The above sign is on the door to Wanker’s Corner Saloon and Cafe in Wilsonville, Oregon.
When I saw the sign about spitting on the sidewalks the other day on the door to a Portland area restaurant (see photos of their interesting decor) I immediately thought of the Republicans who, to use a phrase I never use but seems appropriate here, are hawking a loogie on our Democracy:
To hawk a loogie is a slang phrase meaning to expectorate a glob of phlegm from the back of the throat. It comes in many variants. Hawk is often hock or hang, and loogie can be looey, louie, or lunger. The phrase is the coming together of two words, one quite old and the other rather new. More at Word Origins
Merely expectorating a bit of saliva, while considered bad manners (unless one is a baseball player), and in some jurisdictions is against the law. For example this is an Auburn, AL municipal law:
Section 9.08.010 Spitting.
It is unlawful for any person to spit upon the sidewalks, or upon the floors of places of worship, buses, public halls, theaters or other public places.
(Ord. 63A 3-12, 1977)
What those spewing hate isn’t just spitting. They are hawking up a vile glob of contagious and dangerous sputum from deep inside themselves. When hawked up by Donald Trump it led to violence on Jan. 6th.
If any country’s citizens should know what hate speech can lead to it is obviously Germany. They have had laws against Holocaust denial but in 2017 they passed a law against online hate speech.
From Trump himself to a previously obscure lieutenant governor (NC Lt. Governor accused of ‘open discrimination’ after calling LGBTQ people ‘filth’ and demanding Christians take control) hate speech is everywhere.
The Founders saw fit to make this The First Amendment:
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
There is a possible solution within constitutional law. Free speech in America is sacrosanct but incitement to riot or engage in an insurrection while difficult to prove is illegal (see Advocacy of Unlawful Action and the "Incitement Test" ). The January 6th House Select Committee almost certainly will be disbanded if the Republicans take control of the House of Representatives after the midterm election. They have until then to make sure justice is served.
Yesterday in MSNBC Michael Steele erupted after Dem strategist defends decision to not arrest Steve Bannon:
The select committee had set a Friday deadline for four Trump associates to turn over documents related to the effort by Trump supporters to overturn the election.
The MSNBC panel discussed a Twitter thread posted by Lincoln Project co-founder Rick Wilson, who described it as a "gutless exercise" for not arresting those obstructing the investigation.
"This is staffed wrong, led wrong, and a gutless exercise to get back to talking about infrastructure. They're not taking the risk seriously, they're not taking the data before them seriously, and they're eager to run out the clock," he argued.
On MSNBC today (enlarge image):
Do you think the House committee is being aggressive enough? Are they doing their job as well as you think they ought to be doing it? Take the poll: