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</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">an 12 21</font></div><div><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">&nbsp;former police captain was&nbsp;<a href="https://www.thedailybeast.com/former-houston-police-captain-anthony-aguirre-held-repairman-at-gunpoint-over-voter-fraud-conspiracy-cops-say" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">reportedly</a>&nbsp;paid more than $200,000 to “hunt ballots” for a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.thedailybeast.com/this-pro-trump-lawyer-was-a-rising-stop-the-steal-star-his-firm-erased-him" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">far-right group</a>&nbsp;to help aid former president Donald J. Trump in&nbsp;<a href="https://www.rawstory.com/trump-stop-the-steal-2656065834/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">securing the 2020 election</a>.</font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">New documents reveal that the pro-Trump fringe group Liberty Center for God and Country (LCGC), “led a lucrative fundraising blitz in the run-up to the election and quietly networked with now-notorious election denialists. Their work came to light in October of that year when<b>&nbsp;<a href="https://www.thedailybeast.com/mark-aguirre-ex-houston-police-captain-indicted-for-2020-voter-fraud-assault" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">former Houston Police captain Mark Aguirre</a>, 63, allegedly rammed his SUV into a man’s truck, forced the man onto the ground at gunpoint, and accused him of transporting 750,000 fraudulent ballots,”&nbsp;<em>The Daily Beast</em>&nbsp;reported. The driver of the truck was “an innocent air conditioner technician” named David Lopez-Zuniga.</b></font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>Aguirre was indicted this week for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.</b></font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“[Aguirre] crossed the line from dirty politics to commission of a violent crime and we are lucky no one was killed. His alleged investigation was backward from the start, first alleging a crime had occurred and then trying to prove it happened,” Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg said in a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.harriscountyda.com/former-houston-police-captain-charged-holding-repairman-gunpoint-bogus-voter-fraud-conspiracy" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">statement</a>.</font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>Aguirre never told police that he had been paid a total of $266,400 by the Houston-based Liberty Center for God and Country, with $211,400 of that amount being deposited into his account the day after the incident.</b></font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The case was investigated by the Houston Police and is being prosecuted by the Public Corruption Division of the Harris County District Attorney’s Office.</font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Aguirre’s claims of election fraud were found to be baseless after thorough investigation by Houston Police and by the Office Constable Precinct 1 Alan Rosen, as part of the Harris County Election Security Task Force.</font></p></div><div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">=</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">21 21 an&nbsp;&nbsp;<b>1/6 was practice</b></font></div><div><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Barton Gellman, a staff writer for The Atlantic, has an excellent track record when it comes to predicting the ways in which former President Donald Trump and his allies would&nbsp;<a href="https://www.alternet.org/2021/12/trump-coup/" target="self" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">assault U.S. democracy</a>. Before the United States’ 2020 presidential election, Gellman predicted that Trump would&nbsp;<a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2020/11/how-trump-could-attempt-coup/616954/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">attempt a&nbsp;coup d’état</a>&nbsp;if he lost to now-President Joe Biden —which is exactly what happened. And Gellman is now warning that Trumpistas will be better equipped to pull off a coup in the 2024 election; the journalist discussed that warning during a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow/watch/trump-s-propaganda-ecosystem-priming-supporters-for-violence-gellman-128078917725" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">December 7 appearance</a>&nbsp;on Rachel Maddow’s MSNBC show.</font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Maddow and Gellman’s appearance on Maddow’s show followed the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2022/01/january-6-insurrection-trump-coup-2024-election/620843/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">December 6 publication</a>&nbsp;of an article headlined “<b>Trump’s Next Coup Has Already Begun” on The Atlantic’s website.</b>&nbsp;That article is also available as a cover story in the January/February 2022 issue of The Atlantic’s print edition.</font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Describing Gellman’s reporting as “terrifying,” Maddow asked Gellman to discuss the possibility of Republicans “throwing out thousands, if not millions, of votes in the 2024 election.”</font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Gellman told Maddow,&nbsp;<b>“I think it’s very real. I’m personally, just as a citizen, very worried about it. I think you have people who are bound and determined not to allow Republicans to lose another national election — and not to allow Trump to lose another election. And they are giving themselves permission to do it.”</b></font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">The journalist went on to say, “They are characterizing the Democrats as tyrants, as thieves of an election who actually stole the presidency, as communists, as people who hate America — and they couldn’t discuss it with any more extremity than they’re doing. When you do that, you give yourself permission to take all kinds of steps in opposition. I mean, if you have an existential threat to the United States of America — which is what Republicans are saying about Biden — then what remedy would not be allowed to you?”</font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 153, 0);">Maddow asked Gellman why the “openness to violence” among “Trump supporters” has been “growing worse,” and he responded, “I think there’s a strong ongoing message that is amplified thousands of times by the&nbsp;<b>whole ecosystem on the right that is a propaganda ecosystem,</b>&nbsp;and it is telling people that someone stole the election from them — that the Democrats are destroying the country, that more and more so-called evidence proves these things. And yeah, I think there’s this very large mass of Trump supporters who believe both that Biden is an illegitimate president who stole the office, and that&nbsp;<b>violence is justified.</b>”</font></p></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></div></div></div><div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">=</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">an&nbsp;</font></div><div><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>The strangest thing about Donald Trump and the GOP's increasingly&nbsp;<a href="https://www.salon.com/2021/11/22/the-line-between-right-wing-trolling-and-violence-is-collapsing/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">open embrace of political violence</a>&nbsp;is how&nbsp;<em>unnecessary</em>&nbsp;it is, even by the right's own grotesque standards.</b></font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>Ever since Trump's failed coup that culminated in the January 6 insurrection, Republicans have been carefully laying the groundwork for a bloodless destruction of democracy.&nbsp;</b>They've&nbsp;<a href="https://www.salon.com/2021/09/04/georgia-gop-called-shameless-for-trying-to-use-new-voting-law-to-oust-local-election-officials/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">commandeered election offices</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.salon.com/2021/11/24/wisconsin-wants-to-seize-control-of--and-even-send-commissioners-to-jail/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">filled them with Trump lackeys</a>&nbsp;<a href="https://www.salon.com/2021/11/17/fbi-raids-home-of-lauren-boeberts-ex-campaign-manager-in-colorado-tampering-probe/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">eager to break the law for their leader</a>. They've&nbsp;<a href="https://www.salon.com/2021/11/16/already-has-enough-safe-seats--through-redistricting-alone--to-win-back-in-22/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">gerrymandered elections so that Republicans "win" even when Democrats</a>&nbsp;have strong majorities. And they&nbsp;<a href="https://www.salon.com/2021/03/27/conservative-groups-are-writing-gop-voter-suppression-bills---and-spending-millions-to-pass-them/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">toss on a robust amount of voter suppression</a>&nbsp;so Democrats can't get to the polls in the first place. Even Trump's path to retaking the White House despite quite likely losing in 2024 is laid out without the need to fire a single gunshot:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.salon.com/2021/10/13/would-rather-end-democracy-than-turn-away-from-trump-says-harvard-professor/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">Republican-controlled state legislatures and Congress could nullify the vote in districts Joe Biden wins</a>&nbsp;and throw the election to Trump.</font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 153, 0);">"Democracy's primary assailants today are not generals or armed revolutionaries,"&nbsp;<a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2021/07/democracy-could-die-2024/619390/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">Harvard political scientists Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt explained in The Atlantic</a>, but rather politicians "who eviscerate democracy's substance behind a carefully crafted veneer of legality and constitutionality."</font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>But even though a bloodless fascist takeover is in the works,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.salon.com/2021/11/15/from-kyle-rittenhouse-to-steve-bannon-now-openly-embrace-violent-fascism/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">Trump and other leaders of the Trumpist movement&nbsp;</a>have spent the past years ratcheting up enthusiasm on the right for political violence. For months,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.salon.com/2021/06/21/the-mythologizing-of-jan-6-from-fox-news-whining-to-ashli-babbitts-martyrdom/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">Trump and his allies have been trying to rewrite the narrative of January 6</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.salon.com/2021/11/22/two-longtime-fox-news-contributors-quit-over-tucker-carlson-special-it-will-lead-to-violence/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">casting the insurrectionists as heroes</a>&nbsp;<a href="https://www.salon.com/2021/07/11/ashli-babbitt-as-the-21st-century-horst-wessel-symbolic-martyr-to-the-fascist-cause/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">and martyrs</a></b>. Now, in the wake of the acquittal of Kyle Rittenhouse — who shot three people, killing two, at a Black Lives Matter protest in August 2020 — they're doing the same. Rittenhouse is cast on the right as a noble hero, instead of what he is, an&nbsp;<a href="https://www.salon.com/2021/11/19/kyle-rittenhouse-verdict-just-what-the-right-needs-to-create-a-thousand-more-like-him/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">unsettling creep who had no business swinging an AR-15</a>&nbsp;around in a volatile situation.</font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">As soon as the trial was over, Fox News host&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/justinbaragona/status/1462952710047678464" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">Tucker Carlson brought Rittenhouse on for an interview</a>, praising him as "the kind of person would you want many more of in your country." (As a reminder,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2021/01/14/kyle-rittenhouse-proud-boys-bar/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">Rittenhouse was photographed in a Michigan bar in January</a>, partying with Proud Boys and flashing&nbsp;<a href="https://www.npr.org/2019/09/26/764728163/the-ok-hand-gesture-is-now-listed-as-a-symbol-of-hate" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">a white nationalist hand gesture</a>.) Trump also brought Rittenhouse to Mar-A-Lago to pose for pictures in front of a wall&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/atrupar/status/1463359668315635720" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">showily festooned with a photograph of North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un.</a>&nbsp;Trump called Rittenhouse — who shot and killed Joseph Rosenbaum, 36, and Anthony Huber, 26 — a "nice young man."</font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Trump and Carlson are doing this, even though they know full well that it's e<b>ncouraging more insecure men to view political violence as a way to ameliorate their own gnawing fears of mediocrity. Indeed, manipulating men into committing violence appears to very much be the point</b>.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2021/11/trump-domestic-terrorism-january-6/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">As Mark Follman wrote in Mother Jones last week</a>, "Trump has made freshly evident, in other words, that&nbsp;<b>he is serving as the inspirational leader for a domestic terrorism movement."</b></font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">But again, the question is&nbsp;why?</font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Most available evidence suggests that not only can Trump's desired fascist takeover happen without violence, it would actually be more likely to work if it was bloodless. The best weapon of the 21st-century autocrat is not violence, but demoralization — wearing down the opposition by making it seem there's no legal avenues to save democracy.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/22/opinion/american-democracy.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">As Michelle Goldberg explained Monday in the New York Times</a>, there's a "growing hopelessness born of a sense that dislodging Trump has bought American democracy only a brief reprieve," and the result is "progressives retreating into private life to preserve their sanity,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.salon.com/2021/10/15/democrats-hit-the-panic-button-is-it-too-little-too-late-for-joe-biden/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">a retreat that will only hasten democracy's decay</a>."</font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>Without violence, the Trumpist right can pretend their gutting of democracy is above-board and grind their opponents into a state of learned helplessness. Violence, however, makes it very hard to pretend that rising fascism is anything but what it is</b>. Without the Capitol riot capturing the public's attention, Trump's attempts to steal the 2020 election through bureaucratic corruption could have been shoved down the memory hole. Right-wing violence, on the other hand, is unambiguous. It solidifies the left's resistance instead of undermining it.</font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Part of the infatuation with violence is due to Trump's personality. Unlike his father,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2016/02/28/in-1927-donald-trumps-father-was-arrested-after-a-klan-riot-in-queens/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">who was arrested in a KKK riot in 1927</a>, Trump is a physical coward. He loves the idea of violence, however, and adores sending minions out to commit violence in his name. That was true when&nbsp;<a href="https://www.salon.com/2017/08/16/trump-the-far-right-and-the-fine-people-of-charlottesville-is-our-president-a-nazi-sympathizer/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">he praised rioting neo-Nazis as "very fine people" in 2017</a>, when&nbsp;<a href="https://www.salon.com/2020/06/09/trumps-trapped-in-his-own-bunker-of-fear-with-his-fan-base-of-right-wing-cowards/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">he sent cops to tear gas peaceful protesters in Lafayette Park</a>&nbsp;in 2020, and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.salon.com/2021/02/01/sorry-republicans-but-theres-no-way-to-acquit-trump-without-endorsing-his-insurrection/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">when he incited the Capitol riot in 2021</a>.</font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Trump likely understands that his most ardent followers also love violence and are also caught up in fantasies of beating and killing liberals — and of getting away with doing so.&nbsp;<b>An analysis from&nbsp;<a href="https://www.mediamatters.org/facebook/facebook-right-leaning-pages-dominate-conversation-about-kyle-rittenhouses-acquittal" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">Media Matters released Tuesday shows</a>&nbsp;that the Rittenhouse verdict was a traffic bonanza for right-wing pages on Facebook. Such pages got nearly 30 million interactions on November 19, an especially high number since the verdict was announced late on a Friday,&nbsp;<a href="https://sproutsocial.com/insights/best-times-to-post-on-social-media/#FB-times" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">which is usually a low traffic period online</a>.</b>&nbsp;The only other days these pages got more traffic were in response to January 6 and its aftermath, Trump's acquittal for inciting the riot, and Biden's inauguration. Notably, 4 out of the 6 highest traffic days were due to Trump and his allies exalting or inspiring political violence. Clearly, the base is really into the idea of cracking skulls in the name of Trumpism.</font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">To be certain, Republicans have other uses for political violence.</font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The beatification of Rittenhouse, like the tear-gassing of protesters in Lafayette Park, is about scaring progressives away from protest. That could matter if and when progressives take to the streets in response to efforts to steal elections. Cleaning house of honest election officials, to replace them with Trump stooges, is also being aided through violence,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.vox.com/22774745/death-threats-election-workers-public-health-school" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">as demonstrated by the number of election officials quitting rather than put up with death threats</a>.</font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">But mostly, the violence seems to be about motivating the Trump base. The idea of a bloodless fascist takeover doesn't really get the right-wing juices going. What fires them up is memes celebrating the deaths of political opponents. A lot of these folks have been spending thousands of dollars for years, even decades, building up arsenals. Destroying democracy through paperwork probably feels unsatisfactory. As&nbsp;<a href="https://www.mediamatters.org/charlie-kirk/pushing-election-lies-tpusa-audience-member-asks-charlie-kirk-when-they-can-use-guns" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">one man at a Turning Point event in October plaintively asked</a>: "When do we get to use the guns?"</font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Keeping these folks activated and engaged means dangling the fantasy of political violence. Trump and Carlson get that, which is why they're determined to turn Rittenhouse into a right-wing hero.</font></p></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">=</font></div></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">11 21</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Political violence is on people's minds now that Kyle Rittenhouse has been acquitted.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2021/11/19/kyle-rittenhouse-not-gulty-verdict-victory-some-disaster-others/8688203002/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">According to</a>&nbsp;USA Today, far-right groups celebrated last week's unsurprising verdict. "Kyle Rittenhouse is the hero we've been waiting for" was posted on the Gab profile for VDare, a self-consciously fascist organization headquartered in the foothills of Washington, Conn. The takeaway appears to be that it's now OK to shoot anti-racists as long as the shooting can be credibly characterized as "self-defense."</font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Protests broke out in Kenosha, Wis., where Rittenhouse traveled two summers ago to<b> "protect" property </b>while demonstrators, including some violent looters, protested the police murder of George Floyd. These newest protests were accompanied by a father-daughter duo carrying the same long gun Rittenhouse did. Instead of being white, though, they were Black. Instead of protecting property, they were protecting "anti-Rittenhouse protesters,"&nbsp;<a href="https://nypost.com/2021/11/21/armed-father-daughter-duo-seek-to-protect-anti-rittenhouse-protesters/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">said</a>&nbsp;the&nbsp;New York Post.</font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>Political violence is on people's minds. The right to petition the government for redress of grievances enshrined in the First Amendment seems to be running against the grain of the right to bear arms enshrined in the Second Amendment. After Rittenhouse's acquittal, anti-racists may feel it's too dangerous to petition. (The fascists are taking it to mean they can shoot first and often.) But some won't let the Second Amendment nullify the First. They'll arm up.</b></font></p><p style=""><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">When racists with guns meet anti-racists with guns, it's likely the results will be bad, bad, very bad.&nbsp;USA Today, citing a study by Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2021/11/19/kyle-rittenhouse-not-gulty-verdict-victory-some-disaster-others/8688203002/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">said</a>&nbsp;"armed protests are six times more likely to turn violent compared to protests where no guns are present." That study examined more than 30,000 public demonstrations over 18 months between January 2020 to June 2021.</font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">[READ:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.alternet.org/2021/11/trumptopia/" target="self" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">The dark Trumptopia we inhabit is the world science fiction warned us about</a>]</font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>Lead researcher Roudabeh Kishi told&nbsp;USA Today: "Oftentimes guns can kind of play a role with just increasing tensions. They're used as intimidation and kind of makes a tense environment even more tense. And so sometimes we'll see other types of violence breakout, not necessarily always a shooting," she said. "So it's like an indirect way arms can actually contribute to violence and destruction."</b></font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Political violence is on people's minds. Lee Drutman, a political scientist and New America fellow,&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/leedrutman/status/1463116765282639872?s=20" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">said today</a>&nbsp;that "violence is the alternative to politics<b>. By normalizing violence, we undermine politics."</b></font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">But what if political violence is normal? What if it should always be on people's mind. And what if our democratic politics is always already being undermined in some way by political violence. I suggest Rittenhouse's acquittal will not be the cause of future political violence. It is the effect of past political violence always already at work. We don't see it, though. Political violence is so normal it's practically invisible.</font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Political violence is the predictable consequence of democratic politics seeking to advance the cause of liberty, equality and justice for all coming into conflict with conservative politics seeking to maintain a social order in which white men rule American society with impunity.<em><strong /></em></font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><strong><strong><strong><strong><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">READ:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.alternet.org/2021/11/charlottesville-verdict/" target="self" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">Charlottesville defendants found liable for civil conspiracy and ordered to pay millions in damages</a>]</font></strong></strong></strong></strong></p><p style=""><strong><strong><strong><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 153, 0);"><strong style=""><em /></strong><em><em><em><em>Because democracy won't stop, and conservative politics won't stop, that means political violence is always already there. It's better to see Rittenhouse's acquittal not as a cause of future violence but, I think, as an inflection point after which private political violence goes public.</em></em></em></em></font></strong></strong></strong></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><strong><em><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>Private political violence? What we are seeing now, in the potential for armed racists to silence free speech through intimidation or murder, didn't come from no where. It started at home, in the family, especially between husband and wife. When women challenge "authority," when children challenge "authority," conservative politics does not turn to democracy as a means of resolving conflict. It turns to violence.</b>
</font></em></strong></em></strong></em></strong></p><p style=""><strong><em><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style=""><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">It also covers it up. When a husband hits his wife, when a father hits his kids, our discourse almost never calls it political violence though the maintenance of the man's authority over his wife and children is almost always the reason he hits his wife and children. We call it "domestic violence." We call it "child abuse</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">." <b>These terms are accurate but incomplete. </b>Suffering is a political problem in democratic politics. Suffering is a political goal in conservative politics. Without suffering — without punishment for those people who deserve to feel their pain — anything can happen. Even liberty, equality and justice for all.</span></font></em></strong></em></strong></em></strong></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><strong><em><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>Political violence has been growing acutely since we elected a Black president.</b> The violence was enabled by Republicans loosening gun laws after Barack Obama's reelection. The Supreme Court is considering whether to make carrying a firearm openly a constitutional right.<b> The NRA never gloried in mass murders. It did after Rittenhouse's acquittal. </b>The private political violence that inspired the nation's worst shooting massacres is inspiring the institutionalization of public political violence. Where that leaves democratic politics, God only knows.</font></em></strong></em></strong></em></strong></p></div><div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><strong><em><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></em></strong></em></strong></em></strong></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><strong><em><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></em></strong></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><strong><em><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">loss on kyle but&nbsp;</font></em></strong></em></strong></em></strong></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><strong><em><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">25 million $</font></em></strong></em></strong></em></strong></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><strong><em><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></em></strong></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><strong><em><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><a href="https://www.alternet.org/2021/11/charlottesville-verdict/" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none;">https://www.alternet.org/2021/11/charlottesville-verdict/</a></font></em></strong></em></strong></em></strong></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><strong><em><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></em></strong></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><strong><em><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>Returning a verdict against dozens&nbsp;of white supremacist leaders and organizations who organized Unite the Right, a Virginia jury has awarded millions in damages to nine plaintiffs who were injured in the violence during the chaotic rally that ended with a car attack by James Fields.</b></font></em></strong></em></strong></em></strong></div><p style="margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><strong><em><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">The defendants were found liable in four of six counts, including a Virginia state conspiracy claim that they subjected the plaintiffs to racial, religious or ethnic harassment or violence. But the mixed-race jury deadlocked on a major claim in the civil case against the organizers, whether they engaged in a conspiracy to commit racially motivated violence.</font></em></strong></em></strong></em></strong></p><p style="margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px;"><strong><em><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style=""><b style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">The plaintiffs presented evidence over the course of the four-week trial showing that the defendants meticulously planned the Unite the Right rally on the digital chat platform Discord.</b><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">&nbsp;</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">While the ostensible reason for the rally was to support two Confederate monuments slated for removal in Charlottesville,&nbsp;</span><a href="https://www.rawstory.com/charlottesville-nazi-trial-2655743224/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">t</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 102, 0);">he organizers' private communications revealed that their true inspiration was a violent rally four months earlier&nbsp;</span></a><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 102, 0);">in Berkeley, Calif. and that&nbsp;<b style="">they hoped to bait left-wing opponents into the streets, and as&nbsp;<a href="https://www.rawstory.com/charlottesville-trial-defendants/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="text-decoration-line: none; outline: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">primary organizer Jason Kessler</a>&nbsp;put it, "fight this shit out."</b></span></font></em></strong></em></strong></em></strong></p><p style="margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><strong><em><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 51);">The evidence showed that Kessler quickly reached out to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.rawstory.com/matthew-heimbach/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">Matthew Heimbach</a>, an avowed fascist and antisemite who led the Traditionalist Worker Party and had already organized a coalition of "hard right" white supremacist groups that included League of the South, the National Socialist Movement and Vanguard America. All the organizations sent members to Charlottesville, and the leader of Vanguard America wound up providing a shield to Fields before he drove his car into counter-protesters.</font></em></strong></em></strong></em></strong></p><p style="margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px;"><strong><em><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style=""><b style=""><a href="https://www.rawstory.com/richard-spencer-charlottesville-conspiracy-trial/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-line: none; outline: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">After securing a commitment from Spencer</a><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">&nbsp;— then the most famous figure in the alt-right movement that emerged on the coattails of Donald Trump's 2016 election — for the headlining speaker slot, Kessler wrote in a phone text: "We are raising an army, my liege, for free speech but the</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 153, 0);"> cracking of skulls, if it comes to it.</span></b><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 153, 0);">"&nbsp;</span></font></em></strong></em></strong></em></strong></p><p style="margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><strong><em><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b><a href="https://www.rawstory.com/charlottesville-trial-nazis/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="text-decoration-line: none; outline: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">The plaintiffs also presented evidence that Elliot Kline, both a lieutenant to Spencer and a leader of Identity Evropa, organized Unite the Right alongside Kessle</a>r.</b><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">&nbsp;Kline's former girlfriend,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.rawstory.com/ok-hand-gesture-meaning/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">Samantha Froelich</a>, testified that he was obsessed with exterminating Jews, saying he would "gas the kikes forever." Robert "Azzmador" Ray,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.rawstory.com/unite-the-right-testimony/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">a contributing writer for the neo-Nazi website Daily Stormer</a>, mentioned in a Discord chat in the month prior to Unite the Right that had "just got done with an hourlong chat with some of the organizers and I feel better about the thing. The plan is the same: Gas the kikes." After macing counter-protesters at the Aug. 11 torch march, Ray reported to his fellow neo-Nazis: "I personally literally gassed half a dozen kikes."</span></font></em></strong></em></strong></em></strong></p><p style="margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><strong><em><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>Counsel for the defendants argued that Fields car attack was not reasonably foreseeable or intended by the defendants, who anticipated only pushing and shoving, or, at most, fist fights, but the jury evidently didn't buy it. The defendants all testified that they did not know Fields and had not seen him prior to his appearance at the Aug. 12, 2017 rally.</b></font></em></strong></em></strong></em></strong></p><p style="margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><strong><em><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Plaintiff&nbsp;<a href="https://www.rawstory.com/charlottesville-trial-testimony/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">Natalie Romero</a>&nbsp;was injured in Fields' car attack, which left her with a fractured skull, a cleft lip, persistent headaches and trouble maintaining balance. Romero and co-plaintiff Devin Willis were among&nbsp;<b>a small group of University of Virginia students who linked arms around a statue of Thomas Jefferson during a torch march in which white nationalists made monkey noises at them and threw lit torches at their feet while macing, punching and kicking others. All the plaintiffs, who include a pastor, a landscaper, a paralegal who recently passed the bar exam, testified that they have been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder as a result of physical injuries or emotional distress.</b></font></em></strong></em></strong></em></strong></p><p style="margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><strong><em><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>As she and a dozen or so counter-protesters linked arms around statue,</b>&nbsp;Romero described the sound of the approaching torch marchers as "almost like thunder, like the earth was growling." She recalled that they chanted "Blood and soil" and "White power."</font></em></strong></em></strong></em></strong></p><p style="margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><strong><em><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">"There's another that I hate repeating," Romero testified. "I like, hear it in my nightmares. If my phone buzzes, I hear the same cadence, the 'You will not replace us.' That one is just so terrifying to hear the whole time."</font></em></strong></em></strong></em></strong></p><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><strong><em><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></em></strong></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><strong><em><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></em></strong></em></strong></em></strong></div></div><div><div><strong><em><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">=</font></em></strong></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">an 11 21</font></em></strong></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><strong><em><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>After the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.salon.com/2021/11/19/kyle-rittenhouse-acquitted-in-kenosha/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">acquittal of Kyle Rittenhouse on Friday afternoon</a>, right-wing trolls —&nbsp;<a href="http://www.salon.com/2021/11/19/be-armed-be-dangerous-celebrate-rittenhouse-verdict/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">many of whom are elected members of Congress</a>&nbsp;— were ecstatic at this prime opportunity to trigger the liberals.&nbsp;</b>Reps. Matt Gaetz of Florida, Madison Cawthorne of North Carolina, and Paul Gosar of Arizona — all Republicans more interested in trolling than governance —&nbsp;<a href="https://www.salon.com/2021/11/18/matt-gaetz-praises-kyle-rittenhouse-for-helping-the-country-offers-him-a-congressional-internship/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">made showily public offers of an internship to Rittenhouse</a>. Cawthorne even took it to the next level, instructing his supporters to "be armed and dangerous."&nbsp;</font></em></strong></em></strong></em></strong></p><p><strong><em><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 153, 0);">Never one to be out-trolled,&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/mtgreenee/status/1462447643939033089" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia let loose</a>&nbsp;with some truly unhinged tweets about&nbsp;<b>"radical Marxists" who are trying to start "a race war,</b>" proclaiming that "gun rights are the only thing holding back the Communist Revolution the Democrats are waging."&nbsp;</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">And on the Senate side,&nbsp;</span><b><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Ted Cruz of Texas attacked the "corrupt</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 204, 102);">&nbsp;corporate</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">&nbsp;media</span></b><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">," skillfully targeting the very people he needs to amplify his message and get that sweet trolling attention.</span></font></em></strong></em></strong></em></strong></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><strong><em><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Right-wing pundits joined in on all the gleeful trolling, as well.</font></em></strong></em></strong></em></strong></p><p><strong><em><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Ann Coulter tweeted a meme equating Rittenhouse with superheroes, and Donald Trump Jr., forever trying and failing at being a Twitter wit, wrote, "The Rittenhouse jury just gave Biden his second colonoscopy of the day."&nbsp;</span><a href="https://wehuntedthemammoth.com/2021/11/20/kyle-rittenhouse-has-inspired-musical-tributes-and-theyre-cringey-as-hell/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">Multiple right-wingers on social media wrote songs to honor Rittenhouse</a><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">. On Friday,&nbsp;</span><a href="https://www.mediamatters.org/steven-crowder/youtube-steven-crowder-encourages-people-take-arms-against-protesters-its-not-only" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">popular and t<b>rollish YouTuber Steven Crowder</b></a><b style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">&nbsp;celebrated the verdict by insisting, "it's so wrong that we teach young men that violence is immoral,"</b><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">&nbsp;and encouraged viewers to follow in Rittenhouse's lead by taking up arms against Black Lives Matter protesters.&nbsp;</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Tucker Carlson,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.salon.com/2021/08/23/tucker-carlson-plays-dumb-on-tv--but-his-stupidity-is-strategically-weaponized/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">King of the Trolls</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/nov/22/kyle-rittenhouse-fox-news-tucker-carlson-interview" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">will host Rittenhouse on his Fox News show and insisted</a>&nbsp;that he's "not a racist person." This claim is impossible, of course, to square with the photos taken earlier this year in a Wisconsin bar&nbsp;<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2021/01/14/kyle-rittenhouse-proud-boys-bar/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">where Rittenhouse partied with Proud Boys and flashed white supremacist signs at the camera</a>.</span></font></em></strong></em></strong></em></strong></p><p><strong><em><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">All of these provocations worked as intended: They got attention and garnered liberal outrage. "Liberal tears" are the most valuable commodity in Republican circles these days, and nothing brings forth tears like senseless violence.</b>&nbsp;<span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">For those who subsist on liberal outrage, the dunks were easy and plentiful, because it turns out those silly liberals really do&nbsp;<a href="https://www.salon.com/2021/11/19/kyle-rittenhouse-verdict-just-what-the-right-needs-to-create-a-thousand-more-like-him/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">make frowny faces over the celebration of political violence</a>.</span></font></em></strong></em></strong></em></strong></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><strong><em><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The right is reacting to this verdict like they're sports fans whose team just vanquished a rival team in the Superbowl. The excitement on the right was palpable, but also measurable. As&nbsp;<a href="https://www.rawstory.com/conservative-groups-on-facebook/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">an analysis from Raw Story shows</a>, Facebook exploded with conservative celebrations of the verdict, with "18 of the top 20 most engaged page links in the world" originating with conservative American pages. And the pleasure of the moment was explicitly tied to joy over how upset liberals — or at least those perceived as liberals — were.&nbsp;<b>Right-wing figurehead Dan Bongino,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.facebook.com/dan.bongino/posts/470267917791607" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">who is reliably one of the most popular figures on Facebook</a>, posted a link claiming Chuck Todd "nearly cries" after the verdict. The post garnered over 3,000 shares and 68,000 reactions, the majority of which were the "laughing" emoji.</b></font></em></strong></em></strong></em></strong></p><p><strong><em><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">It's not just that this behavior is tasteless. It also illustrates how violence is the logical endpoint of the right-wing obsession with trolling liberals. If your goal is provoking a reaction, then violence is surely the most efficient way to do it.</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">&nbsp;</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 153, 0);">Unlike mean tweets and "fck your feelings" T-shirts, violence simply cannot be ignored. By celebrating this violence, congressional Republicans and right-wing media are openly inviting more of it, because the reward of upsetting people on the left is just so delicious. The distinction between right-wing trolling and violence is collapsing.</span></font></em></strong></em></strong></em></strong></p><p><strong><em><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">To be certain, the escalation of violence-as-trolling has been going on for a while now.&nbsp;<a href="https://pressrun.media/p/gop-violence-is-the-most-important" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">As Eric Boehler wrote in his Press Run newsletter</a>, "T<b>he flashpoints of Republicans and conservatives promoting political violence have become ceaseless, to the point of frightening normalization," to the point where polling data suggests "that&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/mehdirhasan/status/1460091461811253253?s=20" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">as many as 21 million Americans think that the use of force is justified&nbsp;</a>to restore Donald Trump to the presidency."</b></font></em></strong></em></strong></em></strong></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><strong><em><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Much of the month has been dominated by a story about&nbsp;<a href="https://www.salon.com/2021/11/08/congressman-tweets-anime-themed-video-of-him-alexandria-ocasio-cortez/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">Gosar tweeting out a fan-made video</a>&nbsp;that depicts him murdering President Joe Biden and Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York. The Democratic-controlled House responded to this unsubtle threat by censuring Gosar and stripping him of his committee assignments,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.salon.com/2021/11/17/rally-to-paul-gosars-side-refuse-to-support-vote-to-censure/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">but nearly all Republicans stood by Gosar</a>. The excuse used to defend Gosar's behavior was that he was&nbsp;<b>just trolling liberals for fun.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/republicans-gosar-trump-ocasio-cortez/2021/11/08/ead37b36-40ca-11ec-9ea7-3eb2406a2e24_story.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">Gosar's digital director even put out a statement saying</a>, "Everyone needs to relax. The left doesn't get meme culture. They have no joy."</b></font></em></strong></em></strong></em></strong></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><strong><em><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>However, right-wing "joy" is not mutually exclusive from violence.</b></font></em></strong></em></strong></em></strong></p><p><strong><em><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Gosar's tweet was<em>&nbsp;both</em>&nbsp;trolling to get a reaction from the left&nbsp;<em>and</em>&nbsp;a threat of violence.</b>&nbsp;<span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Trolling is a crucial aspect to both&nbsp;</span><b><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 153, 0);">amplifying&nbsp;</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">violent threats and helping conservatives hype each other up for more violence</span></b><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">. That's why&nbsp;</span><a href="https://www.salon.com/2021/11/17/paul-gosar-retweets-aoc-cartoon-video--minutes-after-being-censured-for-it_partner/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102); text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">Gosar doubled down by retweeting the video</a><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">&nbsp;minutes after being censured for it. The message is clear: If you love outraging the left, then violence is the swiftest way to do it.</span></font></em></strong></em></strong></em></strong></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><strong><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Even Rittenhouse's behavior prior to killing two people at a Kenosha, Wisconsin protest last year embodies this troll logic.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/17/opinion/kyle-rittenhouse-guns.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">As Farhad Manjoo of the New York Times observed</a>,&nbsp;<b>Rittenhouse's presence at the protest was clearly a provocation. Rittenhouse carried a showy AR-15 "in part because the rifle "<a href="https://edition.cnn.com/us/live-news/kyle-rittenhouse-trial-11-10-21/h_7d67fc793250f3de36a462ffd6bfd717" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">looked cool</a>," and the gun "seemed to invite conflict."</b>&nbsp;Popular right-wing troll Drew Hernandez was at the protest that night, and<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kMrOPEHdLXA&t=327s" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">&nbsp;testified in court&nbsp;</a>that, when some protesters saw Rittenhouse and other men with guns, "they immediately attempted to agitate them, to try and start some conflict with them."</font></em></strong></em></strong></strong></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><strong><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>In other words, Rittenhouse's AR-15 functioned both as a troll and as a deadly weapon. The distinction between trying to "trigger the liberals" and actually pulling the trigger on liberals collapsed completely the night Rittenhouse shot three people, killing two</b>. He certainly got what every right-wing troll wants, which is an outraged and dramatic reaction from people he perceived as liberals. The result was two dead bodies — and another opportunity for GOP leaders to troll some more, further reinforcing the idea that, for those who live for triggering the liberals, nothing works better to get a reaction than actual violence.</font></em></strong></em></strong></strong></p></div><div><strong><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">=</font></em></strong></em></strong></strong></div></div><div><div><strong><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></em></strong></em></strong></strong></div><div><strong><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>omfg</b></font></em></strong></em></strong></strong></div><div><strong><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></strong></div><div><strong><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><a href="https://www.alternet.org/2021/11/rittenhouse-2655770737/">https://www.alternet.org/2021/11/rittenhouse-2655770737/</a></font></em></strong></em></strong></strong></div><div><strong><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></strong></div><div><strong><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">no lnx pix req</font></em></strong></em></strong></strong></div><div><strong><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></strong></div><div><strong><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><strong><em><strong><em /></strong></em></strong></font></strong><div><em><strong><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><strong><em><strong><em>Rittenhouse verdict championed on right-wing social media as green light for killing protesters</em></strong></em></strong></font></strong></em></div><div><em>[Charlottesville "Unite the Right" Rally. Far-right Oath Keepers patrol Emancipation Park. Credit: Anthony Crider]&nbsp;</em></div><div><em>
</em></div><div><em><b>David Neiwert&nbsp;</b>and Daily Kos November 21, 2021</em></div><div><em>&nbsp; &nbsp;</em></div><div><em>The exultation on right-wing social media following Kyle Rittenhouse's acquittal has been sickeningly predictable: Mainstream conservatives loudly valorize Rittenhouse as a "hero," while more extremist voices, applying the same logic, demand that more Americans follow his footsteps—urging the likeminded to take to the street now to begin using guns to "<b>be like Kyle." They have even appropriated his name for their future plans, voiced in numerous celebratory threads: Any leftist protester shot by a right-wing "patriot" henceforth will have been "Rittenhoused."</b></em></div><div><em>
