Do read this New York Times story [gift link]about Larry Bushart, a progressive Facebook addict who was arrested and spent 37 days on jail after being arrested on the theory that a meme he posted (that he didn’t create) was a “true threat” and thus a felony. He was held on a two-million dollar bond. I mentioned the case last November, but had limited information then.
Believe it or not—I can barely believe it—the meme above is what got Bushart arrested! Eventually the charges were dropped, but understandably, the 61-year-old retired police officer isn’t posting memes on Facebook any more, and is hesitant to express his contrarian opinions on social media. In a real sense, his free speech has been “chilled” by state action…state action that was unethical, illegal, an abuse of discretion and power, and mind-numbingly stupid. It is also a cautionary tale.
Observations:
Ethics Alarms 
He was not arrested by the Trump administration.
He was arrested DURING the Trump administration by evil conservative law enforcement. The public is not that discerning, ME.
Not a lawyer here, as I have said, but wouldn’t a civil lawsuit against the county, as opposed to against the sheriff personally, help to restrain the excesses of immunity? If a county had to pay big bucks, they might exercise more supervision over those they employ and caution over those they hire.
An aside or two:
It is sad that your late wife was driven to distraction by a family member’s ‘Bushartisms’. I have a dear relative who busharts (is that a legitimate verb?) regularly. I have unfollowed her on social media. When we’re together, I only respond to a discussion of issues and not to the proponents. Two persons, one with TDS and one with TAKS, can find agreement that way if the acronyms aren’t all-controlling.
Also, the NYT article reminds me of what I see routinely in The Washington Post — the practice by ‘reporters’ to write and get published mini-novellas. Often, the lede is buried and it takes an inordinate number of words to get to the meat of the story. My long-ago speed-reading instruction kicks in, in lieu of the TLDR impulse.