Recently it has become nearly impossible to pool the regurgitation that has emerged from The Resident’s efforts in Washington D. C. The constant cesspool of filth that is spewed by him and his Confederacy of Dunces leaves many breathless in trying to keep up. Just as soon as one fuckup seems to be reaching its apex – let alone its conclusion – they seem to fire off another shit storm just to make sure that their idiocy stays in the public eye.

What can be even more of an embarrassment is the actions of those that support The Resident. The recent murder of two Good Samaritans in Portland by a white supremacist who seemed to be reciting The Resident’s campaign platform while being arraigned for the murders is simply the latest in what is a vitriolic campaign of hate from the GOP. The Planned Parenthood shooting in Colorado in 2015…a figure looking like President Barack Obama hanging from an interstate overpass in 2014…multiple instances of Obama being burned in effigy…calling former First Lady Michelle Obama an “ape” or that she is transgender…these are but a few of the examples of the vile lengths that the GOP has gone in depicting the 44th President of the States of America and his family.

For the most part, progressives have stayed away from some of these statements…that was until yesterday and “comedian” (my emphasis…I’ve personally never liked her work) Kathy Griffin’s desire to make her voice heard.

Griffin, who has been able to parlay her supposed “D-List” status into a moneymaking endeavor (she even had a show on cable television called My Life on the D-List that followed her every move), tries to come off as an “edgy” comic that is “pushing the boundaries,” something that is difficult to do when you host New Year’s Eve with Anderson Cooper on CNN (about the most “unedgy” thing you can do). Now, when I think of this type of comedy, I am more in the lines of the work of the late George Carlin or even Sam Kinison, two men who rode the edge in search of the joke (and always hit the mark with their efforts). So what Griffin did yesterday is not only “not funny,” it puts her in the same closet as those vermin who dip to the depths that some on the right do.

We won’t justify Griffin’s actions with a photo here, but I will attempt to explain it. In an unflinching shot, Griffin – with absolutely no inkling of “making a joke,” smiling or otherwise trying to show a comedic aspect of her action – holds up a mask that is intended to be the head of The Resident. The mask is smeared in red “blood” as Griffin holds the head by the hair in her hand, as if she has decapitated The Resident herself and is presenting the prize to the people.

In some circles, this would be promoted as a “performance art” or a “artistic statement,” but if Griffin meant it in this manner, she grotesquely missed the mark. Outrage from not only conservatives but also from those that Griffin thought she was representing – those left of center – came from all corners of the globe, sending a scurrying Griffin to Twitter to apologize for her actions. In a video Griffin stated, “I sincerely apologize. I am just now seeing the reaction of these images. I’m a comic. I crossed the line. I move the line, then I cross it. I went way too far. The image is too disturbing. I understand how it offends people. It wasn’t funny. I get it.”

First – some people have made this argument and couldn’t be further from the truth – this in NO WAY represents the thoughts of many who disagree with The Resident. While you can have philosophical, political, and methodical differences with a person or politician, it should NEVER approach the realm of even advocating for the death of another person. I can dislike you with the intensity of 1000 suns, but that doesn’t give me the right to suggest that your death solves the situation.

Second, this reinforces in the minds of the right that they are being “persecuted,” something that energizes their stance. Griffin’s supposed “comedic statement” gives those on the right a hook to hang their “martyrdom” on, that they are the ones being disrespected or threatened with various methods of execution from an angry horde of progressives (besides the fact it is often the conservatives screaming to “bring the torches”). It fuels their fires of hatred…by having that same fuel used against them, a twisted bit of psychology if ever there were one.

It is certainly a fine line between comedy and tragedy, such as the old woman who slips on a banana peel and falls. Many might find that funny, but wouldn’t find it as hilarious if that same old woman broke her neck and died after slipping on the same banana peel. You can attempt to do edgy, even controversial, comedy, but there’s a line between pointing out the absurdities of life and/or politics and moving into the arena of advocating for the physical intimidation or, even worse, death of someone you don’t agree with.

Many on the right often overstep this boundary. The left used to be able to keep their heads above the water on this instance and refuse the temptation of such absurdities, but the current administration seems to have brought the disease created by conservatives to the progressive side. It is something that cannot be allowed to continue.

You can disagree – loudly and vehemently. You can advocate for their imprisonment – including a special island where they can rot. You can question their humanity – because many of their works are from an evil demon rather than any person with a shred of concern for their fellow man. You CANNOT, however, incite physical violence or advocate for your opponent’s death. There are some lines we must maintain as an intelligent species, otherwise we are but animals who simply have advanced linguistics and tools.

Griffin’s apology is hopefully heartfelt. She’s not going to escape the ramifications of what she’s done – say goodbye to that cushy New Year’s Eve spot on CNN with Cooper and probably a slew of stand-up gigs for the near future, not to mention sponsorship deals – and that is the way it should be. Free speech is a beautiful thing, but there are also consequences when that “beautiful thing” is exercised in a manner not acceptable to the common man.