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I had to see this to believe it: Yes, Sean Hannity, one of the president's closest advisors, is wearing the Punisher logo beloved by militia members:
The Punisher, who first appeared in 1974 as a Vietnam veteran determined to wage total war on “urban” crime, has no superpowers. “He ain’t got a fucking cape,” says Jon Bernthal, the actor who portrays the Punisher—rebooted as an Afghanistan vet—in an eponymous Netflix series.
Nor is he hindered by moral qualms; instead of capturing criminals, he kills. In the series opener we watch thru the Punisher’s scope as he splatters the brains of a drug lord —aiming his sniper rifle from across the border, a fantasy that makes Trump’s wall seem judicious.
“A lot of supporters across the country really recognize The Punisher,” says Andrew Jacob, who created the Blue Lives Matter flag as rebuttal to Black Lives Matter. Cross the Punisher’s line, he says, “and you’ll be served.”
Hannity may say he wears the pin just because he loves the show. That rings hollow. The logo preceded the show and looms larger as (at best!) a declaration of contempt for due process; &, really, a fantasy of force, a murder dream.
It's no surprise that the Punisher logo has been embraced by Trump supporters. At rallies I've seen whole families decked out in Punisher gear. That it's worn with a wink makes it scarier, the sign of a bully who insists he's joking as he threatens.
