I'm not doing this to be preachy: anyone who reads this blog knows I say a lot of nutty things. But there's a difference between being nutty and spreading hate, inciting others to use the threat of violence and violence itself. I'm also aware that this list is inherently unfair - I'm not chronicling left-wing extremism here (and I do believe some of that has become "mainstream" in American politics), nor am I doing full justice to the root causes of these movements. I'm also not documenting all the movements, just a few that seem to be more legitimate and can take people in deceptively. Credit goes to Charles Johnson of LGF for many of the links below:
- Ron Paul & Lew Rockwell (quote from "Angry White Man," in The New Republic): "Paul’s alliance with neo-Confederates helps explain the views his newsletters have long espoused on race. Take, for instance, a special issue of the Ron Paul Political Report, published in June 1992, dedicated to explaining the Los Angeles riots of that year. “Order was only restored in L.A. when it came time for the blacks to pick up their welfare checks three days after rioting began,” read one typical passage."
- Alex Jones (quote from John Hawkins at Right Wing News): "Jones is a self-promoting conspiracy nut. During the Bush Administration, he attacked Republicans and promoted oddball conspiracy theories about them (Bush was behind 9/11! They're going to put us all in camps!).... on his website right now is an article that seems to be suggesting that swine flu may have been concocted by the Bush Administration as part of a plan to implement martial law in the Obama Admin..."
- American Thinker is one of the more prominent right-wing blogs proclaiming the President is not a citizen. A thorough debunking of the notion that the President's citizenship is questionable [link goes to The Daily Show, which finds ways to offend me even when exactly correct on this issue]
- Free Republic - they were instrumental in creating the rage that caused the Clinton impeachment, and they were pretty crazy then. I do know a few people that use this site and are very good people (also problematic in a similar vein: World Net Daily). The site itself is crawling with some of the worst craziness imaginable. Candidates they like include Rep. Michele Bachmann (if this idiot can be elected, why am I not ruling at least a continent as an enlightened despot). It goes without saying that anyone who thinks Rep. Joe Wilson is a patriot should probably not be trusted on any issue [yes, I'm still a Republican after reading that last link. I don't quit because of some dumb crazies that should be marginalized].
- Glenn Beck: lots of outright insanity; the Time magazine article discussing him is right on the money, the links to the John Birch society should not be ignored, nor the Skousen connection.
- Michelle Malkin, Hot Air & Instapundit may look like they have standing on some issues, but the links to white supremacists should not be ignored. Instapundit and Hot Air can be implicated via association with one prominent right-wing blogger; Malkin has supported VDARE which isn't exactly subtle about how it conceives other races.
- Powerline might be the worst offender nowadays, giving overt support to the vision of Gates of Vienna, Robert Spencer, Atlas Shrugged - their cause is nothing less than the return of fascism, BNP/Hitler style: they're using alarmist rhetoric about Muslims in Europe to advance this agenda.
If what I have listed doesn't make you sick, you have issues; please remember not to vote, and remember also to stay quiet in any and all situations: your voice has been heard, and it has resulted in what is documented above.
- So How Worried Should Americans Be About Extremism?
- A Suggestion for My New Right-Wing Pals at Digg
- Links, Super Right-Wing Edition, 7/18/09
- A Quick Note on Machiavelli’s Discourses, I.7 and I.8
- A Quick Note: Why Voting On Comments Is Stupid
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[…] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Cheryl Jones. Cheryl Jones said: A Quick Guide to Right-Wing Extremism on the Web http://bit.ly/toPpA […]
Hi,
I’m a journalist, naturally sceptical and well-educated and yet the links you’ve posted about do not make me feel sick. I’ve been doing my own research and, whilst I don’t swallow everything — or even most of it — I believe there is a grain of truth in what some right-wing people are saying. At the very least, it should make us vigilant and predispose us to take whatever the Government says with a pinch of salt.
I find it hard to reconcile your contempt for right wing commentators with your belief in the bible. Frankly, if you’re gullible enough to believe that the bible is anything other than a man-made fairy story, believing what’s in the links above should be a piece of cake!
How’s the racism working out for you, Sevad ?
Nice smear site you run here. Frequented by the like of Charles Johnson, of Little Green Fascists (that’s a wonderful clone factory you’re running there, Chuckie~!).
Where’s your look at the far-left sites that, for 8 solid years, bashed BOOOOOOOSH! to the detriment of our soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan?
A moderate Republican, in these times, is a useless Republican. We need conservatives, the strength of the party, to lead the way. McCain’s been a failure for decades; the likes of Peggy Noonan and Frum are weak links who pander to the left.
Left or Right, make your choice. Center is not a side. I’m certainly not on your side, whatever ‘side’ that is.
Serr8d is a well known wingnut freak who inhabits swamps like Protein Wisdom and leaves trollish wingnutty comments all over the web– in case his extremism isn’t already apparent from such comments as this:
Left or Right, make your choice. Center is not a side.
If you put the word “Not.” at the end of anything he’s ever said anywhere, then you have a more reliable guide to reality.
Sevad, you might try dumping the Christian-bashing. Not only did you insult me and most of America, you also weaken your case with your knee-jerk reaction. You’re very wrong about the Bible and I hope you realize it someday.
Call out the right wing on their wackyness and you get people calling Charles Johnson ‘Chuckie’ as a defense.
When you’re over the target you get the most flak.
Wow. I guess this is one of the “CJ Approved” sites that allows comments from the Gulag Dwellers. Well played.
Pretty soon, I expect you guys to be harvesting the lima beans and donning the purple sweatsuits.
Dean: Racism? Sorry, I don’t follow your non-sequitur.
Dark Falcon: What makes you think it’s a knee-jerk reaction? You’re very wrong about the bible and I hope you realise it one day.
Sevad– hardly a non-sequitur. This was an article specifically about white supremacist tendencies in today’s leading right –wingers, then you state that “I believe there is a grain of truth in what some right-wing people are saying”. I don’t think I’m reaching to take your meaning to be there is some truth, or value, in their opinions. Sorry if that’s not the case.
Dean,
You need to read the article again. It’s about right-wing extremism, not specifically white supremacists. There is an element of white supremacy in one or two of the links but there is plenty of other stuff that has nothing to do with that. You seem to have automatically assumed that I am in agreement with the white supremacists. You’re free to jump to whatever conclusions you like. Just don’t expect me to make the leap with you.
Extremism on both sides is wrong, You can be on a side with out being on the lunatic Fringe.
@ David — agreed. I didn’t write this post because I wanted to be preachy: some of the things people are up to are quite frankly dangerous, and it needs to be stopped before it gets worse.
There are lots of ways to be an opposition party, and I know I’ve been clear I’m no fan of Democratic policies, and I do support GOP candidates with dollars and words.
But this is ridiculous: I can’t excuse a US Representative saying that the census could be a plan to round us up and put us in camps.
[…] presents A Quick Guide to Right-Wing Extremism on the Web posted at Rethink.. Hmm..guess I have issues given some of the names on your list. I think some […]
Democrat = Republican = Big Government
But it is nice to think you have a choice, though. But you do have a choice, of course: Heads or Tails? Flip sides of the same coin is still the same coin.
The only difference is the rhetoric, not the actions.
But at least that give something for sleeple to argue about.