Republican Holiday Tree decorated with hanged Democratic figures

[Kid Berwyn]

GOP candidate faces backlash after sharing Christmas ornaments of Democrats in nooses

by Tatyana Tandanpolie
Salon, December 26, 2023

A Republican congressional candidate posted an image of a Christmas tree decorated with ornaments of Democrats in nooses and later expressed regret after being hit with backlash.

Former West Virginia state lawmaker Derrick Evans shared and quickly deleted the image, which showed miniature versions of politicians like President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, former President Barack Obama and Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., hanging from nooses, according to The Messenger. A Donald Trump ornament beside the display appears to be raising his hand in approval of the hangings.

Link to tweet

Evans, who resigned in January 2021 from the West Virginia House of Delegates after being federally charged over his participation in the Jan. 6, Capitol riot, is running for Congress in 2024.

He is a vocal supporter of Trump and the former president's baseless claims about the 2020 presidential contest being fraudulent and stolen. The former West Virginia legislator pleaded guilty to one felony count of civil disorder in March 2022 and later served a 3-month sentence in federal prison for his role in the riot, during which he livestreamed his felonious activities on Facebook, according to NBC News.

Source: https://www.yahoo.com/news/gop-candidate-faces-backlash-sharing-174047320.html

Something is really wrong to create hate like this.

[Arazi]

1. It's a cult. #Cult45

[Kid Berwyn]

5. Is Deprogramming Them possible?

"Deprogramming" the Trump cult: Is it too late to "humanize those who worship at the altar of MAGA"?

Hillary Clinton says MAGA voters need to be saved from themselves. Experts on exactly what that might take

By CHAUNCEY DEVEGA
Salon, October 5, 2023

In 2016, then Democratic Party presidential nominee Hillary Clinton said that some of Donald Trump’s followers were a “basket of deplorables”:

You know, to just be grossly generalistic, you could put half of Trump's supporters into what I call the basket of deplorables. Right? The racist, sexist, homophobic, xenophobic, Islamophobic — you name it. And unfortunately there are people like that. And he has lifted them up. He has given voice to their websites that used to only have 11,000 people, now have 11 million. He tweets and retweets offensive, hateful, mean-spirited rhetoric. Now some of those folks, they are irredeemable, but thankfully they are not America.

Snip…

In the most recent example of Hillary Clinton’s bold and uncomfortable truth-telling, last Friday she told CNN’s Christiane Amanpour that Donald Trump continues to be a cult leader and that his MAGA followers will require a collective intervention if some sense of normalcy is to ever return to American society:

“Maybe there needs to be a formal deprogramming of the cult members,” Clinton told Amanpour. “And sadly, so many of those extremists, those MAGA extremists, take their marching orders from Donald Trump, who has no credibility left by any measure.”

Clinton added: “He’s only in it for himself.”

Source: https://www.salon.com/2023/10/12/deprogramming-the-cult-is-it-too-late-to-humanize-those-worship-at-the-altar-of-maga/

[Arazi]

22. Good article. Thanks for posting it

[PortTack]

30. Deprogramming? He doesn't want to

[paleotn]

36. The Ripley Solution.

Nuke them from orbit. It's the only way to be sure.

&t=8s

[Lettuce Be]

2. Wouldn't he be ineligible? Asking for a friend

What is wrong with these people?

[Kid Berwyn]

7. It's written down in English, They say, the official language of America

14th Amendment

Section 3

No person shall be a Senator or Representative in Congress, or elector of President and Vice-President, or hold any office, civil or military, under the United States, or under any State, who, having previously taken an oath, as a member of Congress, or as an officer of the United States, or as a member of any State legislature, or as an executive or judicial officer of any State, to support the Constitution of the United States, shall have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same, or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof. But Congress may by a vote of two-thirds of each House, remove such disability.

[Polybius]

8. Not really clear yet

He wasn't convicted of the charge of insurrection.

