Following in the wake of CNN last week, MSNBC.com ran an Associated Press dispatch from Rachel D’Oro somehow finding headline news in the months-old Southern Poverty Law Center’s guesstimate that 50 new right-wing militias have been formed since Barack Obama became president.
Could this recycled storyline be an attempt to shift the focus from the Fort Hood attack? The SPLC is identified not as a left-wing group founded by a George McGovern fundraiser, but simply as a "nonpartisan civil-rights organization." The AP article plays up Janet Napolitano’s report on the coming right-wing terrorist threat, and then D’Oro plays up another (unlabeled) leftist expert:
In the first five months of Obama's presidency, racist, right-wing extremists killed at least nine people, according to Chip Berlet, senior analyst with Political Research Associates, a Somerville, Mass., think tank.
Such attacks are a vent for racial anxiety and outrage at the perceived liberal government by people who feel powerless to reach the political elites, according to Berlet. Instead, they target those within reach.
"It's a perfect storm for violence," Berlet said. "You ignore it at our peril."
Berlet's "think tank" sits firmly on the far left, with its website touting Berlet's recent interview on Pacifica Radio disdaining right-wing "disruptions" of health-care town hall meetings this summer.
AP is so in the tank for the left that D'Oro even calls today’s Democrat-dominated Washington a "perceived liberal government."
Media outlets don't seem to realize how they look like putty in the hands of liberal publicists pushing the storyline "Militia movement resurfaces." But might it be argued that some of these "resurfacing" groups are too tiny to be newsworthy?
D'Oro's primary subject, Norm Olson, can't seem to have more than one other person walking alongside him. Does the SPLC count two guys in combat fatigues as a "resurfacing" group? AP somehow finds them "miniscule," but headline news:
Olson's militia is minuscule at the moment, but there has been a resurgence of the militia movement nationwide, in part coinciding with the advent of the Obama administration. At least 50 new right-wing militia groups have been identified by the Montgomery, Ala.-based Southern Poverty Law Center, a nonprofit civil rights organization. All have formed within the last two years, many spreading their speeches and combat exercises on YouTube.
Highlighting the "minuscule" is one clue that the "news" being offered is more plastic public relations than real reporting on large, breaking political trends.
(Hat tip: Robert E.)
—Tim Graham is Director of Media Analysis at the Media Research Center.
Editor at Large
Comments Policy
They are Lower than Whale Dung
Mon, 11/23/2009 - 07:30 ET by richb313Once again the AP tries to make the case that citizens who are worried that they are losing more rights and freedoms are the crazy ones and are possibly dangerous. When GWB was in Office we were treated almost daily to the horror stories of our loss of freedoms when the Chosen One was elected and has made truely huge power grabs and is trying to give Government more control of our lives the story is about the citizens who are concerned.
The AP will spin, twist, mutilate any fact to support thier loony agenda. This is the problem with modern agenda driven journalism.
Agenda-driven journalism....
Mon, 11/23/2009 - 07:55 ET by motherbeltGood description.
This is an attempt at distraction, straight up. (Little riff on Janeane Garofolo there).
ugly mug in the morning
Mon, 11/23/2009 - 07:57 ET by VT Con Manugh, did you have to give me that visual? janeane in the morning, blah. gag.
9 racist, right wing killings....
Mon, 11/23/2009 - 07:56 ET by VT Con ManWhere? In Iran?
Yeah, ironic since 13
Mon, 11/23/2009 - 08:28 ET by BDYeah, ironic since 13 people were killed by a jihadist at Fort Hood, but for some reason that does not strike a chord with these idiots in the Obama administration.
It didn't when a Jihadi in the US Army killed his CO and another officer with hand grenades in Kuwait.
And it will not the next time it happens either.
INSANITY is expecting a differing result from the same action. Clearly liberals are insane on this issue.
That article is rubbish and hyperbole.
Mon, 11/23/2009 - 07:54 ET by superconTwo geezers wearing fatigues is a militia....? What a joke. They are really stretching it. They had better be careful or a game of shuffleboard might break out.
" if Republicans are able to stop Barack Obama on health care, 'it will be his Waterloo, it will break him...." -Sen. Jim DeMint
Are you suprised? Next
Mon, 11/23/2009 - 08:07 ET by CCsteelcityAre you suprised? Next week it will be a picture of the two men in fatigues sitting atop a tank going through the white house.
Not a bad idea, but hey, that's the AP for you.
