Convention blotter: Obama threat

Posted: Tuesday, August 26, 2008 9:05 AM by Domenico Montanaro

There hasn't been much of a problem with protestors, but last night there was some violence. "Police in riot gear clashed last night with about 300 protesters about a mile from the site of the Democratic National Convention, and some of the demonstrators were hit with pepper spray." In fact, one of us spoke briefly with one bloodied and bruised teenager on the streets, and he was proud of his wounds -- almost a Fight Club mentality. He wasn't even sure what his cause was, and was seemingly still looking for a fight.

Also in Denver, "Federal authorities are looking into reports that a man arrested with rifles, ammunition, and drugs in his truck may have made threats against Barack Obama, officials said yesterday."

"More details emerging from Denver as we write this in the predawn hours on the now suspected plot to assassinate Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama with a high-powered rifle on national television during his outdoor acceptance speech at Invesco Field Thursday night," the LA Times reports. "Authorities have reported a fourth arrest in the unfolding plot that The Ticket first wrote about here a few hours ago at the end of Monday night's Democratic National Convention events at the Pepsi Center."

Police pulled over a pickup truck for swerving, "But in the rented vehicle of Tharin Gartrell, a 28-year-old convicted felon (see photo), they found two high-powered scoped rifles, ammunition, sighting scopes, radios, a cellphone, a bulletproof vest, wigs, drugs and fake IDs. According to Brian Masss of Denver's KCNC Channel 4, under questioning Gartrell implicated two other men -- Nathan Johnson, who is 32, and Shawn Adolph, who is 33 -- and Johnson's girlfriend, Natasha Gromack. Johnson also reportedly confirmed the plot to FBI and Secret Service interrogators."

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Comments

The attempts will continue until there is suscess, sad to say. I think if I was Obama I would be extremely concerned about Michelle and the girls. These kind of people won't stop.

Why ? (Sent Tuesday, August 26, 2008 12:16 PM)

A Patriot is a person who serves their country to better it. Somebody who puts that service and their country before themselves. All men and women who serve in the armed forces are patriots, but so are those people in the state department who travel oversees never getting to see their families, so are the men and women in law enforcement who walk into the unknown everyday to protect their community and so are politicians who run for national office.
While Obama may be at a greater risk from lunatics like this every national politician faces these types of dangers. Most presidential assassins and would be assassins didn't have specific hatred for the men they tried to kill as much as they wanted greater recognition for their cause or themselves. The man who tried to kill FDR was an anarchist, the man who tried to kill Reagan was in love with Jody Foster, one of the women who tried to kill Ford was a follower of Charles Manson. The list goes on and on -
John McCain is a patriot, nobody has ever questioned it, but here folks is proof that Sen. Barack Obama is also a patriot, as is his wife. These people daily walk into the unknown because they have a belief that they can improve this country,and a desire to do it. You may disagree with their ideas, fine that is your right. But you can not argue with the fact that Sen. Obama loves his country and is willing to put that love before personal safety in an attempt to improve the country.

That folks, is what patriotism is.

Austin, Boyertown PA (Sent Tuesday, August 26, 2008 12:18 PM)

This has been my deepest fear for the last 19 months.

Talk about 2 steps forward and 3 steps back...if this were to be realized our nation will explode into racial riots that would make the Rodney King ordeal look like a kids party. And being a white man from the Sout' Side of Chicago, I'm sure this place will see the worst.

For everyone's sake, I hope there are no more kooks out there, or we're in for major racial chaos.

p.s. this is just another reason why I will be voting for BO - for someone who must know the ramifications that his bid for the presidency could induce, the man still has the courage and drive to persevere, and the calm to not let his fear show. That's president material if I've ever seen it!

Atomic - Chicago (Sent Tuesday, August 26, 2008 12:20 PM)

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