[live love laugh]

28. The language doesn't say conviction is required AND it states "insurrection" or "rebellion"

[LiberalFighter]

56. Both Neal Katyal and J. Michael Luttig stated it was not intended as requiring conviction.

It is a disqualification just like needing to be 35 and a natural born citizen. And you are right that the language does not require a conviction. I would like to see Mike Johnson disqualified to be a member of Congress too.

(And I contend that Ted Cruz is disqualified as he is not a natural born citizen when he was born in Canada and the law at the time specified that only Canadians can vote in their elections. Which both of his parents did. And they did not refer his birth to a U.S. Embassy in Canada)

[Postal Grunt]

90. A citizenship question for you

While Mr Cruz' mother appears to have been a Canadian citizen and eligible to vote in their elections, did she renounce her American citizenship at any time before his birth? AFAIK, the dual citizenship thing hasn't been a problem between the US and Canada.

[Kingofalldems]

34. Seems clear to me.

[orleans]

44. this:

"shall have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same, OR given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof"

[Bernardo de La Paz]

54. Read an article "The Sweep and Force of Section Three"

These guys analyze every point and conclude tRump is sunk.

https://akhilamar.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/The-Sweep-and-Force-of-Section-Three.pdf

[PatSeg]

17. That's what I'm thinking

[calimary]

51. After something like this? ABSOLUTELY and UNQUESTIONABLY!

And PERMANENTLY. He proves himself to be unqualified and unfit. He’d be nothing but grief to all but the selfish, the ill-informed, and the spiteful.

[dalton99a]

3. Kick

[Kid Berwyn]

14. Little NAZI really knows how to make himself stand out.

Mebbe he’s throwing his hat in the ring for a new job. From a century back:

Hitler was impressed by Himmler’s fanatical nationalism and his deep hatred of the Jews. Himmler believed Hitler was the Messiah that was destined to lead Germany to greatness. Hitler, who was always vulnerable to flattery, decided that Himmler should become the new leader of his personal bodyguard, the Schutzstaffel (SS).

Source: https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/background-and-overview-of-the-nazi-party-nsdap#program

[Attilatheblond]

63. Throwing his hat in ring for being raked over coals by Secret Service and FBI

What does the Patriot Act say about local boys gone bad and inciting violence?

[Attilatheblond]

64. Since Trump, low life scumbags think this sort of behavior is the road to good job in Congress

While espousing the view that everybody in government is evil. They are walking self fulfilling prophecies and too frikin dumb to know it.

[Bayard]

29. That looks like trump on the far right

This guy is one sick POS.

[Whiskeytide]

33. The Тяцмp doll is not in a noose, and appears to be giving ...

…the finger to the noosed Democrats. You’re right, he’s one very sick POS.

[thomski64]

89. ..they're painting the passports brown..

[gopiscrap]

4. Typical sick mother fucking goper

[Kid Berwyn]

18. One can tell a lot about a person by what they emphasize in communication.

[Demovictory9]

6. Omg

[Kid Berwyn]

27. I don't think that's a thumb's up dip's giving.

Why do some continually fail to develop when are constantly given opportunities to show what we are?

[keithbvadu2]

9. Lynching

If not Trump directly executing his 'enemies', he will indirectly encourage his followers to do it.

[Kid Berwyn]

82. Hate Creep keeps growing and growing and growing.

Donald Trump, Stochastic Terrorist

He demonizes his foes—and that makes them possible targets of violence.

by David Corn
Mother Jones, September 29, 2023

Excerpt…

If you’re not familiar with term “stochastic terrorism,” now is a good time to bone up, for the leading Republican candidate is a stochastic terrorist.

Stochastic terrorism is defined by conflict and law enforcement experts as the demonization of a foe so that he, she, or they might become targets of violence. Scientific American recently put it this way:

Dehumanizing and vilifying a person or group of people can provoke what scholars and law enforcement officials call stochastic terrorism, in which ideologically driven hate speech increases the likelihood that people will violently and unpredictably attack the targets of vicious claims. At its core, stochastic terrorism exploits one of our strongest and most complicated emotions: disgust.