"The bottom line is that the idea that government bureaucrats have enough knowledge to manage an economy well is the height of conceit." - Friedrich Hayek
A couple of thoughts: If
Mon, 11/23/2009 - 08:24 ET by BDA couple of thoughts:
If two guys wearing BDU's is a Militia, then Hell, Half of Sierra Vista Arizona is Militia since it seems that is the proportion of camouflage being worn.
If I wear mine, am I now a member of the Arizona Militia? Hmmmm....
In a related story, a couple years back there was a group of hispanics who zoomed around southern California on ATV's wearing desert camouflage and calling themselves the California Mexican Army or some such thing and "Strove for Return of California to Mexico." Gee, you would think they would be able to find a story in that?
Actually...
Mon, 11/23/2009 - 08:44 ET by TuariAccording to the Arizona State Constitution, all able bodied resident men, I forget the age group, but I think it's 18-45 are part of the state's militia and can be called to defend the state at the governor's order. They exclude federal military because lack of residence I think.
Hmmmm.... So I guess as a
Mon, 11/23/2009 - 08:48 ET by BDHmmmm.... So I guess as a retired military officer I qualify....
Rahm Emanuel loves crises . . .
Mon, 11/23/2009 - 08:02 ET by Galvanic. . . because they are opportunities to push through agenda that wouldn't pass under normal circumstances.
Groups like the SPLC and Political Research Associates provide the context for 'crisis' as the ridiculous and scandalous DHS report on right-wing extremism demonstrates. The complicit media doesn't care to do any fact-checking (They're too busy fact-checking Palin's book.) The purpose is to stoke public anxiety until it transforms into a fear they can manipulate.
Standby for a 2010 version of the Reichstag fire.
Like I have said on other
Mon, 11/23/2009 - 09:02 ET by dscottLike I have said on other threads, this is all headed to support their agenda. They intend to crush all political dissent from the liberal line by first calling anyone who disagrees with them - terrorists. They believe they have to do this since the MSM has lost control of the story line because they can no longer simply suffocate stories and alternative explanations they don't want the public to know about. Libs have used the moniker terrorist too many times in reference to the Tea Parties for it to be simply hyperbole. Using the term terrorist in reference to those who oppose ObamaCare is hyperbole, but to use it repeatedly as they have indicates a concerted plan not only to delegitimize dissent but to criminalize it.
The move by Obama and Holder to try KSM in a civilian court is an attempt to create a new set of legal rules for terrorist suspects which include indefinite detention and the slashing Constitutional protections of the individual's defense against government power. These are not coincidences or unrelated events, connect the dots folks, connect the dots...
Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid, starving the poor one gallon of ethanol at a time. Fill your tank with E85 and cull a village.
Maybe not terrorists,
Mon, 11/23/2009 - 09:27 ET by motherbeltbut they are always quick to marginalize anyone who disagrees with them as an "extremist."
Leftists portray themselves as mainstream, even in a country that polls as center-right, and try to establish the standard that only a far-right wacko could disagree with them.
And you are right; they never fail to overplay their hand. With every issue they tackle, be it terrorism, sexual harrassment, or censorship, they they smack it on the most pitiful little examples, and in doing so, drain the words of all meaning
mb---
Mon, 11/23/2009 - 15:03 ET by matthewdeanCorrect, they always overplay their hand. Doing so however, has allowed the left to insert a margin of control, through definition.
Terrorism is a "man caused emergency"; a heavy leftward slant in reporting is censorship in that it disallows (in that particular article) for moderate or conservative viewpoints; and attempting to define sexual harassment, especially when tied in with political correctness, reminds me of the article some years ago in a southern paper that talked about a second grade boy being suspended from school for sexual harassment, because during recess he shoved a girl by placing his hands on her chest to do so.
Some wag remarked, "That's like being arrested for robbing a bank that has'nt been built yet."
MD
"There is no distinctly American criminal class - except Congress."
Mark Twain (1835-1910)
Such attacks are a vent for
Mon, 11/23/2009 - 08:08 ET by motherbeltSuch attacks are a vent for racial anxiety and outrage at the perceived
liberal government by people who feel powerless to reach the political
elites, according to Berlet........It's a perfect storm for violence," Berlet said. "You ignore it at our peril."
Uh, no.
Islamic jihadists in the US Army is the threat that was ignored, to the peril of 14 people at Ft. Hood Maybe more, because political correctness will not permit checking into any other Muslims in the military.
But let's not dwell on that....gotta watch out for those right-wingers!
They have no shame.
