Drowning in a Sea of Right Wing Extremism, Prejudice, and Bigotry

Drowning in a Sea of Right Wing Extremism, Prejudice, and Bigotry

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

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Have a great day,
Tommy

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Re: This so called "Political Forum" group is a pathetic group of evil Reich wing haters and liars.

Keith-

That is a pack of bald faced lies.
This group is so far to the extreme right wing that the left has
disappeared below the horizon. Anything that is even remotely centrist
or moderate here is regarded as left wing, and dismissed with off the
cuff remarks, flippant personal insults, and vicious personal attacks.

Stop the lies, smear, and hate, Keith. This group sucks big time.

On 1/13/11, Keith In Köln <keithintampa@gmail.com> wrote:
> Tommy,
>
> I told you when you joined this group several months ago, that this was not
> a forum where one could come in and post far left extremist spin, and not
> expect to be challenged on his or her talking points. That for the most
> part, the members of this forum are well thought, considerate and well read
> individuals, no matter what their political persuasion, which includes
> members with both left of center and right of center viewpoints. We also
> have regular contributors who hold political viewpoints that could not be
> considered either "left" or "right"; but hold either extremely libertarian,
> or damn near anarchist ideologies. I doubt very seriously if you are even
> aware of this important fact, or that you even realize that you have managed
> to pretty much piss everyone in this forum off.
>
> You have in fact managed to insult everyone. Never once posting anything of
> substance or thought, you continue to post ridiculous, childish, usually
> pro-homosexual rants without any substance or foundation.
>
> This thread is an excellent example. Although you didn't necessarily
> plagerize an article and claim that you wrote it, (which you have done on
> numerous occasions here in Political Forum) you did in fact post a missive
> that suggests we are all to be civil, yet you then immediately went on to
> childishly sling out nasty hateful barbs, and a quick review of your posts
> of just today, January 13, 2011, is a great demonstration of how all you do
> is post talking points that you pick up from the most far left extremist
> hate sites on the web, without ever substantiating any thought, theory,
> rationale, or ever attempting to explain why you support such beliefs.
>
> At one point in time, I found you amusing, as you are a great example of a
> Moonbat who doesn't have a clue about how or why you support any issue or
> policy. You are a prime example of most of the idiots who hold far left
> extremist points of view; you are ill informed, and not really all that
> quick witted, (e.g.; you damn sure are not funny!) with your hateful
> barbs.
>
> Tommy, either have a nice, cold, refreshing cup of shut the hell up with
> your bitching of the membership of Political Forum, or be gone! Do not
> expect any sympathy from me!
>
>
> KeithInKöln
>
> --
> Thanks for being part of "PoliticalForum" at Google Groups.
> For options & help see http://groups.google.com/group/PoliticalForum
>
> * Visit our other community at http://www.PoliticalForum.com/
> * It's active and moderated. Register and vote in our polls.
> * Read the latest breaking news, and more.

--
Together, we can change the world, one mind at a time.
Have a great day,
Tommy

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Re: This so called "Political Forum" group is a pathetic group of evil Reich wing haters and liars.

Childish name calling directed at me is far from "constructive criticism".

The group claims to be "fair and balanced", but the members here
personally, childishly, and viciously attack anyone who disagrees with
their own far Reich wing extremist views. These people are the
extremists who embody and spread the hatred like that which caused the
massacre in Tucson. Yes, this group, just like Sarah Palin, and Rush
Limbaugh, is responsible for the massacre.

Defending myself from those vicious personal insults and attacks is my right.

