Once again, the past week has shown us that social media is a double edged sword. It could catapult people into instant fame or instant notoriety. It could be used as a weapon for crime just as it could be used to catch crooks. Bottom line is, no matter how social media is used, we can be sure that there will always be people all around the world who will make it to this particular list: Our Creeps for the Week.

Qur’an burning: From Facebook to the world’s media, how the story grew: No question about it, this extremist pastor tops the list this week. Interviewed by no less than 150 media organizations including CNN and Yahoo News, mentioned by the commander of US and NATO forces in Afghanistan in his warning to the Associated Press, and condemmed by no less than Hilary Clinton and President Obama for his inflammatory ideas, Terry Jones of Florida found himself transformed from a relatively unknown pastor to an international hate figure overnight. All this because of his threat to burn 200 copies of Qu’ran because he claims it was the cause for the 911 terrorist attack. The article states: It started as a provocative suggestion on a Facebook group – but within two months it was being described as a threat to world peace. Talk about power! Armies, nuclear weapons and sleeper agents are outdated; it seems all you need to destabilize world peace now is a Facebook Fanpage and a crazy inflammatory idea!

Facebook death threat against German banker: Another man, a German Banker this time, earned the wrath [ and a death threat] of some people in Facebook because of the radical ideas he presented in his book [which has become a bestseller] about the poor integration of Muslims in Germany because of Islam as well as the existence of a Jewish Gene. Talk about finding yourself between a rock and a hard place!

Gang Uses Facebook to Rob Houses: in another story, Police in Nashua, New Hampshire stumbled upon and arrested a gang of house robbers who are using Facebook status updates [particularly people who are going out of town] to plan their heists. The reason they were caught? They couldn’t resist playing with firecrackers in a public place [the firecrackers being of a specific brand which was declared stolen by one of their victims]

Man charged in abortion clinic bomb plot: Another man was arrested for helping plot a bombing of a local abortion clinic. The man described himself as an “extremist, radical” and the “Christian counterpart of Osama bin Laden,” and is extremely vocal on Facebook against abortion clinics to the point that he advocates the use of extreme violence. Some of his status updates are: “Extremist, Radical, Fundamentalist…? Yep! Terrorist…? Well, I prefer the term ’freedom Fighter.’” and when Obama’s health care bill was approved “The Death Care Bill passed last night. Keep your phone and rifle close and wait.” He was caught by the authorities in a sting operation when he gave specific instructions to a ‘contact’ on how to recon the abortion clinic and build a bomb. Well, this freedom fighter has just earned himself a cell courtesy of the FBI.