this post was submitted on 21 May 2026
99 points (98.1% liked)

Progressive Politics

4656 readers
780 users here now

Welcome to Progressive Politics! A place for news updates and political discussion from a left perspective. Conservatives and centrists are welcome just try and keep it civil :)

(Sidebar still a work in progress post recommendations if you have them such as reading lists)

founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS
 

A Tennessee man who was jailed for 37 days over a Facebook post he shared after the killing of Charlie Kirk has agreed to a $835,000 settlement with the sheriff who detained him, his lawyers said on Wednesday.

The fatal shooting of Mr. Kirk, the conservative activist, last September set off an avalanche of social media commentary across the country. With it came firings, resignations and a debate about the boundaries of free speech. But Larry Bushart, the man arrested in Tennessee, was perhaps the only person charged with a felony after his posts about Mr. Kirk’s death.

In the posts, he shared memes that accused Mr. Kirk’s organization, Turning Point USA, of perpetrating hate and another that included past comments from President Trump about moving past a school shooting. The sheriff’s office in Perry County, Tenn., claimed that with those posts, he had threatened violence.

top 15 comments
sorted by: hot top controversial new old
[–] NullPointerException@lemmy.ca 42 points 1 week ago (1 children)

The problem is that’s not the sheriff who owns him money, but the tax payers. IIRC, sheriffs are elected. So, they should remember that next election. (But we all know they won’t)

[–] dan1101@lemmy.world 13 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Best likely scenario MAGA voters might remember this sheriff cost taxpayers $800,000 and vote for another MAGA candidate, but that's about the best I would expect from them.

Never mind they won't even care about that, they will think it was worth paying $800,000 to "own the lib."

[–] Blibly@lemmy.world 7 points 1 week ago

If they want to pay me nearly a million to "own" me that's cool with me.

[–] Nosavingthrow@lemmy.world 15 points 1 week ago

As always, end qualified immunity.

[–] SeeMarkFly@lemmy.ml 11 points 1 week ago (1 children)
[–] apfelwoiSchoppen@lemmy.world 8 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (1 children)

Charlie Gottaholeintheneck

[–] KoboldCoterie@pawb.social 7 points 1 week ago (3 children)
[–] LibertyLizard@slrpnk.net 4 points 1 week ago

Coca-cola bottle

[–] qprimed@lemmy.ml 3 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (1 children)
[–] SeeMarkFly@lemmy.ml 3 points 1 week ago

One hole that lasted the rest of his life.

[–] apfelwoiSchoppen@lemmy.world 3 points 1 week ago

Lol I can't type today.

Paywalled article

[–] Zirconium@lemmy.world 4 points 1 week ago

Damn, maybe I should have made public comments on Facebook about Kirk

[–] chicken@lemmy.dbzer0.com 3 points 1 week ago

1st Amendment does its thing yet again

[–] AntiBullyRanger@ani.social 1 points 1 week ago