Neo-Nazis, Obama, and the real domestic terrorists
By David Neiwert Saturday Nov 01, 2008 1:00pm
Has anyone else noticed how little coverage the skinhead plot to assassinate Obama has been given?
Eric Ward has noticed:
While the public, political pundits, and even some law enforcement officials have been quick to downplay the actions of Cowart and Schlesselman using words such as “unlikely,” “unsophisticated,” and “bizarre”, these individuals are making a case for who they believe is an American. I can’t help but think back to 2006 when seven men who thought they were working with al-Qaida (but in actuality an FBI informant) were arrested in a plot against Chicago’s Sears Tower.
I can’t help but to ask if Coward and Schlesselman had been self-proclaimed Muslims would these same political pundits and law enforcement officials find themselves so blasé? Would the public write it off as “stupid kids who weren’t serious?”
Doubtful.
I know the looming election has sucked all the oxygen out of the newsroom. And it's true that the plot -- they wanted to kill 102 black people, 14 of them by decapitation, before they culminated their spree with a frontal attack on Obama -- more resembled a dumb fantasy out of a bad action flick than anything likely ever to become a reality.
But that's what anyone who might've stumbled onto Tim McVeigh and Terry Nichols prior to April 19, 1995, likely would have concluded too. And the fact is, these guys were serious, they were heavily armed, and they took concrete steps to begin making their fantasy into a reality.
No, they almost certainly would never have reached Barack Obama. But would they have been capable of killing large numbers of black people before the law caught up with them. Just like the three men caught in Denver before the Democratic National Convention, they weren't likely at all to succeed but they almost certainly would have killed innocent members of the public along the way.
And unlike the Denver tweakers, these two young men not only appeared much more capable and competent, but also much more motivated. After all, they were entrenched in the skinhead scene and heavily involved in the white-nationalist movement that inspired them.
Max Blumenthal has the details at Daily Beast:
Initially portrayed in media accounts as “lone wolves” without institutional affiliations, new information about the would-be assassins suggests deeper connections into the subculture of neo-Nazi thugs united by an adulation of Adolf Hitler and desire for vigilante violence. According to the Southern Poverty Law Center, one of the would-be assassins, Daniel Cowart, was a “probate member” of an incipient youth group of the neo-Nazi movement, Supreme White Alliance.
Cowart also maintained a friendship with the SWA’s founder, Steven Edwards. Steven Edwards is the son of Ron Edwards, the founder of the Imperial Klans of America, a neo-Nazi outfit best known for the “Nordic Fest” white power concerts it holds at its 15-acre compound in Kentucky.
After the Southern Poverty Law Center revealed Cowart’s connection to SWA, the group posted a defensive statement on its website denying his role in organizational activities. “Since [the SWA’s annual election] none of the SWA members have had any contact with accused,” the website declared. “So before you get your story wrong, [SPLC], get the facts.” At the same time, the Supreme White Alliance acknowledged that Cowart was indeed a “probate member.”
The ADL has details about the SWA, including their advocacy of "lone wolf" attacks to inspire a race war:
SWA members echoed such calls elsewhere. One member, Jarod Anderson, declared his determination to "re-light the Fire in the Movement." He added that SWA was his "Crew and Life," and that he would die for it "as much as I would for my Family." Ohio SWA member Richard Kidd claimed, in May 2008 in an Internet posting titled "Its [sic] time for war," that "We will all die one day so lets [sic] die for some thing [sic] not nothing."
The Philadelphia Inquirer recently had a noteworthy examination of how skinheads are trying to mainstream themselves these days as a way of expanding their reach. It included this denunciation of the two Tennessee skinheads' plot:
Steve Smith, director of the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre chapter of the KSS, said that it was the type of plan that "makes us look like we're a bunch of loonies."
"They're a couple of loony bins that give our movement a bad name," Smith said. "I don't know anybody who would even think that killing Barack Obama would solve anything.
"Anyone who tries to kill Barack Obama does a lot more harm to the white movement than anything," he said.
