A bizarre Bible-thumping heckler called President Obama "the Antichrist" as the Secret Service dragged him out of a presidential fund-raiser Monday.
The bearded young man, identified by the Secret Service as David Serrano, was standing in the front row closest to the stage at the House of Blues in Los Angeles when he began shouting, "Christian God is the one and only true living God, the Creator of heaven and the universe!"
Alan note: how does a scruffy, out of place looking David Serrano not only get into an event that requires an $18,000 PER PERSON entry fee but is allowed - contrary to ANY security logic - to be center stage and front row - where Obama will be - and within physical striking distance - WITHOUT BEING CHECKED OUT by the Secret Service!!!! Or someone at a high Oval Office level "clearing" him to be there.
The verbal attack by Serrano could just as easily have been or become a physical attack and I have far too much respect for the Secret Service (and had enough experience myself with protection details charged with guarding a Head of State) to label Secret Service agents and their supervisors, as this incompetent!
Also with such close proximity to Obama of a potentially violent attacker, their reactions were far too relaxed/casual - as if they already knew Obama was in no real danger from this apparently "raving lunatic"! He was removed, having played his part, almost as a show for public consumption.
I do not think the Secret Service were fully aware of the pre-planned staged activity but MUST HAVE KNOWN Serrano had been "given an OK" by a senior operative of the White House or in their own organization. Perhaps the Se cret Service being told Obama was setting up a joke for the $36,000 a couple donors attending his campaign.
If NOT, then their lax security measures would certainly be a stain on their image of being terrific in their jobs.
Even Obama, knowing he was in no danger from this staged attacker, could not conceal being amused - almost spoiling the illusion created to make Christians into home grown terrorists for campaign purposes.
Obama smiled uncomfortably as the crowd drowned the heckler out with chants of "Four more years!"
The Secret Service marched the heckler to the exit, but not before he yelled out, "Jesus Christ is God! Barack Obama is the Antichrist!"
Facing a mostly friendly crowd, the "self-possessed" President coolly continued with his speech, saying, "All right, where was I? It is good to be back in L.A."
Serrano was questioned and released without charges, the Secret Service said.
Tony Bell, spokesman for Los Angeles County Supervisor Michael Antonovich, says Serrano has been a fixture at county meetings for a couple years, giving long, rambling religious statements predicting earthquakes and the apocalypse.
"He yells out his statements, which are very mistaken, odd interpretations of scriptures," Bell said. "He's been pretty close to being thrown out of our meetings.
(And the Secret Service did not know any of this? Enough to worry if Serrano had been for real?)
When he calls Supervisor Antonovich 'Mikey,' it's very vitriolic. He's not a pleasant guy. He talks about Jews in his diatribes and seems very anti-Semitic. I don't have the impression he's dangerous, but he has issues that could use some help.
Tony Bell:"He must have used some real initiative to get into that event".
(Like what? Buying an $18,000 ticket? While you may not want to profile , when Head of State security considerations enter the picture you DO NOT IGNORE nor minimize indicators of potential danger!
As food for thought, perhaps not in play here, a skilled martial artist can strike a lethal blow as fast as in ONE SIXTEENTH of a second and cover a distance of over 20 feet in the blink of an eye.
All this, while speculative, points to the event having been staged by Obama for political gain.
It wasn't staged. He's a Los Angeles political gadfly who uses up public comment time at the L.A. County Board of Supervisors sessions to spew out his noise which hardly changes, as well as having no effect on the meetings.
ReplyDeleteET Snell should also have been there.