Hatewatch Tweets
Hatewatch is managed by the staff of the Intelligence Report, an investigative magazine published by the Alabama-based civil rights group Southern Poverty Law Center.
New SPLC Report Details 75 Radical Plots, Rampages
It’s been a remarkable few months in the world of domestic terrorism and the radical right. Since the election of Barack Obama last November, six law enforcement officers — three Pittsburgh police officers, two Okaloosa County, Fla., sheriff’s deputies, and a security guard at the U.S. Holocaust Museum in Washington, D.C. — have been murdered, allegedly by right-wing extremists. There has been a spate of Obama assassination plots, and a physician who provided abortions was shot to death in his own Kansas church. And a number of recent reports from federal and other law enforcement agencies have pointed out that the radical right seems to be growing increasingly dangerous, findings that jibe with a February analysis by the Southern Poverty Law Center that documents the rise of hate groups since 2000.
In light of these incidents, the Southern Poverty Law Center today releases a sweeping review of terrorism and other serious violence that has emanated from the domestic radical right since the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing. The special report — “Terror From the Right: 75 Plots, Conspiracies and Racist Rampages Since Oklahoma City” —shows that domestic right-wing terrorism is far more prevalent than most Americans realize. The report begins with a short introduction that is followed by summary descriptions of each of the 75 cases.
on July 2nd, 2009 at 10:16 am
Dear SPLC,
It appears as though you have become extremely singular in your pursuit of justice. It appears you are unable or choose to not document or report any of the activities of groups that I believe you would consider “left”. It amazes me the great lengths you are willing to go implant the idea, or give the appearance that all conservative activity is racist, radical and willing to attack. Truly ridiculous, as you wander further into the poltical arena, your ability to provide useful information that can be treated as unbiased and used for lecture or as source information is diminished.
on July 2nd, 2009 at 10:18 am
We sadly are an unfit species. Just look at the violence throughout history heaped on one another in the name of religon greed ideology turf and the list goes on. I think we were an evolutionay mistake. We destroy the planet, each other ect. like no other animal species on the earth, including all the animals around us, most of the time for no reason-hunting trophys pollution ad nasuem. I for one think that humans as a whole have still not climbed out of the perverbial ancient swamps when it comes to using our intellectual capabilities. Sadly we never get it right before we finish each other off.
on July 2nd, 2009 at 11:50 am
To keith wells:
VERY WELL PUT!! mercy.
on July 2nd, 2009 at 12:14 pm
I certainly agree with Mark….your reporting is biased…constantly implying that “right wing radicals” are responsible for your being relevant….what a shame that your organization falls right in line with the propaganda of other groups who wish to destroy the fabric of America by constantly murmuring and complaining, instead of trying to build solid citizens who respect and honor their freedom that allows them to be as vocal as you are, though not always correct in your reporting…..it’s time to grow up…..thanks for listening…..
on July 2nd, 2009 at 1:32 pm
“Mark” said:
“It appears you are unable or choose to not document or report any of the activities of groups that I believe you would consider ‘left.’”
Maybe you could provide a few recent examples of violence or hate crimes committed by groups on the left? But keep in mind, no one is buying the Limbaugh line that Nazis and neo-Nazis are really left-wing, not right-wing.
“It amazes me the great lengths you are willing to go [to] implant the idea, or give the appearance that all conservative activity is racist, radical and willing to attack.”
Sounds like the Limbaugh line again. This is the same specious claim that was trotted out in response to the DHS report on right-wing terrorism. No one is talking about “all conservative activity,” they’re talking about the people and groups who really are “racist, radical and willing to attack.” It’s conservatives who, inexplicably, seem to want to create the link you’re complaining about. If you don’t want to be associated with violent extremists, why not just condemn them?
on July 2nd, 2009 at 1:36 pm
Mark, Maybe you can enlighten me. Can you give me a brief overview of the current sort of activities and plots from the “left” that would come under the category of hate crimes that SPLC should be documenting and exposing? If you could share where you are getting your info from, it would be most helpful. I know from Fox News that the left is being given a free pass, but I’m surmising that you must have other sources that offer more specifics. Thanks.
on July 2nd, 2009 at 2:23 pm
Mark,
First, you probably have not seen much of what the SPLC does to begin with — my guess is you came with this agenda in mind. How did you find out about the SPLC, I wonder, just curious.
Second, there are people of all political persuasions here commenting, and all get equal billing on the posts. Unlike other organizations you won’t be censored here. If you have an idea that relates to hate groups, let’s hear it.
Finally, your premise is weird — how many left wing hate groups are there? We’re on the side of tolerance, remember? Lets not confuse resistance to intolerance as the mirror image of right wing hate because it isn’t.
As respectfully as I can say this, I think you came here with your mind all made up about everything and just wanted to take a jab. As long as you’re here, at least read the content and information available on this site, you might find something interesting.
on July 2nd, 2009 at 5:22 pm
Denying that the white extremists of the far Right, commits such traitorous acts of violence on fellow Americans, law enforcement, and the failed plots to assasinate the President are the worst and lesser among us. You cannot dispute the truth based on known facts. It has not only been reported by the SPLC or the ADL. But also from local law enforcement agencies and the FBI, not to forget the local and national associated press(please exclude FAUXnews network). And everybody knows that the treacherous Right, have been engaging in terrorism. They are the new Al Qaeda within the U.S.
Violent yet evil, they are not what people want them to believe as–”Christians” and religious zealots. It is not so very Christian to employ murder and death on fellow Christians. It is unorthodox and hypocritical at best. True Right-wing folks plight through dialogue and debate by bipartisan means. Not through murder, bombs and attempted assasinations.
