Do NOT question Dear Leader
by digby
You can fly your confederate flag and wear your gun to political events and they're protected by the 1st Amendment. But do NOT insult Donald Trump:
Fort Bend County Sheriff Troy Nehls on Wednesday created a social media firestorm with a Facebook post threatening to bring disorderly conduct charges against the driver of a truck displaying a profane anti-Trump message on its rear window.
Nehls told the Houston Chronicle that he had received calls, texts and emails in recent days from people who took offense at the language in bold, white lettering: "F--- TRUMP AND F--- YOU FOR VOTING FOR HIM."
The sheriff, a Republican who is weighing a bid for Congress shared a photo on his official Facebook page in hopes that it would help to identify the truck owner. The license plate is not visible in the image.
Update: The photo has now been taken down. The sheriff's office released this statement on Thursday afternoon:
"The Sheriff made the post on his Personal page. The objective of the post was to find the owner/driver of the truck and have a conversation with them in order to prevent a potential altercation between the truck driver and those offended by the message. Since the owner of the truck has been identified, the Sheriff took down the post. Due to the hate messages he has been receiving towards his wife and children, the Sheriff will not be commenting on the matter further."
Turns out, a woman who identified herself as the driver said she used to work for Nehls in the county jail.
Karen Fonseca said the truck belongs to her husband but that she often drives it. They had the sticker made and added it to the window after the billionaire real estate magnate and reality TV star was sworn into office.
The sticker has attracted attention many times before, Fonseca said. People shake their head. They take photos of it. Officers have pulled her over but failed to find a reason for writing a ticket.
Now the sheriff is taking it on, but Fonseca did not plan to contact him.
"It's not to cause hate or animosity," said Fonseca, 46. "It's just our freedom of speech and we're exercising it."
Concerned that the language could incite a confrontation on county roadways, Nehls said he wanted to have a conversation with the truck owner.
A woman biking by a presidential motorcade near a Trump golf course in Virginia was photographed recently with her middle finger raised; she was then fired from her job at a government contracting firm after identifying herself as the cyclist.
"I have received numerous calls regarding the offensive display on this truck as it is often seen along FM 359," Nehls wrote in his original post. "If you know who owns this truck or it is yours, I would like to discuss it with you."
Nehls wrote on Facebook that a county prosecutor had agreed to accept disorderly conduct charges — an opinion that District Attorney John Healey disputes, as does the ACLU of Texas.
"Many families have called that have seen that truck on our county roadways and are very offended by the language on the truck," Nehls said. "I think they're walking a fine line."
Healey, a Republican not seeking re-election next year, said he wished the sheriff's office had contacted him earlier about the incendiary issue. He said he did not receive a call until around the same time the comments were posted. In disagreeing with his own prosecutor, Healey noted that his office lacked any information about how the public was reacting to the truck.
"I did not believe it was a prosecutable case based on the definition of disorderly conduct," Healey said.