ivoteamerica

Lynching is an ugly part of our nation’s history. Racially motivated lynchings are grotesque reminders of the venom and hate associated with slavery and denial of civil rights in the United States of America to select groups of people.

A self proclaimed “artist” Chad Michael Morisette wanted to create a macabre scene at his home for all to see. He said he did it in the spirit of Halloween. “It should be seen as art, and as within the month of October. It’s Halloween, it’s time to be scary it’s time to be spooky,” said Morisette.

Our Long History of Hate Now Forgotten

Morisette must have forgotten our nation’s long history of hate. Today, hate crimes have been codified into law. For anyone to lynch a caricature of any minority person or representative sample of any minority group would be classified in many states as an official hate crime. Hate is a crime…the Feds typically investigate hate crimes.

The lynching of Sarah Palin under the guise of “art” as the perpetrator (artist!) put it or, a Halloween “free speech” statement as others have characterized it would be, if applied to Barack Obama, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi or perhaps Representative Barney Frank, labeled a hate crime by Al Sharpton and immediate cause for FBI investigation and possible prosecution. And, such a labeling and investigation would be warranted.

Is the Lynching about Women or Just Certain Women?

Not so with Sarah Palin. The emblem of lynching has a caveat, a loop hole. The loophole is conservative women who run for political office.

The lynching of Sarah Palin is problematic on several fronts, not the least of which is its potential to incite the many whackos and nut-cases running loose in our streets to consider transforming the metaphor into reality.

The mannequin lynching of Sarah Palin, its tolleration by many and the pathetically low level of public outcry is evidence that we really have come that far with respect to our application of the images of hate that riddle our country’s historical timeline.

Are we to believe that the lynching of Sarah Palin is tolerable because she is a woman, a white woman, a conservative white woman, a conservative white republican woman?

Have we collectively denied Sarah Palin her civil rights and the protection she deserves as a candidate for the second most powerful position in the world, Vice President of the United States of America?

Yes, we have.