“READERS FORUM” MARCH 17, 2019

1. Right-Wing ‘Rage Explosions’ And ‘Demented Anger’ Show The GOP Is The Real Party Of Snowflakes

   New York Times columnist Paul Krugman is best known for his economic analysis and his advocacy for broadly left-wing policies. But in his time as a public thinker, he’s also become a sharp analyst and critic of the right wing, and in a new column, he skewered the conservative impulse to be outraged about the most trivial and absurd perceived affronts.

   As Exhibit A, Krugman pointed to the following bizarre outburst from Rep. Devin Nunes (R-CA), who has been one of President Donald Trump’s most vigorous protectors:

   “At restaurant tonight waitress asks if we want straws. Says she has to ask now in fear of “THE STRAW POLICE”. Welcome to Socialism in California”

   “If this seems like a weird aberration (he wasn’t even denied a straw, just asked if he wanted one) you need to realize that rage explosions over seemingly silly things are extremely common on the right. By all accounts the biggest applause line at the Conservative Political Action Conference, eliciting chants of ‘U-S-A, U-S-A!’ was the claim that Democrats are coming for your hamburgers, just like Stalin” is pointed out by Krugman

   Another recent example of this kind of reaction was the conservative backlash against the “Captain Marvel” move because, horror of horrors, it stars a female lead who espouses some feminist ideas

   “The point is that demented anger is a significant factor in modern American political life, and overwhelmingly on one side. All that talk about liberal ‘snowflakes’ is a projection by the right-wing. If you really want to see people driven wild by tiny perceived slights and insults, you’ll generally find them on the right. Nor is it just about racism and misogyny. Although these are big components of the phenomenon, I don’t see the obvious connection to hamburger paranoia” is an apt analysis by Krugman

   Indeed, many of the conservative attacks on liberals and the rest of society often function in exactly this way. They accuse their perceived opponents of displaying their own worst vices, whether its corruption, hypocrisy, neuroticism or bigotry. When they say the mainstream media is in bed with the Democratic Party and hopelessly ideological, what they really mean is that they think (falsely) that it is the mirror image of Fox News

   This isn’t a minor observation about the conservative movement or the Republican Party. Supporters of Trump in 2016 often cited his “political incorrectness” as one of his most appealing traits, basically a catch-all term for someone who embodies this kind of “rage-filled pettiness.” Krugman careful to say that not every conservative or Republican is driven by these motivations. But the overblown reaction to minor issues is a powerful force within the party, and it’s not clear how it will get any better

   • Uh Oh, RR’s Mom ungrounded him/her/unidentified from the internet.

2. Who Are The Real Thugs In America? Right-Wing Terror And The Trump Era

   Last month, Christopher Paul Hasson, a lieutenant in the United States Coast Guard, was arraigned in U.S. District Court in Maryland

   Hasson is a white supremacist and neo-Nazi. According to the court filing, his plan was to commit mass murder in order to start a “race war” per his right-wing inspirations. His targets were prominent Democrats and members of the “liberal” media. Hasson had amassed a significant arsenal that included thousands of rounds of ammunition, 15 assault rifles, and other firearms. As indicated by his Internet search history, Hasson’s right-wing terrorist campaign was closely allied to his support for Donald Trump. He had searched such terms as “what if trump illegally impeached” and “civil war if trump impeached”

   There are questions that are rarely asked when white men plan or commit acts of mass murder and domestic terrorism. How and where was this person “radicalized”? What news media and other sources of information did he consume? Did his religion lead him to do this? What values were taught in his home? When will leaders of the “white community” speak up and denounce such acts? Is there a culture problem in White America? Should people whose actions resemble Hasson, or who share his values, be barred from entering the country?

   Trump has issued a perfunctory comment about Hasson’s arrest without directly condemning him. Why should he be expected to? Trump is an instigator of this violence. Foot soldiers such as Hasson see themselves as following through on Trump’s commands and encouragements. When Trump repeatedly declares the free press and the Democratic Party to be the enemies of the people, he is engaging in what is known as “stochastic terrorism” or scripted violence. Through that strategy, Trump and the right-wing media can beat the drums of violence and then deny responsibility for an outcome they encouraged

   Trump is sadly accounted as a hero and champion by neo-Nazis and other white supremacists. As former Republican National Committee chairman Michael Steele observed last month “Why would we be surprised that a self-proclaimed nationalist would not speak out against a self-proclaimed white nationalist? These are his people. And he’s not going to thank law enforcement because he’s probably not happy about what law enforcement did”

   Hasson is part of a larger cultural problem in America in the age of Trump. A new report from The Southern Poverty Law Center suggests that there are now a record number of hate groups in America that are rapidly increasing in numbers, stating that:

   “The numbers tell a striking story that this president is not simply a polarizing figure but a radicalizing one. Rather than trying to tamp down hate, as presidents of both parties have done in the past, Trump elevates it with both his rhetoric and his policies. In doing so he’s given people across America the go-ahead to act on their worst instincts”

