California Woman Fired After Calling Obama N-Word, Hoping He's Assassinated

[Dreamy]

Classy, very classy. And then doubling down on it? Congrats, you win...something

News keeps getting worse for Denise Helms, the 22-year-old California woman whose racist, threatening Facebook status about President Barack Obama went viral this week. Helms has since been fired from her job at a Turlock, Calif., Cold Stone Creamery, and the Secret Service is now looking into her comments.

“Another 4 years of this (N-word),” Helms wrote on her Facebook Tuesday night. “Maybe he will get assassinated this term.”

Sacramento's Fox 40 news crew caught up with an unapologetic Helms on Wednesday.

"I didn't think it would be that big of a deal," she said. "The assassination part is kind of harsh. I'm not saying like I would go do that or anything like that, by any means, but if it was to happen, I don't think I'd care one bit."

She then took to Facebook to defend herself, according to The Modesto Bee.

So apparently my post last night about Obama got onto Twitter and Fox 40 came and interviewed me cause apparently a lot of people in Sacramento think I'm crazy and racist. WOW is all I got to say!! I'm not racist and I'm not crazy. just simply stating my opinion.!!!"

source

Just wanted to add your thread title is very misleading imo. To claim she is hoping would require you to be inside her head. She is speculating from what I read.

 

[Connery]

Why? Blasphemy is no longer a crime, is it?

No meathead because of this:

"18 USC § 871 - Threats against President and successors to the Presidency

(a) Whoever knowingly and willfully deposits for conveyance in the mail or for a delivery from any post office or by any letter carrier any letter, paper, writing, print, missive, or document containing any threat to take the life of, to kidnap, or to inflict bodily harm upon the President of the United States, the President-elect, the Vice President or other officer next in the order of succession to the office of President of the United States, or the Vice President-elect, or knowingly and willfully otherwise makes any such threat against the President, President-elect, Vice President or other officer next in the order of succession to the office of President, or Vice President-elect, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than five years, or both."

18 USC § 871 - Threats against President and successors to the Presidency

Where do you get blasphemy from this situation? On second thought, never mind...

Don't be an ass, or try at least try not to be one anyway. Where did you get a threat from this:

“Another 4 years of this (N-word),” Helms wrote on her Facebook Tuesday night. “Maybe he will get assassinated this term.”
?

As usual your user name precedes your asshattey. I did not make that determination the goddamn Secret Service did you buffoon!

 

[Connery]

Why? Blasphemy is no longer a crime, is it?

No meathead because of this:

"18 USC § 871 - Threats against President and successors to the Presidency

(a) Whoever knowingly and willfully deposits for conveyance in the mail or for a delivery from any post office or by any letter carrier any letter, paper, writing, print, missive, or document containing any threat to take the life of, to kidnap, or to inflict bodily harm upon the President of the United States, the President-elect, the Vice President or other officer next in the order of succession to the office of President of the United States, or the Vice President-elect, or knowingly and willfully otherwise makes any such threat against the President, President-elect, Vice President or other officer next in the order of succession to the office of President, or Vice President-elect, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than five years, or both."

18 USC § 871 - Threats against President and successors to the Presidency

Where do you get blasphemy from this situation? On second thought, never mind...

...“Maybe he will get assassinated this term.”

The above is not a threat. It is a hypothetical musing.

Maybe it will snow in Honolulu tomorrow.
I will make it snow in Honolulu tomorrow.

See the difference?

Tell the Secret Service, they made the call not me...see the difference?

 

[Connery]

I support the company's right to fire her just as much as I would support its right to fire a worker for wearing their pants a foot below their waste, or for refusal to hire a disabled person to a job that requires physical ability beyond what the person is capable of.
I believe in the rights of private corporations to employ whoever they want. If I disagree with their hiring practice, I am free to take my business elsewhere.

I do not think you have much of a choice, it is called "employment at will" especially in this situation.

 

[AmyNation]

Pffft, I saw very similar remarks on my Facebook feed the day after the election. Since when is being a racist a crime?


This is not news, people are entitled to their feelings, even racists.

