What does '86' mean?

"If “86 47” is a threat to the life of Donald Trump, why isn’t “86 46” a threat to the life of Joe Biden?

Donald Trump came back into office declaring that he would de-politicize the criminal justice system. He claims the Biden administration had used it as a political weapon against him.

The only crimes he was convicted of came through a New York state case for criminal fraud. The federal charges were all delayed long enough for Trump to win a new term as president, and then dropped. The U.S. Justice Department does not prosecute sitting presidents. He was being charged with involvement in the storming of the Capitol on January 6, 2020, by followers attempting to stop the counting of the electoral votes showing Joe Biden had won. Not even the Confederates did that. And he was accused of illegally taking classified documents when his first term ended and then lying about it.

Since resuming office, Trump’s Justice Department has worked to depoliticize the criminal justice system by, among other things, investigating former FBI Director James Comey, whom Trump had fired in his first term.

Comey’s crime was posting a photograph of shells on a beach arranged to spell “86 47”.

The claim is that Comey is advocating the assassination of Trump.

Come again?

I have never run into the use of “86” as term for killing anyone or anything. The number “47”, by the way, refers to Trump being the 47th president of the United States.

When confronted with that assassination claim, Comey immediately took down the picture and said he had no idea it meant that.

The Trumpers say of course he did.

My experience with “86” is used to throw something away or dump a girlfriend or boyfriend, never anything violent.

But Trump administration officials accused Comey of committing a crime and should be jailed.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi L. Noem, who oversees the Secret Service, said the post was a call to assassinate Trump. Tulsi Gabbard, the director of national intelligence, said Comey should be put behind bars. The Secret Service launched an investigation and FBI Director Kash Pate said the agency would “provide all necessary support” as part of the investigation.

Okay, for the sake of argument, let’s say the administration is right. I don’t think it is, but let’s entertain their point of view.

If “86 47” is a call to assassinate Trump, the administration should be going after all those people—the makers of shirts and signs, the sellers of those things and the buyers—who have shirts or signs that say “86 46” referring to Joe Biden. Doesn’t that mean that those people are calling for Biden’s assassination? And if it does, why are they not being investigated?

So why go after Comey?

Apparently the Trump administration’s definition of  “depoliticizing” the criminal justice system means going after people you don’t like.

By the way, if you want an amusing read about the origin of “86” you can find it on https://www.stlmag.com/dining/Ask-George-Where-Does-the-Term-86d-Come-From/

The choices of origin are varied, some more believable than others.

Many of the ones I find credible come from the restaurant business or food service and seems to date from the 1920s or 1930s.

One claim is that “86” was used to indicate a menu item was no longer available or that an obnoxious customer should be asked to leave (not killed).

Another is that an Army soup pot held 86 ladles before being empty.

One that I find completely absurd is that it is military shorthand, where the letters "T" (on the 8 key of a rotary phone) and "O" (on the 6 key) represented "to." WTF? What “to” has to do with anything is beyond me.

But then so is depoliticizing the criminal justice system by using it against your political opponents.