In addition to disgust, fear and hatred can work, the point being to depict a person or set of people as a loathsome other undeserving of respect or acceptance, and a dangerous threat. Establishing such a framework boosts the odds that a lone individual or group will violently assault the deprecated.

Continues…

https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2023/09/donald-trump-stochastic-terrori-milley-violence-muskst/

[democrank]

10. Perfect MAGAT Christmas message

Hate and Cruelty

[Kid Berwyn]

83. Absolutely. Hieronymus Bosch understood the type 500 years ago.

[dmr]

11. He pleaded guilty & served prison time. How is he eligible to serve?

He betrayed the last oath he swore to honor.

Why is he allowed to run? Why aren't people complaining?

Shame, shame, shame ... how could anyone proudly put together such an awfully violent symbol of Christmas?

[Kid Berwyn]

84. Great Questions, yours.

Pelosi's attacker is proud of himself. The GOP emboldened him

Of course, the Pelosi suspect feels supported — the GOP is the party of political violence now

By AMANDA MARCOTTE
Salon, January 31, 2023

David DePape seems proud of himself. On Friday, a judge ordered the release of video footage that appears to show DePape beating Paul Pelosi, the husband of then-Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, with a hammer after refusing to listen to police orders to drop the weapon. The video is hard to watch, showing the suspect tackling Pelosi to the ground and viciously pounding him with a hammer while the police attempt to pull him off the 82-year-old man. Bizarrely, however, in a phone call to a San Francisco reporter made the same day, DePape's only regret was that the violence wasn't worse.

"Now that you all have seen the body cam footage, I have an important message for everyone in America," DePape told KTVU's Amber Lee of. "You're welcome."

He then apologized that he "didn't get more of them."

Like many of the January 6 insurrectionists who have been arrested, DePape appears to have no interest in backing down from the Donald Trump-fueled conspiracy theories that led to his violence. Instead, the chilling audio hints at a man who feels confident in his false accusations and supported in his belief that the Trumpist agenda must be forced upon America through violence.

DePape appears delusional in many regards, but he is, sadly, right about one thing: His pro-violence views have a lot of support from Republicans, both politicians and voters. While he took it to the next level, DePape was only acting on a correct interpretation of Trump's implicit message: Since Democrats can't be beaten at the ballot box, power must be seized through violence. It's a view that, while they often avoid saying out loud, is widely backed by the rest of the GOP. The party, after all, has gone out of its way to reaffirm support for Trump in the wake of the deadly riot he unleashed on the Capitol two years ago.

Continues…

https://www.salon.com/2023/01/31/pelosis-attacker-is-proud-of-himself-the-emboldened-him/

—————

Great observation, too, yours.

Where is the shame?

[gratuitous]

12. Tell me again about unforgivable outrages?

I was just looking at an old photo of Kathy Griffin. You know the one.

[JoseBalow]

52. The comedian?

[gratuitous]

57. Yup

Got Dixie Chick'd for posing with a mannequin head.

[Kid Berwyn]

92. Laughing at the attack on Paul Pelosi should disqualify dip.

From one of America's remaining editorial cartoonists of quality:



Trump joked about Pelosi assassination attempt.

California’s GOP laughed right along

By Jack Ohman
San Francisco Chronicle, October 5, 2023

Former President Donald Trump spoke to the California GOP convention last Friday in Anaheim, and he exceeded even his usual rhetorical cruelty.

“We’ll stand up to crazy Nancy Pelosi, who ruined San Francisco.”

Then this:

“How’s her husband doing, by the way, anybody know?”

In a universe of demented Trump observations, this perhaps exceeded even the lowest of his lows.

Paul Pelsosi, an 82-year-old man, was attacked in his own home in October by a hammer-wielding assailant. Police arrested David DePape, 42, who repeatedly asked, “Where’s Nancy?”