   Trump’s ascent to power has been accompanied by an increase in hate crimes and other violence targeting nonwhites, Muslims, Jews, gays and lesbians and other groups that Trump and his followers deem to be the “Other” enemy. Hasson may not have belonged to an organized conspiracy, but he is not a “lone wolf” either. He is but one member of a dangerous rogues’ gallery of right-wing domestic terrorists in Trump’s America

   But who are the real thugs in America? By his own admission, Trump is a sexual predator. He later claimed that was idle boasting. No one believes him. He has likely engaged in criminal behavior, including tax fraud and other financial crimes. Public evidence points toward the compelling conclusion that Trump and his inner circle likely conspired with a hostile foreign power to manipulate the 2016 presidential election

   Trump behaves like a Mafia crime boss who uses threats, bullying and other means of intimidation to secure loyalty and to punish any person who dares to challenge him. In keeping with his thuggish values and behavior, Donald Trump has placed people in the highest levels of the American government who are manifestly corrupt and will do anything to aid and abet his illegitimate regime for their personal profit while they assault American democracy

   Donald Trump and other elite white men who share his values and do his bidding (along with others who may not be white or male) are the real thugs in America. But just because “white” and “thug” are rarely placed together in American public discourse, that does not lessen the accuracy. For many people, to make such a linkage is incomprehensible, unimaginable, offensive and rage-inducing

   To our own detriment as a country and a people, we do not call Donald Trump and his more violent supporters dangerous thugs

   But that’s what they are

   https://www.splcenter.org/news/2019/02/19/hate-groups-reach-record-high

   • New Zealand Mosque Shooter Claimed to be a ‘Socialist Eco-Fascist,’ Hated Conservatives
     The man who killed 50 in two mosque attacks in New Zealand proclaimed himself to be a socialist eco-fascist and said he hated conservatives, a deeper look into his life reveals.

     As the media continues to try and blame conservatives in the U.S. for the mosque killer’s rampage, he proves the lie to that effort with his own words, reports find.

     The killer said he identified with historical figures like WWII Italian fascist Benito Mussolini and even wrote that he was glad that “conservatism was dead.”…

     The killer also said that the country that comes closest to his ideal of the perfect system is Communist China.

     As to conservatism, the killer wrote about how happy he was that conservatism was “dead.”…

     Despite the media’s effort to claim that this murderer is a member in good standing of the American conservative movement, he himself rejected that appellation and proved to despise conservatism.

     But don’t let truth stop the American media from spreading its lies.

     The media has spent two days, now, blaming African American conservative activist Candace Owens, Donald Trump, and Breitbart News for the horrendous murders in New Zealand. The only person the liberal media didn’t blame is the shooter himself.

     https://godfatherpolitics.com/new-zealand-mosque-shooter-claimed-to-be-a-socialist-eco-fascist-hated-conservatives/

     • New Zealand Mosque Shootings: How Trump and US Racism Contributes To Hate Around World

       The horrific, racist attack on two New Zealand mosques that killed at least 50 people was fueled by xenophobic, ethno-nationalistic and anti-immigrant feelings that seem to be rising worldwide, a tide of hatred that is taking many of its cues from the United States

       The movement is being led by a small but vocal group of Americans who have sought to craft a narrative that white racial identity is in danger. In an interconnected, Internet-enabled globe, their ideas migrate very quickly from one continent to another. The United States is the epicenter of the world in terms of how white identity is seen

       The New Zealand attack comes after recent racial violence in the United States. Domestic extremists killed at least 50 people in the United States in 2018, making it the fourth deadliest year for extremist-related killings since 1970, according to the Anti-Defamation League. White supremacists committed the majority of the murders in 2018

       In 2017, violent clashes between counterprotesters and white nationalists in Charlottesville, Virginia, led to injuries and a death, making the college town synonymous with racial unrest and amplifying the message of white nationalists. More recently, a gunman opened fire in October inside a Pittsburgh synagogue, shouting hate for Jews and killing 11 people during the 20-minute attack. Authorities say the gunman had made anti-immigrant posts on social media

       “Modern white supremacy is an international threat that knows no borders, being exported and globalized like never before. The hatred that led to violence in Pittsburgh and Charlottesville is finding new adherents around the world. Indeed, it appears that this attack was not just focused on New Zealand. It was intended to have a global impact” ” says ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt

       The brazen attack in the town of Christchurch began with social media announcements from the killer that he soon would be streaming his rampage. A 17-minute video stream of horror then unfolded on Facebook in which dozens of worshippers at two mosques were massacred with high powered weapons indiscriminately

       A hate-filled manifesto written by the New Zealand attacker included references to the Second Amendment, with the gunman writing that he hoped conflicts over firearms would eventually lead to the United States splitting along political, cultural and racial lines. He also wrote that he supports Trump “as a symbol of renewed white identity”

       In a news conference Friday, Trump said he did not see rising white nationalism by saying “I don’t really, I think it’s a small group of people”

       There is world awareness of vitriol that’s coming out of many United States-based alt-right websites and other media sources, where racial epithets and statements disparaging Hispanics, women, Muslims, African-Americans and Jewish people run rampant

       The attack in New Zealand reflects a growing maturation of the white nationalist movement globally, which increasingly appears to be taking its inspiration from attackers in the United States. Extremists in other parts of the world are now taking their cue from the increase in violence here in the United States

       Richard Cohen, president of the Southern Poverty Law Center, said the New Zealand attacker’s alleged manifesto bears the “unmistakable fingerprints” of the alt-right.

