Thursday, January 05, 2006
Enemies of the Constitution
Minuteman national leader nuts and violent.
Short article on racist Minuteman vigilantes
The national AFSC webpage on immigrants' rights
The national human rights conference report gives you a sense of how the Minuteman theatrics fit into the GOP plans to mobilize resentment against Latino scapegoats in order to consolidate its control of Congress. Hardly a novel electoral technique, but as I note in the link, a well-choreographed one that the media is playing up to.
Aside from the deluded vigilantes seeking redemption by assaulting farmworkers, most of the posturing we are seeing is part of the psychological warfare against multiculturalism intended to hoodwink voters into supporting the erosion of equal protection under the law. But, as we've seen time and time again, when a hate campaign against a targeted minority sweeps across the country, it brings out the worst, and people get hurt.
As the links in my report demonstrate, there is a direct line of descent between the Klan, Minutemen, Aryan Nations, Militias, and the Minuteman project. They are racist; they are violent; they are enemies of the U.S. Constitution.
Now, what to do about it. First off, we don't debate or repeat the talking points of Minutemen any more than we do their Nazi comrades, Holocaust deniers, or Confederacy apologists. What we do is attack their values and lies. Same for any media engaged in whitewashing these hatemongers. That said, some of these guys are misguided, but not evil. They can be culled through reasonable voices of moral authority sometimes. So we work with churches.We also document these guys, do background on them, and disseminate our information.
We also get in the face of editors who help them.
Advice for human rights groups monitoring hate groups:
1.Do nothing alone.
2.If you don't feel safe, go somewhere you do.
3.Bring video/audio recording devices and spare batteries.
4.Don't get in shouting matches.
5.Try to hang with some visibly identified clergy.
6.If approached by media, select the most coherent and calm of your group to speak (if at all), and keep it short.
7.Get together afterward with those who couldn't make it and talk about the experience (debriefing), take notes, and exchange names, phone numbers, e-mails so you can report any harassment or suspicious stuff.
8.Get badge numbers and names of cops you might be forced to deal with; some might be Minuteman sympathizers.
9.Film or note license numbers of bad guys' vehicles.
10.Go easy on the caffeine; the adrenaline will do.
Short article on racist Minuteman vigilantes
The national AFSC webpage on immigrants' rights
The national human rights conference report gives you a sense of how the Minuteman theatrics fit into the GOP plans to mobilize resentment against Latino scapegoats in order to consolidate its control of Congress. Hardly a novel electoral technique, but as I note in the link, a well-choreographed one that the media is playing up to.
Aside from the deluded vigilantes seeking redemption by assaulting farmworkers, most of the posturing we are seeing is part of the psychological warfare against multiculturalism intended to hoodwink voters into supporting the erosion of equal protection under the law. But, as we've seen time and time again, when a hate campaign against a targeted minority sweeps across the country, it brings out the worst, and people get hurt.
As the links in my report demonstrate, there is a direct line of descent between the Klan, Minutemen, Aryan Nations, Militias, and the Minuteman project. They are racist; they are violent; they are enemies of the U.S. Constitution.
Now, what to do about it. First off, we don't debate or repeat the talking points of Minutemen any more than we do their Nazi comrades, Holocaust deniers, or Confederacy apologists. What we do is attack their values and lies. Same for any media engaged in whitewashing these hatemongers. That said, some of these guys are misguided, but not evil. They can be culled through reasonable voices of moral authority sometimes. So we work with churches.We also document these guys, do background on them, and disseminate our information.
We also get in the face of editors who help them.
Advice for human rights groups monitoring hate groups:
1.Do nothing alone.
2.If you don't feel safe, go somewhere you do.
3.Bring video/audio recording devices and spare batteries.
4.Don't get in shouting matches.
5.Try to hang with some visibly identified clergy.
6.If approached by media, select the most coherent and calm of your group to speak (if at all), and keep it short.
7.Get together afterward with those who couldn't make it and talk about the experience (debriefing), take notes, and exchange names, phone numbers, e-mails so you can report any harassment or suspicious stuff.
8.Get badge numbers and names of cops you might be forced to deal with; some might be Minuteman sympathizers.
9.Film or note license numbers of bad guys' vehicles.
10.Go easy on the caffeine; the adrenaline will do.
