McCain Supporter Hangs Obama Effigy From a Tree

Hat Tip to The Villager

McCain supporter Mike Lunsford recently hung an Obama Effigy from a Tree at his home in Fairfield Ohio. The image was apparently hung right above the McCain/Palin signs in his yard. And he seems to be very proud of his work. See post and image from the Blog Electronic Village.

Is this what we should look forward to for the next 4 years? What are we in for? Racial incidents and hate crimes every few weeks, aimed at the President- and by extension- aimed at all Black Americans? I hope not. But this is the kind of fire that John Lewis warned the McCain campaign not to play with. Why? Because the hate rallies encourage people like Lunsford (who McCain/Palin are aware exists within their constituency). McCain has asked Obama to repudiate comments of others who happened to be raising legitimate issues, therefore requiring no repudiation. But here you have a case.…really a hate crime, where a Presidential candidate and U.S. Senator is hung in effigy from a tree for motives that the suspect has admitted are based on race. Will John McCain repudiate the actions of one of his supporters? I won’t hold my breath waiting…and neither should anyone else.

The hate, sickness and prejudice are already in the minds of some of these diehard McCain/Palin supporters (hardcore Republicans). So it doesn’t take much encouragement to stir up the flames of their hatred. This is why McCain and Palin have been so irresponsible. If they don’t understand basic things about their own Country, about its history, and about their own people, then what else don’t they understand? It just seems so fundamental to me, so how could a Presidential candidate not understand the facts and nuances of American culture…

But I think they do have an understanding of this….if they didn’t, they wouldn’t be involved in efforts to exploit the racial divide with their hateful Republican Party Convention, hateful rallies, and with their whisper campaigns and robo calls. They understand it.… They understand it when it benefits them; their entire campaign over the last 2 months has been all about dividing the Country based on race, class, and culture. But when they are held to account for their behavior they suddenly get amnesia and forget American history. Suddenly their actions are innocent and they go right into this plausible deniability routine that I have seen so often.

A Brief Note On Lynching (as I know it)

The history of Lynching in the U.S. is one of the indelible stains on this Country. For much of the 19th and 20th Centuries, up until the 1960's, lynching was a fairly common practice in this Country. It was responsible for the deaths of thousands of men, women and children, of various races - white, native American, and Black. Often this practice took the place of judge and jury. But it was especially brutal when it was used against Blacks, many of whom weren't guilty of anything other than being Black in America.

The Lynchings of Blacks in this Country became a normal part of the American Culture....so much so that they were often seen as social gathering events, such as picnics and Barbecues. These social events were often part of lynching parties. Some of these events involved the burning or mutilation of bodies....and one really disturbing fact is that children were often in attendance. HORRIBLE!

These events were used to control Black populations. Whites used highly publicized lynchings as a way to make an example out of the victim and to scare others into remaining obedient... They were also warnings to Blacks not to cross certain social lines.

As you might imagine, local officials (government administrators, police, etc) were often involved in these brutal killings. How else could these lynchings happen in public...often in broad daylight, in front of dozens and sometimes hundreds of people? The suspects involved in these killings seldom faced justice.

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Related Links

This Isn't The First Time An Obama Effigy Has Been Symbolically Lynched

Bill O'Reilly's Inappropriate Comments About Michelle Obama

FBI Re-examines a 1946 lynching case - also see other links on the history of Lynching

Other Useful Links On The History of Lynching

Background On Lynchings

Without Sanctuary

More Background On Lynching

AmericanLynching.com

Duluth Lynchings

Lynching in Texas

Hate Breeds Hate - An Example of What John Lewis Warned About

Here's an example of what John Lewis warned about when he stated that Palin and McCain were playing with fire with their hate rallies. This is what he meant when he tried to explain that their tactics (to win an election at all costs) were creating the environment for their supporters to become reckless.

I'm afraid this is yet another example of why John McCain does not have the judgment to lead this Country - A Country that is one of the biggest melting pots on earth no less. And he claims "America first" and that he wants to unite the nation?

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Related Link

How Bush & Co. Created a Climate of Intolerance - An Audio Documentary entitled "Shouting Across the Divide". A must listen

John Lewis Calls Out McCain For Whipping Up Hate

John Lewis tells the truth about the McCain/Palin hate rallies.

McCain shocked and offended? Give me a break!

Lewis's Statement:

"During another period, in the not-too-distant past, there was a governor of the state of Alabama named George Wallace who also became a presidential candidate. George Wallace never threw a bomb. He never fired a gun, but he created the climate and conditions that encouraged vicious attacks against innocent Americans who were simply trying to exercise their constitutional rights.

“Because of this atmosphere of hate, four little girls were killed on Sunday morning when a church was bombed in Birmingham, Alabama.”

John Lewis Flips to Obama - REALLY, this time.

This is what scrolled across the screen while watching CNN. Maybe it has something to do with him getting a Primary Challenger.....hmmmmmm.....

How many will follow?

John Lewis Flips to Obama

From the NYTimes.com:

Black Leader, a Clinton Ally, Tilts to Obama

MILWAUKEE — Representative John Lewis, an elder statesman from the civil rights era and one of Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton’s most prominent black supporters, said Thursday night that he planned to cast his vote as a superdelegate for Senator Barack Obama in hopes of preventing a fight at the Democratic convention.

“In recent days, there is a sense of movement and a sense of spirit,” said Mr. Lewis, a Georgia Democrat who endorsed Mrs. Clinton last fall. “Something is happening in America, and people are prepared and ready to make that great leap.”

Mr. Lewis, who carries great influence among other members of Congress, disclosed his decision in an interview in which he said that as a superdelegate, he could not go against the wishes of the voters of his district, who overwhelmingly supported Mr. Obama.

“I’ve been very impressed with the campaign of Senator Obama,” Mr. Lewis said. “He’s getting better and better every single day.”

His comments came as fresh signs emerged that Mrs. Clinton’s support was beginning to erode from some other African-American lawmakers who also serve as superdelegates. Representative David Scott of Georgia, who was among the first to defect, said he, too, would not go against the will of voters in his district.

Translation: Since she has already said that she's going to steal this nomination ' by any means necessary', my Black Butt better not be on the wrong side of this. Black folk will skin me alive.

Second Translation: Al Wynn got his butt kicked. Just what I need - a mailer with a picture of me and Hillary in 2 years....I'ze needs to keep this job.