The petty controversy: Luke Angel, a 17-year-old Briton, was forbidden from traveling to the U.S. after he sent an email to the White House "full of abusive and threatening language." Angel sent an angry message excoriating the president after watching a documentary about 9/11 conspiracy theories while intoxicated. Though Angel's recall of the message is dim, he's confessed that he called Obama a "prick." The FBI intercepted the message and contacted British police, who questioned Angel at his home in Bedfordshire. Although no criminal charges will be filed, Angel was slapped with a ban on travelling to the U.S. The unruly teen did not seem too perturbed, telling reporters: "I don't really care."
The reaction: "It’s perfectly legit to use e-mails sent directly to the government to identify threats," says Samuel Axon at Mashable. A drunk teenager like Angel "might not be a long-term threat" but "you can never be too careful." But what about freedom of speech? asks Rob Port at Say Anything. "If calling politicians dirty names is illegal, then, well, there aren’t going to be many of us who aren’t criminals." Either way, says Evan Gastaldo at Newser, there's a lesson to be learned. "Drunk emailing: Never a good idea, especially not when you're emailing the president."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
-
Quiz of The Week: 13 - 19 AprilPuzzles and Quizzes Have you been paying attention to The Week's news?
-
'Colleges warn of punishment for disruptions'Today's Newspapers A roundup of the headlines from the US front pages
-
Peter Murrell: Sturgeon's husband charged over SNP 'embezzlement' claimsSpeed Read SNP expresses 'shock' as former chief executive rearrested in long-running investigation into claims of mishandled campaign funds
-
Arizona court reinstates 1864 abortion banSpeed Read The law makes all abortions illegal in the state except to save the mother's life
-
Trump, billions richer, is selling BiblesSpeed Read The former president is hawking a $60 "God Bless the USA Bible"
-
The debate about Biden's age and mental fitnessIn Depth Some critics argue Biden is too old to run again. Does the argument have merit?
-
How would a second Trump presidency affect Britain?Today's Big Question Re-election of Republican frontrunner could threaten UK security, warns former head of secret service
-
'Rwanda plan is less a deterrent and more a bluff'Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Henry Kissinger dies aged 100: a complicated legacy?Talking Point Top US diplomat and Nobel Peace Prize winner remembered as both foreign policy genius and war criminal
-
Trump’s rhetoric: a shift to 'straight-up Nazi talk'Why everyone's talking about Would-be president's sinister language is backed by an incendiary policy agenda, say commentators
-
More covfefe: is the world ready for a second Donald Trump presidency?Today's Big Question Republican's re-election would be a 'nightmare' scenario for Europe, Ukraine and the West
