I’m not going to blame religion for this, because it would be a cheap shot. It’s not religion so much as cranked-up nastiness – with a religious veneer.
The Dove World Outreach Center in Gainesville, Fla., has hanged an effigy of President Barack Obama from a gallows on its front lawn, a move DWOC pastor Terry Jones said was in response to Obama’s recent endorsement of same-sex marriage, as well as his stance on abortion and what Jones called his “appeasing of radical Islam.”
What was that I was saying about threatoids and threat-like remarks? Hanging people in effigy is the same kind of thing. It used to be fairly common, I think, or at least not unknown…but then so did flogging and slavery and child labor. Hanging people in effigy is not an old custom that ought to be revived.
The effigy is suspended from a makeshift gallows with a noose of yellow rope, has a doll in its right hand and a rainbow-colored gay pride flag in its left.
In a telephone interview with The Huffington Post, Jones said the flag was meant to call attention to Obama’s stance on same-sex marriage and that the baby doll is there because the president is “favorable toward abortion.”
But then Obama should have an abortion in his hand, not a baby. Get your ducks in a row. Gay pride flag: something Obama approves of and Pastor Jones hates. Baby: something Obama is taken to want to see aborted before it gets to be a baby and Pastor Jones loves. See? The two don’t match. He did it wrong. It has to be: something Obama approves of and Pastor Jones hates, for both items.
People are so sloppy with these things.
Nothing appeases Islam like endorsement of same-sex marriage…
Seriously, when I was a lad people put effort into their irrational acts of hatred.
Hey, at least he includes the traditional churchyard Uncle Sam.
Ah yes, those were the days. But Ophelia, I think that where Terry Jones goes wrong is in getting Obama’s hands mixed up. But I suppose that when everything is insane, a mere matter of incompetence is neither here nor there. What worries me most is the gallows. I thought that Christians were all about redeeming sinners and leaving vengeance to the Lord. But I’m obviously quite wrong.
Was Jones wearing a white sheet and hood when he was hanging Obama in effigy?
It is distasteful on so many levels. It is distinctly reminiscent of lynch mobs and hence racist. It also insights violence against the president. I hope Terry Jones at least gets a visit from the secret service.
Wait a minute. Terry Jones? Gainsville? Same attention whore who was burning Korans? The Koran is a lot closer to his own ideology than he’d like to admit.
“Terry Jones said was in response to Obama’s recent endorsement of same-sex marriage, as well as his stance on abortion and what Jones called his “appeasing of radical Islam.”
When I think radical islam support for gay rights and abortion are pretty low on that list…. unless its like radically progressive islam? Maybe we’ve had it wrong the whole time! They aren’t against the fundamentalist suicide bomber acid throwing islam they’re against the cultural progressive lets bring in the free healthcare and colleges kind of islam! ;p
I really thought we’d have president Biden by now. Gotta give my props to the Secret Service. Those dudes rock, and yeah, I know about their prostitute thing.
What you gotta understand about the Secret Service is that they are secret. They do not brag about their successes. They to not make their enemies smarter by telling how they thwarted danger. Things happen, people disappear.
I am certain there have been many attempts on Obama’s life we know nothing about.
Just send the Phelps gang after him and get a picket contest going in the name of Jesus, it’ll be such a love fest.
I’m always taken by the cynical way these organisations give themselves such misleading names. Isn’t the dove supposed to be the symbol of peace? And world outreach, that means reaching out to help the world, right? Or perhaps Dove is just the name of the Bronze Age hamlet where they apply their woad before reaching out to raid the next village with their slings and clubs.
You have to admit that Jones knows his hatevatising. He manages to create symbols and rituals which gain attention that are almost purely inspired by hatred and barbarity. Although I am against banning free expression, including hate, it does indicate to any civilized person that Jones has no positive argument.
That should be ‘hatevertising’ not ‘hatevatising’ ugh!
Because stringing up a black man — even in effigy — is EXACTLY the sort of thing that Jesus approved of.
“Jones said the flag was meant to call attention to
Obama’s stance on same-sex marriagehis own desire to get on the telly by any means necessary and that the baby doll is there becausethe president is “favorable toward abortion”Jones really likes to see his own name in print.”It reminds me of the Seinfeld episode when Kramer is protesting the US Post Office. “Shouldn’t you be wearing the bucket?”
Yes, same guy. Which is unfortunate for Gainesville because it’s otherwise a fairly liberal and tolerant college town. I thought I read a while ago that he was taking his ball and leaving for more hate-friendly territory but I guess he changed his mind.
If it were during the Reagan Era that the President were hanged in effigy like this, there would be troops descending from helicopters on their lawn. Mass appearance of Secret Service agents was reserved for things like teenagers with t-shirts that said shit.
Isn’t this the same guy who wanted to burn Korans in order to get tons of media attention?
Why are we feeding the troll?