</em></div><div><em>As we forecasted, the acquittal is now a beacon-like green light granting permission to violent right-wing extremists to openly wage the kind of "civil war" against "the left"—which ranges from liberal Democrats like Joe Biden to the "antifa" bogeyman they have concocted—that they have been fantasizing about for the past decade. In the words of Charlie Kirk's interlocutor, it's the signal that now they "get to use the guns."</em></div><div><em>
</em></div><div><em><b>The bloodlust has been palpable. Online trolls celebrated that "it's Open Season on pedo-commies"</b><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 51);">&nbsp;and boasted that the verdict means "there's nothing you can do about it." A neo-Nazi channel on Twitter urged readers to "let this win fuel your rage." A fan of pseudo-journalist Andy Ngo commented in a retweet: "Every one of these anarchist criminal thugs should be shot in the street like the worthless dogs they are."</span></em></div><div><em>
</em></div><div><em><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 204, 102);">Far-right maven Ann Coulter posted a meme showing a gantlet of [marvel nazi nerd wet dr]&nbsp;&nbsp;<b>comic-book superheroes bowing to Rittenhouse</b>. On&nbsp;<b>Facebook, Ben Shapiro</b>&nbsp;framed any future violence as being left-wing: "The Left accepting the verdict in a peaceable manner remains the sizable elephant in the room.</span>"</em></div><div><em>
</em></div><div><em><b>The white-nationalist site VDare also extolled Rittenhouse's heroism:</b></em></div><div><em>
</em></div><div><em><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">This much is true: Kyle Rittenhouse is the hero we've been waiting for throughout the turbulent summer of 2020, where a Black Lives Matter/Antifa/<b>Bolshevik revolution</b>&nbsp;has our country on the brink of total chaos.</span></em></div><div><em>
</em></div><div><em>[Coulter-RittenhouseMeme.jpeg]</em></div><div><em>
</em></div><div><em>Matt Walsh of the&nbsp;<b>Daily Wire</b>&nbsp;blamed the media for there even having been a trial:</em></div><div><em>
</em></div><div><em><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">The verdict is right and just but Kyle Rittenhouse never should have been on trial at all. Now the<b>&nbsp;media will go to work, like the demons&nbsp;</b>they are, to ensure that Kenosha burns because they did not get their blood sacrifice.</span></em></div><div><em>Walsh then added:</em></div><div><em>
</em></div><div><em><b>I hope Rittenhouse bankrupts all of you dirtbags in media who smeared him as a white supremacist. [sue for libel based on verdict? // charlottesville ~ KKK case finished ]</b>&nbsp;I hope he ruins your life. I want you to suffer. It's what you deserve. It's justice.</em></div><div><em><b>
</b></em></div><div><em><b>Idaho legislator Tammy Nichols, a Republican, posted a meme featuring the Gadsden-flag "Don't Tread On Me" design, but with a graphic of Rittenhouse firing from a seated position as he did in Kenosha.</b></em></div><div><em>
</em></div><div><em><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 204, 102);">The Gun Owners of America (GOA)—a gun-rights extremist group headed by far-right militia figure Larry Pratt—joined in the celebration by announcing it was giving Rittenhouse a new gun.</span></em></div><div><em>
</em></div><div><em>Alert: GOA will be awarding Kyle Rittenhouse with an AR-15 for his defense of gun rights in America. Join us in saying THANK YOU to Kyle Rittenhouse for being a<b>&nbsp;warrior for gun&nbsp;<span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">rights</span>&nbsp;and self defense rights</b>&nbsp;across the country!</em></div><div><em>
</em></div><div><em>Other "<b>Patriot" Movement</b>&nbsp;extremists saw the verdict as vindication for vigilantism and militia organizing. The "Washougal Moms," a militia-friendly group from eastern Washington state, opined:</em></div><div><em>
</em></div><div><em><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Today the jury and legal system has reaffirmed our&nbsp;<b>rights</b>&nbsp;as citizens. The&nbsp;<b>second amendment&nbsp;</b>in all aspects, to form a</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 153, 0);">&nbsp;well regulated militia</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">, the right to bear arms in self defense, and</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 153, 0);">&nbsp;against&nbsp;<b>enemies&nbsp;</b>both foreign and&nbsp;<b>domestic</b>!</span></em></div><div><em>
</em></div><div><em>Kurt Schlichter, the right-wing troll with over 380,000 followers, taunted MSNBC's Mehdi Hasan, who had expressed concern about the double racial standard that the verdict reflects, on Twitter.</em></div><div><em>
</em></div><div><em><b>Your pain delights me</b>. Kyle Rittenhouse killed two leftist<b>&nbsp;catspaws&nbsp;</b>and bisected the bicep of another and t<b>here's nothing you can do about it.</b></em></div><div><em><b>
</b></em></div><div><em>A white-nationalist Twitter account called "Based Teutonic" celebrated the verdict by posting a fantasy that Rittenhouse would now embark on an&nbsp;<b>action-hero-like mission</b>—with the help of Judge Bruce Schroeder, who oversaw the trial in markedly biased fashion.</em></div><div><em>
</em></div><div><em>About to exit court room</em></div><div><em>Judge yells from behind:</em></div><div><em>Rittenhouse turns around</em></div><div><em>You forgot this</em></div><div><em>Tosses him his AR15</em></div><div><em>Credits roll, Eye of the Tiger plays</em></div><div><em>
</em></div><div><em>"Based Teutonic" wasn't alone in celebrating Schroeder's role in the verdict. On Telegram, a commenter in a&nbsp;<b>Proud Boys channel</b>&nbsp;observed:</em></div><div><em>
</em></div><div><em><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 204, 102);">Kyle's case shows how important is to have your guys in power on a local level. One vaguely conservative boomer judge made all of the difference in a monumental trial.</span></em></div><div><em>
</em></div><div><em><b>Other Proud Boys were more focused on their long-anticipated civil war. "There's still a chance for this country," wrote one. Another wrote: "The left wont stop until their bodies get stacked up like cord wood."</b></em></div><div><em>
</em></div><div><em><b>The Institute for Research and Education on Human Rights</b>&nbsp;<span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">monitored a number of far-right chat forums (particularly Telegram) following the verdict, and found an outpouring of extremist bile, much of it anticipating the ability to inflict lethal violence on "leftists," as well as Black&nbsp;<b>"parasites"</b>&nbsp;and, of course, Jewish people. A user called The Western Chauvinist commented: "The parasites are planning multiple 'protests' across the United States."</span></em></div><div><em>
</em></div><div><em>One user calling himself "Proud Boy To Fascist Pipeline" replied to one of these comments mocking Black leaders protesting the verdict as&nbsp;<b>"parasites</b>": "Your 17 year olds are already armed and terrorizing our neighborhoods, n----er."</em></div><div><em>
</em></div><div><em><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Fittingly, Charlie Kirk fans—following the example of his Idaho audience member—were focused on the violence: "Arm up and tell them fcking bring it!" one replied to predictions of leftist protests after the verdict. "Shoot these phukers," commented another.</span></em></div><div><em>
</em></div><div><em><b>Nick Fuentes' "Groypers" were also unbridled in their anticipation of gunning down their opponents. "The most American thing you can do is Killing Commies," opined one on the white-nationalist forum Gab</b>.</em></div><div><em>
</em></div><div><em><b>Another Gab user exulted with a meme showing Joaquin Phoenix as&nbsp;<span style="background-color: rgb(255, 204, 102);">The Joker, dancing:&nbsp;</span>"When you find out it's officially Open Season on pedo-commies.</b>"<span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 51);">&nbsp;Mocking "wannabe street thugs upset with the verdict," another Gab user replied, "you're gonna get Rittenhouse'd. Bitch."</span></em></div><div><em>
</em></div><div><em>Gab-OpenSeason.png</em></div><div><em>
</em></div><div><em>
</em></div><div><em>"Getting Rittenhoused" became a popular way of threatening leftists. After Ngo posted a handful of tweets from leftists angry about the verdict, hundreds of his fans piled on, making threats of violence against them. "Someone will Rittenhouse them too," one responded. Another replied: "I came here to say that!"</em></div><div><em><b>
</b></em></div><div><em><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 0);"><b>Antisemitism also was a common theme.</b>&nbsp;Right-wing troll Keith Woods, who has 23,500 followers on Twitter, declared after the verdict: "Huge L for the Jews." His followers piled on; one responded with a GIF meme of Gollum and the text, "Curse you goyim." Another replied, "hopefully they take an L in Charlottsville trial too. WHITE BOY WINTER!"</span></em></div><div><em>
</em></div><div><em>White nationalist Eric Striker was more explicitly antisemitic, as well as strategic, in his commentary:</em></div><div><em>
</em></div><div><em><b>Beating the Jews to the narrative as incidents unfold is more important than anything that happens in court.</b></em></div><div><em>Once you frame a story with the facts (and the facts have to be 100% accurate) and disseminate it with an effective propaganda network, Jews will struggle to challenge it once it's cemented.</em></div><div><em>
</em></div><div><em>Notorious white nationalist and antisemite Mike "Enoch" Peinovich put out a statement through his National Justice Party: "This victory for Kyle Rittenhouse over the&nbsp;<b>cosmopolitan elite forces</b>&nbsp;that plague the nation isn't only a victory for the young man himself, it's a victory for justice and for&nbsp;<b>all White people who take a stand,"</b>&nbsp;Peinovich said.</em></div><div><em>
</em></div><div><em>On Telegram, a white nationalist commented: "The victory of Kyle Rittenhouse over the<b>&nbsp;jewish forces that plague the nation</b>&nbsp;isn't just a victory for the man himself, it's a victory for justice, and for the masses of disenfranchised White people which populate the globe.</em></div><div><em>
</em></div><div><em>The neo-Nazi group White Lives Matter had this advice for its white-supremacist followers:</em></div><div><em>
</em></div><div><em><b>Don't let this one victory lull you back to sleep. That's what they want. They know small "victories" can placate the angry masses more than anything else. Instead let this win fuel your rage.&nbsp;</b>Never forget the simple fact that this clear-cut self-defense should never have gone to trial in the first place.&nbsp;<b>Muslim, Hispanic, and African invaders have raped millions of our women, WHITE women.&nbsp;</b>Their time of<b>&nbsp;terror</b>izing our People with 0 consequences is coming to an end. The Rittenhouse verdict is a single tick in the scoreboard on our side<b>. Our enemy doesn't have a scoreboard big enough for their victories. Fight harder, stronger, fiercer, and with the same remorse they have shown us. None. Get going, White man.</b></em></div><div><em><b>
</b></em></div><div><em>"This might be interpreted across the far right as a type of permission slip to do this kind of thing or to seek out altercations in this way, believing that there is a potential that they won't face serious consequences for it," Jared Holt of the&nbsp;<b>Digital Forensic Research Lab at the Atlantic Council</b>&nbsp;told NPR.&nbsp;<span style="background-color: rgb(255, 153, 0);">"I worry that that might end up being interpreted by some people as a proof of concept of this idea that you can actually go out and seek a 'self-defense situation,' and you'll be cheered as a hero for it."</span></em></div></div><div><em><strong><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></em></strong></em></strong></strong></em></div></div><div><em><strong><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></strong></em></div><div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><em><strong><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></em></strong></em></strong></strong></em></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><em><strong><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></strong></em></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><em><strong><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><a href="https://www.alternet.org/2021/11/ocasio-cortez-gosar/">https://www.alternet.org/2021/11/ocasio-cortez-gosar/</a></font></em></strong></em></strong></strong></em></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><em><strong><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></strong></em></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><em><strong><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></strong></em></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><em><strong><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">gosar censored for aoc kill anime, also biden; tired to blame staff? alt rt ploy&nbsp; just kidding? shooting bills in ads cliche si he just escalated to clainming that he was killing a rep/symbol of their policies [that are destroying am // scott perry freedom cock?]</font></em></strong></em></strong></strong></em></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><em><strong><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></strong></em></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><em><strong><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">pretty good speech:</font></em></strong></em></strong></strong></em></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><em><strong><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></strong></em></div><div><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><em><strong><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Rep. Paul Gosar of Arizona, a far-right MAGA Republican and conspiracy theorist who has never been shy about making&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnn.com/2021/11/17/politics/controversy-paul-gosar-congress/index.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">inflammatory remarks</a>, has been drawing&nbsp;<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/republicans-gosar-trump-ocasio-cortez/2021/11/08/ead37b36-40ca-11ec-9ea7-3eb2406a2e24_story.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">vehement criticism from Democrats</a>&nbsp;for posting a cartoon that depicts him murdering Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York City and inflicting harm on President Joe Biden.&nbsp;<b>He has previously been criticized for appearing at a conference organized by&nbsp;<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/gosar-racism-remarks/2021/02/27/64f8ffa4-7901-11eb-948d-19472e683521_story.html" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">white supremacists</a>.</b></font></em></strong></em></strong></strong></em></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><em><strong><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Many House Republicans, however, have been silent about the controversies. And Ocasio-Cortez, during a speech on the House floor this week, called them out them out for it.</font></em></strong></em></strong></strong></em></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><em><strong><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The congresswoman, during her speech, made it clear that a much more vehement response from House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy and other GOP leaders is needed.</font></em></strong></em></strong></strong></em></p><div class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="59248ff2d43e1c41130bdc3577f0125b" id="c1342" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 550px; width: 550px; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><blockquote class="twitter-custom-tweet twitter-tweet" data-partner="rebelmouse" data-lazy-tweet-id="1461056633807810562" data-twitter-tweet-id="1461056633807810562" data-twitter-extracted-i1637257855553397376="true" style="margin: 1em 40px 1em -5px; border-left: 4px solid rgb(11, 13, 101); line-height: 32px; padding: 10px 20px 10px 24px; width: 602.531px; background: rgb(245, 245, 245);"><div style="margin: 1em 0px;"><em><strong><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">AOC: "It's a sad day in which a member who leads a political party in the United States of America cannot bring themselves to say that issuing a depiction of murdering a member of Congress is wrong, and instead decides to venture off into a tangent about gas prices and inflation"pic.twitter.com/fi13Jb396s</font></em></strong></em></strong></strong></em></div><em><strong><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">— Justin Baragona (@Justin Baragona)<a href="https://twitter.com/justinbaragona/statuses/1461056633807810562" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">1637178021</a></font></em></strong></em></strong></strong></em></blockquote></div><div class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="1dc3400e9a9d6ecd510b09464c19551f" id="d40e2" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 550px; width: 550px; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><blockquote class="twitter-custom-tweet twitter-tweet" data-partner="rebelmouse" data-lazy-tweet-id="1461057856078286848" data-twitter-tweet-id="1461057856078286848" data-twitter-extracted-i1637257855553397376="true" style="margin: 1em 40px 1em -5px; border-left: 4px solid rgb(11, 13, 101); line-height: 32px; padding: 10px 20px 10px 24px; width: 602.531px; background: rgb(245, 245, 245);"><div style="margin: 1em 0px;"><em><strong><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">AOC: "Does anyone in this chamber find this behavior acceptable? Would you allow depictions of violence against women, against colleagues? Would you allow that in your home? ... And if it\u2019s not acceptable there, why should it be accepted here?!"pic.twitter.com/Bas9dS5dfo</font></em></strong></em></strong></strong></em></div><em><strong><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">— Justin Baragona (@Justin Baragona)<a href="https://twitter.com/justinbaragona/statuses/1461057856078286848" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">1637178312</a></font></em></strong></em></strong></strong></em></blockquote></div><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><em><strong><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Ocasio-Cortez told fellow House members, "What I believe is unprecedented is for a member of House leadership of either party to be unable to condemn incitement of violence against a member of this body. It is sad, it is a sad day in which a member who leads a political party in the United States of America cannot bring themselves to say that issuing a depiction of murdering a member of Congress is wrong…. What is so hard, what is so hard about saying that this is wrong?"</font></em></strong></em></strong></strong></em></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><em><strong><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><strong>READ:&nbsp;</strong><a href="https://www.alternet.org/2021/11/gop-theocracy/" target="self" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;"><strong>A growing threat is emerging from the theocratic wing of the GOP — but many liberals are missing it</strong></a></font></em></strong></em></strong></strong></em></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><em><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The Democratic congresswoman added, "This is not about me. This is not about Rep. Gosar. But this is about what we are willing to accept."</font></em></strong></em></strong></em></p><p><em><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 153, 0);">Gosar has maintained that the anti-AOC cartoon was meant to be a joke</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">, but Ocasio-Cortez stressed that depictions of murder should never be taken lightly.</span></font></em></strong></em></strong></em></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><em><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>"This nihilism runs deep," Ocasio-Cortez explained. "It conveys and betrays a certain contempt for the meaning and importance of our work here — that what we do, so long as we claim it is a joke, doesn't matter."</b></font></em></strong></em></strong></em></p></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><em><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></em></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><em><strong><em><strong><em><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">jihad squad:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.alternet.org/2021/11/rep-ilhan-omar-torches-lauren-boebert-following-bizarre-rant-on-house-floor/">https://www.alternet.org/2021/11/rep-ilhan-omar-torches-lauren-boebert-following-bizarre-rant-on-house-floor/</a></font></em></strong></em></strong></em></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><em><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></em></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><em><strong><em><strong><em><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">=</font></em></strong></em></strong></em></div></div><div><div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><em><strong><em><strong><em><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">=</font></em></strong></em></strong></em></div><div><em><strong><em><strong><em><font face="Times New Roman" size="4" style="background-color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">omg yikes</font></em></strong></em></strong></em></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><em><strong><em><strong><em><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></em></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><em><strong><em><strong><em><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><a href="https://www.alternet.org/2021/11/trump-2655520362/">https://www.alternet.org/2021/11/trump-2655520362/</a></font></em></strong></em></strong></em></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><em><strong><em><strong><em><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></em></div><div><em><strong><em><strong><em><font face="Times New Roman" size="4" /></em></strong></em></strong></em><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><em><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><strong><em><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><strong><em><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">no lnx</font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></em></strong></font></em></strong></font></font></em></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><b><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">'Barely concealed bloodlust': Claremont Institute laid out detailed plan for using cops to overturn Trump’s election loss</font></b></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">&nbsp;Travis Gettys and Raw Story November 08, 2021</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">&nbsp; &nbsp;</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><b><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The right-wing Claremont Institute published a report in mid-October 2020 that gamed out a scenario where Donald Trump would remain in office through an alliance between law enforcement and militant extremists.</font></b></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 204, 102);">The report was prepared by attorney John Eastman, who authored a memo laying out another strategy for keeping Trump in office, and former Trump deputy national security advisor K.T. McFarland, as well as Kevin Roberts, then-executive director of the&nbsp;<b>Texas Public Policy Foundation</b>, alt-right figure Jeff Giesea and right-wing blogger Charles Haywood,</span>&nbsp;reported The Bulwark.</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">"Despite the authors' pretensions to scholarship and rigor — 'for a simulation to be valuable, the other side gets a vote and actions must be based in realism' — the final document is a frenzied and paranoid piece of work, revealing of the anxieties and aspirations of the authoritarian right,"</b><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">&nbsp;writes columnist Christian Vanderbrouk. "Practically, the report is an instruction manual for how Trump partisans at all levels of government — aided by&nbsp;</span><b style="background-color: rgb(255, 153, 0);">citizen 'posses' of Proud Boys and Oath Keepers — could, quite literally, round up opposition activists, kill their leaders, and install Donald Trump for a second term in office."</b></font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 0);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Most of the predictions in the report, titled "79 Days to Inauguration," did not come to fruition, such as the authors' belief that some states' voting results would be fatally tainted by cyber attacks and suspicious fires, and left-wing mobs did not converge on Washington, D.C., to incite violence, and police did not execute antifa/Black Lives Matter leaders as part of a federal operation.</font></span></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><b><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">"A barely concealed bloodlust runs through the report," Vanderbrouk writes. "This isn't a serious wargame or a policy study so much as a bowdlerized retelling of The Turner Diaries."</font></b></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The report was produced in response to the bipartisan Transition Integrity Project's (TIP) exercise on "Preventing a Disrupted Presidential Election and Transition," which considered the prospect of Trump refusing to concede an election loss and made recommendations for avoiding a crisis -- which seems to be the opposite intent of the Claremont Institute's exercise.</font></span></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>"To the extent that the Claremont-TPPF report offers recommendations, they are mostly focused on how to emerge victorious from the chaos, including preparation 'for destructive urban unrest [with] potential targets includ[ing] ballot counting facilities, government buildings, especially state capitols and city halls, as well as television and radio studios,'</b>" Vanderbrouk writes<span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 0);">. "The Claremont task force seems either resigned to—or perhaps energized by—the view that 'prudent steps are likely to be spun as preparations for a military takeover or coup and may result in negative consequences either way.'"</span></font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">"Either way. It's as if they're steering into the violence instead of trying to avoid it," he adds. "The message is clear:<b>&nbsp;do whatever it takes to crush your opponents and all will be forgiven in the second Trump term."</b></font></div></div></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><div style=""><em><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></em></strong></em></strong></em></div></div></div><div><em><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></em></strong></em></strong></em></div><div><em><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></em></div><div><em><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" /></em></strong></em></strong></em><div><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">violence31021</font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></em></strong></font></em></strong></font></font></em></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">3/20 see main and bak =2</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">see 2nd civil war boogaloo</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">see sedition insurrection</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">SEE acceleration race war</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">see mass shooter</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">capt 920</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">html stigmatize</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">aha yikes kinda neglected tho everything i read today 10 29 21 --> 2nd civil race war WHEN DO WE GET TO USE THE GUNS?</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">aha-let: claim 1st amend is just cover for freedumb priviledge // PC cancel culture BS = ID victim = Powell Memo not level field</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">// lib lamestream media reality has leftwing bias</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">https://www.alternet.org/2021/10/law-professor-expertly-shuts-down-sen-ron-johnson-s-false-claim-that-social-media-biased-against-the-right/</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">no lnx twt</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
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</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Law professor expertly shuts down Sen. Ron Johnson's false claim that social media is biased against the right</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">&nbsp;Meaghan Ellis October 30, 2021</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">One law expert had a particularly insightful response to Ron Johnson's (R-Wisc.) arguments suggesting social media oversight typically tilts in favor of the left. During the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Government Affairs on Friday, October 29, Johnson shared his grievances about social media appearing to be more favorable for liberal media.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">However, Dr. Mary Anne Franks pushed back against Johnson's claims as she decimated his suggestion of liberal bias on social media platforms. Franks, a professor of law at the University of Miami School of Law and Michael R. Klein Distinguished Scholar Chair, masterfully explained how right-wing extremism is at the root of the problem and why right-wing content must be regulated.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">While she did acknowledge that Americans have a right to free speech, she also explained why it does not apply in this particular case.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">"Yes, we do have a First Amendment," Franks said. "We do have a right to free speech but we also know, of course, that private companies are not obligated under the First Amendment to take all comers. They are allowed to make their own decisions about what is considered to be high-quality and low-quality content. They can make any number of decisions and I think we would applaud them in many cases to make those decisions.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">In a hearing in the Senate Committee on Homeland Security & Gov Affairs today, @ma_franks had a sharp response to S… https://t.co/jqiJcjDNjv</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">— Justin Hendrix (@Justin Hendrix) 1635450216.0</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">She went on to pinpoint the real problem with right-wing content and why it appears to be censored more than left-wing content. In short, it has to be.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">"When it comes to the questions of conservative vs. liberal bias, this is not a notion that I am suggesting here. This is not about intuitions or impressions although I know that those can go in many different directions," Franks explained.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">She continued, "This is about what the data actually suggests. The data actually do indicate that right-wing content is more amplified on these social media platforms than left-wing content and that right-wing content is more disproportionately associated with real-world violence; not hurt feelings, people being upset but, in fact, actual violence, actual armed insurrections, actual notions of terrorism, and anarchy."</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">https://www.alternet.org/2021/10/qanon-holy-war/</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">travis raw 10 21 an</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">"passion of the Christ" actor Jim Caviezel blurred the line between himself and his most famous role during a blood-soaked speech at a QAnon conference, and a historian signaled his alarm.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The once-prominent actor gave an 18-minute talk, titled "The Storm is Upon Us," last week at the right-wing conference "For God and County Patriot Double Down" in Las Vegas, where he called on "fellow Christian warriors" to martyr themselves against demonic forces, and historian Thomas Lecaque put the speech into context in a column published by The Bulwark.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">"Caviezel does the bit that all the commentators have latched onto, performing Mel Gibson's speech from Braveheart," Lecaque wrote, "and we can laugh, but this is just yet another pulling of other words into a hodgepodge of pro-violence, pro-martyrdom, full-QAnon expression."</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The audience cheers the call to arms, which is made up of a hodgepodge of religious symbolism, conservative political bromides from Ronald Reagan and QAnon jargon, but Lecaque said the speech and the reaction it drew showed how badly some Americans want to kill their political enemies.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">"We can laugh about the Braveheart," wrote Lecaque, a history professor at Grand View University. "We can wonder what an actor is doing at a QAnon conference. But that ending? That ending is a crusade. That ending is the sacral blessing of the enterprise — fight for freedom, fight alongside God against your demonic foes, fight into the apocalypse QAnon believes in, an apocalypse that ends with the mass murder of your political and cultural opponents. And Jim Caviezel, JC, the actor who played Jesus Christ and whose speech blurs the lines between sacred and secular, acting and preaching, reality and fiction, walks off stage to applause, having called down the apocalypse upon their foes."</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Caviezel's speech has already been viewed hundreds of thousands of times on YouTube, so clearly there's an audience for his apocalyptic fantasies.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">"These talks are not harmless," Lecaque wrote. "These speeches are widely watched and listened to and disseminated. QAnon may have diminished as a distinct movement in the months since Q has fallen silent — despite the presence at the conference of both Ron and Jim Watkins, the people most likely responsible for creating the movement's mysterious pseudonymous central figure. But the spread of QAnon's message, especially in religious spaces, makes calls for sacred violence, for holy war, ever more dangerous. Especially if the messenger keeps promoting the possibility that he will once again take on the role of Christ.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
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</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">aha: the strong man deputizes mob/thugs to use force, usually monopolized by state: so now "patriots" wacko pickup truck with guns and bombs are "on patrol" at DNC? 9/21 j6 defense prez told me to be here/do this</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">https://www.alternet.org/2021/09/violent-oligarchy/</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">I'm sitting in my home office working on the next morning's Daily Rant when I hear what sounded like a man in my driveway yelling, at the top of his voice, "You fcking cnt!" and other female-specific obscenities. Walking to the window, I saw a guy in his 40s, red-faced, giving my wife the finger with both hands and cursing her out as he climbed into his car and squealed out of the driveway.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Louise, it turns out, had invited a local contractor to give us a bid on some repairs and she'd (very nicely) asked him, before letting him into the house, if he was vaccinated. He exploded and marched back to his car screaming curses at her.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">In all her years on this planet, including as CEO of three different companies, that was the first time in her life a man had behaved like such an ass toward her.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">In Tennessee a high school student testifies to a school board meeting that his grandmother has just died of Covid and he begs his school to mandate masks so his other grandmother isn't next; he's shouted down, laughed at and heckled by smirking, unmasked adults.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">On Jet Blue what's become a new rite of passage for flight attendants blows into life as a man screams obscenities when asked to leave the plane because he refused to properly wear his mask.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">In Tacoma, Washington a group of thugs goes looking for a fight when "antifa" fails to show up for the brawl the "Boys" had advertised. Undeterred, they march around town with clubs, flags and baseball bats looking for people to pick fights with until a local (not-antifa) man, apparently disgusted and feeling threatened by their behavior, finally pulls out a gun and shoots one of them in the foot (the story is still evolving; it's possible the guy shot himself in the foot).</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">In Ft. Collins Colorado a man harasses a group of women suntanning on the beach for wearing "pornographic" bathing suits, refusing to leave when they ask him to go away because, he says, "This is America!"</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Across the nation, hundreds of poll workers and election officials endure daily death threats and violent harassment just for doing their civic duty. And school boards are under daily assault in similar fashion.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">And these are just the stories from the past week.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">This continuous and increasing use of violence and threats of violence has become an epidemic across America since 2016 and it's not because of frustration with the pandemic.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">This is what happens in every country when it begins making the transition from being a democratic and generally polite and respectful culture into one that embraces authoritarianism or fascism.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">And it always starts from the top down: leadership sets the initial tone in countries, just like in companies and families.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">In our case, these people are imitating Donald Trump; our best hope is that President Biden's reasonable and compassionate example can help the nation turn against it, although Trump-imitating governors and other elected officials are making it very difficult.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The Republican leadership of Texas, for example, just legally embraced vigilantism against women, and a dozen GOP-controlled states are planning to follow suit this month. This is how it starts.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">In Hungary, roaming bands of thugs with torches threatened to burn the homes of Roma people as Viktor Orbán rose to power a bit over a decade ago.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">In The Philippines, President "Little Donald Trump" Duterte praised vigilantes roaming the streets with clubs and guns looking to beat or kill people "linked to drugs" including "more than 150 judges, mayors, lawmakers, police and military personnel" he viewed as political opponents. Duterte told his followers: "Please feel free to call us, the police, or do it yourself if you have the gun - you have my support."</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">In Russia roaming bands attack and kill suspected-LGBTQ people as the government's leadership ramps up otherizing language against its own citizens. Across former Soviet states advocates for democracy or gay rights are routinely hunted, beaten and often killed.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">As Mussolini came to power in Italy in the early 1920s his civilian vigilantes, known as Blackshirts for their garb of that color, took to the streets regularly. Historian Michael R. Ebner writes: "Thus, life for labor leaders became terror-filled, especially because Fascists did not limit their attacks to the public sphere. Nowhere was safe. Late at night, 10, 30, or even 100 Blackshirts, as these squad members became known, sometimes traveling from neighboring towns, might surround a home, inviting a Socialist, anarchist, or Communist outside to talk. If they refused, the Fascists would enter forcibly or threaten to harm the entire family by lighting the house on fire."</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">In Germany in 1921 Hitler organized a volunteer, unpaid civilian militia he called the Sturmabteilung (Storm Unit) who roamed across Germany looking for labor leaders, gays and Jews to beat up.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">In Brazil today roaming bands of thugs called "militias" beat and kill people they believe are political enemies of strongman and Trump imitator President Jair Bolsonaro. According to reporting in The Intercept and The Guardian, they're led by Bolsonaro's eldest son Flávio.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">In every case, around the world and throughout history, regular citizens were first surprised, then shocked, then intimidated, and finally dominated by the emerging authoritarian or neofascist movements led or encouraged by ambitious politicians in their nation.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">In every case, everyday interactions like traveling on a train, bus or airplane, hiring a contractor, or just walking through town became a minefield filled with unpredictable eruptions of threat, intimidation and violence.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">As Chicago reporter Milton Mayer wrote after returning from Germany just after World War II: "If I - and my countrymen - ever succumbed to that concatenation of conditions, no Constitution, no laws, no police, and certainly no army would be able to protect us from harm."</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">We are witnessing today in America the symptoms of a culture going through the early stages of transition from pluralistic democracy to violent oligarchy, as I lay out in far more detail in The Hidden History of American Oligarchy.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">It quite literally starts with "average people" randomly exploding and behaving like asses while political demagogues promote self-styled militias, lawlessness and vigilantism.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">We ignore or minimize them at our own peril.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Thom Hartmann is a talk-show host and the author of The Hidden History of American Healthcare and more than 30 other books in print. He is a writing fellow at the Independent Media Institute and his writings are archived at hartmannreport.com.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">2nd civil war BS?</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">https://www.alternet.org/2021/09/madison-cawthorns-home-town-newspaper-calls-for-republicans-to-stop-ignoring-his-dangerous-rhetoric-and-calls-for-violence/</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">big high blk truck bomer outside LOC 821</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">https://www.alternet.org/2021/07/terror-plot-election/</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">jon s salon</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Two California men disgruntled by Donald Trump's election loss have been charged by the Justice Department for attempting to blow up the California Democratic Party's headquarters in Sacramento.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The development, revealed in a newly unsealed indictment on Thursday, centers on Trump supporters Ian Benjamin Rogers and Jarrod Copeland, both of whom believed their attack would spark a "movement" to enlist an army of followers to their cause. Having settled on a plan of attack last December, Rogers asked his partner: "Do you think something is wrong with me how I'm excited to attack the [D]emocrats?"</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The plan developed over the ensuing weeks, prosecutors alleged.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">On January 4, just two days before the Capitol riot, Copeland told Rogers that he was excited to "become outlaws for real" if the 2020 election was certified in President Biden's favor.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Following the riot, Rogers sent Copeland a flurry of texts. "REVOLUTION," he wrote. "I'm f---ing juiced!!!!!" he said, adding: "I'm bout to throw my gear on and drive around and punish [sic] sombitces."</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">"Sad it's come to this but I'm not going down without a fight," Rogers later added. "These commies need to be told what's up."</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Days following their exchange on January 11, Napa County Sheriff's deputies arrested Rogers. Authorities seized between 45 and 50 firearms, including a number of assault rifles, machine guns, and three pipe bombs. Law enforcement also found approximately 15,000 rounds of ammunition.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">At Rogers' personal place of business, law enforcement found copies of "The Anarchist Cookbook" and a "Homemade C-4 A Recipe for Survival," as well as "U.S. Army Improvised Munitions Handbook."</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">This week, the FBI also arrested Copeland, who attempted to scrub his text exchanges following his friend's arrest. Prosecutors noted that Copeland had joined the military back in 2013, but was twice arrested for desertion. Following his "other than honorable" discharge from service, Copeland joined the Three Percenters, a far-right, anti-government militia – several of whose members were indicted by grand jury last June for participating the Capitol riot.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">"Copeland's membership in an anti-government militia, and his motivations for planning these attacks are relevant because they are not fleeting or the product of a single, but past, perceived affront," prosecutors said in court documents. "His sentiments are deeply felt and long-standing and reflect a [sic] believe that the government is illegitimate."</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Last October, one of the suspects involved in a failed plot to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer was determined to be the second-in-command of Three Percenters' Wisconsin branch. A Three Percenter was also arrested three years earlier over a failed plot to detonate a car bomb attack on a bank in Oklahoma City. The plan was inspired by the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">FROM YOUR SITE ARTICLES</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Six months later: What have we learned from Jan. 6? Not enough to ... ›</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">CNN's Chris Cuomo rips Bill Barr after shocking video surfaces ... ›</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Noam Chomsky slams 'liberal American intellectuals' for refusing to ... ›</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">RELATED ARTICLES AROUND THE WEB</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Belarus accuses 'Russian mercenaries' of election plot - BBC News ›</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Feds: White supremacy terror plot timeline tied to Trump election loss ›</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Armed men arrested near Pennsylvania Convention Center ... ›</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The Unforgiven': New indictment charges 16 in a white supremacist gang of murder and kidnapping</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Alex Henderson&nbsp; July 15, 2021</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">In the United States, the threat of White supremacist violence not only comes from national organizations like the Ku Klux Klan and the Aryan Nations, but also, from local groups. In Florida, according to NBC News...</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></div></div><div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><em><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></em></strong></em></strong></em></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><em><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></em></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><h1 class="widgetheadline h1" style="margin: 10px 0px 0px; padding: 0px; cursor: pointer; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><em><strong><em><strong><em><a class="widgetheadline-text custom-post-headline" href="https://www.alternet.org/2021/07/white-supremacists/" aria-label="'The Unforgiven': New indictment charges 16 in a white supremacist gang of murder and kidnapping" data-type="text" open="Open" sans="Sans" sans-serif="sans-serif" word-break="word-break" break-word="break-word" overflow-wrap="overflow-wrap" font-size="font-size" px="px" line-height="line-height" style="text-decoration-line: none; outline: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">The Unforgiven': New indictment charges 16 in a white supremacist gang of murder and kidnapping</font></a></em></strong></em></strong></em></h1><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><strong><em><strong><em /></strong></em></strong></font></em><div class="social-author clearfix" style="margin-top: 10px; display: inline-block;"><em><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><strong><em><strong><em><a class="social-authorname" href="https://www.alternet.org/author/alex-henderson" data-type="text" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s; overflow-wrap: break-word; line-height: 1.4; display: inline; overflow: hidden; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap; position: relative; vertical-align: baseline;">Alex Henderson</a></em></strong></em></strong></font></em></em></div><em>&nbsp;</em><div class="social-date" style="margin-top: 8px; display: inline-block; vertical-align: top;"><em>&nbsp;<span class="social-datetext" style="top: 3px; position: relative; line-height: 1; left: -3px;">July 15, 2021</span></em></div><div class="body js-expandable clearfix js-listicle-body css-listicle-body-2653793207" style="margin-top: 10px; -webkit-box-orient: vertical; text-overflow: ellipsis; overflow: hidden; display: -webkit-box; -webkit-line-clamp: 4; line-height: 31px;"><div class="body-description"><p style="margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">In the United States, the threat of White supremacist violence not only comes from national organizations like the Ku Klux Klan and the Aryan Nations, but also, from local groups. In Florida, according to NBC News...</font></p></div></div></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><em><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></em></strong></em></strong></em></div></div><div><div><em><strong><em><strong><em><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"></font></em></strong></em></strong></em></div><div><em><strong><em><strong><em><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">an 621</font></em></strong></em></strong></em></div><div><em><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">f<span style="font-family: " times="Times" new="New" roman="Roman" font-size="font-size" large="large">BI warns Congress of more possible QAnon violence targeting Democratic lawmakers</span></font></em></strong></em></strong></em></div><div><div><em><strong><em><strong><em><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">David Badash The New Civil Rights Movement&nbsp; June 15, 2021</font></em></strong></em></strong></em></div><div><em><strong><em><strong><em><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">The FBI has briefed members of Congress that QAnon "digital soldiers" may become violent and engage in more acts of domestic violent extremism, like the January 6 insurrection. In an unclassified version of the threat assessment delivered to top lawmakers in April the Bureau warns that Democrats may be targeted.</font></em></strong></em></strong></em></div><div><em><strong><em><strong><em><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></em></div><div><em><strong><em><strong><em><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Rather than walking away from the far right wing conspiracy movement that paints some top Democrats as part of a dark cabal of cannibalistic Satan-worshipping pedophiles being fought by Donald Trump, some QAnon cultists think "that individuals need to take greater control of the direction of the movement than before," CNN reports in an exclusive.</font></em></strong></em></strong></em></div><div><em><strong><em><strong><em><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></em></div><div><em><strong><em><strong><em><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">The shift is fueled by a belief among some of the conspiracy's more militant followers that they "can no longer 'trust the plan" set forth by its mysterious standard-bearer, known simply as "Q," according an unclassified FBI threat assessment on QAnon sent to lawmakers last week, which was obtained by CNN.</font></em></strong></em></strong></em></div><div><em><strong><em><strong><em><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></em></div><div><em><strong><em><strong><em><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><b>This might lead followers to seek to harm "perceived members of the 'cabal' such as Democrats and other political opposition — instead of continually awaiting Q's promised actions which have not occurred," according to the assessmen</b>t.</font></em></strong></em></strong></em></div><div><em><strong><em><strong><em><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></em></div><div><em><strong><em><strong><em><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">CNN also reports FBI Director Christopher Wray "made clear the bureau is not investigating" the QAnon movement, but only crimes committed by its adherents.</font></em></strong></em></strong></em></div><div><em><strong><em><strong><em><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></em></div><div><em><strong><em><strong><em><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">FROM YOUR SITE ARTICLES</font></em></strong></em></strong></em></div><div><em><strong><em><strong><em><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">'An idiocracy based on a digital prophet': QAnon longs for a fascist ... ›</font></em></strong></em></strong></em></div><div><em><strong><em><strong><em><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">How Fox News is now defending QAnon - Alternet.org ›</font></em></strong></em></strong></em></div><div><em><strong><em><strong><em><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">This QAnon supporter and Capitol rioter now says he was a 'victim ... ›</font></em></strong></em></strong></em></div><div><em><strong><em><strong><em><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">RELATED ARTICLES AROUND THE WEB</font></em></strong></em></strong></em></div><div><em><strong><em><strong><em><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">QAnon Is More Important Than You Think - The Atlantic ›</font></em></strong></em></strong></em></div><div><em><strong><em><strong><em><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">What Is QAnon? What We Know About the Conspiracy-Theory ... ›</font></em></strong></em></strong></em></div><div><em><strong><em><strong><em><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">How three conspiracy theorists took 'Q' and sparked Qanon ›</font></em></strong></em></strong></em></div></div></div><div><div><em><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></em></strong></em></strong></em></div><div><em><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></em></div><div><em><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">stabbing becomes routine?&nbsp; harder to detect, less legal risk?</font></em></strong></em></strong></em></div><div><em><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></em></div><div><em><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><a href="https://www.alternet.org/2020/12/proud-boys/">https://www.alternet.org/2020/12/proud-boys/</a></font></em></strong></em></strong></em></div><div><em><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></em></div><div><em><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" /></em></strong></em></strong></em><div><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">no lnx pix vids</font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></em></strong></font></em></strong></font></font></em></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><b><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">DC Cops meet Proud Boys' violent rampage with polite request to 'please stop'</font></b></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Image via Screengrab.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Lauren Floyd and Daily Kos December 13, 2020</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">&nbsp; &nbsp;</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>A Black policewoman was injured and at least four people stabbed when a day of demonstrations in support of President Donald Trump's election delusions ended in violence Saturday night in Washington D.C.&nbsp;</b>Many have linked the violence to the white nationalist group the Proud Boys who Trump told to "stand back and stand by" during the presidential debate Sept. 29, 2020.&nbsp;<span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Apparently, no longer standing by, they are shown in multiple videos attacking counterprotesters, burning a Black Lives Matter banner, and generally ignoring police orders with much-delayed punishment from authorities. In a video the New York Post obtained, white men in "America Strong" hats and wearing painted gold laurel wreaths associated with the Proud Boys attacked a man in all black, telling him to leave and shoving him when he tried.</span></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><b><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">"Get out! Get the f--- outta here!" they shouted outside of Harry's Bar, a gathering spot for the Proud Boys The Washington Post reported. When shoved, the man took out a knife to protect himself and tried to run away, the New York Post reported. "Get his ass!" someone in the crowd shouted. Police response as the targetted man vanished into the crowd was: "Stop guys stop — please stop."</font></b></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