It time to enforce the laws on them!! To keep them in their place……
on July 2nd, 2009 at 6:03 pm
Mark,
Latte-drinking liberals wearing Birkenstocks and driving 1985 Volvos are not typically not found blowing up buildings, killing people and/or trying to start a race war for some crazy, made up paranoid reason. That would be right wing radicals who do that.
In addition, the SPLC could not track racist/sexist/homophobic extremist groups if they didn’t exist. Don’t shoot the messenger.
on July 2nd, 2009 at 8:16 pm
Hey, if there’s a left wing hate group out there let’s hear about it. I’m all ears. If they exist they’re doing something no other hate group has done to date – staying under the radar.
I don’t think we are an unfit species.Most people are basically decent, but there is a particular kind of person, one who needs to claim superiority due to an accident of birth because they don’t want to have to earn legitimacy. It’s the lazy man’s way to relevance. That doesn’t damn all human-kind – not by a long shot.
We can’t give up on humanity. When you let the evil you have seen men do define you, you give them power. Let the good that men do be your defining moments in life. That is what helps pull us all out of the swamp.
on July 2nd, 2009 at 11:32 pm
well let’s look at the amount of right-wing (i.e. al-queda, OK city, the iraqi insurgence,) vs the left wing terrorist attacks in the last 20 years (i.e. ???). Right-wing = extemist and racist at it’s very core…
on July 3rd, 2009 at 9:37 am
If this were back in the 1970′s I suppose we could find a great deal of “Leftist” terrorism-oriented groups (Red Army faction, Red brigades, Badder-Meinhoff, Weather Underground, & all sorts of folks) who trained in the camps in the Middle East. But it’s quite late in the day & the only groups who employ violence or law-breaking to a greater extent have “Liberation Front”- quasi-Leftist leanings would be groups like ELF, ALF, etc.
However violence & pathological activities have always occurred on every spectrum of political coloration….
That’s simply reality. But the pendulum has swung to the Right at this time in history. I would never defend any “side” of politics as being free from idiots & sick thinking. It’s almost laughable that anyone would even think that “one side” of the political rainbow is somehow “more evolved” or “better” than any other….. We ARE talking about political issues….. Not reason. That two different things.
on July 3rd, 2009 at 11:33 am
What bothers me is that there is a marked tendency to clump conservatives with extremists. I have conservative values yet support liberal concerns about human rights. I want to stop illegal immigration but don’t want to demonize the people who do it, except when they are engaged in drug dealing, murder, etc., and nothing is done to stop their illegal activities from being committed here in the US. Maybe I’m too sensitive but Rush Limbaugh does not speak for me. He says some things I agree with but a lot I don’t. We say something against a particular policy and suddenly we are racist. I have been around long enough to know that eventually this will change but I hate to see continued finger pointing and little rational discussion. Nobody is willing to see the good on the other side. Sad.
on July 3rd, 2009 at 1:32 pm
I wholeheartly agree with Barbara.
I think its imperative to not juxtapose everyone who calls themselves “Conservative” into the extremists catagory. Like Barbara from above, I too do share some Conservative values but unlike her, I no longer referring myself as “Conservative”. Since I grew up in a somewhat Conservative household, not all wing-nuts deserve to be called extremists. The extremists we are discussing here are from the far Right lunatic fringe. Those that harbour violent ideals. Such rhetorical concepts commonly found in neo-Nazism, Natavism, WN et cetera. Usually incorporating racist idealogy in their political agendas and policies. These policies are usually found in neo-Conservative(Neocon) based legislatures which is BTW, is an extreme form of Conservatism. I guess Barbara fits in the criteria as a moderate, based on some of her values. Like her most Americans are concerned with illegal immigration but do not what to support agendas like the Minuteman, Natavists et cetera. As far as being called “a racist” if you oppose a certain policy can depend on the type of person you are. White folks are typically called “a racist”, depending on the type of policy/agenda you support. For instance–
If you are white and you vote for the segregation of public schools–it is considered by many to be a racist agenda. I agree its racist and I don’t deny the fact that it fits the criteria for a white nationalistic approach then you are judged as a racist separatist etc. Sometimes folks can be overly sensitive. I have been called “a racist” by white supremacists because I’m against well uh….. white supremacy.
on July 3rd, 2009 at 1:58 pm
I have read every comment on this thread, and I don’t see anyone equating “conservative” with “right wing lunatic fringe.”
Regarding “racism” it depends on your reference. Segregated schools are inherently racist. So said the Supreme Court in 1954. The paradigm has not shifted. Settled issue. Res judicata. Move on.
on July 6th, 2009 at 10:44 am
@Carter
Good point. I wonder if we could call any of those groups “hate groups” though. They never singled out a particular immutable characteristic as a target (such as gender, sexual orientation, race, national origin, etc.) but rather were opposed to political ideologies (capitalism) or against conduct they perceived as harmful to us all(environmental destruction). There may well have been some hate involved, I suppose, but I don’t really see them as hate groups. Generally speaking, one of the characteristics of the left wing is concern for humanity, particularly the weak or disadvantaged. Being a humanitarian doesn’t sound like a good agenda for a hate group! Mark never replied but I think he’s grasping for straws…
on July 7th, 2009 at 8:11 am
The point exists that those group bombed and killed innocent individuals, perpetrated hijackings wherein completely innocent individuals were singled out & killed often for the sole reason that they had political capital (American Passports, Jewish last names, worked in certain positions, etc).
My point is that there are NO heroes in political radicalism (Left or Right) where force is used to project an ideology.
on July 7th, 2009 at 9:08 am
All isolated incidents, no common thread… Insanity holds no political stance, just look at the DC snipers… Y’all missed the mark on this one in your attempts to stir up membership… Get back on the high road willya!…..
on July 7th, 2009 at 9:51 am
I completely disagree with mark and mmaster.