 

[Ernie S.]

that is trash.

everyone who threatened Bush was treated the same as now

Unlike you I do not know everyone who has threatened any President so I can't make that statement.

Your link waas a hack site which gave no proof of their claims

Your entire existence is a hack site and you never provide reliable proof of your claims.
I find it amazing how someone as incredibly stupid as you can manage to feed herself, much less function in open society.

 

[Ernie S.]

and did her employer have a right to fire her?

In a word yes, and I believe a privately owned company should be able to hire and fire whoever they want. You?

 

[Ernie S.]

I support the company's right to fire her just as much as I would support its right to fire a worker for wearing their pants a foot below their waste, or for refusal to hire a disabled person to a job that requires physical ability beyond what the person is capable of.
I believe in the rights of private corporations to employ whoever they want. If I disagree with their hiring practice, I am free to take my business elsewhere.

I do not think you have much of a choice, it is called "employment at will" especially in this situation.

So I can hire based on race, religion, sexual preference sex?
I mean if I can fire someone for expressing an opinion, I can fire someone for being gay, right?

 

[Quantum Windbag]

Well this should PLEASE you ObamaBots, she lost her job for expressing her feeling about the Dear Leader

after all this IS OBAMA'S AMERCIA

and how DARE SHE

Right. How dare she call the POTUS a ****** and wish death upon him.

You're insane.

Lots of people wished death upon Bush, you cheered them on.

 

[Quantum Windbag]

Right. How dare she call the POTUS a ****** and wish death upon him.

You're insane.

awww, cry us a riva
they didn't just WISH death on Bush, the made a movie about him being assassinated while he was in office..
as for the word ******, it's not outlawed yet, I don't use it but to be fired over it..
ObamaNation I guess

Because it's good business to have racist employees who openly call for the assassination of the POTUS.

Again, you're insane.

It is also illegal to fire people for expressing a political opinion in California.

 

[Meathead]

No meathead because of this:

"18 USC § 871 - Threats against President and successors to the Presidency

(a) Whoever knowingly and willfully deposits for conveyance in the mail or for a delivery from any post office or by any letter carrier any letter, paper, writing, print, missive, or document containing any threat to take the life of, to kidnap, or to inflict bodily harm upon the President of the United States, the President-elect, the Vice President or other officer next in the order of succession to the office of President of the United States, or the Vice President-elect, or knowingly and willfully otherwise makes any such threat against the President, President-elect, Vice President or other officer next in the order of succession to the office of President, or Vice President-elect, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than five years, or both."

18 USC § 871 - Threats against President and successors to the Presidency

Where do you get blasphemy from this situation? On second thought, never mind...

Don't be an ass, or try at least try not to be one anyway. Where did you get a threat from this:

“Another 4 years of this (N-word),” Helms wrote on her Facebook Tuesday night. “Maybe he will get assassinated this term.”
?

As usual your user name precedes your asshattey. I did not make that determination the goddamn Secret Service did you buffoon!

No one made any call, and you're still an ass. Blasphemy, my dear idiotic fellow USMB poster, was clearly meant, or so I thought, to be an sarcastic indication of the deification of Obama. FFS, stop being an ass, or at least stop acting like one which is for your sake the best scenario.

 

[Quantum Windbag]

this is news? seriously?

Josef Stalin probably thinks it proves everyone who disagrees with Obama is a racist.

 

[del]

Well this should PLEASE you ObamaBots, she lost her job for expressing her feeling about the Dear Leader

after all this IS OBAMA'S AMERCIA

and how DARE SHE

relative of yours?

 

[Quantum Windbag]

Well this should PLEASE you ObamaBots, she lost her job for expressing her feeling about the Dear Leader

after all this IS OBAMA'S AMERCIA

and how DARE SHE

She might go to prison.

You might win a Nobel Prize, but I doubt it. That said, I think the odds of you winning a Nobel Prize are significantly higher than the odds of her going to prison.

 

[Quantum Windbag]

The solution to stop criticism of obama is to require everyone to take an oath of allegiance to Him and charge them with treason when they criticize his royal self.

There's a difference between criticism and threat. You know the difference and so does she.

Too bad you don't.

