When Islamic extremists drive vehicles into crowds in Europe, the lethal attacks are condemned as terrorism, but President Trump took a more lenient view about a similar attack in Charlottesville, as Dennis J Bernstein notes.
By Dennis J Bernstein
Around the world, many people are confounded by the fact that the kind of terrorism that has been loudly decried in France, Great Britain and across the Middle East is being downplayed, indeed almost condoned, by the President of the United States.
Protesters at a rally in NYC in support of Ferguson, MO. November 25, 2014. (Photo by The All-Nite Images Flickr)
Heavily armed neo-Nazis and Ku-Klux-Klanners descended on Charlottesville,Virginia, last weekend to intimidate the community into reversing a decision to remove a Confederate statue. The violence included one right-wing extremist plowing his car into a crowd of counter-protesters, killing Heather Heyer and injuring at least 19 others, the same kind of attack that has occurred in Europe and drawn denunciations as terrorism.
I spoke with Ai-jen Poo, Executive Director of the National Domestic Workers Alliance, about the recent violence and how the surge in racism is affecting the people whom she represents. Ai-jen Poo was named as one of TIME magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in 2012, and a MacArthur Genius Fellow in 2016.
Dennis Bernstein: Let me ask you, what was your initial reaction as you began to hear what was going on?
Ai-Jen Poo: It was terrifying to see the images of these white supremacists carrying torches. It was a reminder of the depths of racism that still exist in our country. The white supremacist movement has been emboldened and encouraged by the right-wing media. I think we have
our work cut out for us.
I was deeply moved by the people of Charlottesville who came out and counter-rallied. And then seeing over 600 vigils and rallies held across the country against white supremacy and for peace. So I think what we are seeing is the horror of white supremacy in this country but also an upsurge in justice-seeking and saying “this is not who we are as a country.”
DB: Among those standing up was not the president of the United States.
AJP: We have seen an incredible upsurge in hate violence. The Southern Poverty Law Center and other organizations has documented a clear increase in hate-motivated attacks since the Trump campaign, before the administration took office.
Even during the campaign he refused to disavow his relationship with David Duke. Known white supremacist leaders were part of his campaign. Among our membership, we have seen an incredible rise in attacks. Over 70,000 people have been deported since the inauguration. Civilians are emboldened to turn their energy toward hateful, racist attacks on everyday people of color in the community.
DB: Could you describe the kinds of attacks we are talking about?
AJP: One of our members, a housecleaner, was on her way to work when someone got right up into her face, screaming that she should go back to her country and asking to see her passport. We have seen a lot of emotional attacks such as these in broad daylight.
DB: The attorney general has said that he is opening up a civil rights investigation into whether this was a terrorist act. Does this look any different from when the car in France drove into a crowd or the various car-rammings in England?
AJP: Since September 11, there have been about thirty attacks carried about by white terrorists, including the murder of nine people at the church in Charleston two years ago. This is no different from that. This is threatening our national security, threatening the moral fabric of our country. When the country is under attack, I think we need to respond appropriately.
At the National Domestic Workers’ Alliance, we are dedicated to building a healthy, multiracial democracy that values and protects the humanity of every single person in this country. We took part in the vigils that happened over the weekend and there are going to be hundreds and thousands more of those.
Candlelight vigil at the White House for the victims of the Charlottesville, VA protest. August 13, 2017. (Flickr Ted Eytan)
We are going to be doing a lot of education around the country about the far-right and the white supremacist agenda. We are going to give people and communities tools to understand and talk about what is happening and understand their own agency in being a part of the solution. That means showing up for each other and challenging racism when we see it. We have to really protect vulnerable communities who are targets of this neo-Nazi aggression.
DB: Are you concerned that somebody like Steve Bannon has the president’s ear, that this might actually be considered a good thing for the Republican Party?
AJP: This is the moment for every single person in this country to show up and really start to embody the kind of country that we want to see long-term. There is no other way to create the inclusive, multiracial democracy that we know for a fact the vast majority of the people in this country want but to show up and stand together.
