Not that it's anything new, but things like this worry me. It probably isn't too much to say that Bush is the most intensely unpopular President we've had in my lifetime, so I'm sure it's to be expected that he is the recipient of a higher volume of threats than other Presidents within that period; and in such an environment, it is important for those tasked with his protection to remain more vigilant than ever. I don't like Dubya. I don't like his policies, I don't like his politics, and I don't like how painfully awkward he seems when interacting with foreign leaders or representatives. But I do not wish him any harm, both for his safety and the sanctity of the Presidency itself. It isn't just bad for the sitting President when he gets assassinated - it's bad for the whole country.

But even so, the kid who was investigated didn't do anything that could conceivably be construed as a threat. The right to dissent is something guaranteed by the Constitution, and the Secret Service definitely took things too far here. Even worse is the fact that the photograph got to the Secret Service in the first place. This means that some mischievous, stupid, or painfully over-cautious photo lab employee (a job I used to perform, in fact) reported the photograph to the local police, who then passed it on to the Service.