 

[Quantum Windbag]

She might go to prison.

Why? Blasphemy is no longer a crime, is it?

No meathead because of this:

"18 USC § 871 - Threats against President and successors to the Presidency

(a) Whoever knowingly and willfully deposits for conveyance in the mail or for a delivery from any post office or by any letter carrier any letter, paper, writing, print, missive, or document containing any threat to take the life of, to kidnap, or to inflict bodily harm upon the President of the United States, the President-elect, the Vice President or other officer next in the order of succession to the office of President of the United States, or the Vice President-elect, or knowingly and willfully otherwise makes any such threat against the President, President-elect, Vice President or other officer next in the order of succession to the office of President, or Vice President-elect, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than five years, or both."

18 USC § 871 - Threats against President and successors to the Presidency

Where do you get blasphemy from this situation? On second thought, never mind...

Lots of geniuses around here.

Not.

 

[Dreamy]

Her firing to me is interesting because it is based on something she posted on FB. She must have an open FB or lots of friends who told her employer what she posted.

I am not up on FB legalities but is using certain words and posting what she did legal grounds for termination? I am not sure if there have been any prior law established on this.

 

[Connery]

Don't be an ass, or try at least try not to be one anyway. Where did you get a threat from this:

“Another 4 years of this (N-word),” Helms wrote on her Facebook Tuesday night. “Maybe he will get assassinated this term.”
?

As usual your user name precedes your asshattey. I did not make that determination the goddamn Secret Service did you buffoon!

No one made any call, and you're still an ass. Blasphemy, my dear idiotic fellow USMB poster, was clearly meant, or so I thought, to be an sarcastic indication of the deification of Obama. FFS, stop being an ass, or at least stop acting like one which is for your sake the best scenario.

Meathead..... "Agent Scott Gillingham from the Sacramento Secret Service office said he would be checking out her posts.

The Washington, D.C., bureau of the Secret Service told Fox 40 that all threats, or perceived threats, are taken seriously and investigated. If the Secret Service were to decide her threat was legitimate, Helms could face a felony under U.S. Code Section 871, which states prohibits willfully and knowingly threatening "to take the life of, to kidnap, or to inflict bodily harm " on the president, vice president or other office next in succession to the presidency.


.... buffoon...

 

[Quantum Windbag]

Most people don't realize how seriously the members of the Secret Service take their jobs. Their reaction to any threat directed at the President is immediate and persistent, and that didn't start with Obama. It has always been so.

I posted this about four weeks ago in the USMB Coffee Shop thread:

Oh, yeah, and about threats to the pres...

... No lie, they take every single one of them dead seriously.

A dumb college girl staying at my neighbor's house was having a bad day, so she posted online:

"Nobody likes me, everybody hates me, guess I'll go kill Bush..."

I heard about it two weeks later, because my neighbor was so frustrated by the Secret Service's repeated visits and endless questions that he started griping to me about it.

They questioned him, his daughter, the girl; they questioned all the daughter's friends and all the girl's friends; they questioned their professors, they researched every group of which these girls had been a member...

Well, you get the picture.

So, the moral of the story is... never ever post something dumb like that online, nor accuse anyone else of doing so.

... Unless they really did.

-- Paravani

They tolerate this all the time. They always investigate when someone expresses a desire to see the president dead, but they rarely prosecute unless they can prove that the person who said something has the intention on acting on their words. My guess is that they assign investigations like this to the rookies and the people who have pissed off their supervisor unless it pans out.

 

[Quantum Windbag]

Classy, very classy. And then doubling down on it? Congrats, you win...something



source

The racial slur is protected speech, even if in poor taste. However, the speculative threat, while obviously harmless is a serious legal no no as already referred to elswhere in this thread. Either way this woman's five minutes of fame have arrived. Will she spend them further garbling our language on social networking sights, or corresponding with the media from federal prison?

the new Joe the Plumber, Denise the "calling him a ****** doesn't make me" Racist, is on deck

Using racist language doesn't make her a racist, what makes her a racist, if she is one, is the attitudes she has in her heart, the words are just the fruit of that attitude.

Just like they are when you use them.