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</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>"Today I saw proud boys attack legal observers, call people cockroaches, and mace and assault random people. They can call themselves whatever they want, but they're the new KKK. They're domestic terrorists," Black Lives Matter protester Joshua Potash tweeted</b>&nbsp;early Sunday. He also compared police reaction to the violence with their response to Black Lives Matter protesters and journalists in the wake of George Floyd's death. Floyd, a Black man, was killed when a white&nbsp;<span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Minneapolis cop kneeled on his neck for more than eight minutes on May 25. At least eight people were partially blinded the same day police went on a rampage targeting protesters on May 30. "I've been at BLM marches all summer and fall where people are attacked and arrested by cops just for standing in the street. Tonight in DC dozens of Proud Boys maced and attacked people and cops didn't do shit," Potash said in another tweet.</span></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
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</font></b></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>Victims of the violence endured potentially life-threatening injuries D.C. fire spokesman Doug Buchanan told The Washington Post.</b><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">&nbsp;D.C. Police Chief Peter Newsham told protesters: "We're doing the best we can." He told the Post officers were deployed throughout downtown to keep Trump supporters and counterprotesters separated, but portions of the crowd seemed "intent on conflict." By 9 p.m., 23 people were arrested and one person had an unauthorized Taser, police said. In total, two police officers were hospitalized with moderate injuries and six others suffered injuries of unknown severity, the Post reported.</span></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Bree Newsome Bass, a grassroots organizer, asked in one tweet: "Is there a point at which all the people saying "I never thought this could happen" start listening to the people who've been saying for years that this was going to happen?" Author Wajahat Ali tweeted: "I can't even imagine hundreds of armed Muslims burning flags, beating up people, stabbing people in the streets of the nation's capital without dozens of folks being shot and killed by the police. Meanwhile it's Springtime for Proud Boys and White Supremacy right now."</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
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</font></div><div><b><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Journalist David Leavitt tweeted:</font></b></div><div><b><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></b></div><div><b><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">"The proud boys are domestic terrorists...</font></b></div></div><div><em><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></em></strong></em></strong></em></div></div><div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><em><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></em></strong></em></strong></em></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><em><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><a href="https://www.alternet.org/2020/11/ivanka-trump">https://www.alternet.org/2020/11/ivanka-trump</a></font></em></strong></em></strong></em></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><em><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></em></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><em><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">roger salon</font></em></strong></em></strong></em></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><em><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></em></div><div><p><em><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">As&nbsp;<a href="https://www.salon.com/2020/09/08/watch-proud-boys-brutally-beat-black-lives-matter-protesters-after-trump-rally_partner/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">right-wing groups</a>&nbsp;clashed with counter-protesters at&nbsp;<a href="https://www.salon.com/2020/11/06/inside-stop-the-steal-how-right-wingers-are-organizing-to-spread-baseless-claims-of-voter-fraud/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">pro-Trump demonstrations</a>&nbsp;over the weekend,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.salon.com/topic/ivanka_trump" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">Ivanka Trump</a>, the senior&nbsp;<a href="https://www.salon.com/2020/09/30/no-question-about-it-former-watergate-prosecutor-predicts-trump-and-ivanka-may-end-up-behind-bars/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">White House adviser and daughter</a>&nbsp;of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.salon.com/2020/11/10/trump-is-already-using-his-electoral-loss-to-raise-money-for-his-new-leadership-pac/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">outgoing President Donald Trump</a>, condemned the media on Twitter for "near total silence" over alleged assaults on conservatives. The tweet came as selectively edited video wrongly portraying Trump supporters as victims of violence circulated online in right-wing circles.NOTE THIS SETS UP RATIONALE FOR MORE RW VIOLENCE]</font></em></strong></em></strong></em></p><p><em><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">"The media's near total silence about the&nbsp;</span><a href="https://www.salon.com/2020/09/30/were-readywhite-supremacist-proud-boys-activated-after-president-trump-tells-them-to-stand-by/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">physical violence being perpetrated</a><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">&nbsp;against conservatives is shameful & dangerous. Just image the outrage and indignation if this went the other way," Ivanka&nbsp;</span><a href="https://twitter.com/IvankaTrump/status/1327964915752169473" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">tweeted</a><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">. "Violence is never the answer and&nbsp;</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">instigators must be condemned and prosecuted." ATLAS, BANNON BOOGALOO...]</span></b></font></em></strong></em></strong></em></p><p><em><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Donald Trump Jr. one-upped his sister's allegation an hour later by claiming, without evidence, that the media was "complicit." He also suggested that "they might as well" put Trump supporters on a non-existent</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">&nbsp;Gulag</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">&nbsp;list&nbsp;</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 51);">controlled&nbsp;</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">by Rep.&nbsp;</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">, D-N.Y.&nbsp;</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">[THE NEW PELOSI?]</span></b></font></em></strong></em></strong></em></p><p><em><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">"The media's silence on the violence against Trump supporters is deafening.&nbsp;<b>After four years of calling them Nazis, at this point they might as well just dox them all</b>&nbsp;or add the[m] to AOC's lists for the Gulags," Don Jr. baselessly&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/DonaldJTrumpJr/status/1327978466101190656" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">tweeted</a>. "They are complicit in the violence. They are the worst of the worst."</font></em></strong></em></strong></em></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><em><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Trump supporters and right-wing groups marched in several cities on Saturday in protest of the president's recent electoral loss to President-elect Joe Biden. The demonstrators echoed the president's evidence-free allegations of a stolen election.</font></em></strong></em></strong></em></p><p><em><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 204, 102);">Many of these groups were met by counter-protests, and violence broke out in some instances. The most serious of these incidents took place in Washington, where&nbsp;<a href="https://www.salon.com/2020/09/30/were-readywhite-supremacist-proud-boys-activated-after-president-trump-tells-them-to-stand-by/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">Proud Boys</a>&nbsp;and other right-wing groups and militia members clashed with counter-protesters, according to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-54945154" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">multiple</a>&nbsp;<a href="https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=x_aWtZeolB0" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">reports</a>. Contrary to the Trump family's assertions, conservatives were&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/rexchapman/status/1328113186747396096?s=21" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">filmed</a>&nbsp;launching&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/aravosis/status/1327792933219799045?s=21" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">attacks.</a>&nbsp;2 STABBINGS ONE PROUD?]</font></em></strong></em></strong></em></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><em><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>It was not the first time Ivanka had misleadingly tweeted about political violence. In a tweet referencing "inner city communities," the first daughter&nbsp;<a href="https://chicago.cbslocal.com/2019/08/06/lightfoot-slams-ivanka-trump-over-nonsense-tweet-with-incorrect-information-about-chicago-violence/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">cited</a>&nbsp;the wrong number of people killed and wounded in the wrong location ("near a playground") over the course of a weekend in Chicago in August 2019.</b></font></em></strong></em></strong></em></p><p><em><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 204, 102);">In his first debate with Biden, President Trump told the Proud Boys to "stand back, and stand by." Unlike his offspring, the president outwardly applauded Saturday's violence in the streets.</font></em></strong></em></strong></em></p><p><em><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 204, 102);"><b>"ANTIFA SCUM ran for the hills today</b>&nbsp;when they tried attacking the people at the Trump Rally, because those people&nbsp;<b>aggressively fought back</b>," he&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/realdonaldtrump/status/1327828007311073280" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">tweeted</a>.</font></em></strong></em></strong></em></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><em><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>The president also shared a selectively edited video posted by Andy Ngo, a right-wing sympathizer with a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-features/andy-ngo-right-wing-troll-antifa-877914/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">history</a>&nbsp;of wrongly framing left-wing groups. The&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/mrandyngo/status/1327765440001503232?s=21" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">clip</a>&nbsp;showed a man getting knocked out by a counter-protester after being attacked from behind.</b></font></em></strong></em></strong></em></p><p><em><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">"A close-up angle of BLM rioters knocking a man unconscious who was leaving the #MillionMAGAMarch in DC earlier today," Ngo wrote. "They also steal his phone when he's on the ground."</font></em></strong></em></strong></em></p><p><em><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">"Human Radical Left garbage did this," the president added, quoting Ngo's original tweet. "Being arrested now!"</font></em></strong></em></strong></em></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><em><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>But an&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/DanielNewman/status/1328045470640435200" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">extended clip</a>&nbsp;appears to shows the man was with a group of Trump supporters who earlier attacked a counter-protester holding a bullhorn by pushing him down to the street and stepping on his head.</b></font></em></strong></em></strong></em></p><p><em><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">D.C. police on Sunday said they had<b>&nbsp;arrested nearly two dozen people, many of them on gun charges, according to&nbsp;<a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/maga-million-march-washington-violence/2020/11/15/93edc480-2748-11eb-9b14-ad872157ebc9_story.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">The Washington Post</a>. One person was stabbed,</b>and four officers were injured.</font></em></strong></em></strong></em></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><em><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Police Chief Peter Newsham told The Post that groups on both sides had descended on the city "intent on clashing," and "the police department was put directly in the middle of it."</font></em></strong></em></strong></em></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><em><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>In Sacramento, Calif., a group of Proud Boys met counter-protesters with bear spray,</b>&nbsp;according to the Bay Area's&nbsp;<a href="https://abc7news.com/million-maga-march-trump-rally-sacramento-california-president-donald/7972098/" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">ABC7 News</a>. Police broke up the incident.</font></em></strong></em></strong></em></p><p><em><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">President Trump urged police to use force on counter-protesters,&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1327828007311073280" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">tweeting</a>: "Antifa waited until tonight, when 99% were gone, to attack innocent&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MAGA?src=hashtag_click" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">#MAGA</a>&nbsp;People. DC Police, get going — do your job and don't hold back!!!"</font></em></strong></em></strong></em></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><em><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">There is no evidence to support the protesters' accusations of widespread electoral fraud in the presidential election. Courts have summarily dismissed the vast majority of the Trump campaign's lawsuits.</font></em></strong></em></strong></em></p></div></div><div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><em><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></em></strong></em></strong></em></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><em><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><a href="https://kpfa.org/episode/letters-and-politics-september-30-2020/" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none;">https://kpfa.org/episode/letters-and-politics-september-30-2020/</a></font></em></strong></em></strong></em></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><em><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></em></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><em><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>CCJ DCR</b>&nbsp;narco guy // djt,&nbsp;<span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">emials says 2nd civ war already started, get guns</span></font></em></strong></em></strong></em></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><em><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></em></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><em><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">this email for patriot only your donor t</font></em></strong></em></strong></em></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><em><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">profile says exclus&nbsp;<b>trump army</b>, ID w/ pres 1st line of defense when comes to fighting off the liberal mob camo hat</font></em></strong></em></strong></em></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><em><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></em></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><em><strong><em><strong><em><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">snopes&nbsp;<a href="https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/trump-army-fundraising-email/" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none;">&nbsp;https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/trump-army-fundraising-email/</a></font></em></strong></em></strong></em></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><em><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></em></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><em><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">In June 2020, an image supposedly showing a fundraising email for U.S. President Donald Trump’s 2020 re-election campaign in which people were urged to join the “<b>Trump Army” in order to fight the “liberal MOB” started to circulate on social media:</b></font></em></strong></em></strong></em></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><em><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">pix scary]</font></em></strong></em></strong></em></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><em><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></em></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 1rem; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.75;"><em><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 204, 102);">This is a genuine fundraising email for the Trump campaign.&nbsp;</span>The above-displayed image was originally&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/AaronBlake/status/1268570177484001287" target="blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: 600; outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; position: relative; box-shadow: rgb(251, 212, 64) 0px -2px 0px inset;">shared on Twitter</a>&nbsp;by Aaron Blake, a senior political reporter with The Washington Post. Blake forwarded a copy of this email to us so that we could verify that this message was truly sent by an email address (contact@action.gop.com) connected to&nbsp;<a href="https://themarkup.org/google-the-giant/2020/02/26/show-your-work-wheres-my-email" target="blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: 600; outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; position: relative; box-shadow: rgb(251, 212, 64) 0px -2px 0px inset;">Trump’s re-election bid</a>.&nbsp;</font></em></strong></em></strong></em></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 1rem; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.75;"><em><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">The email featured a link to a WinRed URL, a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.thedailybeast.com/winred-the-republican-partys-big-new-online-donor-portal-is-off-to-a-bumpy-start" target="blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: 600; outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; position: relative; box-shadow: rgb(251, 212, 64) 0px -2px 0px inset;">fundraising platform</a>&nbsp;<a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2020/04/17/gop-online-donor-platform-launches-191735" target="blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: 600; outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; position: relative; box-shadow: rgb(251, 212, 64) 0px -2px 0px inset;">endorsed</a>&nbsp;by the Trump campaign and the Republican National Committee, which contained a similar&nbsp;<a href="http://archive.vn/4xsin" target="blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: 600; outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; position: relative; box-shadow: rgb(251, 212, 64) 0px -2px 0px inset;">message&nbsp;</a>informing people that they could receive a “Camo Keep America Great” hat by joining the Trump Army. The WinRed site stated that all donations will benefit the “Trump Make America Great Again Committee,” one of the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/meet-the-press/minneapolis-burns-trump-fans-flames-n1217731" target="blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: 600; outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; position: relative; box-shadow: rgb(251, 212, 64) 0px -2px 0px inset;">campaign’s fundraising committees</a>:</font></em></strong></em></strong></em></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 1rem; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.75;"><em><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">...pix]twt</font></em></strong></em></strong></em></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 1rem; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.75;"><em><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 153, 0);">... Southern Poverty Law Center released a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.splcenter.org/presscenter/splc-action-fund-trump-campaign-email-incites-division-and-violence" target="blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: 600; outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; position: relative; box-shadow: rgb(251, 212, 64) 0px -2px 0px inset;">statement</a>&nbsp;calling this fundraising email “appalling”:</font></em></strong></em></strong></em></p><blockquote style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 2.75rem -2.75rem 0px; position: relative; border-width: 0px; padding: 2.75rem; background: rgba(251, 212, 64, 0.2);"><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; box-sizing: border-box;"><em><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“It’s appalling to see President Trump’s reelection campaign trying to exploit our nation’s crisis during these trying times and&nbsp;<b>incite division. The campaign is not only taking advantage of people’s current fears and insecurities, but, by using language that pins Americans against each other, they are inciting violence against the same people Trump swore to serve.”</b></font></em></strong></em></strong></em></p></blockquote><p style="margin-top: 2.75rem; margin-bottom: 1rem; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.75;"><em><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">While many people encountered the “Trump Army” for the first time due to Blake’s tweet on June 4, 2020, this is not the first time that this language has accompanied a fundraising email for the Trump campaign. The Twitter account @TrumpEmail, a social media account that archives Trump fundraising emails, shared a similar message that was sent out circa May 5, 2020.</font></em></strong></em></strong></em></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 1rem; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.75;"><em><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">That message&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/TrumpEmail/status/1257708680457457664" target="blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: 600; outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; position: relative; box-shadow: rgb(251, 212, 64) 0px -2px 0px inset;">read</a>, in part:</font></em></strong></em></strong></em></p><blockquote style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 2.75rem -2.75rem 0px; position: relative; border-width: 0px; padding: 2.75rem; background: rgba(251, 212, 64, 0.2);"><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; box-sizing: border-box;"><em><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>“The Trump Army is made up of the President’s fiercest defenders who are willing to go to battle with the Left-wing MOB whenever they come after us. Just take a look at everything they’ve fought for so far:”</b></font></em></strong></em></strong></em></p></blockquote><p style="margin-top: 2.75rem; margin-bottom: 1rem; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.75;"><em><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">After Blake’s tweet went viral, @TrumpEmail&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/TrumpEmail/status/1268664222575181826" target="blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: 600; outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; position: relative; box-shadow: rgb(251, 212, 64) 0px -2px 0px inset;">reported</a>&nbsp;that they had received at least four emails containing the words “Trump Army” since March 2020:</font></em></strong></em></strong></em></p><p style="margin-top: 2.75rem; margin-bottom: 1rem; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.75;"><em><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">...On March 2, 2020, the Trump Campaign put out a press release announcing the launch of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.armyfortrump.com/" target="blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: 600; outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; position: relative; box-shadow: rgb(251, 212, 64) 0px -2px 0px inset;">Army for Trump</a>, “a website dedicated to recruiting and mobilizing Americans across the country who are committed to fighting to re-elect President Trump.” While the Army for Trump website does use some military terms (they ask supporters to “enlist” for campaign updates, instead of “join” or “register”), the website’s main objective is to “provide a one-stop online destination to get involved with President Trump’s re-election campaign, allowing people to become a volunteer or activist in communities throughout the country.”</font></em></strong></em></strong></em></p></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><em><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></em></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><em><strong><em><strong><em><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">=</font></em></strong></em></strong></em></div></div><div><div><em><strong><em><strong><em><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">=</font></em></strong></em></strong></em></div><div><em><strong><em><strong><em><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></em></div><div><em><strong><em><strong><em><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">GUK</font></em></strong></em></strong></em></div><div><em><strong><em><strong><em><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></em></div><div><em><strong><em><strong><em><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">https://yyy.theguardian.com/world/2020/sep/23/oregon-portland-pro-trump-protests-violence-texts</font></em></strong></em></strong></em></div><div><em><strong><em><strong><em><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></em></div><div><em><strong><em><strong><em><font face="Times New Roman" size="4" /></em></strong></em></strong></em><div><em><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><strong><em><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><strong><em><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">no lnx</font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></em></strong></font></em></strong></font></font></em></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Revealed: pro-Trump activists plotted violence ahead of Portland rallies</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Patriots Coalition members suggested political assassinations and said ‘laws will be broken, people will get hurt’, leaked chats show</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">[pix Far-right organizers clashed with counter-protesters at the Justice Center in Portland, Oregon, 22 August.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Jason Wilson and Robert Evans</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">@jason_a_w</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><b><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Wed 23 Sep 2020&nbsp;</font></b></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Leaked chat logs show Portland-area pro-Trump activists planning and training for violence, sourcing arms and ammunition and even suggesting political assassinations ahead of a series of contentious rallies in the Oregon city, including one scheduled for this weekend.</font></span></div><div><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></span></div><div><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The chats on the GroupMe app, shared with the Guardian by the antifascist group Eugene Antifa, show conversations between Oregon members of the Patriots Coalition growing more extreme as they discuss armed confrontations with leftwing Portland activists, and consume a steady diet of online disinformation about protests and wildfires.</font></span></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">[Facebook removes Patriot Prayer pages in bid to halt 'violent social militias'</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Read more]</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">At times, rightwing activists discuss acts of violence at recent, contentious protests, which in some cases they were recorded carrying out. At one point, David Willis, a felon currently being sued for his alleged role in an earlier episode of political violence, joins a discussion about the use of paintballs.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Where other members had previously suggested freezing the paintballs for maximum damage, Willis wrote: “They make glass breaker balls that are rubber coated metal. They also have pepper balls but they are about 3 dollars a ball. Don’t freeze paintballs it makes them wildly inaccurate” [sic.]</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Willis did not immediately respond to voice and text messages sent to his listed cellphone number.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Another prolific poster is Mark Melchi, a 41-year-old Dallas, Oregon-based car restorer who claims to have served as a captain in the US army.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Melchi has been recorded leading an armed pro-Trump militia, “1776 2.0” into downtown confrontations in Portland, including on 22 August. At several points in the chat he proposes violence in advance of those confrontations, and appears to confess to prior acts committed in the company of his paramilitary group.</font></span></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">[Rightwing demonstrators chase a Black Lives Matter protester after a pro-Trump caravan rally at the Oregon state capitol on 7 September 2020 in Salem.]</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 204, 102);">In advance of the 22 August protest, Melchi wrote: “It’s going to be bloody and most likely shooting, they’re definitely armed… so let’s make sure we have an organized direction of movement and direction of clearing or other Patriots will be caught in the possible cross fire. When shit hits the fan.</span>”</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 204, 102);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">He advised other members to ignore weapons statutes, writing, “I saw someone say bats, mace, and stun guns are illegal downtown. If you’re going to play by the books tomorrow night, we already lost. We are here to make a change, laws will be broken, people will get hurt… It’s lawlessness downtown, and people need to be prepared for bad things.”</font></span></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Following these comments, several rightwing demonstrators were recorded using gas and bats on 22 August, where Melchi and his militia were also present.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">In other remarks ahead of the day, Melchi draws on what he claims is his group’s history of traveling to multiple states to engage in violence at protests.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><b><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“My Group 1776 2.0. Has been fighting Antifa in Seattle, Portland, for months”, Melchi writes, adding “this won’t be a simple fist fight. People will get shot, stabbed and beat.”</font></b></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 204, 102);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">He also claims police cooperation in interstate violence, writing “Yes, going after them at night is the solution… Like we do in other states, tactical ambushes at night while backing up the police are key. You get the leaders and the violent ones and the police are happy to shut their mouths and cameras.”</font></span></div><div><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 204, 102);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></span></div><div><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 204, 102);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Melchi nevertheless recommends that members disguise themselves to avoid the consequences of homicide.</font></span></div><div><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 204, 102);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></span></div><div><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 204, 102);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“We must be ready to defend with lethal response… Suggest wearing mask and nothing to identify you on Camera…to prevent any future prosecution.”</font></span></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">[We are here to make a change, laws will be broken, people will get hurt</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Mark Melchi]</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">In response to detailed questions about these contributions, Melchi responded with an email that falsely suggested his comments might have been photoshopped, and concluded with direct threats.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Melchi wrote: “I suggest you don’t threaten combat veterans sweetheart, might get a little uncomfortable for ya big guy!”</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Melchi’s sentiments in the chat logs were in keeping with fantasies of, and plans for, violence, which are constantly discussed by group members.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Although some members are connected with extremist groups or militias, on the whole they describe themselves as “patriots”, and they express no clear ideology beyond a hatred of the left, and a preparedness to use violence. The shared allegiances expressed in the group are mostly to the police, the United States and Donald Trump, a person whom some say they are prepared to kill for.</font></span></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Ahead of 22 August, a user “<b>Paige” says “I’m waiting for the presidential go to start open firing”.</b></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Melchi, the militia leader, responds, “Well Saturday may be that go lol”.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>Alex Newhouse, the digital research lead at the Center for Terrorism, Extremism, and Counterterrorism at the Middlebury Institute,</b>&nbsp;said of the group that “<span style="background-color: rgb(255, 204, 102);">the main mechanism that makes these communities so dangerous is the incessant desensitization to the idea of political violence”.</span></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Newhouse said that the ideas expressed in the group were entrenched in<b>&nbsp;“extreme nationalism – that a few strong men with guns can together take out an evil that is at once imagined as an existential threat, and pathetically weak”.</b>&nbsp;Newhouse added that the group’s discussions “fit within a broader trend of rightwing extremists becoming more accelerationist over time”.</font></span></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">[Rightwing and leftwing protesters battle with mace, paint balls and rocks near Justice Center in downtown Portland Saturday, 22 August 2020.]</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 204, 102);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The chatlogs became fractious at the peak of Oregon’s recent wildfire emergency. While some members said they had gone to rural areas to “<b>hunt” imagined antifa arsonists,&nbsp;</b>others became concerned about the dangers.</font></span></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 204, 102);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">As early as 9 September, the baseless idea that the fires were a coordinated arson attack was treated as settled fact, with Melchi writing: “People have officially died from these Antifa Fires. I’d shoot them on site” [sic], and another user, Dub, responding: “Yes sir if I see them they are getting dropped where they stand.”</font></span></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">When adverse consequences of vigilantism became evident, leadership attempted to bring the group back under control. After a member of the group reported that an associate had been arrested in Lane county for “holding [someone] at gunpoint”, the group’s administrator, who used the user name Patriot Coalition, wrote “STOP HOLDING PEOPLE AT GUN POINT- STOP PULLING YOUR WEAPONS… VIDEO- TAKE PICTURES AND CALL 911.”</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Mary McCord is the legal director of the Institute for Constitutional Advocacy and Protection at Georgetown Law School, which on Wednesday released a series of fact sheets on anti-paramilitary laws in all 50 states.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Given details of the content of the chats, McCord said that “this is the kind of thing that might allow authorities to take action”, and that&nbsp;<b>members of the group may “already be in violation of Oregon’s anti-paramilitary laws”.</b></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The group also talked about coordinating at the rally with the Proud Boys, an extreme rightwing group. One user, identified as Bravo91 and a part of the group’s leadership, spoke of phone calls with the Proud Boys.</font></span></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 204, 102);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Along with antifascist demonstrators, Democratic politicians are also the target of violent fantasies in the chats.&nbsp;<b>In particular, Portland’s mayor, Ted Wheeler, is demonized and nominated as a possible target for assassination by the group.</b></font></span></div><div><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 204, 102);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></span></div><div><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 204, 102);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">On 24 August, a user identified as “Trent-Medford” writes, “Fuck wheeler… guess what soon as we are done with these punks. He’s next freakin coward !!!!!!”</font></span></div><div><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 204, 102);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></span></div><div><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 204, 102);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">User T Durden went further. In response to news that an alleged arsonist had been released on bail, and without encountering disagreement, they wrote: “Maybe we need to start taking care of the justice ourselves!”, adding, “Start with justice on our DA and then move on to the governor. Maybe by the time we get to the first judge, they will have changed their tunes.”</font></span></div></div><div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><em><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></em></strong></em></strong></em></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><em><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">stand down" --> stand back and stand by&nbsp; --> new logo&nbsp; sir we're ready to deal w/ antifa b/c x won't? chris picolini says calls to arms/violence DN</font></em></strong></em></strong></em></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><em><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></em></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><em><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><a href="https://www.alternet.org/2020/09/watch-fox-news-host-grills-trump-spokesman-on-his-proud-boys-remark-and-tells-her-theyre-celebrating-it/" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none;">https://www.alternet.org/2020/09/watch-fox-news-host-grills-trump-spokesman-on-his-proud-boys-remark-and-tells-her-theyre-celebrating-it/</a></font></em></strong></em></strong></em></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><em><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></em></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><em><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></em></strong></em></strong></em></div></div></div><div><div><div><em><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></em></strong></em></strong></em></div><div><em><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><a href="https://www.alternet.org/2020/09/inside-qanons-toxic-spread-among-police-officers/">https://www.alternet.org/2020/09/inside-qanons-toxic-spread-among-police-officers/</a></font></em></strong></em></strong></em></div><div><em><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></em></div><div><em><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The&nbsp;<span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">problem with</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">&nbsp;</span><a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2020/9/3/1974810/--Those-that-work-forces-are-too-often-connected-to-the-racist-far-right-report-finds" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">police officers being white supremacists</a><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">&nbsp;</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">is an obvious one: The public cannot have confidence that laws will be enforced equitably when even one such officer employed is racially bigoted or generally unhinged. The problem is somewhat less obvious when cops succumb to conspiracy theories, especially considering their spread into the mainstream in recent years—but it can be every bit as big a problem, especially when it involves</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">&nbsp;</span><a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2020/7/16/1961352/-The-creep-of-the-QAnon-cult-threatens-to-consume-what-s-left-of-the-Republican-Party" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">an authoritarian political cult like QAnon</a><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">.</span></font></em></strong></em></strong></em></div><p><em><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">And QAnon is indeed spreading among the ranks of American police officers, as&nbsp;<a href="https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2020/09/police-officers-qanon/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" title="" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">Ali Breland recently explored</a>&nbsp;at&nbsp;<em>Mother Jones.&nbsp;</em></span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Breland explains that this spread is particularly worrisome because of the peculiar nature of the QAnon theories themselves. "The logic of the conspiracy theory almost requires its adherents to carry out acts of violence: If you actually believe that elites are harboring scores of children in underground tunnels to rape and steal blood from, taking action to liberate them would be a moral imperative," he writes.QAnon seems to have taken root within<b>&nbsp;New York City's police department in particular</b>:&nbsp;</span></font></em></strong></em></strong></em></p><p><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">The head of the department's second-biggest union gave a televised interview&nbsp;</span><a href="https://www.cnn.com/2020/07/17/us/head-nypd-union-qanon-mug/index.html" target="blank" title="" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">with a QAnon coffee cup</a><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">&nbsp;in full view on the shelf behind him, and offered no clarification or apology afterward. The Harlem NYPD precinct's social media account&nbsp;</span><a href="https://www.amny.com/police-fire/harlem-nypd-precinct-likes-trump-qanon-conspiracy-theories-on-twitter/" target="blank" title="" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">retweeted a number of QAnon-related posts</a><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">&nbsp;(including one accusing the mail-order business Wayfair of "sex trafficking young girls"), along with a number of Donald Trump tweets that spread misinformation about the COVID-19 pandemic and mail-in voting.</span></font></em></strong></em></strong></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">However, the conspiracist cult has spread to police precincts all around the nation. By far the most public and prolific of the officers adopting the conspiracy theories is&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newhavenindependent.org/index.php/archives/entry/bandy_qanon/" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">Jason Bandy,</a>&nbsp;who was formerly employed by the New Haven, Connecticut, police department.</font></em></strong></em></strong></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Bandy has produced nearly 30 episodes of a podcast devoted to QAnon conspiracy theories, where he holds forth at length about a variety of dubious claims, gullibly relaying them all to his audience.</font></em></strong></em></strong></p><p><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">"These<b>&nbsp;elites</b>&nbsp;are torturing these kids,</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">" Bandy said in a March 22 podcast.&nbsp;</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">"Yes, there's sex involved. They're trafficking these children and all these other rituals that they do. They are Satanic worshipers. They are Illuminati. Deep state, all this."</span></font></em></strong></em></strong></p><p><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Bandy believes the&nbsp;</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 204, 102);">ultimate proof of QAnon's substance is the fact that Donald Trump—around whom the theories revolve as the chief heroic figure—has refused to disavow them:</span></font></em></strong></em></strong></p><blockquote style="margin: 1em 40px 1em -5px; border-left: 4px solid rgb(11, 13, 101); line-height: 32px; padding: 10px 20px 10px 24px; width: 602.543px; background: rgb(245, 245, 245);"><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">But my thing is look, Donald Trump calls fake everything out. If this stuff is fake, he'd be the first one to say, "Hey, this is fake." That's not what he said. When they asked him, "Do you know what Q is?" he said, "I'm not gonna say, but I'm just gonna tell you I think you'd be really surprised."
