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Pastor of Dove World Outreach Center Hangs Effigy of Obama in Front Lawn

An effigy of President Barack Obama has been hung outside of the Dove World Outreach Center in Gainesville, Florida. The effigy is hanging from a gallows on the front lawn of the center. The effigy was hung in response to the endorsement by Obama of same-sex marriage and his stance on abortion, according to pastor Terry Jones. Jones is reportedly being investigated by the U.S. Secret Service in response to the effigy being hung on the front lawn of the center.

“The Secret Service is aware of this incident and will conduct appropriate follow-up,” Secret Service spokesman Brian Leary said.

The effigy is hanging from a homemade gallows with a yellow rope. The effigy of the president has a doll in its right hand and a gay pride flag in its left hand. Jones said that the gay pride flag is there to bring attention to Obama’s feelings about same-sex marriage and then said that the doll is present because Obama is “favorable toward abortion.” Jones went on to say that radical Islam is “the most dangerous threat to life and national security in America.”

At the foot of the gallows stands a dummy of Uncle Sam, which originally was supposed to be hanging by Obama, but the center decided to change the display on Wednesday of last week. On a trailer parked behind the effigy, the words ‘Obama is Killing America’ are painted in red letters.

This is not the first time the DWOC made the news. In 2011, Jones burned a copy of the Quran that sparked three days of violent riots in Afghanistan that killed 21 people, including seven workers from the United Nations. The center has also come under fire for its internal rules that its members must follow, with many media outlets and critics calling the center ‘cult-like’ because of its rules.

Jim Vassallo: Jim is a freelance writer based out of the suburbs of Philadelphia in New Jersey. Jim earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications and minor in Journalism from Rowan University in 2008. While in school he was the Assistant Sports Director at WGLS for two years and the Sports Director for one year. He also covered the football, baseball, softball and both basketball teams for the school newspaper 'The Whit.' Jim lives in New Jersey with his wife Nicole, son Tony and dog Phoebe.

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