June 29, 2007

Purdue Student Convicted of Threatening to Kill Bush and Cheney

A federal jury convicted a graduate student at Purdue University on Thursday of threatening to kill President Bush, Vice President Dick Cheney, and other government officials involved in the Iraq War, the Associated Press reported. The student, Vikram Buddhi, is a 35-year-old citizen of India and has been studying engineering at Purdue for a decade. He was convicted of using other Purdue students’ online identities to post crude threats in a financial-news chat room in 2005 and 2006. The jury found his threats could not be construed as criticism of the Iraq War protected by the right to free speech. Mr. Buddhi could be sentenced to as many as 35 years in prison. —Andrew Mytelka

Comments

1. Mr. Buddhi was allowed to come to the United States for higher studies. He should have taken it as a privilege and honor. Instead, he abused the principles of democracy. He should get what he deserves.

   — Kan Chandras    Jun 30, 05:38 PM    #

2. One cannot be sure—Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols gave no grounds for thinking they were anything but insignificant blowhards before they started blowing up people—but Mr Buddhi probably belongs to that numerous category of individuals who are all talk and no trousers. Regardless, the most appropriate course of action in this case seems to be not a lengthy prison sentence (which will probably do nobody—least of all the much put-upon American taxpayer—any good) but rather a one-way ticket to India and a lifelong ban on returning. He has abused his position as a guest in the U.S. in very nearly as flagrant a way as anyone can do.

   — Gustave    Jun 30, 09:51 PM    #

3. I was as angry as anyone when Reagan was shot, when Bobby Kennedy was murdered, when MLK was murdered, when JFK was murdered. I also thought 9/11 was an act of war, to which the USA had to respond.

   But talk is talk. Was there any credible evidence that Buddhi had taken steps to carry out his threats? If there was, throw him in jail and throw away the key. If not, we begin to look like Imperial Rome, not early twenty-first century America.

   I believe Americans should still be free to hate their leaders and talk trash about them. Of course, they are not free to maim or murder them, but my heavens, talk is just talk.

   Couldn’t the man just be tapped on the wrists? I mean, 35 years. His talk was despicable, but 35 years? That’s not just excessive, it’s draconian. Heck, it’s rhadamanthine!

   — Steve Turner    Jun 30, 10:23 PM    #

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