A former Mississippi political candidate is facing criminal charges after a bedazzled statue of Baphomet, a figure associated with the Satanic Temple, was discovered decapitated at the Iowa State Capitol.
Michael Cassidy, 35, a former U.S. Navy pilot, told Fox News that he saw the controversy surrounding the display, which was heavily criticized by Republican politicians like Ron DeSantis, and drove to the Iowa Capitol to see it for himself. He said it hit a “nerve” and went on to destroy it.
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According to an archived version of his campaign website, Cassidy pushed for a 10-year prison sentence for anyone who destroys a statue in his own state.
What a dickhead.
Cassidy was arrested and faces vandalism charges, which could carry a one-year prison sentence and a $2,560 fine. He has since been released
Why is he not being charged under Iowa’s hate crime laws?
Yep. Otherwise who’s to say a random cross somewhere doesn’t ‘strike a nerve’ precedent of him getting away w it just leads to chaos.
“I saw the cross and it struck a nerve. When I think of those men in those dresses molesting children… I saw red, white, and blue… and I knew I needed to stand up for those children’s freedom from this den of paedophiles”
This is the news story I’m waiting for. If only the people larping as protectors of children knew the call was coming from inside their own house of worship.
There’s at least some who know and don’t really care. They’re just there to feel accepted and popular.
Because Iowa is still under a Christian stranglehold behind the scenes.
Iowa used to be purple, it’s since turned into a red shithole. You got a few bright spots in Des Moines and Iowa city, but the rest of the state is rednecks and meth heads.
but the rest of the state is rednecks and meth heads.
feels true about every state these days…
That’s 'cause it is. There is no such thing as “red states” and “blue states;” there are only states that are a slightly higher percentage rural or slightly higher percentage urban.
Haven’t looked it up, but I’d be shocked if there is a single state where rural outnumbered urban.
Off the top of my head, I bet Montana fits the bill. Maybe one or both of the Dakotas too
I didn’t mean to suggest “outnumbered;” I meant to say that the urban/rural percentages are slightly different between states and that that’s what makes the difference in ideology.
More concretely, it isn’t that Southerners are worse than anybody else; it’s that rural folks everywhere are equally terrible. Urban southerners are just as cosmopolitan as northern ones and rural folks from (for example) Oregon are just as backwards and racist as rural folks from Georgia. The only thing that makes Oregon a “blue state” and Georgia a “red state” is that metropolitan Portland etc. make up a slightly higher percentage of Oregon’s total population than metropolitan Atlanta etc. make up of Georgia’s.
I would like to see this, although I wonder if the correct answer is that religion is not a protected group. If religion is a protected group, this is a hate crime.
Come now, we both know Christians would just then cry that non-belief isn’t a religion.
In fact, I’m pretty sure I remember hearing that come up in the past… They’re using motivated reasoning. They want a specific outcome, not a set of principles applied.
I understand though what we need to realize is that this isn’t simply “non-belief”. Satanic temple members have strongly held beliefs as part of the core tenants of satanism. It’s a non-superstitious religion. It’s just as valid a religion as christianity or islam.
I agree with you, I’m just pointing out that the Christians are not using logic or reasoning despite using words that might convince you otherwise.
I can’t argue with that.
Sucks for them. They apparently haven’t heard of Title VII of the Civil rights act.
"Religious beliefs include theistic beliefs (i.e. those that include a belief in God) as well as non-theistic “moral or ethical beliefs as to what is right and wrong which are sincerely held with the strength of traditional religious views.”
“Religious observances or practices include, for example, attending worship services, praying, wearing religious garb or symbols, displaying religious objects, adhering to certain dietary rules, proselytizing or other forms of religious expression, or refraining from certain activities.”
Those quotes are from the US customs and border protection website here. Straight from the horses mouth.
It does suck for them, but that’s never stopped them from trying and they even get unconstitutional laws on the books.
The mere fact something is illegal does not stop someone.
Oh for sure, it is scary how they can do mental gymnastics like that. All it really takes is a corrupt judge that follows the Bible more than they follow our laws and constitution to be able to sidestep that, too. Thankfully, most judges do make their decisions based on our laws and constitution.
But it isn’t a non-belief. I wholeheartedly believe they’re wrong.
Hopefully no one will have to tell that to a judge. Religous extremists are a poison.
I don’t know the right answer. Religious persecution is a real thing and has caused the deaths of countless people across the years that humans have existed. BUT Christians aren’t being persecuted in America (at the moment at least) and have an undo influence on the levers of power. I feel like a good thing to do would be to give the IRS teeth and and have individual Churches or Church organizations that violate the terms of their non profit status actually lose it and have to pay taxes on the huge amount of wealth they own (mostly land but I am sure other shit).
Yes, all churches need to pay taxes.
Nuh uh! Churches do charity work so they need to be tax free. — any christian we’ve argued with over this on the internet.
See, the thing about charity work is, it’s tax deductible!
Because those laws only exist to protect christians?
