The Difference Between Liberals and Conservatives is Found in Their Victims

A CULTURE OF DEFIANCE: History of the Reform-Conservative Party of Canada

Bill Maher commented a couple of weeks ago that to him the difference between liberals and conservatives, is that conservatives lack the ability to feel empathy for anyone else.

I think that sums it up nicely.

And I don't mean the original conservative party in Canada, who had a social conscience, but the new definition of a conservative*.

What do they protest?

Don't touch my guns. Don't raise my taxes. Keep out of my business.

My, my, my. Me, me, me.

And there is such a profound hatred for their fellow human beings. Gays, Muslims, feminists, immigrants ... white Judea-Christians sit here, everyone else to the back of the bus.

And they dismiss those fighting for social causes as being "special interest" or "Left-wing fringe groups."

But what do liberals* protest? Poverty, homelessness, injustice. And most of the protesters who march are not poor or homeless and have never been the victim of injustice. But they have the ability to empathize.

Altruistic vs egocentric.

I know right off the bat there will be many calling themselves conservative who would refute this by saying that they give to the food bank, volunteer at soup kitchens, etc. but that does not change the fundamentals of the movement.

Conservatives want all charity to be handled by religious organizations, but that just feeds their egocentricity, because it puts them in control of people they believe are beneath them.

And it is this that AstroTurf organizations are feeding off, and it is how they have so easily been able to take control of the right-wing, conservative movement.

FreedomWorks

When Barack Obama signed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act into law, he said "We must stem the spread of foreclosures and falling home values for all Americans, and do everything we can to help responsible homeowners stay in their homes." Foreclosures in the U.S. are of epidemic proportions, so the reason for this was to help those who needed it most.

The backlash from the right was immediate. Bailing out corporations was fine, but Obama wanted to bail out ordinary Americans. Americans without jobs. Americans with few prospects.

This was Socialism.

So they took to the streets. But not on their own. An organization dubiously called FreedomWorks, set up a website called AngryRenter.com. They claimed to work for "prudent renters" outraged over the government bailout for "irresponsible homeowners".

But as Michael Phillips of the Wall Street Journal discovered, this group were not renters, nor was this a spontaneous uprising.

AngryRenter.com is actually a product of an inside-the-Beltway conservative advocacy organization led by Dick Armey, the former House majority leader, and publishing magnate Steve Forbes**, a fellow Republican. It's a fake grass-roots effort -- what politicos call an AstroTurf campaign -- that provides a window into the sleight-of-hand ways of Washington. (1)

And Republican Dick Armey and his FreedomWorks, is also behind the current Tea Party movement. And what they have been able to do is nothing short of a miracle.

They have been able to turn public anger away from the corporate hand outs and toward the victims of the economic meltdown. Wall Street was not responsible. Workers were. Lazy Americans were. Too many demands.

Read the signs above carried by a group of Tea Partyers. "Honk if you're paying my mortgage". "Don't spread my wealth, spread my work ethic". If they were really concerned with these issues they would demand that more be done to find work for those falling behind. You can't spread "work ethic" without first spreading "work".

But these protesters lack the ability to empathize. They can only flaunt.

Glen Beck tells them to ignore Obama when he claims that all Americans deserve a piece of the pie. He wants to keep all of his pie.

They are creating a culture of greed.

And what do they teach their children? It's fine to encourage them to stand up for themselves, but they should also be encouraged to stand up for those unable to. That's what's missing in this movement.

And that is how we must frame the next election campaign. The difference between liberals and conservatives is just that simple.

Michael Ignatieff wants to put an end to the corporate tax cuts. Jack Layton has always opposed them and Elizabeth May wants to roll them back.

They want to make "victims" of the greedy. Conservatives want to make "victims" of those already suffering.

"Experience demands that man is the only animal which devours his own kind, for I can apply no milder term to the general prey of the rich on the poor." Thomas Jefferson

Footnotes:

*When I mention liberal and conservative I am not referring to political parties, only values.

**Steve Forbes is also on the board of directors for a group called the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies. According to SourceWatch:

In early 2001, a tightly knit group of billionaire philanthropists conceived of a plan to win American sympathy for Israel's response to the Palestinian intifada. They believed that the Palestinian cause was finding too much support within crucial segments of the American public, particularly within the media and on college campuses, so they set up an organization, Emet: An Educational Initiative, Inc., to offer Israel the kind of PR that the Israeli government seemed unable to provide itself.

