Juan Varela's family says white neighbor gunned him down over SB 1070, demand hate-crime charges

FROM: CROOKSANDLIARS
By David Neiwert Saturday May 15, 2010 10:00am

Share

John called out the case in Phoenix involving the murder of a Latino man by his white neighbor the other day: Turns out the murder indeed involved Arizona's new immigration law:

The AZFamily.com story has more details: The alleged killer was yelling racial slurs seconds before he fired the shots that killed 44-year-old Juan Varela. Varela was a third-generation American, yet his family claims he was called a “wetback” who was going to be sent back to Mexico by the man who murdered him. They claim it was a hate crime and the police are not doing their job. That is a charge the department denies. A family spokesperson says, “We ask for justice, that’s what the family wants is justice.”

Tension surrounding the passage of Arizona's tough new law cracking down on illegal immigration contributed to the slaying of an Hispanic man, allegedly shot by a white neighbor, a representative of the dead man's family said Friday.

Police and the family said the arrested man, 50-year-old Gary Thomas Kelley, allegedly directed racial slurs at 44-year-old Juan Daniel Varela before the May 6 shooting near their homes.
...

A probable cause statement filed May 6 said Kelley confronted Varela outside Varela's home and repeated racial slurs at Varela. Varela then apparently attempted to kick Kelley who then allegedly pulled out a revolver and shot Varela, police said.

A police statement said the two men had gotten into altercations several times in recent years. The family wants Kelley charged with premeditated first-degree murder, not second-degree murder, with a hate crime allegation, Galindo said.

"This family wants justice. They're asking that violence stop and that Gov. Brewer and other elected officials take responsibility for this hostile atmosphere they have created" by the immigration law and other legislation, Galindo said.

But Phoenix Police Department spokesman, Officer Luis Samudio, said Friday the shooting was not a hate crime, an allegation that under Arizona law could subject a person convicted of a crime to a stiffer sentence.

Robert Shutts, homicide bureau chief for the Maricopa County Attorney's Office, said the case remained under investigation and that the murder charge could be upgraded to first-degree and a hate-crime allegation added if evidence warrants.

Shutts wouldn't comment on whether the new immigration law was a factor in the case. But he said authorities weren't trying smooth over the case or minimize it, as the Varela family has alleged.

"That's not even close to the truth," he said. "We are treating this case with ... utmost seriousness." Kelley on Friday remained jailed in lieu of $750,000 bond, facing one count each of second-degree murder and aggravated assault.

The AZFamily.com story has more details:

The alleged killer was yelling racial slurs seconds before he fired the shots that killed 44-year-old Juan Varela.

Varela was a third-generation American, yet his family claims he was called a “wetback” who was going to be sent back to Mexico by the man who murdered him. They claim it was a hate crime and the police are not doing their job. That is a charge the department denies.

A family spokesperson says, “We ask for justice, that’s what the family wants is justice.”

As someone reasonably knowledgeable about hate crimes, I can say that this case throws up all kinds of red flags. It is true that the mere use of ethnic slurs in the commission of a crime is not enough by itself to warrant hate-crime charges, but it is a potential piece of evidence in such a case. More significant is the fact that he had a prior history of agitation in the neighborhood, and it sounds as though that was racial too.

There certainly is plenty to investigate here. The Phoenix police should not be dismissing the potential for this to be a bias crime. And frankly, second-degree murder sounds pretty light, too: This guy went over to his neighbor's property with a gun and began shouting racial slurs at him. Those sound like powerful elements of premeditation to me.

There's some comfort in knowing, at least, that the case is not being handled by Joe Arpaio's detectives. But this case bears close watching.

Michael Savage’s flagship station drops him.

Finally San Francisco gets the respect it deserves from Clear Channel Communications and it's local affiliate, KNEW 910AM, by taking off-the-air, the mos vitriolic and bitter Shock Jock of them all, Michael Savage, who has for years stained with his mere presence this most beautiful and accepting City.

A thank you letter to KNEW 910AM would be in order but.... check out the guys who are replacing him - on the bright side, albeit the 'whiner' is what you find at the bottom of the 'human scum' of the homo sapiens denominator's trash barrel, KNEW / Clear Channel are giving us 'something new of the same thing', so if a letter is sent, it would be good to point our that they get a minus zero in attempting diversity.

How vitriolic and bitter The Savage has been?
Let us count the ways


FROM: Think Progress

Michael Savage’s flagship station drops him.