</font></em></strong></em></strong></blockquote><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Bandy retired from the New Haven department in September after Police Chief Otoniel Reyes said there would be an internal affairs investigation into his posts, which remains ongoing.</font></em></strong></em></strong></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Police in Bellevue, Washington, also suspended an officer—<a href="https://threader.app/thread/1267952302079438853" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" title="" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">Nico Roche</a>, who only recently joined the city's police department—after his frequent QAnon-related social-media posts became known. (A spokesperson told Daily Kos that the internal investigation, announced in June, will be completed soon.) His chief, Steve Mylett,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kiro7.com/news/local/bellevue-officer-leave-possibly-violating-departments-social-media-policy-officials-say/F4TI7BGPDVH2NP5XHJ3DMALL7E/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">told KIRO-TV</a>&nbsp;in Seattle that the investigation would try to balance the officer's rights with the public's.</font></em></strong></em></strong></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">"The employee has constitutional rights, as everybody else, officers do. He's got freedom of speech, freedom of expression. We carry a burden and our standard is very high because of the work that we do and what we represent," said Mylett.</font></em></strong></em></strong></p><p><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Not all jurisdictions take it seriously. In Joliet, Illinois, two officers who wore "Q" vests while participating in an anti-COVID-19 rally in Springfield were defended by the city's mayor, Jeff Grove, who told&nbsp;<a href="https://www.mywebtimes.com/2020/06/16/la-salle-mayor-responds-to-officers-wearing-qanon-attire-in-social-media-photo/acz3mm2/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">the local newspaper</a>&nbsp;that he intended to judge the officers solely on the basis of their daily work, adding that in his view, "what you do on your own time is your choice, and that's your right." If any issues arise, he said, "we'll definitely be addressing them."</font></em></strong></em></strong></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The officers—Matthew Kunkel and Mark Manicki—were even more aggressive in defending their associations with the conspiracy cult. "I, like millions of other people on this planet, enjoy the challenge of attempting to decode the information contained within the Q drops. It's called 'Q Research' for a reason, it requires research to obtain the information encoded within the posts," Manicki explained to the<em>&nbsp;Times</em>. "I'm merely someone who sits on my couch late at night with my dog on my lap, iPhone in hand, while seeking the truth. Last time I checked, there was nothing wrong with that!"</font></em></strong></em></strong></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">In reality, the FBI has&nbsp;<a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2019/8/6/1877184/-The-cost-of-conspiracism-FBI-memo-examines-how-theories-fuel-lethal-terrorism" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">previously identified</a>&nbsp;the QAnon cult as one of the leading sectors for the kind of conspiracism that, as the agency put it in a bulletin that was issued to law enforcement officers, is "very likely motivate some domestic extremists, wholly or in part, to commit criminal and sometimes violent activity. The FBI further assesses in some cases these conspiracy theories very likely encourage the targeting of specific people, places, and organizations, thereby increasing the likelihood of violence against these targets."</font></em></strong></em></strong></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">And it warned that this is indeed a threat to public safety: "Anti-government, identity based, and fringe political conspiracy theories very likely will emerge, spread, and evolve in the modern information marketplace over the near term, fostering anti-government sentiment, promoting racial and religious prejudice, increasing political tensions, and occasionally driving both groups and individuals to commit criminal or violent acts," the bulletin read.</font></em></strong></em></strong></p><p><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">It lists several domestic terrorism cases as examples of conspiracy-fueled crimes, including a widely reported&nbsp;</span><a href="https://www.splcenter.org/hatewatch/2018/07/20/terrorism-suspect-makes-reference-extremist-conspiracies" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" title="" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102); text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">incident in July 2018</a><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">&nbsp;when a fervent believer in the&nbsp;</span><a href="https://www.splcenter.org/hatewatch/2018/01/17/conspiracy-meta-theory-storm-pushes-alternative-envelope-yet-again" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102); text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">pro-Trump QAnon conspiracy theories</a><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">&nbsp;blocked traffic across Hoover Dam in Nevada, as well as&nbsp;</span><a href="https://www.splcenter.org/hatewatch/2013/11/02/hatewatch-exclusive-alleged-lax-shooter-referenced-%E2%80%98patriot%E2%80%99-conspiracy-theories" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">a&nbsp;</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 204, 102);">2013 attack on security officers</span></a><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 204, 102);">&nbsp;at Los Angeles International Airport.</span></font></em></strong></em></strong></p><p><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 204, 102);">The bulletin also mentions two incidents that had not been previously reported in the media:</font></em></strong></em></strong></p><ul class="ee-ul" style="margin: 0px 0px 1em; padding: 0px; display: inline-block; width: 589.446px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><strong><em><strong><em /></strong></em></strong></font><li><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><strong><em><strong><em><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">The December 2018 arrest of a California man found in possession of bomb-making materials, who allegedly "planned to travel to Springfield, Illinois and</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">blow up a satanic temple monument at the Illinois Capitol rotunda in order to 'make Americans aware of 'Pizzagate' and the New World Order (NWO), who were dismantling society.'&nbsp;</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">"</span></em></strong></em></strong></font></em></li><li style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><em>
</em></li><li><em><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">The</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">&nbsp;October 2016 arrests of two Georgia men, originally for drugs, who were discovered to be stockpiling guns, ammo, and tactical gear as preparation for an attack on a government radar-research station in Alaska they believe is manipulating the weather—a&nbsp;<a href="http://dneiwert.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-weather-manipulation-for-evil.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">conspiracy theory long promoted</a>&nbsp;by the&nbsp;<b>Militia of Montana.</b></span></em></li></ul><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><em><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The memo is also remarkably astute in its assessment of the mechanics of conspiracist radicalization. Its definition of "conspiracy theory" may lack an esoteric component, but it is pragmatic and to the point: "an attempt to explain events or circumstances as the result of a group of actors working in secret to benefit themselves at the expense of others." It explains how they "typically allege wrongdoing by powerful others (for example, public officials, business executives, scientists) or societally marginalized groups (for example, Muslims, Jews), and are most prevalent among individuals with extreme political views."</font></em></strong></em></strong></em></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><em><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">It points directly to the aspect of conspiracism that gives it an unusual power to unhinge its believers: namely, the estrangement from factual reality.</font></em></strong></em></strong></em></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><em><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>Conspiracy theories typically "ignore stronger evidence that would refute their claims. Consequently, they are usually at odds with official or prevailing explanations of events."</b></font></em></strong></em></strong></em></p><p><em><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 204, 102);">"Relying on the premises that nothing happens by accident, nothing is as it seems, and everything is connected, conspiracy theorists tend to view every bad outcome as the result of an intentional decision by an evil actor, dismiss disconfirming evidence as 'fabricated' by the conspirators, and connect a wide range of seemingly unrelated occurrences to suggest a larger plot," the memo explains.</font></em></strong></em></strong></em></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><em><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">"The danger," QAnon Anonymous podcast host Jake Rockatansky told&nbsp;<em>Mother Jones</em>, "is that you've got law enforcement who have a tremendous amount of responsibility who are showing complete disconnect from reality. They carry weapons. What happens if a police officer thinks that they've uncovered a pedophile ring?</font></em></strong></em></strong></em></p><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">=</font></em></strong></em></strong></div></div><div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><a href="https://www.alternet.org/2020/09/when-politicians-use-hate-speech-political-violence-increase/">https://www.alternet.org/2020/09/when-politicians-use-hate-speech-political-violence-increase/</a></font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">p<span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">oliticians deepen existing divides when they use inflammatory language, such as hate speech, and this makes their societies more likely to experience political violence and terrorism. That's the conclusion from a study I recently did on the</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">&nbsp;</span><a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/03050629.2020.1739033" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">connection between political rhetoric and actual violence</a><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">.</span></font></em></strong></em></strong></div><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">President Donald Trump is not the only world leader who is accused of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.npr.org/2019/07/15/741827580/go-back-where-you-came-from-the-long-rhetorical-roots-of-trump-s-racist-tweets" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">publicly denigrating</a>&nbsp;<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-attacks-protections-for-immigrants-from-shithole-countries-in-oval-office-meeting/2018/01/11/bfc0725c-f711-11e7-91af-31ac729add94_story.html" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">people based</a>&nbsp;on their&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/16/us/politics/trump-undocumented-immigrants-animals.html" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">racial</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/politics/first-draft/2015/06/16/choice-words-from-donald-trump-presidential-candidate/" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">ethnic</a>&nbsp;or&nbsp;<a href="https://edition.cnn.com/2016/03/09/politics/donald-trump-islam-hates-us/" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">religious</a>&nbsp;backgrounds.</font></em></strong></em></strong></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">In the 2019 parliamentary campaign in India, politicians from the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party targeted Muslims as part of a widespread electoral&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-04-15/senior-politicians-censured-for-hate-speech-as-india-polls-begin" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">strategy to galvanize Hindu nationalism</a>. Similarly, in the 2019 Polish election, incumbent president Andrzej Duda made&nbsp;<a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2020/07/polands-rulers-manufactured-a-rainbow-plague/614113/" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">demonization of the LGBT community as well as foreigners</a>&nbsp;the centerpiece of his successful reelection campaign.</font></em></strong></em></strong></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Hate speech has also&nbsp;<a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/03050629.2020.1739033" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">figured prominently in the recent rhetoric</a>&nbsp;of political leaders in a variety of countries including Russia, Colombia, Israel, Egypt, Ukraine, the Philippines, Italy, Greece, Sri Lanka and Iraq.</font></em></strong></em></strong></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">These remarks are not just empty rhetoric or political theater. My research shows that&nbsp;<a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/03050629.2020.1739033" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">when politicians use hate speech, domestic terrorism increases</a>&nbsp;– in the U.S. and in other countries.</font></em></strong></em></strong></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Indeed, since the beginning of Trump's 2016 presidential campaign, domestic terrorism has more than doubled in the United States. During the Obama administration's two terms, the U.S.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.start.umd.edu/gtd" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">averaged 26.6 incidents of domestic terrorism per year</a>, according to the Global Terrorism Database. The most active year, by far, was 2016, which saw 67 attacks, more than double Obama's overall average. During the first two years of Donald Trump's presidency, 2017 and 2018 – the latest year for which data are available – domestic terror activity stayed that high, with 66 and 67 attacks, respectively</font></em></strong></em></strong></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">[graf]</font></em></strong></em></strong></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">polarizing politics paves the way</font></em></strong></em></strong></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Hateful rhetoric targeting minority groups is an&nbsp;<a href="http://politicalviolenceataglance.org/2018/08/17/what-violent-rhetoric-does-and-does-not-do/" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">established technique</a>&nbsp;to unify and mobilize political supporters and to delegitimize and dehumanize political opponents. Hate speech by politicians also serves to deepen political polarization.</font></em></strong></em></strong></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">More polarized societies are especially susceptible to bouts of political violence and terrorism when politicians use hate speech. Examples include&nbsp;<a href="https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/can-europe-make-it/terror-from-far-right-in-weimar-republic/" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">Weimar Germany in the 1920s and 1930s</a>, which featured assassinations of leftist politicians and street brawling by Nazi partisans;&nbsp;<a href="https://www.counterextremism.com/countries/argentina" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">Argentina in the 1970s</a>&nbsp;during the so-called “Dirty War" in which government-backed right-wing death squads fought with left-wing political movements who themselves engaged in terrorism; and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/09546550903574438" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">Turkey in the late 1970s early 1980s</a>, when ultranationalist right-wing organizations and leftist opposition movements attacked each other.</font></em></strong></em></strong></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">When taken to an extreme, hateful rhetoric by political leaders can precipitate civil wars and genocides, as was the case in&nbsp;<a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2019/04/rwanda-shows-how-hateful-speech-leads-violence/587041/" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">the 1990s in Rwanda</a>, where Hutu extremists used anti-Tutsi radio broadcasts to foment widespread violence.</font></em></strong></em></strong></p><h2 style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Examining the data</font></em></strong></em></strong></h2><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">For my analysis, I used statistical data on domestic terrorist incidents from the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.start.umd.edu/gtd/" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">Global Terrorism Database</a>&nbsp;at the University of Maryland, and major party figures' use of hate speech in about 150 countries between 2000 and 2017 from the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.v-dem.net/en/" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">Varieties of Democracy</a>&nbsp;project at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden.</font></em></strong></em></strong></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">I tried to determine the relationship between politicians using hate speech and the number of domestic terror attacks the country experienced the following year. Other elements can affect domestic terrorism, so I factored into my analysis each country's political system, its gross domestic product per capita, its population size, its degree of ethnic and linguistic diversity and its level of media freedom.</font></em></strong></em></strong></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">To further distinguish political violence that was specifically produced by hate speech, I also factored in how much domestic terrorism the country had experienced in previous years and whether or not the country was experiencing a civil war.</font></em></strong></em></strong></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">[graf]</font></em></strong></em></strong></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">violence climbs when politicians speak with hate</font></em></strong></em></strong></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">What I found is that countries where politicians frequently weave hate speech into their political rhetoric subsequently experience more domestic terrorism. A lot more.</font></em></strong></em></strong></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Countries such as Costa Rica or Finland, where the data show politicians “never" or “rarely" employed hate speech, experienced an average of 12.5 incidents of domestic terrorism between 2000 and 2017. Countries where politicians were found to “sometimes" use hate speech in their rhetoric, such as Belgium or Cyprus, experienced 28.9 attacks on average.</font></em></strong></em></strong></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">However, domestic terrorism was quite frequent in countries whether politicians used hate speech “often" or “extremely often." Such countries, including Iraq, Russia, Turkey and Sudan, experienced an average of 107.9 domestic terrorist attacks during that period.</font></em></strong></em></strong></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">What public figures say can bring people together, or divide them. How politicians talk affects how people behave – and the amount of violence their nations experience.</font></em></strong></em></strong></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/james-piazza-1158790" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">James Piazza</a>, Liberal Arts Professor of Political Science,&nbsp;<em><a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/pennsylvania-state-university-1258" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">Pennsylvania State University</a></em></font></em></strong></em></strong></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">This article is republished from&nbsp;<a href="https://theconversation.com/" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">The Conversation</a>&nbsp;under&nbsp;</font></em></strong></em></strong></p><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></em></strong></em></strong></div></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">mental health</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">https://www.alternet.org/2020/09/violence-studies-expert-the-essence-of-trumps-dangerousness-is-the-effect-he-has-on-his-followers/</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">This continues the series, "The Dangerous Case of Donald Trump Revisited: Mental Health Experts on the Devastating Mishandling of a Pandemic." Whereas we could not have predicted a pandemic three-and-a-half years ago, the authors of The Dangerous Case of Donald Trump: 37 Psychiatrists and Mental Health Experts Assess a President anticipated how the president would respond, should there be a crisis. We tried to warn the public of the very consequences that are unfolding today: abuse of power, incompetence, loss of lives and livelihoods of many Americans, and increasing violencexxx James Gilligan, M.D., is an adjunct professor of law at New York University. He is a renowned violence studies expert and author of the influential Violence: Our Deadly Epidemic and Its Causes, as well as Preventing Violence and Why Some Politicians are More Dangerous than Others. He has served as director of mental health services for the Massachusetts prisons and prison mental hospital, president of the International Association for Forensic Psychotherapy, and as a consultant to President Clinton, Tony Blair, Kofi Annan, the World Court, the World Health Organization, and the World Economic Forum.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Lee: Your work with dangerous individuals and on violence prevention has guided us, since the 2017 conference at Yale, with the responsibility we have as professionals to alert and educate about danger, and that it was not about diagnosis, or mental illness. You often emphasize how mental illness does not make a person any more dangerous than the general population, that these are two separate issues. Could you expand on how to think about this?</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Gilligan: If somebody starts shooting from an upper floor of a hotel, as happened some time ago in Las Vegas, you know that the guy is dangerous. The first question you ask yourself is not: "Gee, I wonder what his diagnosis is?" That question is simply not relevant. You know he is dangerous, and he needs to be stopped. So you look for the authorities who can stop him.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Something similar is relevant here with respect to Donald Trump. The main issue is not: "Is the president mentally ill?" but "Is he dangerous?" and "Who are the authorities who can bring him under control?" The only authorities who can bring him under control, at the moment, given the irresponsibility of the Republican Senators, seem to be the voters on November 3.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Regardless of what is going on inside his mind, the danger is not the likelihood that he is going to go out on Fifth Avenue and shoot somebody himself, as he mentioned as one example of what he could do without losing any voters. Political leaders do not generally commit acts of violence themselves. I don't know if Hitler ever killed anybody in his lifetime, himself, but whether he did or not, it was his effect on his followers that was the real danger. The same was true with Stalin and every major dictator; it is the followers who commit the bulk of the murders.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Is this also how Donald Trump is dangerous?</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Yes. He has repeatedly incited his followers to commit acts of violence. I list seven of them in my chapter in The Dangerous Case of Donald Trump. I will just mention one of them here. He has urged his followers at political rallies to commit violence against people protesting peacefully against him. "You know what they used to do to guys like that when they were in a place like this? They'd be carried out in a stretcher, folks…. knock the crap out of them, will you? Seriously, just knock the hell out of them. I will pay for the legal fees, I promise you." He even complained that his followers were not being violent enough yet, even after they had assaulted protesters severely enough to be arrested and prosecuted for assault and battery. And then when another Trump supporter deliberately ran his truck into a group of pedestrians and killed a woman and severely injured several others, Trump, instead of condemning this, said: "Well, there were good and bad people on both sides," implying a moral equivalency between murder by his followers and non-violent demonstrations by those opposing him.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">This danger derives ultimately, of course, from what is happening inside Trump's mind, but I am not going to speculate about what is going on there, as I have never examined him myself. But I do know what he has said publicly, and I will pay attention to that. Of course one could infer some psychiatric conclusions from his endless flood of tweets and public statements, but I don't think that is really what is most relevant here. I think the essence of his dangerousness is the effect he has on his followers, just as the main reason other demagogues were so dangerous and violent was because they could influence others to commit their violence for them. And that has been true throughout history. That is why I regard this as a public health problem. I am not interested in being Trump's individual psychiatrist, nor do I need to be in order to recognize how dangerous he is....</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">&nbsp;=</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">an 920</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">new York Times columnist Paul Krugman on Wednesday issued a dire warning about what’s to come in the 2020 presidential election, and he predicted that supporters of President Donald Trump would try to violently disrupt voting.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“I wonder how many people are ready for just how bad the next six weeks plus are going to be,” Krugman wrote on Twitter. “This is going to be the most dangerous election since 1860, with substantial odds that America as we know it will be damaged or even destroyed.”</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The Nobel Prize-winning economist then walked through how Trump will try to contest the results of the election if he loses, as current polls suggest he will.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“There is… a near-zero percent chance that he’ll accept the result if he loses,” he predicted. “He’ll try to stop counting of absentee ballots, claim massive fraud, and probably try to get the Supreme Court to overturn the result. Expect violence from Trump supporters, maybe lots of it, both to disrupt voting on Election Day and in the days that follow."</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The bottom line, Krugman concluded, is that “if you aren’t terrified, you aren’t paying attention” and encouraged his followers to “be asking what you personally can do to save democracy, which is very much under threat.”</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">https://www.alternet.org/2020/09/the-u-s-is-a-mess-and-trumps-core-supporters-could-make-it-much-worse/</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">the&nbsp; United States is in a mess.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">COVID-19 is raging out of control in many areas of the country. Black Lives Matter protests are disrupting cities, in some cases themselves disrupted by counter-protesters. Debates over gun control continue across the country, tornadoes, hurricanes and wildfires seem to increase in numbers and size each year.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Could matters get worse? Yes, they could, in large measure due to Donald Trump’s core supporters. who are these people and why is it possible, indeed likely, that they will make the situation worse?</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The 20 per cent or so of Americans who follow Trump no matter what, as opposed to the other 20 plus per cent who vote for him as a Republican or because they believe he’ll cut their taxes, are largely the forgotten, the ignored, the disrespected.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">In the early 20th century, those in the southern and western United States resented the federal government, largely controlled by politicians from the northeastern reaches of the country.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The West was underpopulated and felt ignored; the South was angry over the loss of the Civil War, the harsh terms of Reconstruction and the end of slavery, which had fuelled the southern economy.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The West, especially California and Texas, is now an economic powerhouse, and no longer feels ignored. In the South, however, there is still a degree of resentment that southern views are not reflected in national policies. Trump has been trying to amplify this resentment with his defence of statues of Confederate heroes and of keeping the names of Confederate officers on military bases.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Evangelical Christians</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Trump’s followers are a diverse alliance. Southerners who feel ignored are just one faction within a broad alliance of citizens who feel that the national government does not serve them. One other easily identifiable group are evangelical Christians.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Non-Americans tend not to realize the scope of evangelical Christianity in the United States and are often puzzled by the many references to God in speeches by politicians, especially federal politicians.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">These are references to the idea that Americans are God’s chosen people. This is, however, not a homogeneous group, despite media generalizations. Not all are anti-abortion and anti-gay, but many have a sense that America is sliding backwards morally.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">That explains why a segment of the movement supports a president who is almost certainly a serial adulterer — his speeches and his actions correspond with their concerns.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Trump was the first president to attend the annual March for Life this past January, and supporters also welcomed his appointment of social conservatives to the Supreme Court, bringing it closer, they believe, to overturning Roe vs. Wade, which legalized abortion.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Xenophobes, the economically disadvantaged</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Another segment of hard-core supporters feel strongly that America is under attack by foreigners, including Central Americans crossing the southern border. They also falsely believe the Chinese sent COVID-19 to kill Americans.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Sixty years ago, these supporters would have been in the “my country right or wrong” camp supporting American involvement in the Vietnam War. They believe they are supporting traditional American values, free enterprise, hard work and white society against destructive change.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">For these supporters, Trump promised the wall along the southern border to keep out “rapists,” talks often about “the Chinese virus” and says kind things about counter-protesters, even excusing the actions of the young man, Kyle Rittenhouse, accused of killing two people at a Black Lives Matter demonstration in Wisconsin.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">A sizeable segment of Trump supporters, and the ones who often get the most attention, are the economically abandoned. When Trump was elected, some in the media were quick to dismiss his supporters as lacking education, and therefore unable to grasp that Trump lied, embellished the truth and stoked bigotry.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">That’s unfair on several levels.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">For one, as corporations move their manufacturing offshore and the U.S. economy relies more on high-tech jobs, the less educated have lost their jobs, whether in the coal mines of West Virginia or the industrial areas of the Midwest.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Understandably, they’re attracted to a president who slapped tariffs on foreign countries, including China and Canada, in the hopes manufacturing jobs will return to America.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Not surprisingly, people who believe they’ve watched the American dream of “work hard and you will succeed” vanish have lost patience with politicians on Capitol Hill who seem only to care about power. And so they’ve turned to a populist, someone who seems to understand. A lot of them don’t care about Trump’s lies; they only care that he talks about their problems.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">And not all of those suffering economically are manufacturing or industrial workers service with poor education. There are middle-income earners who have been hurt by the flight of industry, which resulted in regional downturns in the economy.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The news industry</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Fifty years ago, a sizeable portion of the American population would tune in every evening to the nightly news on one of three networks and listen to a trusted anchor deliver the news. Now many choose either CNN or Fox, throwbacks in many ways to newspapers of the 19th century that supported one political party and framed the news to favour that party.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Not surprisingly, this approach reinforces existing views of what is going on in the United States. The traditional networks have lost the large audiences of earlier years andlocal news in most markets has become infotainment.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Many people, even those who didn’t bother watching news in past, now get a quick fix from the internet, the source of much of the “fake news” that Trump claims the mainstream media circulate, but really originates in the minds of internet fraudsters.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">How many times, for example, have we heard that COVID-19 is a Chinese biological weapon, sent to destroy the American population?</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Can we blame lack of education for Trump support when even well-educated individuals have their views of the world reinforced by what they see on the internet or on a cable news channel?</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Throw in a number of militant supporters of small government and lower taxes, and you have the hard-core Trump supporters.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Violence a real possibility</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Many who identify with these different groups may fall into more than one category; for instance, evangelical Christians who are angry about the de-industrialization of America.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Why are Trump supporters likely to make the situation worse this election?</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The answer should be obvious. When a group feels that something critical has been denied them for a long time, its members will protest. If the protest still does not bring about change, some or all will resort to violence to try to force change.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Among the staunch Trump supporters are those who will merely vote for him, those who will demonstrate for him — something Trump encourages — and those who willuse violence in order to ensure the re-election of the man they see as their only potential saviour. Violence is a real possibility as the campaign progresses.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Should Trump lose to Joe Biden, the new president must quickly show sympathy towards the economic issues embodied in the pro-Trump movement and empathy towards the more contentious goals of Trump’s supporters, or it is almost certain the violence will escalate.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Ron Stagg, Professor of History, Ryerson University</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
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</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
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</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">https://www.mediamatters.org/roger-stone/roger-stone-antifa-and-black-lives-matter-thugs-are-going-be-clubbing-people-suburbs</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
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</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Roger Stone: Antifa and Black Lives Matter “thugs” are going to be “clubbing” people in the suburbs to suppress voting</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">09/18/20 4:25 PM EDT</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
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</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">roger Stone continues to lay the groundwork for Trump to declare martial law</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">09/18/20 1:26 PM EDT</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
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</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">https://www.mediamatters.org/roger-stone/roger-stone-continues-lay-groundwork-trump-declare-martial-law</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">---</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
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</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">https://www.mediamatters.org/fox-news/warning-left-wing-coup-trumpist-media-prep-their-audience-election-unrest</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
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</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">no lnx many</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Warning of a left-wing coup, Trumpist media prep their audience for election unrest</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">WRITTEN BY MATT GERTZ</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">PUBLISHED 09/18/20 10:25 AM EDT</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Trump</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Molly Butler / Media Matters</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Nearly 5 million people were watching on Tuesday night as a Fox News host who claims that white supremacy is a hoax and a former speechwriter for President Donald Trump who was fired for speaking at a white nationalist conference spun out a wild-eyed conspiracy theory portraying mail-in voting as a sinister Democratic cabal’s coup attempt.&nbsp;</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Tucker Carlson opened the segment by telling his viewers that Democrats were promoting mail-in voting not as a way to boost safe turnout during a pandemic, but because “they want the uncertainty over the outcome of the election, so they can manipulate the results.” His guest, Revolver News’ Darren Beattie, then explained that “a very specific type of coup called the color revolution” is “unfolding before our eyes.”&nbsp;</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">A color revolution, Beattie explained, is “a regime change model favored by many in our national security apparatus, particularly against Eastern European countries to overthrow target regimes that they don't like.” (They were actually peaceful protests that toppled despots in places previously dominated by the Soviet Union.) And now, he claimed, that model is being applied to the United States, with “color revolution professionals” deliberately generating election fraud in order “to use lawfare in order to overturn the 2020 election.”</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Right-wing media figures generally push a baseline level of apocalyptic rhetoric about the purported predations of progressives. But Trumpist media have reached a dangerous fever pitch over the last week or so, even by that standard. With polls showing Trump trailing former Vice President Joe Biden following the party conventions and the election only weeks away, commentators like Carlson are preparing their audiences to treat a Trump defeat as a left-wing coup -- and encouraging the president toward an authoritarian response.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Their deranged statements are fed by -- and fuel -- the president’s own unhinged remarks. Trump has portrayed himself as “saving the world from a radical left philosophy that will destroy this country.” He describes his political opposition as supporters of “angry mobs,” “far-left fascism,” and “left-wing cultural revolution” so dangerous that he has even endorsed extrajudicial executions. And all the while, he’s been openly claiming that he could not possibly lose a fairly held election, and that any defeat would be the result of a Democratic election fraud conspiracy.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Carlson’s show is the most prominent vehicle fearmongering about a Democratic coup, but it is not the only one. A new special from The Blaze TV’s Glenn Beck is titled “CIVIL WAR: The Way America Could End in 2020,” and it details how “the Left is grooming us for an Eastern European-style color revolution this election.” His complex plot sprawls over three chalkboards and features mail-in voting as a vector for “something dangerous happening in November if we don’t act now.” (Beck praised Carlson during the program for the way he has been “putting the puzzle pieces together.”) The Trumpist publication The Federalist has offered up a similar “coup” theory.&nbsp;</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The right-wing “coup” talk is the natural result of their demagoguery and dehumanization of the political opposition. Months ago, Trumpist media figures began warning that civilization itself was on the ballot in the fall, with Trump standing as the only thing preventing the left from making America “unrecognizable.” That type of rhetoric has only escalated, producing ever-more-inflammatory claims about what Trump’s defeat might mean to the safety and security of his supporters.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Over the last week or so alone:</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Carlson described Black Lives Matter as “poison” that “we have to fight” because “if we’re going to survive as a country, we must defeat this.”</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Wall Street Journal columnist Bill McGurn explained that he bought a gun in case “100 or 200 people bent on violence” show up in his suburb.&nbsp;</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Fox’s Laura Ingraham and the pro-Trump podcaster Joe Rogan baselessly attributed the massive western wildfires to left-wing arsonists, blasting false rumors circulating on social media to millions of viewers and listeners.&nbsp;</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Fox contributor Dan Bongino claimed that “we're watching the greatest nation in the history of sentient beings collapse in front of our face.”</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Fox host Sean Hannity said that U.S. cities have become “war zones” and that there is a “war on police now.”</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">And Charlie Kirk, a frequent Fox guest and head of the Trumpist youth group Turning Point USA, warned on his podcast that if Trump loses, leftists seeking “bloodthirsty revenge” will “come for us all. They will come for your children.”</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Some are taking their hatred of the left to lawless, authoritarian conclusions.&nbsp;</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Roger Stone, a longtime confidant of the president, said during an appearance earlier this month on far-right conspiracy theorist Alex Jones’ Infowars network that if Trump were to lose (illegitimately as a result of voter fraud, of course), he should try to retain power by having federal agents seize purportedly tainted ballots, using martial law or the Insurrection Act to carry out widespread arrests, and nationalizing state police forces.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Fox’s Mark Levin, meanwhile, has also urged Trump to consider invoking the Insurrection Act -- but he argued that it would be needed if he wins. “He will have to use it to put down the enemy,” Levin explained on his radio show last week.&nbsp;</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“The enemy is antifa, the enemy is Black Lives Matter, and the enemy is anybody that is going to use rioting, arson, looting, violence against our country to try to overthrow our country,” he added. “Those are traitors. That's treasonous.”</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Extremist violent rhetoric is nothing new for right-wing media. Glenn Beck made it a staple of Fox News during President Barack Obama’s first term. Before the midterm elections, Fox warned its audience members that they needed to vote for Republicans to protect themselves from being killed by Democratic mobs.&nbsp;</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">But this sort of demagoguery can come with a heavy price. Beck’s rhetoric inspired an attempted domestic terror attack against one of his regular targets that ended with a firefight with law enforcement. And in the days before the 2018 midterm elections, a Trump superfan sent bombs to leftist leaders whom Fox commentators had attacked.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">There’s still six weeks to go before the election. How will this spate of violent rhetoric end?</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
