Far-right-wing craziness
I have really been seriously trying to focus on what the Right Wing is so peeved about. Today, we have a tea party sponsored by Fox News and several right-wing lobbyists. I thought that John McCain and other conservatives were outraged over lobbyists. I guess not.
I suppose if you want to look for substance you’d look even farther to the right. Militias. Here an interesting article from the Daily Kos.
From DailyKos:
Back in March, the state of Missouri completed a report looking into the nature of multiple militia groups that have sprung up (or moved in) around the state. The report, which was written as an aid to police departments dealing with militia issues, was started under a Republican administration, but it didn’t actually go out to the police until Democratic governor Jay Nixon was in charge. Among the findings of the report? Militia members tend to be right wing wackos.
It is not uncommon for militia members to display Constitution Party, Campaign for Liberty or Libertarian material. These members are usually supporters of former presidential candidates Ron Paul, Chuck Baldwin and Bob Barr.
How did the report’s authors reach these startling conclusions? By attending militia events and talking to militia members. But despite the fact that the report’s statements were: 1) true 2) so obvious that, like the Great Wall of China, they can be seen from orbit, righteous anger flared. Talking about the nature of the guys marking up their copies of The Turner Diaries while stirring cups of protest tea generated howls from the right. The screaming went on until the state first delivered an apology (for telling the truth) and then pulled the report from circulation.
Now it appears that there is a similar level of yowling over a report circulating from the Department of Homeland Security.
DHS’ Office of Intelligence and Analysis issued an intelligence assessment last week that said it has no specific information that domestic right-wing terrorists are currently planning acts of violence, but right-wing extremists may be gaining new recruits by playing on fears about the recession and the election of the first African American president. The office called them “unique drivers for right-wing radicalization and recruitment.”
The mere existence of such a report is bringing on choking outrage from the same people who cheered when DHS issued reports warning of the dire threat from such groups as people who don’t like fur coats. They contend that having a report titled Right-Wing Extremism: The Current Threat is picking on them. It’s a threat to their freedoms. A threat they didn’t feel when the government issued a report titled Left-Wing Extremism: The Current Threat (pdf) in 2001. (more… )