The reporter and the public are being bullshitted by Smith here, because their ideology specifically is devoted to inspiring race war. That's what the "14 Words" these two wannabe-killers intended to memorialize by decapitation is all about. These cats are just afraid of the massive pile of law-enforcement bricks that will descend on their heads should such a plot ever succeed.
But the cold reality is that for the white-supremacist faction out there, assassinating Obama is widely viewed as the ticket for inspiring race war. Which means that there are going to be at least a few dozen of these "lone wolves" out there devising a means to attain instant Aryan glory.
James Ridgeway recently observed in an interview with Amy Goodman:
Well, I don’t think you see the groups so much strengthening, but what has happened is that racism in general, racial comments, you know, have come to the surface much more, you know, in greater numbers and more openly, because of the Obama candidacy. And you hear all sorts of racial slurs all over the place. So, this subject, this atmosphere, this kind of racial energy, is very much in evidence. And some of these people undoubtedly are motivated and encouraged by this, you know, that they—it’s hard to know to what extent, but they clearly come forward much more openly than they have in the recent past.
Certainly, the FBI has noticed:
Ward says the increasing anger of white supremacists has manifested itself in Internet postings and threats reported to law-enforcement agencies. What worries the FBI most, he says, are "lone wolves" who might be seething with anger and armed to the teeth but who do not show up on any government radar screens.
Since last February, a presidential-campaign-threat task force created by the FBI and Secret Service has conducted more than 650 "threat assessments" to evaluate reports that could involve threats to presidential or vice presidential contenders or any others connected to the election. About 100 of those threats have been assessed to be "racially motivated" and are thought to be directed at Obama. Another 100 of the reports received since last winter are deemed to be "political" and come from across the ideological spectrum. They include pro-gun groups and anti-abortion extremists. Other categories used by the task force to track threats don't breakdown along ideological or political lines.
Now you have to wonder when the mainstream media -- particularly the news networks -- will notice too. If experience tells us anything, it won't be until after the guns and bombs have gone off.
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...are by definition swarthy types with funny names. And of course they target nice white people. These boys who planned to behead black children were clearly just a little bit misguided.
Where we locked up the Japanese but let the Germans run free.
It's a racial thang.
Germans were locked up too.
http://everything2.com/index.pl?node_id=1153885
Only German nationals -- non-citizens -- and their children were interned during the war.
The Japanese, on the other hand, were locked up en masse -- citizens and all. Indeed, of the 120,000 Japanese we interned during the war, over 70,000 of them were American citizens. The remaining 40,000 had been in America since at least 1924, and were prohibited by becoming citizens by U.S. immigration law.
In contrast, there were roughly 15,000 German nationals and their children interned during the war.
This skinhead pair were truly a pair of clowns. On the other hand, the Denver loons were apparently pretty well equipped and had a much more advanced plan to work with. No prosecution, though. Amazing.
a cheney and fbi subplot
to cover up the skinheads real
intentions or just another fiction?
what a can of worms that would open.
But I think that there is a difference between failure to cover the story in the media, and failure to prosecute.
I can understand why it might be prudent to try not to sensationalize a 'failed assassination plot' during the election, ('lest someone get the bright idea to 'show 'em how it's done'), and opt to give the story the coverage it might deserve the election, but there's no reason not to prosecute.
Udon Monee:
That's the real story. No prosecution.
Had this been a kooky conspiracy to corner the world's illegal drug market, it would have been prosecuted. Had it been a kooky plot against McCain, the Bushevik Justice Department would have prosecuted.
People have their lives ruined by the criminal justice system for attempts and conspiracies to commit "crimes" far less devious and dangerous than this.
I've been thinking about this a lot lately and maybe it's best it isn't a big news story as it might cause other crazy people to want to be part of the "big news".
to prevent somebody getting "big Ideas?"
That way lies totalitarianism, my friend...
Actually, I've had to carefully think about how I approach this story as well. These guys thrive on publicity and you have to be careful about how you give it to them. Mostly it's important not to be too gullible about their claims.
