The Progress Report: The Very Real Threat Of Extremism
Thursday, June 11, 2009
by Faiz Shakir, Amanda Terkel, Matt Corley, Benjamin Armbruster, Ali Frick, Ryan Powers, and Ian Millhiser
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Yesterday's tragic shooting at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, DC, by an "88-year-old white supremacist," is the latest in a string of right-wing extremist attacks. The number of hate groups such as the "Ku Klux Klan, neo-Nazis, racist skinheads and Black separatists" operating in the United States is at an all-time high, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC). Moreover, gun purchases since President Obama's election surged. However, when the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) declassified a report "detailing potential increases in right-wing extremism" in April, right-wing commentators and Republican politicians decried the report as a politically motivated attack on all conservatives. They claimed that "the Obama administration is targeting conservatives and others simply because they disagree with administration policies and proposals." Ignoring that the report -- like a similar one describing the threat of left-wing extremists -- was commissioned by the Bush administration, conservatives called for the resignation of DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano. Media Matters Action Fund's Matt Finkelstein asks, "Will Republicans admit that their partisan 'outrage' was misplaced?"
A HISTORY OF VIOLENCE: The declassified DHS report warned, "Rightwing extremism in the United States can be broadly divided into those groups, movements, and adherents that are primarily hate-oriented (based on hatred of particular religious, racial or ethnic groups), and those that are mainly antigovernment, rejecting federal authority in favor of state or local authority, or rejecting government authority entirely." The report further warned, "The economic downturn and the election of the first African American president present unique drivers for rightwing radicalization and recruitment." This description reflected recent extremist violence, including the July 2008 shooting spree in a Knoxville church "because of its liberal teachings," a thwarted attempt to assassinate Obama in October by two neo-Nazi skinheads, and "a racially motivated rape and murder spree in Brockton, MA" by a 22-year-old white supremacist the "day after Barack Obama was inaugurated." Since the report was issued last April, the trail of death has continued. "We have seen not only the murder of an abortion physician by a member of the radical right, but the murders of five law enforcement officers -- three police officers in Pittsburgh, two sheriff's deputies in Florida by radical right-wing extremists," SPLC's Mark Potok told CNN. "It's really been quite an extraordinary period." The Pittsburgh shooter "feared the Obama administration was poised to ban guns," and the Florida killer was "severely disturbed that Barack Obama had been elected President." In an incident earlier this month, a "lone wolf" American Muslim extremist "shot and killed Army Pvt. William Long" outside a Little Rock, AR, mall in anger over the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.
CONSERVATIVES VS. EXTREMISTS: Conservative politicians led the attack on the DHS report. Both House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-OH) and Sen. James Inhofe (R-OK) called it "offensive." Others went further: Gun advocate Sen. John Ensign (R-NV) claimed "the report has no intelligence value and only serves to blur our constitutional protections, such as the Second Amendment," and Rep. Michelle Bachmann (R-MN) argued that "it looks like the extremists are those running the DHS." "What is the Department of Homeland Security calling us now?" Rep. Joe Barton (R-TX) asked at an April 15 tea party protest. "Extremists? Well, give me a button." "Now if you disagree with that liberal path that President Obama's taken the country down," Fox News' Sean Hannity claimed, "you may soon catch the attention of the Department of Homeland Security." Texas Rep. John Carter (R-TX), after demanding Napolitano's firing on the House floor, told Politico, "Singling out political opponents for working against the ruling party is precisely the tactic of every tyrannical government from Red China to Venezuela." As Mother Jones's James Ridgeway observed, "Conservatives haven't been branded dangerous extremists by DHS or the Obama administration; they've branded themselves."
