For reference, the seven tenants listed next to the destroyed display:

I One should strive to act with compassion and empathy toward all creatures in accordance with reason.

II The struggle for justice is an ongoing and necessary pursuit that should prevail over laws and institutions.

III One’s body is inviolable, subject to one’s own will alone.

IV The freedoms of others should be respected, including the freedom to offend. To willfully and unjustly encroach upon the freedoms of another is to forgo one's own.

V Beliefs should conform to one's best scientific understanding of the world. One should take care never to distort scientific facts to fit one's beliefs.

VI People are fallible. If one makes a mistake, one should do one's best to rectify it and resolve any harm that might have been caused.

VII Every tenet is a guiding principle designed to inspire nobility in action and thought. The spirit of compassion, wisdom, and justice should always prevail over the written or spoken word.

It makes a lot of sense to me why Christians would be against this.

He has since been released, and raised $40,000 in legal fees following praise from Republican politicians and far-right pundits across the country.

This is the real travesity.

this is a hate crime and it's not being charged as such because our government favors violent christian fundamentalist terrorists

According to an archived version of his campaign website, Cassidy pushed for a 10-year prison sentence for anyone who destroys a statue in his own state.

I'm sure he expects exactly the same punishment for himself.

Cassidy was arrested and faces vandalism charges, which could carry a one-year prison sentence and a $2,560 fine. He has since been released

Why is he not being charged under Iowa's hate crime laws?

Now imagine for a moment what would happen if someone were to decapitate a statue of Mary or Jesus.

But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.

Or, was that behead your enemies?

I'm actually surprised that the satanic temple isn't pushing for him to be charged with some kind of hate crime. Pretty sure if so decapitated a statue of Jesus it wouldn't just be destruction of property?

Don’t you just love political candidates that don’t believe in the first amendment, probably not a fan of the 19th or 13th either.

His headshot looks like Jeff playing the dean.

I'm completely unsurprised that this was a political stunt. If Trump taught these assholes anything, it's that the free press (and in turn, the crowd funding/find raising) they get from their virtue signaling demonstrations like this one will help them weather any punishments they may face--if they really face any at all

He traveled across state lines to commit a hate crime, he should be getting some serious charges not some slap on the wrist BS

Seems like this would be a hate crime. Very un-American behavior from this Republican goon.

I think it should become customary that if a politician advocates for a certain punishment for a crime, and then commits that particular crime, that they receive the punishment they advocated for (within the bounds of current law of course). He wants a 10-year prison sentence for destroying a statue, he should get a 10-year prison sentence for destroying the statue.

This guy hits a nerve for me.
So it's OK if I destroy him, right?

I mean, using his reasoning anyway.

I don't know why I didn't think of this before. Make sure future statues are in pentagrams, and put a little side blurb that "maiming, disfiguring, or destroying this statue will complete the act of sacrifice to the deity". Basically, anyone who defaces the display is, in effect, performing the "ritual of display destruction" - which pleases TST.

Edit: Make it a three- or four-panel cartoon. Reading is a tough concept for some people.

What a dickhead.

According to an archived version of his campaign website, Cassidy pushed for a 10-year prison sentence for anyone who destroys a statue in his own state.

Well well well, let's see if he sticks to his guns or of he's going to be your typical Republican hipicrite little bitch...

Harvard graduate 🤣

"Charges" are a slap on the wrist.