The flip side is that public awareness is going to be the best antidote for rendering them ineffective. These "lone wolves" are most likely to succeed when people dismiss them as a threat.
Before I read the comments here I was thinking along the lines of Patricia. Obviously David was thinking about it as well. I still don't know what to think about it. I really don't think that the Secret Service and the FBI are dismissing these types as threats. I sure hope not anyways. Scary.
I think I agree with POP above. What needs attention is the group, not the people. When people, as individuals, get this kind of press, they accomplish exactly what many of them want; infamy.
There is a very fine line, one which is difficult to walk, when the rabid racism should be exposed as living a fine existence in America, while not providing reasoning for the individual lunatics out there to get noticed.
Neither were Lee Harvey Oswald,Shiran Shiran and James Earl Ray except for the fact they were successful. Those that incite the lunatic fringe should be held to the same degree as those who commit the heinous crimes.
They didn't act alone, and they were the cover for the real killers.
is for some redneck or skinhead to murder Obama....the ensuing riots would be totally disastrous, and give Bush the perfect excuse to declare Martial Law and cancel the elections. The Repiglicans are getting desperate, and it's either this or arrange some sort of phony "terrorist attack" to scare people into voting McCain or giving another excuse for Martial Law. Nothing is too low for these bastards and the rich industrialist pigs who are really behind them. No way are they going to allow Obama to cut into their profits.
I don't even like to think these thoughts, yet am aware 72 hours is plenty of time for a phoney attack to take place.
US Atty Troy Eid sez "No Big Deal!"
Nothing here to look at, people. Move Along! Nothing here, folks...
... I needed them boots. Er... that meth.
Let's see...
... A gang of seven brown skinned men who couldn't even afford to buy boots, were planning to get to Chicago and take out the Sears Tower...
... A gang of white men plotting to assassinate a Presidential nominee who did afford, of their own means, to purchase the necessary tools to accomplish the task...
O.K. I get it...
.
The moral of the story is, it's a great time to rob banks, right next to a Palin rally, cuz everyone will be distracted.
A black man in the "White" House is sure to increase their numbers and motivation. I think we're going to be hearing a lot about these groups in the coming years. What I don't know is how much domestic terrorism will increase. Here's to the unlikely possibility that it doesn't increase at all.
to persist after the election...
It's fixin' to hit the fan, I do believe...
there's legions of poor, resentful white people whose self-image will be mortally challenged by a person-of-ANY-other-Color in the "White House."
I've lived among 'em; I know...
Once Obama is elected he will be out or sight. There will be NO WAY to get to him. It is now. These last 72 hours that is very scary but I think the the Secret Service are on top of it. I'm probably ignorant though.
I was...17 at the time, skipping school, working at the local 250 watt am radio station...
That, and then the events of '68 (MLK and RFK) convinced me: If they wanna getcha, they gonna getcha...
in friggin Grant Park. I can only say I hope the Secret Service and the CPD are all over the place. I can't think of a scarier place to be, especially if he wins.
And please do GO TO GROUND once this is over. Find a nice bunker, a la Cheney, with phones and the internet and work from there.
Because it's most likely fake or concocted by the CIA.
Look at the Anthrax attacks. You ever hear about those?
Look at the hunt for Bin Laden. Are we really not that concerned about him?
This shit is a joke. No one cares about protecting us.
These skinheads will probably go unprosecuted.
These skinheads will probably not be labeled terrorists.
This is a big fucking joke and the emotionally handicapped can't deal with the reality of it and are getting screwed.
Politics is rough business. There are crimes and misdirection and false flag tactics. And inside job shit like Watergate. ETc ETc.
Wake up and fight back.!!
.
David,
You forgot to mention about these political pundits on the
Whiteer... Right, is that to them, this Neo-Nazi group does not use the code name, Hussein. It's the same reasoning Ms Palin uses to discern between abortion clinic bombers and Muslims... It's all about the name... NO?.
if elected obama will have/need plenty of secret service. and people question his patriotism...his life and his
family members are on the line for everyone.