'WARNING US FOR A REASON': Following the Holocaust Museum shooting, two Fox News personalities, Shepard Smith and Catherine Herridge, suggested that critics of DHS's report on right-wing extremism should re-think their objections. "The right went absolutely bonkers" over the report, said Smith, adding that DHS was "warning us for a reason." Though some conservatives have concluded that the recent string of right-wing violence has "vindicated" the DHS report, many others disagree. Blogger and Fox News contributor Michelle Malkin, who led the charge against the DHS report, approvingly linked to a military blogger that called Smith and Herridge "pathetic." Malkin's Hot Air colleague, Ed Morrissey, defended the criticism of the report by claiming that it didn't "mention anti-semitism at all." But as Huffington Post's Sam Stein points out, the DHS report "warned specifically about an upswing of anti-Semitic behavior." "At this point it's little consolation," CBS News's Charles Cooper observes, "but Department of Homeland Security head Janet Napolitano turned out to be more prescient about domestic extremism than many of her critics."
The Progress Report: The Very Real Threat Of Extremism
[Source: Good Times Society]
posted by 71353 @ 9:12 PM,
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Trying to Choose a Nail Polish?
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Trying to Choose a Nail Polish?
[Source: Good Times Society - by The American Illuminati]
Trying to Choose a Nail Polish?
[Source: Media News]
Trying to Choose a Nail Polish?
[Source: Abc 7 News]
Trying to Choose a Nail Polish?
[Source: Sun News]
Trying to Choose a Nail Polish?
[Source: Mexico News]
Trying to Choose a Nail Polish?
[Source: China News]
posted by 71353 @ 6:09 PM,
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Bankruptcy for GM. Ford Next?
PrintEmailPDF General Motors on Monday filed for bankruptcy protection, even after $19.4 billion in federal bailout money. It now appears that taxpayers will end up with a 60% stake in the restructured company. Cato scholar Daniel Ikenson has long suggested bankruptcy as the best course for GM, and now worries about Ford's future: "The government has a 60 percent stake in GM. Who's going to want to own Ford stock—and therefore, will Ford be able to raise capital—when the U.S. government has an incentive to tip the balance in GM's favor wherever it can?"
- Full statement from Ikenson
- "An Overdue Reckoning in the Auto Sector," by Daniel Ikenson
- "Don't Bail Out the Big Three," by Daniel Ikenson
Bankruptcy for GM. Ford Next?
[Source: Good Times Society - by The American Illuminati]
Bankruptcy for GM. Ford Next?
[Source: Abc 7 News]
Bankruptcy for GM. Ford Next?
[Source: Wesh 2 News]
Bankruptcy for GM. Ford Next?
[Source: Daily News]
Bankruptcy for GM. Ford Next?
[Source: Abc 7 News]
posted by 71353 @ 3:29 PM,
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Real Housewives' Caroline Says Danielle's Past "Was a Safety Concern"
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After Tuesday's episode of The Real Housewives of New Jersey revealed the discovery of a book alleging that housewife Danielle Staub was arrested for extortion and involved in kidnapping, drugs and prostitution, castmate Caroline Manzo says that the new information "was a safety concern."
"When something this explosive falls into your lap, for anyone to just dismiss it would be foolish," Caroline told ...
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Real Housewives' Caroline Says Danielle's Past "Was a Safety Concern"
[Source: Good Times Society - by The American Illuminati]
Real Housewives' Caroline Says Danielle's Past "Was a Safety Concern"
[Source: Television News]
Real Housewives' Caroline Says Danielle's Past "Was a Safety Concern"
[Source: World News]
Real Housewives' Caroline Says Danielle's Past "Was a Safety Concern"
[Source: Boston News]
posted by 71353 @ 3:21 PM,
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6/1 Roundup: The Bankruptcy of GM, Cuba, Barack Tutankhamun
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Leader: The Bankruptcy of General Motors
- General Motors filed for bankruptcy this morning, beginning a process that will leave the US government with a 60% stake in the company, and an unprecedented role as a business owner. President Obama is effectively pushing GM into bankruptcy, in the hopes that, after a brief period of nationalization, a smaller, sturdier GM will emerge, capable of competing in the international car market. The US will invest an additional $30 billion in GM, on top of the $20 billion previously committed.
