Like any group of people right wingers have their own lore, their own in jokes, and their own... prophecies.

Without knowing these things we can miss the deeper layers of meaning in their actions.

So, let's talk about "The Day of the Rope"

I first learned about "The Day of the Rope" from my ostensibly "libertarian" ex way back when I was in college. He was a math grad student, but he grew up poor in WV. We had a lot in common in some ways, feeling like outsiders at college, but we were also worlds apart.

We were having some kind of political discussion and he says "and that is how you get the day of the rope"

I'm like WTF is that? You know the history of lynching in this country. I was really angry. But he starts explaining.

"no no it's not about that**... the day of the rope is when all of the corrupt politicians all the crony capitalists and predators get hung. It's a revolution."

I didn't really buy this. We broke up not long after

**It was "about that" day of the rope is about ethnic cleansing.

I ran into the phrase again in about 8 years. I was using one of my "listening alts" that I'd set up on storm front since, my fractious parting with libertarians, I'd decided that the right wing needed to be watched. This was during the Bush years, mind you.

There it was again "Day of the Rope" as far as I could tell it was a prophecy or fantasy about going to washington and killing all of the n*****s and Jews... no euphemisms about "crony capitalists" this time.

Kill anyone who wasn't white and Christian and devoted to the cause.

And it's been sinking in for me that I think that they really wanted to do this! Not symbolic, no, put all the leadership in zip ties and march them to the rope.

And they thought that the nation and army and cops would all rise up and support them.

and some of them did.

Just not enough, thank god.

Don't call me a snowflake for insisting that we purge that nazis from law enforcement and the military. We came CLOSE to something very ugly.

Also if you are wondering about my ex, ie how could he date a black girl? IDK he just wasn't socially aware. I don't think he put all the pieces together. He also couldn't be bothered to think about it.

Lives in Berlin now, teaches. I haven't spoken to him since we broke up.