RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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Joseph Roy Ozment is alleged to have been a touch upset when he discovered he could no longer access his favorite anime. The Texas man was reportedly so incensed that he called the state governor's office and left a curse-riddled phone message in which it's claimed he threatened to "fucking stab every goddam one of you bitches," an act which has seen him get hauled up on terrorism charges.
According to the Texas Department of Public Safety (TDPS), a cellphone registered to Ozment called the governor's office on July 25 to leave an unhinged and threatening complaint, which a TDPS agent described as designed to put people "in fear of serious injury" in an attempt to force "the executive branch of the state government to change legislation." Put more simply, the alleged message included a threat to murder a bunch of people. It certainly scared the employee who first received it and reported it to the authorities, telling them "he was in fear not only for his life but also for his coworkers." Here's the message quoted by the TDPS in full:
I don’t know which one of you sons of bitches passed this motherfucking bill to get this damn shit blocking my motherfucking anime, but you whole-ass motherfuckers need to unpass this shit. Y’all are fucking ridiculous with your bitch asses. My Google account says I’m fucking over the age of 18, and your dumbass is passing these dumbass laws. I’ma fucking stab every goddamn one of you bitches. Unlock my fucking anime.
It's not entirely clear what stopped Travis County resident Ozment from watching his "motherfucking anime," given local news network KXAN reports that major anime streamers like Crunchyroll and Yomi all remain legal in the state. However, the outlet points out that Texas does have age verification laws in place for accessing adult websites and specific apps, leading to some sites simply blocking the Texas area. And it's possible that the specific anime Ozment was after might not be the sort that Sony includes on Crunchyroll. Maybe something with tentacles?
However, those controversial age verification laws have been in place in Texas since 2023, so it would seem odd that it had taken three years for the furious man to notice he'd lost access to his favorite cartoons. That law is back in the news this week following Pornhub 's recent attempts to have it overturned , given how utterly ineffective such legislation is all around the world, and how farcical it is to try to limit access in one particular area of the United States. (Anyone who cares can just use a VPN to declare they live in the neighboring area and crack on.)
KXAN says that if Ozment is convicted, he could get as much as 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000. At which point he would really have some damn shit blocking his motherfucking anime.
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