The SPLC has always been, and always will be, a credible source of information.
It’s interesting that neither provided even one example of left-wing extremism.
To ignore the rising problem of right-wing extremism is to be a true republican and conservative which is why they are referred to as the “fact free GOP”. They have this “Do as I say; not as I do” ideology that rules their lives, and ruins America.
We rejected the failed theories of the GOP last November.
Thanks to SPLC for everything they do to inform Americans, and out the right-wing fringe.
on July 7th, 2009 at 9:54 am
Mark, you are wrong.
The SPLC catalogs hate groups from the entire political spectrum, not just the Reich Wingnuts.
They keep an eye on left-wing black seperatists and even “eco-terrorists”.
And they never say that all conservatives are Klan Nazi whackos. Nobody at SPLC ever said that.
Mark, you would probably have agreed with Alberto “VO5″ Gonzales, the crooked Attorney General under Dubya Bush who infamously stated that the “eco-terrorists” were the most dangerous domestic terrorist group in the country.
They burned down a ski lodge and some Hummers. Nobody killed. They’re amateurs compared to the Klan Nazis out there, who regularly commit murder.
The fact of the matter is that the Reich Wingnuts have more people and are better armed with guns and explosives than any of the loonie lefties.
Maybe you are unhappy with SPLC because those Reich Wingnuts are YOUR people, Mark???
on July 7th, 2009 at 10:03 am
keith wells, you are right on the money.
We will be lucky to survive ourselves.
If there’s a Space Vegas taking odds on our little planet, I wouldn’t bet on it.
on July 7th, 2009 at 10:04 am
Agreed there. How far do you think civil disobedience can be taken before it becomes extremism?
on July 7th, 2009 at 10:23 am
It IS interesting that neither mark nor mmaster could name any “loony left” groups, but then claimed that SPLC was not listing any “loony left” groups.
Maybe if they bothered to actually check this SPLC website, particularly the US map with all the hate groups listed, they would find that there actually ARE “loony left” groups that are on the SPLC list.
I have noticed that Reich Wingnuts regularly post in here and regularly bash the SPLC on specious grounds.
Like these two just did.
on July 7th, 2009 at 10:29 am
“How far do you think civil disobedience can be taken before it becomes extremism?”
You cannot. Civil disobedience by definition is not extremism. That’s the whole point. It is supposed to make positive change without resorting to violence.
When you put down the peace sign and pick up a gun, you’ve crossed the county line from civil disobedience to extremism.
on July 7th, 2009 at 1:43 pm
@snorlax
Thank you for your views. Here in Houston when an innocent African American youth, Robbie Tolan, was shot outside his home by the Bellaire PD after mistakenly identifying his car as stolen, it was my belief that the only proper response was for the African American community to storm Bellaire city hall and tear down the front door. I never urged violence. Do you believe this is civil disobedience, or extremism?
on July 7th, 2009 at 1:46 pm
I’d like to hear about leftist extremists if they exist…
if they exist…
Is someone suppressing information on leftists groups?
Besides the hypothetical groups themselves?
Extremists of all colours should be exposed to the light- they will dry up and blow away.
on July 7th, 2009 at 4:23 pm
Beholder,
I think you are smart enough to distinguish the difference between “civil disobedience” and “extreminism”. If not, then you might need some serious help.
on July 7th, 2009 at 5:51 pm
The Federal Government is right to keep a weary eye on these people, as this number of documented plots proves. Everytime I see an ad for a Tea Bagging, “I wonder to myself how many would-be presidential assassins are in that crowd?” How many of those holding up signs comparing Obama to Hitler are only a hair’s breadth away from an act of political violence?
It disturbed no small number of people that a bi-racial man was elected president, and this is a sad statement in a 21st Century America. It certainly proves to me that many of the socially conservatives have not progressed beyond the plantation days.
on July 7th, 2009 at 8:31 pm
@Ryan
Fair observation but I would like a serious answer to a serious question. Tearing down the door of city hall is a non violent act. Criminal mischief I believe, perhaps a serious one, but a misdemeanor. Compare that misdemeanor to shooting down an innocent African American youth on his own front lawn. The facts are out there on this case — Robbie Tolan, shot with a military style .45 pistol (not the less deadly .40 deemed sufficiently lethal by most LOEs) by former MP, and night duty officer, a white man, one Seargent Cotton who has since been indicted in April on charges of aggravated assault. Tolan, who is son of a professional baseball player, enjoyed an upper middle class lifestyle and was driving a nice car with a friend on New Years Eve, having made a run to a fast food place after midnight for a snack. The officer who noticed Tolan perceived he was of a darker hue than anyone on the block and pulled him over, claiming to have run his license plate and that the car erroneously came up stolen. A verbal discussion occurred and Sgt Cotton was called in as backup while the LOEs held Tolan on his own front lawn. Terrified his mother and father came out and his mother, protesting the obvious mistake by the white officers, was pushed by Cotton against the garage. Tolan, who had been forced to lie on the ground like a dog, found this intolerable as anyone would, and rose up. Sgt. Cotton fired three rounds, striking Tolan once and piercing his lung and liver with the military caliber bullet, which remains lodged there to this day. Fearing for his life Tolan was not able to return home even after his painful recovery in the hosptial. Bellaire city manager Bernie Satterwhite never apologized, and defended Cotton even amid huge public fury and outrage at an incident of clear racial profiling. Even once indicted by a grand jury the city of Bellaire insists it did the right thing by gunning down a man whose only crime was driving (home) while black. Anecdotally I can tell you that a disproportionate number of minority drivers are stopped in Bellaire, compared to the local, predominately white, population. Now I ask you, as a sensible person, do you or do you not agree that in this case the proper response is to mobilize the African American community and all those concerned and tear down the front door of City Hall?
on July 8th, 2009 at 9:56 am
Beholder,
I don’t know the significance of that incident, but it doesn’t sound like anything uncommon. However, what you are implying has more to due with police brutality and unjustified use of excessive force on an unarmed man. Normally, cops are not supposed to use lethal force on an unarmed person, unless there was an unidentified object in the suspect’s hand, mistaken or unmistaken for a weaponery. In this case, it appears that the cops did not follow standard procedures. If an unarmed suspects is unruly, they’re supposed to use their tazers to subdue the suspect and cuff em for resisting arrest. Not their lethal firearms. That tactic can be career threatening, eventually the PD and City could be liable for a lawsuit, that may or may not end in a large lump sum payouts to the victim’s family.