Whether it is marching, whether it is attending vigils, whether it is signing on to petitions, we must aggressively take a stand. The vast majority of Americans are opposed to this sort of far-right terrorism and we must be vigilant and we must take care of each other.
Dennis J Bernstein is a host of “Flashpoints” on the Pacifica radio network and the author of Special Ed: Voices from a Hidden Classroom. You can access the audio archives at www.flashpoints.net.
I think one part of this story that you (and definitely the mainstream fake news anti-Trump official Washington state media) left out is the fact that the left has engaged in violence against practically every gathering or rally by conservatives in the last year. Merely ATTENDING a Donald Trump speech or even a Milo speech is considered conclusive evidence that one is in fact a “Nazi” or “White Supremacist” and therefore violence against them is completely and totally justified. Given the medias blanket refusal to report on left-wing political violence (which has become rampant and predictable following the election) as well as their efforts to actively promote “resistance” against “fascism,” its not surprising that conservatives would feel compelled to defend themselves from violent radical activists who are categorically opposed to free speech.
And yes, free speech absolutely includes “hate speech” and Nazi speech, unequivocally, full stop. To believe in the RIGHT to free speech is to believe in the RIGHT to offend others. If you dont understand that then you simply dont understand what free speech is. Im with the ACLU on this one. Free speech is worth fighting for.
The last times Nazis had a gathering 19 people were stabbed. The story is always the same. The police dont want to get involved, largely due to accusations of racism, and so things always and invariably get out of control because everyone tries to rationalize violence against “Nazis” (both real and imagined) and then act surprised when they use violence in response.
“Should you punch a Nazi” can easily be responded with “should you run over an antifa?” Its a circle of violence that will only result in escalating force.
There wasn’t much meat in that interview. The readers comments made up for it in my view.
A few fringe nut balls come out with torches and all of a sudden we have a budding race war. What if the deranged driver had been from the Antifa nut balls would they all be deranged killers ? So you think the North invaded to free the skates ? They should have called it Operation Free The Slaves. Slave ownership was rare among Confederate soldiers but they were all loyal to their state when the word meant something. By stripping the states of their power and consolidating power in a central federal government we now have the malignant Empire that preys on the weak, kills rescue workers ( double tap ) and spies on ‘everybody all the time’ ( William Binney). Oh, and the 2.3 TRILLION dollars that went missing ( Donald Rumsfeld ), it will never be found since all that was left of the records and accountants working on the problem was a smoldering hole in the side of the Pentagon. What a great defender of freedom the U.S. has become. I bet you think “Operation Iraqi Freedom” was all about getting rid of Saddam was because he was mean to his people.
In case you were wondering where this weekend’s rallies were planned — from Newsweek, from 08/15/2016 — “In addition to Boston, rallies are also being planned for Saturday, August 19, in Mountain View, California; Los Angeles; New York City; Washington, D.C.; Austin, Texas; Atlanta, Pittsburgh, and Seattle. These events are being organized by alt-right figure Jack Posobiec in opposition to Google and in solidarity with former Google engineer James Damore. Posobiec has said specifically said that the event is not an alt-right event but is open to anyone who values free speech.””
Have all of you over there gone completely mad?
I don’t know if Ms. Poo could give us the benefit of her undoubted expertise and let us know if, as reported, the 20 year old driving the car panicked because he was being attacked by a Fascist Left mob at the time.
Mob violence seems to be something of a speciality of the Fascist Left. Gangs of mentally ill and homeless people were recruited by Clinton’s DNC and paid $1,500 each to cause violence and disrupt Trump meetings. (See Project Veritas.) By comparison, the KKK are rank amateurs, even when bolstered by Deep State/ Soros agents provocateur.
Clinton/ Sanders/ Soros orchestrated extensive rioting in cities across America following Trump’s unexpected victory, with attacks on police and anyone suspected of being a Trump supporter, torching and looting of shops and businesses, even taking time off from torching university buildings whenever a right wing speaker is invited.