       “We (and that includes policymakers and the law enforcement community) must begin to view what we call ‘domestic terrorism’ through a global lens, just as we do the threat of groups like ISIS, because the growing white supremacist movement represents a clear and present threat to democracies across the world”

       New York University researcher Fred Garcia said the language used by Trump has had a direct impact on inspiring individuals to commit acts of violence. Trump has also called Mexicans rapists and suggested there were “people that were very fine people, on both sides” in Charlottesville, where white nationalists carried Nazi flags and chanted “Jews will not replace us”

       “We are seeing a growing number of people who are never on any terrorist watchlist suddenly commit these acts and they often directly use language that has been a staple of Trumps rhetoric, such as calling immigrants invaders”

       Trump’s inflammatory language around the so-dubbed caravans of immigrants heading to the southern border, which he has often described as an invasion, is an example of what extremists respond to with action. In Pittsburgh, the man who killed 11 people at the Tree of Life synagogue posted on social media that Jews were bringing in an invasion of nonwhite immigrants and that he couldn’t “sit by and watch my people get slaughtered”

       It’s time for political leaders to hold Trump accountable

       https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2019/03/15/new-zealand-christchurch-mosque-shootings-linked-u-s-racism/3175272002/

3. Get this: left wing kooks now claim supporting the border wall means you are a white supremacist, and the media will carry their water. Next to come, if you don’t support open borders you are a white supremacist. If you believe the cycles of the sun affect earth’s climate more than your riding lawnmower, white supremacist. Eat meat, white supremacist. Like fishing, white supremacist. Oppose illegal aliens voting, white supremacist. Oppose killing unborn children, proof positive you are a dangerous white supremacist and threat to liberals everywhere.
   ……………………………

   Sunday on CNN’s “State of the Union,” Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) said those who support President Donald Trump’s travel ban from high-risk countries and building a wall on the U.S. Mexico border are following the white supremacy agenda.

   https://www.breitbart.com/clips/2019/03/17/tlaib-supporters-of-border-wall-are-following-a-white-supremacy-agenda/

4. Nolte: Houston Library Allowed Sex Offender to Read to Kids During Drag Queen Storytime

   https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2019/03/16/nolte-houston-library-allowed-sex-offender-to-read-to-kids-during-drag-queen-storytime/

5. Trump 2020 and Pence 2024

6. ohhhhhhhhhhhh noooooooooo malik…………..LMAO………http://www.theamericanmirror.com/all-in-the-family-barack-obamas-brother-asks-if-michelle-is-michael/

7. Trump Blasted For Refusing To Say The Term ‘White Supremacist Terrorism’ After Latest Attack By A Trump Supporter

   Trump is getting slammed for refusing to use the term “white supremacist terrorism” following the attacks on Mosques in New Zealand that left fifty people dead, considering terrorism by white nationalists is on the rise in America and around the world

   “Trump is about what helps him personally. Politically he needs white supremacists. It’s worse than him not condemning it, he has ginned it up in this country” as pointed out by political analyst Dean Obeidallah. “I would like him to say clearly that he stands with Muslims and I despise white supremacist terrorism. That’s because during his campaign, he said we must say radical Islamic terrorism, because if you don’t say it, you can’t solve it. Trump has not said the words white supremacist terrorism”

   CNN anchor Ana Cabrera asked national correspondent Sara Sidner what white nationalists hear in Trump’s words, and she accurately pointed out that it’s pretty clear that what they hear is support from Trump

   “Even though, every now and then, Trump will condemn the actions of white nationalists, neo-Nazis, white supremacists, there’s always a hesitation there. Like when he talked about both sides during the Charlottesville argument. The right-wing white supremacist people saw that as “We know he can’t overtly support us, but we feel supported by the things he says, the people he retweets, the word choice he uses that are similar or the same” as the rest of the right-wing white nationalists. They hear Trump comment like the way they put things and talking white genocide

   “White nationalists, neo-Nazis, KK members are all looking for signs. They know that being overt about it, you will get condemned. Being covert about it and trying to send signals, that’s how they feel, they have been sent a signal from Trump, who talks in terms of invaders when talking inference and immigration”

   “He used the word invaders. What we see in this so-called manifesto from the New Zealand right-wing white supremacist is that 67 times the word invade or invaders or invasion was used. You can see the words used. People are reacting to what the president of the United States is saying”

   Trump watches the news all day, and he should man-up and tweet: I denounce white supremacist terrorism

   But he won’t

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