OH FOR GOD’S SAKE, STOP IT
This is getting annoying as hell.
Conservatives trying to make the case that the Holocaust Museum shooter James von Brunn is some kind of liberal or leftist sympathizer are tilting at windmills:
So I guess the obvious question is this: if von Brunn were looking for a mainstream political activism site on which to broadcast his views to the largest number of likeminded individuals (or individuals susceptible to coming around to his point of view), would he find a warmer reception at RedState, or DailyKos? I submit that the answer to this question might be a far more useful metric of von Brunn’s political leanings than the baseless assumption propounded by unthinking leftists that because von Brunn is a racist, he must be a right-winger.
That’s just one of a series of blog posts that is raising questions about von Brunn’s ideology and trying frantically to transfer the killer’s core beliefs to the left.
Von Brunn is indeed a right winger - a far, far, out in the boondocks, beyond belief, wild eyed, drooling extremist of a right winger - but a right winger nonetheless. My post yesterday that briefly questioned his “right wing Christian” credentials was silly in retrospect, although identifying him as a “Christianist” is incorrect. And if you read the post, you will notice that this meme was a very small part of my overall criticism of the left’s politically motivated attack on conservatives.
Anti-Semitism may be a disease that afflicts liberals as well as conservatives. And racism on the left is not unknown as anyone who has ever read the brutal and nauseating racial attacks on Michelle Malkin can testify.
But this guy was identified by the FBI two decades ago as a far right whacko. The idea that he’s changed his stripes in the intervening years is ridiculous and only makes those who are trying to hit back against leftist smears of all conservatives by trying to mis-identify where this guy is coming from ideologically do no service to the truth or to conservatives.
I will freely grant this this guy is a man of the extreme right. To posit the notion, as many on the left have been doing the last few days, that this guy has any connection whatsoever either in his philosophy or ideology with mainstream conservatism is ludicrous. It is equally fanciful to blame “right wing hate speech” emanating supposedly from mainstream conservative media outlets for this guy’s actions. The idea that von Brunn needed any motivation at all beyond his sick, twisted, personal extremist ideology and whatever demons possessed him ignores reality - about what we’ve come to expect from the “reality based community.”
By the same token, desperately seeking a way to disown von Brunn because the left has seen fit to smear all conservatives with his racist, anti-Semitic stench is equally ludicrous. We don’t have to disown him. It is self evident to any rational, semi-fair minded person that this guy had as much to do with mainstream politics as a member of the Black Panther party or some other far out, whacko leftist group. To think otherwise is to believe nonsense. To think that anything said by a mainstream conservative set this guy off and contributed to his rampage is equally bogus. The only people who believe that are those who are pre-disposed to believe the worst about conservatives. And nothing anyone says will change their idiotic, exaggerated, hysterical notions about the mainstream right.
So give it a rest - both sides. This is one of these issues where liberals and conservatives are only looking silly by bandying about ridiculous ideas that don’t convince anyone except those who already harbor the same views. Taking a dump into a water well just to hear the turds echo when they hit bottom is a pastime for village idiots, not supposedly rational political opponents.
What he is is a whacked out hater who hates Christians just as much as he hates Jews. Hates conservatives just as much as he hates liberals. Let’s blame VON BRUNN for his actions, not anyone else. These conspiracy theories and “placing blame” activities are downright silly.
Comment by Gayle Miller — 6/12/2009 @ 11:51 am
He’s a cretin who hates what America stands for, from our Constitution and rich history of triumphs over ideologies such as his to a dynamic society where people still (tobacco regulation slippery slopes aside) have many freedoms in their social, religious and political spheres he obviously cannot stomach.
What makes this terribly depressing is the money and attraction his crimes will raise for his cause. I would not be surprised if Stormfront and its ilk had record “hits” in the past few days on the web.
Almost as bad as this partisan foolishness over his political spectrum alignment are the calls raised to further restrict gun ownership since people like him seem to own guns somehow.
Comment by Eddie — 6/12/2009 @ 12:15 pm
There you go, giving people ideas…
Comment by lionheart — 6/12/2009 @ 12:31 pm
“Taking a dump into a water well just to hear the turds echo when they hit bottom is a pastime for village idiots…”
Best. Line. Ever.
Comment by Ryan Garns — 6/12/2009 @ 12:36 pm
As a convicted felon, he was not LEGALLY permitted to own guns - not that it stopped him. Only the law abiding are prevented or slowed in acquiring protection by the laws. The lawless have no problems whatsoever!
Comment by Gayle Miller — 6/12/2009 @ 12:52 pm
Oh, nonsense, this thug is a reactionary leftist, of the ilk that stretches all the way back to the French Revolution.
Comment by N. O'Brain — 6/12/2009 @ 1:25 pm
“To think that anything said by a mainstream conservative set this guy off and contributed to his rampage is equally bogus.”
So you don’t think there was some final straw that broke the camel’s back, but rather that it had been broken all along. Interesting.