Another member of that group is Alykhan Velshi, who is currently Jason Kenney's Director of Communications and Parliamentary Affairs.

Sources:

1. Mortgage Bailout Infuriates Tenants (And Steve Forbes) 'Angry Renter' Web Site Has Grass-Roots Look, But This Turf Is Fake, by Michael Phillips, Wall Street Journal, May 16, 2008

The Tea Party and Being Careful What You Wish For

A CULTURE OF DEFIANCE: History of the Reform-Conservative Party of Canada

"There are only two tragedies in life: one is not getting what one wants, and the other is getting it." - Oscar Wilde

The new Tea Party in the United States is trying to revive the Boston Tea Party and the revolutionaries who fought against taxes imposed by Britain.

T.E.A. stands for 'Taxed Enough Already", but in fact, the Tea Party want taxes reduced even more, while still paying down the deficit. They also want the government to butt out of their lives.

A tragedy in the making?

What was the Boston Tea Party Really About? According to American historian Ray Raphael:

We all know and celebrate the climax to the Boston Tea Party. On December 16, 1773, several dozen men dressed as Mohawk Indians boarded three ships belonging to the East India Company, cut open 340 chests of tea and dumped the contents in Boston's harbor. We fondly remember the carnival-like drama as a catalyst for the American Revolution, and over the years both liberal and conservative protesters have laid claim to its irreverent legacy. (1)

And yet Revolutionary-era Americans did not celebrate the event.

... many patriots viewed the destruction of tea as an act of vandalism that put the Revolution in a bad light. Patriots also downplayed the tea action because of its devastating impact. That single act precipitated harsh retaliation from the British, which in turn led to a long and ugly war. (1)

The Boston Tea Party Was Not About Lower Taxes

Though the modern day version believe that the original Tea Party was about lower taxes, it was not. It was about collecting their own taxes. Whoever levied taxes got to call the shots, including how to spend the money.

The Tea Tax was nominal and in fact "Land taxes and poll taxes assessed by their own colonial assemblies, as well as long-standing import duties on sugar, molasses and wine, were a much greater burden." (1)

And after the Revolutionary War, the Americans were taxed even heavier than before to pay for war debts. Property was seized and debtors thrown in prison.

This prompted an armed rebellion led by Daniel Shaye, a veteran of the American Revolutionary war. And Shaye's Rebellion used symbols like "liberty poles" and "liberty trees" to represent their cause.

They would probably better represent the modern Tea Party than the original Tea Party.

According to a farmer at one of their meetings:

"I have been greatly abused, have been obliged to do more than my part in the war; been loaded with class rates, town rates, province rates, Continental rates and all rates...been pulled and hauled by sheriffs, constables and collectors, and had my cattle sold for less than they were worth...The great men are going to get all we have and I think it is time for us to rise and put a stop to it, and have no more courts, nor sheriffs, nor collectors nor lawyers." (2)

And while today the "patriots" often carry signs with the image of George Washington, Washington actually came out of retirement to advocate for a stronger national government after the failure of the revolt. He did not not want less, but more, government "intrusion".

What if the Tea Party Gets What it Wants?

In the BBC documentary Crashing the Tea Party, commentator Andrew Neil speaks with two men about the questions of taxes, and why they cannot be eliminated. The protesters don't understand that taxes pay for vital services like fire departments , paramedics and police. They pay for schools, roads, bridges. They keep people safe.

One Obama critic claimed that the president was trying to control their air and water. They want less "red tape". This means that corporations would be free to pollute with no safeguards for the public.

What if their children get sick because of toxins in the water? They can't very well go after those who put them there, because they would not be breaking any laws.

Tainted food? No laws.

Unsafe products? No laws.

They need to be careful what they wish for.

Sources:

1. Debunking Boston Tea Party Myths, By Ray Raphael, History Net

2. Wikipedia

Is the Tea Party a Social Experiment or a Social Tragedy in the Making?

A CULTURE OF DEFIANCE: History of the Reform-Conservative Party of Canada

The late Lester Milbrath, an American political scientist; once categorized the citizens of democratic nations, as three distinct groups:

Apathetic - those who rarely, if ever, become engaged in politics. They may vote out of a sense of duty, but that's as far as it goes.