Earlier today, the conservative blog Patriot Axom noted that far-right radio host Michael Savage has been taken “off the air” from his San Francisco-based flagship station, Talk 910 KNEW. Now, a representative from the station has issued a statement explaining why it will no longer air Savage’s show:

I’m going to answer the very first question many of you have.

“Why did you take Michael Savage off the air?”

Here’s your no-spin direct answer; we have decided to go in a different philosophical and ideological direction, featuring more contemporary content and more local information. The Savage Nation does not fit into that vision.

910 KNEW’s decision is the latest blow to Savage’s efforts to spread hate. Last winter, following a campaign by the Council On American-Islamic Relations and Brave New Films, numerous advertisers ended their relationship with Savage, including Geico, Union Bank of California, and ITT Technical Institute. Savage has in the past advocated killing 100 million Muslims, compared President Jimmy Carter to Hitler, and has said that the U.S. Senate is “more histrionic than ever” because of the addition of female senators.

FROM: Media Matters for America

Michael Savage gets bounced off the air in his own hometown

September 10, 2009 4:37 pm ET by Eric Boehlert

In fact, KNEW in San Francisco serves as Savage's flagship station for his syndicated radio show. Make that was. As Think Progress reported, the station yanked Savage off the air today. Permanently.

The station's statement:

We have decided to go in a different philosophical and ideological direction, featuring more contemporary content and more local information. The Savage Nation does not fit into that vision.

I'm sure The New Yorker is crushed.

The New Yorker raises a toast to birther nut Michael Savage

August 03, 2009 3:59 pm ET

If you've been under the impression that right-wing radio host Michael Savage, who claims Barack Obama was born in Kenya, was schooled at a radical Islamic madrassa, and is now "raping America," was a hate merchant who operated on the edges of common decency, and represented a primetime player in the unfolding far-right campaign to delegitimize and dehumanize the president, The New Yorker wants you put those assumptions aside.

If you thought that Savage was cultivating a culture of extremism by claiming the Obama administration espouses "the same exact policies as the Nazi Party," The New Yorker thinks you have it all wrong.

And if you bought into the silly notion that Savage was part of a right-wing movement playing off racial fears, The New Yorker thinks you're being simplistic and naïve.

Because in its August 3 issue, the mighty New Yorker magazine, in an in-depth profile of Savage (subscription required), mostly set aside the host's nasty streak and suggested instead that the paranoid, gay-hating, xenophobic talk show host was really just misunderstood.

In truth, or at least in the gentle hands of New Yorker writer Kelefa Sanneh, Savage is "a marvelous storyteller, a quirky talker, and an incorrigible free-associater." He hosts "the most addictive program on radio and one of the least predictable." To Sanneh's ear, Savage's daily rants by the jazz-loving host are "engrossing."

In other words, he's an artist weaving a broadcast tapestry.

Savage doesn't preach hate. (That's so cliché, people.) Instead, the host merely engages in some old-fashioned "rabble rousing." Sure, he broadcasts an "antipathy for liberals." And yes, he does show flashes of an "immoderate" and "incendiary style." But deep down, Savage is really just a throwback to "garrulous old-school New York radio personalities." In fact, Savage isn't all that much different than famed shock jock Howard Stern. Besides, The New Yorker loves the "counter-culture feel" of Savage's program.

Plus, once you get to know Savage and hang out with him on his deck at his Bay Area home and share a beer, you discover he's "a first-rate host, chatty and solicitous." And who knew that Savage "loves to talk about his well-worn Hebrew Bible, which is full of annotations and post-it notes"? Indeed, Savage is a man in search of "the right way to articulate his Jewish heritage."

What's the big deal, Sanneh seems to be asking throughout the article. And in an audio interview posted online at The New Yorker website, the writer seemed bemused that when it came to the topic of Savage, "liberals get all worked up about, 'Oh, this guy is really offensive and vile and hateful.' "

Personally, Sanneh just didn't see it. "I think a lot of people who don't listen to his show would maybe be surprised by how weird it is and how funny it is," he told his online interviewer. Indeed, according to the writer, "part of the fun of listening to his show" is the way Savage "wrestles on the air" with life's bigger, philosophical questions.

And, oh yeah, Savage is actually a "political idealist, a sucker for a sob story, and firm believer in the power of friendship."

