A firebrand conservative lawmaker in Arkansas proposed the use of nuclear weapons against Islamic State targets, asserting that such a response would be the most efficient way to "turn things around" and "annihilate" the militant group.
In a Facebook post Sunday, GOP State Sen. Jason Rapert lamented that the Western coalition fighting the Islamic State, also known as ISIS or ISIL, has the means to "wipe out these barbarians," yet so far has refused to employ them. Calling for an end to "the insanity," Rapert championed the use of a "strategically placed nuclear weapon":
In a Saturday post, Rapert wrote, "I imagine a nicely placed intercontinental nuclear weapon would shut [ISIS] up for awhile."
"I cannot understand why our president won't stand up - wait, I forgot that he doesn't acknowledge the Islamic terrorists," he added.
After his remarks generated criticism, Rapert castigated those who read anything about the use of 'tactical nuclear weapons' and only remember Hiroshima and Nagasaki." He also took to Twitter to suggest that his "anti-American" critics harbor an affinity for ISIS:
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Such remarks are par for the course from Rapert. The quasi-theocrat, who sponsored Arkansas' 12-week abortion ban, proclaimed in 2013 that his legislative duty was to represent not his constituents, but God. Last year, after a judge struck down Arkansas' marriage equality ban, Rapert unfavorably contrasted the U.S. with Saudi Arabia, which allows the death penalty for homosexuality.
(h/t TPM)
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