Arizona Is Drowning in a Sea of Extremism
-by Max Blumenthal
The social fabric of Arizona seems to be deteriorating as fast as the
state's population grows, driving the state to the brink of
dysfunction. The shooting of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords and killing of
U.S. District Court Judge John Roll and several other innocent
bystanders by a lone gunman have brought Arizona's crisis to the fore,
prompting Pima County Sheriff Clarence Dupnik to aptly declare Arizona
"the mecca for prejudice and bigotry."
Since I first traveled to Arizona over seven years ago to interview
right-wing extremists participating in armed anti-immigrant vigilante
patrols along the border, I have watched up close as the state drowned
in a sea of extremism, signing away its future in the form of racist
ballot measures and budget-busting tax cuts. In this climate, the
assassination attempt on Giffords was not terribly surprising.
When President Barack Obama took office, Arizona's anti-immigrant
Right fused with extreme Religious Right elements under the the banner
of the Tea Party. In August 2009, 28-year-old Chris Broughton openly
carried an AR-15 assault rifle and a handgun to an Obama rally in
Phoenix. The night before, Broughton attended a sermon led by Rev.
Steven Anderson, a local Tea Party activist. Calling his sermon "Why I
Hate Barack Obama," Anderson declared, "When I go to bed tonight,
Steven L. Anderson is going to pray for Barack Obama to die and go to
hell."
A few months later, after Obama's health care plan passed through
Congress, the windows of Rep. Giffords' office in Tucson were
shattered by shots from a pellet gun, an attack possibly inspired by a
far-Right anti-government militia leader's call on his blog to "send a
message that [the Democrats] cannot fail to hear: break their
windows."
More here:
http://www.alternet.org/story/149513/arizona_is_drowning_in_a_sea_of_extremism
--
Together, we can change the world, one mind at a time.
Have a great day,
Tommy
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