Question: Does he like puppies, too?

Honestly, The New Yorker could not have picked a worse time to publish a puff piece about Savage. Arriving on newsstands the same week we learned that 58 percent of Republicans either don't believe or don't know whether Barack Obama was born in America (a rancid conspiracy theory that Savage has peddled for months), and arriving the same week that Fox News' Glenn Beck went on national television and called out the president of the United States a "racist" with a "deep-seated hatred for white people," The New Yorker's soft-pedaling of Savage, as well as the larger unhinged right-wing movement to demonize and dehumanize Obama, was just embarrassing. (By the way, in the same article, The New Yorker described Beck as "deftly channeling the defiance and bewilderment of dissident America." I suppose that's one -- softball -- way of putting it.)

Sorry, but in case The New Yorker hadn't noticed from its lofty, literary perch, there's a not-very-subtle movement within the right-wing media to paint Obama as illegitimate (i.e., the Manchurian Candidate) and as a looming threat to our liberties and freedoms. There's also a burgeoning race-baiting movement afoot. And Savage is helping to lead that charge.

According to Savage, Obama is "surrounded by terrorists" for friends and is "raping America." He's a "neo-Marxist fascist dictator in the making" with a plan to "force children into a paramilitary domestic army." Savage has also attacked gays as people who are "raping our children's minds." He has condemned illegal immigrants for having "destroyed" California and accused them of having "raped and disheveled" the Statue of Liberty.

In terms of Islam, just listen to this in order to get a taste of Savage's disturbing, guttural hatred for the religion and its people: More...

NHMC Applauds San Francisco Supervisors for Taking a Stand Against Hate Speech in Media

By Unanimous vote, San Francisco Supervisors take stand against Hate Media

The Hispanic / Latino Anti-Defamation Coalition SF joins the National Hispanic Media Coalition in applauding the San Francisco Board of Supervisors for standing up to Hate Media, by unanimously approving a resolution urging the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to conduct a comprehensive investigation on hate speech in the media; and

urging the NTIA to update it's 1993 report on the Role of Telecommunications in Hate Crimes.

To view the resolution
www.sfgov.org/site/uploadedfiles/bdsupvrs/bosagendas/materials/090995.pdf

Thanks and congratulations to Media Alliance and Public Interest Pictures (BroadcastBlues.tv) for their tremendous energy and support on this effort.

Aurora Grajeda

Hispanic / Latino Anti-Defamation Coaliton SF

--------

From the National Hispanic Media Coalition:

I’m happy to share with you today’s press release (below) on a resolution that was approved by the San Francisco Board of Supervisors unanimously. This is hopefully the first of many throughout the country. We encourage all of you to consider promoting a similar resolution to your local elected bodies.

I want to remind you that we need your help and support to get the word out regarding the campaign against hate speech in media.

- Send an email blast to your members about our campaign (we can provide)

- Call your elected officials and asking for their support for this project

- Distribute postcards at events and have them signed (attached)

- Join us on Facebook and encouraging your members to join: http://tinyurl.com/lzg6c5

- Schedule a talk or other public event to talk about hate speech and what it is doing to the fabric of our communities.

- We need to gather organizational and community leadership support throughout the country. Forward this email to your allies. Hate speech in media is targeted to many groups and hence we are looking for a broad and diverse group of supporters.

...please let us know how you can help!

We have seen the anger and hatred that the proliferation of misinformation about health care reform has caused in recent weeks. As President Obama sets out to reform immigration in 2010, let us build media literacy and awareness before Latinos and other immigrants are once again at the forefront of media attacks.

We appreciate your support.

Inez Gonzalez

Vice President, Media Policy

National Hispanic Media Coalition

www.nhmc.org

NHMC Applauds San Francisco Supervisors for Taking a Stand Against Hate Speech in Media

PRESS RELEASE

August 11, 2009

For Immediate Release

NHMC Applauds San Francisco Supervisors for Taking a Stand Against Hate Speech in Media

Supervisors respond to community groups' request to take action against hate speech in media

Washington, D.C. - Today the San Francisco Board of Supervisors approved unanimously a resolution urging the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to conduct a comprehensive investigation on hate speech in media, allowing public participation via public hearings, and for the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) to update its 1993 report the "Role of Telecommunications in Hate Crimes."