CONTINUES...

https://www.sfchronicle.com/opinion/article/trump-paul-pelosi-gop-18404812.php

[SarahD]

13. Can't even keep it white?

I would think even the most brain dead MAGA would have enough sense not to portray black people hanged in effigy.

[Maru Kitteh]

61. The white people provide them cover. Plausible deniability. nt

[Kid Berwyn]

93. Modern GOP Tradition

George W Bush, at the unveiling of a portrait of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.:

"Well, thank you all very much for coming. Mrs. King, thanks for this beautiful portrait. I can't wait to hang it." (Laughter)

Source: https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/remarks-martin-luther-king-jr-holiday-celebration-0

PS: A hearty welcome to DU, SarahD!

[malaise]

15. That is sick

Disgusting

Happy Holidays my friend 🎄. 🎄 🎄 🎄

[Skittles]

73. how much you wanna bet he beefs about the "War on Christmas"

these people are batshit insane

[Jean Genie]

16. Hateful

That's nice. Definitely the "true" spirit of Christmas.

[Hekate]

19. He would seem to be ineligible for federal office due to his federal offense

What a sick bastard. Yee-haw, Prince of Peace!

[bucolic_frolic]

20. Reaching across the aisle .... with his noose!

[TNNurse]

21. Perfect example of a fraudulent Christian.

Full of hate and ignorance.

[Skittles]

74. mmmm I dunno

I see a lot of hatred and ignorance in mainstream religion

[TNNurse]

77. I was referring to the actual tenets of Christianity, not the current ignorance.

If you are going to use the term but not live by, you get to be called out...at least by me.

[ExWhoDoesntCare]

86. How is he fraudulent about it?

Have you not read the book, or studied the religion's history?

He seems to fit right in with what centuries of christians before him have been up to.

[Fritz Walter]

23. How is the Secret Service responding to this?

Clearly, this is an implied threat against our President, Vice-President, and past-President.

THIS SHIT IS INTOLERABLE! And, I'd never accept the argument that this is covered by the 1st Amendment. During my undergraduate studies in journalism (a few decades ago), I learned that the Amendment does not protect "yelling fire in a crowded theater." So -- in these days of instant, world-wide dissemination -- how does that not apply to such a threat? And please don't ask the Supreme Quart to decide this!!

[mahatmakanejeeves]

35. That "yelling fire in a crowded theater" meme went 23 skidoo in 1969.

I can't follow threads at Twitter whatever, as I am not signed up for it. Maybe you can.

There are a lot of people in the replies to this tweet who are shouting fire in a crowded theater…

So here’s a thread on “shouting fire in a crowded theater”

1/11

Link to tweet

If not, here's what that's about. The story is eleven years old.

U.S.

It’s Time to Stop Using the ‘Fire in a Crowded Theater’ Quote

Oliver Wendell Holmes made the analogy during a controversial Supreme Court case that was overturned more than 40 years ago.

By Trevor Timm
NOVEMBER 2, 2012

Oliver Wendell Holmes made the analogy during a controversial Supreme Court case that was overturned more than 40 years ago.

{paywall}

TECHNOLOGY

Why Falsely Claiming It's Illegal To Shout Fire In A Crowded Theater Distorts Any Conversation About Online Speech

Don't give this a free pass.

By TECHDIRT on October 29, 2021 at 4:16 PM

It keeps coming up, the all-too-common, and all-too-erroneous, trope that “you can’t shout fire in a crowded theater.” And it shouldn’t, because, as a statement of law, it is completely wrong. It’s wrong like saying it’s legal to rob a bank. Or, perhaps more aptly, it’s wrong like saying it’s illegal to wear white after Labor Day. Of course such a thing is not illegal. It’s a completely made-up rule and not in any way a reflection of what the law on expression actually is, or ever was. And it’s not without consequence that so many people nevertheless mistakenly believe it to be the law, and in so thinking use this misapprehension as a basis to ignore, or even undermine, the otherwise robust protection for speech the First Amendment is supposed to afford.

