Democrat Silence on Antifa Violence Unnerving
Democrat Silence on Antifa Violence Unnerving
Anti-fascist activists shout at a man who is claimed to be a right-wing sympathiser as he walks from the scene of the terrorist attack on Las Ramblas, on August 18, 2017 in Barcelona, Spain. (Carl Court/Getty Images)
Wednesday, 30 Aug 2017 4:18 PM
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There is a disturbing silence from leaders of the Democratic Party over those gangs of black-masked leftist thugs shutting down free speech and beating people to the ground with clubs.
We've seen such leftist violence before, and we saw it again just the other day at a protest in Berkeley, when the city police backed off and the thugs who call themselves antifa swarmed peaceful protesters of the right.
It's all over the internet, young men of the hard left in black masks, black gloves, armed with clubs, hunting down prey who dare speak their minds.
What's striking about all this is the silence.
There has been no concerted media effort to pressure Democratic politicians to denounce Democratic muscle. So Democratic politicians have been relatively silent, as have many of their loyal pundits. A few pundits of the left have even compared the thugs with American soldiers hitting Omaha beach, a ridiculous attempt to legitimize the violence.
This is all corrosive and dangerous. And in a loud political year, the silence of Democratic politicians explains so very much.
Because silence is consent.
And in this silence you may hear something terrifying: the rule of law breaking down.
When politicians aren't pressured to declare themselves, they don't. Most Republican and Democratic pols are transactional personalities who hate taking a stand until after consensus is formed. They'd rather wave a moist finger in the air to see which way the wind blows.
This business of political muscle and politicians can be found in the history of Chicago politics too. Any alderman would condemn violent street crime to get journalists off their back. But if you asked them to condemn specific street gangs or Outfit crews by name, asked them to call out thugs who provide them political leverage in the precincts, they'd look at you as if you'd sprouted six heads.
Now, it's not just a Chicago thing. Political street violence is a national thing. The thugs of the left have shut down free speech at college campuses, at political protests — and they do so at will. Cops in Democratic-run towns now either stand down or step back. And the hunting begins.
Conservatives see the danger to the republic, but so do a few liberals who have been bold enough to warn against the hard, violent left. Alan Dershowitz, the former Harvard Law School professor, is one.
"Do not let the hard left, the radicals, represent the Democratic Party," Dershowitz warned recently. "There is an alt-left and we cannot deny it. The alt-left are radical people who want to deny us free speech, who want to close the campus to conversation, who want to stop people from having dialogue, who want to use violence . . .
"Antifa is not our friend. They will not help us win elections. . . . I do not want to give a pass to the hard radical left, which is destroying America, destroying American universities, destroying the Democratic Party," Dershowitz said.
The easy parallel to antifa and Berkeley is the properly horrified reaction of most decent Americans to the white supremacists and Nazis rallying recently in Charlottesville. The rally was ostensibly about protecting Confederate history, but in effect, with Nazis and the Klan there, it became the theater of white tribalism.
It resulted in the death of a counter protester, Heather Heyer, struck by a car driven in rage by a mad and angry thug of the right.
And President Donald Trump's ridiculous equivocation after Charlottesville — chastising extremists but also saying that among them were some "fine people" — cost him dearly. He was loudly condemned by many, including me.
But at least at Charlottesville and after there was a common understanding, among most journalistic elites, among political elites of both parties, that Nazis and white supremacists would be loudly condemned.
Not so with antifa at Berkeley. Leftist thugs seem to be a protected class, as far as Democrats bosses and much of the Washington media are concerned. Until quite recently, antifa was described not by name, but merely by the neutral term "counter protesters."
Counter protesters?
Such weakness and partisan favoritism breeds cynicism, and the rule of law breaks down.
Berkeley happened just as the deadly hurricane hit Texas, and just as Trump pardoned his ally Joe Arpaio, the notorious former sheriff of Maricopa County, Arizona.
Arpaio had been convicted of a misdemeanor for violating a court order seeking to stop his office from discriminating against Latinos in a war against illegal immigration that has overwhelmed Arizona. He's become something of a hero to the right, even though he was a lawman openly defying a judge.
There is an easy argument that Arpaio represents the weakening of the rule of law. He was a sworn lawman yet brazenly ignored the courts. But that's a political slogan. Slogans are too easy. And they don't get to the thing itself.