The real domestic terrorists are those that faked the Gulf of Tonkin. Are those that concocted the "Operation Northwoods" Plan. Are those that failed to investigate 9/11 and covered up for the Anthrax attacks. Are those that screw our election system over and pay off the media to hide their crimes. They are the people who clean the crime sites away and ship the evidence off to never be investigated. It's not that hard to figure out.
These people seem more like Columbine than Oklahoma City.
The racial prejudices of law enforcement and the media are fairly obvious when you contrast how mystified they are by the motives of white supremacist terrorists and how certain they are of the motives of all others. Who is it that hate's us for our freedom?
Legal experts question US Attorney's decision not to prosecute Obama 'assassination plot'.
http://rawstory.com/news/2008/Legal_experts_q...
Interviews with numerous legal experts suggest that Colorado US Attorney Troy Eid misled reporters and diverged from state law when declining to prosecute any of the three men arrested in Denver for threatening to assassinate Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama.
[Deleted. Too long, off topic. Thanks for your 'concern' Juliet. But no McPoints for you-Sitemonitor]
... Why no mention of Keating or Elitism, or padering McTORTURE?
O.K. I get it, you don't like Obama...
.. But such overt bias? Geeeshhh!!!!
So?
Was this off topic or what?
as opposed to what Bush or McCain lied about or who they associated with?
Frankly, I don't believe what this guy wrote, I think you're just a McCain supporter and believe the press would've actually reported on all of this IF it were even close to being true.
Eh, why bother with you.
It looks like Michael Master -Bater from McCain,VA has DONE HIS HOMEWORK... so we don't have too...
Gotta love it, if you just change the name, it works for McCain:
1. You lied to America. You lied many times. You distorted facts. You parsed your answers like a lawyer.
2. You distorted the record of Barrack Obama in your words and in your advertisements.
3. You had associations with some very bad people for your personal political gains and then lied about those associations.
4. You divide America about race and about class.
Wow, it works for the McSame/Failin ticket better than I ever expected
I was thinking the exact same thing.
No thanks, Juliet. This chick ain't buying the crap that you're trying to sell.
I saw that lying sack of shit, Sarah Palin on the tely this morning. I listened/watched while she listed three things (I couldn't watch anymore after that) and EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM was a distortion or a lie. She had the gall to say that President Obama was going to raise taxes on these middle class retards (I say that because they were believen her) she was talkin to.
I'm sure she went on to bullshit them a lot more but I had to turn it off to save my TV for the victory party on Tuesday.
This thing lies and misrepresents the truth so many times it is disgusting.
This guy, Michael Master also voted for Bush... two times!!! Nothing more needs to be said. Hey how is your 401(k) doing asshole?
A couple of paragraphs of this bullshit and a link would have been better served since no one believes what you're peddling.
As to operational leadership, just look to Obama's campaign and McCain's campaign. Issues vs. non issues. Fear vs. hope. Alleged associations and innuendo (nothing like those college professors who pal around on Republican boards together or attend dinners with how many others?) v. real association (hello Keating and the senate admonishing McCain for his poor judgement).
Yeah, peddle this crap elsewhere.
That sums it up pretty well. Compare the two campaigns. Compare the organization.
I saw Wolfie interview President Obama, was it yesterday?, and Wolfie asked him to name in order his priorities out of a list of 5 that Wolfie gave him. Obama first said that his priority was not on the list. His priority was the economy. After rationalizing the importance of the economy above the other choices he went on to list in priority the 5 that Wolfie gave him and during the middle of his list he tied one of the priorities to the economy priority that Wolfie didn't mention and then went on to finish the list along with his reasons and did not miss a beat. He didn't have to ask Wolfie again to name them he just went on.
Now McCain would have been lost after Wolfie even mentioned a list and would have gone off on a tangent about POWs and Bill Ayers. eh eh
The Repukes are desperate and they hope that there venomous bile will incite some redneck or skinhead to take out Obama before or after the election. What has become the Repuke party for the last 8 yrs has been all about hate and fear. Oh god no, not a black man in the White House, how will we ever live with that. And they have the audacity to call themselves Christians; what hypocrisy.
