Un-American America (Why Fear-Mongering is So Damn Frightening)

Freelance Journalist Nida Khan

We are living in precarious and dangerous times.  The economy remains unstable, joblessness is continuously skyrocketing, development is stagnant and unpredictable circumstances around the world are exacerbating the fears of many.  But what is also quietly bubbling underneath the surface is a far more treacherous and detrimental push for a shift in American psychology that in effect undermines the core principles upon which this great nation was founded.  It is the concerted, conscious effort to stoke the qualms of many with a great divide that is once again pitting ‘us’ against ‘them’.  Except this time, the ‘them’ could virtually be you, me or any one who slightly looks as if he/she doesn’t belong.

For the past few days, we have been inundated with images of the now infamous failed Times Square car bomb suspect, Faisal Shahzad.  What began as a thorough search for the person or persons involved in this foiled attempt has culminated into a drastic transformation in dialogue that is establishing dangerous precedent for many to be presumed guilty on the basis of their national origin, familial ancestry or travel records.

Faisal Shahzad

When authorities first released footage of an initial suspect over the weekend, the vast majority of broadcasters and reporters stayed clear of mentioning this man’s race.  Save for a few exceptions, the bulk of coverage on all three major networks – conservative Fox News, more liberal MSNBC and ‘fair and balanced’ CNN –  weren’t focusing on this man’s Whiteness, but rather leading with copy like ‘officials are seeking a middle-aged man seen here’ or ‘they are searching for a man in his 40’s’.  Fast-forward to Mr. Shahzad and all you see blaring across your TV screen is this man’s ethnicity and ties to another land far far away off in the distance somewhere.  But it isn’t only Pakistanis or Pakistani Americans that should be deeply concerned about this troubling imaging and change in verbiage.

This past month, Governor Jan Brewer of Arizona signed the most controversial immigration bill in our country’s history.  Literally institutionalizing and justifying racial profiling, this SB 1070 legislation transferred immense authority into the hands of local police that are often-times notorious for their biased behavior and poor judgment (one needs to only look at NJ were racial profiling was found even at the state police level).  But what is even more troubling than the potential backlash against all minorities in Arizona, is the ripple effects this is having across the nation.  Several other states are already pursuing their own versions of immigration ‘reform’ which amount to nothing more than criminalizing and dehumanizing certain groups of people.  The politicians and pundits that are pushing this anti-immigrant message need to be reminded of the intricate benefits that immigrants from all over the world have bestowed upon the United States and the plethora of ways in which they continue to do so.  If the backers of this SB 1070 wanted to be truly honest, they might as well say ‘if you’re not White, show me proof you belong here’ – because that’s literally what this bill means.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w8EKhl4-bCA&feature=player_embedded

Everyone is familiar with the inscription on our symbolic emblem of freedom, the statue of liberty, that reads in part:  “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free”.  But ask yourselves, how did we go from that optimistic, inclusive message to one filled with fear mongering, division and a sense of entitlement?  If you are Brown, Black or tan in Arizona, who’s to say your family members weren’t here before the area even received statehood in 1912?  And as some on the right push for all Pakistanis and all Muslims – whether citizens or not – to be monitored and watched, they are in fact turning back the clock on decades of progress.

If they espouse that we ‘end political correctness’ by questioning everyone who ‘doesn’t look like us’, what is to become of our inalienable rights that led the vast majority here in the first place? For those who do not see the ominous bias in our mainstream press when it comes to coverage of others versus coverage of so-called natives, just watch and observe over the coming days, weeks and months as Shahzad’s background is probed and dissected.  But unlike when Timothy McVeigh slaughtered scores and injured hundreds, the focus won’t be on his own troubled life (which includes the recent loss of his home and other economic troubles), but it will instead be on any ties to extremist elements.

Was isn't Joseph Stack considered a terrorist even though he flew his plane into an IRS building?

Now in no way am I condoning his behavior or stating that he didn’t have ties to any groups in Pakistan, but what I am doing is reminding people that when Joseph Stacks flew a plane into an IRS building less than three months ago and killed an African American man, he was not labeled a terrorist.  And yet this foiled attempt in Times Square, where nothing thankfully happened, will almost certainly create a backlash for Pakistanis, Muslims or anyone that resembles them.

