At two in the morning on Sunday, February 16, 2014, Bruce Allen Santee II, a small time professional wrestler who performs under the name "The Marquee," was riding in a car driven by his girlfriend in Pinellas Park, Florida, a town of 50,000 in the Tampa Bar area. After his girlfriend was pulled over by a female police officer for failure to yield, Santee and the officer exchanged angry words.
Not long after the traffic stop, the 35-year-old wrestler wrote about this minor incident on his Facebook page. He not only insulted the police officer by name, he offered a reward of $100 for her murder.
A police officer with another agency saw Santee's Facebook solicitation and reported it to the Pinellas Park Police Department.
The next day, a Pinellas County prosecutor charged Mr. Santee with the felony offense of issuing a written threat to kill. At three-thirty that afternoon, Santee turned himself in to the police. He apologized to detectives and blamed the threat on anger and alcohol intoxication. Officers booked him into the Pinellas County Jail. That night, Santee posted his $10,000 bond and went home.
"The Marquee's" father, a professional wrestler named Bruce OG Santee, posted a message about his son's arrest on Facebook. It read: "For all the friends and fans that know my son: The best thing we can do is support him in a politically correct way. I thought we had a first amendment in this country. I guess not so much anymore. I do not condone what he wrote on Facebook but how in the hell can you take a comment like that seriously when they are intoxicated, and finally who would kill anybody for a 100 dollars? REALLY I REST MY CASE!!!"
The First Amendment does not protect one against yelling "bomb" on an airplane (even in jest), shouting "fire" in a crowded theater, or threatening the life of a police officer. While the younger Mr. Santee didn't actually intend to have the police officer murdered, there are murderous nuts out there who wouldn't care if he meant it or not. This was reckless behavior, and a crime. Moreover, drunkenness and stupidity are not criminal defenses. And in this case, neither is the First Amendment. I rest my case.
Not long after the traffic stop, the 35-year-old wrestler wrote about this minor incident on his Facebook page. He not only insulted the police officer by name, he offered a reward of $100 for her murder.
A police officer with another agency saw Santee's Facebook solicitation and reported it to the Pinellas Park Police Department.
The next day, a Pinellas County prosecutor charged Mr. Santee with the felony offense of issuing a written threat to kill. At three-thirty that afternoon, Santee turned himself in to the police. He apologized to detectives and blamed the threat on anger and alcohol intoxication. Officers booked him into the Pinellas County Jail. That night, Santee posted his $10,000 bond and went home.
"The Marquee's" father, a professional wrestler named Bruce OG Santee, posted a message about his son's arrest on Facebook. It read: "For all the friends and fans that know my son: The best thing we can do is support him in a politically correct way. I thought we had a first amendment in this country. I guess not so much anymore. I do not condone what he wrote on Facebook but how in the hell can you take a comment like that seriously when they are intoxicated, and finally who would kill anybody for a 100 dollars? REALLY I REST MY CASE!!!"
The First Amendment does not protect one against yelling "bomb" on an airplane (even in jest), shouting "fire" in a crowded theater, or threatening the life of a police officer. While the younger Mr. Santee didn't actually intend to have the police officer murdered, there are murderous nuts out there who wouldn't care if he meant it or not. This was reckless behavior, and a crime. Moreover, drunkenness and stupidity are not criminal defenses. And in this case, neither is the First Amendment. I rest my case.
[quote]The First Amendment does not protect one against yelling "bomb" on an airplane (even in jest), shouting "fire" in a crowded theater, or threatening the life of a police officer. [/quote]
ReplyDeleteYES IT DOES!!!
Schenck (1919) was overturned by Brandenburg v Ohio (1969) which was then reaffirmed and strengthened in 1973 by Hess v Indiana.
"We’ll take the f***ing street again” -Gregory Hess
I rest my case.