Update: Republican Adds American Flag to "Lynched Chair" Display

[MrScorpio]

by: Katherine Haenschen
Thu Sep 20, 2012 at 10:07 AM CDT


Last night we broke the story of a man in Northwest Austin who lynched an empty chair from a tree in his front lawn, seemingly intended to represent the first African-American president.
We've since received an updated photo from a neighbor that should clarify whether the homeowner meant the display to make a political statement. The image is here.



The homeowner has attached an American flag to the chair. If anyone wasn't clear before that he meant the President, hopefully this decorative addition will make it clear: the homeowner is suggesting that Barack Obama be lynched.

This image should curdle the blood of all patriotic Americans regardless of partisan leanings. Our flag is a symbol of our great country, and the ideals of diversity and opportunity that make us a beacon of hope and democracy around the world. Generations of service members have fought and died to protect what that flag represents.

Yet because one sad, old racist can't handle the fact that the President of the United States, Barack Hussein Obama, is African-American, he ties that same flag to a public display calling for that President's violent, racially charged death.

Unfortunately, our Austin neighbor is not the first person to come up with the "clever" idea of lynching a chair. A man in Virginia lynched a chair with a "Nobama" sign on it over the weekend, as reported by our friends at Blue Virginia.

Meanwhile, this story is garnering national attention across the blogosphere, and will unfortunately only confirm the worst stereotypes of Texans as intolerant racists. We're not all crazy bigots, and that's why we've got to push back strongly against displays of racism both overt and subtle. Texans, do you really want this kind of imagery to represent our great state? We're the home of LBJ, signer of the Civil Rights Act, and we have a proud history of African-American and Hispanic civil rights efforts.

http://www.burntorangereport.com/diary/12759/update-republican-adds-american-flag-to-lynched-chair-display

[DaveHee]

1. Chair and Flag

Good idea, har!

Place a chair -on the ground and facing the street- in your front lawn with your Obama sign and a flag, I think that would confuse the obtuse and uplift those of use who support Obama.

Daif

[tanyev]

2. Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt.

[bluesbassman]

3. That kind of stuff really pisses me off, but it doesn't make me think less of Texans...

Just as bigoted, ignorant citizens of any state do not make me think less of that state.

Stay strong my fellow Democrats, Liberals, and Progressives in Texas!

[11 Bravo]

4. That does it. I'm going to have to hang one of my old, empty suits!

[Blue Belle]

5. Wow...

what a bigoted xenophobic asshole.

[ibegurpard]

6. Honestly I don't think a lot of people would get it

they'd just drive by and go "wtf??"
this guy is making himself look like a fool

[ProgressiveProfessor]

7. I heard it suggested that if he had used a noose rather than a granny knot more might have gotten it

There may be some merit there. Thought it was pretty clear myself.