Recommended Reads: June 12, 2009

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It’s been a while since I written one of these.  There’s so much I’d like to blog about today but haven’t the time so I thought I’d just put together this post wrapping up some of the latest interesting political stories.

Lets start with a news story, that was completely predictable.  Also, very much stereotypical of what a crazy religious zealot would do, not normal decent people, but the ones that like to go overboard.  Apparently a gay teen novel is threatening the very fabric of society in Wisconsin.  A Christian group wants to have the right to burn said gay teen novel, “Baby Be-Bop”.  Can someone tell me what this would achieve, especially in the age of the Internet with ebooks.

As some of you may know, North Korea has been making bold moves lately.  With the imprisonment of the two U.S. Journalist and the testing of missiles they are back to testing the international community.  So, in typical U.N. fashion sanctions have been applied to North Korea.  Is it just me or does the U.N. need to think of long term solutions to fix the North Korea problem cause sanctions don’t seem to ever solve the problem.  Nonetheless, it’s better than nothing.

The good news coming from Iran is that whether Ahmadinejad or Mousavi wins, the political landscape is changing.  Lets all hope for everyone’s sake that Mousavi wins.  The AP changes this stories headline from, “Iran vote extended with turnout massive” to “Iran presidential challenger’s office attacked”, I’m sure the headline will keep changing as more updates come.  Campaign offices being attacked isn’t anything out of the ordinary even here in America.  I really hope the results are counted in a fair way.  Mousavi seems to have the younger generation on his side and even if he loses he’s made some impact.  President Obama gave his first statement on the Iran election by stating, “We think there’s the possibility of change”.  Mou

If you’re looking for a news story that sounds like something sort of out of a movie then this is it.  Yesterday it was reported that two Japanese men arrested in Italy were carrying $134.5 billion of U.S. government bonds.  Apparently the bills were counterfeit, the story is interesting, read more at AsianNews.

Okay, enough international stuff for now and lets go to manufactured over reaction from the GOP.  So, it’s completely reasonable, no matter which Palin daughter David Letterman was referring to, it was degrading.  But, it was a joke and he apologized, and in the statement the Palins made, it’s also rather distasteful for them to suggest the Letterman shouldn’t be around little girls.  Basically suggesting he’s a perv.  This “uprising” against Letterman is manufactured.  The strategy here is to boost her profile, rally conservatives, be against the “typical New York elite liberal”.  It’s also very hypocritical.  She gets made at Letterman explioting her daughter and says theres a double standard between her daughters being off limit and Obama’s daughters being off limits.  The problem is that she has been exploiting her kids and throwing them in the spotlight since she stepped on the national stage.  Her 18 year old daughter is practically advocating political positions now and she’s also a celebrity because of her Jerry Springer drama.  I think this is a lose-lose from Palin and Letterman.  I doubt this story will die before Monday as now republicans want to protest Letterman.  This is the only time I’ll mention this story on this blog, cause it’s getting tiring and stupid.

Apparently, Fox News viewers don’t like Fair and Balance.  Which is kind of funny since whenever anyone criticizes Fox News, the main rebuttal from conservatives is that “Fox News IS down the middle, unbias, “Fair and Balance”.  Now that Shepard voices an opinion that conservatives disagree with, now they get all mad.  For what it’s worth, one of the lessons taught in marketing is that if you keep saying the same this over and over again then the people will believe it. “Fair and Balance”, “Fair and Balance”, “Fair and Balance”, “Fair and Balance”, “Fair and Balance” Conservatives are attacking Shepard for stating that the DHS report needs to be taken more seriously.

So, that’s all the stories I found interesting so far, have fun reading!

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What Should Be Addressed In Wake Of The U.S. Holocaust Museum Shooting

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As most have heard now, James Von Brunn, 88 year old anti-Semitic white supremacist walking into the U.S. Holocaust Museum in D.C. and open fired.  Luckily he didn’t get far.  He shot, Stephen Tyrone Johns a security guard at the museum but guards responded by shooting James Von Brunn.  Stephen Johns later died in the hospital and Brunn is still in the hospital.  Brunn has a history, in 1981 he went to the federal reserve with intentions to kidnap.  He was convicted and spent 6 years in prison.  On his site it says he fought in World War II.  From his website,

In 1981 Von Brunn attempted to place the treasonous Federal Reserve Board of Governors under legal, non-violent, citizens arrest. He was tried in a Washington, D.C. Superior Court; convicted by a Negro jury, Jew/Negro attorneys, and sentenced to prison for eleven years by a Jew judge. A Jew/Negro/White Court of Appeals denied his appeal. He served 6.5 years in federal prison. (Read about von Brunn’s “Federal Reserve Caper” HERE.) He is now an artist and author and lives on Maryland’s Eastern Shore.

