Ashland County cancel culture

[IdeomotorPrisoner]

The situation unfolding in Ashland County, Ohio, raises serious questions about political expression and free speech. The Ashland County Sheriff's Office is reportedly considering criminal charges against members of the local Democratic Party for selling controversial buttons at the county fair that were critical of President Donald Trump.
The buttons in question included phrases like "Is he dead yet?" and the number "8647," which is interpreted as a call for the removal of the 47th president. Following complaints, fair officials shut down the booth and had the members escorted off the fairgrounds. The Sheriff then escalated the matter by involving the Secret Service and suggesting the buttons could constitute a "threat."
This entire action—the immediate shutdown, expulsion, and investigation into criminal charges over political merchandise—is a textbook example of cancel culture, not from private citizens, but from government-backed local authorities. When a local government attempts to use the force of law and criminal investigation to suppress political speech it deems "offensive" or dislikes, it crosses the line from maintaining public order to viewpoint-based censorship.
Political speech, particularly criticism directed at public figures, is at the heart of the First Amendment. Organizations like the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) have rightly weighed in, stating that this kind of acerbic political rhetoric is squarely protected and that attempting to suppress it is viewpoint discrimination—or "censorship in its purest form."

Ashland County ABC

It is mostly legal and considered hyperbole, but given the climate, it's in bad taste. 

No matter how much you want to troll conservatives at a fair.

It reminds me of putting Gabby Giffords in crosshairs on a campaign poster. And that was called out by Obama when she was shot in 2011.  I think it's a similar ballpark. 

Here's some other buttons you could use instead, that dont get you tossed out of the fair, unless theres a vulgarity censor..

"Enjoying your dictatorship?"
"Is he in jail yet?"
"Is it 2029 yet?"
"Is it over yet?"
"Is he gone yet?"
"Lock him up!"

All those can have a merchandise empire.

even...

"Fuck Fascists" 
"Fuck Trump"
"Fuck MAGA"
"Trump is Fascist" 

Any one of those are fine.  But if you add  "Death To Fascism" it would be pushing towards off-limits *if* sold with the previous 4. Depite being fine if sold on its own. 

My interpretation of where political hyperbole starts painting a picture of violence advocacy. 

Probably best to stay away from leaving it to interpretation.  I am interested to know if they would have been expelled without the more specific, "is he dead yet?" one and left off the obituary thing. 

While you cant prove that's coded speak for assassination, there is enough bias available to try.

And I loathe the fucking antichrist.

[DBCowboy]

The situation unfolding in Ashland County, Ohio, raises serious questions about political expression and free speech. The Ashland County Sheriff's Office is reportedly considering criminal charges against members of the local Democratic Party for selling controversial buttons at the county fair that were critical of President Donald Trump.
The buttons in question included phrases like "Is he dead yet?" and the number "8647," which is interpreted as a call for the removal of the 47th president. Following complaints, fair officials shut down the booth and had the members escorted off the fairgrounds. The Sheriff then escalated the matter by involving the Secret Service and suggesting the buttons could constitute a "threat."
This entire action—the immediate shutdown, expulsion, and investigation into criminal charges over political merchandise—is a textbook example of cancel culture, not from private citizens, but from government-backed local authorities. When a local government attempts to use the force of law and criminal investigation to suppress political speech it deems "offensive" or dislikes, it crosses the line from maintaining public order to viewpoint-based censorship.
Political speech, particularly criticism directed at public figures, is at the heart of the First Amendment. Organizations like the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) have rightly weighed in, stating that this kind of acerbic political rhetoric is squarely protected and that attempting to suppress it is viewpoint discrimination—or "censorship in its purest form."

Ashland County ABC

Promoting the assassination of a sitting president is not free speech.

They'd have no problem, I'd have no problem with buttons that said, "Trump really sucks".

But that is not the case.

[RichardHurt]

Promoting the assassination of a sitting president is not free speech.

They'd have no problem, I'd have no problem with buttons that said, "Trump really sucks".

But that is not the case.

So then the burden of proof is on you to prove that 86 was being used in that context as a way to say kill.
Because from my point of view and the historical meaning of the term means to remove or kick out.
Prove me wrong cooper.