I've said more than once on the blog... al-Qaeda can bring this country to the brink of a civil war and Charlie Manson's Helter Skelter to fruition with ONE bullet. al-Qaeda will infiltrate the white supremise/KKK organizations to that end.
Oh yeah, the white supremest are going to let some Al Qaeda guy infiltrate their club house.
What if a bunch of Intellectuals decided to get together and do bad deeds to the VP candidate?
It would be all over the press.
...you'd never hear about 'em...
There's going to be a lot more of this and the government needs to prosecute every sob who even thinks about assassinating the President. File them under "Domestic Terrorist" and heave them into a dark, dark hole for many, many years with minimal content, if any, to the outside world. No press, no sensationalism, nothing, quiet and get it done.
Offer cash rewards and tax breaks to people who report uttered threats. They're DOMESTIC TERRORISTS and we are in a GLOBAL WAR ON TERROR, ARE WE NOT?
The real question is, why isn't John Stewart all over this? I mean, he's a Jew and I'm sure he must find these stories and their implications both frightening and rife for deeper analysis and illumination.
They didn't take the DNC threat by the white meth heads seriously either. There wasn't even any coverage after the convention. But Dick Cheney has people arrested for walking past him and saying they don't like his perspective on the war. I'm sure it has NOTHING to do with race though. (Sarcasm)
I'm calling my reps next week and ask them what the hell? Don't you support Obama and his safety? It won't change without action
...with the assertion that this story has been suppressed. In my opinion it has received far more coverage than it deserves.
These two may have had some sinister plans but they were IDIOT KIDS, who never posed any serious threat to anyone. They met one another through the internet and I doubt either of these racist twits could find their asses with both hands.
Obama was never in any real danger from them, their "plot" nothing more than some disturbing fantasy. I heard about this story from multiple sources and thought that it was more media sensationalism to sell newspapers and further inject race into the national discussion.
So, in the end, maybe not bad it was reported heavily.
Just like Harris an Klebold.
I ran this past a friend and his response was:
Yeah I heard about that, but I have some problems with the way this is
being presented. The first clue should be that it's an ATF, not a
Secret Service case. Secondly, an intention or even willingness by no
means indicates a plot. Look at what they are charged with, where's
the conspiracy charge? Right now, it's 2 federal weapons violations
and "threatening a candidate," which conceivably anyone, anywhere just
muttering or writing such a threat would face. Any defense attorney
would blow such a charge out of the water so I doubt it'll even come
up, unlees some vast conspiracy is uncovered (which I doubt). Also,
the possibility of them driving from Helena to where ever Obama
happened to be at the time after slaughtering and decaptiating people
is beyond minimal, it's negative (as in I doubt they could have
completed the initial phase even.) I'm not trying to down play the
utter hate and ignorance, that is inexcusable and obvious, but this
isn't exactly Jack Bauer here. It's regular agents doing routine work
that happens to have a sensational twist to it. Some prosecutor is
going to get a lot of play and the agents are really gonna be able to
lay into these guys and see what else they can't squeeze out of them.
KKK, Aryan Brotherhood, etc. really aren't that big of beyond local
groups of toothless drop-outs and independent operators (which these
guys seem like off the bat cause otherwise they wouldn't need to
*steal* the guns and attract so much federal attention right from the
start). At any rate, I'm glad these guys didn't go on a shooting
spree...
The ATF is part of the Treasury Department, they are part revenue
(making sure people don't skip out on alcohol and tobacco taxes) and
part illegal weapons enforcement (both firearms and explosives). My
papa was an ATF agent and he did all of it except tobacco: he did
original research on the Anarchist Cookbook, was a firearms instructor
at Glencoe, busted stills (i have some really cool pictures so some
stills and a picture of him with a confiscated AK-47), went to bars
and made sure people weren't watering down the alcohol, etc... You can
google it and get a better idea. But the point I was making is that if
it was legitmately a threat against a candidate form the get go, it
would've been a SS investigation. In fact, the "plot" wasn't revealed
until after the initial arrest, then the Secret Service was brought in
to investigate and I bet they won't go much further into it.