This post therefore intends to do two things: explain in greater detail why it is an incorrect statement of law, and also how incorrectly citing it as the law inherently poisons any discussion about regulating online speech by giving the idea of such regulation the appearance of more merit than the Constitution would actually permit. Because if it were true that no one could speak this way, then a lot of the proposed regulation for online speech would tend to make more sense and also raise many fewer constitutional issues, because if it were in fact constitutional to put these sorts of limits on speech, then why not have some of these other proposed limits too.

But the “fire in a crowded theater” trope is an unsound foundation upon which to base any attempt to regulate online speech because it most certainly is NOT constitutional to put these sorts of limits on speech, and for good reason. To understand why, it may help to understand where the idea came from to end up in the public vernacular in the first place.

Its origins date back to a little over a century ago when the Supreme Court was wrestling with several cases involving defendants having said things against government policy. In particular, President Wilson wanted the United States to enter what eventually became known as World War I, and he wanted to institute the draft in order to have the military necessary to do it. He got his way and these decisions have become part of our history, but at the time they were incredibly contentious policies, and people spoke out against them. The government found this pushback extremely inconvenient for generating the public support it needed. So it sought to silence the loudest voices speaking against it by prosecuting them for their messages.

{snip}

[Iggo]

24. Whenever you're ready, MAGAts.

[iluvtennis]

25. The FBI needs to invesigate this insurrectionist. n/t

[lpbk2713]

26. Only a psychopath would go to this much trouble.

This clown is certifiable.

[spooky3]

31. Kathy Griffin paid a huge price for doing less. Nt

[barbtries]

32. "Something is really wrong to create hate like this."

yes. our country is profoundly unwell.

[paleotn]

37. Who would Jesus hang?

[Blue Owl]

38. Those KKKlansmen are really into hanging things

[Grumpy Old Guy]

39. How do these people consider themselves patriotic?

They're all traitors!

[sheshe2]

40. I saw it earlier on twitter.

Derrick is getting a ton of push back for that post and many have said they reported him to the feds. I hope they pay him a call.

His defense:

"Not my tree. Not my ornaments. Not in good taste. NOT a call for violence," Evans tweeted. "I shouldn't have used a day to celebrate the birth of Jesus for anything political (good taste or poor taste). Let's go celebrate this time with our families in love and peace."

He shouldn't have posted it on Christmas...but obviously any other day would be A OKAY with him.

Sick people and they need to be locked up in psych wards.

[GiqueCee]

80. There aren't enough...

... psychiatric hospitals left in the country to hold them all since Reagan, in his infinite wisdom, chose to close them all down and let patients fend for themselves in a world they were totally unprepared for, and could barely comprehend.

Evans, and other like him, are what happens when educational systems are deliberately sabotaged by conservatives so as to produce ignorant and malleable constituents.

[COL Mustard]

41. Classy guy, huh???

I hope this eejit gets what he deserves, at the polling place!

[Emile]

42. Another NAZI for Trump.

[TSExile]

43. These people are sick.

In some cases, I'm not sure if even they believe everything they preach. They just revel in all the clicks, follows, shares and "likes" they get.

Whatever the case, they clearly revel in violence and hate - while gloating about how "Christian" they are. That's why I stopped voting R in 2018 or so - and will NEVER go back!!

[Elessar Zappa]

45. Glad you saw the light!

What was the final tipping point for you?

[TSExile]

46. Kavanaugh.

When I heard some commentator (don't remember which one) say that T**** wanted to appoint Kavanaugh not in spite of the sexual assault allegations but BECAUSE of them, the light finally clicked on. Later, the callousness, cowardice and cruelty shown by the Rs during the pandemic solidified my feelings.

As I have mentioned elsewhere on this forum, in late 2015 I was sexually assaulted by a supposed longtime male friend. That happened right at the same time that T**** was running the first time. I still bought into the whole "if you're a Christian, you vote Republican" crap. At least I fully had the blinders off in 2020. I will never go back...EVER!!!