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</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">IN THIS ARTICLE</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Voter Fraud and Suppression</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Voter Suppression</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Related</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Fox News fuels Trump’s dangerous Portland “law and order” strategy</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">07/21/20 3:52 PM EDT</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Desperate Trumpists say civilization is on the ballot as Biden lead grows</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">06/24/20 11:06 AM EDT</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">How Tucker Carlson became the Fox host Trump listens to the most</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">07/08/20&nbsp;</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
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</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">------</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">9/15/20 kpfa report hit and run on ~ trump crowd, 1 in hosp? several knocked down CA?</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">see Qanon</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">domestic violence FBI</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">https://www.justsecurity.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/420379775-fbi-conspiracy-theories-domestic-extremism.pdf p, dl 720</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">https://www.alternet.org/2020/08/republicans-are-running-on-a-big-lie-and-its-getting-people-ed/</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">&nbsp;Covid-19 pandemic has resulted in a modest influx of New Yorkers to my town, which is located about 90 miles Northwest of the city. My new next-door neighbors just moved up from Brooklyn this month. As one of them told me the other day, they made the move because they are now able to work remotely, and it made sense to get out of the city because they could rent an entire three-bedroom house for less than they had been paying for a cramped two-bedroom apartment.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Speaking over the fence that separates our backyards, my new neighbor explained that because of the outbreak, she and her partner weren’t comfortable enjoying the city’s restaurants, nightlife and cultural attractions–those that remain open–and said, “there’s no point paying a fortune in rent to sit at home and watch Netflix.” They’re now considering getting a dog.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Crime didn’t enter the picture, and with good reason. According to NYPD data, there were 1,021 fewer major crimes in the city in June and July than there were during the same period in 2019. It’s true that there were 29 more murders, in a city of 8 million people, during those two months than there were last year–a figure promoted relentlessly by the conservative media–but there were also 39 fewer rapes, 107 fewer assaults and 284 fewer robberies.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Despite the uptick in homicides, likely a result of months of quarantine, the city is on pace to have 400 murders this year, which would be 270 fewer than New York experienced in the final year of Rudy Giuliani’s term as Mayor. Yet during the Republican National Convention, Giuliani claimed that “murders, shootings, and violent crime are increasing at percentages unheard of in the past."</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">having failed to contain a historic public health crisis and ensuing economic downturn, the Republican Party is running on a big lie, claiming against all evidence that “Democrat-led” cities are rife with crime and rioting and chaos, with fearful (white) residents fleeing in droves to safer locales in the suburbs. Every aspect of this storyline is completely divorced from reality.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">America’s cities, like its suburbs and small towns, are struggling with the impact of the pandemic and are struggling with a severe loss of tax revenues resulting from lockdowns and from people not feeling safe going to bars and restaurants and shopping when their economies did reopen. Many residents of big cities, like those in suburbs and small towns, are struggling economically. These are real problems that are absent from the conservative discourse at present.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">While the right mocks the very idea of peaceful protests, riots have in fact been scattered, localized and in many cases caused by overly aggressive policing, as you can see from videos collected by The New York Times. People are angry about racially discriminatory policing, but in many communities, it’s pretty clear that the cops are even angrier about being held accountable. Almost all of the turmoil in Portland has occurred in a small area around the federal courthouse after dark. The city isn’t on fire, and most Portland residents are living their lives unaffected by the protests. The dynamic has been similar in Seattle and other big cities.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Let’s also point out that most big-city governments are controlled by Democrats. That’s true of the safest and the most dangerous cities, the ones with the best and the worst finances and those with the most and least tension between cops and the communities they police–they’re almost all “Democrat-run.” Big cities are diverse, and Republicans rarely win elections in localities with significant non-white populations.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Also keep in mind that violent crime in the United States has seen a long and steep decline over the past 25 or so years. According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, violent crime dropped by 71 percent between 1993 and 2018. Property crimes also fell by 69 percent over that same period. This is vital context for any short-term uptick in crime that some communities may be experiencing as we reopen our economies.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">But this narrative that American cities are smoking ruins or are being destroyed by criminals and looters has become Trump’s–and the GOP’s–central argument for 2020, with Fox News playing clips of trash fires and windows being broken on a loop and the Republican National Convention lauding the heroism of a terrified white couple who waved guns at peaceful protesters.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">We expect the parties to exaggerate and at times lie during campaigns, but at least in the modern era, no major party has run a campaign that is entirely divorced from any objective reality. In most cases, Republicans aren’t even bothering to offer any real arguments. During the convention, there was a throw-away line or two about Biden raising taxes, but that’s been pretty much been it.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">And this relentless propaganda campaign is getting people killed. Hopped up on the belief that they’re saving the country from violent anarchists, the far-right has unleashed an enormous amount of violence and intimidation on Black Lives Matter protesters. The Huffington Post reports that “white vigilantes and far-right actors have shown up to oppose Black Lives Matter protests in the U.S. at least 497 times this year, according to data collected by Alexander Reid Ross, a doctoral fellow at the Center for Analysis of the Radical Right.”</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The dataset, which Ross shared with HuffPost, documents a staggering amount of violence directed at protesters by the far-right, including 64 cases of simple assault, 38 incidents of vigilantes driving cars into demonstrators, and nine times shots were fired at protesters.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">All told, six protesters were hit by vigilante bullets in this summer’s violence. Three died from their wounds.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Ross’ dataset also includes 387 incidents of intimidation, such as people using racist slurs, making threats and brandishing firearms.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“There just isn’t really anything to compare it to,” Ross told HuffPost. “I’ve never seen anything like this in my life.”</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Such incidents are so common that they often don’t make national news. Last week, a Pennsylvania man shot and wounded a member of a group of people marching to Washington to protest without any preamble–there was no confrontation preceding the attack. And yet the incident didn’t make a ripple in the national news. And after the RNC celebrated the McCloskeys’ armed defense of private property, 17-year-old Kyle Rittenhouse traveled to Kenosha multiple times, ostensibly to protect a gas station, and committed violence against that city’s residents, culminating in the alleged murders of two of them.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">And making matters worse is that Trump refuses to condemn the violence from the far-right because doing so would undermine his mendacious claim that leftists are responsible for a lion’s share of the mayhem. As Lilliana Mason, a professor of government and politics at the University of Maryland, pointed out, research “exposing subjects to quotes from Trump or Biden explicitly rejecting violence” has found that “when leaders reject violence, partisans reject violence. When leaders say nothing, partisans endorse violence.”</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Donald Trump doesn’t have much to run on. His desperate attempt to shift the national conversation from the Covid-19 crisis and resulting recession to widespread chaos in American cities is a Hail Mary pass that’s getting people killed.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">stokes violence then sez only he can stop THOSE PPL:</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">https://www.alternet.org/2020/08/trumps-signal-to-his-followers-is-clear-violence-and-chaos-are-my-only-hope/</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">no twt vid link</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">prez trump’s signal to his followers is clear: Violence and chaos are my only hope</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Written by Heather Digby Parton / Salon August 31, 2020</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">President Trump was having a normal one on Sunday morning, tweeting and retweeting 89 times over the course of three and a half hours. Many of them were tweets of polling numbers from obscure firms showing him in the lead after the Republican convention. But most of the tweets and retweets were incitement to violence among his true believers and complaints about “Democrat cities,” an ongoing mantra which he seems to think is a slam dunk to get him re-elected.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">He repeatedly insulted and mocked Joe Biden, of course, and Portland, Oregon Mayor Ted Wheeler will undoubtedly have to change his phone number after the president of the United States posted it on Twitter so his followers could call and demand his resignation.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">He also showed support for one of his fans in Wisconsin:</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">[]</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">It was a manic tweet spree and one that couldn’t have show the president’s state of mind any more clearly. Biden has said Trump is “rooting for violence,” and I don’t think anyone can reasonably argue with that.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">In fact, Trump’s surrogates are saying it right out loud. Fox News’ Chris Wallace asked Trump campaign adviser Lara Trump whether she agreed with White House counselor Kellyanne Conway’s assertion that “the more chaos and anarchy and vandalism and violence reigns, the better it is for the very clear choice on who’s best on public safety and law and order.” Lara answered, “Well, I think it paints a very clear picture.” She might as well have said, “You go, boys!”</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">On CNN on Sunday, Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., agreed with Trump that the shootings by a 17-year-old Trump fan last Tuesday night in Kenosha were understandable:[]</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">What the president did was he offered to surge manpower and resources so the violence could end. The governor did not accept that that day, that night tragically two people lost their lives because citizens took matters into their own hands. I’m not for vigilantism. I’m not sure that’s what was happening. People felt, because the governor — local officials were looking for help. The governor did not accept the help, and so there was not the resolve to end the rioting, and so people took matters into their own hands, and that’s what ended up happening. People die.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Johnson is confused about everything, as usual. Trump publicly berated Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers for failing to call in the National Guard hours after Evers had already done so, telling his followers that Evers wasn’t protecting the city. Johnson basically said that people felt they needed to take matters into their own hands because the president had lied to them and told them the governor wasn’t protecting them. Yet somehow he’s against vigilantism. Everything about that is a grotesque inversion of anything one could call “law and order.”</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Trump was at it again later on Sunday, tweeting in response to a press conference by Wheeler, the Portland mayor. Trump called him a “dummy” and ranted on, saying, “He would like to blame me and the federal government for going in, but he hasn’t seen anything yet. We have only been there with a small group to defend our U.S. courthouse, because he couldn’t do it.”</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Conway’s little gaffe in which she admitted that the White House and the Trump campaign believe street violence is good for them illuminates the president’s fanning of the flames. He has finally grasped that he cannot unilaterally sending in a bunch of federal cops, as he did in Washington to stage his photo-op last June. Instead, he’s not-very-subtly signaling to his gun-toting fans that they are going to have to take action on their own if they hope to scare people into voting for him. Leave the propaganda to him, just ramp up the chaos.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">He tweeted that MAGA “protesters” who came to Portland in a caravan on Saturday night were “Great Patriots!” and later explained why their behavior was understandable:</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The Atlantic’s Ron Brownstein wondered on Twitter whether “suburban voters look at these pictures and say, ‘yes, where I belong is in the same political coalition as men who crowd into pickup trucks w/guns, as in Bosnia 1998 or a Third World dictatorship?'” (Those huge flags flying behind them reminded me of men crowded “into pickup trucks w/guns,” as in news photographs of ISIS fighters.)</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">It’s a jarringly familiar sight, but it doesn’t look like anything we’ve seen in America before.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">There was an actual shooting that night and someone died. It’s unclear what exactly happened. But it is very clear that this kind of confrontation is something that Trump and his henchmen are actively stoking for political gain.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">As I wrote on Friday, this is hardly the first time Trump has deployed crude, racist fear-mongering. He’s been doing it for years, going all the way back to the full-page Central Park Five ad. If it isn’t marauding gangs of Black teenagers, it’s Muslim terrorists or Mexican rapists or left-wing anarchists. There’s always some bogeyman coming to get you.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The only thing he knows how to do is point a finger at “the other” and then promise people that he’s the only one who can save them. He feels confident that he’s got the troops to back him up, one way or the other. He gave an interview with Breitbart back in 2019 in which he made this explicit:</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">You know, the left plays a tougher game, it’s very funny. I actually think that the people on the right are tougher, but they don’t play it tougher. Okay? I can tell you I have the support of the police, the support of the military, the support of the Bikers for Trump — I have the tough people, but they don’t play it tough — until they go to a certain point, and then it would be very bad, very bad.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Yes, it would be very bad. The question is whether or not anyone will believe that Donald Trump is the man who can save America from all this mayhem he is creating. After all, he’s been promising to do that ever since he came down that elevator. Here he is at the 2016 Republican convention:</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">I guess that’s yet another promise he’ll fulfill after he makes America Great Again — Again.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">https://www.alternet.org/2020/08/qanon-functions-like-a-video-game-to-hook-converts-and-some-of-them-include-former-navy-seals-reports/</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">more than likely, a full-fledged supporter of the QAnon conspiracy cult will be sworn into the U.S. House of Representatives in January 2021: Marjorie Taylor Greene, on August 11, won a GOP primary in Georgia’s 14th Congressional District — and given how overwhelmingly Republican that district is, she is going into the general election with a major advantage. QAnon is showing no signs of slowing down, and according to the Daily Beast’s Kelly Weill, the cult is attracting some well-trained military veterans.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">QAnon believes that President Donald Trump was sent to the White House to combat an international pedophile ring that has infiltrated the United States’ federal government and practices Satanism. Cult members also believe that an anonymous figure named “Q” is giving them updates on Trump’s battle against the satanic pedophiles.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">FBI agents have warned that QAnon followers are quite capable of violence. And Weill, in an article published in the Beast on August 18, warns that some well-trained military veterans are embracing the cult.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“In particular, some ex-(U.S. Navy) SEALs are promoting belief in QAnon or related theories that falsely accuse many of President Donald Trump’s opponents of being involved in satanic pedophilia and cannibalism,” Weill reports. And according to Marc-André Argentino of the Global Network on Extremism & Technology, the potential for QAnon-related violence should not be ignored.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">argentino told the Beast, “The violence we’ve seen has been by people without acumen and physical training. Where it could get scary is with people who do have training.”</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Weill cites Louis Garrick Fernbaugh, a former Navy SEAL, as an example of someone who has been promoting far-right conspiracy theories — and he isobsessed with billionaire George Soros and Antifa. Another former SEAL Weill discusses is Stephen Ralston: on Instagram, according to Weill, Ralston “frequently uses QAnon hashtags, promotes Q videos, and posts about his interest in killing pedophiles. Although opposition to pedophilia is an overwhelmingly popular sentiment across political parties, QAnon turns the concern into a bogus call to arms against Trump’s foes.”</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">According to Argentino, “QAnon is rooted in this war narrative, in the sense that they’re in an information war against the ‘Deep State.’ Information wars are typically combined with a more physical element…. (Veterans) may want to be called upon to free the children from the pedophiles.”</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">One of the things that QAnon is doing to attract converts, Kyle Daly reports in Axios, is “working like a video game.”</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“Game designer Adrian Hon has argued that QAnon is a lot like an alternate-reality game, in which players follow a trail of clues online and off, to solve mysteries or just discover more clues to chase,” Daly explains. “But QAnon also echoes other game genres, mashing them together to become an all-encompassing, highly addictive experience. Intentionally or not, it has rolled up gameplay components from the past several decades of game design.”</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">QAnon, according to Daly, also has elements of an “adventure game.”</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“Adventure games are built around puzzle solving, with players using exploration and trial and error to discover secrets and backstory and progress through the game,” Daly notes. “Many classics of the genre have the player unravel a sinister conspiracy. At the center of QAnon are cryptic messages posted online by ‘Q,’ who claims to be a Trump Administration official with high-level clearance. QAnon adherents pore over these posts, often written in phony spy jargon, to divine&nbsp; clues and secret messages and make fresh links in the grand conspiracy aligned against Trump.”</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">ref</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">https://www.thedailybeast.com/what-happens-when-ex-navy-seals-go-full-qanon?ref=home</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">no lnx many</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">a man filmed leaving the area of an attempted pipe bomb attack on protesters in Portland, Oregon, was a former Navy SEAL who writes conspiracy theory-heavy social media posts decrying the left, Portland activists and news media recently reported.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">But the man is just one of an eclectic mix of former SEALs apparently taken in by conspiracy theories online or citing those theories in violent writings. If acted on by highly trained ex-military elite, those paranoias have deadly potential.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Witnesses in Portland say two men threw three homemade explosives at protesters early on the morning of Aug. 8. Although no one was harmed and the men do not appear to have been filmed, citizen journalist Scott Keeler pursued a man spotted in the area and filmed his face. Activists and Oregon Public Broadcasting identified the man asLouis Garrick Fernbaugh, a former SEAL and CIA contractor. Fernbaugh, 52, has been named by police as a person of interest, but not charged with a crime.&nbsp;</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Online, Fernbaugh has an extensive history of writing about conspiracy theories, particularly where they implicated the left. In this respect, he is part of a broader pattern of ex-SEALs, many of them with large digital followings, espousing conspiratorial ideas. They’re armed, suspicious, and in some cases, write in detail about potential plans to kill people they view as evildoers.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“People who are ex-military say, ‘I’m going to go liberate the kids.’ Is it bravado or is it a legitimate call to action?”</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">— Marc-André Argentino]</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">In particular, some ex-SEALs are promoting belief in QAnon or related theories that falsely accuse many of President Donald Trump’s opponents of being involved in Satanic pedophilia and cannibalism.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Marc-André Argentino, an associate fellow at the Global Network on Extremism & Technology, who monitors the QAnon conspiracy theory, said that theory—which has become one of the foremost in U.S. politics—has inspired an uptick in criminal acts by believers. (The Navy did not return a request for comment.)</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“The violence we’ve seen has been by people without acumen and physical training,” Argentino told The Daily Beast. “Where it could get scary is with people who do have training.”</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">[QAnon Pushes Pedo-Ring Plots. Now They’re Stealing Kids.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">RAMPING UP THE CRAZY</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Will Sommer]</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">SEALs like Fernbaugh, who could not be reached for comment for this story, have extensive military training, and might be better equipped than the average person to build an explosive device or take up weapons. A grizzled ex-special operative with a graying beard, Fernbaugh has spent years dabbling in false conspiracy theories, some of them anti-Semitic and many targeting anti-fascists, who have been highly visible at Portland protests. (The Daily Beast did not review any posts in which he expressed affinity for QAnon.)</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“George Soros is known to have paid ANTIFA to instigate rioting and create chaos that has caused millions in damage across numerous cities, but especially Portland, OR,” he wrote on Facebook in 2018, citing a conspiracy theory that falsely accuses a Jewish philanthropist of paying off protesters.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">In the caption of a video on the same topic, Fernbaugh mused that “I’m surprised no one has slaughtered these sheep that have grown horns (ANTIFA),” and recent posts boasted of “infiltrating” groups of Portland anti-fascists during ongoing racial justice protests.&nbsp;</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Fernbaugh appears to wear the same jacket in one of the videos as the man identified as him did in the footage from the aftermath of the Portland attack. He currently works selling shooting targets, including one made to look like a person dressed as a Portland anti-fascist.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Multiple people who know Fernbaugh, including a former colleague, told OPB that he was the man featured in Keeler’s video from near the scene of the explosive devices. A former law enforcement official told the publication that, based on the voice of the man in the video, they were comfortable enough in his identity that they were calling the FBI.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Meanwhile, the larger online conspiracy community is sprawling—the top QAnon groups on Facebook, alone, count more than 3 million combined members, according to an internal Facebook investigation, NBC News reported last week. These theories sometimes overlap in membership, and encompass millions of other people, spanning a range of false claims like that vaccines cause autism to the idea that the world is flat. In a group that large, some will almost inevitably be military or veterans.&nbsp;</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">But QAnon and related conspiracy theories like Pizzagate (both of which baselessly accuse Democrats of child abuse) seem to have an unusually high incidence among ex-SEALs. And some retired SEALs have been vocal in more explicit support for QAnon in particular, even if they have not been tied to the scene of alleged protest-related violence.&nbsp;</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“If these people aren’t brought to justice, there’s gonna be some fuckin’ street justice doled out.”</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">— Stephen Ralston, ex-Navy SEAL</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Stephen Ralston is a veteran who served on SEAL Delivery Vehicle Team One from 1990 to 1994, and SEAL Team Three from 1994 to 1998. Currently, he works as a private military contractor, according to his online bio, and has a podcast about special operations forces. On the Instagram for that podcast, and on his own Instagram feed, Ralston frequently uses QAnon hashtags, promotes Q videos, and posts about his interest in killing pedophiles. (Although opposition to pedophilia is an overwhelmingly popular sentiment across political parties, QAnon turns the concern into a bogus call to arms against Trump’s foes.)&nbsp;</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Some of the Instagram memes specifically frame elite military as a force for “Q,” the anonymous forum poster behind the conspiracy theory. One typical example, a picture that calls special operatives “the teeth of the light,” promises that thousands of specially trained veterans are willing to use their skills if QAnon’s claims are validated. “If any of the claims prove accurate, justice will be served one way or the other,” the caption reads, in part. “We don’t forgive. We don’t forget.”</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Ralston’s special forces podcast has also devoted at least one recent episode to QAnon.&nbsp;</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“If these people aren’t brought to justice, there’s gonna be some fuckin’ street justice doled out,” he says while petting a dachshund in a teaser trailer for the episode, uploaded to Instagram.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Ralston, who has not been accused of any conspiracy-related violence, told The Daily Beast he was unsure of QAnon’s popularity with former SEALs or any other group, and declined to otherwise comment for this story.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Attacks by conspiratorial veterans have long been lethal. The 1995 Oklahoma City bombing, which killed 168 people, was carried out by veteran Tim McVeigh, who was steeped in anti-government theories and reportedly told people the Army had implanted him with a microchip. McVeigh’s own failure to join the Army’s special ops forces was reportedly a major factor in his anger, and he viewed himself as a kind of one-man operator. (“In his mind, much of his life has been one of thinking that he is in a kind of Special Forces of his own,” a law enforcement source told The Washington Post after the attack.)</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Several recent violent plots associated with the anti-government Boogaloo movement have also allegedly been carried out by veterans or active service members. In May, two veterans and a current Army Reserve soldier were arrested in an alleged plot to throw explosives at a Black Lives Matter rally. That same month, a current Air Force staff sergeant was arrested for allegedly killing a federal security officer and attempting to kill another, in an apparent plot to kick off a new civil war that Boogaloo adherents believe is imminent.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">QAnon has inspired its own wave of crimes, with the FBI labeling the movement as a terror threat. Some prominent QAnon personalities are not veterans, but pose as elite Defense Department operatives, including one man linked to several recent Q-inspired kidnappings, who poses as the head of the fictional Pentagon Pedophile Task Force, The Daily Beast reported.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">QAnon support extends to at least one SEAL-founded company. Project Warpath is a clothing line owned by Tej Gill, a former member of SEAL Team Five who made headlines for selling “Hillary Clinton Killed My Friends” T-shirts after the deadly 2012 attack on a U.S. compound in Benghazi, Libya. Project Warpath also posts QAnon content to Instagram, including a recent post falsely linking the debunked Wayfair conspiracy (a QAnon-adjacent theory that falsely claimed children were being sold inside furniture on the home decor site) to Soros and the Clintons. Gill, who has not been accused of any conspiracy-related violence, could not be reached for comment for this story.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Argentino said QAnon’s popularity with special ops veterans might initially seem perplexing. Believers claim Q is a high-level military official. But as veterans of military intelligence circles should know, Q’s muddled posts do not operate anything like military work. (One former QAnon believer whose father had worked for the CIA previously told The Daily Beast she’d abandoned the theory when she realized Q was artlessly aping military language, in a way no service member would.)</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">A gray-bearded SEAL Team Five veteran, [Clark] Impastato served until recently as a police officer in Phoenix, Arizona, where he fatally shot a 15-year-old accused of making a drug deal.]</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Yet elements of QAnon might be alluring to veterans, Argentino noted.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“QAnon is rooted in this war narrative, in the sense that they’re in an information war against the ‘Deep State,’” he said. “Information wars are typically combined with a more physical element ... [Veterans] may want to be called upon to free the children from the pedophiles.”</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Some conspiratorial ex-SEAL content is compatible with QAnon, but it’s unclear whether those former SEALs are aware of its full connotations.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">One former member of the elite SEAL Team Six recently shared a post falsely linking Black Lives Matter to the Palestinian militant movement Hamas. The ex-SEAL appears to have copy-pasted the post’s caption, which was full of Q hashtags, although he did not write them himself. “Thoughts on this? I am only sharing, so don’t start throwing a tantrum,” he asked his followers.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">[The Disturbing Appeal of Boogaloo Violence to Military Men</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">OUTSIDE AGITATORS</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Kelly Weill]</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Mitch Aguiar, another former member of SEAL Team Five, has since left the military and gone on to build a name for himself as an MMA fighter and a salesman of military-themed apparel. Like some of his fellow brothers-in-arms, he’s also shared conspiratorial content on his 133,000-follower Instagram, including a post about the death of a QAnon supporter, but used a “PizzaGate” hashtag. (The Pizzagate conspiracy theory, which falsely claimed prominent Democrats were engaging in sex trafficking in a D.C. pizzeria, was a predecessor to QAnon, but fell out of favor after a Pizzagater shot up the restaurant. Another man set fire to the restaurant two years later, in January 2019.)</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Aguiar also commented “he’s a pedo” on a fellow ex-SEAL’s meme that falsely claimed actor Tom Hanks was wearing an ankle monitor, presumably because a secret court had found him guilty of child sex-trafficking. (This did not happen.)&nbsp;</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The fellow ex-SEAL, podcaster Clark Impastato, regularly shares QAnon-flavored conspiracy memes on his Instagram, where he has more than 87,000 followers. A gray-bearded SEAL Team Five veteran, Impastato served until recently as a police officer in Phoenix, Arizona, where he fatally shot a 15-year-old accused of making a drug deal. Although the teen was unarmed, Impastato’s use of force was found to be justified, because the teen rushed Impastato, “pulling his previously concealed hand from his waistband and forming it into a fist with a single, hooked finger extended,” as if to imply holding a gun, according to court records.&nbsp;</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Impastato voluntarily relinquished his police certification in January 2016, after racking up multiple misconduct complaints, state records show. Among them are two civil rights misconduct complaints, which state records describe as excessive force, one of them for allegedly punching a suspect. Another misconduct complaint against Impastato is for alleged “dishonesty/false statements” during the hiring process because he “did not disclose past sales of marijuana.” It was not immediately apparent from police records whether the complaints had been substantiated by police, and Phoenix Police did not return multiple requests for comment. In an interview with a military-themed energy drink company, Impastato said he left the force to become an entrepreneur on his own beard-care line.&nbsp;</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">As protests broke out over the death of George Floyd in police custody in Minneapolis in late May, Impastato posted a picture of himself carrying a gun with the caption, “The current chaos makes me wish I was still in to help out. ???????? I’m with you in spirit BROTHERS and SISTERS..” He also posted several memes about killing anti-fascists, including one about the movement coming to the suburbs “so I can get a stateside kill.”</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Neither Aguiar nor Impastato have been accused of conspiracy-related violence, and neither returned requests for comment for this story.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The extent of these ex-SEALs’ commitment to the QAnon cause, even when they flirt with it, isn’t always clear.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Increasingly, QAnon belief exists on a spectrum. Where once the theory appealed mostly to a core group of diehards who waited for the next “Q drop” (posts on a forum by an anonymous person claiming to be military intelligence), a diluted version of the conspiracy has reached a broader audience with less absurd claims about pedophilia.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">As The New York Times noted last week, QAnon content has recently surged in popularity with a broader crowd, including those who are unaware of its core claims, because it attached itself to a campaign to “save the children.”</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Well-intentioned fears can have counterproductive results. Sensationalized fears about Wayfair can obscure the reality that many (nearly half, per one study) of trafficked children are exploited by relatives. And the sudden popularity of sex-trafficking conspiracy theories has overwhelmed legitimate anti-trafficking organizations with bogus complaints. In late July, the National Human Trafficking Hotline released a statement saying “the extreme volume of these contacts has made it more difficult for the Trafficking Hotline to provide support and attention to others who are in need of help.”</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Some ex-SEALs operate in the murky area of Q-ish talk about sex-trafficking, conflating real cases with bogus statistics and linking their theories to high-profile celebrities and politicians, usually on the left.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Craig Sawyer, a Texas-based former SEAL Team Six member, runs an anti-trafficking group, and produced a documentary about child sex-trafficking. The group is distinct from theories like QAnon. Some QAnon believers, including the person pretending to be a member of the fictional Pentagon Pedophile Task Force, have targeted Sawyer, falsely accusing him of trafficking. Sawyer has even been openly critical of Q on Twitter, although not of all its claims.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“I’m not big on q, mainly due to how scary some of the followers are in their cult follower tendencies of an entity they can’t vet,” he tweeted in June. “But as long as the q narrative is ‘Do your own research’ & the info is accurate, that’s a good thing.”</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Nevertheless, Sawyer frequently interacts with pro-Q personalities, and shares a wealth of Q-adjacent material, including a conspiracy meme about figures like Bill Gates and George Soros pursuing a number of fantastical aims like population control and “one world government.” (He shared the meme, asking followers’ opinion on it, without explicitly endorsing it.) Sawyer, who has not been accused of conspiracy-related violence and declined to comment, shared a picture last Tuesday night of Sen. Kamala Harris posing with Soros’s son.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">[Navy SEAL Promoted After Choking Green Beret to Death</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">WTFO</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Kevin Maurer]</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The post, about Harris being named Joe Biden’s vice-presidential pick, referred to a sexist conspiracy theory about her. “We now know who’s on team New World Order / Global Marxism,” Sawyer wrote. “Literally GOOD vs EVIL.”</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Argentino, who recently authored a scholarly article about QAnon’s potential as a national security threat, said while most violent incidents carried out in the theory’s name were done so by people in a state of crisis, calls by military types are acting as a steady drumbeat.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“People who are ex-military say, ‘I’m going to go liberate the kids,’” he said. “Is it bravado or is it a legitimate call to action?”</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">For his part, Garrick Fernbaugh’s primary preoccupation has appeared to be theories about anti-fascists. But after years of posting about his interest in hurting them, someone appears to have attempted just that in Portland—while Fernbaugh was very nearby.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Approximately three weeks before the pipe bomb incident, Fernbaugh contacted Sawyer about his interest in anti-fascists. On LinkedIn, Sawyer had authored a post defending the federal agents who notoriously pulled Portland protesters into unmarked vans earlier this summer.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“I think this is actually a very calm & gracious response in the face of such destructive terrorism funded by our nation’s subversive enemies,” Sawyer wrote. “Law & order must prevail??”</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Fernbaugh replied in the comments. “I infiltrated ANTIFA in downtown PDX 3 nights ago,” he wrote. “(Dudes in camo) Hit me up, I’ll throw on my Cryes [a brand of combat apparel] and give you a hand restoring law and order, then we’ll go grab a well deserved beer!”</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">With reporting by Adam Rawnsley</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Kelly Weill</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Reporter</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">kelly.weill@thedailybeast.com</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">DHS Takes to the Streets</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Four days after Floyd's murder, amid street protests in Oakland, California, an officer for the Federal Protective Service was gunned down and killed outside the federal building he was guarding. Cuccinelli called the killing of the DHS agency officer "an act of domestic terrorism," and pledged that the department would take an active role in response to the violence.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">"We will stand behind our law-enforcement officers here in the department and all over America," he said.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Six weeks later, when two men were captured and charged in the Oakland assault, federal prosecutors detailed evidence that the men were associated with a right-wing extremist group, the Boogaloo Boys, and that they had taken advantage of the chaos of the anti-racism protests to stage their assault. That fact was lost in the executive order Trump signed on June 26, expanding DHS authority to respond to "anarchists and left-wing extremists." Trump directed DHS to provide personnel to assist in the protection of "federal monuments, memorials, statues or property."</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Within days, DHS officers were deployed to Portland, Oregon, where Black Lives Matter protests had continued into July, stoked by tensions that have raged for years between leftists and white extremists in the city.&nbsp; [pix]</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The conflict escalated with the arrival of the federal officers, and while many protesters were peaceful, others in the crowd tossed fireworks at officers and pointed high-powered lasers at federal agents, temporarily blinding them. Agents clubbed protestors with batons, used tear gas to disperse the crowds, and forced protestors into unmarked vans to detain them for questioning.&nbsp; An unarmed 26-year-old protester who was holding a radio over his head suffered a fractured skull and brain injury when a DHS officer shot him in the forehead with a rubber bullet.&nbsp;</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">DHS compiled and distributed to law enforcement "intelligence reports" on journalists who were covering the clash in Portland, a practice Wolf halted after The Washington Post reported on it. Politico later reported that the intelligence-gathering on journalists occurred after Cuccinelli relaxed the civil liberties oversight process at the agency.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">no lnx</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Suspect in Santa Cruz ambush linked to federal officer killing in Oakland; charged with 19 felonies</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Suspect was a sergeant in the U.S. Air Force</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">By NATE GARTRELL | ngartrell@bayareanewsgroup.com and JULIA PRODIS SULEK | jsulek@bayareanewsgroup.com | Bay Area News Group</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">PUBLISHED: June 11, 2020 at 10:12 a.m. | UPDATED: June 12, 2020&nbsp;</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">A U.S. Air Force sergeant accused of ambushing Santa Cruz County deputies is also believed to be the gunman who shot a federal officer in Oakland, a law enforcement source confirmed Thursday, linking the extraordinary tragedies that may have been spurred in part by extremist, anti-law enforcement views found in the dark corners of social media.