Friday, June 09, 2006

 

Right-Wing Sampler

Ten years ago in August I hung up my guns as a public-interest environmental litigation manager, and ventured forth into the world of alternative media, first as an editorial advisor and only last year as a blog editor and occasional columnist. Woven through and uniting these two arenas of activism is an appreciation of archival records and the stories they can tell in the hands of someone with a gift for narrative.

I won't attempt to do that here, but I will provide a sampler from some righteous archives compiled in the summer of 1996, in hope that someday, someone will be inspired by this Northwest Update collection now available online. A few highlights:

June
*The sixty-plus day stand-off between federal agents and the Freemen militia holed up near Jordan, Montana continued.
*Christian Coalition leader Ralph Reed released his latest book Active Faith: How Christians are Changing the Soul of American Politics.
*Freemen sympathizers in Spokane robbed a bank and bombed the local newspaper office.
*United Methodist Church's ruling body upheld church policy that homosexuality is incompatible with Christian teaching.

July
*The 18-month arson count against African-American churches in Washington, Oregon, North Carolina, Mississippi, Georgia and other Southern states stood at 35.
*Operation Rescue conducted its Show the Truth tour displaying 6 ft. tall photos of aborted fetuses.

August
*Aryan Nations in Idaho welcomed Ku Klux Klan leaders to its World Congress.
*Eight militia members in Northwest Washington were arrested by the FBI for building bombs to murder government officials.
*President Clinton announced his intention to sign a GOP welfare bill abolishing Aid to Families with Dependent Children, cutting billions annually from food stamps and other social services.

Browse the complete archives .

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