The Supervisors responded to grassroots activists in the Bay Area who have organized to call attention to the alarming increase of patently false and hateful language in media. For the last three years, the Hispanic / Latino Anti-Defamation Coalition SF has organized annual protests held at Clear Channel Communications. Clear Channel was selected as the protest site due to the Corporation's record of promoting some of the most virulent purveyors of hate and intolerance, including Michael Savage and Glenn Beck, who denigrate communities, groups and individuals.

"Hate Speech in media is not only targeted to the Latino community but also to other communities of color, women, the disabled and Gay/Lesbian/Bisexual and Transgender people. It is a cancer in our society and it needs to be addressed. Government needs to recognize, not ignore, the plight of the people. Today, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors is the first elected body to take a stand against hate speech in media. We are hopeful that more courageous elected leaders will also take a stand," said Inez Gonzalez, NHMC V.P., Media Policy.

The San Francico resolution was introduced by Supervisor David Campos and co-sponsored by Supervisors John Avalos, David Chiu, Chris Daly, Bevan Duffy, Eric Mar, Sophie Maxwell and Ross Mirkarimi. The resolution in part states "An investigation on hate speech in the media has the potential of serving the highest interest of free speech." Full information on the resolution may be found at www.sfgov.org/site/uploadedfiles/bdsupvrs/bosagendas/materials/090995.pdf

The City and County of San Francisco prides itself in celebrating diversity in principle, values and practice; the Board of Supervisors of the City and County of San Francisco, reflects these principles, values and practices.

# # #

PRESS CONFERENCE: "Presenting SF Supervisors' Resolution urging the FCC and NTIA for inquire on Hate Speech in Media"

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

August 10, 2009

San Francisco Board of Supervisors resolution urging the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to conduct a comprehensive investigation on hate speech in the media

The San Francisco Board of Supervisors and community groups are holding a press conference on Tuesday, August 11th, at 12 noon at City Hall, 1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place, in San Francisco, on the Polk Street side steps. They will present a resolution sponsored by Supervisor David Campos and co-sponsored by Supervisors John Avalos, David Chiu, Chris Daly, Bevan Duffy, Eric Mar, Sophie Maxwell and Ross Mirkarimi, "urging the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to conduct a comprehensive investigation on hate speech in the media, allowing public participation via public hearings, and asking the NTIA to update it's 1993 report on the Role of Telecommunications in Hate Crimes."

"An investigation on hate speech in the media has the potential of serving the highest interest of free speech, the First Amendment and the security of individuals and groups in their persons and in their living environments. A recent study from Leadership Conference on Civil Rights shows a correlation between hate radio and hate crimes - concerned organizations and individuals have seen how the volume and virulence in the rhetoric in the most virulent Shock Jocks, such as local host Michael Savage, continues to raise.

Full information on the resolution may be found at http://www.sfgov.org/site/uploadedfiles/bdsupvrs/bosagendas/materials/090995.pdf "

Meeting starts at 2 PM, the resolution will be discussed at the Board of Supervisors meeting in the Legislative Chamber, Room 250, the resolution is item # 39, public comment is invited.

The City and County of San Francisco prides itself in celebrating diversity in principle, values and practice; the Board of Supervisors of the City and County of San Francisco, reflects these principles, values and practices.

HATE SPEECH IS NOT RESPONSIBLE SPEECH

###

3rd Annual Anti-Hate Speech SF Rally -- Community Groups Ask the FCC to Open Docket on Hate Speech

WHAT: Rally / Demonstraton
WHEN: Saturday August 15, 2009 - 2:00 pm
WHERE: Clear Channel Radio 340 Townsend Street, San Francisco, California (4th St. @ Townsend )

Call for a Halt to Hate Speech in the Media

Community Groups Ask the FCC to Open Docket on Hate Speech and NTIA to Update 1993 report "The Role of Telecommunications in Hate Crimes".

Alarmed at the documented increase in the amount of patently false and hateful language being broadcast and concerned this is helping to create a climate of hate and prejudice which in turn may foster the commission of hate crimes; a grassroots group of activists in the Bay Area is holding a rally to call attention to this growing national problem, which has a negative impact on the civil rights of frequently-targeted groups like immigrants, the disabled and Gay/Lesbian/Bisexual, Transgender and African American people.

The groups are frustrated that neither of the previous two protests (on 08/15/2007 and 09/23/2008) yielded significant action on the part of the agencies that are charged with regulating the broadcast industry. In the spirit of equality and dignity for all, the Coalition, feels compelled to hold a 3rd annual demonstration against media hate speech.