On 1/13/11, frankg <frankg2@gmail.com> wrote:
> Tommy, you really should learn to accept a little constructive
> criticism. Honestly, you can't come here posting nothing but extreme
> left wing rhetoric, use childish name calling, not post anything that
> could be considered original and relevant and then expect people to
> not be critical of you. If you could point me to just ONE post of
> yours where you are not using hateful rhetoric, mean or childish name
> calling, etc., I'd love to see it. And I don't mean those posts of
> yours where you copy/paste the words of others, although even then you
> seem compelled to preface things with more of the same. You should
> heed President Obama's call for civil discourse.. you might find your
> time here a tab more pleasant. Just a thought...
>
> On Jan 13, 9:40 pm, Tommy News <tommysn...@gmail.com> wrote:
>> Keith, you should really change the name of this group from "Political
>> Forum" to "Right Wing Nuts"! You are worse than Glenn Dreck and
>> Rush Fatblob combined.
>>
>> On 1/13/11, Keith In Köln <keithinta...@gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>>
>>
>> > Tommy,
>>
>> > I told you when you joined this group several months ago, that this was
>> > not
>> > a forum where one could come in and post far left extremist spin, and
>> > not
>> > expect to be challenged on his or her talking points. That for the most
>> > part, the members of this forum are well thought, considerate and well
>> > read
>> > individuals, no matter what their political persuasion, which includes
>> > members with both left of center and right of center viewpoints. We
>> > also
>> > have regular contributors who hold political viewpoints that could not
>> > be
>> > considered either "left" or "right"; but hold either extremely
>> > libertarian,
>> > or damn near anarchist ideologies. I doubt very seriously if you are
>> > even
>> > aware of this important fact, or that you even realize that you have
>> > managed
>> > to pretty much piss everyone in this forum off.
>>
>> > You have in fact managed to insult everyone. Never once posting
>> > anything of
>> > substance or thought, you continue to post ridiculous, childish,
>> > usually
>> > pro-homosexual rants without any substance or foundation.
>>
>> > This thread is an excellent example. Although you didn't necessarily
>> > plagerize an article and claim that you wrote it, (which you have done
>> > on
>> > numerous occasions here in Political Forum) you did in fact post a
>> > missive
>> > that suggests we are all to be civil, yet you then immediately went on
>> > to
>> > childishly sling out nasty hateful barbs, and a quick review of your
>> > posts
>> > of just today, January 13, 2011, is a great demonstration of how all you
>> > do
>> > is post talking points that you pick up from the most far left extremist
>> > hate sites on the web, without ever substantiating any thought, theory,
>> > rationale, or ever attempting to explain why you support such beliefs.
>>
>> > At one point in time, I found you amusing, as you are a great example of
>> > a
>> > Moonbat who doesn't have a clue about how or why you support any issue
>> > or
>> > policy. You are a prime example of most of the idiots who hold far left
>> > extremist points of view; you are ill informed, and not really all that
>> > quick witted, (e.g.; you damn sure are not funny!) with your hateful
>> > barbs.
>>
>> > Tommy, either have a nice, cold, refreshing cup of shut the hell up with
>> > your bitching of the membership of Political Forum, or be gone! Do not
>> > expect any sympathy from me!
>>
>> > KeithInKöln
>>
>> > --
>> > Thanks for being part of "PoliticalForum" at Google Groups.
>> > For options & help seehttp://groups.google.com/group/PoliticalForum
>>
>> > * Visit our other community athttp://www.PoliticalForum.com/
>> > * It's active and moderated. Register and vote in our polls.
>> > * Read the latest breaking news, and more.
>>
>> --
>> Together, we can change the world, one mind at a time.
>> Have a great day,
>> Tommy
>
> --
> Thanks for being part of "PoliticalForum" at Google Groups.
> For options & help see http://groups.google.com/group/PoliticalForum
>
> * Visit our other community at http://www.PoliticalForum.com/
> * It's active and moderated. Register and vote in our polls.
> * Read the latest breaking news, and more.

--
Together, we can change the world, one mind at a time.
Have a great day,
Tommy

--
Thanks for being part of "PoliticalForum" at Google Groups.
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Re: Sarah Palin: The "Blood Libel" in Tucson mass shooting is on Her Own Hands, but is also on ours.

From our friend Karl:

"What I don't understand about what Mr Neusner said (and I fully
subscribe to his outrage about Moose-woman's use of such an
outrageously derogatory term) is his statement that Moose-woman was
"maligned in a gross and unfair way." It was Moose-woman's
organization which prepared the ad that had the "crosshairs map," it
was Moose-woman's organization which, after the shooting of the
Congresswoman, quickly removed the words "crosshairs map" from the
crosshairs map, and it is the Moose-woman's organization and its
lapdogs in the media (viz Rush Limbaugh's comment about killing all
the liberals except two so that they can be used as museum pieces)
which have been fomenting the violence which eventually erupted in
Tucson. Whether or not the nutcase in Tucson was or was not involved
in "partisan politics," the fact is that he acted in a climate which
has become terribly poisonous in sociopolitical terms, and that is a
turd, if you will forgive me, which needs to be laid right on the
front porch of Moose-woman and her cohorts. No "gross and unfair"
maligning has occurred. I have said it before, and I will say it
again -- Moose-woman needs to be hauled into court as an accessory and
conspirator to murder and attempted murder."

On 1/12/11, Tommy News <tommysnews@gmail.com> wrote:
> Sarah Palin: The "Blood Libel" in Tucson mass shooting is on Her Own
> Hands, but is also on ours.
>
> In Palin's version of events, her controversial actions represented
> common cause with Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.), who a few days
> before being critically wounded in the mass shooting had read the
> First Amendment on the House floor.
>
> "Acts of monstrous criminality stand on their own," Palin said in the
> statement. "They begin and end with the criminals who commit them, not
> collectively with all the citizens of a state, not with those who
> listen to talk radio, not with maps of swing districts used by both
> sides of the aisle, not with law-abiding citizens who respectfully
> exercise their First Amendment rights at campaign rallies, not with
> those who proudly voted in the last election."
>
> Palin's statement contained an instance of provocative religious
> imagery that might be missed by more secular voters who read her
> statement, but which likely will be recognized by the religious
> conservatives who constitute such an important part of her following.
>
> Within hours of a tragedy unfolding, journalists and pundits should
> not manufacture a blood libel that serves only to incite the very
> hatred and violence they purport to condemn," she wrote. "That is
> reprehensible."
>
> "Blood libel" is a phrase that refers to a centuries-old anti-Semitic
> slander - the false charge that Jews use the blood of Christian
> children for rituals - that has been used as an excuse for
> persecution. The phrase was first used in connection with response to
> the Arizona shootings in an opinion piece in Monday's Wall Street
> Journal and has been picked up by others on the right.
>
> Palin's defensiveness was apparent in the indirect reference to
> criticism of a map on Palin's Web site during the midterm elections
> that showed districts of congressional Democrats she had targeted for
> defeat marked with crosshairs.
>
> Giffords, whose district was one of those 20, had publicly complained
> that this was an invitation to violence.
>
> Palin's statement comes as President Obama is headed to Tucson to
> speak at a service for the victims, and guarantees that her
> perspective will be part of the storyline of the day.
>
> In its careful timing and deliberate language, it also represents a
> departure from her previous attention-getting Facebook posts and
> tweets, many of which were reflexive spasms to even small criticisms.
>
> On Thanksgiving, for instance, as most of the nation was still
> sleepily digesting turkey dinners, she issued an angry blast at Obama
> and the media, recalling a gaffe the president made during the 2008
> campaign. It was an apparent reaction to the fact that she herself had
> been ridiculed for a slip of the tongue in which she referred to North
> Korea as South Korea.
>
> "The one-word slip occurred yesterday during one of my seven
> back-to-back interviews wherein I was privileged to speak to the
> American public about the important, world-changing issues before us,"
> Palin wrote. "If the media had bothered to actually listen to all of
> my remarks on Glenn Beck's radio show, they would have noticed that I
> refer to South Korea as our ally throughout, that I corrected myself
> seconds after my slip-of-the-tongue, and that I made it abundantly
> clear that pressure should be put on China to restrict energy exports
> to the North Korean regime."
>
> Those kinds of outbursts could be fatal in a presidential campaign,
> and stand as a stark contrast to the statement that Palin released
> Wednesday.
>
> Source:
> http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/01/12/AR2011011202145.html?hpid=topnews
>
> Is Sarah Palin to Blame for the Tucson Shootings or Are We All?
>
> The Washington Post and numerous other news agencies are discussing a
> potential connection between a graphic released by Sarah Palin's Take
> Back the 20 campaign and the Jan. 8 shooting of Arizona
> Rep. Gabrielle Giffords. Giffords is in intensive care as a result of
> Jared Loughner's one-man rampage that left six people dead and 14
> injured. The graphic in question was used in the 2010 midterm
> elections. It featured 20 crosshairs with each set meant to denote a
> seat up for re-election that was held by representatives who voted for
> health care reform. Crosshairs covered Giffords' district.
>
> Almost immediately after the shooting, the media picked up the story
> of Palin's map and it targeting Giffords' congressional seat. At
> first, Palin did not address this part of the developing story in
> Tucson and instead extended condolences to Giffords' family and the
> families of the other victims via her Facebook page on Saturday
> afternoon, according to TMZ.
>
> However, members of Palin's political action committee did offer
> commentary by suggesting that the markings were denoting a map
> location. But when messages were released by Palin promoting the
> graphic, she used the words "Don't Retreat -- Instead RELOAD."
>
> A map is not reloaded. A gun is reloaded.
>
> Because of this graphic and the word choices that followed its issue,
> are Palin and the tea party movement somehow responsible for the
> shooting of Giffords and innocent bystanders at her public meeting in
> Tucson?
>
> The answer is "Yes." They are responsible. But they are only
> responsible to the extent that every American who engages in partisan
> politics is responsible. The level of American political discourse has
> trickled down from a creation point of heated debate with an air of
> respect to a cesspool of rhetoric best encapsulated in the phrase "You
> are either for us, or you are against us."
>
> More:
> http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/6207326/is_sarah_palin_to_blame_for_the_tucson.html
> --
> Together, we can change the world, one mind at a time.
> Have a great day,
> Tommy
>

--
Together, we can change the world, one mind at a time.
Have a great day,
Tommy

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Podcast interview re America's international decline w/ Dr. David B. Kanin

Posted this morning at Electric Politics, a podcast interview with Dr.
David B. Kanin, recently retired after 31 years at the CIA. The theme
is the impossibility of America remaking the world in our own image
and, realistically, that we are now in a position of inevitable
relative decline. The good news -- well, there's not much good news --
but maybe the facts of life will help bring us together politically.

If you like the podcast please don't hesitate to forward the link.

http://www.electricpolitics.com/podcast/2011/01/inflection_points.html

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