Democratic Congresswoman hangs up the phone on Obama -- twice

[Plot Device]

She thought he was a crank caller from a local radio station trying to trick her into an on-the-air embarrassment.

http://features.csmonitor.com/politics/2008/12/04/florida-congresswoman-hangs-up-on-obama-twice/



Florida Congresswoman hangs up on Obama - twice

By Jimmy Orr | 12.04.08

Nothing is more annoying than getting prank phone calls, calls from telemarketers, and calls from President-elect Barack Obama.

Barack Obama?

No time for you

Florida Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen received a phone call from Obama yesterday to wish her congratulations on her re-election and to convey other political-type niceties — like the importance of working together.

Problem was, she didn’t believe it was him. She thought it was one of those wacky radio station stunts wherein a DJ gets you to believe he is someone famous. You know, like when Sarah Palin was spoofed into thinking she was talking to French President Nicolas Sarkozy.

Determined not to be “Palin-ized,” Ros-Lehtinen hung up on him.

Strike two

So Obama’s head honcho Rahm Emanuel got involved and called her back. She promptly hung up on him too.

”I thought it was one of the radio stations in South Florida playing an incredible, elaborate, terrific prank on me,”



Okay. This is turning into a sort of a non-issue. Barack thinks it's funny. She thinks it's funny. The press thinks it's funny. And since local radio stations have such a long history of pulling stupid crap like this, it goes with the territory.

But here's MY problem.

Isn't it against the law to impersonate an officer of the law (as in a cop)?

Isn't it against the law to impersonate a federal agent (like FBI or CIA or Drug Enforcement, etc)?



So ...



Shouldn't it likewise be against the law to impersonate an officer of the court (such as a judge or a DA)?

Shouldn't it likewise be against the law to impersonate a member of the legislature?

Why is it "okay" for these radio shock jocks to do this? I don't believe the framers of the US Constitution had THIS in mind when they drafted and approved the First Amendment. As far as I'm concerned, the radio freaks are mucking up the machinery of our government by pulling stupid stunts like this, as evidenced by her reaction to those two phone calls.

[Julie Worth]

Determined not to be “Palin-ized,” Ros-Lehtinen hung up on him.


She was reverse-Palinized.

[blacbird]

This is the kind of schidt Don Imus used to pull early in his radio career. Wasn't funny then, isn't funny now. So the best to make of it is exactly what Obama and Ros-Lehtinen are doing, laugh at it.

Move along. We have more useful things to spend time worrying about.

caw

[Plot Device]

She was reverse-Palinized.


Or, she was self-punked.

[Tirjasdyn]

I see one huge fallacy with your non-impersonation hard-line.

The loss of Tina Fey.

Carry On.

[Williebee]

In the case of Gov. Palin, the two DJ's were Canadian, weren't they? I don't think DOJ is going to get involved in that one.

As to this instance, it is unfortunate that her office did not handle this better. Not sure which is more foolish, fooling herself like that, or her office letting the information get out.

[benbradley]

In the case of Gov. Palin, the two DJ's were Canadian, weren't they? I don't think DOJ is going to get involved in that one.
I hadn't even heard of that case (okay, I admit it, I did NOT read every Sarah Palin thread on AW!), but any crime in that case would have extended into the USA. It wouldn't be the first time the US Government wanted a Canadian citizen:
Three Canadian cannabis activists face extradition to the United States and life in US prison.
http://cannabisculture.com/articles/4639.html

[Plot Device]

I see one huge fallacy with your non-impersonation hard-line.

The loss of Tina Fey.

Carry On.


You're joking, right?

I speak not of an actor dressing up like a cop on TV and pretending to be a cop on TV (or in movies or in a play, etc). THAT is not the crime of "impersonating a police officer." I am talking about you or I getting on the phone IN REAL LIFE and calling someone IN REAL LIFE and saying "Hi. I am a cop." THAT is a crime because it is fraudulently invoking the actual authority of an officer of the law.

But in my proposed scenario of Thou Shalt Not Impersonate a Member of the Legislature, Tina Fey would be no more guilty of a crime than would the current cast of actors in CSI (or, for that matter, the cast of The West Wing).

