Why so little discussion of right wing domestic terrorism?

Seems like it's all ISIS all the time on TV news, and here on MOL.  I won't use the most overused and despised (by me at least) MOL cliché about seemingly ignored topics.  But I am a little surprised that two days ago, a group of (alleged I must stress) white supremacists opened fire on a group of peaceful BLM protestors in Minneapolis, and I don't think I've seen a reference on this message board.  And there's been approximately 1% as much time devoted to it on TV as has been devoted to ISIS:

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/25/us/minneapolis-shooting-protest-police-jamar-clark.html

As a country we're collectively ready to wet ourselves over jihadists half a world away, and not paying attention to the threat here in the U.S.  Admittedly, even the threat of domestic terrorists is very small compared to almost anything else that can hurt or maim us.  But am I the only one who's noticing and starting to be concerned that mainstream political rhetoric is becoming increasingly violent and xenophobic?  It's a minuscule threat at the moment, but in a week when members of a Trump rally turn on an African American protestor and beat him up, and a group of men fires on a peaceful protest, I'd have thought it might have at least been on the collective radar.

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/25/us/tally-of-attacks-in-us-challenges-perceptions-of-top-terror-threat.html

We're too busy hiding under out beds. 

terp said:

We're too busy hiding under out beds. 

Speak for yourself.

White people do not feel threatened by violence from white supremists. 

I think it's not about the violence for some people, it's about who is doing it.  So, for some, violence by white people doesn't count.  Violence by others lets them hate on anyone not like them.

mjh said:

terp said:

We're too busy hiding under out beds. 

Speak for yourself.

I always do.  For a more serious response to the OP.   First, those articles are behind a pay wall.  So, you can't really read them.  

I'm not really afraid of either terrorist threat.  While all the acts we are talking about here are despicable,  I think the threat to both international and domestic terrorism are rather remote.   Why I tend to chime in on the international front is that we tend to do some objectionable stuff in reaction to it.   I think at the end of the day, despite all that goes on in the world you have to go and live your life.  

Apologies in advance for any typos. It's a bit cramped down here ;-)

nohero said:

I think it's not about the violence for some people, it's about who is doing it.  So, for some, violence by white people doesn't count.  Violence by others lets them hate on anyone not like them.

It is also to whom the violence is being done. When ISIL murders Arabs it does not frighten Americans. People are frightened when they identify with the victims.

terp said:

We're too busy hiding under out beds. 

I went with an underground bunker. Unfortunately it's so full of gold, silver, guns, ammo, and toilet paper that there's no room for me. At least my precious will be safe. WiFi signal is crap down there anyhow.

LOST said:

nohero said:

I think it's not about the violence for some people, it's about who is doing it.  So, for some, violence by white people doesn't count.  Violence by others lets them hate on anyone not like them.

It is also to whom the violence is being done. When ISIL murders Arabs it does not frighten Americans. People are frightened when they identify with the victims.

Very good point.  As a corollary, that probably explains why terrorism in Paris elicits a greater reaction from Americans than terrorism in Beirut.

RobB said:

terp said:

We're too busy hiding under out beds. 

I went with an underground bunker. Unfortunately it's so full of gold, silver, guns, ammo, and toilet paper that there's no room for me. At least my precious will be safe. WiFi signal is crap down there anyhow.

Great. So, I can assume there's no room for me then. 

I've put on some weight in recent years. You might be able to squeeze in. Please note, I ate all the bunker food and replaced it with Folgers Crystals. And more toilet paper. 

In my initial post I did admit that the actual threat to any of us from any of these sources is miniscule.  So I'm not afraid for myself, and I'm not suggesting anyone else should be afraid of either ISIS or right wing terrorists.

I'm concerned that millions of people (if you believe the polls) are responding positively to the increasingly belligerent and xenophobic ranting of Donald Trump.  And at the same time small groups of thugs are beating down or shooting down people of color who are peacefully exercising their rights to protest.

Is this something to be concerned about as a possible trend?  Or at least something that should be getting equal or greater attention than ISIS's activities thousands of miles from the U.S.?

Ha.  That reminds me of my bedtime story w/ my son last night.  I usually lie on the bed w/ him and read him a story at bed time. 

Son: Dad, could you move over?  

Dad:  not really.  I'm on the edge.

Son: Well maybe you grew.

Dad: It's more likely you grew.

Son: Well maybe you got fatter.

Dad:  Laughs

Son:  Or maybe your muscles got bigger!

Nice save sonny boy!

and for people who can't see the NY Times site, here's an article on domestic terrorism threats:  http://www.vox.com/2015/11/23/9765718/domestic-terrorism-threat

one on the Minneapolis protest shooting:

http://www.startribune.com/police-searching-for-suspects-who-fired-into-crowd-at-blm-protest-outside-4th-precinct/353154811/

and the Trump supporters' beating of a protestor:

http://www.slate.com/blogs/the_slatest/2015/11/22/video_trump_supporters_beat_up_black_lives_matter_protester_at_rally.html

terp said:

Ha.  That reminds me of my bedtime story w/ my son last night.  I usually lie on the bed w/ him and read him a story at bed time. 

Son: Dad, could you move over?  

Dad:  not really.  I'm on the edge.

Son: Well maybe you grew.

Dad: It's more likely you grew.

Son: Well maybe you got fatter.

Dad:  Laughs

Son:  Or maybe your muscles got bigger!


Nice save sonny boy!

Him: Mommy, I like your face better when you're wearing glasses. 

Me: Try again son. 

Him: Mommy, I like your glasses. 

Me: There you go. 

Southern Poverty Law Center keeps a data base of groups that threaten harm towards people of different ethnicity and religious beliefs. A predominate number of them are at the very right/lunatic fringe of the political spectrum.

The SPLC counted 1,007 groups as active hate groups in the United States in 2012. Only organizations and their chapters known to be active during 2012 are included.[11]
The groups included:
186 separate Ku Klux Klan (KKK) groups with 52 websites
196 neo-Nazi groups with 89 websites
111 white nationalist groups with 190 websites
98 white power skinhead groups with 25 websites
39 Christian Identity groups with 37 websites
93 neo-Confederate groups with 25 websites
113 black separatist groups with 40 websites
90 general hate groups (subdivided into anti-gay, Holocaust denial, racist music, radical traditionalist Catholic and others)[12][13] with 172 hate websites.[14]

Any further news on the Planned Parenthood attack?

They have the man they believe did it in custody, but no affiliations or motives have been determined yet. Is that what you wanted to know? He was from North Carolina until about a year ago, and he gave a neighbor anti-Obama pamphlets and was cited for animal cruelty. His wife accused him of abusing her, apparently. Beyond that, I haven't seen an solid information.

AP reports that he said 'no more baby parts ' when captured  Carly Fiorina has blood on her hands 

I did recoil in shock when I saw his mug shot. Dude looks batshyte crazy.

There was a forum at Douglass College a few weeks ago put on by the FBI, US Attorneys Office and Rutgers.   Domestic terrorism was heavily covered. The number of such groups with chapters in NJ was surprising.

terp said:

mjh said:

terp said:

We're too busy hiding under out beds. 

Speak for yourself.

I always do.  For a more serious response to the OP.   First, those articles are behind a pay wall.  So, you can't really read them.  


I'm not really afraid of either terrorist threat.  While all the acts we are talking about here are despicable,  I think the threat to both international and domestic terrorism are rather remote.   Why I tend to chime in on the international front is that we tend to do some objectionable stuff in reaction to it.   I think at the end of the day, despite all that goes on in the world you have to go and live your life.  



Apologies in advance for any typos. It's a bit cramped down here

just as an fyi - if you browse in private mode in Firefox or Chrome, you can read the NY Times.

DB, I use Firefox... how do I browse in "private mode"?

PeggyC said:

They have the man they believe did it in custody, but no affiliations or motives have been determined yet. Is that what you wanted to know? He was from North Carolina until about a year ago, and he gave a neighbor anti-Obama pamphlets and was cited for animal cruelty. His wife accused him of abusing her, apparently. Beyond that, I haven't seen an solid information.

I heard this morning that Ted Cruz alleged that the shooter/murderer/terrorist (take your pick) was a "transgendered leftist activist". SMH. These guys will say anything to divert blame for their hateful, sinister rhetoric about PP and legal abortion.

Here it is reported by Huff Post http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/ted-cruz-planned-parenthood-shooter-transgender_565ba648e4b072e9d1c23a85 

Much as I dislike Ted Cruz, he said that as a snarky retort when a reporter asked him about the alleged remark the shooter made about more babies not dying. He didn't intend it to be taken as a serious suggestion, although it is a takeoff on the allegation that the guy's voter registration has him down as a woman. Bizarre.

PeggyC said:

Much as I dislike Ted Cruz, he said that as a snarky retort when a reporter asked him about the alleged remark the shooter made about more babies not dying. He didn't intend it to be taken as a serious suggestion, although it is a takeoff on the allegation that the guy's voter registration has him down as a woman. Bizarre.

But this is the issue with Teddly--how do you really know he is being snarky and not just bigoted and bare-assed mean?  Given the crap he has done and promises to do to anyone who he sees as different than his vision of the universe, I think you need to take his words at face value.  The man has been in the public eye long enough to know exactly how his words will be heard, and he has mastered speaking in hate code well enough for me to conclude he was speaking directly to the other haters who support him.

PeggyC said:

Much as I dislike Ted Cruz, he said that as a snarky retort when a reporter asked him about the alleged remark the shooter made about more babies not dying. He didn't intend it to be taken as a serious suggestion, although it is a takeoff on the allegation that the guy's voter registration has him down as a woman. Bizarre.

If you watch the video in the Huff Post article, he was not being snarky. He said it very plainly and definitively in the context of the shooter having registered to vote as a woman and independent - he said that part twice. 

Ugh. Politics just get more bizarre with every election.

PeggyC said:

Ugh. Politics just get more bizarre with every election.

No. Republicans do.

PeggyC said:

DB, I use Firefox... how do I browse in "private mode"?

In Firefox you just go to the file menu and pick New Private Window (or press Ctrl Shift P)

That will start a new window of firefox that does not save any cookies, among other things