PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — His U.S. Senate campaign under fire, Maine Democrat Graham Platner said Wednesday that a tattoo on his chest has been covered to no longer reflect an image widely recognized as a Nazi symbol.
The first-time political candidate said he got the skull and crossbones tattoo in 2007, when he was in his 20s and in the Marine Corps. It happened during a night of drinking while he was on leave in Croatia, he said, adding he was unaware until recently that the image has been associated with Nazi police.
I do not think that symbol is basic history, and he was a gunner in the military. Not exactly the smartest of people as teenagers.
I like to think I know history, and I’ve been around longer than Platner, and I would never have identified this as a Nazi symbol if someone hadn’t told me.
Take a look at this list of symbols and see how many you would have recognized. For me it is four: swastika, party eagle, odal rune, and SS lightning bolts. Maybe the wolfsangel and the SA emblem I would have had some kind of inkling that something about it was suspect. The death’s head and the cross type patterns (even the KKK one) I would have had absolutely no idea unless someone told me.
Plus, of course, it is relevant that he had all the time in the world to express some kind of Nazi ideology including on his Reddit account which was suddenly de-anonymized without him planning to have any of it exposed, and there was 0 Nazi stuff in any of it. People are just happy they found this reason to be able to shit on him and have one less progressive candidate they may have to deal with as a competitor for horrible people like Mills.
Ok, then you probably shouldn’t be running for such a public office either. How is the ‘average’ American being unaware an acceptable excuse? Don’t you think that we should expect more from politicians in high office than from the average Joe? This thinking is what gave the US leaders like Trump and W. “I’d like to have a beer with that guy, so I’ll vote for him” hasn’t exactly delivered sensible leadership…
Also, the man first enlisted in the Marines in 2003, and his last military deployment was 15 years later in 2018 to Afghanistan with the mercenary outfit Blackwater. He was a Marine in Fallujah and Ramadi during the height of the atrocities committed by US military personnel.That’s 15 years of killing brown people before he concluded that perhaps that wasn’t a good choice. Why would you trust a person with judgment this bad deep into his thirties with this kind of power? Even removing the tattoo from the equation, there are plenty of red flags with this man. But hey, I guess we need more Fettermans in power, just ignore the red flags because he said a couple of sentences you agree with.
I might not have immediately recognized it as such, but it fits their design ethos so well, that at some point I would have looked it up. Even if it was years after getting it.
Edit: this is being too generous. After looking at it again, there is zero doubt in my mind that I would immediately recognize this as a Nazi symbol. It is the third most well known Nazi symbol after the swastika and the lightning bolts. It’s on the hat of every SS uniform in every WW2 movie and documentary I’ve ever seen (which is countless).
Nah I don’t believe that for a second sorry, you’re grasping at straws
No I’m not. It’s the symbol on every SS hat. I’m sorry, but I was being too generous before. I absolutely would have looked at it twice
I honestly don’t fucking care what you believe. I am aware enough about history to know the third most well known Nazi symbol.
You know, when I was younger, the History Channel actually showed WW2 documentaries. I’m starting to think they never should have stopped.
Then he is not qualified to be a Senator, lacking political and historical accumen is a major fail. There are plenty of young adults who do have the judgement to look into what they are inking on themselves permanently.
I know I am being judgy, but Senate is one of the most influential political positions a person can run for. The bar is and needs to be very high. Just saying the right words is not enough to get me excited about a candidate.
I hope youre not a Maine voter then.
Ridiculous purity tests. I’ve never heard of this icon/meaning before the past week but yes, apparently this is truly intentional and despite him covering it he can never regain the public trust despite ACTUAL Nazis running the show in Washington.
What a complete waste of time hammering this. But the feeling of smugness is invaluable after all.
Real folk in Maine aren’t afraid to acknowledge growth, don’t worry buddy. He’s got my vote 100%