Facebook Poll Asked, 'Should Obama Be Killed?'

Update 10/02/09: The "Kill Obama" pollster has been identified: According to the Secret Service, the pollster is actually a juvenile. Both the kid and his parents were questioned, and it was determined that no charges would be brought against the kid or his family. Secret Service spokesman Edwin Donovan has declared this "case closed."

The vastness of the Internet cuts both ways for President Barack Obama. Online, his supporters form communities, organize and disseminate information instantly, but technology has no political allegiances. President Obama's detractors also form online communities, organize and disseminate information instantly.

Not surprisingly, though, "hate 2.0" looks exactly like "hate old-school style." The latest incident to grab headlines was a poll on Facebook that garnered more than 700 responses before it was taken down.

The U.S. Secret Service is investigating a Facebook survey that asked whether the most tech savvy president in history should be assassinated. The poll was posted Saturday on Facebook and asked whether people thought President Barack Obama should be offed. The popular Palo Alto, Calif.-based social networking site quickly took down the poll after company officials were alerted to its existence.

It is against the law to threaten the president of the United States. It can get you up to five years in prison.

...Like any threat against the president, Secret Service agents are taking no chances. "We are aware of it, and we will take the appropriate investigative steps," said Darrin Blackford, a Secret Service spokesman. "We take these things seriously."

The poll asked respondents "Should Obama be killed?" The choices: No, Maybe, Yes, and Yes, if he cuts my health care. Source: Secret Service Investigates Facebook Threat to President, NBCBayArea.com

Because the "kill Obama" poll was put up using an application developed by a third party, once it was deactivated, the poll results became unavailable. So it's unlikely that we'll ever know for sure how many voted yes or no. And what would we learn from those results anyway -- that some people hate Obama? That's not news.

And to wrap this all up, Wired.com points our attention to this: A poll was created Monday on Facebook asking whether the creator of the "Should Obama be Killed Poll" be arrested.

Well, what say YOU? Should the creator of the "Should Obama be Killed Poll" be arrested?

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President Obama Photos

President Barack Obama speaks regarding the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, MD, September 30, 2009. Obama announced five billion USD in grant awards under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.

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President Obama Pictures

HONG KONG August 18, 2009 (AFP) - AFP photo coverage advisory . Tel: (852) 2829 6206. Duty editor: Edmund Edwardes Jones..--ASIA--.TOKYO/OSAKA: Start of 12-day official campaign for Japan's August 30 general election.TAIWAN/CHINA: Aftermath of Typhoon Morakot.AFGHANISTAN: Build up to the August 20 presidential elections.PAKISTAN: Returning IDPs and situation in general as available.JAKARTA: Independence day parade.DELHI: Nepalese Prime Minister Madav Kumar Nepal visits..--MIDEAST--.DAMASCUS: Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki visits Syria for talks with President Bashar al-Assad.TEHRAN: Political developments as available.BAGHDAD/JERUSALEM: Situation as develops..--AMERICAS--.WASHINGTON: US President Barack Obama meets with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak.VENEZUELA: President of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Mohammed Ibn Chambas visits.HONDURAS: Situation following coup d'etat..Your opinion matters - Online customer satisfaction survey.Click here to win one of 50 copies of the AFP Yearbook for 2009. .http://www.sphinxonline.net/afpmarketing/photo2008/start.htm (Photo credit should read AFP/AFP/Getty Images)

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Two Iraqi boys hold plastic flowers in their hands as US soldiers (L) stand guard during the inauguration of a US-funded project to support small businesses in a northeastern suburb of Baghdad on August 18, 2009. US President Barack Obama warned on August 17 that Iraqis would be tested by more "senseless" violence but vowed the United States would meet its deadline to pull out all troops by the end of 2011. AFP PHOTO/AHMAD AL-RUBAYE (Photo credit should read AHMAD AL-RUBAYE/AFP/Getty Images)

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An Iraqi boys talks to a US soldier standing guard next to his armoured vehicle during the inauguration of a US-funded project to support small businesses in a northeastern suburb of Baghdad on August 18, 2009. US President Barack Obama warned on August 17 that Iraqis would be tested by more "senseless" violence but vowed the United States would meet its deadline to pull out all troops by the end of 2011. AFP PHOTO/AHMAD AL-RUBAYE (Photo credit should read AHMAD AL-RUBAYE/AFP/Getty Images)

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A US soldier stands guard during the inauguration of a US-funded project to support small businesses in a northeastern suburb of Baghdad on August 18, 2009. US President Barack Obama warned on August 17 that Iraqis would be tested by more "senseless" violence but vowed the United States would meet its deadline to pull out all troops by the end of 2011. AFP PHOTO/AHMAD AL-RUBAYE (Photo credit should read AHMAD AL-RUBAYE/AFP/Getty Images)

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Iraqi soldiers (R) join US troops guarding the inauguration ceremony of a US-funded project to support small businesses in a northeastern suburb of Baghdad on August 18, 2009. US President Barack Obama warned on August 17 that Iraqis would be tested by more "senseless" violence but vowed the United States would meet its deadline to pull out all troops by the end of 2011. AFP PHOTO/AHMAD AL-RUBAYE (Photo credit should read AHMAD AL-RUBAYE/AFP/Getty Images)

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US soldiers patrol a northeastern suburb of Baghdad during the inauguration of a US-funded project to support small businesses on August 18, 2009. US President Barack Obama warned on August 17 that Iraqis would be tested by more "senseless" violence but vowed the United States would meet its deadline to pull out all troops by the end of 2011. AFP PHOTO/AHMAD AL-RUBAYE (Photo credit should read AHMAD AL-RUBAYE/AFP/Getty Images)

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Iraqi children stand next to US soldiers guarding an inauguration ceremony for a US-funded project to support small businesses in a northeastern suburb of Baghdad on August 18, 2009. US President Barack Obama warned on August 17 that Iraqis would be tested by more "senseless" violence but vowed the United States would meet its deadline to pull out all troops by the end of 2011. AFP PHOTO/AHMAD AL-RUBAYE (Photo credit should read AHMAD AL-RUBAYE/AFP/Getty Images)

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Iraqi boys look at the tattoo on an American soldier's hand during the inauguration of a US-funded project to support small businesses in a northeastern suburb of Baghdad on August 18, 2009. US President Barack Obama warned on August 17 that Iraqis would be tested by more "senseless" violence but vowed the United States would meet its deadline to pull out all troops by the end of 2011. AFP PHOTO/AHMAD AL-RUBAYE (Photo credit should read AHMAD AL-RUBAYE/AFP/Getty Images)

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An Iraqi girl holds her mother's hands as she plays next to US soldiers standing guard during the inauguration of a US-funded project to support small businesses in a northeastern suburb of Baghdad on August 18, 2009. US President Barack Obama warned on August 17 that Iraqis would be tested by more "senseless" violence but vowed the United States would meet its deadline to pull out all troops by the end of 2011. AFP PHOTO/AHMAD AL-RUBAYE (Photo credit should read AHMAD AL-RUBAYE/AFP/Getty Images)

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Iraqi children stand next to US soldiers during the inauguration of a US-funded project to support small businesses in a northeastern suburb of Baghdad on August 18, 2009. US President Barack Obama warned on August 17 that Iraqis would be tested by more "senseless" violence but vowed the United States would meet its deadline to pull out all troops by the end of 2011. AFP PHOTO/AHMAD AL-RUBAYE (Photo credit should read AHMAD AL-RUBAYE/AFP/Getty Images)

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