Spectators - those who do engage in political discussions, especially when they centre around single issues. Spectators almost always vote.

Gladiators - those who become actively involved in politics, campaigning or running for office.

Canadian political scientist, Brooke Jeffrey, takes this one step further, when she's discussing the neo-conservative movement; and includes a category for 'Ignorant Gladiators'. These are people who enter the political arena on a wave of anger and resentment, with few qualifications to actually lead.

They are the anti-government politicians, who only want to tear down, with few plans to rebuild. They offer no solutions to bring a nation, province or municipality forward. They only come prepared to dismantle and discredit.

Her book, Hard Right Turn was written a decade ago so the only 'Ignorant Gladiator' (1) governments she referenced were Ralph Klein's (Alberta) and Mike Harris's (Ontario). Neither man was terribly well educated, but they talked tough; feeding off the 'spectators' with hot button issues and private resentment.

But Jeffrey did speak a great deal about the Reform Party and their rise to power, and how they fed off ignorance. Their leader of course, was a very smart man. Smart enough to know where his base was. So messages were always simple but explosive.

No one suggests that there is only one career path or appropriate set of credentials for those who plan to run for public office. Life experience as much as education, could give individuals the ability to manage ... Unfortunately, few of the individuals attracted to the neo-conservative ideology have demonstrated these qualities. The greater the neo-conservative leadership's emphasis on moral and social conservatism, the more likely the supporters will be uncompromising in their views. (1)

In the United States the media has been aware for some time of the threat imposed by ignorant gladiators, especially those steeped in religious fundamentalism. But the Neocons knew they needed that passion to advance their cause.

So negative policy was wrapped in ambiguity, while they sang loud and clear the things they knew their followers wanted to hear. "Don't take our guns". "Hang 'em high". "Praise the Lord and pass the ammunition."

But while many in the American media were sounding the alarm, in Canada few spoke of it. The movement was given free rein, until it was almost too late.

Marci McDonald, who had spent a great deal of time in the U.S. as a journalist, knew the signs, so when she returned to Canada was shocked that the Neoconservative/Religious Right movement had gained so much ground.

So she wrote a book: The Armageddon Factor*, and the outrage was immediate, from both the right and the left. An exaggeration. She was a bigot. She hated Christians.

So the mainstream media mostly ignored her warnings, not wanting to upset their readers. There was a general consensus that we were merely following the United States, and since it took 30 years for their movement to bear fruit, we had a few decades to prepare ourselves.

But what they failed to realize was that this movement was running simultaneously, north and south of the border. We didn't need 30 years or even 30 days. It was here.

Last night I watched a BBC documentary that I had taped: Crashing the Tea Party. Commentator Andrew Neil interviewed many people involved in what has been described as the fastest growing political movement in the United States, and I was immediately struck with a feeling of Déjà vu .

This is Reform Party replay. And in the same way that the Reformers infiltrated and then took over Canada's conservative party, the Tea Party has now done the same with the Republicans. In fact one of their spokesmen, Matt Kibbe, when asked if they had infiltrated the Republican party, said that he preferred to think of it as "a hostile takeover".

They want to "purify" the Republicans and move them further to the right. How much further to the right can they go?

I guess we're about to find out.

And sadly the few remaining moderates in the party are being pushed out.

But what I found alarming was that the signs many of the tea party-ers carry could have been written at Reform Party headquarters 20 years ago. "Silent Majority no more". "No new taxes". "Stop the spread of socialism".

It's absolutely frightening.

When the Republicans decided to open this box, I don't think they realized what they were doing. They saw the "charged up" as their ticket to power. But now they have clearly lost control. The "Ignorant Gladiators" are taking over.

They are angry, they are righteous and they are armed. And they are eating the Republicans alive.

I've been reading Bob Altemeyer's online book: The Authoritarians, written before the Tea Party began. He was optimistic after the 2006 mid-terms believing that there may be some return to sanity. But he warned us not to get too comfortable.

The mid-term elections of 2006 give hope that the best values and traditions of the country will ultimately prevail. But it could prove a huge mistake to think that the enemies of freedom and equality have lost the war just because they were recently rebuffed at the polls. I’ll be very much surprised if their leaders don’t frame the setback as a test of the followers’ faith, causing them to redouble their efforts. (p. 3-4)

And redouble their efforts they did, reaching even further into the cesspool, and it could very well prove to be their undoing.