Because long before Arpaio was sheriff, the borders with Mexico had been corrupted. Republican big business wanted cheap and compliant Mexican agricultural labor. Democrats wanted a new dependent class of compliant constituents.
Federal immigration laws were already a joke. And when the rule of law is mocked by the political elites, it breaks down. History tells us that men like Arpaio enter the breach.
So ask yourselves: With leftist antifa thugs becoming increasingly violent, and mealy-mouthed Democratic politicians hesitant to denounce potentially useful political muscle, who steps into the breach?
I hope it worries you a bit. It worries me, too. http://www.newsmax.com/t/newsmax/article/810748?section=JohnKass&keywords=democratic-politicians-antifa-arpaio&year=2017&month=08&date=30&id=810748&aliaspath=%2FManage%2FArticles%2FTemplate-Main&oref=www.newsmax.com
Anti-fascist activists shout at a man who is claimed to be a right-wing sympathiser as he walks from the scene of the terrorist attack on Las Ramblas, on August 18, 2017 in Barcelona, Spain. (Carl Court/Getty Images)
Wednesday, 30 Aug 2017 4:18 PM
Join in! Join in the Discussion!
There is a disturbing silence from leaders of the Democratic Party over those gangs of black-masked leftist thugs shutting down free speech and beating people to the ground with clubs.
We've seen such leftist violence before, and we saw it again just the other day at a protest in Berkeley, when the city police backed off and the thugs who call themselves antifa swarmed peaceful protesters of the right.
It's all over the internet, young men of the hard left in black masks, black gloves, armed with clubs, hunting down prey who dare speak their minds.
What's striking about all this is the silence.
There has been no concerted media effort to pressure Democratic politicians to denounce Democratic muscle. So Democratic politicians have been relatively silent, as have many of their loyal pundits. A few pundits of the left have even compared the thugs with American soldiers hitting Omaha beach, a ridiculous attempt to legitimize the violence.
This is all corrosive and dangerous. And in a loud political year, the silence of Democratic politicians explains so very much.
Because silence is consent.
And in this silence you may hear something terrifying: the rule of law breaking down.
When politicians aren't pressured to declare themselves, they don't. Most Republican and Democratic pols are transactional personalities who hate taking a stand until after consensus is formed. They'd rather wave a moist finger in the air to see which way the wind blows.
This business of political muscle and politicians can be found in the history of Chicago politics too. Any alderman would condemn violent street crime to get journalists off their back. But if you asked them to condemn specific street gangs or Outfit crews by name, asked them to call out thugs who provide them political leverage in the precincts, they'd look at you as if you'd sprouted six heads.
Now, it's not just a Chicago thing. Political street violence is a national thing. The thugs of the left have shut down free speech at college campuses, at political protests — and they do so at will. Cops in Democratic-run towns now either stand down or step back. And the hunting begins.
Conservatives see the danger to the republic, but so do a few liberals who have been bold enough to warn against the hard, violent left. Alan Dershowitz, the former Harvard Law School professor, is one.
"Do not let the hard left, the radicals, represent the Democratic Party," Dershowitz warned recently. "There is an alt-left and we cannot deny it. The alt-left are radical people who want to deny us free speech, who want to close the campus to conversation, who want to stop people from having dialogue, who want to use violence . . .
"Antifa is not our friend. They will not help us win elections. . . . I do not want to give a pass to the hard radical left, which is destroying America, destroying American universities, destroying the Democratic Party," Dershowitz said.
The easy parallel to antifa and Berkeley is the properly horrified reaction of most decent Americans to the white supremacists and Nazis rallying recently in Charlottesville. The rally was ostensibly about protecting Confederate history, but in effect, with Nazis and the Klan there, it became the theater of white tribalism.
It resulted in the death of a counter protester, Heather Heyer, struck by a car driven in rage by a mad and angry thug of the right.
And President Donald Trump's ridiculous equivocation after Charlottesville — chastising extremists but also saying that among them were some "fine people" — cost him dearly. He was loudly condemned by many, including me.
But at least at Charlottesville and after there was a common understanding, among most journalistic elites, among political elites of both parties, that Nazis and white supremacists would be loudly condemned.
Not so with antifa at Berkeley. Leftist thugs seem to be a protected class, as far as Democrats bosses and much of the Washington media are concerned. Until quite recently, antifa was described not by name, but merely by the neutral term "counter protesters."
Counter protesters?
Such weakness and partisan favoritism breeds cynicism, and the rule of law breaks down.