Conservatives
Mon, 11/23/2009 - 08:15 ET by ahusserAre the new 'Jews'. The irrational hatred continues a spiraling hysterical frenzy of fear mongering nonsense. It will end badly when it is OK to take away the rights of people who declare themselves as conservative because they are considered dangerous. The dems/leftist specialize in the classification of persons as a means of identification. Many believe it can't happen here. It may be more difficult here but it can happen. As a corrollary to never letting a crisis go to waste is the political position of continual conflict, no compromise, my way or the highway. In the book 1984 constant hatred of enemies real or imagined kept the masses in line because if you are always at war then sacrifices and shortages are perpetual, terror and suspicion a way of life which was the reality of Nazi Germany and Communist Russia. Two sides of the same coin of totalitarianism.
"Somehow, I told you so, just doesn't quite say it." Will Smith in 'I, Robot.'
Yup, We're Dangerous!
Mon, 11/23/2009 - 08:34 ET by GeneralAlWhy on Veterans Day, I put on my combat fatigues and paraded around town with all my other Dangerous Veteran friends! According to my Congressman, Bill Foster [14th Illinois] this is true! To bad he will be vacating his office next year as we dump all the Pelosi Pussy Cats!
An Ex-Hastert Citizen
Mon, 11/23/2009 - 08:45 ET by DoktorFrankenDid you also get that mailer from Foster just before the Health Care fiasco vote that stated that he was against the bill? I sent him a real nasty email after I saw his name among the ''Aye'' voters. That dorkbutt is going down next year!
Sarah Palin: The Most Dangerous Conservative In America
Hey General All, I didn't ...
Mon, 11/23/2009 - 10:10 ET by SentryDanHey General Al, I didn't think that the Illinois liberals would let you show your patriotism any more. I thought they had banned all displays of patriotism because it was unAmerican.
When I lived up in NY, we veterans marched in parades every Memorial and Veterans Day, as well as the 4th.
Today, many people don't have the same sense of honor and pride that we veterans do. Remember, "For those who fought for it, Freedom has a flavor that the protected will never know."
Remember folks, Freedom isn't Free. It was bought with the blood and sacrifice of the men and women who are serving and who have served in the U.S. Armed Forces.
For those who fought for it, Freedom has a flavor that the protected will never know.
Also remember folks, that the way to SUPPORT THE TROOPS is to support their mission. Anyone who says that they support the troops but don't support their mission is lying about supporting the troops. And if you want to know, yes I do have a dog in the fight, he is a United States Marine.
Guesstimate????
Mon, 11/23/2009 - 08:42 ET by DoktorFrankenI am ''fatigued'' from all of this State Controlled Media propaganda. But you know what? They should be worried. But not about citizens lawfully armed with guns. They should worry about all of the pissed off citizens armed with the power of the vote.
Sarah Palin: The Most Dangerous Conservative In America
Again, a misdirection play
Mon, 11/23/2009 - 09:12 ET by falconGuys, keep your eye on the ball. This is another classic misdirection play by the left. The old double-reverse. We know they're trying to take the focus off the health care debate, and all the other ills of the Obama presidency. They're hoping we'll be distracted, like their looney-left ADHD readers.
‘When bad men combine, the good must associate; else they will fall, one by one, an unpitied sacrifice in a contemptible struggle.’ - Edmund Burke, 1770
Falcon
Mon, 11/23/2009 - 09:30 ET by ahusserIt is more of a smear job than mis-direction. It is rhetoric and propaganda made to discredit and marginalise the opposition making what conservatives say meaningless and ineffective against this onslaught of government control. This is a coup we just haven't figured it out yet. The leftists pretty much have this sown up as they control the prez both houses of congress and soon the supreme court. They are just courting the masses. This frothing frenzy of hate is to ensure that we don't making any inroads in the next election cycle by painting conservatives as a violence prone minority of wackjobs witness the unceasing attacks on Palin, Beck, Limbaugh et al.
Although this bias is over the top and not disguised most of the bias is very subtle and shows up everywhere in movies, TV and the print media. Most don't see it. Just ask my spouse who honestly believes I am either too sensitive or paranoid about seeing the left wing bias.
"Somehow, I told you so, just doesn't quite say it." Will Smith in 'I, Robot.'
Misdirection?
Mon, 11/23/2009 - 10:44 ET by cajun2I disagree with the argument that Napolitano is fear mongering about right wing militia. I think she is both issuing a warning and a PREDICTION. She knows something will be coming down the pike soon that will enrage the citizens and she is preparing for the battle.