Heretofore, this isolated incident is irrelevant to “civil disobedience” and “extreminism”. Storming the City Hall is more of a Tresspassing and Criminal Damage offense(if they broke down the door etc).
on July 8th, 2009 at 5:45 pm
The incident is far from isolated, but perhaps it is a more public account because it was not a physical beating doled out during arrest but instead the use of a firearm. It is not by coincidence that Texas ranks high, among the highest in fact, if not the highest, of any state in per capita homicides during arrest. In other words, Texas cops just love to use their guns.
Now where I diverge from your view is that I believe the victim, Robbie Tolan, was not only entitled to disobey but moreover had the moral incumbency to do so. He had committed no wrong, and Sgt Cotton laid a hand upon his mother, which is assault. Hiding behind a badge for this privelege is not a morally defensible position, for neither she, nor Robbie had committed any crime or infraction, and were on their own property, their own home! Do you obey an order like a dog, or do you stand like a human? I believe it is necessary to stand and take away the power of the authorities when that power becomes oppressive to the people, as surely detaining and harassing an innocent man, then shooting him, is oppressive. The other aspect of civil disobedience is that once mobilized, the group of oppressed who then would tear down the door carry out an act of defiance, of criminality if you wish to call it that, but one of disobedience. Now why would those in City Hall like to keep that door on its hinges when a crowd of angry people are demanding justice? To hide. Public figures may not hide from the people. You cannot shoot down a young man like that and expect to hide behind your walls with your constables and barricades to protect you. The storming of the Bastille was not without its merits. Now does this or does this not cross over into extremism. If you are the City Manager, cringing from the crowd below and dialing up the police chief to bring more gunmen around to stop them from tearing down the door, perhaps you would say it is. But if you are the victim of an atrocity of this nature, I believe you would find yourself justified, if not required to do such an act. I do not see this as extremism, nor of hate. I see it as accountability for an egregious and heinous act of violence by civil authorities against their people, the very ones they serve, and who are not to be treated like lapdogs in their own homes. When the police and the city collude to bring about a malfeasance of this nature, what other recourse but to stand together as a people and become disobedient to that power? I say the door should come down.
on July 9th, 2009 at 11:59 am
How about mentioning the nearly daily attacks of black mobs beating whites? Is it not a hate crime if it happens to a white person. Are whites not deserving of justice and civil rights?
on July 9th, 2009 at 12:05 pm
This right-wing game of “well, he did it too (or first)!” is straight from kindergarten playgrounds. It seems that all argument is expected to vanish when this protest is presented. Don’t fall for it. It is not only juvenile, but deliberately false.
Extremists are always authoritarian, regardless of what particular governmental oppression they promote. And they are all in it for their own enrichment at the expense of others.
The essential problem with the new Republican party is that their radicals always prefer to fight against the middle, law-abiding groups instead of against their own radicals. By keepiing the radical arguments going, they can stifle all progress toward the common good, while collecting large amounts of money from vested interests..
on July 9th, 2009 at 12:47 pm
I’ve found the terms wingnut, troll, neocon, and straussian, useful in this context.
Such folk may dress themselves in patriotic, american values rhetoric, but there is little of american values within them.
When this is pointed out, a common tactic is to retreat into the conservative identity, and claim your attacking that larger population.
In defense of that larger population. They often have no idea of what they’ve been coopted into. They like the liberals have a very small traditional media voice.
on July 9th, 2009 at 3:32 pm
Another tactic they use is to adopt the identity of a persecuted minority. In their minds it justifies a more heated rhetoric and more extreme tactics.
on July 9th, 2009 at 4:22 pm
I don’t recall too much of black-on-white mob violence described above, but I do recall a time in the not-so-distant past when peaceful, orderly African American assemblies were disrupted with attack dogs, batons smashed over heads and firehoses that tear the skin off the body.
It’s just hard to buy into this whole white people being oppressed thing — and I don;t mean that to be offensive to anyone. That view sounds good on paper and is certainly not wrong (insofar as nobody should be victim of racism) I’m just saying, let’s look at some historical fact here and put some socio-economic realities on the table to talk about before we start saying racism is neutral in its appointed victima because it is not.
How many white Rodney Kings or Robbie Tolans are there? Why is it south Asians get pulled over more than others? Why are there fewer women CEOs? Why do jokes about gays, blacks, Mexicans and everybody else still get a chuckle out of some people?
This is not to say that whites are immune to being targets of racial hatred, as individuals, but as a class of citizen I don’t see how we can get too concerned about white males being underprivileged if not by economic status. Poor white people well may be subject to the same disadvantages as poor people of color in my view, but the same commonality is not necessarily true when you throw gender, sexual orientation, national origin, race and ethnicity into the middle class social mix.