Continuation:

1. The Tea Party, Obama and Nuclear Nonproliferation

2. The Tea Party and Being Careful What You Wish For

3. Stephen Harper, the Tea Party and the Koch Brothers

Footnotes:

*The Armageddon Factor: The Rise of Christian Nationalism in Canada, By: Marci McDonald, Random House Canada, 2010, ISBN: 978-0-307-35646-8 3

Sources:

1. Hard Right Turn: The New Face of Neo-Conservatism in Canada, By Brooke Jeffrey, Harper-Collins, 1999, ISBN: 0-00 255762-2, Pg. 396-402

Why Does the United States Need This Rally For Sanity?

Tony Hopfinger, an editor for the on-line magazine Alaska Dispatch, was handcuffed and detained by private security after he attempted to interview Republican senate candidate Joe Miller at an Anchorage town hall event. Miller refuses to answer questions about his personal life after it was revealed that he was nearly fired from his attorney job in 2008 for a serious ethics breach.

Miller has also suggested that to put an end to immigration, the U.S. should build a wall to keep people out.

"If East Germany could do it, we could do it."

Poor Joe, who was endorsed by Sarah Palin, doesn't realize that the Berlin wall was put up to keep people in.

But as to the handcuffing of the journalists, apparently many Republican candidates are refusing to talk openly to reporters who don't work for Fox News. Fair enough. They know how to handle the crazies.

Carl Paladino, Republican candidate for NY, has taken a page from Jim Flaherty's playbook and wants to establish "welfare camps". He says: "Instead of handing out the welfare checks, we'll teach people how to earn their check. We'll teach them personal hygiene . . .the personal things they don't get when they come from dysfunctional homes." He wants to put them all in underused prisons. He also claims that “There is nothing to be proud of in being a dysfunctional homosexual.” How about a dysfunctional candidate?

Nevada GOP Senate nominee and Tea Party favorite Sharron Angle, said recently: ''People ask me, 'What are you going to do to develop jobs in your state?' Well, that's not my job as a U.S. senator.''

She also told a group of Latino students, asking about her prejudice, that they shouldn't worry, saying that "some of them look Asian".

But Angle didn't stop there. She claimed that Dearborn, Michigan and Frankford, Texas, are instituting Islamic sharia law, and demanded to know "how that happened in the United States." It didn't happen. She singled out Dearborn because it has a large Arab American population, and Frankford no longer exists. It was annexed by Dallas in 1975.

Christine O'Donnell, the Tea Party candidate didn't know the first amendment.

In Colarado, Republican candidate Dan Maes is warning voters that Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper's efforts to boost bike riding, is "converting Denver into a United Nations community." He claims "This is all very well-disguised, but it will be exposed,"

Eugene Robinson for the Washington Post wrote: "the big political story of the year may turn out to be the consequences of the GOP's foray into extremism and wackiness."

It's absolutely frightening.

Tomorrow’s Rally for Sanity led by Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert is going to be the most-covered event in Washington D.C. since the inauguration of President Obama.

There will be more than 1000 journalists and Oprah Winfrey is arranging transportation for thousands of Americans.

Will it work?

The Americans had better hope so. This is a Reform Party rerun.

Canada Needs its Own Rally for Sanity

In an effort to give voice to Americans who are not nuts, Jon Stewart and Steve Colbert will hold a Rally for Sanity, to let Americans who are not nuts, know that they are not alone.

The Tea Party is the only voice being heard and they have 138 delegates, all Republicans, running in the mid-terms.

This is a horrible state of affairs.

The National Park Service has granted a permit for satirists Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert to host a “political engagement/entertainment event” on the National Mall on Saturday. Comedy Central said in its application for the permit that it expected 60,000 participants, though they also said they were providing enough portable toilets for 150,000.

The event “will include music, comedy and a ‘rally,’” according to the permit, which was released this afternoon. Messrs. Stewart and Colbert had told their viewers that they would be hosting competing protests, one to “restore sanity,” the other “to keep fear alive,” but later said they would combine them around the Capitol Reflecting Pool.

I hope it's well attended and sends a message to Canadians, that we need to do the same. Jason Kenny, Rob Anders, Stockwell Day, Maurice Vellactott, Brad Trost ... all nuts.

