Blogger Patrick "Patterico" Frey yesterday devoted a blog post to the difference between how the media are reporting a thwarted assassination attempt against President Bush versus the recent arrest of some skinheads plotting harm to Sen. Barack Obama.
Patterico noted that the Bush conspirators were farther along in their plans than the skinheads targeting Obama, and yet there was no discernible mainstream media attention to the plot, wherein the principal conspirator pleaded guilty and was slapped with a 5-year sentence:
Guest blogger DRJ earlier posted about the alleged assassination plot against Barack Obama. As I always say when charges are made, charges are just charges, and have to be proved by the prosecution. But if these charges can be proved, then these men should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.
But it got me thinking: this story is being reported everywhere, including in my beloved Los Angeles Times. I suspect it will be on front pages everywhere tomorrow morning.
But remember when I posted in July of this year about an attempted plot against President Bush?
Story Continues Below Ad ↓According to court documents and decisions, the assassination plot against Bush involved two men who “met with a potential accomplice” and “attempted to recruit that person to participate in the assassination of the President.” Further, when the men were arrested, they “were en route to Crawford, Texas to conduct reconnaissance at the President’s ranch.”
One of the men made “oral statements to the effect that one of them, or both of them working together, would shoot the President with a rifle at the President’s ranch near Crawford, Texas.” His co-defendant is alleged to have specifically talked about shooting the President “with a modified military .30-06 caliber rifle” at the Crawford ranch, and made “statements about specific locations from which he could fire the rifle.”
—Ken Shepherd is Managing Editor of NewsBusters
Editor at Large
Comments Policy
I'm a Feingold Democrat (left of Obama)
Tue, 10/28/2008 - 17:50 ET by Josh SNand I also thought this story was dumb. You know, focussing on people who might want to kill Obama might even encourage other people.
This might have more to do with the Secret Service than anything else, though. I find the whole thing distaseful. When I was in the Marine Corps, had I gone to war to protect America (I never did) I would have been defending the President and any bum on the street equally. But these Secret Service guys get billions of dollars to protect only very few people.
I think that we move away from a Republican form of government when we have different levels of protection for different people.
I see, for example, the national "clearance rate" for murders is under 65%. Does that mean about 2 out of 3 murders go unsolved? I'm not entirely sure how that number is calculated (it is from the UCR).
These skinhead nitwits were a far cry from a threat.
Encourgement?
Tue, 10/28/2008 - 18:01 ET by kdoliverI will agree that there are people who may be encouraged by these skinheads. However, not reporting it not the responsible thing to do. The point being raised in the double standard in reporting.
I have absolutely no problem with the SS protecting the leaders of our country. I may not be an Obama fan but I sure as hell don't want to see him assassinated by some skinheads.
http://thelazytriathlete.blogspot.com/
Prioritization
Tue, 10/28/2008 - 18:07 ET by Josh SNThe media has an obligation to prioritize all the stories of the day, given that they have limited space (newspapers) or time (television). I can't see how the story of two knuckleheads talking about a preposterous plot is news. Like that stupid lady who carved on her own cheek. Is that news? Even if her original story was real, it means there is one violent person who at least pretended to be an Obama supporter.
True.
Tue, 10/28/2008 - 19:28 ET by mvfreemanBut most news these days falls under the category of "infotainment".
Jounalists?
Tue, 10/28/2008 - 18:00 ET by iveseenitallThe media's double standard is sickening. It is irresponsible. They haven't done a jounalist's job when it comes to Barry Obama. If any of the unvetted stories about this fellow turns out to be true, the media will be to blame. We have lost one of the basic freedoms that have kept us safe in America, freedom of the press. I have no doubt that if, God forbid, Barry gets elected, the press in America will ignore all corruption and incompetence, putting everyone in danger. Mark my words.
NEVER,NEVER trust a "liberal"
Has the press stopped being
Tue, 10/28/2008 - 18:38 ET by IndigoChillHas the press stopped being free, or have liberals just taken jobs in an industry that conservatives tend not to engage?
I haven't heard of any (recent) cases of the American government telling the press what to say. Only a lot of biased people in the press telling their employees what to say (which is simply the way of the corporate world at times).
Like the Clinton Administration?
Tue, 10/28/2008 - 22:11 ET by needle“…if, God forbid, Barry gets elected, the press in America will ignore all corruption and incompetence, putting everyone in danger.”
