The suspect in the Overland Park, Kansas, Jewish Center murders, Frazier Glenn Miller, who goes by the name of Fraiser Glen Cross, Jr., turns out of course, to be the former Grand Dragon of the Carolina Knights of the Ku Klux Klan and founder of the White Patriot Party – oh, and a supporter of David Duke.
CNN reported this morning that, “Video from CNN affiliate KMBC showed the suspect sitting in the back of a patrol car and shouting, ‘Heil Hitler.'”
Cross has called Jews “swarthy, hairy, bow-legged, beady-eyed, parasitic midgets.”
Yet Overland Park Police Chief John Douglass said Sunday night at a press conference that it was “too early to label it” a hate crime. The suspect had a shotgun and possibly other guns as well. Yes, and it’s also too early to label guns deadly.
C’mon folks. The guy has been printing The Aryan Alternative since 2005,” according to the Southern Poverty Law Center. To have to say it’s a racist tabloid is redundant. The man is Julius Streicher reborn.
Look, I’m not trying to connect A to B here, but we just had the Family Research Council’s Jerry Boykin tell conservatives (because who else listens to him?) that “Jews are the problem” and the cause of all the problems in the world,” and Pat Robertson just quipped the other day that Jews are too busy polishing their diamonds to polish cars.
Does it surprise anyone that Religious Right Islamophobes are also anti-Semites? Does it surprise anyone at all? For 2,000 years extremist Christianity has been making a living destroying every alternative to itself, starting with the Pagans of the Roman Empire, before moving on to Northern and Eastern Europe. Along the way it persecuted Jews and Muslims and ethnic religion wherever it found it, Old World, New World, and beyond.
And yes, they’ve got plans for you, too.
In a state with a religious freedom law, could Cross’ actions be defended on grounds of religion? It is not a big step from Stand Your Ground, after all.
Anti-Semitism is as much a part of conservative Christianity as the belief that Jesus died for your sins and has been around longer. Crusaders used to slaughter Jews in the Rhineland on their way to the Middle East. Even other types of Christians weren’t safe, as the Eastern Romans found to their dismay when the fanatics of the First Crusade tramped through Roman lands.
It should surprise no one that the killer of Overland Park was a white supremacist. It should give us all pause and put us doubly on alert for Republican politicians with close ties to white supremacists, particularly in light of the new “religious freedom” bill craze, allowing extremist Christians to persecute anyone of whom they do not approve.
And yes, Rand Paul, I am looking at you.
The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) in a press release Sunday said,
The attacks on the Jewish community centers in Overland Park are a cowardly, unspeakable and heinous act of violence,” said Karen Aroesty, ADL St. Louis Regional Director. “While it is too early to label these shootings as a hate crime, the fact that two Jewish institutions were targeted by the same individual just prior to the start of the Passover holiday is deeply troubling and certainly gives us pause. We have reached out to local, state and federal law enforcement and stand willing and able to offer guidance and assistance to the community if this incident turns out to have been motivated by anti-Semitism.
I think it is a safe bet that it was motivated by anti-Semitism. “Heil Hitler!” can hardly mean anything else. Passover was about to start and Hitler’s birthday is on April 20. White supremacists are popping up all over the place.
Just last week, ADL sent out a security bulletin to Jewish community institutions across the country warning of the increased potential for violent attacks against community centers in the coming weeks, which coincide both with the Passover holiday and Hitler’s birthday on April 20, a day around which in the United States has historically been marked by extremist acts of violence and terrorism, including the violence at the Branch Davidian compound in Waco, Texas and the Oklahoma City Bombing.
So on the one hand, we’ve got fundamentalist gun and Bible Christian fanatics who seem largely to be Tea Party supporters and we’ve got these people now demanding a military overthrow of President Obama, and we’ve got Hitler’s birthday and a bunch of white men dressed up like Nazis at a Minnesota restaurant on MLK Day…
No, you know what, you’re right Republicans: there’s no racism in America. None at all. Just like the federal government never freed the slaves, Jim DeMint. We’ll just pretend President Lincoln never signed the Emancipation Proclamation, shall we? And anyway, what does slavery matter? We all know, because you said so repeatedly, that black people were better off as slaves.