Therefore, her statements are more of a warning to conservatives.Unless she considers tea parties made up of senior citizens "militias". Am I paranoid enough to qualify for membership in a "militia"? Put my name down.
Do you believe Napolitano
Mon, 11/23/2009 - 13:45 ET by dscottDo you believe Napolitano is gearing up for another Ruby Ridge incident in order to incite an armed response to a perceived abuse of government power? I wouldn't put it past them to Gaslight some of the more excitable groups in order to create a pretext for gun confiscation or domestic spying programs.
Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid, starving the poor one gallon of ethanol at a time. Fill your tank with E85 and cull a village.
cajun and dscott.... I'm
Mon, 11/23/2009 - 13:54 ET by bigtimercajun and dscott....
I'm with you guys regarding your sentiments....something is coming down the pike.
Sure the SPLC are involved as well...just my thoughts./
'Doubling down on stupid is not a particularly good idea'~Breitbart
Cajun---
Mon, 11/23/2009 - 15:27 ET by matthewdeanI have taken most of what Napolitano has officially stated, not as fear-mongering, not as a warning, not as a prediction, but as a threat, to me.
She belongs to Obamas' administration, and I have seen absolutely nothing from this administration that leads me to believe that anything I experienced, liked, loved, wanted, or thought was right, prior to this posprezs' inauguration, is going to be around much longer.
As sad as this situation is, if we cannot straighten this mess out via the ballot box, when (not if) the time comes, I will fight them physically if necessary, with whatever means I have to hand.
MD
"There is no distinctly American criminal class - except Congress."
Mark Twain (1835-1910)
Every conservative should
Mon, 11/23/2009 - 11:04 ET by TenebrousEvery conservative should join or form a militia just to watch the left freak out.
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www.Random-jumbled-thoughts.blogspot.com
count me in I am military
Mon, 11/23/2009 - 12:27 ET by jkwtradingcount me in I am military organization of one at the moment. lol
oh 2 if one counts my dog..
Most Terror is Left
Mon, 11/23/2009 - 11:15 ET by slickwillie2001A reminder that by a considerable margin, most incidents of domestic terror in the USA have come from the left-wing:
When Is It Cool to Bomb a Courthouse? http://www.americanthinker.com/blog
Funny isn't it, that left-wing terror is quickly forgotten by the liberal media. No anniversary documentaries, no followup on those convicted, or victims, and when the liberal media wants to make a comparison to current terror, they always manage to find an example of the very rare terror incidents from those on the right.
Which do we "ignore at our peril"?
Mon, 11/23/2009 - 12:18 ET by Ten7s"In the first five months of Obama's presidency, racist,
right-wing extremists killed at least nine people,..."
And over 12,000 people were murdered by criminals since Obama took office. You want the demographics for these murders, my dear liberals?
only 50 had formed..can't
Mon, 11/23/2009 - 12:24 ET by jkwtradingonly 50 had formed..can't wait until the day comes when 50 a day are forming.
They had to link 9 attacks
Mon, 11/23/2009 - 15:14 ET by dscottThey had to link 9 attacks by association to right wing extremists? Who were the victims of these so called right wing attacks? And who were the perps? Given the track record of libs protesting loudly using false assertions in the fake but true mime I want some proof.
But let's cut to the chase here, this is a cover up of all the jihadi attacks that were foiled this year alone: http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2009/11/terrorism_under_the_radar.ht...
Hassan's attack on Ft Hood was the successful terrorist one.
Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid, starving the poor one gallon of ethanol at a time. Fill your tank with E85 and cull a village.
Anyone else think they're
Mon, 11/23/2009 - 18:22 ET by RR GOPAnyone else think they're just waiting to pounce on us if some McVeigh copycat (or a facsimile thereof---false flag) does something?
The Lamestream media got more bent out of shape about when that gentleman was murdered at the Holocaust Museum, obviously hoping that it was some right winger militia type tied in with an ongoing conspiracy. The murder of the Army recruiter and the murders by the D.C. Shooter were dropped as much as possible once they found out these guys were Muslim terrorists.
They couldn't execute McVeigh fast enough to suit me and I'm sure the majority of other Conservatives feel the same way, but that sentiment of swift justice is ignored. Now, when we thought "Tookie" was long overdue to meet the hangman, we were "intolerant", "insensitive" and of course "racist".
One of the 34% who thinks George W. Bush was a great President. One of the 86% who wants to bring back the stock and pillory.