I thought the Obama nomination and subsequent campaign would mean coded racism from the right. Boy, was I wrong.
There's this little gemfrom today's Texas Republican Convention.
There was this lovely Fox chyron last week.
There was this fantastic comments thread, pulled to the light by Sadly, No!
All of which is almost - almost- laughable. When you read this stupid racist fuck stream, you kind of have to remember that THEY ARE LOSERS, AND THEY WILL LOSE.
But then I happened over to Orcinus today (and if you haven't lately, you should), and Dave actually kind of scared me. Not to mention turning my tears of happiness into tears of frustration. Because in this day and age, how can this be so pervasive?
Bradley T. Kahle, 60, of Troutville, was one of five people arrested in last weekend's sweep. He told undercover agents he hoped Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton or Barack Obama would be killed if they were elected president, and that he would shoot judicial and law enforcement officials if he became terminally ill, according to an affidavit of probable cause made public Tuesday.
"Kahle said words to the effect of, that 'if Hillary Clinton, or Barack Obama, get elected, hopefully they will get assassinated, if not they will disarm the country and we will have a civil war,'" the affidavit stated.
The same man also told authorities he planned to visit Pittsburgh so he could get on top of a high rise and start shooting black people. And of course, the judge let him go on bail. Would I be crazy to suspect that if he were a Muslim talking about shooting white people from a high rise and hoping John McCain would get killed, no judge on earth would let him go?
Ok, just one freak. Deep breaths.
But wait:
The extremist right went into remission, largely, with the election of George W. Bush; militias disbanded because their followers believed the threat of an oppressive, gun-grabbing, baby-killing "New World Order" had largely passed. They bided their time by forming Minutemen brigades. Now they can see that their "safe" era is coming to an end.
All this time, there really has been hankering for an excuse to start acting out violently, and they see any Democratic presidency as providing that excuse. But an Obama presidency in particular will do so.
All of which makes rather ironic the fears expressed by the fellow who propped up that phony "Hillary Clinton Supporters For John McCain" page:
What good is a great economy if you have to worry about getting blown up by a car bomb every time you go to the Mall? You want another Baghdad here in the USA, not me! I want my grandkids to be free and that includes being free from the fear of being killed by a terrorist. If Obama is elected, you better hope he adopts Hillary Health Care plan, because you are going to need it with his idea of "Security" for this country.
Well, there is indeed a potential threat looming after this election in which terrorists will make ordinary people feel unsafe about going to places like malls -- just like they did in the 1990s.
But they won't be Arabs coming from Baghdad. They'll be little Timmy McVeighs from Buffalo.
Dave covers hate groups and home-grown terrorists regularly. He's really, really good at it, very well researched.
I truly believe that the vast majority of this country can see a leader with black skin, just as I know that California will not vote to amend the constitution and ban same-sex marriage.
But the freaks have their forums.
Those offensive stupidities that Sadly, No! has chronicled may only mean that I hope none of those people are my neighbors (because I would start screaming if they ever opened their mouths and let the sickness pour out). That's a level of frustration I can live with, believing as I do in the progress of our national conscience.
But there is, of course, the threat of real violence. Like the anthrax attacks (and the fake anthrax attacks), and worse.
shudder.
(and thanks to SN! for always making it funny)
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