Calif. woman fired for racist Obama slur

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TURLOCK, Calif., Nov. 10 (UPI) -- A California woman has lost her job after posting a comment on Facebook, including the use of the 'N' word, saying President Barack Obama could be assassinated.

Denise Helms' Facebook page was protected by privacy settings, the Modesto (Calif.) Bee reported. But one of her Facebook friends picked up the comment made after Obama won re-election Tuesday and broadcast it via Twitter.

Her take on the election was: "Maybe he will get assassinated this term..!!"

Local news media picked up the story and it spread across the country. By Wednesday, she told her employer, a Cold Stone Creamery outlet in Turlock, Calif., she had received death threats -- and 24 hours later she was out of a job.

Duane Costa, the store's owner, described Helms' Facebook message as "disgusting" but said Helms had never used similar language at work.

"I had to take everything into consideration -- her welfare at work and that of the other workers," he said. "I can't have a hostile work environment. I had other employees who were afraid to come to work."

Helms could be in even worse trouble. The New York Daily News said the Secret Service is investigating her for a potential crime -- threatening the life of the president.