The very idea for example of Congress apologizing for slavery seems to have been missed by America. Having an African American president is great, but that doesn’t fix or even address the fundamental challenges that so many African Americans face that have been handed down over generations since slavery was institutionalized. That some have risen above this is certainly proof that racism should never have existed in the first place, but it is hardly true that racism no longer exists because of the success of some. Until all socio-economic indicators are equal in education, income, public health, and social status (why are Grand Juries still mostly upper middle class white men, for example), then I will not accept that the historical privilege that protestant white males have enjoyed has been leveled out. This is just my personal view.
on July 9th, 2009 at 4:30 pm
Just a footnote on my view about the Bellaire City Hall door, which I might add remains on its hinges the last time I looked.
“One may ask: “How can you advocate breaking some laws and obeying others?” The answer lies in the fact that there fire two types of laws: just and unjust. I would be the first to advocate obeying just laws. One has not only a legal but a moral responsibility to obey just laws. Conversely, one has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws. I would agree with St. Augustine that “an unjust law is no law at all.”"
Dr Martin Luther King, Jr. – Letter from a Birmingham Jail
on July 10th, 2009 at 7:42 am
Divide and conquer. That’s the method of all despots, whether in or out of public office.
I think we can all feel the hysterical pressure on listeners to act out, that is broadcasted daily from hate jocks like Limbaugh, etc. These people feel entitled to more perks than everyone else, just because they have been given money and influence by their handlers.
They are in the business of fomenting political unrest and anger so they can bury the legitimate complaints of the people who are daily abused by their own governments.
Don’t fall for it. What they are after is a tightly controlled society with only the barest minimum of rights. The Patriot Act is proof of their chicanery.
on July 10th, 2009 at 8:17 am
Speaking of being oppressed. I don’t think white people as a majority fully understand the meaning of being oppressed. If there is any ethnic group that is truly oppressed, I’ll say its the Native Americans in reservations. Its just not widely discussed since American Indian issues are typically ignored on a mainstream scale. Blacks may face the highest discrimination and injustice. Latinos may currently be the victims with the most racial attacks. But Native Americans are the epitome of an oppressed people in the U.S.
on July 10th, 2009 at 10:46 am
When we have a Native American President, then we will have acheived something.
on July 10th, 2009 at 12:41 pm
Yes. And the good news is that there are Native American politicians, Judges, and one Attorney Genera(that I know of)l, just as there are Blacks and Hispanics. So its close towards( being the president in regards to being a Native.
on July 10th, 2009 at 1:18 pm
I wish that Seneca were still alive. He has spoken the best lines about what people owe to each other, and to the earth, in any society.
It has been said that no democracy has ever lasted more than 200 years. We are already beginning to resemble ancient Rome in all its atrocities. Our senators and citizens are acting in the same corrupt ways that their civilization did too.
on July 10th, 2009 at 2:04 pm
Frankly I never gave a real good tinker’s damn about the color of the President.
If anyone has been on the receiving end of being introduced to someone’s mother as “here is my little (fill in the color) friend”….They remember the odd feeling of being the little boy or girl from outer space, being introduced to the earth people for the first time….
on July 10th, 2009 at 3:51 pm
Carter,
I think I understand your point, however the symbolic presence of an African American President has been, in my observation, transformational for many people of color. I have never seen the African American community of the South, for example, raise their heads as proudly as we see today, and I believe this symbolic achievement can be enjoyed by people of all backgrounds as well. It was something palpable after the magic of that moment, I think many would agree. These effects on the psyche of America are real. Let us not however, make the disingenuous mistake of believing that the final goal is simply to have individuals from historically challenged demographic groups come to occupy positions of power and authority. Their rise to these positions should be viewed as indicative of true social change in our country, and in my view, very welcome change.
on July 10th, 2009 at 4:38 pm
I remember when my sister’s husband visited during the 1970s-1980s, that he was usually stopped and questioned by local police because he had long curly hair (he managed a rock band) and looked hispanic. However, his father was Comanche, his mother Apache and native to that area.
He was alright with that for a few times, but finally started complaining about it to me after he realized it was always just before he turned into our housing complex that he was pulled over.
It was definitely a case of profiling. If police tell you they don’t use profiling to search cars and drivers, they are deceiving you.
on July 10th, 2009 at 5:33 pm
To fully understand what it means to be oppressed, discriminated or racially profiled. One has to walk in a shoes of a non-White longer than a day. White women of the same race as a white man are the closest thing to comprehend the understanding of these issues. Since White women are sometimes discriminated against based on sex/gender primarily in the workforce.
I, for one, I’m no stranger to racial profiling by cops. As a non-White in this country, chances of being discriminated against or racially profiled is greater than expected. As a non-White, you’re more likely to face these biases sometime during your lifetime.
on July 11th, 2009 at 1:17 pm
It’s time for the military to break the backs of extremists and haters in its midst. The overwhelming ranks of service people can’t stand these bastards and would like them to be booted out.
on July 11th, 2009 at 1:20 pm
What kind of spirit-de-corps can you have with the seig heilers ?
on July 11th, 2009 at 2:47 pm
As soon as these militias make a major bid for power, or there’s a serious attempt on the President by one of these groups, maybe then the military will do something and smash these traitors once and for all.
on July 11th, 2009 at 8:41 pm
“Divide and conquer. That’s the method of all despots. Whether in or out of public office.”
Kate has a good point. When the Rev. Al Sharpton came to Maricopa County, AZ. last month. To address the issue of racial profiling and Civil Rights. He tried in vain to unite the Black, Hispanic and Native communities to band together to fight a common cause, hence foe the (Sheriff) Joe Arpaio. To coincide with his recent visit, thus the Rev.’s victory on CNN Lou Dobbs with the (Sheriff). Joe Arpaio retaliated the very next day, by trying to make a big issue about racial violence/tensions in his jails as if its something new to which it is not. Rendering him to force lockdown of his entire jail system. A reporter asked about the racial issues in his jails, the old bastard replied that Blacks and Hispanics were at war with each other. It was a classical attempt at “divide and conquer”. What the (Sheriff) really wants is to not have the Blacks and Hispanics come together to oppose him.