I guess you mean like the way the media covered the Clinton Administration, only worse (especially if they can get the [un]fairness doctrine enacted)?
Impunitas semper ad deteriora invitat.
the skinhead doesn't even
Tue, 10/28/2008 - 18:40 ET by hirogen73the skinhead doesn't even get a chance to shoot barack obama so the shouldnt even be on the news at this time. but the liberal gotcha media wonts to re elect barack obama so they put this on the news on this time and make it sound bad and besides he pals around with terorits at this time and the fbi always kills the terorits in the middle eastern country and afganstan
Skinheads now have hair
Tue, 10/28/2008 - 18:54 ET by Lame CherryThis skinhead story is brought to the world by the people who blew a mother's head off as she held her child in Ruby Ridge.
BATF is the gestapo agency which just got nailed by the courts for shutting down gun dealers because they were nailing honest Americans for things like words misspelled.
As I only see skinheads on television, I wondered why these BATF skinheads all head hair and not shaved heads as the term skinhead means.
These two dolts never came up with their story until after the local mountie arrested them and BATF got called. It is ludicrous this story the coverage it has received. The Obama press and BATF sort of neglect to not that all schools are in lockdown and the cops would be called as soon as some dolts showed up banging on the doors.
Oh and how about 2 white Arkansas boys cruising in an all black community. I don't suppose they would stand out and get shot.
These two were video game idiots and the press telling the world that they would after murdering people in mass that they would be allowed to cruise the USA shooting up people.
Then of course they would stroll in, rent two white tuxedos and then in cordoned off Secret Service motorcades every place a presidential candidate goes, they would just drive up hanging out the window like Oliver Stone with a AR 15 while Obama just stood there waving.
The liberals looked for a long time for a story like this and these two hair heads must be Obama supporters as only a story like this helps Obama herd the black people into voting for him.
Where is the angle about how could this manifest in the home of Bill Clinton? Did the Clintons have anything to do with these hair heads? Are the Clinton's related to the hair heads?
As I stated in my blog, Rush Limbaugh has more threats against him daily from Obama kooks than these two hair heads had a chance of doing anything.
A local mountie caught them BEFORE THEY BROKE THE LAW. That sort of explains how inept these two are.
Who knows maybe these 2 will be running for Senate in Tennessee and Illinois as Al Franken made the same threats about murdering GOP politicians and Minnesota put him on the ballot.
agtG
*HIC IACET ARTORIVS REX QVONDAM REXQVE FVTVRVS
Gestapo
Tue, 10/28/2008 - 19:11 ET by Josh SNDear Lame Cherry. What is the responsibility of a Citizen if an arm of its government is equivalent to the NAZI GESTAPO?
Justice department
Tue, 10/28/2008 - 19:22 ET by LionKingEver heard of it. How about contacting your Senators?
I know what you are trying to do. You want someone here to say something outlandish that can be used to defame NB.
Go back to DKos and be your own kind of hero.
Dear Brilliant One
Tue, 10/28/2008 - 19:33 ET by Josh SNYou want me to go to the Justice Department to complain about BATF being like the NAZI GESTAPO?
From the BATF website: "The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) is a principal law enforcement agency within the United States Department of Justice dedicated to preventing terrorism, reducing violent crime, and protecting our Nation."
You need to come up with something better. You should also stop wildly guessing at my political beliefs or, at least, my website visitation habits. I don't even link to the Daily Kos.
Josh ...
Tue, 10/28/2008 - 19:37 ET by LionKingIt is called proper channels. If they cannot deal with the ATF, then escalate to a higher authority. If you fail, keep trying, or take the liberal approach and run to Canada or Mexico ... life is better elsewhere. </sarc...
Ruby Ridge
Tue, 10/28/2008 - 19:52 ET by Josh SNI would note that under the prevous 7+ years of the Bush administration, and the leadership of Attorneys General Ashcroft, Gonzales and Mukasey, I'm not sure anything has improved.
Maybe another party might do better.
Ruby Ridge, in my humble estimation, was more the fault of idiot agents (hey, let's attract the best and brightest with really low wages! Vote Republican!) who should have been fired rather than the machinations of a NAZI GESTAPO like organization.
