No one is suggesting (as far as I can tell) curtailing anyone's free speech.
The reaction was completely ott, but the post was reported, and once it was reported, the police had a duty to investigate, just in case.
Having done a cursory investigation, and found nothing to indicate that it was anything more than a bad joke, they should have dropped it.
The kid might even have learned something about responsibility and thinking before shooting off at the mouth/keyboard.
Actions have consequences, even stupid ones. and rightly so.

They are curtailing it by jailing him I think. As I said earlier, an investigation would not have been unwarranted - so long as it was discrete, unobtrusive, and did not violate his rights. Whether you think he was shooting his mouth off stupidly or not, it is not up to the state to parent children (except children in state care..). Even if it was, this kind of proceeding is not the way to do it. He has a criminal record now. Because, as far as we know, he only wrote something flippantly sarcastic on the internet.

I meant to say "no one HERE (on this forum)is suggesting (as far as I can tell) curtailing anyone's free speech." My bad.
I agree with you here.

[Mysturji]

Exactly, this is why I suspect its more than just some d-bag talking shit on the net.

For talking shit during a video game? And you suspect it's more than that? Wow. Not too bright.

I may be wrong.

You are.

So are you.
And you just proved my previous point.

[JacksSmirkingRevenge]

Maybe the Texan authorities just jailed him as a joke?

...Or maybe not.