As the jargon gains momentum with talk of homegrown terrorists and the cells within, we have to wonder, are we at stake here to slowly lose all of our basic fundamental civil liberties?  There is now even talk from politicians like Senator Joe Lieberman pushing for legislation that would strip anyone accused of terrorism of his/her citizenship.  But if terror and terrorism are terms used at our own discretion, do we now hold the power to determine one’s allegiance, patriotism or love of country?  If we can now be stopped in Arizona simply for jay walking and asked to ‘produce our papers’, isn’t that creating and justifying bigotry and racism?  Are these consistent regressive maneuvers a reaction to an ever-unstable economic future?  Or is it something more nefarious at play?  When did the United States of America became a land of ‘us’ verses everyone else?

These are indeed volatile times, and we should all be very, very afraid.

written by Nida Khan

Nida Khan is an independent journalist and producer working in both print and radio.  She is currently a news correspondent with WRKS 98.7 Kiss FM NY, and is a member of the production team of Rev. Al Sharpton’s nationally syndicated broadcast, ‘Keeping it Real’.  Nida previously served as the Editor-in-Chief of elan:  The Guide to Global Muslim Culture, and has contributed pieces for such diverse outlets as the Associated Press, Alternet.org, DUB Magazine, Lifetimetv.com, The Source Magazine, The Women’s Media Center and more.  hit her up at

twitter.com/NidaKhanNY

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OPINION: Ron Paul Is A White Supremacist

OPINION: Ron Paul Is A White Supremacist

By Casey Gane-McCalla

http://newsone.com/nation/casey-gane-mccalla/opinion-ron-paul-is-a-white-supremacist/

Originally, when I began reporting on the Neo-Nazis and conspiracy theory driven right wing extremists and their associations with Ron Paul, I assumed they were a fringe group who jumped on to the Ron Paul bandwagon. Then after doing extensive research, I realized that not only did the Neo-Nazis and the John Birch/Timothy McVeigh based conspiracy theorists support Ron Paul, but Ron Paul supports the views of the Neo-Nazis and the conspiracy theorists.

There are several pieces of evidence tying Paul to both white supremacists and right wing conspiracy theorists. One connection that ties Paul to both Neo-Nazis and conspiracy theorists, is his close connection to the John Birch society. The John Birch Society is a group that has been called, paranoid, radical, racist, and extremist, and believes in a Jewish/Freemason conspiracy to transform the world into a communist “New World Order.”

The John Birch Society

The John Birch society holds McCarthy as a hero and believes that “liberal” politicians and are part of a “communist” conspiracy known as “Insiders”. They opposed the Civil Rights movement and Civil Rights legislation (and still do), called Martin Luther King a radical socialist threat (and still do), praised apartheid and  believe that Nelson Mandela was “a communist terrorist thug” and campaigned for segregationist Presidential candidate George Wallace.

What is most scary about the John Birch Society, is that it seems to be a breeding ground for Neo-Nazis. Several members of the intellectual wing of the White Nationalist Neo-Nazi movement come directly from the John Birch society.

One of the founders of the John Birch Society was Revilo P. Oliver, who went on to found the white nationalist Neo-Nazi organization, The National Alliance which named Hitler “the greatest man of our era.”

Another member of the John Birch society was William Pierce, also a founder of the National Alliance, who also wrote “The Turner Diaries.” “The Turner Diaries” is credited with inspiring Timothy McVeigh to bomb the Alfred P. Murrah building in Oklahoma City, Killing 168 people.

Other prominent members of the John Birch society, who played large roles in the Neo-Nazi movement, include Tom Metzger, who was a Grand Dragon of the KKK and Kevin Strom, the former managing director of National Vanguard, (another prominent white supremacist organization) who was convicted for child pornography.

The Southern Poverty Leadership Committee claims the John Birch society is responsible for a lot of the Patriot movement “New World Order,” anti-government ideologies that spread to militias and Neo-Nazis.

Ron Paul was the keynote speaker for the John Birch Society’s 50th Anniversary and spoke about the strong connection he had to the society and their ideologies.

The John Birch Society is a great patriotic organization featuring an educational program solidly based on constitutional principles. I congratulate the Society in this, its 50th year. I wish them continued success and endorse their untiring efforts to foster ‘less government, more responsibility … and with God’s help … a better world.’”

I am delighted to help celebrate this birthday.” “I’m sure there are people in this room who probably helped me in that campaign, because I know that so many of you have over the years.”

continue what you have been doing…..I come with a positive message and congratulations to you for all you have done.  Congratulations and thank you very much for having me tonight.

The John Birch society had a big role in Paul’s “Rally For The Republic” in where their leader spoke and they distributed anti “New World Order” materials.

Aside from his involvement in the John Birch society, Ron Paul has an extensive history of writing and promoting racist literature that would seem to come from one of the many John Birch Neo-Nazi offshoots. Ron Paul’s, Ron Paul newsletter contained articles attacking African-Americans, for being unintelligent, lazy and prone to crime,  and Jews for being part of Zionist conspiracies.  The newsletters also contained pro-militia articles that advised militia armed groups to “Leave no clues…Avoid the phone as much as possible,”…. Don’t fire unless fired upon, but if they mean to have a war, let it begin here” three months before McVeigh bombed the Alfred P. Murrah building in Oklahoma.

Here are some of the many racist quotes that can be found in Paul’s newsletter from 1978 till 1995

On the L.A. Riots

“Order was only restored in L.A. when it came time for the blacks to pick up their welfare checks three days after rioting began,”

‘civil rights,’ quotas, mandated hiring preferences, set-asides for government contracts, gerrymandered voting districts, black bureaucracies, black mayors, black curricula in schools, black tv shows, black tv anchors, hate crime laws, and public humiliation for anyone who dares question the black agenda

On African-American Political Opinion

Opinion polls consistently show that only about 5 percent of blacks have sensible political opinions, i.e. support the free market, individual liberty and the end of welfare and affirmative action

On African-Americans and Crime

Given the inefficiencies of what D.C. laughingly calls the `criminal justice system,’ I think we can safely assume that 95 percent of the black males in that city are semi-criminal or entirely criminal,

America’s number one need is an unlimited white checking account for underclass blacks.
mostly black welfare recipients will feel justified in stealing from mostly white ‘haves.’

Paul also used the newsletter to refer to call the end of apartheid in South Africa, the “destruction of civilization” and warned of a South African Holocaust after Nelson Mandela was elected.

Paul’s newsletter also included several attacks on Martin Luther King. After Martin Luther King Day was named a national holiday, this was written in his newsletter, “What an infamy Ronald Reagan approved it!…..We can thank him for our annual Hate Whitey Day”

While the newsletter criticized Martin Luther King, it praised former KKK Grand Wizard, David Duke, “Is David Duke’s new prominence, despite his losing the gubernatorial election, good for anti-big government forces? our priority should be to take the anti-government, anti-tax, anti-crime, anti-welfare loafers, anti-race privilege, anti-foreign meddling message of Duke, and enclose it in a more consistent package of freedom.”

In This Quote, Paul Exhibits The Paranoid Conspiracy Driven Anti-Semitic, Homophobic, Racist View From The John Birch Society

I’ve been told not to talk, but these stooges don’t scare me. Threats or no threats, I’ve laid bare the coming race war in our big cities. The federal-homosexual cover-up on AIDS (my training as a physician helps me see through this one.) The Bohemian Grove–perverted, pagan playground of the powerful. Skull & Bones: the demonic fraternity that includes George Bush and leftist Senator John Kerry, Congress’s Mr. New Money. The Israeli lobby, which plays Congress like a cheap harmonica

Source

While Paul has abandoned writing and distributing racist literature, he is still strongly connected to the Neo-Nazi movement.

It seems as if people in the white supremacist, Neo-Nazi community believe that Paul is one of them. Paul is usually somewhere between David Duke, who refers to Paul as “Our King,” and Hitler on the Neo-Nazi hero list.

Ron Paul accepted a donation from the founder of white supremacist site, Stormfront, Don Black and even took a picture with  him and his son Derek. Ron Paul has been endorsed by David Duke and Sean Hannity’s Nazi cohort, Hal Turner

Several prominent Ron Paul Internet organizers are also notorious Neo-Nazis. Will Williams, also known as white will was a prominent internet organizer for the Paul campaign. He also the Southern Coordinator for Turner Diaries’ author, William Pierce’s National Alliance.

Another one is Ron Doggett.  Doggett, a David Duke underling posts Ron Paul propaganda on various Neo-Nazi website, such as Stormfront and Vanguard News. Another KKK member who organized for Paul was Randy Grey,the Midland County, Michigan coordinator for the Ron Paul 2008 Presidential campaign who was also a leader for the Michigan KKK.

Ron Paul Believes In The John Birch “New World Order” Conspiracy Theory

Asides from the racism, Paul has inherited other ideologies from the John Birch society. Ron Paul has several times alluded that he believes in the John Birch conspiracy theory, that a communist secret society conspiracy is seeking to bring the world into “New World Order” one world government and destroy America.

Another one of Ron Paul’s supporters is Alex Jones. Jones is a radio host who has extensively promoted the John Birch “New World Order” conspiracy of an Illuminati secret society trying to bring the world into a socialist one world government .

Jones has enthusiastically endorsed Ron Paul for President and has even has Paul on his radio show several times. Rather than discourage Jones conspiracy theories, Paul encourages them. On Jones show, Paul said.

A world central bank, worldwide regulation and world control of the whole system, of all the commodities and all the natural resources, what else can you call it other than world government?

We have to continue to do what we are doing, you are in the business of passing on and spreading information, that, to me, is most crucial, getting more people engaged, more people understanding what the issues are, nothing else is more important than that. Then when you see an opportunity we have to turn this into political action.

Source

Ron Paul even used the phrase “New World Order” in a rally in Nashville, equating it with the UN, World Bank and IMF.

When asked “Is there a plan for a New World Order and how do we stop it,” Paul stayed to his John Birch philosophy and ranted against the U.N.

The first President Bush said the New World Order was in tune– and that’s what they were working for. The U.N. is part of that government. They’re working right now very significantly towards a North American Union. That’s why there’s a lot of people in Washington right now who don’t care too much about our borders. They have a philosophical belief that national sovereignty is not important. It’s also the reason I’ve made the very strong suggestion the U.S. need not be in the U.N. for national security reasons.

Ron Paul has denied he is racist and said that he didn’t write the many racist statements in the newsletter that was distributed in his name under his byline. The Magazine that originally uncovered the racist newsletters responded with.

To believe that Ron Paul had no knowledge of what was being written in his own name, in his own office, for 20 years — and that he didn’t even read his own monthly publication — not only “stretches credulity to the breaking point,” it actually requires believing bald-faced lies.

In the statement about the coming race war and the homosexual AIDS plot, Paul clearly identified himself as a “physician” making it seem clear that Paul had the same racist, anti-Semitic, conspiratorial  views of his fellow John Birch Society members.

A now incarcerated Neo-Nazi by the name of Bill White put out a statement that Ron Paul was a man with Neo-Nazi views, but he hid them because of his political position.

I have kept quiet about the Ron Paul campaign for a while, because I didn’t see any need to say anything that would cause any trouble. However, reading the latest release from his campaign spokesman, I am compelled to tell the truth about Ron Paul’s extensive involvement in white nationalism.

Both Congressman Paul and his aides regularly meet with members of the Stormfront set, American Renaissance, the Institute for Historic Review, and others at the Tara Thai restaurant in Arlington, Virginia, usually on Wednesdays. This is part of a dinner that was originally organized by Pat Buchanan, Sam Francis and Joe Sobran, and has since been mostly taken over by the Council of Conservative Citizens.

I have attended these dinners, seen Paul and his aides there, and been invited to his offices in Washington to discuss policy.

For his spokesman to call white racialism a “small ideology” and claim white activists are “wasting their money” trying to influence Paul is ridiculous. Paul is a white nationalist of the Stormfront type who has always kept his racial views and his views about world Judaism quiet because of his political position.

I don’t know that it is necessarily good for Paul to “expose” this. However, he really is someone with extensive ties to white nationalism and for him to deny that in the belief he will be more respectable by denying it is outrageous — and I hate seeing people in the press who denounce racialism merely because they think it is not fashionable.

Bill White, Commander
Source

There are far to many connections between Ron Paul and white supremacists to be overlooked. From his close affiliation to the Neo-Nazi breeding ground, The John Birch society, to the large number of Neo-Nazis who support and organize for him, to the racist literature he wrote and or distributed for almost 20 years between 1978 and 1995.

Ron Paul is clearly a right wing extremist from the John Birch Society school of thought. Most of his policies and views come from their conspiracy theory, from his opposition to the U.N. and Civil Rights legislation, to his homophobia and anti-Semitism. He clearly believes in or chooses to spread the paranoia based New World Order, Illuminati theory that the John Birch society has spreading to militias and Neo-Nazis for so many years.

Given all the evidence it is very easy to believe Bill White’s claim that Paul has been keeping his racist views quiet in order to infiltrate mainstream politics. While it may seem that Ron Paul is a good decent man with strong political ideals, that isn’t racist, who is being supported by Neo-Nazis and Patriot movement militia people who wrongly believe that he is one of them, the opposite is true. Ron Paul is a man with Neo-Nazi, Patriot movement militia views who is being supported by good decent people with strong political ideals who wrongly believe he is one of them.

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