This year, the Coalition is pleased to be able to support the Petitions of the National Hispanic Media Coalition for a Federal Communications Commission (FCC) docket on hate speech and the National Telecommunications and Information Agency (NTIA) to update the 1993 report "The Role of Telecommunications in Hate Crimes".

The San Francisco Board of Supervisors will also be considering a resolution in support of the two petitions to the federal regulatory agencies co-sponsored by Supervisor's Campos, Avalos, David Chiu, Chris daly, Bevan Duffy, Eric Mar, Sophie Maxwell and Ross Mirkarimi.

Clear Channel Communications, the site of the protest, allows some of the most virulent purveyors of hate and intolerance, including Michael Savage and Glenn Beck, to denigrate communities, groups and individuals.

Free speech is an important American value, but so is social responsibility. Shouting "fire" in a crowded theater puts others at risk. See the Coalition's objectives statement for more on responsible and irresponsible media speech.

Bay Area Grassroots Coalition Against Media Hate Speech and Hate Crimes

Spanish version of these documents Comunicado de Prensa, Objetivos, Resolución.
Coalition Objectives

Coalition Resolution

SF Board of Supervisors' Resolution urging the FCC and NTIA for inquire on Hate Speech in Media

The Hispanic / Latino Anti-Defamation Coalition SF, gratefully lauds the San Francisco Board of Supervisors for their Action on behalf of the actual and the potential victims of hate speech and hate crimes. On the San Francisco Board of Supervisors Regularly Scheduled Board Meeting of August 4, 2009, a Resolution was introduced to be placed on the August 11, 2009 Regularly Scheduled Board Meeting Agenda for discussion and a vote "urging the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to conduct a comprehensive investigation on hate speech in the media, allowing public participation via public hearings, and to update the 1993 report on the Role of Telecommunications in Hate Crimes." It was introduced by Supervisor David Campos and co-sponsored by Supervisors: John Avalos, David Chiu, Chris daly, Bevan Duffy, Eric Mar, Sophie Maxwell and Ross Mirkarimi. For those of us concerned with the raise of hate speech in the media and the ever increase on hate crimes reported, it is very important to attend the August 11 meeting to offer support and commentary. In the event that you'd want to send them a note with your thoughts, the contact information is included below.
David Campos District 9 (415) 554-5144 - voice (415) 554-6255 - fax David.Campos@sfgov.org	John Avalos District 11 (415) 554-6975 - Voice (415) 554-6979 - Fax John.Avalos@sfgov.org	David Chiu - Board President District 3 (415) 554-7450 - Voice (415) 554-7454 - Fax David.Chiu@sfgov.org	Chris Daly District 6 (415) 554-7970 - Voice (415) 554-7974 - Fax Chris.Daly@sfgov.org
Bevan Dufty District 8 (415) 554-6968 - Voice (415) 554-6909 - Fax Bevan.Dufty@sfgov.org	Eric Mar District 1 (415) 554-7410 - Voice (415) 554-7415 - Fax Eric.L.Mar@sfgov.org	Sophie Maxwell District 10 (415) 554-7670 - Voice (415) 554-7674 - Fax Sophie.Maxwell@sfgov. org	Ross Mirkarimi District 5 (415) 554-7630 - Voice (415) 554-7634 - Fax Ross.Mirkarimi@sfgov.org
TEXT OF THE RESOLUTION INTRODUCED FOR THE SAN FRANCISCO BOARD OF SUPERVISORS' AUGUST 11, 2009 AGENDA [Urging the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to conduct a comprehensive investigation on hate speech in the media and to update the 1993 report on the Role of Telecommunications in Hate Crimes] Resolution urging the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to conduct a comprehensive investigation on hate speech in the media, allowing public participation via public hearings, and to update the 1993 report on the Role of Telecommunications in Hate Crimes WHEREAS, Hate speech has been defined as bigoted speech attacking or disparaging a social or ethnic group or a member of such a group (American Heritage Dictionary), and hate speech is intended to offend a person of a particular group or group of people based on a group identity; and WHEREAS, Hate speech takes various forms, from words advocating violence to those creating a climate of hate towards vulnerable groups; and WHEREAS, Hate speech creates an environment of hate and prejudice that legitimizes violence against those individuals and groups targeted by hate speech; and WHEREAS, