Mississippi Rep. Karl Oliver is really, really upset about the removal of Confederate monuments in Louisiana. He unleashed a rant on his Facebook page over the weekend, calling for those removing the monuments to be lynched. Seriously:
Rep. Karl Oliver, R-Winona, wrote: “The destruction of these monuments, erected in the loving memory of our family and fellow Southern Americans, is both heinous and horrific. If the, and I use this term extremely loosely, “leadership” of Louisiana wishes to, in a Nazi-ish fashion, burn books or destroy historical monuments of OUR HISTORY, they should be LYNCHED! Let it be known, I will do all in my power to prevent this from happening in our State.”
Oh, poor, poor dear. Bless his heart. Even some of his Republican colleagues in the Mississippi state house are calling for him to apologize:
House Speaker Philip Gunn condemned Oliver’s post in an emailed statement Monday morning. The comments “do not reflect the views of the Republican Party, the leadership of the House of Representatives or the House as a whole,” Gunn said.
“Using the word ‘lynched’ is inappropriate and offensive,” Gunn continued. “We call on Rep. Oliver to apologize.”
Good luck with re-election, Rep. Oliver.
Monday, May 22, 2017 · 5:06:59 PM +00:00
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Jen Hayden
Update from Oliver: Sorry, y’all read my words.
Oliver also seems to have misstated that the statues are being facing "destruction." In fact, they are being moved and stored with plans to display them in museums in the future. Oliver made the post in the evening on Saturday, May 20. This morning around 11 a.m., Oliver's Facebook post disappeared from his page and issued an emailed apology soon after.
#"I, first and foremost, wish to extend this apology for any embarrassment I have caused to both my colleagues and fellow Mississippians. In an effort to express my passion for preserving all historical monuments, I acknowledge the word “lynched” was wrong," Oliver said in a statement. "I am very sorry. It is in no way, ever, an appropriate term. I deeply regret that I chose this word, and I do not condone the actions I referenced, nor do I believe them in my heart. I freely admit my choice of words was horribly wrong, and I humbly ask your forgiveness."