Could you sleep at night when you get 30 death threats per day? Well, could you? Even with a Secret Service detail, could you?

No seriously, can you? Can you imagine living everyday and having the responsibility of leading the free world when daily; people are constantly threatening your life, as well as the life of your family? I've thought about this before the election, but had no real idea as to how bad being the first Black president would be.

I remember Eddie Murphy joking about it in one of his stand-up routines back in the day when he spoke about Jesse Jackson becoming president. Back then we all laughed at the joke but never realized or accepted the possibilities. And now according to Ronald Kessler, author of In the President's Secret Service, threats against the president have increased 400% since the Bush presidency. According to the book, president Bush averaged 3000 death threats per year.

Check this out:

While the agents assigned to protect Obama and other principals are described as dedicated and valiant, Kessler asserts that in recent years the management of the agency "has betrayed its mission by cutting corners, risking the assassination of President Barack Obama, Vice President Joe Biden, and their families," the publisher says. One current agent tells the author: "It's a miracle we have not had a successful assassination." [source]

So now I'm wondering if president Obama even is aware of this. I'd like to think that he's aware of the threats to his life. But is he really aware of the number of them, and also the problems within the Secret Service? According to the above linked article, the Secret Service for the most part keep these investigated plots under wraps. But hey, given the current climate of political discourse, I'm afraid that someone will become rather bold.

HAGERSTOWN - The Secret Service is investigating a man who authorities said held a sign reading "Death to Obama" outside Wednesday's town hall meeting on health care reform in Western Maryland.

The sign also read, "Death to Michelle and her two stupid kids," referring to the first name of President Barack Obama's wife, said Washington County sheriff's Capt. Peter Lazich.

Lazich said deputies detained the unidentified, 51-year-old man near the entrance to Hagerstown Community College about 1 p.m. after getting calls from a number of people attending the meeting held by Sen. Benjamin L. Cardin, D-Md. Obama was not at the meeting. [source]

Yep, and this just happened yesterday. Surely it's kind of hard to kill someone with just a sign, but yet and still this threat wasn't taken lightly. So the question I have to ask is: what exactly do you think is the motivation behind these death threats? I'd really like to hear your thoughts on that. Is it a matter of dissent due mostly to a disagreement in policy? Or am I wrong to assume that it is indeed racial?

I was speaking with someone recently who is of the opinion that what we see and hear at the town hall meeting to be mostly dissent to policy more than it is race. I don't know what you may think, but to me, it's getting kinda hard to tell. I hate to think that Obama would have to resort to bringing in the boys from the Nation of Islam for security purposes. Oh what a nightmare that would be for America. Hell, if that was the case I doubt a shoe would ever be hurled at him in protest. After all, he is Muslim is he not?