Facebook threats: Careful what you say, could get you arrested

Local business owner Ginny Leser knows a thing or two about Facebook threats. Today, Facebook posters were promoting a ‘mob’ to gather at the Main Street Market and confront the operator of Red Dog Betty’s hot dog stand there. Apparently their employee had made some comments on Facebook about what he thought about Front Royal, and it didn’t go over too well.

As a side note, our First Amendment protection of free speech doesn’t allow us to say just any nasty thing we want. The First Amendment protection on free speech is not absolute. Fighting words, obscenity, child pornography, misleading commercial speech, cyberbullying, and true threats are not protected.

An easy search (https://www.findlaw.com/) will bring up many examples, such as yelling “fire” in a crowded theater is not protected. Saying that Nutella is a healthy part of a balance breakfast, when there is no proof, is not protected. Saying someone has a venereal disease, when in fact they don’t, is not protected.

Be careful what you say on any social media platform. Think before you hit send.