Rep. Gosar Faces Censure for AOC Murder Video, Refuses to Apologize. Sister Calls Him a "Sociopath."

[Don2 (Don1 Revised)]

I'm sure you've all heard the background on this. Rep Gosar's people took an anime video, from Attack on Titan series and put AOC's face on a monster, Biden's face on another, and Gosar's face on another. In the series, the heros are normal sized people and the "monsters" are huge and have to be killed by swords to the back of neck, generally. So, Gosar murders them.

In the worst way this is worded, it's worded that Gosar is making death threats. This just isn't true literally and technically. HOWEVER, given the current climate and how people tried an insurrection and how some people take this shit seriously and those people are fans of Gosar, he's increasing the culture of death threats and "coolness" of this sort of thing. He has privileges and rights. No rights should be removed for his offensive free speech, but perhaps someone could take a look at the privileges he enjoys in the workplace, like committee memberships. I don't have a problem with that.

These are just my opinions.

Next, the main reason I made this thread is that I was shocked he had siblilngs that say he is an incompetent sociopath or something similar anyway. Watch the video.

 

[ZiprHead]

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

I can't wait for the GOP to get control of the House again and censure Democrats for waking up in the morning because they censured a guy who posted crappy videos involving the killing of a sitting US Representative and attack on the sitting US President.

Anyone remember how upset people were when the castle in Game of Thrones had a beheaded George W Bush? And that was in no way a symbol wanting to harm the President, more a cheap gag, and it wasn't produced by anyone in Congress.

 

[ZiprHead]

Kathy Griffin, anyone?

 

[thebeave]

Why does this guy's name remind me of Ghostbusters everytime I hear it?

 

[Don2 (Don1 Revised)]

Why does this guy's name remind me of Ghostbusters everytime I hear it?

Because he's calling on the ghost of Alexander Hamilton to aid him in his spiritual battle against communists?

 

[laughing dog]

Given the history of the use of censure in Congress, I don't think Mr. Gosar's video merits his censure. I suspect Mr. Gosar is a class one asshole even by Congressional standards which helped push this to the end.

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

Given the history of the use of censure in Congress, I don't think Mr. Gosar's video merits his censure. I suspect Mr. Gosar is a class one asshole even by Congressional standards which helped push this to the end.

I'll give you that social media postings have rarely been the basis of censures in the past couple hundred years.

If this were in a bubble, then fine... distasteful and rude. But we are in a volatile state at the moment. We had a burned out Bernie Sanders supporter nearly massacre (didn't due to bad shooting, not because he didn't fire enough bullets) a Republican outing. Ocasio Cortez has a particularly notable hate following. And a video like this can become a catalyst. We need fewer catalysts, not another Rep. Giffords. And the GOP leadership is continuing to show less and less restraint on pulling back on this behavior.

 

[marc]

Why does this guy's name remind me of Ghostbusters everytime I hear it?

Is he a gozerian?

 

[laughing dog]

Given the history of the use of censure in Congress, I don't think Mr. Gosar's video merits his censure. I suspect Mr. Gosar is a class one asshole even by Congressional standards which helped push this to the end.

I'll give you that social media postings have rarely been the basis of censures in the past couple hundred years.

If this were in a bubble, then fine... distasteful and rude. But we are in a volatile state at the moment. We had a burned out Bernie Sanders supporter nearly massacre (didn't due to bad shooting, not because he didn't fire enough bullets) a Republican outing. Ocasio Cortez has a particularly notable hate following. And a video like this can become a catalyst. We need fewer catalysts, not another Rep. Giffords. And the GOP leadership is continuing to show less and less restraint on pulling back on this behavior.

I agree but IMO this escalates the kneejerk partisanship. No one in their right mind would think this is an actual death threat. It was a stupid, offensive and juvenile stunt worthy of a junior high school dumbass.

A reprimand would more fit the bill for that at the time, one off event.

 

[ZiprHead]

Given the history of the use of censure in Congress, I don't think Mr. Gosar's video merits his censure. I suspect Mr. Gosar is a class one asshole even by Congressional standards which helped push this to the end.

The reason for the censure was that he used congressional persons on his staff to create the video then posted it on his official congressional account. If he had not done so, there would be no censure.

Although i'm sure it would still have caused an uproar.

 

[Politesse]

Kathy Griffin, anyone?

Wasn't a legislator, as I recall, and faced a fairly vicious backlash from her "own side", unlike Representative Gosar. But yes, our society is in a phase of increasing political violence, and that isn't attributable to one faction alone.

 

[Gun Nut]

Given the history of the use of censure in Congress, I don't think Mr. Gosar's video merits his censure. I suspect Mr. Gosar is a class one asshole even by Congressional standards which helped push this to the end.

I'll give you that social media postings have rarely been the basis of censures in the past couple hundred years.

If this were in a bubble, then fine... distasteful and rude. But we are in a volatile state at the moment. We had a burned out Bernie Sanders supporter nearly massacre (didn't due to bad shooting, not because he didn't fire enough bullets) a Republican outing. Ocasio Cortez has a particularly notable hate following. And a video like this can become a catalyst. We need fewer catalysts, not another Rep. Giffords. And the GOP leadership is continuing to show less and less restraint on pulling back on this behavior.

I agree but IMO this escalates the kneejerk partisanship. No one in their right mind would think this is an actual death threat. It was a stupid, offensive and juvenile stunt worthy of a junior high school dumbass.

