America's Voice Blog

Posted 06/10/09 at 06:42pm

Extremism Watch: The Holocaust Museum Shooter and Immigration

HateIn "Holocaust Museum Shooter Raises Concerns About ‘Crazed Conspiracies’ From Hate Groups," the Wonk Room's Andrea Nill reports:

Shortly after opening fire at the National Holocaust Museum today, James Wenneker von Brunn, the suspected shooter, was identified as a white supremacist with a “history of associations with prominent neo-Nazis and Holocaust deniers,” according to the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC). Brunn’s hateful rhetoric followed by today’s violent outburst chillingly echoes a controversial warning issued by the Department of Homeland Security concerning a rise in “rightwing extremist activity.”

Groups like the Southern Poverty Law Center have consistently documented the links between white nationalism, anti-immigrant activism, and the rising tide of extremism in the United States, but their warnings are only now gaining wider visibility. When the Department of Homeland Security released their report on "rightwing extremism" back in April, warning the public:

Rightwing extremism in the United States can be broadly divided into those groups, movements, and adherents that are primarily hate-oriented (based on hatred of particular religious, racial or ethnic groups), and those that are mainly antigovernment, rejecting federal authority in favor of state or local authority, or rejecting government authority entirely. It may include groups and individuals that are dedicated to a single issue, such as opposition to abortion or immigration.

At the time, the report created great controversy with conservative media, especially among immigration-hardliners like Michelle Malkin. Now political bloggers like AmericaBlog's John Aravosis are asking, "Will Republicans Admit That Their Partisan Outrage Over The DHS Report Was Misplaced?

Media Matters Action Network quotes a number of top Republicans, including Gingrich, Bohener and Bachmann trashing the Department of Homeland Security report on domestic extremists, that now [seem] quite prescient.

Political questions aside, unbridled extremism has enjoyed a solid enclave within our nation's immigration debate. Chilling tragedies like this today's should force a long look in the proverbial mirror at what our nation stands for and what we are willing to accept. This is especially crucial as we prepare to tackle an immigration overhaul.

As Imagine2050.net's  Rev. David L. Ostendorf writes:

Silence is not an option. Not when it comes to people’s lives and to fundamental threats to democracy itself.

 

Comments

It was a good move that Groups like the Southern Poverty Law Center have had consistently documented the links between white nationalism, anti-immigrant activism, and the rising tide of extremism in the United States, but their warnings are only now gaining wider visibility. Whenever our financial institutions lower the credit limits, without the customer’s consent or input, by the way, it isn’t a happy thing for a lot of people.  It leads to higher interest rates, and when those credit limits get lowered it isn’t good for small businesses that depend on the corporate credit card to pay bills and get crucial supplies.  Obama’s stimulus and tax incentives haven’t driven a lot of spending, banks won’t lend, but the positive is that the personal saving rate
is increasing, and some are taking the opportunity to get out of debt.  Lowering the credit limits leads a lot of people to look into a cash advance instead.

They call themselves white racialists, and so far it appears that the shooter acted alone. I have complete confidence the FBI will find out whether there was a conspiracy or not.

It leads to higher interest rates, and when those credit limits get lowered it isn’t good for small businesses that depend on the corporate credit card to pay bills and get crucial supplies.

They call themselves white racialists, and so far it appears that the museum shooter acted alone. I have complete confidence the FBI will find out whether there was a conspiracy or not.

Good post.the decision comes a bit too late for the hundreds of victims of ICE raids slammed with extreme ID charges during the years of the Bush Administration.

Leticia Garcia Romo is a third-generation American, the first one in her family to go to college.

Their stories, similar to those of millions of illegal immigrants in this country, were heard by hundreds of people gathered here

After a strong coordinated effort this week, led by Dream Activist.org and SEIU, to allow Walter Lara to stay in this country

Can you tell me why extremism prevents peace in the Middle East? (between Israelis and Palestinians.

In my point of view it leads to higher interest rates, and when those credit limits get lowered it isn’t good for small businesses that depend on the corporate credit card to pay bills and get crucial supplies.

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