A flamethrower and comments about book burning ignite a political firestorm in Missouri
By SUMMER BALLENTINE and JOHN HANNA
Associated Press
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — A longshot Republican candidate for Missouri governor and his supporters describe his use of a flamethrower at a recent “Freedom Fest” event outside St. Louis as no big deal. They say that after all, state Sen. Bill Eigel torched a pile of cardboard boxes and no one talked about burning books. But after the video gained attention, Eigel said he’d burn objectionable books if that’s what it took to keep them away from children. The video and his follow-up comments led experts who study extremism and violence in American politics to worry that the images and rhetoric could help push the U.S. to an even darker place.