You can say that the political atmosphere here in Maricopa County is really bizarre. Sort of like living in a Hollywood drama film when it comes to politics in AZ. You’re in La-La Land.
on July 12th, 2009 at 8:45 am
From New York Times Quote of the Day:
“No business wants to invest in a place where the government skims 20 percent off the top, or the head of the port authority is corrupt. No person wants to live in a society where the rule of law gives way to the rule of brutality and bribery. That is not democracy, that is tyranny, and now is the time for it to end.”
PRESIDENT OBAMA, on the need for reform in Africa.
At first I thought he was talking about our own country. It must be true that we see other people’s sins, but never our own.
on July 21st, 2009 at 10:03 pm
MARK
I totaly agree with you. It’s real obvious.
on July 23rd, 2009 at 9:14 am
As a footnote on the Bobby Tolan incident in Houston, I would like to point out that the recent arrest of an African American scholar at Harvard for entering his own home is a perfect example of the kind of policing I take issue with. Overt or covert, racism and profiling by those sworn to defend us must stop.
I only wonder why the major national media has ignored the Tolan case when the simple arrest of this professor has been headline news –as far as I know only CNN picked this up as a sports story because Tolan’s father was a ball player and Tolan had a professional sports career ahead of him before he was gunned down. Maybe it is because the professor has all the weight of Harvard behind him while Tolan lives in racist Houston.
In this case the Cambridge mayor apologized, while the city management of Bellaire continues in its recalcitrant and adamant refusal to do so.
on July 28th, 2009 at 3:09 am
Hate groups are driven by ideologies, whether left or right. However, if you do a side-by-side comparison, it becomes ultra-clear that left-sided ideologies have inspired more hate and violence resulting in the most deaths, as compared to the right.
This is indisputable.
on July 29th, 2009 at 4:04 pm
awhippingflame can you provide some examples to justify your claims? Also as a question of methodology, do you consider the violent response to oppression an act of aggression or defense?
on July 30th, 2009 at 7:38 am
I do believe that people who defend racism or any other form of prejudice are confused. Perhaps they believe that they are justified in being suspicious of certain “types” of people. In that case, they require their victim to prove s/he is not guilty of a crime.
They should know that attitude is the most prominent feature of prejudice and also the proof of it.
Some people will extend that idea (that their victims are criminals) to even the persons who are teaching against prejudice itself. Perhaps that is why whippingflame is so convinced that there is something wrong with people who fight against the wrong-headedness of prejudice.
We must remember that our personal suspicion is not proof of any crime.
on July 30th, 2009 at 12:36 pm
I think it is more a question of the continued agony of racial and ethnic repression in our country, than about who is responsible on an individual level.
When our Congress finally apologized a little while back about slavery, we lost an important opportunity to make reparations to the descendents of slaves.
I believe America is ready to address its past, even as racism and bigotry evolve into anti-Muslim and anti-immigrant hate. One way we could do this on more than a symbolic level is to sponsor scholarships to help mend the long term, multigenerational consequences of four hundred years of slavery. The civil rights movement may have managed to curtail outright discrimination in many ways, but it did not give back what was taken.
The same is true for Native Americans, Chinese persecuted in the 1800s, Japanese interned during WWII and South Asians persecuted today.
on July 30th, 2009 at 1:18 pm
I am really curious to find out more information about the conspiratorial left-wing extremists.
I mean who are these people?
Do they have any presence on the web, as do White Supremacists, for example?
I don’t know…
This a mystery to me.
And I need to solve it!
It’s odd how arguments posed by second poster, I think, almost sound cogent. In one respect these people are right. They should not be targeted exclusively. All miscreants should be targeted. So, in that respect, their point is valid.
The difficulty comes when someone fails to cite a specific source for their information. For example, where are these left-wing extremists?
And I’m sure, if there was such a thing, then SPLC would be on it.
on July 30th, 2009 at 1:32 pm
awhippingflame said,
on July 28th, 2009 at 3:09 am
Hate groups…it becomes ultra-clear that left-sided ideologies have inspired more hate and violence resulting in the most deaths, as compared to the right.
This is indisputable.
___________________
Can you just back-up a bit? And tells us about your sources for these claims?
Actually, as someone who grew up in Hyde Park, Chicago, which is a racially diverse community, and has been for years and years and years…
The only response I can come up with to your claim, is that it has been an incredible eye opener, to see the emergence of racial feelings, since the election of our President.
Now, that’s something that’s out there.
Proof is Holocaust Museum.
Proof is death of law enforcement officials by people who are obsessed with racial hatred and fear.
Proof is Hispanics who are targeted as the objects of people’s hatred.
But oddly enough, unless you think this is also a conspiracy, there is no news of left-wing extremists.
Nada.
on July 30th, 2009 at 1:56 pm
Beholder,
Do you links to the precise exchange between the scholar and police? Because I sure would like to read them. I still don’t have any idea what the whole story is. Too many things seem to be missing.
For example, I think I saw one quote by the officer that was later found to be untrue. And even though it’s significant, I can’t remember it now!!! Damn. But the slight alteration was significant to the overall story.
Next, the officer quoted from his report, and claimed that the scholar said the following…
“I’ll speak with your mama outside.”
My initial reaction to this was laughter. Not light laughter. But the kind that comes from the belly. The kind that hurts.
I thought it was a beautiful response on the part of the scholar, but it also revealed something of his cultural heritage, which I found amusing, because it was such an apt statement to make, but it’s more like something a kid would say, instead of a scholar. And therein lay the humor in that part of the story.
