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1/ Christopher Hasson, the Coast Guard officer who plotted to murder prominent Democrats & journalists, is facing up to 31 years in jail. Prosecutors call him a ‘domestic terrorist’ but he hasn't been charged with terrorism. By Luke Barnes @LukeBarnes_92: thinkprogress.org/chris-hasson-c…
2/ This excellent but disturbing piece by David Neiwert @DavidNeiwert explores Hasson's case and the rising numbers of radicalized, violent white supremacists in the US. I recommend this article: dailykos.com/stories/2019/2…
3/ The MSM didn't spend much time on the story. Maybe they were uncomfortable with the possible link between Hasson's unhinged actions and Trump's inflammatory rhetoric. Aaron Rupar @atrupar explores Trump's history of violent rhetoric in this piece: vox.com/2019/2/22/1823…
4/ ... And Brian Klaas @brianklaas explores Trump's history of anti-Muslim racist language in another good piece: "A short history of President Trump’s anti-Muslim bigotry: His comments are an inspiration to Islamophobes everywhere."
5/ Trump is engaging in Stochastic Terrorism: "the use of mass communications to incite random actors to carry out violent or terrorist acts that are statistically predictable but individually unpredictable." Jason Kottke @jkottke explains here: kottke.org/18/10/stochast…
5/ Heather Timmons @HeathaT explored Stochastic Terrorism in more depth in this excellent piece from last October: "Stochastic terror and the cycle of hate that pushes unstable Americans to violence" #StochasticTerrorism qz.com/1436267/trump-…
6/ Chauncey DeVega @chaunceydevega makes the case that Trump inspired the NZ Christchurch shooter, who "specifically cited President Trump as an inspiration. His online manifesto praises Trump as 'a symbol of renewed white identity and common purpose.'"
7/ Kevin M. Kruse @KevinMKruse reminds us that the Pittsburgh synagogue shooter was inspired by the kind of racist fear-mongering rhetoric which Trump keeps engaging in:
8/ Just a couple of days ago Trump made another thinly-veiled threat of violence against his political opponents. Via Daniel Dale @ddale8:
9/ Aaron Blake @AaronBlake explores the threat in more depth in this piece, which is very good: "Trump again nods toward violence by his supporters — and maybe something bigger"
10/ In light of all this, David Neiwert @DavidNeiwert reminds us of Michael Cohen's warning that Trump may not cooperate with a peaceful transition of power if he loses the 2020 election:
11/ Robert Reich @RBReich sums up the overall situation:"Trump is cornered, with violence on his mind. We must be on red alert: As investigators close in, the president invokes the support of the military, police and vigilantes. This is a perilous moment"
12/ Adam Serwer @AdamSerwer reminds us how the GOP reacted when the DHS released a report on the growing threat of far-right extremism in the US back in 2009:
13/ Spencer Ackerman @attackerman & Betsy Woodruff @woodruffbets wrote in Nov: "‘Homeland Security’ Ignores White Terror, DHS Veterans Say: As far-right terror attacks mount.. some FBI veterans say the bureau isn't taking white supremacy seriously enough." thedailybeast.com/homeland-secur…
14/ When the NYTimes claimed last Dec. that everyone had missed the rise of white supremacy, Charles Pierce @CharlesPPierce called bullshit and wrote this great takedown in response. esquire.com/news-politics/…
15/ Erin Banco @ErinBanco, @attackerman & @woodruffbets have written a great new piece on this subject, & talk to the author @DTAnalytics of the 2009 report @AdamSerwer referred to upthread: "Fewer Than 1 In 5 FBI Terror Cases Target White Supremacists,.."
16/ "... Stats Show. Law enforcement veterans say the slaughter in Christchurch highlights the discrepancy between how the west treats violence committed by Muslims and violence committed by whites." thedailybeast.com/new-zealand-sh…
17/ Daryl Johnson @DTAnalytics was the DHS analyst who was fired over the 2009 paper on the rise of far-right extremism. Michael Isikoff @Isikoff & Daniel Klaidman @dklaidman interviewed him on their Skullduggery podcast last week (via @WearsFactyPants):
18/ Juan Cole @jricole on stochastic terror: "Trump’s promotion of key themes of white supremacism, in conjunction with the billionaire Mercers and bizarre ideologues like Bannon, have clearly produced a new wave of stochastic white nationalist terrorism."