If our country continues to dummy down and allow the only voices heard be those of extremists, we're going to be in serious trouble.

Could a Coffee Klatch Save us From Neoconservatism and the Religious Right?

With the Religious Right and those horrible Tea Parties destroying the Republican brand, and the American identity as a whole, one woman fought back.

To counter the nonsense she decided to start her own "coffee" movement, and was surprised to find that there are many Americans who opposed the Tea Parties and the response was overwhelming.

When Annabel Park imagined what it would be like to head a new nationalpolitical movement, here is what she had in mind: a coming together of engaged, intelligent citizens who had tired of the angry rhetoric and accusations of the Tea Partiers; Americans of all political persuasions joining in a spirit of equanimity to discuss the nation's problems, and maybe even share a laugh. It was this beautiful vision that danced in Park's head on a recent Saturday as she made her way to Busboys and Poets, a cafe in Washington, D.C., for one of nearly 500 Coffee Party meetings taking place nationwide that day. She knew the house would be full—word had spread quickly on the group's swelling Facebook page. Park, a documentary filmmaker, was especially pleased that C-Span had arranged to broadcast the meeting.

But more than just a chance to exchange ideas, it also became a place where people could vent. People who love their country and hate what is happening in the wake of Fox News and people like Karl Rove. However, it quickly turned into something else.

...from the moment folks in the crowd stood up to speak their minds, Park knew these people had not come to sip cappuccinos and set an example of civility for an overheated nation. They were angry. They hated the Tea Party, and the Republican Party. They wanted to get even. One audience member said America was under the thumb of oligarchs and denounced "moneyed interests." A few people hissed when Sarah Palin's name was mentioned ... Park, a 42-year-old Korean-American with a smile that can only be described as "kind," regularly tried to steer the talk back to the group's more centrist principles.

But when someone asked how many people in the room were Republicans, all 80 hands remained down. "I like the civility idea, but I hate the Tea Party people," said attendee Karen Anderson. By the end of the event, some in the crowd had decided the movement, barely two months old at the time, needed a new leader. China Dickerson, a 26-year-old community organizer, said the Coffee Party wouldn't last "unless we get someone a little more powerful to head it." She wanted a rabble-rouser, "not someone that says we can all work together."

Park seemed a little rattled after the meeting. "If they want to fire me, this may not be the group for them," she said later. "We don't want conflict and confrontation."

These are the casualties of divisive politics.

So how do we turn it around? At both Canadians Against Proroguing Parliament and Canadians Rallying to Unseat Stephen Harper, we do vent, but we also comfort, encourage and debate. And yes we oppose neoconservatism, but love people like John Diefenbaker who knew what it meant to be Canadian.

But I think that Annabel Park is on to something. We need to return to intelligent political discourse to combat the ugliness of neoconservatism, which is all about tearing down, and the Religious Right that is all about judging everyone.

There are many disgruntled Conservatives as well, who don't like that Harper has abandoned fiscal conservatism (long before the recession) and are also tired of the hyper partisan nature of the party. We need to unite as Canadians to discuss issues that affect us all, and look for solutions together. The Facebook groups are good but I also like the idea of clubs. Even a chat group might work with ground rules. No partisanship, only citizenship in one of the best countries in the world.

Still More on Hatred Being Validated by Conservative Movement

A CULTURE OF DEFIANCE: History of the Reform-Conservative Party of Canada

The above is part three of the documentary White Power USA: The Rise of Right-Wing Militia in America, that discusses the resurgence of the hate movement, now validated by the Conservatives in both the U.S. and Canada. The filmmaker suggests that many so-called anti-immigration movements are simply the re-packaging of white supremacists.

We see how this group reels people in by focusing on the economy and jobs, and then once inside, it becomes 'White Power'. But what alarmed the narrator even more was when the leader of the group started making references to 'Jesus'.

I mentioned in part two, a Canadian anti-Immigration site that fits this profile to a 'T'. It's called Immigration Watch Canada, and though the founder and director, Tim Murray, is from Vancouver; most of the links and data come from American anti-immigration sites, and include many references to the 'Tea Parties'.

IWC was founded in 2003 but only picked up steam when another anti-immigration, anti-multicultural group was elected, now calling themselves the Conservative Party of Canada.