[RichardHurt]

Don't bother. They'll just play semantics and claim words don't really mean what you think they mean.

Whataboutisms will come hard and fast.

My opinion : If the Democrats think it's political persecution and believe their Freedom of Speech has been violated, fight it out in court.

Oh I think you may find that in this situation that you are very much in the wrong.
And yeah, let the courts decide.
You should also do some homework and look up the original meaning of the word and why it came to be.
Or you can just continue to believe what is clearly being spoon fed to ya.

[DBCowboy]

So then the burden of proof is on you to prove that 86 was being used in that context as a way to say kill.
Because from my point of view and the historical meaning of the term means to remove or kick out.
Prove me wrong cooper.

"86" someone has ALWAYS meant killing someone.

I think you are not being honest in your OP.

[BeyondKnowledge]

I would think a political button would have to be judged on its own. As normally found in the wild. Now if 10% got a first impression of it calling for elimination by violence then there is a problem with how the message is stated or it is actually calling for killing someone. 

I think both the specific examples do fit the category of yelling fire in a crowded theater. 

While most would laugh it off, there is a tiny portion of people that will take the message literally. Literally enough to at least consider acting on it.

[RichardHurt]

"86" someone has ALWAYS meant killing someone.

I think you are not being honest in your OP.

So then google the original use of the term.
I'll wait for your non response. Facts can hurt the brain.
Btw it means unavailable or sold out. Hence the service industry origin.
But don't let facts stop you from believing what tptb want you to think it means.

[DBCowboy]

So then google the original use of the term.
I'll wait for your non response. Facts can hurt the brain.
Btw it means unavailable or sold out. Hence the service industry origin.
But don't let facts stop you from believing what tptb want you to think it means.

I did.

President Trump is not a soda nor a grocery store product that is out.

86'ing someone is a clear message.

And apparently you are supporting it.

Which is awkward.

[putnam6]

When the ambiguous 86'd button is right next to "Is he dead yet" and "one day we will be reading his obituary"
makes the "86" meaning less ambiguous... 
 

The Ashland County sheriff is planning to contact the U.S. Secret Service after "offensive" buttons were found at the Democratic Party booth at the Ashland County Fair in Ohio, resulting in the group's removal from the fairgrounds.
The buttons at the Ashland County Democrats booth had messages about President Donald Trump like "Is he dead yet?" and "One day, we will wake up to his obituary" alongside "He's not my president" and "We will survive," Fox 8 News reports.
A message seeking additional comment from the Ashland sheriff was not returned by the time this story was published. A woman answering the phone for the Ashland County Democrats said they were "not inclined" to give a statement until they had spoken to a lawyer.

 
“Violence shouldn’t be tolerated in any way, in any venue in any jurisdiction in the United States, and it certainly won’t be tolerated here in Ashland County,” he told the Cleveland TV station.
The Ashland County Democratic Party later responded with a statement comparing its situation to President Richard Nixon's enemies list and Senator Joseph McCarthy's communist hearings of the 1950s.
"Both county parties have had booths at the county fair each year for over five decades.This is the first time county officials have ever ejected anyone from the fair for strictlypolitical reasons," part of the statement reads. "The use of law enforcement to suppress political speech at the local level represents a grave threat to our democracy and the foundational principle that government officials cannot use their power to punish dissent."
In a Facebook post on Thursday, Sept. 18, the Ashland County Fair says the group asked to leave for the rest of the week after the "offensive" buttons were reported. "We are a family-friendly fair and do not condone this from any vendor/merchant," the fair states in the post. 

[David64]

Oh I think you may find that in this situation that you are very much in the wrong.
And yeah, let the courts decide.
You should also do some homework and look up the original meaning of the word and why it came to be.
Or you can just continue to believe what is clearly being spoon fed to ya.

I don't know how old you are, but I was born in the mid 60s and "86" was always used in the same way as "cement overshoes" or "sleep with the fishes" or some other code word for "kill". It may be originally meant for store clerks, but only someone with blinders firmly in place could mistake it for how it's being used in regards to Trump.