19/ Dave Neiwart @DavidNeiwert gives a rundown of US political violence in the last decade: "History of Extremist Violence: The far-right carried out every extremist U.S. murder in 2018, according to a new ADL report. These are some of the true stories:"
20/ On a hopeful note, don't miss Sean Illing's @seanilling interview with Deeyah Khan @Deeyah_Khan, a Muslim woman & filmmaker who spent months interviewing her enemies — neo-Nazis & jihadists — & came away more hopeful than ever! Here’s what she learned:
21/ This is a fantastic thread by Bruce Wilson @brucewilson on the "cultural Marxism" conspiracy theory, a recrudescence of the anti-semitic "Protocols of the Elders of Zion" hoax, & how central it is in the rise of far-right extremism around the world....
22/ ... @brucewilson goes into more detail in another thread on the Christchurch, NZ shooter's manifesto, and he explains how the cultural Marxism conspiracy theory motivated the shooter (both threads link to many good articles) ...
23/ ... The idea has been pushed by William S. Lind, who met with Trump in 2016. 4thgenwar.wordpress.com/2016/07/03/tru…. @DavidNeiwert analyses its history in this excellent piece: "How the 'cultural Marxism' hoax began, and why it's spreading into the mainstream" dailykos.com/stories/2019/1…
24/ @ACInvestigates, @lhwaldron & @letsgomathias: "Neo-Nazi Videos Take Stubborn Root on YT: The ideas in a treatise by the gunman responsible for the massacres at two NZ mosques are also circulating on many of the world’s popular social media platforms."
25/ Good thread by Corey Pein @coreypein on how far-right extremists have exploited vulnerabilities in the conservative and liberal establishments to gain power. He also suggests organizing principles to more effectively fight the rising fascist movement.
26/ This is a fantastic thread by @DavidNeiwert on Eliminationism and eliminationist rhetoric, its long history in the Americas, and its modern metastasization in which Donald Trump has become our Eliminationist in Chief. I highly recommend it.
28/ Caroline Orr @RVAwonk on funding: "Trump’s top donor, Robert Mercer, is at the center of a multimillion-dollar anti-Muslim propaganda industry responsible for creating & spreading the Islamophobic rhetoric found in the New Zealand shooter’s manifesto."
29/ Here's an excellent thread on white nationalism by Tuxedo Mask @TheLoveBel0w. Towards the end he mentions Life After Hate @lifeafterhate, a group which combats right-wing extremism by helping members get out, and who had their federal funding ...
30/ ... grants rescinded a few days after Trump took office and he decided to end the Obaba-era Countering Violent Extremism Grant Program, a DHS program which worked to counter far-right extremism. Casey Michel @cjcmichel reported last Nov: thinkprogress.org/trump-administ…
31/ As Ed Overbeek @EdOverbeek points out in this thread (scroll up to begin) about Trump and stochastic terrorism, he doesn't just inspire extremists, he has helped them flourish by defunding programs like these.
32/ Thread reader unroll: threadreaderapp.com/thread/1106617…
33/ Excellent piece by Alex Kotch @alexkotch on a "charity" funding hate: "The National Christian Foundation passed along $56 million from anonymous individuals to nearly two dozen anti-LGBT and anti-Muslim hate groups over the last three years on record."
34/ Here's an excellent thread by Sam Byers @byers90 on the threat of ecofascism:
35/ Jeet Heer @HeerJeet on Fox News's inflammatory rhetoric: "Fox isn’t just reporting on extremist ideology or reflecting it, but is in fact driving it." And they've singled out Talia Lavin @chick_in_kiev. This is incredibly dangerous and irresponsible. talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/we-need…
36/ Research by Ayal Feinberg @Ayal_Feinberg et al on the "Trump effect": "We found that counties that had hosted a 2016 Trump campaign rally saw a 226 percent increase in reported hate crimes over comparable counties that did not host such a rally." washingtonpost.com/politics/2019/…
37/ Tory MP Suella Braverman publically attacked 'cultural Marxism,' bringing the conspiracy theory into the public light: theguardian.com/news/2019/mar/…
38/ This is an excellent thread by Mike Stuchbery @MikeStuchbery_ on the history of the 'cultural Marxism' conspiracy theory, how it can be traced back to the Nazi idea of 'kulturbolschewismus', or Cultural Bolshevism, and how it's grown since then:
39/ Here's an excellent piece by @DavidNeiwert on the media's bothsiderism: "Having it Both Ways: Centrist dogmatism and the corporate media’s see-no-evil syndrome. Almost everyone in media, it seems, is wedded to their both-sides-do-it narrative." thebaffler.com/latest/having-…
40/ Jason Wilson @jason_a_w: "How rightwingers have attacked Parkland students with lies, hoaxes and smears: As of this weekend, this group of idealistic young people have officially become the right’s leading hate figures" WTF? They're kids FFS. theguardian.com/us-news/2018/m…
41/ "Facebook will now treat white nationalism and separatism the same as white supremacy, and will direct users who try to post that content to a nonprofit that helps people leave hate groups." Via @AndreaChalupa. See upthread for more on Life After Hate. motherboard.vice.com/en_us/article/…
42/ Jessica Schulberg @jessicaschulb in @HuffPost: "Trump administration officials came into office with very specific — and mistaken — ideas about what violent extremism in the U.S. looked like, then went searching for evidence to back up those ideas." huffpost.com/entry/dhs-viol…
43/ Nick Robins-Early @nickrobinsearly in @HuffPost: "How Far-Right Extremists Abroad Have Adopted Trump’s Symbols As Their Own: Around the world, President Trump’s slogans and MAGA hats have become a symbol for the far right."