Brunn is also an Obama birth certificate conspirator.  Meaning he doesn’t believe Obama is a citizen of the U.S. and his birth certificate is fake.  This guy is obviously part of the racist fring movement.  With this case, along with the shooting of abortion doctor George Tiller by Scott Roeder what should be done to stop these evil extremist from striking again?  We were warned about people like Brunn and Roeder, Janet Napolitano released the slightly less controversial DHS report warning us of these people.  Napolitano can’t get full credit for it of course, as the report was started during the Bush administration but somehow she was attacked for it by the right.   Anyways, the report titled, Rightwing Extremism: Current Economic and Political Climate Fueling Resurgence in Radicalization and Recruitment explained the role that an economic downturn, first African-American President, change in policies, immigration would have on extremist segments of the population.  The report wasn’t our only sign as these types of domestic terrorist have killed in the past.

Let it be known that people like Brunn are watched by the FBI and other organizations.  One thing these organizations can’t do it simply arrest someone for making anti-Semitic/racist statements.  In this country, white supremacists can march down the street and have a huge parade and be protected by the police.  Freedom of speech is very important here and it must not be altered because someone makes offensive remarks.  Also, our second amendment right shouldn’t be jeopardized either.  So, what should be addressed so prevent these cases of domestic terrorism and intimidation by fringe extremists? I’m truly asking as this case brings forth various issues involving policy and personal responsibility.

One issue that needs to be addressed in our gun laws.  I love the second amendment right but should someone with his past have been able to get a gun.  Debating the second amendment is something democrats don’t like to do because it becomes a cultural issue.  Republicans aren’t bringing it up as much anymore because it always brings the fringe element out which weakens their party and freaks people out.  It was no mistake that after the election of Barack Obama, that gun sales went through the roof.  Fringe elements of the republican party or others said they were stocking up on guns and to my surprise they did…in fear that Obama would “take away their guns”.  But, how did an ex-felon get a gun?  There must be others out there like him that felt threatened enough, by either Obama’s election or their general hatred, to get a gun.

I’m all for free speech, but lets face it, there’s some influential figures that go overboard on the rhetoric.  O’reilly calling Tiller a “baby killer”, Limbaugh making white against blacks and vice versa type of comments as well as saying Obama is doing more damage to the country then the terrorist of 9/11.  These people are listened to by the extremist part of the republican party and they know it, yet they continue to pull strings of hatred.  Almost, vindicating extremist beliefs.  In this case it comes down to personal responsibility.  We all know, O’reilly and Limbaugh would never do what Brunn do because they are only there for entertainment, to spew lies, and make money off the people that believe their crap.  But, they know as well as other people in the media, the horrible emails being sent.  Even those of us that run small political blogs get racist, threatening emails or comments.  Most of us (assuming most) take it as our responsibility to remove these type of comments from our blogs, but people Limbaugh have a bigger stage.  Here’s Shepard today talking about the email he receives,

Limbaugh and the rest of the village loons aren’t to blame for the attack, but they do have a responsibility whether they like it or not to tone down the extremist rhetoric.  This also exist on far “leftwing” fringe of the democratic party, we’ve seen these people during the election.  Some were just as anti-Semitic and racist and some didn’t even bother to vote.  People have every right to be anti-abortion, anti-gay rights, and so on, but how about debating these issues respectfully as both sides make great points.

Obviously, the economy is going to take a while to turn around anytime soon though unemployment is slowing.  We do know that when people are doing poorly economically, some of those join fringe elements of society where they blame everyone for their issues.  I truly think that once the economy turns around then there will be less recruitment by extremist and racist groups.  Might be naive on my part, but that’s what I think.

With an increase in economic stability comes better education.  I have visited many excellent schools that deal with K-12 students and one of the reasons the school does well is because of diversity.  This also plays out in the workforce.  It is just a fact that more diverse schools do better.  In 2009 there is no reason for schools to be so isolated.  From my experiences it plays both ways, whether going to mostly black or white schools or religious school, when students aren’t interacting with people that come from different backgrounds and faiths then they develop stereotypes about each other.  Better education is needed to open people’s minds and see that though we come from different backgrounds we really aren’t different or of more value than the next person.

These are only a few issues that should be addressed.  Again, we can’t just arrest people for making anti-Semite/racist remarks but we stop the number of people willing to join these fringe groups and do harm.  Brunn was a lone killer, but he was part of a white supremacist group.  Roeder, who killed the abortion doctor was a lone killer but has been in contact and received information from an influential anti-abortion group.  And anti-abortion protests are even getting worse and more threatening.  Those of us that think differently from the fringe elements should not feel intimidated to voice our views.  There are more fringe idiots out there and though it may be hard to prevent them from doing some harm we can definitely do more to prevent people in the future from joining these hate groups. The world is better now then before on issues of race, religion and tolerance but we have a ways to go.  Let me know if you have any idea, because I know the above ideas aren’t the only ways to deal with this issue but it wouldn’t hurt.

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Are Republicans Suggesting They Are Right-Wing Extremist?