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The explosive claim connecting the cases comes the same day that Steven Carrillo, 32, was charged with 19 felonies, including murder, attempted murder, explosives charges and carjacking after the deadly rampage Saturday afternoon that terrorized the mountain community of Ben Lomond, where Carrillo grew up and lived with his father.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Related Articles</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">‘I became unreasonable’: Bloody message scrawled on car at Ben Lomond ambush]</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">In a 14-page criminal complaint filed in Santa Cruz County Superior Court, Carrillo — who was on active duty at Travis Air Force Base — was charged with murder in the death of Sgt. Damon Gutzwiller and with the attempted murder of Deputy Alex Spencer, who was critically injured and remains hospitalized. They had been responding to a call from a concerned citizen in nearby Boulder Creek who reported seeing firearms and explosives in Carrillo’s white van.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">In all, Carrillo was charged on Thursday with assaulting a firefighter and trying to kill three other law enforcement officers, as well as the resident who ultimately pinned him to the ground as he tried to steal the man’s car during a desperate run from police. The charges include special circumstances of lying in wait, which makes Carrillo eligible for the death penalty, though prosecutors have not said if they will pursue death.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">His first court appearance in that case will be a Friday afternoon arraignment in front of Judge Paul Burdick.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The complaint does not mention the Oakland case nor Carrillo’s increasingly hostile anti-government social media posts that alarmed Facebook friends. And it remains unclear why an active duty Air Force sergeant would target members of federal and local law enforcement.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“The link to the Oakland murder doesn’t necessarily surprise me,” said Troy Hunter, a Silicon Valley software engineer who was one of Carrillo’s alleged carjacking victims in Ben Lomond on Saturday. Hunter thwarted Carrillo’s getaway when he removed the keys from the ignition and ran. “It’s more surprising that this guy being an active Air Force member would go down that route. It’s absolutely a little alarming.”</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">A memorial to fallen Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Deputy Sgt. Damon Gutzwiller in front of Sheriff Headquarters is filled with flowers on Sunday as more than 1,000 mourners attend a vigil for Gutzwiller, who was killed in Ben Lomond in the line of duty on Saturday. (Shmuel Thaler — Santa Cruz Sentinel)&nbsp;</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">As the country grapples with the Black Lives Matter protests and police use of rubber bullets and tear gas, the rampage in Ben Lomond and the killing in Oakland of a federal officer, who was black, further entangle any notion of clear left and right political battle lines.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">A former friend of Carrillo’s — Justin Ehrhardt, who served in the Air Force with him before retiring — said Carrillo’s Facebook posts point to a right-wing extremist group that includes former and active military members. In particular, Carrillo was sharing memes about the so-called “Boogaloo” movement that considers itself a libertarian anti-government citizen militia that is preparing for the next American civil war. Last week, the FBI arrested three adherents to the Boogaloo movement in Nevada, charging them with inciting violence with Molotov cocktails and other explosives at protests over the death of George Floyd.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Carrillo considered himself a libertarian, Ehrhardt said, speculating that police use of force during the protests may have pushed him over the edge.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“Excessive use of force on unarmed civilians — that was a huge thing for him,” Ehrhardt said. “It was a mental tipping point for him.” Ehrhardt imagined it was Carrillo’s way of saying, “If I’m going to fight for something, it’s going to be against the establishment.”</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">According to the complaint, Carrillo killed Gutzwiller while “lying in wait” for officers on Saturday afternoon at his Ben Lomond home and opened fire and lobbed pipe bombs before stealing one vehicle and attempting to carjack several others. Carrillo ultimately was wrestled to the ground by a nearby, unnamed resident whom Santa Cruz Sheriff Jim Hart praised for a “remarkable, heroic” act.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Carrillo also is charged with the attempted murder of that resident, who Hart said knocked away a pipe bomb and firearm as he grappled with Carrillo before officers arrived.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">On Thursday, a source close to the investigation confirmed Carrillo is also believed to be behind the May 29 Oakland shooting that claimed the life of Federal Protective Services officer Dave Patrick Underwood. Underwood had been patrolling the federal building in Oakland blocks from a protest as tens of thousands of people took to the streets in cities across the country after the Minneapolis police killing of Floyd.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Federal prosecutors are reviewing the Oakland case and are expected to make a filing decision in coming days.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Angela Underwood Jacobs gives her opening statement 10 June, 2020 during a hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC of the House Judiciary Committee about policing practices and law enforcement accountability prompted by the death of George Floyd while in police custody. (Photo by MICHAEL REYNOLDS / POOL / AFP) (Photo by MICHAEL REYNOLDS/POOL/AFP via Getty Images) ]</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">In testimony before a congressional panel on Wednesday, Underwood’s sister, Angela Underwood-Jacobs, said her heartbreak and grief are unexplainable.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“My brother wore a uniform, and he wore that uniform proudly. I’m wondering, where is the outrage for a fallen officer that also happens to be African American?” Jacobs told the House Judiciary Committee. “I truly hope that you take your positions, your offices so seriously that you want to go back and really work together and collaborate, because if you can’t get it right, there’s no hope for the rest of us.”</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Carrillo had been living with his father in Ben Lomond over the two years since his wife, who was also in the Air Force, died by suicide while in South Carolina on a training program. He has been a member of a security squadron at Travis Air Force Base since 2018.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Carrillo has two school-age children who are living with his late wife’s parents.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Gutzwiller, the officer Carrillo is charged with killing, left behind a pregnant wife and young child. More than a thousand people turned out the day after his death for a vigil, and while it was clear that the case had national political overtones, the tragedy was deeply personal for this local community.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“There’s a hole in all of our hearts now,” Hart said.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Staff Writer John Woolfolk contributed to this report.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Nate Gartrell | Contra Costa County courts reporter</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Nate Gartrell covers crime and corruption in Contra Costa County. He joined the Bay Area News Group in 2014.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Julia Prodis Sulek | Enterprise reporter</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Julia Prodis Sulek has been a general assignment reporter for the Bay Area News Group, based in San Jose, her hometown, since the late 1990s. She has covered everything from plane crashes to presidential campaigns, murder trials to immigration debates. Her specialty is narrative storytelling.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">ref</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">ref</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">https://www.mercurynews.com/2020/06/12/i-became-unreasonable-bloody-message-scrawled-on-car-at-ben-lomond-ambush/</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">... Carrillo, 32, has been charged with 19 felonies including murder in Saturday’s ambush, according to a 14-page indictment filed in the Superior Court of Santa Cruz. He is also a suspect in the fatal shooting May 29 of a federal officer in Oakland, a law enforcement official confirmed to the Mercury News.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Before he was arrested in Ben Lomond, Carrillo scrawled the word “boog” and the phrases “I became unreasonable” and “stop the duopoly” in blood on the hood of a car, NBC News and other media have reported.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“Boog” is shorthand for the Boogaloo, a libertarian anti-government movement that claims to be preparing for a civil war in the United States.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“I became unreasonable” has become a meme in Boogaloo social media. It refers to a statement by Marvin Heemeyer, an icon in extremist anti-government groups because of the 2004 rampage in which he bulldozed 13 buildings in a Colorado mountain town over&nbsp; a zoning dispute. Heemeyer — aka “Killdozer” — fatally shot himself when the heavily armored bulldozer became stuck in the basement of a store he was destroying. A note he left behind included the line, “I was always willing to be reasonable until I had to be unreasonable.”</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“Stop the duopoly,” referring to the dominance of the Republican and Democratic parties, is a slogan frequently pushed by third-party and libertariancandidates.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">A former friend of Carrillo’s, Justin Ehrhardt, told the Mercury News that the suspect considered himself a libertarian and had been sharing Boogaloo memes on his Facebook account.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">In the attack Saturday,&nbsp; Santa Cruz County sheriff’s Sgt. Damon Gutzwiller was killed and Deputy Alex Spencer was critically wounded, hit by shrapnel as the suspect fled, the indictment and media accounts said.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Other charges against Carrillo included detonating pipe bombs, laying in wait to attack officers and assaulting a firefighter and three other law enforcement officers, the indictment said.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Carrillo was an active-duty sergeant at Travis Air Force Base and&nbsp; a member of the 60th Security Force Squadron.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=...</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">https://www.thedailybeast.com/mens-rights-activists-roy-den-hollander-and-marc-angelucci-are-dead-and-the-movement-is-freaking-out</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Members of the so-called “men’s rights” movement want to get one thing straight: while a prominent member allegedly killed a judge’s son, seriously wounded her husband, and was implicated in the killing of another activist, it should not reflect badly on their community.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">In fact, the most deranged strand of the insular crowd’s alternately panicked and dismissive reaction to a bizarre internal beef spilling out into spectacular murders was the idea that all the shootings were a conspiracy to make men’s rights activists look bad.&nbsp;</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Roy Den Hollander, 72, is accused of targeting the family of a judge who was presiding over one of his many “anti-feminist” legal crusades. Den Hollander, who raged against U.S. District Judge Esther Salas in online screeds, allegedly visited Salas’ house Sunday evening, fatally shooting her son and leaving her husband in critical condition.&nbsp;</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Den Hollander, who was later found dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, is also being eyed in the recent killing of Marc Angelucci, a rival men’s rights crusader and vice-president of the group National Coalition for Men in California. As The Daily Beast first reported, Den Hollander was placed in the state at the time of Angelucci’s death, with the FBI later confirming he had been linked to the slaying.&nbsp;</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The slew of shootings are the latest in a pattern of violence to emerge from the “manosphere,” a sprawling misogynist movement, and it would be a stretch to expect much actual soul-searching from Den Hollander’s fellow travelers. Still, conversations with observers of the misogynist community—and a trawl of its forums, videos, and publications—painted a picture of a subculture in turmoil....</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">aha fundamentalism --> violence in the name of</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">https://www.alternet.org/2020/08/afghan-womens-rights-trailblazer-survives-gun/</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">https://www.alternet.org/2020/08/trump-nation-goes-full-cuckoo-right-wing-conspiracy-theorists-get-even-more-unhinged-as-the-presidents-chances-fade/</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">no lnx</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">A pandemic is spiraling out of control and Donald Trump’s reaction is to roll his eyes and say, “It is what it is.” Unsurprisingly, polling data shows that his Democratic opponent, former Vice President Joe Biden, is pulling ahead, not just in national polls, but in a number of battleground states like Pennsylvania, Michigan and Florida, none of which Trump can afford to lose. After all, the incumbent has nothing real to run on. The economy is the worst it’s been since the Great Depression of the 1930s, Americans are losing health insurance by the millions, and Republicans are responding by trying to shortchange unemployment benefits for the millions of people who’ve lost their jobs.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">With nothing real to hang on to, it’s no surprise that conservatives — already prone to spreading misinformation — are increasingly addicted to conspiracy theories, wallowing in paranoid fantasies to justify the ludicrous notion that there’s any reason to keep on supporting Trump and the Republican Party.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Unfortunately, this turn towards even greater conspiratorial thinking on the right is also extremely dangerous. There’s already a strong link between right-wing paranoia and right-wing violence. Add the increasing likelihood of Trump’s defeat, the rising stress from the coronavirus, and a blitz of violent propaganda, and there’s a real chance that right-wing conspiracism will lead to even more domestic terrorism, hate crimes and neofascist goons in the streets.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Alex Jones of Infowars, who still has a sizable audience despite having been de-platformed by many major social media companies, shamelessly encouraged his audience last week to lash out with murderous violence against the left.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Jones claimed to have reports that “Maoists” (which is fringe-right code for anyone to the left of Republicans) are stockpiling “explosives and weapons and trucks loaded with ammonium nitrate and chlorine gas” in the cities in preparation to wage war against all true-believing Americans. So “the best thing to do in a defensive way,” Jones said, “is kill as many of them as quickly as possible.”</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Jones of course insisted that he was only talking about “defensive” tactics and warned viewers about not “jumping first,” but that rhetoric is mostly a weak attempt at ass-covering to disguise an effort to incite terrorist violence from the right.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">For one thing, Jones is just making up the threat that his audience is supposed to be “defending” themselves against. No leftists are not stockpiling weapons or bomb-making materials, and there is no progressive conspiracy to wage war on right-wingers. For another thing, Jones painted a clear picture of the kinds of people he imagines killing as quickly as possible, specifically naming “the establishment perverts and pedophiles” who he believes run society, as well as people who “show up in black uniforms and burn down your local courthouse.”</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The former is a reference to Democratic politicians, whom far-right conspiracy theorists have been accusing, under the banner of “Pizzagate,” of running a secret pedophile ring for at least the last four years now. The latter is a reference to Black Lives Matter protesters and anti-fascist activists, the vast majority of whom are peaceful. The right has been demonizing the as violent because of some graffiti and sporadic episodes of vandalism. Neither group is involved in a plot to kill conservatives (or anyone else), but by claiming that they, Jones is setting up a narrative clearly meant to incite or justify violent attacks.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">On the Christian right side of things, similar conspiracy theories about progressives are spreading. As Right Wing Watch has documented, popular Christian right activist Scott Lively has claimed that “Democrat-controlled population centers” will soon be burned to the ground, as part of an elaborate conspiracy by liberals to get out of paying pensions to police officers.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Unfortunately, there’s good reason to fear these wild and violent theories are gaining even more traction than usual on the already paranoid far right. On Tuesday, Axios reported a massive surge in online interest in QAnon, which is basically an umbrella movement that organizes all these various right-wing conspiracy theories into one narrative that has become so elaborate and consuming for its followers that it’s almost a religion at this point.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Online searches for QAnon have reportedly exploded tenfold. Similarly, “QAnon pages and groups on Facebook had nearly 10 times more likes at the end of last month than they did last July” and there has been “a 190% increase in the daily average number of tweets with popular QAnon hashtags since March as compared to the seven months prior.”</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">QAnon followers believe that a shadowy “elite” — which they conflate with Democrats — runs both the country from the shadows and, oh yeah, that they also have a massive pedophilia ring, and that Trump is secretly masterminding a plot to destroy this elite cabal. (In real life, Trump’s reaction to people who run pedophile rings is to say they like “beautiful women” on “the younger side” and also to say “I wish her well.”) It’s a testament to the kinds of pretzels people will tie themselves into in order to believe that there’s anything noble or moral about Donald Trump, or some valid reason to support him.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The rise in interest in QAnon isn’t surprising, as the White House is actively encouraging their voters to get involved with this unified-field conspiracy universe. As Media Matters has reported, Trump has retweeted QAnon Twitter accounts at least 185 times, and “members of Trump’s family, his personal attorney, current and former campaign staffers, and even some current and former Trump administration officials have also repeatedly amplified QAnon supporters and their content.”</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Honestly, the supposedly mainstream conservative network Fox News is just as dangerous at this point. Most Fox News hosts are careful to avoid overtly endorsing QAnon, but network content in recent weeks has been perfectly situated to validate and amplify the paranoia about Democrats and progressives who are supposedly gearing up to wage war on conservatives.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Day in and day out, Fox News has broadcast scary images of protesters fighting with police, clouds of tear gas and people running through city streets in the middle of the night, all to make rural and suburban viewers, who are even more shut-in than usual, believe that American cities are war zones right now. Fox News is also blatantly lying to its viewers, blaming “radicals” and “antifa” for the scary images, and not telling viewers that in most cases what they’re seeing is cops provoking conflict, often by chasing down, beating and tear-gassing peaceful protesters.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">As those of us who actually live in American cities can attest, they don’t look like war zones, but pretty much like the same places they were before the pandemic and the protests (with a lot less traffic). Even when it comes to the protests themselves, despite some looting and vandalism back in early June, the vast majority of protests have been entirely nonviolent, at least as long as law enforcement isn’t attacking protesters without cause.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">In spreading this bald-faced propaganda, Fox News — which tries to position itself as the voice of the Trump-era mainstream right — is working in tandem with cuckoo-for-Cocoa Puffs conspiracy theorists like QAnon and Alex Jones. Fox News viewers see all these misleading images and hear all this talk about “antifa” and the “radical left,” and it feels like concrete evidence that the conspiracy theorists are right and that “progressives” or “radicals” are starting a civil war. This not only reinforces conspiratorial thinking, but encourages more conservatives to seek out these outrageous theories.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Taken together, the Trump White House, the online conspiracy fringe and Fox News are enveloping Republican voters in this paranoid fantasy that they’re under violent assault from the leftists — and that they need to “defend” themselves through pre-emptive action. There’s already been a rash of violence against protesters, who have been run over with cars or shot down in the streets. Rather than toning it down, Trump and his allies in both “mainstream” and fringe right-wing media have ramped up their rhetoric, painting a lurid and entirely false picture of the supposed threat. Either implicitly, as on Fox News, or explicitly, as with Alex Jones, conservatives are being encouraged to respond to this imaginary threat with violence.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">There’s no reason to expect this situation to improve as the November election nears — or after that either, quite likely. Right-wingers are sore losers on a good day, but now they’ve whipped themselves into a paranoid frenzy that is utterly detached from reality and could lead to tragic violence.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">https://www.alternet.org/2020/07/white-supremacists-are-using-the-protests-to-stoke-racial-tensions-while-trump-and-bill-barr-help/</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">no lnx twt vid</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">hite supremacists are using the protests to stoke racial tensions — while Trump and Bill Barr help</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Official White House Photo by Shealah Craighead</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">AD REMOVED FOR SUBSCRIBED USER</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Written by Nancy LeTourneau / Washington Monthly July 29, 2020</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The day after George Floyd was killed by Minneapolis police officers, peaceful protesters took to the streets. But the first serious incidence of violence came two days later on May 27th when a masked man started breaking windows at an auto parts store.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">That set off a chain reaction of looting, fires, and rioting. Three days later, Attorney General Bill Barr made a statement, saying that “In many places it appears the violence is planned, organized and driven by anarchic and far left extremist groups using Antifa-like tactics, many of whom travel from outside the state to promote the violence.” The president echoed those remarks.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">On Tuesday, we learned something about the so-called “umbrella man” in the video above.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">A masked man who was seen in a viral video smashing the windows of a south Minneapolis auto parts store during the George Floyd protests, earning him the moniker “Umbrella Man,” is suspected to be a member of the Hell’s Angels biker gang seeking to incite racial tension in a demonstration that until then had been peaceful, police said…</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">A subsequent investigation revealed that the man was also an associate of the Aryan Cowboy Brotherhood, a small white supremacist prison and street gang based primarily in Minnesota and Kentucky.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Police have also connected the Aryan Cowboy Brotherhood to an incident in which a Muslim woman and her daughter were harassed in Stillwater, Minnesota by a group of men wearing white supremacist insignia.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Last weekend, something similar happened in Richmond, Virginia.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Riots in downtown Richmond over the weekend were instigated by white supremacists under the guise of Black Lives Matter, according to law enforcement officials.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Protesters tore down police tape and pushed forward toward Richmond police headquarters, where they set a city dump truck on fire.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">If we add all of that to the involvement of the far-right anti-government group Boogaloo Boys, it becomes clear that much of the violence we’re seeing on the streets is coming from two groups: (1) law enforcement, and (2) far-right/white supremacist groups. But as the president and attorney general defend the use of force by law enforcement to “dominate” the streets, it is significant that neither one of them has called out the actual extremists who are involved.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">https://www.alternet.org/2020/07/experts-fear-trump-supporters-will-be-dangerous-if-he-loses-the-last-gasp-of-a-dying-party/</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The United States has a long history of bitter, divisive presidential elections being followed by gracious concession speeches. But Journalist Andrew Feinberg, in an article published by The Independent on July 7, examines the possibility of far-right violence if Donald Trump loses to Joe Biden in November.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“Even by the hardball standards of American presidential politics,” Feinberg explains, “Trump’s reelection bid stands out in history as the sole example of an incumbent president who is pushing his supporters to view a loss as the end of the republic rather than the end of his political career. This unprecedented strategy is raising concerns among experts on extremism and authoritarianism, and even veterans of Republican politics who say it is likely to result in violence should Trump lose in November.”</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Trump is hardly the first U.S. president to play hardball during his reelection campaign. President Richard Nixon, in 1972, slammed Democratic nominee George McGovern unmercifully and was reelected by a landslide. Had Nixon lost to McGovern, however, he would have no doubt congratulated him and moved on; for all his corruption and ruthlessness, Nixon knew when to quit. But as Feinberg points out in his article, Trump’s rhetoric has been historically over-the-top.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“While speaking last Friday at the foot of Mt. Rushmore as part of an official, taxpayer-funded celebration of American independence,” Feinberg notes, “Trump characterized the anti-racist protest movement that has swept the country in recent weeks as ‘a new far-left fascism’ and a ‘left-wing cultural revolution’ that is ‘designed to overthrow the American Revolution’ and ‘would destroy the very civilization that rescued billions from poverty, disease, violence and hunger, and that lifted humanity to new heights of achievement, discovery and progress.’"</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Feinberg adds that on July 4, the day after his Mt. Rushmore speech, Trump gave a White House speech in which he railed against “the radical left, the Marxists, the anarchists, the agitators, the looters” and asserted that defeating them in November would be akin to “the process of defeating” the United States’ enemies during World War II.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Brian Klaas, a politics professor at Universal College London in the U.K., told The Independent he “would be surprised if there is not at least some sporadic low-level violence around the election” if Trump loses.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Klaas warned, “In modern American history, there has never been a major mainstream political figure who has argued that his opponents are not legitimate.” And the things that worry Klaas about the hardcore MAGA bass, he told The Independent, include the “high concentration of weapons among Donald Trump’s supporters” and the “steady diet of information that tells them that they are the last defense for America against some conspiracy against them.”</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">According to Klaas, “People who have really worked themselves up in this vortex of disinformation… and have really gone down the rabbit hole…. may take Trump’s tweets literally and say, ‘OK, they’re my enemies. They’re committing treason, they’re part of the Deep State, and it’s time to be a patriot and stand up against them.’ That would be very, very dangerous.”</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Former Republican Rep. Joe Walsh, who was a Tea Party favorite befor he became a Never Trumper, also fears the possibility of violence from the far right if Trump loses. Walsh, interviewed by The Independent, described Trumpism as “the last gasp of a dying party” that will become “even more desperate” if Democrats retake the White House and the Senate in November.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“They will engage in violence,” Walsh warned. “They will engage in trying to stop the machinery of government from even working.”</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">mma 720</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">As is the case in most cities across the United States, protests against police brutality have taken place in St. Louis, Missouri, for the past several weeks. In a since deleted video, Lyda Krewson, the Democratic mayor of St. Louis announced the names and home addresses of some residents who had contacted the mayor’s office about defunding the police. In response, last weekend, protesters&nbsp; took to the streets to demand the resignation of the mayor and continue protests against police brutality. In the midst of the protest, two people emerged from a nearby mansion and pointed guns at the peaceful protesters. A man pointed an AR-15-style rifle directly at protesters, while a woman pointed a handgun with her finger directly on the trigger.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">This week, many right-wing media figures took the opportunity to defend the couple. Some figures praised the couple for defending their homes, while others asserted that the couple’s actions were justified because of panic caused by the recent coverage of protests and left-wing demonstrators around the country.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Here are just a few examples of right-wing media figures defending the couple::</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Far-right commentator Cassandra Fairbanks tweeted: “I am absolutely in love with them. These people are the American dream.” In another tweet, Fairbanks attacked the peaceful protesters for entering the gated community, calling them a “black lives matter mob.”</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The View’s Meghan McCain complained the media reaction revealed an “elitist disdain” for “gun culture in red states.”&nbsp;</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Conservative radio host and former NRATV personality Dana Loesch tweeted in defense of the couple, writing, “Considering the broadcasts, violence, fire, and weeks of angry mobs, of course they’re scared.”</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Right-wing commentator Jesse Kelly tweeted that the couple was “trying to protect their property from the zoo animals.”</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">https://www.rightwingwatch.org/post/the-federalist-publisher-calls-on-republicans-to-get-physically-involved-against-blm-protesters/</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">ben Domenech, publisher of the right-wing outlet The Federalist, called on Republican Party leaders to “physically take part” in defending the nation’s ?statues honoring Confederate leaders, slave-holding men, and brutal colonizers from protesters who are calling for the statues’ removal.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">In a June 23 article titled “Where Are Conservative Leaders In This Moment?,” Domenech laments that Republican leadership has seemingly done little to defend ?the monuments from protesters across the nation?, despite running campaigns with messages doused in American nostalgia. Domenech writes:</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Wrapping themselves in the language of the Founding Fathers, filling their buildings with quotes, books, busts, statues, and artist’s renderings, conservatives have thrived by making themselves the defenders of American history against a verbally iconoclastic left. But in practice, they spent more time advocating for lower taxes, feel-good donor interests, and pro-business regulatory reforms than the cultural defense they used to make the money roll in.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">For Domenech, Republicans’ lip service is not enough. Instead, he wants to see GOP leaders take to the front lines of opposition:</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Now that the left has become not just verbally iconoclastic, not just changing the names of streets or buildings but physically assaulting the past, why have conservatives gone quiet? Why are they standing back instead of standing up to defend our history? Why is it that a bunch of South Philly Italian bros have more gumption about a statue of Columbus than the people who have spent decades invoking Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln, and more to raise money for their causes and win elections?</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The “South Philly Italian bros” that Domenech contrasts with Republicans ?leaders were a roving assemblage of vigilante white men in Philadelphia’s Fishtown neighborhood who threatened and intimidated Black Lives Matter protesters with bats and makeshift weapons? early in June, all with the tacit approval of the local police officers. Members of the group ended up assaulting a local news producer who was documenting the group’s ground presence, leaving him bloodied. Billy Penn reports that the men were alerted by police officers that “looting” could happen in their area?, which the men? interpreted it as a call-to?-arms.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Last week, a similar crowd ?of vigilante white men assembled in front of a statue of Christopher Columbus? again in Philadelphia on June 14. They were reportedly greeted with handshakes by police officers, who later allowed the group to assault people protesting at the statue.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Domenech called on Republican leaders to stand arm-in-arm with police officers and to fight protesters trying to remove statues.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">What I want to see right now more than anything is elected officials and community leaders who are willing and ready to link arms with these cops and physically take part in cleaning up this mess and defying the mob.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Tags: Ben DomenechBlack Lives MatterGeorge Floydviolent rhetoricThe Federalist</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">https://www.alternet.org/2020/06/trumps-incendiary-language-ive-documented-12-kinds-of-communication-that-lead-to-acts-of-violence-the-president-has-used-them-all</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">no lnx</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">trump’s incendiary language: I’ve documented 12 kinds of communication that lead to acts of violence. The president has used them all</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
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</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Written by Helio Fred Garcia / Salon June 22, 2020</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Donald Trump’s tweet the week before last that the 75-year old man who was shoved to the ground by police in Buffalo and wound up in the intensive care unit “could be an ANTIFA provocateur” was just one latest example of Trump’s use of language to demonize others.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">His call a week earlier that “when the looting starts the shooting starts” not merely glorifies violence, as Twitter noted. It predictably creates conditions that lead to violence.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">It is all part of a predictable pattern. I am a communication and leadership professor and have spent the last 18 months carefully studying Trump’s language in preparing for a forthcoming book. I have documented 12 kinds of communication that have historically preceded acts of violence against groups, critics or rivals — and that have led to civil unrest. Trump uses all 12 forms. These include:</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Dehumanizing a group: He dehumanizes groups: Mexicans, Muslims, migrants. He calls them animals and says their presence among us is an “infestation.”</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Demonizing a rival or critic: He tells four congresswomen of color to go back to where they came from; all are American citizens, and three were born in this country. He says those congresswomen are not capable of loving America. He refutes the legitimacy of a sitting president, and says the speaker of the House wants terrorists, drug kingpins and human traffickers to enter the country to wreak havoc.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Severely exaggerating risk: He inflates a relatively harmless event — a scraggly group of impoverished migrants walking thousands of miles to seek legal asylum — and calls it a “caravan” or an “invasion,” funded by mysterious sources, infiltrated by dangerous people, worthy of mobilizing the military.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Trump’s call for mobilizing the active duty military to respond to civil unrest is an escalation of this third form of language that provokes violence.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The U.S. Holocaust Museum Simon-Skjodt Center for the Prevention of Genocide defines “dangerous speech” as speech that, under the right conditions, can influence people to accept, condone and commit violence against members of a group. Trump’s language has that effect.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">After Trump began his presidential campaign in 2015 by calling Mexicans rapists, drug dealers and the cause of many American problems including crime, hate crimes against people perceived to be Latino surged.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">After he called for a “total and complete ban of Muslims entering the United States,” hate crimes against people perceived to be Muslim or Arab surged.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">As he persisted, earlier this year, in calling COVID-19 the “China virus,” hate crimes against people perceived to be Asian surged.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">And as he was allowed to get away with it, Trump escalated his rhetoric. He began, pre-campaign, conditionally: If Barack Obama wasn’t born in this country, he could not be president. It moved to the outright declarative: He asserted, falsely, that Rep. Ilhan Omar has praised al-Qaida. In fact, she has denounced them her entire career</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
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</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">A few weeks ago, he escalated further: He retweeted a video of the head of Cowboys for Trump, who happens to be an elected official, saying “The only good Democrat is a dead Democrat.”</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">With his escalation of language, the violence also escalated. During the campaign it took the form mostly of hate crimes.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">But all that changed in the run up to the 2018 midterm elections, when it provoked acts and attempted acts of terrorism.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">In early October 2018, Trump was using some form of “invader,” invasion,” “criminal,” “animal” or “killer” between eight and 10 times per rally. By late October it had escalated to more than 30 times. These were further amplified by his tweets. His words were then amplified further in the media and social media, and then took off in the white supremacist ecosystem that became an echo chamber.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">He said that George Soros was funding the “caravan” that constituted an “invasion” at the border. Within two days, more than 2 million Twitter accounts reaching 275 million people mentioned both Soros and “caravan” together. So did Facebook accounts reaching 99 million.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
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</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">That same week, in late October 2018, the Tree of Life synagogue shooter committed an act of terror in Pittsburgh, killing 11 people and wounding two. Six days before the shooting he posted, “I have noticed a change in people saying ‘illegals’ that now say ‘invaders.’ I like this.” He took up the Soros conspiracy, and he named synagogues that he said were funding a refugee agency that was involved in the “invasion.” Two hours before the shooting, he posted that this agency “likes to bring invaders that kill our people. I can’t sit by and watch my people get slaughtered. Screw the optics. I’m going in.”</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">That same week a Trump supporter sent a mail bomb to Soros’ home, and other bombs to a dozen Trump critics. The New Zealand mosque shooter and the El Paso Walmart shooter both invoked Trump and invasions in their manifestos.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">So what can engaged citizens, civic leaders, journalists and public officials do?</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">First, they need to see the pattern and to name it.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Second, they need to name the foreseeable consequences of such language: It creates the very social conditions that can lead people to accept, condone and commit violence against members of a group, a rival or a critic.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Third, they need to unambiguously call on Trump, or any other leader who uses such language, to stop. And to make clear that they hold that leader accountable for the violent consequences of such language.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">We saw just this when former Defense Secretary James Mattis, a retired Marine Corps general, finally broke his silence. Speaking of his successor, current Defense Secretary Mark Esper, Mattis said, “We must reject any thinking of our cities as a ‘battlespace’ that our uniformed military is called upon to ‘dominate.'”</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
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</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Speaking of the president, Mattis said, “Donald Trump is the first president in my lifetime who does not try to unite the American people — does not even pretend to try. Instead he tries to divide us. We are witnessing the consequences of three years of this deliberate effort. We are witnessing the consequences of three years without mature leadership.”</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Gen. Mattis has shown us the way. Now it’s up to the rest of us.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">aha authoritatian dic wants/needs to use force to win, bonus turmpista base will reward him for WINNING over THEM; thus photoshop gunman into BLM seattle</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