Like their American counterpart, they lure you in with economic arguments:

We believe (based on the federal government's own economic research and Canada's own previous tradition of adhering to labour absorptive capacity) that there are limits to the number of workers of any type that a country needs or can absorb. Present immigration levels in Canada pay no attention to the principle of economic absorptive capacity, ignore a real unemployment level of over 2 million and seem to assume that Canada can admit a virtually limitless number of new workers.As a result, immigration levels have far exceeded Canada's economic absorptive capacity. In effect, they are an historical anomaly. Adhering to labour absorptive capacity in the past has meant that when Canada needed workers from outside its borders, it looked for those workers. When it did not need them, it did not look for them.

They then go on to talk about "Asian Invasions", a "Multicultural Holocaust" and claim that "Mexican Refugees Compete With Homeless For Housing."

And of course, they also bring in the big guy, JC himself.

MOHAMMED WAS NOT ANOTHER JESUS - The purpose of Patrick Grady's novel "Royal Canadian Jihad" is to teach Canadians about Islam. It is also to warn them about the potential dangers of some Muslims who have settled in Canada. It is definitely not another version of the harmless Muslims portrayed in CBC Television's "Little Mosque On The Prairie".

IF JESUS WERE LIVING IN CANADA, WHAT NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTIONS COULD HE MAKE?Most parts of the world have just celebrated another anniversary of the birth of Jesus the Christ. However, as Christians are aware, only 2 of the Gospels actually describe Jesus' birth and all four of them leave readers to deduce, almost completely, what Jesus did in his formative years. Although Jesus' adult life is often portrayed in soft, sentimental terms, he had a very strong edge. In particular, he had a low tolerance for hypocrites. Ironically enough, a number of Canada's high immigration advocates invoke Jesus to justify their views and to declare their similarity to Jesus. But if Jesus were living in Canada today, we suspect he would feel very uncomfortable standing alongside these self-proclaimed humanitarians : In fact, we suspect he would make the following immigration-related resolutions at the beginning of 2009 ...

Yes I'm sure Jesus would separate individuals by skin colour and look at all the land in Canada and say "there is no more room".

But there is even more to this story unfortunately, that again should raise alarms. Murray also writes for an online paper called Canada Free Press. The only thing Canadian about it is the word 'Canada' in their name. In fact the sub-title is "Because without America there is no Free World."

They run a countdown until Obama leaves office, reminiscent of Harper's National Citizens Coalition who did the same for Jean Chretien. They promote the tea parties and one of their editors also writes for Fox News and Glenn Beck!!!

And another, Chase Clift, is "a 9th grade student living in a suburb of Austin, Texas attempting to write but have started as a social network editor along with CFP as well as pushing the Southern Secessionist movement in which he is a mere volunteer. Chase is currently working with the Confederate Liberation Society."

Loon Watch says of the founder of Southern Secessionist movement, Bob Beer: In this case we have Bob Beers writing for the Canada Free Press which surprisingly gets a lot of traffic while peddling in some of the most hate filled and racist commentary on the Internet...

"Most hate filled and racist commentary on the Internet?" In Canada?

And they also speak of our little Texas ninth grader: "Yet, why do so many take the Canada Free Press seriously? Their social networking editor is a ninth grader by the name of Chase Clift who in his spare time likes to volunteer for the Southern Secessionist Movement and also works for the Confederate Liberation Society which extols the virtues of the Confederacy and revisits history to condemn Abraham Lincoln. The Society’s goal is “an official Peace Treaty signed with the United States of America and a swift transfer of all powers to the government of the Confederate States of America.”

Oh and of course if you want to rent out speakers, one of them is Dr. Tim Ball. I know all environmentalists just went into the fetal position. Ball (Friends of Science fame) is the kook that the Fraser institute hired on Harper's behalf to convince Canadians that Global warming wasn't real. Apparently Mr. "Colossal Fossil" just wasn't getting the job done.

The Canadian media ignored the threat of the Religious Right until it is now almost too late to do anything about them, and they are ignoring this underlying resurgence of hate groups. They hide behind anti-tax, anti-immigration and (pseudo) "Christian" rhetoric, but their message is always the same. If you are not white, male and their version of a Christian, you have no place at the table.

