Alarming number of hate groups growing in America

[Cainkane1]

<img src="http://ndn2.newsweek.com/media/70/WhiteSupremacists_SLAH-edit3.jpg">

http://www.newsweek.com/id/195085/?gt1=43002

I find this profoundly disturbing.

 

[Bikewer]

Being in police work, we get frequent updates and training on these folks and their ideologies.

There are a surprising number of them, ranging from "traditional" outfits like neo-Nazis and KKK types to all manner of oddments like "Norse religion" groups.

There appears to be a thriving scene involving "hate rock"; groups who perform hate/whitepower songs at rallies and gatherings and market self-produced CDs and such at similar events and on the net.

The only encouraging thing is that many of these groups are small and not particularly powerful; they tend to be very insular.

Back in the 80s, a local municipality became, for some reason, a hotbed of such activity. The headquarters of several white-power and neo-Nazi groups were there, as well as the still-extant Communist party.
One group was so small that if the undercover police detectives were to have quit they would have had to disband.....

 

[Beerina]

In Freakonomics, they point out a wonderful initiative by some journalist to loudly tout their nasty activities and so on, and eventually the KKK & friends turned into little more than bitchfests of bubbas sitting around drinking beer. I.e. he converted them into exactly this type of social club the news story fears.

When they became little more than a social club, they were essentially eviscerated of any real power or large-scale threat.


So. Do the math. These social clubs are singing songs about how wonderful they are as social clubs. While nasty, it's a hell of a lot better than real activist groups, or, worse, terrorist groups. But when you clamp down on them with the force of law, now you're oppressing them (and note, independently of whether it's justified or not.) Now you're giving them something to fight back against.


It reminds me of that episode of one of the law shows, where the goody two-shoes lawyers discover a famous anti-death penalty lawyer is actually helping some on death row accept their situation, and slacking off the filing of endless appeals.

Shocked, they confront him. He points out that filing endless appeals becomes a kind of "boy who cried wolf" thing, leading to more rejections of appeals, and thus marginal cases he actually had a shot in Hell of getting commuted or reversed would be more likely to be rejected. Net effect: His way ended up with fewer executions than simply blanket filing appeals to everything under the sun for every single case.

Again, you do the math. Unethical, KKK or death penalty? Perhaps. But if your "ethics" lead to more executions, or more KKK terrorism, have you done anything of value? How many real lives are you willing to put at stake so a few chemicals can flow more smoothly through your brain?

 

[GreNME]

So. Do the math. These social clubs are singing songs about how wonderful they are as social clubs. While nasty, it's a hell of a lot better than real activist groups, or, worse, terrorist groups.

That's easy to say when you haven't been the target of these jackasses. Or watched members of your family tormented by filthy punks like these.

So yeah, that's where you can stick your 'math'.

 

[Roadtoad]

That's easy to say when you haven't been the target of these jackasses. Or watched members of your family tormented by filthy punks like these.

So yeah, that's where you can stick your 'math'.

I'd agree. When I think of the friends of mine who were beaten up or threatened because they were black/gay/Jewish/Mormon/liberal/Mexican/etc., I have no real interest in smiling as these "Bubbas" sit around drinking their Blue Ribbon.

I've had these clowns try to recruit me, and I've reported them. I took heat for it, but in the end, I think it was worth it. So, no, I'm not interested in the math, Beerina. I'm interested in making the point, forcefully, if necessary, that their hate is not acceptable.

 

[linusrichard]

I find this blog to be an excellent resource for this topic. I have no connection with it; I'm not spamming. Just, if you want to know about hate groups, hate crimes, etc., it's a good one.

 

[Roadtoad]

Bookmarked. Thanks.

 

[dudalb]

Sad, but with the election of a Black President only to be expected.
Thought I would not panic. I think the election of Obama just drove some "closet" racists into the open.

 

[dudalb]

In Freakonomics, they point out a wonderful initiative by some journalist to loudly tout their nasty activities and so on, and eventually the KKK & friends turned into little more than bitchfests of bubbas sitting around drinking beer. I.e. he converted them into exactly this type of social club the news story fears.

When they became little more than a social club, they were essentially eviscerated of any real power or large-scale threat.


So. Do the math. These social clubs are singing songs about how wonderful they are as social clubs. While nasty, it's a hell of a lot better than real activist groups, or, worse, terrorist groups. But when you clamp down on them with the force of law, now you're oppressing them (and note, independently of whether it's justified or not.) Now you're giving them something to fight back against.


It reminds me of that episode of one of the law shows, where the goody two-shoes lawyers discover a famous anti-death penalty lawyer is actually helping some on death row accept their situation, and slacking off the filing of endless appeals.

Shocked, they confront him. He points out that filing endless appeals becomes a kind of "boy who cried wolf" thing, leading to more rejections of appeals, and thus marginal cases he actually had a shot in Hell of getting commuted or reversed would be more likely to be rejected. Net effect: His way ended up with fewer executions than simply blanket filing appeals to everything under the sun for every single case.

Beerina, you seem to getting pretty far out there with some of your opinions.
Your dismissial of hate groups as "social clubs" is truly bizarre.when such groups have a long history of violence.
Your idea that the Government should not keep an eye on these groups is totally bizarre,and I have to assume that you are nearing the AnCap level of hatred for government.

 

[Cleon]

Sad, but with the election of a Black President only to be expected.
Thought I would not panic. I think the election of Obama just drove some "closet" racists into the open.

The election of a Black President and the economy in the crapper.

Either one is liable to fill up the ranks of these nutbars. All we need is another terrorist attack, and it'll be the trifecta of crazy.

 

[Cainkane1]

That's easy to say when you haven't been the target of these jackasses. Or watched members of your family tormented by filthy punks like these.

So yeah, that's where you can stick your 'math'.

I personally watched skinheads harass jews and non whites when I lived in little five points in Atlanta Ga so they can and do cause a great deal of trouble.

 

[dudalb]

The election of a Black President and the economy in the crapper.

Either one is liable to fill up the ranks of these nutbars. All we need is another terrorist attack, and it'll be the trifecta of crazy.

Yeah, the economy added fuel to the fire. But I wonder if it had been the economy alone, if it would have been the out and out hate groups that got the membership rise, rather then the less overt wackjob groups such as the "Militias" which, although I think the membership is overwhelming bigoted, at least officially deny they are racist.

 

[themusicteacher]

Hey, haven't you heard that it's profiling and unfair to these groups to be publicly outed and being militantly fringe? When this report came out (commissioned by the Bush Admin as every president before him has no doubt done), Fox Noise and Repub's were up in arms about being "targeted" and tagged as loonies by "the left" (dum-dum-DUUUUM!). So, because some nutjob anti-government types are identified as possible threats and Fox and the Repub's think it's unfair? Did they think it unfair when the same was said about left-wing nutjob's several years back? The hypocrisy is galling. When a bunch of lefties get together to protest the shredding of the Constitution or to call out a president who is behaving irrationally and not in the best interest in of the nation, they're unpatriotic and should be executed for treason. When some right-wing wackos get together because they think some house-negro might come take their guns, they're just exercising their Constitutionally protected rights to bear arms, assemble and speak freely. Got that?

 

[dudalb]

Physican, heal thyself. I would not be too quick to accuse others of only seeing craziness on one end of the political spectrum.

 

[Steelmage]

So there is only white hate groups, no other type of hate groups then?

 

[daredelvis]

In Freakonomics, they point out a wonderful initiative by some journalist to loudly tout their nasty activities and so on, and eventually the KKK & friends turned into little more than bitchfests of bubbas sitting around drinking beer. I.e. he converted them into exactly this type of social club the news story fears.

When they became little more than a social club, they were essentially eviscerated of any real power or large-scale threat.

You have a point. I seem to recall the endless 48hours and 20-20 episodes about McVeigh prior to the Oklahoma city bombing.

It reminds me of that episode of one of the law shows, where the goody two-shoes lawyers discover a famous anti-death penalty lawyer is actually helping some on death row accept their situation, and slacking off the filing of endless appeals.

Yes, the script writers did an excellent job of showing how things work in scripted television land.

Daredelvis

 

[jj]

Hate groups are no joke, are a problem (yes, I've had personal experience as well as second-hand experience and taken reports in an official capacity from someone who had firsthand experience), and their growth is being cynically, deliberately, willfully encouraged by the relentless right-wing attacks on the constitution, the presidency, the congress, as well as by lunatic moves like the Texas attempt at secession, which is an obvious attempt to foment a new civil war.

That's what the loonies want, a new civil war, it will give them the space to run around and shoot the people they hate.

 

[Soapy Sam]

I'd agree. When I think of the friends of mine who were beaten up or threatened because they were black/gay/Jewish/Mormon/liberal/Mexican/etc., I have no real interest in smiling as these "Bubbas" sit around drinking their Blue Ribbon.

RT- you have some wierd friends- I don't think I know any Black gay liberal Jewish Mormon Mexicans.
Do they keep pigs?

 

[applecorped]

<img src="http://ndn2.newsweek.com/media/70/WhiteSupremacists_SLAH-edit3.jpg">

http://www.newsweek.com/id/195085/?gt1=43002

I find this profoundly disturbing.

Ditto. Newsweek really sucks.

 

[themusicteacher]

Physican, heal thyself. I would not be too quick to accuse others of only seeing craziness on one end of the political spectrum.

That's not at all what I was saying, dud. What I was saying is there was no reaction at all when the government released reports about LEFT-WING groups that were under surveillance and labeled as being dangerous. Now, when the (equally) very real threat of right-wing fringe groups gets reported, gun-toters, repub's and Faux are all up in arms, literally and figuratively. It's the continuation of a ridiculous double-standard.