44/ @nickrobinsearly again on how countries handle trials of high-profile extremists who want to use them to spread propaganda: "After the Christchurch attack, New Zealand faces the question of how to deny the accused shooter a platform to spread hate." huffpost.com/entry/new-zeal…
45/ Excellent piece by Maryn McKenna @marynmck: "The Rise of Right-Wing Nationalism Is Jeopardizing the World's Health: ... As nativist appeals undermine public health systems and cooperation among countries degrades, the potential for catastrophe..."
46/ "... increases. We are always at risk of a new disease breaking out, or a previously controlled one surging back. What’s different now is that the rejection of scientific expertise and the refusal to support government agencies leave us without defenses that could keep a..."
47/ "... fast-moving infection at bay. Pathogens pay no respect to politics or to borders. Nationalist rhetoric seeks to persuade us that restricting visas and constructing walls will protect us. They will not."
newrepublic.com/article/153264…
newrepublic.com/article/153264…
48/ Here's a good piece by Bryan W. Van Norden @BryanVanNorden on the responses of academics to the white-nationalist appropriation of their fields: "What’s With Nazis And Knights? Academics should not be blind to the political context in which we operate."huffpost.com/entry/whats-wi…
49/ Related to the above, @PublicMedieval did an excellent 3-part series on white-supremacist appropriation of medieval history: publicmedievalist.com/race-racism-mi…
Here's the intro: "Race, Racism, and the Middle Ages: Tearing Down the 'Whites Only' Medieval World" publicmedievalist.com/race-racism-mi…
Here's the intro: "Race, Racism, and the Middle Ages: Tearing Down the 'Whites Only' Medieval World" publicmedievalist.com/race-racism-mi…
50/ Here's another good piece, this one on the Vikings by Dr. Dorothy Kim @dorothyk98: "White Supremacists Have Weaponized an Imaginary Viking Past. It's Time to Reclaim the Real History"
51/ Good piece by Myke Cole @MykeCole: “How the Far Right Perverts Ancient History—And Why It Matters: It may seem silly to argue about... events that unfolded thousands of years ago. But those ideas are having life-and-death consequences in America today.“thedailybeast.com/how-the-far-ri…
52/ @LukeBarnes_92 (see #1): “‘What we’re trying to teach is empathy’: The grassroots strategies to de-radicalize the far right. The Trump admin has fallen woefully short in dealing with the threat. That's where these groups come in.“ Via @LeavittAlone: thinkprogress.org/grassroots-act…
53/ Here's a good thread by Nikki McCann Ramírez @NikkiMcR (via @ParkerMolloy) compiling far-right Twitter reactions to the Notre Dame fire:
54/ This is an excellent interactive piece by Weiyi Cai @dawncai624 and Simone Landon @simonelandon on the growing connections between white supremacists: "Attacks by White Extremists Are Growing. So Are Their Connections." Via @queertyyr: nytimes.com/interactive/20…
55/ This is a good, up to date piece by @AnneBranigin on the perpetrator of the arson attacks in St. Landry Parish: "Louisiana Man Accused of Burning 3 Black Churches Faces Hate Crime Charges" theroot.com/louisiana-man-…
56/ And here's an excellent thread by Megan Romer @meganromer on the history of the churches that were burnt down and of the racism of the area, going back to the Opelousas Massacre of 1868.