Plus, I seriously doubt the officer would fabricate that kind of statement. It’s just too out there.
The Police Department decided to release all relevant tapes, and claimed that the scholar could be heard yelling in the background, while the officer tried to communicate to Central.
But when I listened to tape, I didn’t hear ANYBODY yelling in the background.
The woman who made the 911 call never identified the men through their racial identity, and it doesn’t seem like the officer who arrived approached it as a racial incident.
So.
What happened when the officer arrived?
What happened that provoked this outburst?
I can’t imagine a man of such stature and knowledge and experience being a racist. Or to even use that in a situation which probably could have been peaceably settled, without ANY publicity.
Like I said, too many questions about this story, make it a story that hasn’t been told yet, completely and fully.
Something that would make it soundproof.
Waiting.
For the rest of the story.
on July 30th, 2009 at 4:36 pm
Yes, that might be good for everyone, but then what do we do with the ordinary whiners who would become jealous and believe that they are being neglected when all the college money is getting handed out?
You know those types will always be with us and they include those who actually believe they have prospered without any help from anyone else in the world.
I believe that we need to keep the comments going about every kind of discrimination and to come down hard on people who think they can get away with it in the 21st century.
Our entire system has been divided into haves and have-nots, and that is a disgrace that will take everyone’s efforts to erase.
on July 31st, 2009 at 8:36 am
Perhaps people are confused by the use of terms such as left-wing and right-wing. It might help if we declined to use such words and described the actions of those activists instead.
I believe there is a common outlaw element in all kinds of political extremism, namely, the use of force and violent destruction to get attention and to promote in an entire population the reaction that former president Bush called “shock and awe.”
That technique was the means by which Hitler’s Nazi supremacists decided to take over all of Europe during World War 2. It came close to working for them except that fear and hatred always spreads throughout radical societies to the point that the people are robbed of everything that is good in their lives. Too much wealth gets spent on military weapons and none on anything else that supports, educates or nourishes the inhabitants themselves.
I believe that broadcasters like we have seen on Fox news have used and are using similar techniques of speech to set American citizens against each other by using suspicion and fear to promote disrespect for the calmer and more reasonable voices in political speech.
It is so much easier to destroy a community that is divided.
on July 31st, 2009 at 8:49 am
Leftwing extremists.
I finally googled it and the first link to pop up was a report by DHS, which, has in fact, established criteria for what constitutes a leftwing extremist.
I was extremely surprised by their report. Only 2 of 9 pages is available for viewing, and the document is a PDF.
I think the designations and conclusions, however, are tenuous, at best. And, somewhat undemocratic.
See for yourself.
http://www.fas.org/irp/world/para/left.pdf
on July 31st, 2009 at 11:36 am
It’s too easy to determine an organization’s or an individual’s political leanings, in America, by determining their stand on the Constitution. It’s as simple as that. For example, a black supremaist group is considered ‘far-left’ only because, the ability to implement a racist governmental structure, which would be required to implement their racist agenda, can only be accomplished under a far-left framework like Socialism, which is the opposite of American constitutional dictates. Hitler was a Socialist and a tyranical dictator. White supremaists are Socialist and suffer the same dilemma as the black supremaists. They are of the same ilk.
on July 31st, 2009 at 1:33 pm
Yikes. awhippinglame.
What ARE you talking about?
“…racist agenda…accomplished…far-left framework like Socialism…”
Where did you snatch that bit of information from?
Have you ever traveled?
Around the US?
Canada?
Sweden?
Denmark?
Greece?
Been to any of those countries lately?
4 out of 5 run Socialized medicine programs.
Now you may say Socialized medicine programs stink, and point to Canada, and the complaints from the North of us?
Let me tell you something>
I’ve been to ALL of those countries that have Socialized medicine, Socialist Democracies, they’re called, if you want to get picky. And maybe Canada’s isn’t the best. Neither is Greece’s.
But you must remember something.
These countries have a system that takes care of ALL people, regardless of status or wealth, and so their services are heavily used, and sometimes, or sometimes even too often, it’s a fast paced system, because so many patients are being seen.
Still, what impressed me the most about these systems is that people were treated equally. In other words, ALL people are entitled to good health care. It is something these countries believe in. Not like here.
So if Canada is at the bottom, the country at the top of the list is Denmark. I can talk and talk and talk about the wonders of their medical system and facilities and top notch specialist, entire departments devoted to angioplasty, for example.
Denmark is the Cadillac of Medicine.
No country, especially in Europe and the America, comes anywhere near to producing the services available in Denmark.
Check it out.
Gotta go,
Mister or Missus.
on July 31st, 2009 at 2:03 pm
awhippingflame
So far you are still only tossing labels around in regard to what you feel is a wrong-headed world view.
Kindly tell us what you consider similar about the philosophies of Nazis as compared to what you are calling “socialists.” Also, I would like to discover what you believe a whipping flame is.
on July 31st, 2009 at 2:28 pm
This whipping flame idea was from the civil rights era and even before that. It was an expression used by the KKK to refer to their burning out of property and homes of black persons. It was another violent way, besides the use of whips, to attack and punish blacks.
Mississippi Burning – The ‘Mississippi Burning’ Case
A civil rights movement in 1964, named Freedom Summer, was a campaign launched to get African … Crime / Punishment Guide. Sign up for my Newsletter …
http://crime.about.com/od/history/p/ms_burn.htm
on July 31st, 2009 at 10:37 pm
Kate…my reference to ‘a whippingflame’ is taken from a poem of mine:
“I am Love, unrefined…raw as a whipping flame”
It is a phrase I often use to describe my passion and how I love the world. However, in your rush to judgment, you falsely tried to tie me to a hateful, racist organization like the KKK. Shame, shame, shame. I was crushed by your cheap attempt to degrade me.
on July 31st, 2009 at 10:59 pm
But, for your information, Kate…Nazis, Black Seperatists and White Supremaists are all self-avowed Socialists. So what is there to debate? This is what they claim about themselves.