Berkeley happened just as the deadly hurricane hit Texas, and just as Trump pardoned his ally Joe Arpaio, the notorious former sheriff of Maricopa County, Arizona.
Arpaio had been convicted of a misdemeanor for violating a court order seeking to stop his office from discriminating against Latinos in a war against illegal immigration that has overwhelmed Arizona. He's become something of a hero to the right, even though he was a lawman openly defying a judge.
There is an easy argument that Arpaio represents the weakening of the rule of law. He was a sworn lawman yet brazenly ignored the courts. But that's a political slogan. Slogans are too easy. And they don't get to the thing itself.
Because long before Arpaio was sheriff, the borders with Mexico had been corrupted. Republican big business wanted cheap and compliant Mexican agricultural labor. Democrats wanted a new dependent class of compliant constituents.
Federal immigration laws were already a joke. And when the rule of law is mocked by the political elites, it breaks down. History tells us that men like Arpaio enter the breach.
So ask yourselves: With leftist antifa thugs becoming increasingly violent, and mealy-mouthed Democratic politicians hesitant to denounce potentially useful political muscle, who steps into the breach?
I hope it worries you a bit. It worries me, too. http://www.newsmax.com/t/newsmax/article/810748?section=JohnKass&keywords=democratic-politicians-antifa-arpaio&year=2017&month=08&date=30&id=810748&aliaspath=%2FManage%2FArticles%2FTemplate-Main&oref=www.newsmax.com
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Anti-fascist activists shout at a man who is claimed to be a right-wing sympathiser as he walks from the scene of the terrorist attack on Las Ramblas, on August 18, 2017 in Barcelona, Spain. (Carl Court/Getty Images)
Wednesday, 30 Aug 2017 4:18 PM
Join in! Join in the Discussion!
Great image, C4P, Red, whatever-your-name-is-this-week!
It's the kind of image that perfectly describes the topic.
... oh, wait...
Removed as CoC violation. D.
That was clearly a caption for the picture. It shows that the terrorist thug group Antifa is an international threat to civilization.
An international threat to civilization? Nonsense. You're referring to the right and rump supporters, correct?
An international threat to civilization?
Um.. no.
It shows that the terrorist thug group Antifa is an international threat to civilization.
Gee, that sounds terrible!
It might have been worth actually posting it...
(You can do that in a seed. Of course... it takes a few seconds...)
It is always easy to know what is the most misleading, pointless, and falsely emphasized topic in the news.
It will unerringly show up in one or more of five specific seeds for days, weeks, and even months on end.
We are now in the infancy stages of right wing/American Thinker/breitbart hysteria over "left wing violence".
Lord help us.
Save your prayers for the victims of liberal violence.
There will be no prayers - not that that nonsense helps anyway - for victims of liberal violence because there aren't any (victims of liberal violence)
Don't worry about these guys though ...
Don't worry about these guys though ..
You might not want to put that sentence over a picture of Rachel Maddow. Some who don't know you might see it as homophobic.
"You might not want to put that sentence over a picture of Rachel Maddow. Some who don't know you might see it as homophobic." Why? I don't know Hal-A-Lujah but I don't see it as homophobic - pointing out the racism of the republikkkans.
pointing out the racism of the republikkkans.
Are you just here to inflame, troll and spew hate?
Ugh. Do I have to do this whenever I see a problem? I will mark up the problem areas with green.
Don't worry about these guys though ..
You might not want to put that sentence over a picture of Rachel Maddow. Some who don't know you might see it as homophobic.
That is skirting the CoC. There was no provocation for that comment. Which is then going to get an up the anti post:
"You might not want to put that sentence over a picture of Rachel Maddow. Some who don't know you might see it as homophobic." Why? I don't know Hal-A-Lujah but I don't see it as homophobic - pointing out the racism of the republikkkans.
This comment is a broad bush comment about republicans being klan members, meant to get back at the previous comment.
pointing out the racism of the republikkkans.
Are you just here to inflame, troll and spew hate?
Kind of a funny comment coming from the person who set it all in motion. Ausmith's comment was meant to inflame, Tessylo was meant to troll. I am not seeing the spewing hate thing.. but whatever.
Really people, Be responsible for your own actions.
Ausmith's comment was meant to inflame,
It wasn't. Rachel is a groundbreaking woman. I seldom agree with her but she is so darn nice who in their right mind could be mean to her? I also know Hal meant no disrespect for her either. Given her orientation I felt there was a better place for "guy" than above her picture.