[Plot Device]

In the case of Gov. Palin, the two DJ's were Canadian, weren't they? I don't think DOJ is going to get involved in that one.

As to this instance, it is unfortunate that her office did not handle this better. Not sure which is more foolish, fooling herself like that, or her office letting the information get out.


I'm not even bothering with that because they weren't Americans and we can't legislate their activity.

But the thing is that the Congresswoman from Florida who hung up the telephone on Obama (twice) did it because she is SOOOOOO used to local DJ's right there in Florida doing exactly that to her and her congressional colleagues.

I mean if we can institute a Do Not Call List here in America to stop telemarketers from making our telephone lives miserable, surely it can and should be illegal for radio DJ's (or anyone, really) to call up anyone at all (call up another legislator, or call up an average citizen) and to pretend to be a member of any state or federal legislative body.

Is it not disruptive?

[nighttimer]

Accuracy demands I point out that Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen is a Republican, not a Democrat.

:e2BIC:

[Zoombie]

I know two simple solutions: Video phones and/or less moronic D.Js.

[Don]

I know two simple solutions: Video phones and/or less moronic D.Js.
How about less moronic politicians? :D

[Julie Worth]

How about less moronic politicians? :D

Then you need a less moronic electorate.

[dgiharris]

But here's MY problem.

Isn't it against the law to impersonate an officer of the law (as in a cop)?

Isn't it against the law to impersonate a federal agent (like FBI or CIA or Drug Enforcement, etc)?

So ...

Shouldn't it likewise be against the law to impersonate an officer of the court (such as a judge or a DA)?

Shouldn't it likewise be against the law to impersonate a member of the legislature?

Why is it "okay" for these radio shock jocks to do this? I don't believe the framers of the US Constitution had THIS in mind when they drafted and approved the First Amendment.

Actually, this does fall under first amendment.
Legally, you are allowed to plaguerize and slander as long as you do it in a way that will not be percieved as true.

At first this sounds like a catch-22, isn't plagerizing and slander lying?
Yes.
But it is lying or copying in a way to pass off as truth or your own idea.

This is why stand up comedy, SNL Skits, parodies, etc are allowed. They are protected by the 1st Amendment and specifically the interpretation I list above.

Now, what makes Radio D.J.s impersonations of government officials legal is that they disclose it to the public in a humorous way with absolutely no intent on making the victim perform an act that is illegal or directly getting money from the victim. Their protection is furthered by the D.J. revealing (at the end) that it was a hoax. Have a nice day.

However, if the D.J. called someone up saying, "Hello, sorry, i'm from the police dept, your son has died, I need you to come downtown to I.D. the body." then the D.J. hung the phone up. Then you are absolutely right, that is illegal as it doesn't meet the criteria I defined above. The D.J. is impersonating in a way that is trying to pass off as truth, and will commit you to action (i.e. you will be driving down to the station only to find out it was a joke) believing that you were directed by a law enforcement officer.

However, take a similar scenario, but the D.J. says, "Hello, i'm from the IRS and we noticed a descrepancy in your filing. I'm looking at your credit card receipts and you have a fair amount of sex toy purchases, but your taxes don't reflect that you itemized it. How many sex toys did you buy last year?"

Now, the people don't itemize sex toys on their taxes so this is kinda obvious. Plus the D.J. has no intent of extracting money or services from you. He is really, in effect, just talking to you.

in summary, it really is free speech. perhaps annoying and overdone, but free speech nonetheless

Mel...

[Tirjasdyn]

:D Plot, take a deep breath. A very deep breath. There ya go.

You're joking, right?

I speak not of an actor dressing up like a cop on TV and pretending to be a cop on TV (or in movies or in a play, etc). THAT is not the crime of "impersonating a police officer." I am talking about you or I getting on the phone IN REAL LIFE and calling someone IN REAL LIFE and saying "Hi. I am a cop." THAT is a crime because it is fraudulently invoking the actual authority of an officer of the law.

But in my proposed scenario of Thou Shalt Not Impersonate a Member of the Legislature, Tina Fey would be no more guilty of a crime than would the current cast of actors in CSI (or, for that matter, the cast of The West Wing).