Listen…this is a hot-potatoe issue. Neither side, not left nor right, wants to claim these racist factions in America. And why should we? To label them Right-wing and Left-wing only widens the margins of hate…playing right into their hands.
on July 31st, 2009 at 11:13 pm
Oh…I’m sorry mwoman. I keep forgetting that some people think Socialism is a good ism. Personally, I’ll take the side of Individual Freedom ism.
on August 3rd, 2009 at 12:12 pm
awhippingflame,
What does that mean anyway? What’s a whipping flame, beside the definition you quote, from your own poem?
Maybe I have been too sheltered?
So why don’t you just anwer my question? I asked you if you had ever traveled outside of the town you were born in. A simple yes or no would have sufficed.
Instead, you attack Socialism, without any evidence of really having any knowledge of how the system works when it does work, which is very well.
Also, when you say you prefer Individual Freedom to Socialism, I’m just curious…
Do you really think we are free today?
Our rights are being tampered with constantly.
If you don’t defend them or speak out against the growing appetite of government to infringe on our personal life, like the now famous Patriot Act, you lose them.
Really.
on August 3rd, 2009 at 12:21 pm
I suggest that a whipping flame stop using the terms right wing and left wing in letters here about the many prejudices that Americans seem to need in their political discussions. Especially since that writer has already said they are beside the point.
I believe they are useless terms that are currently popular only so that the critical issues of government get buried under flim flam.
If Americans really are of two separate philosophies, they are these: 1. Every man for himself, or, 2. Let’s all help those who sometimes need a helping hand.
on August 3rd, 2009 at 2:01 pm
I’m not sure, mwoman, how much more descrptive I can be in defining what a whipping flame means to me. Sorry. But as far as traveling…it would be easier for me to list the places I have not been as I travel extensively. And you?
Now to answer your question: “Are we really free today?” And I answer No. At least not on this network where one is lumped in with the KKK with NO just cause whatsoever. Free? Not Here. Not among the Hateful.
on August 3rd, 2009 at 2:06 pm
Kate…I’m so glad we found common ground
on August 3rd, 2009 at 3:36 pm
Hey whipping flame if you like having a 2 day weekend, go thank a socialist.
That was the unions, buddy.
on August 3rd, 2009 at 6:13 pm
beholder…I invested in a small business a number of years ago and now my money is working for me. I’m off seven days a week. Now go thank a venture-capitalist.
on August 3rd, 2009 at 11:53 pm
Kate…I gooooogled ‘whipping’ ‘flame’ and ‘jello’ and I got a number of recipes for gelatin desserts. Does this make me some kind of a Jello Maniac, too?
on August 4th, 2009 at 10:09 am
Why, Whippy, you have a sense of humor. That post was actually funny! Thanks for the laugh, the first of this morning.
on August 4th, 2009 at 10:45 am
awhipping flame
Glad to hear of your success.
Since your business is so prosperous you can be especially proud of your tax contributions to your fellow Americans.
on August 4th, 2009 at 3:08 pm
Ahhh. She called me ‘Whippy’. I think I found a tender spot, which I knew was there all along. So glad to make you laugh.
on August 4th, 2009 at 3:26 pm
Thanx, beholder. That’s rather magnanimous of you. And yes, I am somewhat proud of my meager contribution to society, however I’m a bit concerned about the way I see it spent so frivilously in Washington, DC. And not just now, but as far back as I can remember.
However, I would, at this time, like to thank all those young people who are so active in supporting this administration in it’s efforts to grow the Government in order to improve our lives The things we do today are now your responsibility to pay. I just want you young folks to know….America Appreciates It.
on August 4th, 2009 at 4:59 pm
Actually awhippingflame, the things that George W Bush did for the past eight years are the things that are our responsibility to pay. Like the $3 trillion he spent on watching Saddam Hussein do the Spandau ballet. Kind of inspiring what the Republicans managed to do for society, such a lasting mark on the country and the world. Hopefully your retirement will not be cut short by any of it, and if it does, well, gosh darn it, them Iraqis hated freedom and something needed to be done.
on August 12th, 2009 at 3:00 am
Just some notes…
The National “Socialist” German Workers’ Party (Nazi Party) ruled Germany from 1933 until 1945
Following the Italians’ example, the Nazis attempted a “March on Berlin” to topple the Weimar Republic, which they characterized as “Marxist”
However…
QUOTE: “Fascists believe that nations and/or races are in perpetual conflict whereby only the strong can survive by being healthy, vital, and by asserting themselves in conflict against the weak” …
QUOTE: “Following World War II, the word fascist has become a slur throughout the political spectrum. In contemporary political discourse, some adherents of political ideologies on both the left and right wings of the political spectrum associate fascism with their political enemies, or define it as the opposite of their own views” …
QUOTE: “Fascist movements commonly follow the social Darwinist view that in order for nations and races to survive in a world defined by perpetual national and racial conflict, nations and races must purge themselves of socially and biologically weak or degenerate people while simultaneously promoting the creation of strong people”
QUOTE: “The Fascist government in Italy banned literature on birth control and increased penalties on abortion in 1926, declaring them both crimes against the state”
QUOTE: “almost any English person would accept ‘bully’ as a synonym for ‘Fascist’”. – George Orwell …
And the list goes on…
Which best describes the “Neo-Nazi” movement?
I’ve heard Obama called “socialist”, “communist”, “Marxist” “Facist” and being compared to Hitler. By the same so-called educated radio talk show hosts. Which is it? Or do they even know? Some of their listeners obviously don’t