The Department of Homeland Security came out with a report about Rightwing Extremism: Current Economic and Political Climate Fueling Resurgence in Radicalization and Recruitment. Republicans like Newt Gingrich, those at FOX News, Michelle Malkin and others who I consider annoying but not particularly the “rightwing fringe lunatic” type are getting so “furious” over this report. What’s the problem with it? We all know the crazy fringe on the right who were screaming “terrorist” and “kill him” during the McCain/Palin rallies or threatening to harm the Obamas were out in full force during the campaign. We also know the history of this country, lets not go there as you probably already know what I’m talking about. These people are dangerous and like most trends that occur in the U.S. it should be watched and reported on. Just to refresh your memory, as I have done a couple post with videos of the rightwing lunatic fringe here and part 2 here. The DHS putting out a report like this is nothing new and out of the ordinary. This is from the report,

(U//FOUO) This product is one of a series of intelligence assessments published by the Extremism and Radicalization Branch to facilitate a greater understanding of the phenomenon of violent radicalization in the United States.

This is what the DHS does, on the DHS website as one of their priorities is to,

The second is the threat of radicalization and extremism. Our top priority is radicalized Islam (Sunni and Shia groups), but we also look at radicalized domestic groups. We do not monitor known extremists and their activities; instead, we are interested in the radicalization process – why and how people who are attracted to radical beliefs cross the line into violence.

As far as I’m concerned, radical rightwing extremist is something that should be examined and it should come at no surprise that the DHS would assess this segment of the population. Republicans are busy showing their paranoia over nothing. By even not acknowledging the fact that this report is talking about rightwing extremist “normal” republicans are lumping themselves with people they shouldn’t be trying to associate themselves with. Especially after the negative image they got in the 2008 election. If you ask me, the lunatic rightwing fringe destroyed the republican parties chances. The findings in this report is something that could be explained by taking an introductory class in sociology. When the economy gets worse and people start to lose their homes and access to quality of education, these radical groups start to flourish. Here’s a little reality, if I can call it that, for those who apparently are angry by this report, these are excerpts from the report,

(U//LES) Threats from white supremacist and violent antigovernment groups during 2009 have been largely rhetorical and have not indicated plans to carry out violent acts. Nevertheless, the consequences of a prolonged economic downturn—including real estate foreclosures, unemployment, and an inability to obtain credit—could create a fertile recruiting environment for rightwing extremists and even result in confrontations between such groups and government authorities similar to those in the past.

(U//FOUO) The current economic and political climate has some similarities to the 1990s when rightwing extremism experienced a resurgence fueled largely by an economic recession, criticism about the outsourcing of jobs, and the perceived threat to U.S. power and sovereignty by other foreign powers.

(U//FOUO) The possible passage of new restrictions on firearms and the return of military veterans facing significant challenges reintegrating into their communities could lead to the potential emergence of terrorist groups or lone wolf extremists capable of carrying out violent attacks.

(U//FOUO) Rightwing extremist chatter on the Internet continues to focus on the economy, the perceived loss of U.S. jobs in the manufacturing and construction sectors, and home foreclosures. Anti-Semitic extremists attribute these losses to a deliberate conspiracy conducted by a cabal of Jewish “financial elites.” These “accusatory” tactics are employed to draw new recruits into rightwing extremist groups and further radicalize those already subscribing to extremist beliefs. DHS/I&A assesses this trend is likely to accelerate if the economy is perceived to worsen.

Newt Gingrich is “upset” as he has twittered “The person who drafted the outrageous homeland security memo smearing veterans and conservatives should be fired”. Michelle Malkin claims that the Obama administration is doing a “hit job on conservatives”. Here’s a video of a FOX News host asking if there will be spies at the Tea Parties,

Concerned Americans? Or just a gathering of rightwing lunatics trying to express their hatred of Obama. This report is not smearing veterans. This is just saying that people could and would try to recruit veterans since they have access to weapons. Um…yeah, I think we all know this to be the case, this is nothing new and should make complete sense even if you are hearing this for the first time. Michelle Malkin saying a report about radical rightwing extremist that can start start domestic terrorist groups and prey upon citizens is really talking about conservatism…then, I’ll be ok with that, but I doubt most republicans or conservatives would want to be associated with such people. And, spies…really? This is just another case of paranoia that I have seen the republican party exhibit for about a year now. Either someones a terrorists that disagrees with them, illegal aliens are going to barge into their homes in flocks, or now there will be spies watching over their parties. Personally, the government doesn’t need spies even if they wanted. Mainly because cameras are going to be everywhere from news orgs. and independent groups. I actually find these parties to be really ineffective and just because they are getting attention doesn’t mean its for the reasons they’d like. Most of the attention that I see them get is from people making fun of these parties. These Tea Parties are filled with people who still think Obama isn’t an American citizen. This just deligitmizes the republicans goal with these Tea Parties…whatever the goal is. I just happen to think they are bored and need something to do so these parties sprang up.

This report is only assessing the state of rightwing radicalism in the U.S. Radical groups should be watched, as that is what I expect our government to do. These type of groups do harm to others and can lead to domestic terrorism. The unnecessary outrage by the right is only making them look like they are protecting these groups in some way, or at least speaking on their behalf. I don’t think a report that only assesses the state of radicalism is bad at all. If popular “normal” republicans want to go on TV and say that a report about rightwing radicalism and extremism is really about all republicans, then they can do that. It just doesn’t make sense for them to have a report like this represent what the republican party is about.

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