[spooky3]

71. I am sorry to hear of the assault. Wishing you the best. nt

[TSExile]

85. Thank you, my friend.

[spooky3]

87. You are welcome.

[kimbutgar]

47. He should be disqualified immediately and dropout

We don’t anymore assholes in Congress.

[LuckyCharms]

48. People who think like this

are standing in line with us at the grocery store.

Sick fucks.

[DBoon]

49. The first people in Nazi concentration camps were their political opponents

Communists, Social Democrats, and labor leaders.

Hanging your political opponents is not funny.

[AllaN01Bear]

50. i view that as a threat. snork

[Ocelot II]

53. Nothing says peace on earth, goodwill to men and tidings of comfort and joy

more than a Christmas tree adorned with the hanged effigies of your political adversaries. Stay classy, GOP.

[MorbidButterflyTat]

55. I recognize

VP Harris, Prez Biden, Dr. Fauci, Prez Obama, Nancy Pelosi, and Hillary Clinton. and I recognize pumpkin headed Slobby with what looks like "EBS" on his tie. Maybe the "artist's" initials or something..? He's flipping off the Dems like a very presidential Christian.

How fucked up is a person who would buy these dolls to lynch on a Christmas tree? Talk about living rent free in these idiots heads. How GD stupid and pathetic.

[NBachers]

58. He should still be in the slammer. This is what happens when they hand out these featherbed kid glove sentences.

[Chainfire]

59. I guess he thought it was cute, or funny enough to share. He must have an emotional maturity of a 5 year old.

He would fit in well with the Republican caucus in the House. Speaker material, at least.

[hadEnuf]

60. Try something like that where you work and see how long it takes you to be escorted out by police.

Why is this shit even being tolerated from people running for office?

[hildegaard28]

62. Just like

Jesus would.

[Rhiannon12866]

65. Would this ever have happened before TFG and his incitement of hate??

[Wonder Why]

66. Sure looked like Obama in lower left. Crop the picture to blow up that part

as well as the one of Donnie and appeal to minorities that "This is what the KKK Repugs want to bring back and look what their leader thinks of you."

[appalachiablue]

67. Devil freak, pos

[Bluethroughu]

68. 20 years in prison no less.

[Cha]

69. Hearing GD Traitor Dic in your ear

16/7 could kill his brain cell if he had one.

[johnnyfins]

70. What a fucki g scumbag

[DemocraticPatriot]

72. Guess the SOB should have seen MY Christmas Tree!!!! -----

It was a sight to see!

GQP Traitors and insurrectionests ALL!

[djacq]

75. Regret?!... He's lying.

This is who they are; the MAGA Party..

[Smackdown2019]

76. Why doesn't WV democrats not file in court

WV democrats need to block him from the ballots through the courts. Apparently he thinks its okay to be an Insurrectist and post violent postings even upto this past Christmas....

[malaise]

78. I wonder who is selling these so called decorations

Hope the FBI is also having a look

[Bob_in_VA]

81. It's not the "ornaments"

Near as I can tell, the "ornaments" are just little figurines to which someone else decided to add the "rope". The question is, who? Mr. Insurrectionist claims that "it's not his tree, it's not his ornaments, It's not in good taste", yet he posts the picture...
Now I can almost see someone posting this picture along with a diatribe about how utterly despicable it is, but that's not what Mr. Insurrectionist did, now is it...
I agree with an earlier poster that this POS needs to be disqualified from running on the grounds of violating the 14th Amendment

[dlk]

79. Somone is a psychopath...

[spanone]

88. Derrick the dick can fuck off.

How many republicans in congress are felons?

[Ms. Toad]

91. What strikes me is not that the hate exists - we all knew it was there.

But that he advertised it, rather than attempting to keep it a secret joke among like-minded friends.

That is what it seems to me has changed in the last few years.