A reprimand would more fit the bill for that at the time, one off event.

That what he got. A reprimand is called a censure. He is grounded for a week and can't go play with his friends until he has learned his lesson (removed from current committees)

 

[Elixir]

A Gosar is a mythical sea creature with a huge bulbous head containing a tiny pea-sized brain and constantly reflexively snapping jaws.

 

[laughing dog]

Given the history of the use of censure in Congress, I don't think Mr. Gosar's video merits his censure. I suspect Mr. Gosar is a class one asshole even by Congressional standards which helped push this to the end.

I'll give you that social media postings have rarely been the basis of censures in the past couple hundred years.

If this were in a bubble, then fine... distasteful and rude. But we are in a volatile state at the moment. We had a burned out Bernie Sanders supporter nearly massacre (didn't due to bad shooting, not because he didn't fire enough bullets) a Republican outing. Ocasio Cortez has a particularly notable hate following. And a video like this can become a catalyst. We need fewer catalysts, not another Rep. Giffords. And the GOP leadership is continuing to show less and less restraint on pulling back on this behavior.

I agree but IMO this escalates the kneejerk partisanship. No one in their right mind would think this is an actual death threat. It was a stupid, offensive and juvenile stunt worthy of a junior high school dumbass.

A reprimand would more fit the bill for that at the time, one off event.

According to this site - Congressional Discipline of Members - censure is the intermediate step between a reprimand (the lowest) and explulsion (the highest form of discipline).

 

[zorq]

I agree but IMO this escalates the kneejerk partisanship. No one in their right mind would think this is an actual death threat. It was a stupid, offensive and juvenile stunt worthy of a junior high school dumbass.

A reprimand would more fit the bill for that at the time, one off event.

We can't even get Gossar or the Republicans to admit that it was "offensive and juvenile". There is no remorse. That increases the severity of the offense. That is certainly one of the factors judges consider when sentencing criminals. Censure is the correct response.

Plus, I disagree with you that the meme can't be consideted a threat. Am I out of my mind?

 

[Politesse]

If it isn't intended as a genuine threat, why is Gosar unwilling to say that? Minutes after the censure, he re-tweeted the video. There's no apology, no remorse of any kind involved in his case. And it's obvious he does not intend to leave this as a "one time, one off event". He already has not. He will continue to publically threaten this woman's life until he is entirely obliged to stop doing so, or until one of Trump's loony followers manages to make good on the threat.

 

[Don2 (Don1 Revised)]

Personally, like I wrote in the op, I don't think it is a direct threat, like a message "I am going to murder you." It's a juvenile, offensive depiction of cartoon violence happening to a co-worker by another co-worker that could make someone feel threatened due to the imagery but also due to the logical consequences of the imagery, it probably does increase the risks to Biden and AOC. I mean, we had people running around the Capitol looking for Nancy Pelosi and AOC, too, so they could murder them. And the types of people who want to do this are the types of fans of Gosar who completely excuses the attack on the Capitol. So, it's a thing that could increase the violent culture of politics and increase the risks to people like AOC and Biden. It might be fair to call it an indirect threat, maybe.

 

[Politesse]

Personally, like I wrote in the op, I don't think it is a direct threat, like a message "I am going to murder you." It's a juvenile, offensive depiction of cartoon violence happening to a co-worker by another co-worker that could make someone feel threatened due to the imagery but also due to the logical consequences of the imagery, it probably does increase the risks to Biden and AOC. I mean, we had people running around the Capitol looking for Nancy Pelosi and AOC, too, so they could murder them. And the types of people who want to do this are the types of fans of Gosar who completely excuses the attack on the Capitol. So, it's a thing that could increase the violent culture of politics and increase the risks to people like AOC and Biden. It might be fair to call it an indirect threat, maybe.

The thing is, normal co-workers aren't also political figures, at constant risk of attempted political violence simply due to the nature of their work. Nor is the "threat" of a politician ever that they will personally murder someone. Unless you're Aaron Burr, this is always, in all times, accomplished through proxies. Because of the very serious ramifications, an incident like this should be therefore treated with more gravity than we would, say, treat a grudge between two workers at the local Burger King. Only, we're actually treating it much less seriously. Because if a Burger King employee had an animated video made of them murdering a co-worker, they would immediately be fired.

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

Given the history of the use of censure in Congress, I don't think Mr. Gosar's video merits his censure. I suspect Mr. Gosar is a class one asshole even by Congressional standards which helped push this to the end.

I'll give you that social media postings have rarely been the basis of censures in the past couple hundred years.

If this were in a bubble, then fine... distasteful and rude. But we are in a volatile state at the moment. We had a burned out Bernie Sanders supporter nearly massacre (didn't due to bad shooting, not because he didn't fire enough bullets) a Republican outing. Ocasio Cortez has a particularly notable hate following. And a video like this can become a catalyst. We need fewer catalysts, not another Rep. Giffords. And the GOP leadership is continuing to show less and less restraint on pulling back on this behavior.

I agree but IMO this escalates the kneejerk partisanship. No one in their right mind would think this is an actual death threat. It was a stupid, offensive and juvenile stunt worthy of a junior high school dumbass.

A reprimand would more fit the bill for that at the time, one off event.

It isn’t a threat, that’d be a crime. What it does is it has moved this level of discourse to within Congress, and most importantly normalizes this violent trash.

They should be a firewall between this crap and Congress.