Wake up, America. Guns kill people. Racists and religious bigots with guns kill people. The Religious Right will be blaming liberalism, atheism and secularism and the lack of prayer in public schools by this morning, if they have not started already.
But this tragedy did not come about because of liberal ideals. We can’t know Cross’ motivations until he says anything, if he says anything at all. But it isn’t difficult to see a connection between a white supremacist killing Jews and the nonstop hate parade coming from Tea Party and Religious Right sources (often indistinguishable). The surprise is not that there have been shootings and deaths. The surprise is that there have not been more of them.
Image from ABC2 News
Hrafnkell Haraldsson, a social liberal with leanings toward centrist politics has degrees in history and philosophy. His interests include, besides history and philosophy, human rights issues, freedom of choice, religion, and the precarious dichotomy of freedom of speech and intolerance. He brings a slightly different perspective to his writing, being that he is neither a follower of an Abrahamic faith nor an atheist but a polytheist, a modern-day Heathen who follows the customs and traditions of his Norse ancestors. He maintains his own blog, A Heathen’s Day, which deals with Heathen and Pagan matters, and Mos Maiorum Foundation www.mosmaiorum.org, dedicated to ethnic religion. He has also contributed to NewsJunkiePost, GodsOwnParty and Pagan+Politics.
A KKK guy, huh? Can’t wait for Fox and Limbaugh to call him a “liberal”…
As a Jew this is deeply distressing when any group gets demonized. I was distressed when that Jewish nut job Pam Geller plastered those islamophobic posters around SF & NYC causing an unstable person to push an Indian Sikh man in front of a train.
I am distressed when Pat Buchanan and Pat Robertson spout their anti Semitic, anti atheist, anti feminist screeds.
This is all part a continuum to marginalize minority groups, and groups with minority representation (women) treat them as outsiders, use degrading language to make the oppressors think they are justified in their actions.
I still see a connection between the inflamed anger that was whipped up during the Bundy Ranch redneckathon and actions from this frustrated loser who shot these poor people.
…”use [of] degrading language to make the oppressors think they are justified in their actions.”…
It also puffs up predatory oppressors that “they” are in charge. The rest of us are supposed to know that we aren’t/never will be according to the little men in their cereal bowl who talk to them…
Oppressors are not original thinkers; they are visceral creatures fueled by their hate of others; it’s what they like to call “traditional values”
Bundy had the arrogance to tell the Sheriff, Doug Gillespie, that he wanted the BLM to surrender all their weapons to him by a set time yesterday (10:45). He certainly thinks he’s in charge and his actions are “justified”.
And it sure feels co-ordinated.
How this police chief can say that there is any doubt this was a hate crime is beyond reason. Of course we don’t know where is allegiance lies either. The most dangerous of these militias is Oath Keepers, and they specifically recruit ex military, and claim to have embedded members in police departments.
These racist groups, tea partiers, John Birchers, are all tied together for a common cause. They want to “take back america”, and defend their “god given rights”. In other words turn america white again. One thing they do have in common is they support Rand Paul. Even as he stands in New Hampshire and talks about inclusion of minorities in his party. Makes me wonder what he is saying to them that we don’t know about.
Obviously the government is tracking these groups and possibly have infiltrated them. It is time for the government to start prosecuting them as domestic terrorists. There’s no room for them in society today.
“April 20, a day around which in the United States has historically been marked by extremist acts of violence and terrorism, including the violence at the Branch Davidian compound in Waco, Texas and the Oklahoma City Bombing.”
These events are more likely connected to April 19th, a public holiday known as Patriot’s Day in New England, based on the first shots fired in the American Revolution (Paul Revere’s Ride and all that.) The idea of Patriot has been twisted to mean white people resisting equality of all Americans.