Now mind you I am not trying to say that anyone kept pushing his buttons to send him over the top, any more then somone suffereing road rage is being provoked by other drivers to try and cause others to crash.
But can you not concive that someone somewhere might have been that final straw?
Comment by KenGirard — 6/12/2009 @ 3:15 pm
Well gee Rick, let’s take a look at what we know about the shooter so far:
Registered Democrat (needs confirmation)
Christian hater
Jew Hater
FOX News’ O’Reilly hater
Weekly Standard hater
Bush hater
Neo-con hater
9-11 was an inside job nut
Socialist
artist
Stated that “SOCIALISM, represents the future of the West”
Stated that the Apostle Paul destroyed Rome by undermining its pagan virility.
Hated corporations
Ah sure Rick, that makes him definitely a “Right Wing Nutjob”!
/sarc
Comment by Dale in Atlanta — 6/12/2009 @ 6:16 pm
I put Von Brunn in the same category that I put the other Haters in: The Hate America Club. These thugs shoot up churches, blow up govenment buildings, shoot doctors and soliders, picket funerals, shoot politicans and ministers and all feel justified because our America isn’t their America. Giving them a left or right label is useless because they have far more in common with each other than they do with any liberal or conservative or libertarian.
Comment by Gaia's Child — 6/12/2009 @ 6:25 pm
[...] Yesterday, I wrote a piece titled Manichean Morans about the ridiculous attempts to pretend that von Brunn was a “leftist.” I might have to retitle that piece after reading this outburst from Rick Moran: [...]
Pingback by Balloon Juice » Blog Archive » Thanks, Rick — 6/12/2009 @ 7:11 pm
This is what von Brunn wrote in his book Kill The Best Gentiles:
“Yockey, in his suppressed book Imperium, notes that MARXISM is seriously flawed because MARX, being a JEW, could not understand the real differences between CAPITALISM and SOCIALISM, which emanated from the WESTERN CULTURE-ORGANISM. Capitalism and Socialism are how a Nation (Family, People, Race) feels, thinks, and lives, and secondarily are ECONOMIC CONCEPTS. One [capitalism] is past history; the other, WESTERN SOCIALISM, represents the future of the West, and the end of JEWRY on Western soil.”
That sounds kinda un-rightwingerish to me. But hey, some idiot reposted one of his more generic rants about the media over at Free Republic, so that must make him right wing… so what if he had a manifesto that proves otherwise.
Comment by Watcher — 6/12/2009 @ 7:46 pm
This is the most rational post I’ve read yet on this whole sorry business.
Comment by Gus — 6/12/2009 @ 7:46 pm
I’ve always thought of the political spectrum as communists and anarchists on the far left extreme and fascists and Nazis on the far right extreme. They are similar in a lot of ways, but it’s ridiculous to claim a neo-Nazi is a “leftist”.
This guy happened to be a neo-Nazi, which is as far from a “leftist” as you can get. Tim McVeigh was another right-wing nut, as is the guy who recently shot the doctor. It’s not hard to tell who’s a right-wing nut and who’s a left-wing nut. The left-wing nuts are the guys who show up at G-7 meetings wearing football helmets and throw rocks through windows. They tend not to be quite as well armed as right-wing nuts.
Comment by Pug — 6/12/2009 @ 8:17 pm
N. O’Brain Said: Oh, nonsense, this thug is a reactionary leftist, of the ilk that stretches all the way back to the French Revolution.
Love it. von Brunn was a leftist, even though he hated everything associated with liberals. He was a self-hating leftist then? This is getting funnier.
Unrelatedly, I wouldn’t be so quick to dismiss a conservative political machine that elicited cries of “terrorist” and “kill him!” at mainstream political rallies. The straw the broke the camel’s back is a cliche, but it can also be accurate.
Limbaugh has the biggest platform and is one of the most representative “leaders”. And he is telling his audience that von Brunn was a leftist. He’s telling his audience that the left is armed and killing people. You don’t think THAT will elicit more reaction? It’s delusional to say such consistent and inflammatory messages don’t move the needle on the level of political tension and violence. The only question is how much is the needling going to move.
Comment by jvill — 6/12/2009 @ 8:18 pm
An excellent distinction between right and left, Pug. Being against the second amendment certainly has its consequences!
BTW, good job Rick on calling out those who would change the facts re: this neo-nazi idiot. The sad part is, it’s only a matter of time before someone “on your side” accuses you of being a RINO or CINO for being honest.
Comment by Surabaya Stew — 6/12/2009 @ 9:12 pm
In Germany, I had indeed noticed that some of the former hard core communist e.g Horst Mahler suddenly shows up in the camp of the neo-nazis. Wouldn’t surprise me if some will find their way into the Islamist’s camp. Bottom line, these people have a seriously disturbed psyche, nut jobs who pick the martyr role or something like that. Same here, nothing to do with liberal/conservative.
