Back in April, Janet Napolitano issued a report saying that the election of a black president and the impending policy changes the democratic leadership wanted to implement was leading to an increase in right wing extremist rhetoric and activity. She was derided by the right and forced to apologize (though she defended the findings of the report).
According to CNN:
"Right-wing Extremism: Current Economic and Political Climate Fueling Resurgence in Radicalization and Recruitment," said right-wing extremist groups may be using the recession and the election of the nation's first African-American president to recruit members."
People called her crazy.
Now we have two examples of right-wing extremist violence in less than two weeks. The murder of Dr. George Tiller by an unrepentant Scott Roeder, and now the shooting at the Holocaust Museum by a Holocaust denier and neo-Nazi fuckhead.
I second Keith Olbermann's observation that if either of these perpetrators had Arabic names, the country would be in lockdown right now.
Why are these acts being treated as normal crimes instead of what they really are: Domestic Terrorism?
10 June 2009
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18 people give a shit:
Rush, Beck, Savage, and O'Reilly may understand the difference between words and actions but they have to know the type of people that follow them don't always.
And they do nothing to discourage it. And they don't denounce it once it's happened. This culture of the poor descriminated against middle-age white male is scary. It makes one think that we haven't advanced at all from the era of MLK and RFK being killed.
And it disgusts me how supposed Christians have practically applauded at the killing of Tiller. It makes me want to puke.
Aren't they being seen as terrorists? Or at least Tiller should be.
I think some "news" organizations and commentators are not referring to these incidents as "terrorism" - you know, because terrorists are A-rabs, not good, home-grown whiteboys. I think more people are considering the Museum shooting terrorism than the doctor killing, sadly enough
What is terrorism? It's pretty straightforward ... "the use of violence and threats to intimidate or coerce, esp. for political purposes". The killing of Tiller was intended to keep other doctors from performing abortions. The killing at the museum was meant to intimidate Jews, and by the killer's statements, the President. Both sound like cut-and-dried terrorism to me.
And to think, the Right-wing repetition machine threw a hissy-fit earlier this year when the DHS said that there was a growing Right-wing violence threat in the country:
Right Wing Extremists
Well, now it appears the shooter at the Holocaust Museum has nothing to do with the Obama election. He was obsessed with Anne Frank, and they were just about to have an Anne Frank play.
So, that leaves one murder. I think you guys are going overboard here. There will be crazies. I am not responsible for crazies in my wing. Just to let you know. Let's not forget the worst mass murderer in the past 200 years was a Leftist (Adolph Hitler, a Right-winger, was #3).
But Laura, I agree with you about the sentiment about terrorism and abortion. Killing someone because you don't believe in abortion is whacked. I've actually seen some Right-winger blogs who thought Tiller should have been killed and I cringe, and hope people don't identify me with those crazies.
Whoa. Even more news.
So now I just learned Tiller was shot in '93. He was injured but didn't die (obviously).
It is coincidence he died of this gunshot and not the '93 time.
Actually, they found papers in the Museum shooter's car - letters he wrote about how Obama is controlled by the Jews, etc, etc. So he's not just an Ann Frank nutjob.
Even if he was shot before, the twin towers were bombed before too - it's just coincidence that they collapsed in 2001 and not 1993. The purpose of terrorism is to strike fear into people in order to achieve a political goal and change behaviors. In the case of the clinic shooting - they achieved their goal - the clinic closed, leaving many women in Wichita without access to abortion.
In the case of the Holocaust deniers, the people who think Obama is controlled by Jews (including his own former Pastor, mind you), and people who think he's not a U.S. Citizen - the purpose is to create mistrust of the federal government to bring about a halt to the policy changes Obama wants to implement.
Both are terrorism.
What's a "right-winger"?
Jarome Iginla's a right winger ... for the Calgary Flames. :-)
I am a Right-winger.
It's purely an economic term. Right wing believes more in free markets. Left wing believes more in control by the government.
That's it. Moderates are somewhere in the middle.
The terms change over the years. Nations swing to the Left and the Right all the time.
Laura - I've heard people say the same thing about Bush, how he's controlled by the Jews. They said the same thing about Clinton and the same thing about Bush Sr.
I'll say there's a Right-wing backlash when people are rallying in the streets. That doesn't seem to be happening.
America is a very tame nation. In Europe, they tear down streets and kill a dozen people when their soccer team loses, and they pretty much protest everything.
Just so we're clear - I do realize there's extremism on BOTH sides of the aisle.
ZS said: "It's purely an economic term. Right wing believes more in free markets. Left wing believes more in control by the government."
Well if economic control is the only defining factor, wouldn't Hitler be a left wing extremist since he imposed strict protectionist policies and extensive public spending projects?
He also gave certain corporations complete freedom.
And Laura - agreed. There are loonies everywhere.
So he was more of a moderate then?
Hitler was actually economically moderate (not socialist, not neo-liberal), but was also Authoritarian. The Political Compass is always a good way to envision the intersection between economic & social policy: http://www.politicalcompass.org/analysis2
What's craziest is that the "liberal tyranny" the extremists so fear becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. They so dread it that they start to act pre-emptively against persecution they imagine is imminent, there's a crackdown, and then they can say, "Help, help, we're being oppressed".
"Bloody peasant"
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