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</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">https://www.alternet.org/2020/06/trump-has-no-grand-strategy-and-hes-going-all-in-with-losers/</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">ms 13</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">---</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">https://www.alternet.org/2020/06/propaganda-fox-news-photoshops-gunman-into-stories-about-seattles-autonomous-zone</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">no pix url</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Propaganda’: Fox News photoshops gunman into stories about Seattle’s autonomous zone</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Image via Screengrab.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Written by The New Civil Rights Movement June 14, 2020</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Legal journalist Mark Joseph Stern noticed that Fox News added a man carrying a military-assault rifle into images of Seattle’s Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone (CHAZ) on Friday. The CHAZ is a police-free area currently occupied by protesters police violence.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Fox News featured the images on their website without any mention that they had been altered. They placed the exact same gunman in two different photos. In one, the gunman’s left arm had been weirdly cut off in a straight line from the shoulder to the elbow.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Fox claimed that the image of a shattered window in the CHAZ was taken this week, but it seems it was actually taken on May 30.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Mark Joseph Stern</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">@mjs_DC</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Fox News, a totally normal and respectable media outlet, digitally manipulated photos of Seattle’s “autonomous zone” by photoshopping in a gunman. https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/politics/fox-news-runs-digitally-altered-images-in-coverage-of-seattles-protests-capitol-hill-autonomous-zone/ …</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">View image on TwitterView image on TwitterView image on TwitterView image on Twitter</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“Given how vigorously Fox News personalities have argued that men toting assault weapons in public are not inherently threatening,” Stern wrote, “it’s curious the outlet digitally inserted a man toting a gun to make the autonomous zone seem more threatening and scary.”</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Fox News eventually issued the following editor’s note:</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">A FoxNews.com home page photo collage which originally accompanied this story included multiple scenes from Seattle’s ‘Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone’ and of wreckage following recent riots. The collage did not clearly delineate between these images, and has since been replaced. In addition, a recent slideshow depicting scenes from Seattle mistakenly included a picture from St. Paul, Minnesota. Fox News regrets these errors.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Here are some reactions to the news of Fox’s photoshopping from Twitter:...</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">an 620</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Man accused of driving his truck into a Virginia protest is an ‘admitted KKK leader’: prosecutor</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Alex Henderson</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">by Matthew Valasik, Louisiana State University and Shannon Reid, University of North Carolina – Charlotte</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">As protests about police violence among black people continue and become more widespread across the U.S., certain individuals and groups have begun to stand out – including anarchists, agitators and members of a variety of far-right groups.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">With the country’s long history of racist killings, it may be confusing to think that racists and white supremacists are among those objecting to the killing of people of color.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">But people affiliated with far-right groups aren’t trying to be part of the overall protest movement. Having researched these groups, we think it’s likely that they are attempting to hijack the event for their own purposes.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">As researchers of street gangs and far-right groups, we see that in this case, they want to stoke a civil war between the races – one they think they can win. By antagonizing police, destroying property, or intimidating the public by adopting military gear – including weapons – these groups are attempting to instigate violence between the police, protesters and the public. Rousting law enforcement to violently retaliate against black people en masse is the first step.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Instigating civil war</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The far-right is not unified by a strict ideology. It is a broad movement with various factions vying for greater amounts of attention and influence.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">In spite of this tension, our research shows that many share the conspiracy belief that Western governments are corrupt and controlled by the New World Order, a cabal of wealthy Jewish elites. To them, wealthy Jewish investor and democracy advocate George Soros is the puppet master of the world economy.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">William Luther Pierce’s 1978 novel “The Turner Diaries,” which has come to be known as “the bible of the racist right,” lays out a plan to instigate a race war and bring about the federal government’s collapse. The book has inspired violence from the far-right, most notably the 1995 bombing at the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“Accelerationism” – the idea that inducing chaos, provoking law enforcement, and promoting political tension will hasten the collapse of Western government – has taken root among far-right groups. One such group, the “Boogaloo Bois,” identified by their penchant for wearing Hawaiian shirts, has been observed at protests in Minnesota, Florida, Georgia, Texas, Pennsylvania, Colorado and Oregon. As with any far-right movement, “Boogaloo Bois” groups are rather unstructured and have varied beliefs, lacking any hierarchical organization.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">In Las Vegas, three “Boogaloo Bois” were arrested with firearms and a plan to incite violence during George Floyd protests. Social media posts and online chat groups have also shown them attempting to infiltrate other protests across the country.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Joining the crowds provides these groups an opportunity to discredit protesters by inciting looting, rioting, violence and vandalism – which they hope will spark like-minded white Americans to resist the civil disobedience of protesters. Already, there are roving bands of armed white counterprotesters at protests across America.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Other far-right extremists are talking on social media about the protests requiring a lot of police attention and see an opportunity to engage in targeted terror attacks. Their overall intention is the same: fanning flames to burn down the federal government, making room for them to establish a whites-only country.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Matthew Valasik, Associate Professor of Sociology, Louisiana State University and Shannon Reid, Associate Professor, University of North Carolina – Charlotte</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">https://www.alternet.org/2020/06/trumps-trolling-has-turned-into-real-world-violence-what-his-voters-wanted-all-along/</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Eager to get home to South Philadelphia before curfew — about an hour’s walk — I left Monday’s Black Lives Matter protest a few minutes before the police decided to tear-gas the peaceful crowd. The videos of the incident are terrifying — people desperately trying to scramble away from the painful gas, but trapped in the cloud by a fence and a hill that only a few could scramble over. It was a repeat of what is happening in city after city — most notably in Washington, where President Trump had a peaceful crowd gassed because they were getting in the way of a photo op — as police across the nation, evidently inspired by Trump’s violent and authoritarian rhetoric, have begun violently crushing nonviolent protesters.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">I had been with the protest for several hours, walking miles through the streets of Philadelphia, and can attest that it was a peaceful event. I witnessed one man arrested. But while things got tense and there was some shouting, it was the protesters themselves, not the cops, who took on the task of de-escalating the situation and keeping the crowd moving.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The crowd was peaceful, but perhaps more notably, it was packed with the kinds of people who have been offered up for decades now as hate objects by Fox News and other right-wing propagandists: A racially diverse group of leftist college-age kids, middle-aged hipsters, aging hippies, and earnest, clean-cut liberals handing out water bottles, all led by a young black woman with a portable speaker calling out the usual protest chants. These are the folks dangled in front of “heartland” America, day after day and night after night, as the “politically correct” villains who are coming to cancel Mom and apple pie and your God-given right to catcall women or tell racist jokes after you’ve had a couple.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Sticking it to these folks, often reduced to “the libs,” was the main reason Republican voters elevated Trump above all other possible Republican candidates in 2016. While the GOP clown-car assemblage of that campaign — Bobby Jindal! Carly Fiorina! Ben Carson! — were, like all Republicans since the era of Nixon and Reagan, happy to engage in coded race-baiting and misogyny disguised as piety, Donald Trump had the special appeal of not even bothering to speak in code. He channeled the base’s nakedly racist loathing of Barack Obama and Black Lives Matter and brown-skinned immigrants. He didn’t pretend that his misogyny was somehow in the service of Jesus Christ, dumping the charade of the chivalrous anti-choicer by describing women as “dogs” and mocking their looks if they dared question him. He ranted about “winning” and “draining the swamp,” and however generously the press chose to interpret those words, his followers understood he was talking about crushing liberals, a poorly-defined group they’ve been trained through decades of propaganda to despise.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Trump’s loutishness was always sociopathic and sadistic, but it’s clear that his voters instead chose to view it as thrilling and liberating, a chance to deliver some serious pain to the hated libtards who make them feel guilty for using racial slurs or suggesting that a rape victim “asked for it.” Some Trump fans, especially in the charming neo-fascist fringe that became known as the alt-right, immediately understood that Trump really meant it when he hinted that some cleansing right-wing violence directed against his enemies would please him greatly. To be clear, I agree that many of his supporters and apologists in the media honestly believed that the violent chatter coming out of his mouth wasn’t serious. It was just, in their reading, shock-jock tactics, an effort to bait liberals and then mock them for their angry reactions. It was, in fact, just an effort to “trigger the liberals.”</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Now the trigger finger is placed on real weapons, and peaceful protesters (and journalists) are in the crosshairs.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">No one should be surprised. Trump’s violent racism was entirely sincere, as should have been evident from his actual policy choices. This is the man who rolled back the Obama administration’s efforts to fight police brutality and who authorized programs to separate refugee families and put children in cages to punish their parents for the dastardly crime of Immigrating While Not White. The violence was always there, as rhetoric, as potential and as reality. Now it’s in our faces even more as any number of American cities, large, small and middle-sized, watch peaceful protesters get tear-gassed and beaten with batons, for no other reason than they belong to that amorphous group deemed “liberals” that Trump and his minions despise.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">In my book, “Troll Nation,” I argued that conservatism, as an ideology, has lost the intellectual arguments on every issue of substance, from economic theory to the environment to race relations and gender politics. Now all conservatives have left is spite. That’s why “owning the liberals” is the main organizing principle of modern conservatism and its why the right eagerly chose Trump, a man devoid of any intelligence or impulses outside of bullying and whining, as its leader. They can’t win with rational discourse, I argued, so they’ve turned to trolling.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">But trolling only gets you so far. The prospect that Trump and his supporters would escalate to authoritarian violence was always in the cards. They can’t win an argument with logic or facts, but they can pummel your face until you give in, and so here we are.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">In Philadelphia on Tuesday morning, prospective Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden stopped by City Hall to speak to a small press gaggle, limited in size due to the quarantine.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">He denounced Trump for “using tear gas and flash grenades” to clear a peaceful crowd outside the White House “in order to stage a photo op at a noble church,” accusing the president of being more “interested in serving the passions of his base than the needs of the people in his care.”</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Let’s be generous and say that’s all true — but it’s a dramatic understatement. Trump doesn’t even see the majority of Americans who oppose him as people, which is why he literally treated the protesters like vermin to be eliminated in order to clear a backdrop for his photo op.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Outside City Hall, while Biden spoke, downtown Philadelphia was eerily quiet, as much from the coronavirus stay-at-home orders as from the post-protest lull. But a group of National Guard troops were stationed outside, guarding a statue of Frank Rizzo, the notoriously racist mayor and police commissioner of the 1970s. It was almost too on-the-nose, as 2020 symbolism goes: Law enforcement literally protecting a monument to white supremacy while innocent protesters are being gassed, beaten and abused in the streets.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">As for MAGA nation, we got an eyeful of that in Philadelphia, too, with a group of baseball bat-wielding jackasses roaming the streets, despite the curfew, in the heavily gentrified neighborhood of Fishtown, clearly looking for anti-racist protesters to beat up under the pretext of preventing looting.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“I’m ready to fuck shit up. You know, I’ve been looking for a fight for the past six months,” a producer for a local radio station heard one of them saying. When they saw the producer filming them, he says, they beat him badly, sending him to the hospital.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Trump’s provocations are a central reason for all this violence. But we must also understand that the bat-wielding Red Hats, and people like them, chose him in the first place. He became president by way of an electoral fluke, but not without deep and strong support, and not by accident. Right-wing America increasingly understands it can’t win a rational debate and increasingly can’t win a fair election. (Only once since 1988 has a Republican presidential nominee won the national popular vote.) This surge of violence, egged on by Trump, is a direct reaction to that. Trumpism is showing its true face, and it’s the face of violent authoritarian rule. Our nation’s unanswered question is whether people who oppose that will rise up against it, in numbers big enough to overwhelm the efforts of an embittered, hateful minority to enforce their will through cheating, lies and outright violence.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">https://www.alternet.org/2020/05/white-supremacy-groups-are-hoping-to-leverage-george-floyds-death-into-their-longed-for-race-war/</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">no lnx pixvid twt</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">white supremacy groups are hoping to leverage George Floyd’s death into their longed-for ‘race war’</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Image via Screrengrab.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Written by Mark Sumner / Daily Kos May 31, 2020</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The protests that have spread across the nation in the wake of the murder of George Floyd have attracted a diverse group of supporters that go beyond local Black communities and national organizations. At events in Washington, New York, Minneapolis, and elsewhere, community activists have been joined by allies, by groups supporting Latinos, Indian groups, and even groups of Mennonite farmers speaking out in support and showing up for protests.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">But, with dozens of buildings burned and Donald Trump preparing to bring in the military, there’s a growing sense that the violence in many cases isn’t originating from within the local Black community. In multiple instances, there have been incidents that seemed to spring up on the periphery of peaceful protests, leading to violent confrontations and property destruction. And increasingly, there are reports that these events are not originating organically from the protests or from confrontations between protesters and the police. There is a very real feeling that white supremacists are using this moment to create incidents designed to justify still more violence and suppression.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">peanut butter cup</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">@deshawnieboy</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Raw footage of who started the looting in Oakland at Walgreens. Had just seen them three blocks down hitting some other businesses. All prepared with hammers. Don’t let them say different.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Embedded video</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">8,983</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">1:39 AM - May 30, 2020</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Twitter Ads info and privacy</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">6,671 people are talking about this</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">With dozens of protests across the nation, not every event is the same. For example, it’s not hard to see what sparked this incident Atlanta, where a police officer slams a bicycle into a Black woman for having the audacity to wave a finger at him while saying “Don’t touch me.” It’s clear that the violence in this particular moment originated direct from the police.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Brittany Miller</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">@Brittm_tv</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">WATCH: I was recording when the first clash between police & protestors broke out in Atlanta.&nbsp; @cbs46 #cbs46 #news #GeorgeFloydprotest</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Embedded video</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">122K</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">3:33 PM - May 29, 2020</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Twitter Ads info and privacy</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">28.1K people are talking about this</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">But in some of the most publicized incidents across the nation, there seem to be a singular nature to some of those involved, as in this recording in which what appears to be a young white man in camo pants and military boots paints graffiti on a federal building.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Fin Gomez</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">@finnygo</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The protest then headed to in front of the White House. A protester was taken by the USSS in front of Pennsylvania Ave into an adjacent federal building. Unclear what he did.A couple men then splintered off from the group and spray painted “Fck Trump” on the building. @cbsnews</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Embedded video</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">21.2K</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">4:24 PM - May 29, 2020 · Lafayette Square Park</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Twitter Ads info and privacy</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">10.7K people are talking about this</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Or this group which is, reportedly, shown attempting to smash store windows in Minneapolis, with the group initiating this action appearing to be led by a number of white people.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Joy Reid</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">@JoyAnnReid</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">&nbsp;· May 30, 2020</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Replying to @lewoofl</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Yes we are. Absolutely.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Barbara Stiles</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">@Dovewoman1</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">This from @Mikel_Jollett&nbsp;</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">It shows the instigators clearly. They are white. Organized with walkie talkies. pic.twitter.com/zPhBoSg3fE</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Embedded video</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">2,498</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">8:02 AM - May 30, 2020</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Twitter Ads info and privacy</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">1,558 people are talking about this</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">And those on the ground reported similar events at other protests in many locations.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Asia</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">@AsiaJannelll</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">I was at Downtown Oakland protests a little while ago. Let me say something; the people breaking glass, breaking into windows & starting fires were WHITE men wearing all black. They had hammers and walkie talkies. They were organized. BLM protestors did not start the violence!</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Embedded video</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">145K</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">12:06 AM - May 30, 2020 · Oakland, CA</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Twitter Ads info and privacy</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">79.4K people are talking about this</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Repeatedly, from eye witnesses and from officials, have come claims that violence in the protests is originating not with those who live in the community, but with others who have appeared to take advantage of this moment.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
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</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Joy Reid</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">@JoyAnnReid</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Remarkable info coming out of this presser: Gov. Tim Walls, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter and now MN attorney general Keith Ellison ALL alleging outside forces, domestic and possibly foreign, have post-Tuesday infiltrated the state, and are</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">103K</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">7:39 AM - May 30, 2020</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Twitter Ads info and privacy</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">56.7K people are talking about this</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">And, as Vice reports, far right extremists are trying to use this situation in hopes of bringing about their much-desired “race war.” That effort involves both showing up at protests with guns, initiating violence, and taking to computers to urge everyone involved toward more tragic confrontations. Even the Hawaiian shirt-wearing “Boogaloo Bois” have appeared at some of the protests. The possibility of using these protests as a precipitating incident, and calls for white supremacist militias to confront protesters, are dominating discussion boards and social media for these groups.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">This is also generating some genuinely bizarre events.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
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</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Fox Wound</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">@foxwoundband</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Atlanta has deployed a child militia at Lenox Mall fitted with riot shields and batons. What the actual fuck is going on?</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Embedded video</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">216K</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">11:12 PM - May 29, 2020</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Twitter Ads info and privacy</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">80.2K people are talking about this</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The extent to which those trying to instigate more widespread violence are behind the incidents of property damage and physical clashes remains unclear. What is absolutely clear it that white supremacists are hoping to leverage yet another example of violence against an individual Black man as an excuse to carry out a campaign of expanded violence against the entire Black community.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Following closely on the heels of the police murder of Breonna Taylor and the recorded lynching of Ahmaud Arbery—as well as decades in which police violence has been repeatedly excused—there’s no doubt of the weight of grief in the Black community, or the justified anger. But there are definitely those who are seeking to turn this moment from one in which those suffering injustice are finally heard, to one in which that injustice is “justified” and made worse.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">And with Donald Trump calling Nazis in Charlottesville “very fine people” and protesters in Minneapolis “thugs,” there seems little doubt about which side he is ready to join.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Joy Reid</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">@JoyAnnReid</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">&nbsp;· May 30, 2020</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Replying to @JoyAnnReid</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">And the governor says he has reached out to the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Defense, and fully mobilized the MN National Guard for the first time in 164 years. This is a continuing story and presumably we will begin hearing it echoed in other cities.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
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</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Joy Reid</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">@JoyAnnReid</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Mayor Carter said EVERY person arrested last night during the protests was from out of state. The governor said it is at least 80 percent, and that they will begin releasing the names. Dept of Safety Commissioner John Harrington says they are contract-tracing arrestees:</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">35.7K</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">7:46 AM - May 30, 2020</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Twitter Ads info and privacy</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">13.2K people are talking about this</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">ref</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">https://www.vice.com/en_ca/article/pkyb9b/far-right-extremists-are-hoping-to-turn-the-george-floyd-protests-into-a-new-civil-war</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">no lnx pix vid twt</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Far-Right Extremists Are Hoping to Turn the George Floyd Protests Into a New Civil War</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Armed extremists are showing up to protests and urging a "boogaloo" — code for civil war — online.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">By Tess Owen</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">May 29 2020, 2:57pm</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Far-right extremists are showing up, with guns, to the protests against police brutality that have exploded across the country.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Others are egging on the violence from behind their computers, urging followers to carry out acts of violence against black protesters with the goal of sparking a “race war.”</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Their presence makes an uneasy addition to the escalating unrest, which was triggered by the death of George Floyd, a black man who was choked to death by a white Minneapolis police officer earlier this week.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">But there’s a range of motivations that’s driving far-right interest toward the protests, which are being led by community members and Black Lives Matter, and bolstered by antifascists.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">For example, the so-called Boogaloo Bois — a group of armed anti-government extremists made visible by their Hawaiian shirts — have reportedly shown up to some of the protests.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">READ: The cop who kneeled on George Floyd's neck was just charged with murder]</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The “boogaloo” is code for impending civil war or violent confrontation with law enforcement, and that’s what they’re hoping to get out of the protests. Their main reason for being there is their antipathy toward law enforcement, and so they’re trying to position themselves as allies of Black Lives Matter protesters. They’ve made police brutality one of their central issues, which was explored at length in a Bellingcat article this week.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Their approach to police brutality links the victims of the deadly standoff with federal agents at Ruby Ridge in 1992, to the victims of modern police brutality, including Floyd. But unlike the vast majority of protesters, they refuse to acknowledge the fact that police brutality is an issue that disproportionately impacts people of color.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">There have been scattered reports of Boogaloo Bois’ presence at the protests, which were compiled by a Bellingcat investigative journalist in a thread. He includes an audio clip (stripped of video per activists’ requests) of protesters saying they’d wrestled a handgun from a “white nationalist” agitator — whom he describes as a Boogaloo Boi who became overly rowdy.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">READ: New video shows three cops kneeling on George Floyd as he lay dying]</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Another photo, shared across private Boogaloo Facebook pages, showed one of their own unfurling their trademark flag during the Minneapolis protests.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">And one protester posted a picture of himself wearing a gas mask to Instagram, under the hashtag #Boogaloo.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
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</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">While some Boogaloo Bois say they’re just libertarians, others will, on occasion, veer into racism — and make no secret of their desire for violence. In addition to their physical presence at the protests, the #boogaloo hashtag on social media has been flooded with memes in the last couple days egging on violence, and talking about how they hope this is the beginning of a civil war.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">While more established militia types sometimes share those perspectives, they often view themselves as intermediaries between law enforcement and civilians. For example, two armed white men were interviewed by the Minnesota Reformer, a local independent news organization, outside a tobacco store in Minneapolis this week. They said they were protecting businesses from looters, but were also there to defend civilians should they need to.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“Cops are less likely to tread on people’s rights when there’s other armed people around them,” one of the men told the interviewer.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
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</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Local activists identified another group in Minneapolis as members of the III% militia, one of the largest militia networks in the U.S.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">But perhaps the most troubling of all are the hardcore “accelerationists” who are encouraging their neo-Nazi followers to go to the protests and carry out acts of violence against black people — all with the goal of “exacerbating the ethnic tensions” and sparking a “race war.”</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Accelerationists promote violence to speed up the collapse of society. An eco-fascist Telegram channel wrote to its nearly 2,500 subscribers on Thursday that “a riot would be the perfect place to commit a murder.” Accelerationists often seek to exploit moments of political or civil unrest, and the widespread protests that have unfolded across the country fit the bill. Similarly, 4chan is full of racists cheering the violence and saying that they hope it’s the beginning of a “race war.”</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Cover: Protesters are trapped between police and other protesters who gathered in a call for justice for George Floyd following his death, outside the 3rd Police Precinct on May 27, 2020 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by KEREM YUCEL/AFP via Getty Images)</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">This article originally appeared on VICE US.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">--</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">mma 520</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">after the president threatened to massacre civilians, Fox News focused on Twitter’s warning sticker on the tweet</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">WRITTEN BY ERIC KLEEFELD</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">PUBLISHED 05/29/20 10:25 AM EDT</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Shortly after midnight, President Donald Trump tweeted about the ongoing civil unrest in Minneapolis, following protests over the police killing of an African-American man, George Floyd: “Any difficulty and we will assume control but, when the looting starts, the shooting starts.”</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">On the Friday morning edition of Fox & Friends, however, the big story about the inflammatory tweet was this: Twitter soon hid that message behind a warning, declaring it violated the service’s rules about “glorifying violence,” but still allowed the message to be viewed after the user pressed a button on the screen.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">One discussion over Twitter placing a flag on the tweet lasted for over eight minutes...</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">5/20 hmn yikes</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">https://www.alternet.org/2020/05/far-right-boogaloo-militants-have-embedded-themselves-in-the-george-floyd-protests-in-minneapolis-they-want-their-civil-war/</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">raw astory</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">young, white men dressed in Hawaiian-style print shirts and body armor, and carrying high-powered rifles have been a notable feature at state capitols, lending an edgy and even sometimes insurrectionary tone to gatherings of conservatives angered by restrictions on businesses and church gatherings during the coronavirus pandemic.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Just as many states are reopening their economies — and taking the wind out of the conservative protests — the boogaloo movement found a new galvanizing cause: the protests in Minneapolis against the police killing of George Floyd.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">A new iteration of the militia movement, boogaloo was born out of internet forums for gun enthusiasts that repurposed the 1984 movie Breakin’ 2: Electric Boogaloo as a code for a second civil war, and then modified it into phrases like[big igloo]&nbsp; “big luau” to create an insular community for those in on the joke, with Hawaiian-style shirts functioning as an in-real-life identifier. Boogaloo gained currency as an internet meme over the summer of 2019, when it was adopted by white supremacists in the accelerationist tendency. In January, the movement made the leap from the internet to the streets when a group boogaloo-ers showed up at the Second Amendment rally in Richmond, Va.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">It’s not just the jittery aesthetics and pop-culture irony that sets boogaloo apart from an older generation of militia activists, but also its unbridled hostility towards law enforcement. In late 2019, the movement spread beyond private Discord servers to multiple Facebook groups with names like Thicc Boog Line, Boojahideen of Occupied Appalachistan and, in North Carolina, Blue Igloo. Some of the memes generated and shared on the Facebook pages contain overt signals towards white nationalists, including images of the German Wehrmacht during World War II and references to the failed war to preserve white rule in Rhodesia during the 1970s. But others signal an interest in building bridges with the political left by lifting up the names of black victims of police violence like Oscar Grant, Eric Garner and Breonna Taylor, alongside right-wing martyrs like LaVoy Finicum, Sammy Weaver and Duncan Lemp, the latter a boogaloo-er who was killed by police in March during a no-knock raid at his home in Maryland.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">When protests against the police killing of George Floyd escalated into clashes between police and protesters on Tuesday night, a significant segment of the boogaloo movement was electrified.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">At 8:38 p.m., an anonymous Discord user identified as [MN-TC] Jimmydean338 posted in the #SOS channel for the private Citizens Liberty Organization server. The post displayed a red button inscribed with the words, “Send help!” followed by the address 3000 Minnehaha Ave., which is the location of the Minneapolis Police 3rd Precinct. “Police opening fire on protesters breaching precinc [sic],” Jimmydean338 wrote. “Not a drill.”</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">At about 11:30, the Big Igloo Bois Facebook group posted a photo of a young man holding the trademark boogaloo flag depicting an igloo and palm tree in the protests.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“If there was ever a time for bois to stand in solidarity with all free men and women in this country, it is now,” the admin for the page wrote. “This is not a race issue. For far too long we have allowed them to murder us in our homes, and in the streets. We need to stand with the people of Minneapolis. We need to support them in this protest against a system that allows police brutality to go unchecked.”</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Benjamin Ryan Teeter, a resident of the coastal community of Hampstead in southeastern North Carolina, reshared the red button panel posted by Jimmydean338 on his Facebook page at 11:44 p.m., writing, “Lock and load boys. Boog flags are in the air, and the national network is going off.”</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Teeter, who is active in the North Carolina Libertarian Party and has participated in weekly armed excursions through downtown Raleigh with a group organized through the Blue Igloo Facebook group over the four weeks alerted his friends that he would be driving, not flying to Minneapolis.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Tom Bailey, a Libertarian candidate for Congress in 2018, commented, “Grim.” To which Teeter replied, “Exactly! I love it!”</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Another private Discord server set up for boogaloo users — named “We should all Led(better)” — had designated special channels for different functions: #on-scene-only (for users on the ground), #off-scene-intel (for remote users sharing information), and #location-want-to-repond (for users across the country to coordinate travel to Minneapolis).</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Boogaloo activists who showed up for the first night of protests on Tuesday met with mixed reaction.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">One, a white man identified on Facebook as Michael Solomon, posted photographs of himself and another friend holding high-powered rifles while posing alongside black protesters, including one wearing a Black Lives Matter hoodie. But another, Tyler Scott of Minnesota man, warned in the Big Igloo Bois thread: “This is not the time for boog, this is how a race war starts.” He added that the protesters “jumped one of our 3%ers” — a term that denotes an older generation of militia activists — “earlier tonight and stole a firearm. They are not with us. They’ve made it clear they don’t want us.” Scott’s statements were met with skepticism, with other commenters suggesting he was making it up or speculating that the older militia activists were racist and had it coming.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“I think for a lot of boogaloo-ers, their primary interest is resisting the state, what they believe to be state tyranny,” said Alex Friedfeld, an investigative researcher at the ADL Center on Extremism in Chicago. “They have this hostility towards law enforcement…. They oppose these [pandemic] directives. They’re upset about no-knock raids, police brutality. The George Floyd case — this is an example of police brutality, this willingness of the state to execute those who disobey — so it’s not surprising that they showed up to protest.”</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The nascent boogaloo movement is not monolithic, Friedfeld said, and it draws from spectrum of groups from the right wing to the far right, from militias and anarcho-capitalists to white supremacists. An internal struggle is underway to define the movement’s relationship with race, he said.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“You see this in the Facebook comments,” Friedfeld said. “You’ll see very strong condemnations of racism and homophobia. Then there are people who use racially charged phrases such as, ‘Vote from the rooftops.’ It’s a reference to Korean shop-owners who went to rooftops to fire on looters [during the 1992 Los Angeles riots], who are presumed to be black. There’s this debate: Why are we accepting Black Lives Matter when they won’t accept us? There’s a good deal of social distrust.”</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Antifascist Twitter accounts on Wednesday issued a steady stream of stern warnings against making common cause with boogaloo.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“It’s a right-wing thing; it’s a neo-fascist thing,” said Daryle Lamont Jenkins, a veteran antifascist organizer based in New Jersey, in a Twitter video. “And they’re trying to use what’s happening in Minneapolis as a jump-off. Do not let them. They are not our friends.”</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Jenkins told Raw Story that he fears that boogaloo-ers are bringing their apocalyptic fantasies about civil war to Minneapolis and will leave residents to pick up the pieces.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“They can be more aggressive, and they can cause the police to be more aggressive,” he said. “They can get people hurt because they want their civil war…. People who are in the community, all they know is they have to defend themselves. The people they hate get hurt, and they walk away scot-free. So, it’s kind of a win-win for them.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“You don’t even necessarily have to be interacting with anybody in order to pop something off,” he added. “You’re going to be one with the crowd.”</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Jenkins noted that Minneapolis has rocky track record with armed white men interposing themselves in protests against police brutality: In 2015, five people at a Black Lives Matter protest were shot, resulting in non-life-threatening injuries. A white man from Bloomington named Allen Scarsella was later convicted in the shootings.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Jenkins charges that the boogaloo-ers are operating in bad faith, citing a fellow New Jersey resident named Paul Miller who was recently involved in a Memorial Day reopen protest. Miller identifies himself as a “Boogaloo Boy” on his Instagram account, which also includes the Latin Catholic motto “Deus vult,” or “God wills [it],” generally associated with Islamophobia.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">On Wednesday, Miller re-shared livestreams from Minneapolis on his Instagram, while refraining from providing his views on the action underway. A previous post includes a whimsical video of armed protesters during an April 30 reopen protest at the Michigan state capitol captioned, “When the boogaloo kicks off cuz the boys had enough.”</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Others more definitively signal that Miller’s politics don’t align with the protesters in Minneapolis. One&nbsp; calls for the release of the white father and son who are charged with murdering Ahmaud Arbery, a black jogger in Georgia, while another contends that the media is burying coverage of migrants “rioting throughout France.” Miller frequently uses boogaloo hashtags with Instagram posts, including #bigluau, #boogaloomemes, #boogaloo2020, #Boogvirus, #boogaloosidequest and #boogaloobois.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“There’s two versions of boogaloo,” said Friedfeld of the ADL. “There’s the white supremacist burn society down and build a white ethno-stage. And then there’s the anti-government resist tyranny at all costs, and if it creates a civil war, so be it version.”</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">So far, the wing of the boogaloo movement that’s shown up in the streets is the more mainstream, outwardly inclusive version.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">But some white supremacists, especially in the accelerationist tendency, are likely cheering events in Minneapolis from the sidelines, or looking for ways to melt into the crowd.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">A user identified as “Terrorwave Refine” messaged at 11:59 p.m. on Tuesday: “Boogaloo boys are reportedly on [sic] place. If someone really wanted to kick off the boogaloo, now would be a fine time to fire some shots and frame the crowd around you as responsible.”</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Earlier in the evening, a user named “The Shitpost Facility (Dick)” wrote, “I hate that I support the n over the pigs at this point, get some you dumb monkey fot. This is absolutely the end goal of our philosemitic society. Imagine giving n ‘civil rights’ hahahha.”</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Another, named “Uncle Paul,” forwarded Dick’s message, adding, “I don’t support either the n or the pigs… certainly not the k. However, I’ll do some pushups and pull-ups while I watch them redacting each other.”</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Benjamin Ryan Teeter, the North Carolina man traveling to Minneapolis, said he is motivated to join the protests out of genuine solidarity with black residents who are oppressed by police violence. Teeter, who describes himself as an “LGBT left-leaning anarchist,” said he plans to “defend the protesters.”</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">He deflected when asked if he and other boogaloo-ers are consulting with local residents to see how they can best support them, as opposed to pursuing their own agenda.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“I think trying to get the police to stop killing people is trying to support the people of the community,” he said. “If we’re not willing to stand up because we might hurt someone, how bad are we going to allow things to get?”</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Teeter insisted the share of white supremacists in the boogaloo movement is no greater than any other group or political party. But he pleaded ignorance when asked about Dillon Goad, a North Carolinian who attended the first Raleigh boogaloo walk on May 1 wearing a Hawaiian-style shirt. In addition to his primary Facebook page, Goad has an alt page under his name that pays tribute to Hans Friedrich, a member of the SS Infantry Brigade accused of murdering Jews and communists in the Soviet Union.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Teeter posted a breathless update at 1:23 a.m. on Wednesday.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“Baltimore cop shot,” Teeter wrote. “Chicago is a powderkeg. MN police are planning an emergency exit if the building is breached.”</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Goad was the first to comment: “It’s all coming together.”</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Reached on the road nine hours outside of Minneapolis on Wednesday evening, Teeter demurred when asked about Goad.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">aha: ~ stay@home is a hub</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">https://www.splcenter.org/hatewatch/2020/05/05/facebook-go-platform-organizing-protests-against-social-distancing</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">no pix lnx</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
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</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Facebook Is Go-To Platform For Organizing Protests Against Social Distancing</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">May 05, 2020</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Hatewatch Staff</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">As COVID-19 continues to pose a lethal threat worldwide, fringe, right-wing activists are using Facebook to mobilize protests of stay-at-home orders in several states.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
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</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">In a review of Facebook event pages, Hatewatch identified more than 50 rallies from April 13 through May 1. The event pages are being set up all across the nation regardless of which political party controls the state house.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
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</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Facebook has become the social media platform of choice for far-right organizers and activists who engage in protests against social distancing.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
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</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“Unless government prohibits the event during this time, we allow it to be organized on Facebook,” a spokesperson for Facebook told Hatewatch via email.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
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</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The majority of these rallies run afoul of recommendations from health experts. They allow extremists, however, to reinforce the spread of far-right conspiracy theories and disinformation about COVID-19.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
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</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">In Lansing, Michigan, hundreds of protesters rallied Thursday as Republican House legislators voted to not extend Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s state of emergency. The American Patriot Rally event, organized by the Michigan United for Liberty group, called for the reopening of local businesses.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
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</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The rally first spread through Facebook before the platform decided to pull the event page. Late Thursday, hundreds of protesters gathered outside the state capital building, ignoring social distancing recommendations. In some cases, demonstrators carried firearms and were seen peddling QAnon slogans and COVID-19 conspiracies.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
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</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Alex Jones</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Alex Jones, radio host and creator of the website InfoWars, left, shakes hands with a demonstrator during a "You Can't Close America" rally outside the Texas State Capitol in Austin on April 18. (Photo by Alex Scott/Bloomberg via Getty Images)</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Antigovernment figures such as Alex Jones are capitalizing on these gatherings to advance the message that federal institutions can’t be trusted. In the days leading up to an April 18 rally in Austin, Texas, hosted by Infowars, promotional content was circulated on Facebook. Once on the ground, Jones accused the Texas state government of enacting “martial law” and told attendees, “We don’t live in fear of some made up virus. We know the globalists and the media are the enemy.” In far-right circles, the term “globalist” is frequently used as an antisemitic slur.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
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</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">PMAZ flier</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">A flyer for the Patriot’s Day Rally circulates on Patriot Movement AZ’s Facebook page.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Similarly, in Phoenix, Arizona, the hate group Patriot Movement AZ shared “Patriots' Day Rally” flyers and memes in the lead-up to the April 20 rally in Phoenix. Although the group frequently dabbles in anti-Muslim, anti-immigrant and anti-LGBTQ rhetoric, the content shared aligned with common antigovernment talking points. In one instance, a member of the group’s Facebook page who goes by Brent Backus shared an image stating: “Quarantine is when you resist the movement of sick people. Tyranny is when you restrict the movement of healthy people.”</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
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</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Militia organizations also did their part to vilify government institutions. The South Carolina Light Foot militia shared details on their page for the “Drive to Thrive SC” gridlock event. Similar to other extremist groups, the South Carolina Light Foot Militia also used its Facebook page to rile up its base ahead of the April 24 event.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
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</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“Maybe we can put all the sick people in boxcars and take them to someplace safe, oh wait…” read one of the memes in an attempt to equate the government’s response to COVID-19 to that of life under the rule of Nazi Germany.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
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</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">badge star of davis yellow as "pass"]</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The South Carolina Light Foot militia stoked fears recently as they claimed yellow badge-style patches are in the near future for vaccinated individuals.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Other militia leaders such as John Cody, state commanding officer of the South Carolina Light Foot Militia Special Response Team, jumped on the bandwagon using Facebook to advertise a national May Day Rally.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
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</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Cody, who uses the codename “Hawkeye,” was a key organizer for the Jan. 29 Militias March on Richmond rally. The march, which was organized mainly on Facebook, was scheduled to coincide with the Virginia Citizens Defense League (VCDL) gun event. VCDL was hoping to put on a show of force for gun owners who stood in opposition to state bills that were aiming to adopt new gun restrictions. Cody’s rally ultimately helped bring together a number of right-wing militias with established gun rights organizations.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
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</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Militia leader John Cody recently circulated two different flyers on Facebook for his May Day rallies.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Along with Cody, Virginia state Sen. Amanda Chase, R-Chesterfield, has been rallying her supporters to protest. Chase, who was involved in a number of controversial incidents earlier in the year and was subsequently ousted from her local GOP committee, has been sympathetic to far right causes. She made a personal appearance at the January VCDL gun rally where she joined several antigovernment militias in an attempt to protest new gun legislation.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
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</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Amanda Chase</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Virginia state Senator Amanda Chase at work in the statehouse in Richmond. (Photo by Bill O'Leary/The Washington Post via Getty Images)</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Chase recently got on Facebook and shared details for several rallies against social distancing scheduled in Richmond, encouraging her supporters to attend, saying “Share with those who believe in Liberty, Freedom and pursuit of Prosperity, …not liberalism.”</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
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</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Kayla Gogarty, a Media Matters senior researcher who has been tracking these rallies since they first appeared on Facebook, told Hatewatch: “We found that a lot of these Facebook groups and a lot of these events are including members of local militias and members of some local anti-vax groups. We’ve seen a lot of far-right figures attend some of the events like the Proud Boys. We’ve seen pro-gun activists and antigovernment extremists at these rallies and some local government officials as well.”</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
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</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">A Hatewatch analysis of Facebook posts earlier last month aligned with much of what Gogarty has seen in recent weeks, with the platform being a hotbed for COVID-19 misinformation.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
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</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Facebook touts response as rallies materialize</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">As first noted by the tech website The Verge, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg is still heavily touting the billion-dollar company’s projects aimed at helping minimize the spread and impact of COVID-19. Facebook has donated $100 million to small businesses in a gesture made to help them through trying times. The social media company has also teamed up with Carnegie Mellon University to roll out a global symptoms survey to Facebook users in an effort to track COVID-19 growth. These initiatives come as Facebook is simultaneously failing to provide a clear solution for countering the spread of disinformation and anti-public health organizing on its own platform.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
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</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Owen Shroyer</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Infowars host Owen Shroyer arrives at the Texas State Capitol building on April 18 in Austin. (Photo by Sergio Flores/Getty Images)</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">In an April 20 interview with ABC News, Zuckerberg emphasized that “the stuff that people are saying that is false around a health emergency like this, can be classified as harmful misinformation that has a risk of leading to imminent physical danger and we’ll just take that kind of content down.”</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
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</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Complicating matters is the fact that not every state and country has instructed citizens to stay home. According to The New York Times, “42 states, three counties, 10 cities, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico” have adopted stay at home orders as of April 28th. This means that if protests occur in states where stay at home orders were never adopted, Facebook faces less pressure to take immediate action.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
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</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">A general search on Facebook for rally terms such as “liberate” and “reopen” brings up a plethora of groups that oppose social distancing.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
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</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The decision to hold off on pulling down content that rails against social distancing undermines the work the company has done to help survey and map the spread of COVID-19. The networking site may have taken down a handful of conspiracy posts, but the antigovernment rhetoric contained in the rally posts has the potential to expose people to greater amounts of misinformation.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
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</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">https://www.alternet.org/2020/04/the-far-right-wants-to-make-its-shared-fantasy-of-violent-civil-war-a-reality/</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">david n kos</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The Age of Conspiracy Theories in which we are now immured has produced a kind of bastard offspring: the Shared Violent Fantasy. Exhibit A is the “Boogaloo,” the far-right’s ironic name for the long-sought “second civil war” they believe is on the verge of erupting in the United States—and in which the ongoing novel-coronavirus pandemic has become a virtual petri dish for cultivating the fear of societal collapse essential to their worldview.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Like many conspiracy theories, and all such fantasies, the “Boogaloo” has a powerful tendency to produce real-life violence from people who absorb the underlying paranoid values and believe in them fervently. A recent incident in Texas in which a self-proclaimed “Boogaloo Boi” set out to murder a police officer in order to help spark the civil war underscores the extent to which the believers are likely eventually to attempt manifesting their fantasies—which can entail violence not just against authorities, but sometimes even their unsuspecting neighbors.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Aaron Swenson is a 36-year-old Texarkana man who frequented “Boogaloo”-related Facebook pages with some frequency, sharing their frequently violent memes and indulging the usual violent rhetoric in the comments. Eventually, he reached a point where he decided to act on it.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The world of “Boogaloo” on social media—particularly on Facebook, where over 125 such pages reside—is riddled with references, both direct and obscure, to their eagerness to begin a civil war by shooting law-enforcement who attempt to enforce gun-control measures, or for that matter any other measures that attract the ire of the far right. Recently, these have come to include COVID-19 lockdown and social-distancing measures.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The universe it occupies resides in a bubble of conspiracy theories and “constitutionalist” fantasies, but with a distinctly alt-right edge. Irony abounds everywhere:adherents wear Hawaiian shirts as a reference to “the boog,” or the “Big Igloo” (the “Boogaloo” flag features an igloo and a palm tree). Their memes reference “Pepe the frog,” white-nationalist OK signals, and the common shared belief that nefarious communists are plotting to confiscate their guns and enslave them in concentration camps. This fantasy is the justification for their announced intention to begin shooting their fellow citizens, especially those who work for the federal government or police.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">On the night of April 11, Aaron Swenson began livestreaming from his pickup truck, telling his audience that he was out hunting a police officer—anyone would do, he wasn’t particular—to shoot and kill, all in order to start the “Boogaloo.” He told them he was seeking a lone cop to “ambush and execute.”</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">People began calling the Texarkana Police Department, which promptly found the page and figured out both where Swenson was located and what kind of vehicle he was driving. Upon locating him, he fled a squad of police cars at high speed, eventually grinding to a halt well after his tires were flattened by a spike strip. “He was wearing an armored plate carrier type vest when we arrested him, and officers found several loaded weapons inside his truck,” the police department’s Facebook post reported.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">At his own Facebook account, Swenson liked more than a dozen pages that mention boogaloo in their names, as a report from the Tech Transparency Project (TTP) on the “Boogaloo” phenomenon described. It also noted that “some users leaving comments on the profile on the night of the attempted attack endorsed the targeting of police officers, while others suggested calling 911 in response to the live broadcast.” The two videos were active on the Facebook page at the time of the report, having amassed over 1,500 and 3,400 views, respectively; however, they have since been removed by Facebook.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Swenson has been charged with making terrorist threats against an officer, evading with a vehicle and illegal possession of a weapon.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">He is not the first such “Boogaloo” enthusiast intent on making the shared fantasy into a violent reality. In January, three would-be terrorists from the neo-Nazi organization The Base were arrested by the FBI, charged with plotting to wreak havoc with their weapons at a planned anti-gun-control march in Richmond, Virginia, around which “Boogaloo” rhetoric was already rife.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">A few days later, three more “Boogaloo”-loving members of The Base were arrested in Georgia for plotting to assassinate a local antifascist couple, as well as overthrow the local county government.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">At the Richmond rally, the “Boogaloo” was a major theme—flags, signs, and social-media posts from the event all referenced and celebrated it—that continued even afterward during the debate in Virginia over its gun-control laws.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">And just as the white-nationalist, conspiracist and “accelerationist” right has sought multiple means to exploit the novel-coronavirus pandemic, the “Boogaloo” theme has become a louder topic of discussion on far-right telegram channels. The lockdown measures instituted by governors around the nation in response to the virus have particularly provided ample evidence for the conspiracists—in their minds, at least—of their long-running contention that “globalists” are seeking ways to enslave the world.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Signs referencing the “Boogaloo” have popped up at a number of the far-right-led protests against the lockdown measures. One marcher at the “ReOpen” rally in Topeka, Kansas, on April 23 carried a large black “Big Igloo” flag.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">There has also been a certain amount of somewhat predictable crossover between the “Boogaloo” element and the far-right conspiracists of the Trump-loving QAnon world, some of whom have also been acting out violently during the pandemic—notably the locomotive engineer who attempted to ram the USNS Mercy with a train engine.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">According to QAnon expert Travis View, the “Boogaloo” has become the preferred fallback position for people swept up in “The Storm” theories, believing that one day soon there will be mass arrests of leading liberal and media figures for their roles in a global child-trafficking ring, and increasingly disappointed at its failure to materialize.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“If that change doesn’t come, some of the followers have made reference to what they call Plan Z,” View says. “If the whole Q operation fails, then Plan Z is sort of equivalent to what the far-right extremists call the ‘Boogaloo.’ Which is civil war, basically.”</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The COVID-19 pandemic has sharpened the interest in a civil war. The TTP report found that most of the 125 Facebook groups devoted to the “boogaloo”—some 60%—were created in the very recent past (within three months), just as the states began declaring lockdowns and social-distancing measures. Perhaps more worryingly, “they have attracted tens of thousands of members in the last 30 days.”</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">In several private boogaloo Facebook groups that TTP was able to access, members discussed tactical strategies, combat medicine, and various types of weapons, including how to develop explosives and the merits of using flame throwers. Some members appeared to take inspiration from President Donald Trump’s recent tweets calling on people to “liberate” states where governors have imposed stay-at-home orders.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Despite these findings, TTP notes, Facebook has been slow to remove these pages. One of the most prominent—Thicc Boog Line, which specializes in selling branded “Boogaloo”-themed gear and clothing—attracts thousands of readers. It has recently been pitching messages to its readers emphasizing the opportunity to wreak “boojahideen” havoc during the time of a pandemic.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">These findings resonate with a similar report issued in February by the Network Contagion Research Institute, warning that “domestic militants” are organizing around memes to “incite violent insurrection and terror against government and law enforcement.”</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The boogaloo, a joke for some, acts as a violent meme that circulates instructions for a distributed, viral insurgency for others. The topic network for boogaloo describes a coherent, multi-component and detailed conspiracy to launch an inevitable, violent, sudden, and apocalyptic war across the homeland. The conspiracy, replete with suggestions to stockpile ammunition, may itself set the stage for massive real-world violence and sensitize enthusiasts to mobilize in mass for confrontations or charged political events.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Daniel E. Stevens, executive director of Campaign for Accountability, the umbrella organization under which TTP operates, told Christopher Mathias of HuffPost in a statement that “Facebook’s failure to stop their platform from being used as an organizing tool for extremists is completely unacceptable.”</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“There is nothing subtle about how these extremist groups are using Facebook’s platform to advance their cause,” Stevens said. “Boogaloo proponents are not simply discussing ideas or political views; they are directly advocating for violent action and tactically planning how to defeat government entities.”</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“Boogaloo” enthusiasts indeed have detailed plans for how to achieve their goals, both militarily and through propaganda, as the TTP report details. However, government and law enforcement are not the only targets that “Boogaloo” memes discuss. A subcurrent in a number of the violent fantasies that they express in their memes is the idea of committing home-invasion robberies targeting their relatively hapless and untrained neighbors as a means of thriving during the civil war—or a pandemic.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Another featured a photo of an angry Joaquin Phoenix in Joker with the script: “When you dispatch the normie with ease to raid their stash because they stocked up on TP and not ammunition”—with a subscript across the bottom reading: “You get what you fucking deserve.”One popular meme among Facebook “Boogaloo” followers was one that showed a SWAT-style armed raid team in military gear massing outside a door, with the script: “Me and my boys going for a grocery run at my asshole neighbor’s house.” Another features a grid of graphics demonstrating military hand signals during a raid, all of which are interpreted in the language of a home invasion: “Shoot that dog.” “Cover up the evidence.” “I found cocaine. It’s pretty good.” “Wrong house. Let’s boogie!”</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">These ideas are not particularly new among the more openly cynical participants in far-right conspiracism and survivalism. Indeed, they were openly elucidated back in 2014 by a “Patriot” movement survivalist named Tyler Smith, who was featured on an episode of National Geographic’s TV series Doomsday Preppers boasting about his plans to invade the homes of his neighbors—particularly those who might also be preppers, since they would make better targets.One of the more commonly shared of these memes actually makes fun of other “preppers,” particularly those who are suddenly new to the business amid the pandemic. It shows a “Virgin Prepper” who is “always scared, can’t sleep at night,” and “has no fun,” then contrasts him with an obviously fun-loving “Chad Raider” who “Takes your good shit and burns all the rest so no one else can have it,” and is seen holding up a bag marked “All Your Shit.” He’s also “not scared of death or coronavirus.”[vid]</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“We’re not in it to stockpile,” he proclaimed in a segment that was used to promote the show. “We’re in it to take what you have, and there’s nothing you can do to stop us. We are your worst nightmare, and we are coming.”</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">He told the show’s producers that he only had a few months’ supplies for his family because he intended to aggressively assault his neighbors and steal their food and weapons caches.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“All your shiny ARs, your high-powered .308 rifles, your 50,000 rounds of ammo, are all going to be ours,” he said on the show.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Smith was arrested by the sheriff of Pierce County, Washington, where he resided at the time, shortly after his appearance on national TV, because he wielded multiple guns on camera in the segment, and he was already a felon (on a sexual-behavior-with-a-minor charge) forbidden from owning weapons. He spent a couple more years in prison for that, but was back on the streets by late 2016.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">He was most recently spotted marching in Portland with Patriot Prayer—the far-right street-brawling group led by Joey Gibson of Vancouver, Washington—at one of its 2017 demonstrations. Gibson, as it happens, has been active in the anti-coronavirus-lockdown protests, traveling to Seattle and Olympia for protests.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Those protests, of course, featured plenty of “Patriots” wearing Hawaiian shirts underneath their body armor—a signal for what the “boojahideen” like to call “the Big Luau.” The chief organizer of the “Boogaloo” motif in Olympia was Matt Marshall, the leader of the III Percent of Washington, a “Patriot” militia group based in Eatonville, Washington, and a close ally of both Gibson and state Rep. Matt Shea, the far-right legislator whose plan for a post-breakdown society called for the execution of all non-believers.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">These violent fantasies keep mounting in number and vehemence. The question increasingly is what spark will inspire them to attempt to make them manifest.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">420</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">trump twt support TP covid protests, // ingraham</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
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</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">https://www.alternet.org/2020/04/governor-warns-trump-against-encouraging-supporters-to-disobey-the-law-on-lockdowns-words-can-be-fatal/</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">no lnx</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Governor warns Trump against encouraging supporters to ‘disobey the law’ on lockdowns: ‘Words can be fatal’</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
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</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Written by Matthew Chapman / Raw Story April 18, 2020</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">On Friday’s edition of CNN’s “Anderson Cooper 360,” Gov. Jay Inslee (D-WA) tore into President Donald Trump for his comments that Democratic states should be “liberated” from lockdown orders.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“Governor, you called the president’s tweets saying liberate Minnesota, Michigan, Virginia, ‘dangerous’, ‘unhinged,'” said Cooper. “You just heard him … I’m wondering what your reaction is.”</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“Extreme disappointment, and frankly anger, because we’ve lost over 500 people in my state, and we know — there’s saying in automobile safety, that speed kills. Well, words can be fatal too.”</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“When you have a president of the United States openly, willfully, maliciously trying to encourage people not to abide by the law in these states — these orders are the law of these states — president of the United States willfully trying to inspire people to disobey and violate the law with potentially fatal consequences, is irresponsible, no other way to look at it,” continued Inslee. “And what is doubly enraging to us, both Republicans and Democrats, the day before this president put out very clear guidelines based on substantial epidemiological evidence of his experts Dr. Fauci and Dr. Birx that had a lot of reason to it, saying we have to wrestle this virus down significantly before we let off pressure of social distancing.”</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“His own physicians saying this, his own guidelines that we’re pretty consistent with in state approaches, Republicans and Democrats,” added Inslee. “The next day, to say you should ignore that, is an outrage.”</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Watch below:</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">There are other similarities. Since the 1970s, oil shocks (and coincident with the rise of the New Right) an abiding feature on the American scene has been the survivalist,hoping for the national Götterdämmerung that will vindicate his having stockpiled 10,000 rounds of ammunition and a horde of Krugerrands. This dovetails with fundamentalists’ weird enthusiasm for the prospect of world annihilation that animates belief in the Rapture, the only difference being the technique by which the elect avoid the mass slaughter.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Firearms fetishism and a fascination with violence, war, and armed insurrection are also mainstays of right-wing ideology, hardly distinguishable from Jerry Falwell Sr.’s, proclamation that God is Pro-War. And how about the Ultimate Fighting Jesus? The NRA neatly intersects with “muscular Christianity,” revealing both ideological kinship and some very embarrassing gender insecurities that frequently irrupt in misogyny and homosexual panic.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">There is no longer the slightest doubt in any sane person’s mind that not only are the GOP’s fundamentalist-extremist religious allies a death cult disguised as 501(c)3 tax-exempt charitable organizations. The whole extremely well-funded edifice of “economic conservatism” is equally a death cult, worshiping Mammon so fervently that it is eager to make human sacrifice upon its altar, just like the Mayans and Carthaginians.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">https://www.mediamatters.org/fox-news/right-wing-media-distort-sen-schumers-remarks-erase-very-real-threat-anti-abortion</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Following comments from Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) regarding an upcoming Supreme Court decision on abortion rights, right-wing media rushed to paint abortion rights advocates as dangerous while ignoring the very real threat of anti-abortion violence -- and right-wing media’s own role in stoking it.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">On March 4, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in June Medical Services v. Russo, a case about a law in Louisiana that requires abortion providers to have admitting privileges at nearby hospitals. During an abortion rights rally in front of the Supreme Court in support of overturning the law, Schumer said, “I want to tell you, Gorsuch, I want to tell you, Kavanaugh: You have released the whirlwind, and you will pay the price. You won’t know what hit you if you go forward with these awful decisions.”</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Schumer’s comments called out President Donald Trump’s Supreme Court appointees Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh for potentially rolling back reproductive rights. After right-wing media and conservative figures -- including Chief Justice John Roberts -- condemned Schumer’s remarks as “threats” against the two justices, the Senate minority leader clarified that he was talking about “political consequences” and not referring to acts of violence. Schumer further explained that Republicans were “busy manufacturing outrage over these comments” and didn’t actually believe their claims against him.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Following Schumer’s initial comments, however, some in right-wing media took the opportunity to dishonestly condemn abortion rights advocates as violent, saying Schumer was speaking in front of a “mob” and “sending a dog whistle to crazies out there.” Such reactions served as another attempt by right-wing media to paint Democrats and abortion rights advocates as “extreme” on abortion and ignored their own role in perpetuating anti-abortion violence.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Here are right-wing media’s nonsensical reactions to Schumer’s comments:</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">On Fox & Friends, Fox News contributor Newt Gingrich said, “Look, he was in front of a crowd. They were fanatically committed to the maximum opportunity to kill children, and they were all revved up, he was revved up, and he got carried away. And what he said was pure demagoguery -- it was totally irresponsible and dangerous."</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Fox News senior judicial analyst Andrew Napolitano claimed Schumer was trying to show that the justices could be “intimidated by a mob outside of the courthouse” and the senator “might actually be sending a dog whistle to crazies out there.”</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Kristan Hawkins, president of the anti-abortion Students for Life of America and Fox News guest:</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Fox & Friends also allowed Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) a platform to falsely assert that Schumer’s comments were because he “wants the Supreme Court to uphold unlimited abortion on demand in every circumstance with no limitations whatsoever.” According to Cruz, “Where Senate Democrats are right now, they are so angry that they're willing to try to get what they want through threats and through really naked intimidation.”</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Washington Examiner contributor Kimberly Ross:</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Conservative radio host and former National Rifle Association spokesperson Dana Loesch told Fox & Friends that Schumer “focused the rage of the mob” against the two justices. She also said that “this is irresponsible, it’s reckless, it’s dangerous, and I think that they’ve seen the consequences of their rhetoric before,” referencing the 2017 attack on the Republican congressional baseball team.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">BlazeTV’s Allie Beth Stuckey:</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">On America’s Newsroom, Fox News guest anchor Julie Banderas and contributor Andy McCarthy both called the rally of abortion rights advocates a “mob,” with McCarthy claiming that “the mob is out there, and Schumer is agitating them because it works, that's the reason they do it.”</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Townhall’s Guy Benson:</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">On Hannity, Fox News’ Gregg Jarrett said Schumer’s comments are “especially dangerous, as the chief justice pointed out, because it's in front of a crowd that's already angry and enraged in front of the U.S. Supreme Court. It could easily and tragically be misinterpreted by some, triggering or provoking or encouraging violence.”</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The Daily Wire’s Matt Walsh:</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Conservative author and Trump pardon recipient Dinesh D'Souza asserted on Fox News’ The Ingraham Angle that Schumer’s remarks demonstrated “how deranged our politics, particularly around the pro-life issue, have become.” D’Souza dismissed the Louisiana law at issue in June v. Russo, saying it is “a very moderate law,” and “if that causes Schumer to go into such a paroxysm of rage, you can just imagine the craziness that we’re in for as the court begins to shift and as landmark decisions do come into question,” referring to the court’s potential to undermine or overturn Roe v. Wade.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Right-wing media are ignoring the reality of anti-abortion violence -- and their role in perpetuating it</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Right-wing media’s reactions to Schumer’s comments ignore the very real and ongoing threat of anti-abortion violence in the United States and right-wing media’s role in stoking it.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Eleven people have died as a result of anti-abortion violence in the U.S. since 1993. Numerous others have been injured, and still more have found themselves and even their families targeted with personalized harassment from abortion opponents. And the trend has intensified in recent years, showing little sign of abating. In May 2019, the National Abortion Federation (NAF) released a report that analyzed violence, intimidation, and harassment of abortion providers from the previous year. According to the report, NAF abortion providers and clinics encountered 21,252 incidents of hate emails and internet harassment, 1,135 incidents of trespassing, and 1,388 harassing calls or hate mail in 2018. Abortion providers also told NAF that they received 57 threats of harm or death threats and were subjected to 15 cases of assault and battery that year.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Some right-wing media outlets have also helped fan the flames of resentment against abortion providers, patients, and clinics. In 2009, an anti-abortion extremist murdered abortion provider Dr. George Tiller while he was attending church with his family. Before Tiller's assassination, former Fox News host Bill O’Reilly had openly bullied Tiller on his program numerous times. According to Rolling Stone, “O’Reilly had waged an unflagging war against Tiller that did just about everything short of urging his followers to murder him.” O’Reilly repeatedly called the doctor “Tiller the baby killer” and said there was a “special place in hell for this guy.” At one point, O’Reilly said, “And if I could get my hands on Tiller – well, you know. Can't be vigilantes. Can't do that. It's just a figure of speech. But despicable? Oh, my God. Oh, it doesn't get worse. Does it get worse? No." After Tiller’s assassination, O’Reilly claimed he only “reported accurately” on Tiller and wasn’t responsible for the provider’s murder.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">In 2015, an anti-abortion extremist who killed three and injured nine at a Colorado Springs Planned Parenthood reportedly offered the phrase “no more baby parts” as an explanation for his actions. His comment seemingly referred to an oft-repeated right-wing media talking point based on deceptive undercover videos from the anti-abortion group Center for Medical Progress. The New Republic reported on the admitted shooter’s penchant for right-wing media such as Fox News and Infowars, saying it shaped his paranoid and conspiratorial views about abortion and Planned Parenthood and may have influenced his actions.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Right-wing media have also amplified sensationalized anti-abortion rhetoric and misinformation. In 2019, Fox News aggressively pushed the malicious lie that Democratic support for abortion access amounted to “infanticide.” A Media Matters study of how abortion is discussed on prime-time cable news programs explained that the network fueled the right-wing media talking point by relentlessly echoing this inaccurate claim.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Why is this really happening?</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Rather than expressing legitimate concerns about pro-choice violence -- itself an “absurd lie,” as abortion clinic escort Lauren Rankin wrote for New York magazine -- right-wing media’s outrage over Schumer’s comments serves only as dishonest political fodder for the 2020 election cycle. Once again, right-wing media have latched onto a non-story to bash Democratic support for abortion as “extreme” and to demonize those that advocate for abortion access. Indeed, right-wing media and abortion opponents already harassed and attempted to stigmatize some of the speakers from the rally on social media. Rather than pointing fingers, right-wing media should examine the power and danger of their own rhetoric on abortion.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">related no lnx</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">anti-abortion violence and harassment was already bad. Right-wing media are making it worse.</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">09/20/17 2:14 PM EDT</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Right-wing media’s extreme abortion rhetoric could mean more people get hurt</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">02/04/19 3:34 PM EST</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Right-wing media shouldn't downplay recent anti-abortion threats by white supremacists</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">01/27/20 12:54 PM EST</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
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</font></em></strong></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><strong><em><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">==</font></em></strong></em></strong></div></div></div>