We had all this Racist Hot Air in the UK recently. The Deep State wanted to get rid of Corbyn, who had been elected leader of the Labour Party. So we got the orchestrated hysterical screams of Racism and Anti Semitism to try to get rid of him, because some people had criticised Israel for massacring Palestinians.
The Russia Hacking Balloon is deflating rapidly, so this was manufactured instead. Trump is a Racist/ Trump is a Nazi/ Trump is a Grand Dragon etc. Nobody really believes this BS but the Fake News Media will push it for all they’re worth. Charlottesville was a manufactured confrontation to deliberately cause a clash. The Deep State are happy to use the bully boys of the Fascist Left to achieve their ends. They are just expendable useful idiots.
Maddow tonight was talking about “what if all we uncover from this russia investigation is basically financial crimes????” which IMHO is a pretty radical step back for her … (I can only listen to about 5 minutes of her broadcast so I don’t know what came next)
I think, it was wrong of the so called “The Left” to come out and have a counter march the same time. They are more to blame. Let the other side have their march and air their views.
Where was this so called “The Left” when Obama was making wars in Libya, Syria, Afghanistan and drone bombing all over the place killing thousands of people. This so called “The Left” was cheering those Neo- Nazis in Maidan in Kiev overthrowing a democratically elected President in Ukraine. This so called The Left is supporting those Neo-Nazis now ruling in Kiev, and their Neo-Nazi Azov batalions have killed more than 10,000 civilians in Don Bass.
No body should condone racism. But it is wrong to rewrite History. It is wrong to remove the statue of Robert F Lee. Let people learn from History, and not make the same mistakes again.
There is no so called “Left” in America anymore. These are organizations funded by Soros and the likes of him. Small group of people own, and have complete control over the Media in the West. We have a very brainwashed population now in U.S.. Being deprived of looking at both sides of the issues for a long time now, just about most of the population have lost the capacity to make right decisions concerning domestic issues as well as issues related to War and Peace.
It is not right to blame Trump for all this. He just came to the scene recently. He is not a trained Politician and is a person who grew up in a World different from most average Americans. In fact, we should appreciate it that in his hasty style of talking, he blurts out the Truth once in a while. Their complaint against him is that he is harming The Empire, that he is not trained to run and expand the rule of this Neo-Con Oligarchy over the World. In other words, he can not fool the World like a smooth talking Obama or Clinton did.
Since the breakup of Soviet Union, the whole World has become a play ground of Wars waged by the West. It is not a very happy period in the History of the World.
Some seem to be confused about the limits to free speech and the right to public assembly. Speech which advocates and causes a crime to be committed is illegal. Public assembly of large numbers who wish to use a community space must meet certain requirements. Any violence by anyone in such a gathering should be immediately stopped by arrest of those guilty. Other than these reasonable limits, I am a big supporter of free speech and assembly. If those planning a demonstration do not adhere to these standards, then they should be prevented from gathering. If there is violence, it should be dealt with by the police.
In the recent events in Charlottesville these limits were not observed, and a riot resulted. The protesters of the Nazi/Klan march did not seek a permit. If they had, a proper procedure by the city officials should have been to designate a site for their counter protest well removed from where the Nazis had their permitted spaces. If this had been done the riot that occurred would not have happened. Also the police and national guard should have been instructed to immediately arrest any perpetrators of violence.
If anything good was accomplished in all of this, it was that Donald Trump made it clear that he is a racist and supporter of Nazis and KKK’s. Anyone who denies this now obviously has an agenda of avoiding an unpleasant reality about our President. What was clear to many of us in his campaign for the Presidency, should now be completely clear to everyone – it certainly is to David Duke and his ilk. Our President is a fascist and a racist.
We don’t really know what police oversight of the demonstration(s) was in place. In general, historically, the police work with organizers and set rules — which if violated or ignored — cause permits to be revoked and demonstrations shut down … in this case, they should have been working with both sides (demonstrators and counter demonstrators) …
how the azzhole in the car relates to the “parent” organizers has not been detailed … yesterday’s car attack outside Paris was a chemically-impaired (drugs) suicidal azzhole in a half-azzed suicide attempt. Azzholes will be azzholes.
Unless you have soul-detecting goggles or amazing mind-reading skillz, all of these matters of assembly and “free speech” platforms are local matters to be determined on a case-by-case matter …
I’ve known 2 or 3 young men who became “enamoured” of Hitler and all things Nazi — they were young (late teens) and two were on the verge of mental collapse / psychotic break … looking for “strong father figure” role model, seeking their own identity as “radical independent thinkers and — of course — attention seeking … the infatuation didn’t last, although it might have if they had found their own little self-reinforcing “gang” or “clique” …
Painting all the attendees as hard-core committed white supremacists is likely a stretch … we know about who is attracted to hate groups and who takes refuge in racism as an excuse for their own failures … lets’ try not to fall for some new bigger-badder boogieman (like Bin Laden and the kryptonite immune “radical islamic terrorists”) … they’re still pathetic racist azzholes.
Shocking, seems most Americans cannot grasp the complexity of what is unfolding in front of them
People — imho — are seeing their hopes and fears … some objective reality? it’s much too soon to tell.
We live in a short-attention span, impatient and largely apolitical age …. as Arcade Fire new record is titled, “everything now” … a lot of young folk hold Black Lives Matters and/or Occupy (even WTO Seattle for the oldsters) as a template of “effective political action” and organizing … shrug.
There were over 30 local already existing organizations for the black community in Ferguson before BLM arrived
Alt left “terrorist” hate speech?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3HodtpBd94Q
We’ve run out of patience,
You’ve run out of time!
This scene will not fall victim
To your violence or lies.
Your “values” are nothing
But excuses to start fights.
Quit fronting like you’re standing
For a moral cause tonight…
United as one, we won’t stand aside,
You tried to fuck with our scene… We’re gonna fuck your life !!!
This machine, this machine. This machine… THIS MACHINE,
KILLS FUCKING FASCISTS !
Dead… That’s right, DEAD !
You don’t have to be a rascist,
To be a nazi, fuck !
Your mindless nationalism
Gives you credentials enough.
You spew your right wing rhetoric,
When we got your attention…
You’ve mistaken the punk scene
For the Republican Convention !
No more infiltration, no more right wing lies,
You don’t belong in our scene… We’ll fight you till we die !!!
This machine, this machine. This machine… THIS MACHINE,
KILLS FUCKING FASCISTS !
Dead… ahhh… DIE !
———-
Anti-Flag are an American punk rock band from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. The band is well known for politically charged lyrics and activism, focusing on anti-war activism, anti-imperialism, class struggle, human rights, and various sociopolitical sentiments. Anti-Flag is known also for their advocacy of progressive political action groups such as Greenpeace and Amnesty International. The band has declared solidarity with the global Occupy Together movement.
Alt-school alt left “terrorist” Woody Guthrie
http://ushistoryscene.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/Woody_Guthrie_NYWTS-1140×1433.jpg
With a few exceptions, this thread seems to be where the American Nazis and KKK guys come to Stand Up For Their Rights and Set The Record Straight!
Probably some more of Putin’s meddling. Has anybody really investigated where those Leftie Terrorists got their weapons?
Unfortunately black box anarchists marching in formation are not appreciably “less scary” than Nazis for many Americans watching events unfold on the TV at home … see also the “new Black Panther Party” that largely owes its continued existence to Fox News and fraudulent video maker (Slayer of Acorn) James O’Keefe … sigh, it managed to “live” long enough to be mentioned as an influence in the Dallas police ambush …
As I mentioned a few days ago, days after the event, TV stations had to ask viewers to stop calling the police over re-broadcasting of Reginald Denny’s beating … every time the video was r-eshown, the LAPD switchboards lit up with 911 calls from citizen demanding the police do something … fielding those calls was sapping manpower (and I suspect doing nothing for morale) …
The People did not “understand” why if a TV helicopter could video the beating, the cops were not on the scene intervening … when the entire area was in absolute gridlock … even police rapeling down ropes from helicopters could not have gotten there “in time” … folks on the ground, in real time, were calling the police who also had their TVs on and they were trying to get to the scene …
What most people ‘know” is what they see on TV … particularly those most vivid video loops …. think of what they “know” about Black Lives Matters based on videos from Ferguson? disturbing, isn’t it?
The Clinton campaign and escalating political tribalism — us versus them — has been part of the mainstream of this divide as “existential”
This machine did not kill fascists in Charlottesville:
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Estink-Aluminium-Alloy-Baseball-Bat-32-Inch-Lightweight-Racket-Outdoor-Sports-Full-Size-Softball-Bat-for-Youth-Adult-Silver/232030624
did you see / read the WaPo article op/ed I posted yesterday calling for “direct action” to end racism???
these are scary times ….
my bullshit detectors are ringing off the wall as this band of Nazis, alt-right punks is now allegedly threatened the very foundation of our republic (sound familiar? like the alleged Russian hacking of the election threatening our democracy, “an act of war”?)
Charlottesville is being used as a DNC-approved recruiting bonanza… and they don’t deserve the “lift” … I have read of reasons to be cautious regarding the upsurge in the DSA but their projected membership roll-out on high school and college campuses nationwide this fall is impressive … young people need to learn themselves some politics and some “People’s History of the United States” … and hopefully local politics and social justice and environmental concerns/policies.
As I said yesterday, I am beyond weary of “liberal” types being aghast to discover Racism in the USofA … and/or for folks to decide that removing statues is meaningful and important (it IS symbolic, and it changes next to nothing).
I was reminded yesterday of the student uprisings of 2 years ago — ‘member them?? Missoula and Claremont and Amherst and Yale and ….. whatever became of those students, those complaints, those demands? What new college presidents were installed to replace (like those statues) the incumbents who so obediently resigned in the face of those protests?
Astroturf — it’s not just for conservatives anymore … So, the right (and middle) finger George Soros who is both blamed and given all the credit for his wealth funding the left, a strange Koch analog. All too shallowly symmetrical like some new advertising slogan or building artifice makeover …
must be almost 40 years ago that Lily Tomlin quipped
“No matter how cynical you become, it’s never enough to keep up. “
For now I’m favoring Abe’s take on this:
Israel is working at several levels. Pure propaganda is going to work with the gullible and devout dummies. Arm-twisting/bribing US congresscritters is another approach – make any criticism of Holy Israel a felony punishable by enormous fines and years in prison.
The most devious approach is a version of If you can’t beat them, join them; only reformulated into If you can’t beat them, make them join you
Because so much of the US police force is or has been trained to Israeli Standards of treating US citizens as if we were Palestinians, they’ve been reshaping US society to mirror that in Israel.
So in that sense Israel wins no matter what happens. Police and National Guardsmen need to instinctively be pistol-whipping or shooting somebody when these events happen. It’s in the interest of both “lefty” Soros and “righty” Adelson for the Israel-trained lawmen to take control of events. When US citizens both expect to see and approve of Police Control of “terrorists” here in the Homeland, we’re not going to give a thought to the same things happening in Israel as it prepares for the next and final Death March.
SusanS…you bring up an important point if I’m understanding your comments correctly. That is, the false equivalency on the political sliding scale where all of a sudden George Soros has become a symbol of the left as though anything or anyone to his left is not worthy of coverage in the msm. In fact the term “alt left” is conveniently used by the msm to describe a bunch of extremists that are somehow the equivalent of the “alt-right” in moral degeneration(thus, Trump’s remarks on Charlottesville). By the way, I love the Lily Tomlin quote.
yes, there is a sliding “equivalency” and reflexive conspiracy mongering … I’ve seen (repeated) claims that Charlottesville was a “they wanted it to happen” false-flag, even some American Kristalnacht … and either American Fascism is about to Flower or the Democratic status quo folks (“deep state”) are about to craftily gut the bill of rights …
Soros (whose judgment and ties are worthy of consideration and some skepticism before sainthood is declared) has become a bete noir … because (being middle european) he did (allegedly) fund the first color-revolution in the Ukraine (the orange one,** 2004) … and he has generously funded Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International (particulary after 09/11 when donations dried up) even as they have seemed (like PBS) to lean towards becoming neocon white washers in some zones (see also MSF) …
The idea that he might be being used and/or that he may be willing to accept some strange bedfellows for some “greater” mission is discarded … he has become another shadowy lever-puller, and probably not conincidentally part of the greater “ZOG” conspiracy … eye roll …
** it should be noted that “funding” a “color revolution” can be done relatively cheaply by providing rent, electricity and phone services to existing storefront “pro-democracy” movements…. it doesn’t take the CIA (who are everywhere all the time anyway), but they will find you and aid you if objective align)
A standing joke in the seventies was that in any KKK meeting between three members, two of them were FBI informants. Might be interested in checking out the book “The Glass House Tapes” published in 1973 by the Citizens Research and Investigation Committee (C.R.I.C.), about the story of Tackwood, put on tape. We’ve been here before. It’s deja vu all over again.
I always heard that joke about CP-USA …. which may well have been true since most the Commies I grew up around had quit the party under Browder and never rejoined since they and their publications were just so mind-numbingly predictable in their boilerplate “critique” …
On RT, 15 Aug, 2017
“Soros Fund Management held put options on PowerShares QQQ Trust, SPDR S&P 500 ETF, iShares Russell 2000 ETF as of June 30. Each is an exchange-traded fund that tracks a broad US stock market index. The bet is worth $1.8 billion. Soros stands to profit only if the stock market falls.”
https://www.rt.com/business/399645-soros-stock-market-bet-trump/
Stirring the pot?
Also views from both sides, I guess, published by the LA Times
http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-charlottesville-witnesses-20170815-story.html
Soros’ foundation has been generously funding a consortium of black rights groups, BLM being one of around, iirc, 30 groups … this of course made Soros a traitor amongst the BLM hating rightwing who basically believe all these groups, but particularly BLM, are wannabe cop-killers or something.
I’ve seen it claimed that Soros was “bankrolling” BLM … nope …
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2016/aug/16/black-lives-matter-cashes-100-million-liberal-foun/
for starters they’re conflating BLM with “Movement for Black Lives” … but it led to Soros becoming the boogieman for a whole new cohort.
Yes, that guy is a terrorist.
Antifa were bad actors too, coming with weapons, intending violence, and starting violence for political purposes. They don’t get a moral pass.
Wow – as the moral equivalents of American Nazis and the KKK, they must be very “bad actors” indeed.
Do you have some links/sources giving details about their rap sheets?
Oh, and what’s your thoughts about what DJT calls “Beautiful” “Statues”?
Over on EIR website, I typed in “Antifa” into their search box, not even knowing what it was (turns out to mean “anti-fascist”). Turned up an article “Antifa violence protects hedge funds”. Turns out the standard operating procedure for the imperial bankster Oligarchy is to fund two opposing extremist groups and bring them together like potassium and water; watch the explosion occur. This is supposed to lead to Martial Law crackdown to “restore order and peace”; meanwhile your democratically elected government is lost, possibly for years, decades, generations. This has been their stock-in-trade since they steered the French Revolution to the most extreme, terrifying expressions, to bring on the Beast/Tyrant Napoleon. It worked well for the Oligarchy when they sprung the Communist Revolution upon the Tsars of Russia, creating the “boogyman” which justified the militant Fascist/NAZI Movement in answer to the Communist threat. Ask yourselves WHY NOW the rage to tear down Confederate monuments that have been standing in the same place for a hundred years or more? We The People are being played by the Oligarchs, being caught in the middle between two violent extremes, ALL because of the “threat” that Trump might get friendly with Russia and China, ending the reign of Empire and war for the Bankster Oligarchy and their minions. I doubt Trump even knows how “lethal” his common sense approach to doing business and making deals with Russia and China is.
As a working hypothesis, I like it.
To add to your comment Brad, the man who captured the footage of the crash and was paraded around for “news” interviews, Brennan Gilmore, worked for the State Department and was part of Kony 2012. He also was able to write an article for Politico about this, what luck!
Here is a great article that really digs deep on this guy.
h**ps://willyloman.wordpress.com/2017/08/13/charlottesville-attack-brennan-gilmore-and-the-stop-kony-2012-pysop-what/
I really think this was a staged event. Let this dying part of our society have their parade, it is their right under our constitution. With the opposing march, and subsequent brawl, this only brought more attention to them.
Who benefits from the Israelization of politics and criminal law in the United States?
https://www.lawfareblog.com/israels-new-counterterrorism-law
The Southern Poverty Law Center is the organization most widely associated with tracking hate groups in the United States. SPLC defines hate groups as groups that have “beliefs or practices that attack or malign an entire class of people, typically for their immutable characteristics”. It says that hate group activities may include speeches, marches, rallies, meetings, publishing, leafleting, and criminal acts such as violence.
The escalating casual redefinition of hate-motivated criminal acts, physical violence such as street brawling, direct and online speech acts, and even general political demonstration as acts of “terrorism” is a very dangerous political phenomenon that threatens freedom and democracy in this country.
Hate group activity and criminality can be addressed by the criminal justice system without resorting to inflammatory political rhetoric and labels of “terrorism”.
Who benefits from this casual redefinition of social and political activity as “terrorism”?
Does the casual use of the label “terrorist” qualify as a form of “hate speech”?
The same people who are behind making boycotting a felony / 25 years in prison and up to $1 million fine.
It’s coincidental how the two new pieces of legislation, criminalizing political speeches AND boycotting will dovetail nicely,
don’t you think? We need to call our representatives and tell them hands off the First Amendment!
I copied and pasted from Think Progress website.
“Known as the Israel Anti-Boycott Act, the legislation would expand existing laws to prohibit Americans from “requesting the imposition of any boycott by a foreign country against a country which is friendly to the United States” and from “supporting any boycott fostered or imposed by an international organization, or requesting imposition of any such boycott, against Israel.” According to the ACLU’s letter, this would mean penalties?—?including up to 20 years in prison and fines between $250,000 and $1 million?—?for advocating for or even requesting information about a boycott of the state of Israel.”
Right before your eyes, the beginning of the new Bolshevik revolution…..coming to a town near you…….tearing down the monuments and statues…..a familiar ring of the old communist agenda
A headline from today:
“Several people dead, injured after van crashes into pedestrians in Barcelona “
There are more and more of these stories – pinheads using their cars, vans, or trucks for mass murder. There has actually been encouragement from the likes of Fox News.
“Fox News Quietly Deletes Article Cheering ‘Plowing Through Protesters’”
The original cheerleading article was published in January, but only now have they taken it down.
h**p://www.thedailybeast.com/fox-news-quietly-deletes-article-cheering-plowing-through-protesters
Republicans in many states are trying to make it legal to use your car, van, or truck as a way to put down the uppity “darkies” or to save America from ungodly Liberals.
“Backed by Police Unions, Legislators Stand by Laws to Protect Drivers Who Kill Protesters”
This is just a different way of legalizing murder. They’ve already done it with “Stand Your Ground” laws, now it’s “Use Your Accelerator And Not Your Brake” laws.
I believe I’m on record as regarding Democrats In Congress/Legislatures as pond scum, but for some reason Republicans are almost always worse.
h**ps://theintercept.com/2017/08/14/backed-by-police-unions-legislators-standby-laws-to-protect-drivers-who-kill-protesters/
Zachary this news you bring is of the most importance to us Americans who are ignorant of it’s even existence. This type of legislation is the last thing our deeply divided country needs, at especially this moment in time. Good on you Zachary, for turning us on to such legislative developments.
A different perspective, by way of balance.
Charlottesville: Fact vs. Fiction
By Jack Kerwick
https://www.lewrockwell.com/2017/08/jack-kerwick/fact-vs-fiction/
Since we’re into “balance”, here is the Japanese version of what happened in Nanking.
“Japanese Troops Gently Soothe The Refugees”
Setting the record straight with the True Story, the Japanese soldiers came into Nanking displaying the hand of friendship, and with those same hands gave out bread to the suffering Chinese. These soldiers were seen playing with the Chinese children in the parks, and very soon the refugees cast off their former absurd attitude of opposing Japan.
How very wonderful it is to get a “different perspective” on events.
Any KKK guy or gal will gladly tell you how the Civil War was about “state’s rights” and Northern Aggression and NOT slavery. Despite what Liberal Liars say, the southern slaves were fat and sassy and were SO much better off than they had been in Africa.
So why on earth shouldn’t we retain the statues to the likes of Nathan Bedford Forrest, a pre-war slave trader who worked to put the darkies into good homes and farms as devoutly as as animal shelters today try to help the stray dogs and cats. During the war he had to smite a few hundred of those misguided souls who had taken up arms against the noble rebels by putting bullets into their heads, but because of the great religious training they’d received in their plantation churches we all know they went to a Better Place. After the war Forrest once again worked on racial relations by creating the Ku Klux Klan. By saving the freed blacks from the horrid carpetbaggers sent down by the north he was still doing God’s work.
Hell, lets’ build some NEW statutes for NBF.
I do not think it was the people of Charlottesville that led the counter protest. It was heavily armed alt left professionals. These type of protests should have 5 police for every protester. They should be allowed only at some time like 9 am to 11 AM. Any protester alt left , alt right that breaks the law should be arrested immediately. The alt left were holding an illegal rally, their leaders should have been arrested on the spot.
Police and lot’s of them are the only way to prevent anarchy in these types of situations. You see this is true whenever there is a police strike, or power blackout.
Spot on! The media focuses on the “white nationalists” as the cause of the violence. It doesn’t mention that they were the ones with the permit to march and that the police essentially encouraged the confrontation and eventual violence between the opposing groups by “standing down”. The police purposely let the violence happen.
Why all this Confederate statue nonsense now? It seems to me that its a distraction created by the left because the corporate Democrats can’t turn against their donors by offering actual populist policies so they choose distractions like statues. Instead of promoting living wages, single payer healthcare and other populist policies the left wants to provoke the “deplorables” and use that to win elections. The Democrats “Better Deal” was DOA but now they have a hot new campaign issue without actually addressing any substantial economic issues.
Chet, you are right on that.
The Dems and the Establishment want to create problems and get rid of Trump one way or the other. He has been completely broken by the Deep State and doing all kind of irrational things. But they are still not happy. They think, he is an embarrassment to The Empire. Except for a few days when he launched those cruise missiles on Syria, they did not let him govern for even one day in peace. We remember how they, The Establishment, showered him with praise when he launched those cruise missiles on innocent people in Syria. Now see how they are denouncing him for saying those few things about Charlottesville, some of it is true.
I do not like a lot about Trump or his philosophy, if he has any. But still we have to be fair to him.
This is a late post: I just finished my own research on what anti-fa and white supremacists groups have in common; came back to CN to re-read this Dennis Bernstein interview/article; and am shocked to see how deficient it is. No mention whatsoever by Aijen-Poo or Bernstein of anti-fa! Some of the comments below, including posts by Mark Thomasin, Brad Owen and Bronson Kaahui, help balance the discussion somewhat, but this interview reads like left-wing MSM.
The big conversation over the past 2 weeks has been whether there is any moral equivalency between the two groups. I recommend doing your own research and coming up with your own answer. Don’t take anyone’s word for what you can learn yourself by a little research. Brace yourself.