Did you know that it is a federal offense to intimidate or attack a postal letter carrier?  It’s true. The same law that states that it is illegal to threaten the president of the United States protects federal employees like postal workers. You can see the law here. 

Specifically, Section 111 of Title 18 punishes anyone who “forcibly assaults, resists, opposes, impedes, intimidates or interferes with any person designated in 18 U.S.C. § 1114”.  You can’t threaten to harm a federal employee. 

According to the Postal Times on April 18, 2019, David E. Polnitz, Jr., was sentenced in federal court to 36 months in prison for illegally possessing a firearm and forcibly assaulting, impeding, intimidating or interfering with a United States Postal Service (“USPS”) Letter Carrier.

Basically a USPS Letter Carrier was attempting to deliver mail when Polnitz’s unrestrained pit bull charged the Letter Carrier.  The Letter Carrier followed procedure and sprayed the pit bull with USPS-issued dog spray. Polnitz, 39, subsequently pointed a semi-automatic .380 pistol at the Letter Carrier. The Letter Carrier identified Polnitz leading to his arrest.

The case was prosecuted by Matthew D. Krueger, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin. It is important to remember that the Eastern District of Wisconsin is a division of the Department of Justice. Remember that point. 

According to the NY Post on February 9, Roger Hedgpeth, 25, was arrested after threatening to assassinate the President.  He made the alarming threats to a Secret Service agent patrolling about a block away from the executive mansion, DC’s Metropolitan Police Department said.  At the time of his arrest he had a three and a half inch knife and an empty gun holster. He was described in the police report as a “critically missing/endangered person as well as a mental health consumer,” the paper said, and taken to a hospital for a mental health evaluation.  Ultimately it will be up to the Department of Justice if Hedgpeth is charged with a federal crime, but he was arrested. So far it sounds like law enforcement is on the job when it comes to that against federal employees. 

If you pay close attention to the news, you will see similar stories where the perpetrators are treated differently and this story is no different. Have you ever heard of Jeff Buckles?  Perhaps you will recognize him by his formal title: Assistant Chief of Police Buckles. No? Take a look at his Facebook post.

For the most part I have no problem with people discussing their political opinions on social media. Facebook is fine.  You can read more about my stance on the rules of the road for social media here.

But Assistant Chief of Police Buckles did more than break his oath to protect and serve, along with breaking the rules of spelling (he spelled speech incorrectly as “speach”).  He broke the law. Remember Section 111 of Title 18? Remember Polnitz and Hedgpeth who threatened a postal worker and the President respectively? Polnitz is in jail and Hedgpeth was arrested.  What is going to happen to Buckles?

According to the Times-Journal Geraldine Mayor Chuck Ables said city officials met with their attorney Thursday February 6th to discuss the incident, but the investigation is still ongoing.  Let’s be honest.  The city has to investigate if someone hacked Buckles’ Facebook account and posted the threat against the Speaker of the House to murder her with a roadside bomb to falsely implicate him.

It is important to remember that the enforcement of Section 111 of Title 18 of the criminal code falls on U.S. Attorney General William Barr.  Does anyone seriously believe that Barr is going to pursue a police officer in deep red Alabama for threatening to kill Democratic Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi?