Is hanging a political figure in effigy no longer allowed?

[Winterblues]

It used to be quite common, maybe not quite so much in america but in England and other European countries it is common. Is it now that we have a Black candidate and what lynchings mean to blacks in general or is it just in very poor taste period? How about burning a candidate in effigy? Is none of it allowed anymore?

[leftofcool]

1. Sure it is, hang anyone you want to, just don't gripe

about who it represents, no matter what color they are.

[Jackpine Radical]

2. We have a much richer recent tradition of "extrajudicially" hanging people for real

than most European countries, so the gap between the symbol and the reality is much too close here for us to be playing around with it.

[stray cat]

3. Poor taste definitely

[southpaw]

4. I don't kow if it's illegal

But it's certainly barbaric and should be construed as a threat to the person represented by the effigy.

It may be an old political tradition, but it needs to be left in the past along with poll taxes.

As much as I despise McCain and Palin, I wouldn't dream of hanging them in effigy. The thought is beyond distasteful.

[Winterblues]

5. Actually that is what inspired my post

There is a post in LBN about both McCain and Palin figures being hung up in Hollywood. Apparently people are giving it a pass because it is Halloween.

[jdlh8894]

8. I thought just displaying a noose was verboten N/T

[Gman2]

6. I would like to see

a modern black panthers, that would go to these racist effigy flying, perfectly legal, houses, and discuss, en masse, their concerns with their encitements. I feel that we have found ourselves in a time, where sheer numbers, everywhere, can net effective routing of racism. The mass, couold resemble a can you hear me now commercial. With MEDIA. Can you imagine?

[Nye Bevan]

7. Hanging any black person in effigy

(and this includes Obama) would obviously be a racist and despicable act, because of the allusion to lynching.

Hanging a white person in effigy (including McCain and Palin), not so much.

Not fair? Maybe. But it wasn't exactly fair that black people were enslaved by white people for hundreds of years.