Two groups, both thinking they will be the only ones in heaven. What could happen? The nut job tea bags who now push religion instead of the terribly high(lowest in most of their lives)taxes against the Israelis who dont wash cars. One group pushing to be the religious law to force jesus to come out of retirement, the other simply waiting for jesus to show up for the first time.
What is in people to think that another group of people are so bad? Jealousy? inferiority? Stupidity? Fear? Fear of the fact that most of the world has some color to their skin and they dont?
For every skin hater like this guy that gets busted, the government needs to pay for a DNA analysis of them. They wont like what they find, but it may release them from the groups they belong to.
I for one think it is to a degree
One more thing incident that PROVES that the Conservative Christian Reich Wing has completely adopted the same methods and agenda as pre-WW2 Germany. Hell even Nixon and some of his people went to Europe to recruit ex Nazi’s to school the Conservative/Republican party on the power of lies and hate to win elections. And we have the usual foul mouthed pundits who deny history and TRUTH and claim that this whole White Power/Gun God Patriot surge is somehow liberal in scope. They are such cowards that they cannot even be seen to support the thing they want the most. I’m waiting for some idiot to blame this on Obama and or Holder.
Funny you should say that because there is an interesting book I urge EVERYBODY to get. It’s called Jews and Muslims in British Colonial America by Elizabeth Hirschmann and Donald Yates.
This book has several DNA projects listed and it tells quite a tale of who truly founded this country, why they INSISTED on religious freedom and why the founding fathers were Deists, not Christians.
Hint: many of them were crypto Jews and of Middle Eastern origins.
This is how we found out that we are Sephardim, not Germans or English as we thought.
When you think of it, it makes sense. Who left Europe in droves after the huge antisemitic wave of the mid 1700’s and again in the mid-1800s when Jews were not allowed to own property.
The huge wave of Protestantism in the early 1500’s was fuelled by the great Spanish Expulsion of the Jews in 1492. Many Jewish families were hiding in Protestant denominations.
Sigh. It’s already started. If you look under the hashtag #JewishCommunityCenter the derp machine has already started up claiming that the shooter is a Democrat.
“swarthy, hairy, bow-legged, beady-eyed, parasitic midgets.”
I had no idea guys like Miller were polysyllabic.
This chart speaks for itself
http://a.disquscdn.com/uploads/mediaembed/images/951/350/original.jpg
“swarthy, hairy, bow-legged, beady-eyed, parasitic midgets.”
I had no idea guys like Miller were polysyllabic.
Koch-a-doodle-doo!
Why won’t America address the Christian terrorist’s the same as the Muslim terrorist’s?? They act and say that Christians can’t be terrorist even though there is fact based evidence throughout history including modern history and today?? Blowing up Abortion clinics is Christian terrorism. The Atlanta Olympic bombing was Christian terrorism. WAKE UP!!
Because Mike–in their minds Christians can’t be terrorists. They are simply following God’s laws put forth in the Bible. They feel they are righteous and have God on their side. Now the Muslims–they don’t believe in the Divinity of Jesus, so they can’t be righteous. So in their minds, they aren’t the same. Sick and twisted as that is, that’s how they see it. I have had this conversation multiple times with family members and friends who are Bible thumping Evangelical Christians and this is what I hear all the time.
He would have no problem getting elected in North Carolina today with his track record!! Sad but true.
Doubly ironic about this act of racial hatred is that Dr. Corpran and his grandson were at the Jewish Community Center for a vocal music competition. They were Christian! I was acquainted with the Dr. when he practiced in Oklahoma.
In todays America if you go to church you might get shot to death. Or if you go to the theater to see a movie, or go to the mall to shop, or go to school,or send your children to school, or driving down the road and anger someone, or going into the gas station to get gas, or your someone like Gabby Giffords just trying to be a good person in your community, or…
Who gave this nut guns? When are we going to wake up in this country. Sad sad sad.
I’m worried that it’s going to turn out he’s not a tea bagger. What if the RonPaul wackos are right and this KKKwhite supremacist jerk’s attack was actually inspired by Max Blumenthal’s piece in Media Matters.