- Today's news is awash with sentimentality, looking back at this behemoth of American industry in its 101 years of existence. "What's good for General Motors is good for the country" is a saying that entered the lexicon, and is not altogether false. Employing as many as 1 million people at points, including suppliers and dealers, GM was the world's biggest company just ten years ago. GM's demise (or reeducation, if you'd prefer) will be felt deeply around the country.
- A New York Bankruptcy judge cleared the way for Chrysler to exit bankruptcy by selling most of its assets to Italian car maker Fiat. Chrysler could come out of bankruptcy as early as this week.
Politics
- George Tiller, a high-profile Kansas doctor who performed late-term abortions was shot and killed on his way to church yesterday by an anti-abortion activist. The assassin is in custody.
- Cuba continues to express interested in closer relations with the United States, and in a trip to Latin America, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is encouraging the thaw. Speaking at the inauguration for the new president of El Salvador, Clinton said:
Greater connections can lead to a better, freer future for the Cuban people. These talks are in the interest of the United States, and they are also in the interest of the Cuban people.
- The Las Vegas Sun reports that Nevada could be at the center of the battle over immigration reform. Andres is quoted:
Immigration, Ramirez said, is a litmus test for Hispanic voters — if they think a candidate, or party, is hostile on the issue, they will show less interest in the candidate’s or party’s overall platform. This occurred in the 2008 election, analysts say. So the party could “risk alienating Hispanic voters more” by opposing a comprehensive bill, Ramirez said.
- Howard Fineman looks forward to President Obama's speech in Cairo, Egypt this Thursday.
Economy
- Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner is in China, and exchange rates are on the top of his agenda for discussion with his counterparts.
- Oil is at $67 per barrel, the highest it's been since November.
International
- An Air France jet bound from Brazil to Paris has disappeared over the Atlantic. A search is underway off the coast of Brazil, in the hopes of finding the aircraft, which had 228 people aboard.
- The WaPo writes that US military and intelligence officials see a possibility for continued offensives by the Pakistani military in the Swat valley, combined with continued drone strikes near the Pakistani-Afghan border to seriously disrupt al-Qaeda in the region.
New From NDN
- Jake put together a backgrounder on Friday addressing the bankrupt Republican Party and bankruptcy policy.
- Melissa posted on the President's weekly address, in which he promoted Sonia Sotomayor, his nominee for the Supreme Court.
One More Thing
- President Obama will speak in Egypt on Thursday, and he's already being compared to King Tut.
- On a recent trip to Five Guys burger joint, Obama learned about an intelligence agency he'd never heard of before. Thanks, Five Guys!
- Last, Jeff Sessions seems to like Sonia Sotomayor, so perhaps there won't be much of a fight over her nomination after all.
Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy
6/1 Roundup: The Bankruptcy of GM, Cuba, Barack Tutankhamun
[Source: Good Times Society - by The American Illuminati]
6/1 Roundup: The Bankruptcy of GM, Cuba, Barack Tutankhamun
[Source: News 4]
6/1 Roundup: The Bankruptcy of GM, Cuba, Barack Tutankhamun
[Source: News Herald]
6/1 Roundup: The Bankruptcy of GM, Cuba, Barack Tutankhamun
[Source: Wesh 2 News]
posted by 71353 @ 3:19 PM,
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Coburn Will Run for Re-Election
PrintEmailPDF Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK) announced he will seek another term in the Senate, Tulsa World reports.
Coburn Will Run for Re-Election
[Source: Good Times Society - by The American Illuminati]
Coburn Will Run for Re-Election
[Source: World News]
Coburn Will Run for Re-Election
[Source: International News]
Coburn Will Run for Re-Election
[Source: Boston News]
Coburn Will Run for Re-Election
[Source: Boston News]
Coburn Will Run for Re-Election
[Source: Cnn News]
Coburn Will Run for Re-Election
[Source: Daily News]
posted by 71353 @ 2:09 PM,
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