More on Hatred Being Validated by the Conservative Movement

A CULTURE OF DEFIANCE: History of the Reform-Conservative Party of Canada

If you think the conservative "Tea Party" movement is daunting, take a look at a new report issued by the Department of Homeland Security that says right-wing extremism is on the rise throughout the country. In the report, officials warn that right-wing extremists could use the bad state of the U.S. economy and the election of the country's first black president to recruit new members to their cause.

In the intelligence assessment issued to law enforcement last week, Homeland Security officials said there was no specific nformation about an attack from right-wing extremists in the works. The agency warns that an extended economic downturn with real estate foreclosures, unemployment and an inability to obtain credit could foster an environment for extremists to recruit new members who may not have been supportive of these causes in the past. (1)

And:

A footnote attached to the report by the Homeland Security Office of Intelligence and Analysis defines "right wing extremism in the United States" as including not just racist or hate groups, but also groups that reject federal authority in favor of state or local authority. "It may include groups and individuals that are dedicated to a single-issue, such as opposition to abortion or immigration," the warning says. (2)

These Tea Parties are bringing back all of the old radicals and encouraging new radicals. It's what happens when you combine religious fundamentalism, the new Conservatives and Fox News.

One of the very bizarre accusations overheard at the tea bag protests Wednesday was that President Obama is somehow a "fascist." At the same time, and often in the same protest, he was also accused of being a "communist." Of course it's ideologically impossible to be both, in the same way it's impossible to be both informed and a FOX & Friends host, but then again I'm expecting too much logic and message coherence from people who spent all of Wednesday protesting against socialism and wealth redistribution while gathered in publicly funded -- dare I say "socialized" -- parks and town squares.

But back to that "fascist" accusation. I'm not convinced that tea baggers like Michelle Malkin understand that fascism is, in fact, a form of right wing extremism. Because for the last 24 hours or so, Malkin, Limbaugh, Glenn Beck and the usual band of apoplectic brainiacs appear to have been vigorously defending "right wing extremism" after having previously accused the president of being on the same flank of the ideological spectrum. (3)

I visited the site mentioned in the video, which is the second in the four part documentary: White Power USA: The Rise of Right-Wing Militia in America. Council of Conservative Citizens is a hate group, that has been legitimized by the new Conservative movement. According to the Anti-Defamation League, they are:

Ideology: White supremacy, white separatism

Outreach: Mass mailings, prison newsletter

Approach: Advances its ideology by inflaming fears and resentments, among Southern whites particularly, with regard to black-on-white crime, non-white immigration, attacks on the public display of the Confederate flag, and other issues related to "traditional" Southern culture.

Connections: Several mainstream figures have spoken at or attended CCC meetings, including Senator Trent Lott; Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour; Mississippi state senators Gary Jackson and Dean Kirby; and several Mississippi state representatives. Former governors Guy Hunt of Alabama and Kirk Fordice of Mississippi also spoke at CCC meetings.

Extremist associations: David Duke, Mark Cotterill, Chris Temple, Jared Taylor, Paul Fromm

Considerably more polished than traditional extremist groups, the Council of Conservative Citizens propounds its bigotry in the guise of hot-button conservative advocacy. Striking hard-right positions on such contentious issues as immigration, gun control and affirmative action, the organization has insinuated itself into the mainstream successfully enough to attract a number of prominent conservative politicians to its gatherings. However, an examination of the origins, membership and publications of the CCC suggests that it remains, despite its assertions to the contrary, squarely within Southern racist traditions. While not every CCC chapter may be equally extreme, all are founded on anti-minority bigotry. (4)

OK. So you don't think this could happen here, huh? Not in Canada, right? Well pull up a chair because you're going to want to be sitting for this.

We already have a non-profit group called Immigration Watch Canada. And guess who they call on for inspiration?

Hidden Cameras on the Arizona Border: Coyotes, Bears, and Trails. Remember J.T. Ready from part one? In fact, most of the links on Immigration Watch Canada, are to American anti-immigration right-wing extremists. The Tea Party Gang. Who knew?

Thank you Stephen Harper. I just love who we are now.

Sources:

1. Homeland Security Report Warns Of Rising Right-Wing Extremism, Huffington Post, April 14, 2009

2. Federal agency warns of radicals on right, The Washington Times, April 14, 2009

3. Sharing Tea Bags with Right Wing Extremists, By Bob Cesca, Huffington Post, April 15, 2009

4. Council of Conservative Citizens, Extremism in America, The Anti-Defamation League