Isn't the ATF and Secret Service are part of the same department.
while I appreciate what you are saying, if *I* was to even mention a bomb while standing in line at the airport, I would be dragged off and no-fly'd immediately.
After Denver, anything that approaches the level of having weapons and a plan (no matter how bizzare it might sound) has to be taken seriously. Denver blew it. We do not need repeats of run on home now, boys.
It could be that the Obama camp would prefer not to give these nuts more attention and give voters the idea that his presidency would be jeopardized by assassination attempts. I've heard more than one person suggest that they are concerned for Obama's safety should he be elected. That might be enough to discourage "low information" voters from voting for him, so they might just prefer to keep a lid on these plots until after the election.
Is he caressing the barrel of that gun?
Hmmm...
I wonder what Freud would say?
'Happiness is a warm gun'.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=itfms556DgE
I really enjoyed that. Thanks, ysbad. You are the best!
The skinhead incident strikes me as more aspiration than plan. But certainly racism is more bold these days.
The viral email I got earlier this week was especially notable for the false witness it contained and for the way it introduced, as is too usual these days, the issue of race.
So I wrote a reply posted here.
Security around presidents are much tighter today, although some gaps probably do still exist.
But wouldn't Oswald have been considered a loser and a loon before the assasination day?
Bad news:
King of the Hill's been cancelled after it's 2009-2010 season.
Those "skinheads" and their "plan" was just BS. If someone really wants to get something like that done- it wouldn't be a bunch of ugly hayseeds.
I agree that Obama's camp didn't want the distraction.
[Deleted. Off topic-Sitemonitor]
I for one don't want heavy coverage of this. No need rewarding these idiots, and inspiring copycat enterprises.
Hey tough guy, wanna prove you're a man?
Join the Army and volunteer to fight in Iraq.
Oh wait, you made a pass at your recruiter...
...Never mind...
that ex Egyptian colonel who worked for the FBI inside the 93 WTC plot,
the phone call is weird, the col basically was blackmailing the FBI for more and more money, if he didnt get it he implied that the truck bomb would get made elsewhere for real and used.
The FBI handler suggested that the informant get a real boring 9-5 job and just do his WTC informing at the weekends, (to save paying informant money).
The phone tapes got released during the trials and are public, and on the web.
McCain starts his voter fraud plan before election day!
A must see for this tuesday... Because this could be you!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZGF-HEd6XnA
That guy in this picture is frgn' freaky. Looks like a swastika on his right upper arm. He needs to be thrown in jail for the rest of his life.
I really, really wonder why idiots like this tend to be McCain/Palin supporters. Are they the "real Americans" the likes of Palin and Bachmann talk about?
That's a swatika tattooed on his underdeveloped little girl shoulder?
I thought it was Hello Kitty.
Theres reasonably good info out there they had help from that militia township (in the woods) and also the ex mil renegade son of a German diplomat.
Lone gunman sh1te doesnt really cut the ice in big events, small people dont have access to the medium large resources that they need for the job. Only in Hollywood can 'lone gunmen' go Rambo and be a superhero, real life demands accomplices, conspiracy and MONEY.
In general these clowns should be prosecuted and put into a hole never to come out of. Just like all who want to do harm to US citizens
The Japanese that were rounded up was under a Democrat.
It took darn near millions to take down the trade centers thousands to take down the Fed building in oklahoma.
The real terrorists that you have to worry about are not posting their intentions on websites.
We were lucky Obama was not harmed And I hope all presidential nominees are safe.
I don't want to see to much of these idiots unless to hear that they are in prison.
You HAVE to see what Sarah Palin just did now!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1exiyBYnJ00
You have to admit, Christianity is the world's worse terrorist death cult, even worse than Islam. The only reason Christianity managed to survive was by being the worst mass tyranny of its time, ideals which continue to make Christianity the death cult that it is today.
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