Tennessee man arrested, accused of threatening a shooting, after posting meme

Political labels and authoritarianism

• Long back-and-forth over whether today’s right is accurately called “conservative,” “reactionary,” or “fascist.”
• One side argues “self-identified conservatives” are driving censorship and autocracy and that calling them “conservative” launders what they’re doing.
• Others say the labels now largely refer to the same coalition in practice and that the US “conservative” party has followed a continuous line from the Southern Strategy to the present.
• Historical analogies (Nazis vs “true” socialists) are used to argue that what movements call themselves matters for predicting behavior, even when the label is misleading.

Guns, school shootings, and social causes

• One thread links rising school shootings to rising divorce and falling gun-ownership-per-household; another points out overall US gun stock has surged and divorce is not unusually high internationally.
• Evidence cited that most school shooters come from unstable homes and gun-owning households; counterpoint that two‑parent families have rebounded while shootings increased.
• Some suggest uniquely American factors: hyper-individualist culture, untreated mental health issues, media glorification of shooters, and NRA radicalization.
• Historical notes that earlier school massacres often used bombs, not guns, raising questions about why methods changed.

Free speech, hypocrisy, and Kirk discourse

• Many see the arrest as nakedly punishing political speech: a man criticizing a right‑wing figure and highlighting presidential indifference to shootings.
• Others argue context (local school with same name, post in a group organizing at that school) could make the meme plausibly read as a threat under heightened fear about school shootings.
• There is sharp disagreement over the dead pundit’s legacy: some emphasize his harassment campaigns, dehumanizing rhetoric, and calls for harsh punishment of opponents; others point to instances of more civil engagement.
• Several stress that however awful his speech was, mocking or not mourning him remains fully protected and must not be criminalized.

Legal process, bail, and “the ride is the punishment”

• Many highlight the $2M bond as likely unconstitutional “excessive bail” for a Facebook post by a 61‑year‑old, and see this as deterrent theater.
• Detailed discussion of “speedy trial” mechanics shows months in jail pre‑hearing is compatible with current rules, pushing defendants toward plea deals.
• Commenters describe this as using slow trials and pretrial detention as a nonjudicial weapon, especially against those without savings, and note grand juries often act as rubber stamps.
• Some call for personal consequences for sheriffs, prosecutors, and judges in such cases, but others doubt local voters would punish them.

Global and platform implications

• Non‑US readers are warned: because major platforms are US-based, similar posts from abroad could expose them to US charges or arrest when entering the country.
• Others note many countries already prosecute online speech, though extradition for speech that isn’t criminal locally remains unusual.

Polarization and media environment

• Several are horrified by comment sections on the original article, seeing open retribution fantasies and total friend/enemy politics.
• Debate over whether such comments are bots or a real, emboldened constituency.
• Some blame long‑running libertarian and right‑wing media ecosystems for cultivating this audience, while others emphasize civic apathy and nihilism on all sides as enabling the current slide.