57/ @LukeBarnes_92 on white supremacists' response to the Notre Dame fire: "Decoding the far right’s language about Notre Dame and ‘western civilization’ - The term has become a code word among right-wing spheres for 'white culture.'" thinkprogress.org/far-right-notr…
58/ Here's a good piece by Noah Berlatsky @nberlat: "The Far Right Doesn't Want to Beat the Left; It Wants to Exterminate It. Every right-wing authoritarian movement has one thing in common: a brutal clampdown on any persons or groups who promote equality."psmag.com/ideas/the-far-…
59/ Talia Lavin @chick_in_kiev has written a guide on what to do for people who've been targeted by far-right online trolls.
60/ Article and thread by Sam Levin @SamTLevin on border vigilantes: "Videos appear to show armed militia detaining migrants at US-Mexico border. The American Civil Liberties Union is calling the actions a ‘kidnapping’ and a flagrant violation of the law"
61/ Melissa McEwan @Shakestweetz: "@IlhanMN's speech had been the focus of manufactured conservative outrage for days... It was also another opportunity for Trump to further his campaign of stochastic terrorism against marginalized people &/or his critics."shakesville.com/2019/04/trumps…
62/ Jerry Iannelli @jerryiannelli reports on another arrest of someone making threats against @IlhanMN: "South Florida Man Arrested for Threatening to Kill Democratic Lawmakers, Including Ilhan Omar"
63/ Andrew Lawrence @ndrew_lawrence points out that Fox News has been mocking the idea that Trump's words and their own reporting could incite violence, while also ignoring these arrests.
64/ Here's another piece on Trump's stochastic terrorism from Elie Mystal @ElieNYC: "Donald Trump Isn’t Playing Games With Ilhan Omar—He’s Inciting Violence. And he’s going to keep inciting violence until someone gets killed." thenation.com/article/trump-…
65/ Here are another excellent article and thread on the vigilantes at the border, by Simon Romero @viaSimonRomero: "Militia in New Mexico Detains Asylum Seekers at Gunpoint"
66/ "'No authority': New Mexico governor tells militia to stop arresting migrants at border. 'It should go without saying that regular citizens have no authority to arrest or detain anyone,' New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham."
67/ Since this image is going around, here's some background: 
69/ Good piece by David Futrelle @DavidFutrelle: "The 'alt-right' is fueled by toxic masculinity — & vice versa: The rising alt-right took many of the men’s rights activists' most backward notions about women & worked them into their own hateful rhetoric." nbcnews.com/think/opinion/…
70/ Great piece by Zack Beauchamp @zackbeauchamp: "In essence, there is now a free market for violent extremism & radical ideologies... Incels are a window into the way that internet allows fringe reactionaries to move into the mainstream, & vice versa."
71/ Good piece by Jason Koebler @jason_koebler: "Why Won’t Twitter Treat White Supremacy Like ISIS? Because It Would Mean Banning Some Republican Politicians Too... proactive, algorithmic solution to white supremacy would also catch Republican politicians."
72/ Update: "Chris Hasson, a Coast Guard lieutenant accused of plotting a domestic terror attack, will be released from detention. Hasson had been indicted on weapons and drug charges, but did not face any charges related to terrorism or attempted murder."
73/ Here's why: “The fact is, while the U.S. Code defines the phrase ‘domestic terrorism,’ there are currently no penalties attached to that definition. Therefore ‘domestic terrorism’ is not a crime in and of itself under federal law.” Via @CharlesPPierce huffpost.com/entry/domestic…
74/ @IwriteOK on the Poway shooter: "like the Christchurch Mosque shooter, this killer began his rampage with a post on 8chan... both shooters were united by the same fascist ideology. They were also both radicalized in the same place: 8chan’s /pol/ board."bellingcat.com/news/americas/…
75/ At a rally in Green Bay, Wisconsin yesterday, and several hours after the Poway synagogue shooting, Trump repeated his lies about infanticide to get people riled up against abortion providers.
76/ @akrenmiddletno: "This type of rhetoric, absurdly charging that Dem lawmakers 'don’t mind executing babies AFTER birth,' could lead to more... violence against abortion providers, staff & patients—violence that has increased since Trump took office."rewire.news/article/2019/0…
78/ Chris Stroop @C_Stroop: "Homeschooling as currently practiced in the United States fosters radicalization to the point of violence. The lack of.. oversight.. creates a legal cover for abusive parents to indoctrinate and otherwise warp their children." playboy.com/read/is-christ…