You, Sir, really to need to get some **mn perspective. You can do this by studying the actual powers of the Gestapo of the Third Reich. I am not a specialist on the topic, but wikipedia says "Fearful of an internal overthrow, the forces of Himmler and the Gestapo were unleashed on the opposition. The first five months of 1943 witnessed thousands of arrests and executions as the Gestapo exercised their powers over the German public. Student opposition leaders were executed in late February, and a major opposition organisation, the Oster Circle, was destroyed in April, 1943."
That was just a few months. It is hard to me to see the equivalency that you so make.
Josh! JOSH!!
Tue, 10/28/2008 - 20:13 ET by TheAssessorYou're beginning to sound like a12 year old on crack, bouncing around to every topic on this site with your circular word salad logic, dictating how the grown ups should arrange their words to suit you. Obviously someone told you were smart. Well they were WRONG! Stop smoking that s*%! and go back to your homework.
Barak 0bama - Afraction American
Well...
Tue, 10/28/2008 - 20:20 ET by mvfreemanDo you honestly see an equivalence between the BATF and the Gestapo?
I know that LC was engaging in his usual hyperbole and Josh went for the low hanging fruit, but let's keep it honest.
I bet he does. He's
Tue, 10/28/2008 - 20:50 ET by zfI bet he does. He's probably one of those people who's pretzel logic is akin to "since policeman sometimes abuse their power, the whole idea of a police force is facist."
Either that, or some sort of anarchist. It's hard to tell as he rambles like a roulette wheel shakily from one topic to the other.
zf...
Tue, 10/28/2008 - 21:33 ET by mvfreemanI'm assuming you are referring to Josh and not Lame Cherry, who BTW was the one to make the comparison.
See my post below.
Josh is actually ridiculing any comparison between the BATF and the Gestapo.
If you are referring to Lame Cherry, I have to agree, he does tend to ramble.
are you kidding me josh
Tue, 10/28/2008 - 20:17 ET by candanceRuby Ridge was caused by Gestapo-like government agents put in place through Republican policies? That sounds like jibberish thrown together just to find some way to link it to the GOP.
Is there anything you *won't* blame on Republicans?
Change is what you're left with when you've spent all your dollars.
You misunderstood...
Tue, 10/28/2008 - 20:55 ET by mvfreemanJosh said:
"Ruby Ridge, in my humble estimation, was more the fault of idiot agents
(hey, let's attract the best and brightest with really low wages! Vote
Republican!) who should have been fired rather than the machinations of
a NAZI GESTAPO like organization"
He is stating his belief that it was caused by incompetency and NOT by Gestapo tactics.
I don't get his reference to republicans because the ATF has been around in it's present incarnation since 1968. It has shifted from the Treasury dept. to the Justice dept.
Josh you should go out grab
Tue, 10/28/2008 - 20:23 ET by dark_dsJosh you should go out grab some drinks...chase some women or guys which ever way you roll ...... I think there is too much many synapses firing in your brain .. its not a criticism ....I am just getting worried you are going to blow a gasket with too much thinking
Josh ... remember
Tue, 10/28/2008 - 20:27 ET by LionKingDo you remember the compund in Waco that went up in flames? Do you remember Elian Gonzalez? hmmmm...who was President then?
The first WTC bombing? The African embassies? The USS Cole?
When the President said that Iraq had WMDs, did he lie?
LionKing
Tue, 10/28/2008 - 20:38 ET by cocodrieBloomin' facts again - have you no mercy?
coco... facts are the quickest way to stop a Troll
Tue, 10/28/2008 - 21:11 ET by LionKingI like facts. These are nice facts.
Yeah...I think Soooo
Tue, 10/28/2008 - 22:43 ET by TheSterBoooo...Yeah!!!
Watch This!!!
http://www.mtv.com/videos/acdc/181407/stiff-upper-lip-live.jhtml#artist=1027
Ster.
Listen, strange women lyin' in ponds distributin' swords is no basis for a system of government.
Someone is obviously crankin'...
Tue, 10/28/2008 - 23:08 ET by mvfreemansome good tunes right now.
Been a huge AC/DC fan since '79.
I have all their albums on either vinyl or CD.
Have to say that Stiff Upper Lip is the only one that was disappointing. (IMHO) No really hard headbangers.
Have you heard the new CD yet?
My wife bought it for me the day it came out.
Pretty decent considering they've been around for over 30 years.
Next to Back in Black my favorites are Powerage and Flick of the Switch. But then they have so much material to choose from it changes from time to time.