It's amazing how bold some people become when they log on to the Internet.
It's even more amazing how many of these same individuals seem to forget that messages posted on web sites or bulletin boards may stick around for years to come, and have the potential to cause great trouble for them both now and in the future.
They are also apparently unaware that there are limits to free speech.
Take Kevin Lindquist from Longwood, Florida, for instance. One of his postings at (http://linux.derkeiler.com/Newsgroups/comp.os.linux/2003-09/0591.html) reads: "Get your KillPresidentBush.com e-mail address! Now you can impress all your friends with your very own Your_User_Name_Here@KillPresidentBush.com e-mail address. Only $20.00 a year! We will start operating in November so send in your money fast kids! Checks and Money Orders at this time only. Include user name you would like and send to: KillPresidentBush.com, c/o Kevin Lindquist, P.O. Box 915321, Longwood, FL 32791-5321."
Shockingly, the domain name www.killpresidentbush.com (Which I initially thought was a spoof) is actually registered to Lindquist. While the site is not yet in operation (presumably he wants to begin operating in October as he says above) Lindquist was evidently unable to wait to spread his venom.
Sprinkled across a number of mostly technical bulletin boards, Lindquist has posted a variety of threatening and highly illegal messages about his desires to kill President George W. Bush.
For example. One recent Lindquist posting at a Linux bulletin board reads (http://linux.derkeiler.com/Newsgroups/comp.os.linux/2003-10/0041.html), "Would it be easier to kill President Bush through poison by attending one of his fund raising dinners? He should be having quite a few of those campaigning for re-election."
Another Lindquist posting is headlined, "Execute President Bush by Firing Squad!" The only comment in the body of the e- mail is (http://linux.derkeiler.com/Newsgroups/comp.os.linux/2003-09/0619.html), "Do it for your country." It also contains Lindquist's apparently standard postscript to his messages, "The mob made me do it!"
Then not content with waging cyber kill against the president, Lindquist moves on to U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft. He writes (http://linux.derkeiler.com/Newsgroups/comp.os.linux/2003-09/0496.html),"Let's kill John Ashcroft. John and Janet Ashcroft's home address is: 0022 3rd St Ne, Washington, DC 20002-7312. Kill them both!"
The number Lindquist provided to register the domain name is (310) 780-2337. Two calls to the number was answered by voice mail. Lindquist did not call me back by the time this article went to print. In addition, an e-mail was not immediately responded to.
However, I suggest that you make a call to the FBI letting them know about Lindquist. While he sounds extremely bold in his on line communications, let's see how courageous he is when he is standing face to face with federal agents!