I will abide by your decision though because like A-Mac you have earned my respect.
'
Antifa has been in the streets attacking people and property since the day after the election. They have roughed people up and knocked people down for simply being or supporting a Republican. It is time to pressure democrats into opposing them as Pelosi has done or calling them the "good guys" and make them defend that choice and in the meantime guilt shame them with pressure until they commit to denouncing or endorsing Antifa.
Heather Heyer is dead.
How many has antifa killed?
QED
When are people going to wake up and realize that "Antifa" is just the latest FAKE MADE-UP BUZZ WORD promoted by Sean Hannity and his ilk to stir up HATE in America?
Just like "snowflake" which he tried and FAILED.
Just like "Deep-State" which he tried and FAILED.
It's all BULLSHIT and so many American FOOLS are falling for it.
"Antifa" is a word that measn NOTHING.
Just like Trump invented the "Alt-Left" which doesn't exist, but Trump invented that term to take the heat off his "Alt-Right" who named themselves that because they love being known as HATERS. The Alt-Right is The KKK, Neo-NAZIs and white supremacists and they are PROUD to be known as The Alt-Right Greater Hater Group. That's a real term. Antifa is BULLSHIT!
Make America HATE Again!
So true squirrell - they always use those buzz words - they're just repeating what their zero heroes say - they don't even know what it means. They think it makes them sound smart. LOL!
Wrong again.
"Wrong again."
Yes you are.
Comment removed for skirting the CoC [ph]
Kindergarten let out early today?
You of all people should know better than to snipe at anyone else's maturity or intellectual level. But you wouldn't be you if you knew better, right?
And right on cue you serve as your own examplar.
That's cute.
What's unnerving is the heavy lifting being done by the rightwingers in this thread to try to deflect away from the loudly, proudly racist, anti-semitic scumbags they're trying to protect by focussing on a tiny bunch of pretty much feckless but rowdy demonstrators whose main offense seems to be wearing black and being masked but end up not really doing much physical harm while we all saw that fascist scumbag pull his gun and fire toward some counter-protestors. Antifa doesn't carry guns.....yet. But now that the fascists have upped the violence quotient who knows where it will end.
RED FLAGGED the comment above 34079
as an insulting off topic comment.
As there are no Moderators online now to report it to via CHAT, I am posting this comment to ask the first Moderator available to DELETE the INSULTING pointless comment.
IMPASSE!
Sorry, but you are using the IMPASSE wrong. As it has been explained to me, there must be a discussion established first. No such discussion was established at the time you posted your extra large font impasse comment.
(I prefer never to have any discussion with you, primarily because I normally do NOT want to ever discuss anything with you. However, in order to help you learn the correct use of the impasse, I will reply to you now. Because I'd like help you learn something.)
Now that I have responded to your comment with the wrongful use of impasse, a conversation has been established, so NOW you can post "Impasse" correctly and properly.
Please, be my guest. Post your "Impasse"comment now. Please feel free to correctly do it now!
Sorry....couldn't quite hear that. Could you try screaming a bit louder?
As there are no Moderators online now to report it to via CHAT, I am posting this comment to ask the first Moderator available to DELETE the INSULTING pointless comment.
Not sure which comment you reference … did you flag it so that it can be evaluated?
Yes, I did RED FLAG it. It is the comment above that insultingly states only:
Kindergarten let out early today?
That is clearly a personal attack and nothing else but an insulting comment, so a clear CoC violation. I believe it should be deleted.
Kindergarten let out early today?
Comments like this are borderline … snarky but not quite a direct insult. Non-substantive one-liners add nothing to discussions but annoyances and bad feelings … when a member has nothing content-related to say, it would be in the best interest of NT if they didn't say it.
Not sure what the RED FLAG is … do you mean "FLAGGED"?
If/when you believe a comment is in violation of the CoC, click on the green icon at the bottom right of the box in which the comment appears and a moderator will evaluate it.
I did click on the Green Diamond lower right corner, and answered affirmatively to the pop-up box so that the diamond turned RED. That is what I referred to a RED FLAGGED.
It is clearly an insulting comment, but if you as a modertor say it's okay then I will not argue the point. However, if not an out and out insult, it surely "skirts" the CoC. But again, your call, not mine. Just seems to be another one of the inconsistencies I am finding on this site.
Thank you.