I hate to admit, but the Dem Party also has a long history of racism. Remember Al Gore Sr.? So we can’t always assume this is some right wing tea party phenomenon.
Read his history. Good grief
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2014/04/14/kansas-shooter-ran-for-u-s-senate-governor-declared-war-on-jews-and-white-race-traitors/
White Supremacists Are More Dangerous Terrorists Than Al-Qaeda
– See more at: http://rudepundit.blogspot.com/2014/04/white-supremacists-are-more-dangerous.html#sthash.ENOvK97l.dpuf
In the US people do not generally know the truth about WW2, many prominent white americans were supporting and helping Hitler.
Normally I’m against capital punishment. But if they decide to fry this human parasite’s sorry a$$, I won’t lose any sleep over it.
The far left ( Max Blumenthal et al ) and the far right (white supremicists ) have one thing in common……their hatred for Israel.
So Jerry Boykin cracks an awkward joke to break the ice with an Israeli reporter and this is supposed to make him some kind of Nazi? Gee, real honest reporting going on here.
Republicans bend over backwards to disassociate themselves from extremists, and this is what they get. I hope that the minority of conswervatives who are perceptive are taking note of this. Even Rand “Amnesty” Paul cannot escape from the dreaded “white supremacist” label. What do you have to lose?
You’re really in a state of denial
And the irony that this guy drove to two Jewish centers, shot and killed three people, two Methodists and one Catholic. After all those years of spewing hate this is the big event in his life, killing three good, worthwhile people. I would say that he missed his target of Jews except that from his rantings I think it would not have mattered to him. Anyone with Jews, or with any other non-Aryans, was a traitor in his eyes, so he probably thought he would be killing Jews but if he got “collaborators” that probably was okay with him too. He was just unwinding decades of pent-up anger and that is all his life amounted to.
Kudos to Morris Dees at the Southern Poverty Law Center for listing this nut on their list!
There is soo much hate aymore that I am scared for my kids as they grow up. It seems everyone is out to get everyone that is different from each other. But I do believe it is our government’s fault because they force people from all different backgrounds to live together. It thas shown over time that this will never work.
Yet I know black and whites are finally getting along without the few crazies that want to stir trouble up. Most of this is because of religious differnces that is the part that I find amusing, soo many Godly people and all they do is hurt others.
when people with your intellect start posting none sense it is time to have a reading comprehension test so people may post. the government is not making anyone live next to any one, what the government is doing is making sure those who can afford it can and wont have other people trying to scare them off. you should be worry for your children, but not because of out side sources but because of you. thank you and good by.
A White Supremacist Christian Nut Job strikes again! Politicians who associates with these murderous clowns should outed!
Possibly because he ran for Congress as a Democrat in 2006.
And your point is what? Only people like you identify with his views and I bet no real democrats gave him the time of day. But being a dittohead your master limpballs told you to make a fool of yourself.Idiot
MORE dangerous? You could say AS dangerous.
NBPP is equally dangerous too, along with NoI. All militant racists are equally capable of lethal violence regardless of their skin color. Some have better access to guns, others use explosives or fertilizer in trucks. All are a threat.
Absolutely right, Joan!
In fact Goebels and the SS basically took all of his/their genocidal / eugenic views from America, because that was a time when we were doing forced sterilization of the disabled, etc. sad but true.
Thank you for saying that! Very true.
I almost think of hatred of Israel as kind of a litmus test for knowing whether someone is a dangerous nut job (or at least a nut job) regardless of whether they’re “left” or “right”
Answer me this when has any of the groups you listed has carried out terrorist actions?
thats complete BS
HEY PEOPLE!!! I would like to share another hated article about Walgreen’s calling a Black Doctor the N—– word. What’s going on in this world???? http://wavenewspapers.com/opinion/article_e0bde73c-c0e2-11e3-85e5-0017a43b2370.html
Don’t Forget The Blacks and The Hispanics….
Why don’t you move to Missouri????