Italian Police Seize Blog Over 'Kill Berlusconi' Satire 214
Giorgio Maone writes "Italian Police just seized the Savona e Ponente Blog because the 60-year-old journalist Valeria Rossi posted a satirical article titled 'I want to kill Berlusconi,' writing that 'you can't feel guilty of wishing him death, because he's not human: he's an alien, with incredible psychic powers.' Otherwise, how could such a clown, with multiple pending trials for corruption, tax offenses, abuse of power and even child prostitution, convince the majority of the other politicians and a consistent slice of Italian people to keep him as their prime minister for almost 20 years now? Here's a mirror of the incriminating text (Italian)." And here's a translation to English.
Re:What keeps him in power for 2 decades? (Score:5, Insightful)
He owns the media in Italy.
well.. (Score:5, Insightful)
What keeps him in power so long? You mean apart from owning the press, subverting due process and being beloved by the police?
The funny thing is that put that way; he sounds just like most of our beloved leaders.
Kinda what I was thinking (Score:4, Insightful)
Kinda what I was thinking. Especially a text which doesn't have any smiley or anything, and, as far as my piss-poor Italian allows, can read just as well as a schizophrenic's hate tirade. I mean, much as I would like to believe that a text going on about how someone isn't human and can hypnotize the masses is obviously a parody, you could say the same about the contrail conspiracy theory and yet some dolts out there believe it in all earnest.
The thing is, some people _do_ go nuts now and then and start believing all sorts of highly illogical stuff right before they go and shoot someone. A text whose basic and repeated gist seems to be "I never was for killing another human, but I want to kill the head of the government, and it's ok to kill him because he's a mind-controling alien" would probably get one investigated in the USA or most other countries.
I kind of have sympathy for him, and see how being run by a douchebag using his media monopoly to keep himself in power would drive someone to despair. But FFS there are better ways to go about it without sounding like a delusional rant about wanting to kill him. Or at least, you know, a couple of winking smileys or something.
Re:Gotta Be Careful (Score:2, Insightful)
Not everybody has the same sense of humor ... especially politicians and those who's job it is to protect them.
Yes it's weird. This journalist is a woman. Women are completely immune to prosecution for sexual harassment, rape, domestic abuse, and indecent exposure even when it is absolutely certain they have done those things, and fellas, women physically hit/abuse their spouses more than men do -- think about that. I thought they would throw "threatening language" in there as a bonus immunity but I guess I was wrong. Maybe Italy isn't all about the double standards like USA.
Re:Double dumbass on you (Score:5, Insightful)
I see this a lot in politics these days: educated, intelligent journalists lashing out and saying anyone who doesn't agree with their political opinions must not be a member of the human race. And here's one who thinks that it's OK to call for deaths just because she's frustrated.
There's a critical difference between a satirical call for death and an actual death threat [wikipedia.org]. Death itself is a powerful subject, and it can be used quite aptly to evoke far more sentiment than straight murderous rampage. In this case, she wasn't stating her intent to kill Berlusconi, nor was she attempting to rally others to do the same. Rather, she was expressing her rage and frustration at him, which is well within (at least American) bounds of free speech.
This seizure wasn't made out of fear and concern for Berlusconi's wellbeing. This is textbook abuse of law for the purpose of silencing opposition.
America has the same thing, Sarah Palin's calls for violence incited her followers and real people died.
This is a really stupid example. Maybe read a little into things [wikipedia.org] before echoing the political impulse. As outrageous and annoying as Palin is, there is no good reason to suspect she had anything to do with the shootings.
Comparing Belusconi to Mussolini? (Score:3, Insightful)
Comparing Belusconi to Mussolini? What an absolute hidious insult to Mussolini.
Re:OK boys (Score:5, Insightful)
-- John J. Chapman, Commencement Address to the Graduating Class of Hobart College, 1900
Re:OK boys (Score:2, Insightful)
Lesson #1: Never, ever, get into anything related to bashing politicians. It's a free way to disaster. I'd go as far as to say "Never voice your political opinions", except maybe with your family and close friends.
FF some 10-15 years and not even there: your 5-6 yo grandchildren may "snitch" you by simply speaking to persons outside your trust circle. Don't you dare to break your trust circle either - like divorcing or something - not if you don't plan to snitch your "soon to be your ex-spouse and political detainee" before divorce. Can tell the above for sure, as a person who lived in Eastern Europe for the first 20-something years of life.
Would you like such a life? 'Cause if not, better forget about your advices and do something, even if the very little of always telling the truth.
Re:Is the US any better? (Score:2, Insightful)
Because Americans have a raging hard-on for their flag.
Re:Double dumbass on you (Score:2, Insightful)
The Dems did a similar thing in 2004. And even then, I think that's a pretty silly example. While we're at it, let's investigate anyone who uses the phrase "targeted marketing."
The guy who shot Giffords was obsessed with killing her and had been for some time. It had nothing to do with Palin or with target emblems on some random site that very few people probably even looked at--and let's not get into a hypothetical rant.
I swear, the political Left in the US is just as bad (worse, actually) as the whackjobs they point to repeatedly on the Right.
Re:Is the US any better? (Score:3, Insightful)
Besides if Obama was killed then Biden would become President, which is probably why some whacko hasn't tried so far.
Re:Alternative? (Score:5, Insightful)
Burlusconi has been Prime Minister of Italy for a long time now, in part by owning most of the media -- he started with a radio station and a newspaper in the south, and pretty much came to control everything. When he wanted the job of PM, guess who every newspaper endorsed for the job? He's basically the William Randolph Hearst of Italy, except Hearst never managed to hold an office.
Burlusconi is in it only for the power and will stomp on anyone to get his way. In a way, though, this is extremely instructive: This is what happens when you allow one person or a handful of people unrestricted control of the media.
Re:OK boys (Score:4, Insightful)
Political opinions are what runs a democracy - it is the people in the street, talking about what goes on in the state and what should be done about it. Silencing that free and open debate, as is apparently the custom in the United States, is the death of democracy and the advent of belittling leaders who 'know what is best for the people'.
Welcome to your willing subservitude to the new tyrants.