Comment by funny man — 6/12/2009 @ 9:42 pm
It is equally fanciful to blame “right wing hate speech” emanating supposedly from mainstream conservative media outlets for this guy’s actions.
It’s peculiar how that works; Hollywood can corrupt our children with their images, and video games and music can turn teens into stonecold killers, but calling abortion doctors ‘murderers’ and saying the President is a terrorist-lover obviously can have no effect on anyone at all.
Comment by Arthur — 6/12/2009 @ 10:18 pm
“Taking a dump into a water well just to hear the turds echo when they hit bottom is a pastime for village idiots”
Conceeded, but you have to admit that if I could play “Chopsticks” like that you’d be pretty friggin’ impressed. And disgusted.
The balance between the two would depend on how well you can see my artistic genius, obviously.
Seriously though, I’m stealing that line. Whether I credit you, John Wayne, or Yogi Berra is going to depend on my mood at the time of use.
Comment by busboy33 — 6/12/2009 @ 10:49 pm
Extremes are exactly that - extremes. As a proud progressive liberal, I would no more think of burning down a research lab for animal rights than I would think that 99.999% of conservatives would advocate shooting a security guard at a holocaust museum. But I’d be ridiculed if I tried to say the Animal Liberation Front was a right wing group. When you go around the bend, it doesn’t really matter which end you went around.
Comment by Calming Influence — 6/12/2009 @ 11:00 pm
[...] Rick Moran: Conservatives trying to make the case that the Holocaust Museum shooter James von Brunn is some kind of liberal or leftist sympathizer are tilting at windmills: [...]
Pingback by Right Wing Extremists — 6/13/2009 @ 6:17 am
how could there be any doubt that he’s not a liberal? just read his manifesto. he HATES liberals (and Jews and Marxists, and lumps all three of them together into “LIBERALISM/MARXISM/JEWRY” whenever he mentions them.
Comment by cleek — 6/13/2009 @ 8:22 am
@ Dale
If what John Cole posted on his blog is correct, Mr. Vonn Brunn entered the museum with a confederate flag hat and left a note in his car that said the American Right Wing is all talk and no action. Why did this man even feel comfortable identifying and associating any of his ideas with the american right?
With the Abdul Hakim shooting it was pretty linear for many conservative bloggers and pundits, black guy = dem = liberal = shot a U.S. Army recruiter = typical american hating lefty. LMAO. Somehow that tu quoque defense isn’t really satisfying is it?
Comment by Augustine — 6/13/2009 @ 9:16 am
@ Watcher
Why did he pick the Holocaust Museum? Why did he wear a confederate flag hat? Why did he write a missive that the american right never acts, all they do is talk? Why did he opine that white men are being laughed at by blacks and jews and that can’t be tolerated? Yeah, he’s a flaming red diaper liberal that guy.
Comment by Augustine — 6/13/2009 @ 9:26 am
[...] Rick Moran: I will freely grant this this guy is a man of the extreme right. To posit the notion, as many on the left have been doing the last few days, that this guy has any connection whatsoever either in his philosophy or ideology with mainstream conservatism is ludicrous. It is equally fanciful to blame “right wing hate speech” emanating supposedly from mainstream conservative media outlets for this guy’s actions. The idea that von Brunn needed any motivation at all beyond his sick, twisted, personal extremist ideology and whatever demons possessed him ignores reality – about what we’ve come to expect from the “reality based community.” [...]
Pingback by Left-Wing, Right-Wing, Chicken-Wing, Paul McCartney and Wings « Around The Sphere — 6/13/2009 @ 9:51 am
I know this is not the right place but I feel very sad now. Iran is an old, very cultured country and a lot of the young and educated people are sooo fed up with the daily grind of a repressive regime. I know a lot of Americans don’t really know what it means to live in a country like that. I also don’t know what to do but want to show my solidarity with the protesters. Here are some pics from the Spiegel:
http://www.spiegel.de/fotostrecke/fotostrecke-43381-2.html#backToArticle=630328
Comment by funny man — 6/13/2009 @ 1:12 pm
“Why did he pick the Holocaust Museum?”
Because he’s a Holocaust denier who hates Jews.
“Why did he wear a confederate flag hat?”
That’s a good question… I’m not aware of him having ever lived anywhere in the south. Maybe he just wanted to piss off black people.
“Why did he write a missive that the american right never acts, all they do is talk?”
I don’t know… was it meant as criticism from someone on the outside looking in? If he was self-identifying as being part of the right with that statement, I have a hard time reconciling that with his advocacy of race-based socialism and his contempt for capitalism… not to mention his wacky anti-Christian views.
“Why did he opine that white men are being laughed at by blacks and jews and that can’t be tolerated?”
Ummm… because he hates blacks and jews? Why do you keep harping on his bigotry as if that’s all you need to prove someone is a right winger? You’ve never seen any bigotry on the left?
Comment by Watcher — 6/13/2009 @ 8:00 pm