I’m completely unsurprised that this was a political stunt. If Trump taught these assholes anything, it’s that the free press (and in turn, the crowd funding/find raising) they get from their virtue signaling demonstrations like this one will help them weather any punishments they may face–if they really face any at all
Yep, he failed to build a political career the old fashioned way so he found a controversy right wingers were freaking out about and inserted himself into the equation. Now he gets to grift and probably build a right wing media career of some type. It’s sad that it works, but it does work on republicans. Tell them what they want to hear and they’ll love you forever.
He traveled across state lines to commit a hate crime, he should be getting some serious charges not some slap on the wrist BS
According to an archived version of his campaign website, Cassidy pushed for a 10-year prison sentence for anyone who destroys a statue in his own state.
I’m sure he expects exactly the same punishment for himself.
Seems like a Perfect setup for a judge to sentence him with. It won’t happen, but it should.
This is true Leopards Ate My Face territory.
Not quite lol Leopards Ate My Face is more Turkeys Voting for Christmas, where someone aligns with someone else in spite of the person they’re aligning with clearly not having their interests at heart. Like the vast majority of Trump supporters, or LGBTQ hexbear users supporting Putin.
This is just plain hypocrisy, like “the only moral abortion is my abortion”.
Turkeys Voting For Thanksgiving*
(Christmas isn’t the turkey holiday, FYI. In fact, it’s been a goose, historically.)
As someone who’s never eaten a goose in his life (though I would happily try it, those rude honking bastards), I’ve had turkey on Christmas Eve at relatives. Though it’s often ham.
I hate it when turkey is ham. Stay in your lane, meat products!
In other parts of the world “turkeys voting for Christmas” is a common saying.
Cursory search shows it’s exclusively a UK idiom, to be accurate. So, “other part” singular being a small island where turkeys are not, nor have ever been, indigenous. That tracks.
That’s right, the UK has peacocks in its trees instead of turkeys.
Henry VIII imported them, smartass.
Surely he’s ideologically consistent
/s if anyone really needs that
“Charges” are a slap on the wrist.
See you in 10 years I guess, Douchebag!
Now imagine for a moment what would happen if someone were to decapitate a statue of Mary or Jesus.
Let try it out? It’s not like it will be hard to find one religious shit are everywhere
If everyone did it across the country, people would flip
Fox News would talk about it for the next week.
He has since been released, and raised $40,000 in legal fees following praise from Republican politicians and far-right pundits across the country.
This is the real travesity.
Just another story reminding me how rich I could be grifting money off these assholes if I didn’t have any morals.
Counter-balance it by taking the money earned and putting it toward programs to help combat racism, bigotry, and other indifferences.
If one of us beheaded a jesus statue could we generate a similar response?
No and we’d just have all the national media talking about how the left are just a bunch of godless communists that hate America. We have enough of that already :(
hilarious. the power demonic symbols have is bestowed entirely by christian idiots who think that shit is real.
This is the first time in history Iowa’s Satanic Temple chapter has been allowed to put up a display at Iowa’s state capitol alongside holiday displays from other religious groups.
This guy hits a nerve for me.
So it’s OK if I destroy him, right?I mean, using his reasoning anyway.
Seems like this would be a hate crime. Very un-American behavior from this Republican goon.
No true American. Don’t a significant amount of Americans think and behave like him ergo making it American behavior.
I think they meant it in reference to the stated ideals. Kind of like how so many of the ardent Christians in this country act in a very “un-Christian” way. Obviously we know the way real Christians act is all over the map, but they can be judged against the ideal of Jesus or his teachings.
American vs un-American isn’t as well defined, but I think it was meant as favoring truth, justice, equality, inclusivity/melting pot, etc. Again NOT an accurate representation of the real population.
A significant amount of Americans support a would be dictator who would gladly make himself dictator for life, but that doesn’t make it American behavior.
America is a melting pot of people and cultures and religions from all over the world. Republicans don’t like this. They want a Christian Nation.
I think it should become customary that if a politician advocates for a certain punishment for a crime, and then commits that particular crime, that they receive the punishment they advocated for (within the bounds of current law of course). He wants a 10-year prison sentence for destroying a statue, he should get a 10-year prison sentence for destroying the statue.
Don’t you just love political candidates that don’t believe in the first amendment, probably not a fan of the 19th or 13th either.
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But you don’t understand, he’s all about respecting the establishment of religion but this wasn’t a religion.
But you don’t understand, he’s all about respecting the establishment of religion but this wasn’t a religion.
I can’t tell if this comment is missing a /s or not.
Well Bob, I can’t say I ever miss the /s.
Well Bob, I can’t say I ever miss the /s.
Well, considering that you got the name wrong, your comment doesn’t instill a whole lot of confidence of accuracy.
It is a mangled Office Space quote.
Ah, ok. Loved that movie, but didn’t recognize the quote.
I was going to originally go with “And don’t call me Shirley”, but I thought that might be too esoteric to be recognized in the context of the comment.
I like the word esoteric.
It makes the soles of my feet tingle.
And technically he fought for the freedom he is now trying to suppress.
I love how these right wing “Christians” have such a selective definition of “freedom”. Thankfully the Satanic Temple keeps shining a spotlight on their hypocrisy.
