A school board member's Facebook post suggested his 'life would be complete' if Rashida Tlaib died

[mahatmakanejeeves]

Morning Mix

A school board member’s Facebook post suggested his ‘life would be complete’ if Rashida Tlaib died

By Timothy Bella
July 25 at 6:29 AM

On a Friday afternoon in April, Daniel P. Leonard, a 42-year-old school board member from Beachwood, N.J., posted an article to Facebook about Rep. Rashida Tlaib’s (D-Mich.) support of hunger strikes to protest Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

“My life would be complete if she/they die,” he wrote in a ?1563892494" target="_blank">since-deleted post saved by the Council on American-Islamic Relations.

The post was not an isolated incident for the Army veteran and supporter of President Trump. Earlier that month, Leonard had posted a video of Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), who joined Tlaib as the first Muslim women in Congress, with the caption, “Terrorist .?.?. 100%.” Later in April, he published a meme about “Sharia Barbie,” a brown-skinned doll in a hijab with a black eye and a purple bottom lip. “Comes with jihab [sic], bruises, & Quran,” the text read.

Now, the Toms River Regional Board of Education has announced that Leonard faces a potential ethics investigation over his anti-Muslim posts, as officials including New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy (D) and Lt. Gov. Sheila Oliver (D) urge Leonard to resign.

Stephan R. Leone, the attorney for the New Jersey regional school board, condemned Leonard’s comments on Tuesday, calling them “totally inappropriate, not condoned by the Board of Education,” and adding they “do not reflect the board’s attitude or opinions,” the Asbury Park Press reported. He added that the group “will determine what school board ethics violations may have occurred, and we are going to take appropriate action.”

A board meeting was held Wednesday night to discuss whether ethics violations took place and what action is needed if any, NJ.com reported. While it was unclear on Thursday morning whether there was any resolution, Leonard refused to step down amid calls from concerned residents at the meeting, Patch reported.
....

Timothy Bella is the deputy editor of Morning Mix. His work has appeared in outlets such as Esquire, the Atlantic, New York magazine and the Undefeated. Follow https://twitter.com/TimBella

[CurtEastPoint]

1. typical pasty angry white douche

[procon]

2. Trump people think their views are shared

by the majority of Americans. They watch Fox news where that belief is constantly reinforced by every host and guest. They are thoroughly indoctrinated by reading rightwing blogs and news sources, and listening to hate radio. Their family, friends and even coworkers reinforce the mistaken assumption that their brand of racist bigotry is normal and shared by almost everyone except for a few "radical dems" hold up in caves.

When they decide to make their fringe views public, the instant blowback and sharp criticisms must come as a shocking reality check. It must be a harsh lesson to learn that Freedom of speech is not free; there will always be consequences for ignorant remarks.

[skylucy]

5. I totally agree with you about this!

[Lars39]

9. Only thing you left out was their church.

A lot of it is reinforced at the pulpit and pews.

[procon]

10. Yeah, that's certainly worth mentioning as part

of the rightwing brainwashing cult.

[Different Drummer]

11. This. Exactly.

They have a hard time wrapping their heads around the idea that not everybody feels as they do and that not everybody watches Fox News.

[JustAnotherGen]

3. He should do something of value

Beachwood has our state's dirtiest beach. He should go clean it up.

[dalton99a]

4. Facebook posts by Daniel P. Leonard:

[3catwoman3]

6. Reading to fast, I first saw this as Backwood, NJ.

Appropriate enough for Mr. Leonard.

[onetexan]

7. this huffpost article says the school board cannot remove him

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/daniel-leonard-toms-river-rashida-tlaib_n_5d39c679e4b020cd994fe355

Why the hell not?

[Mosby]

8. Because he was elected.

The voters can vote him out, or not.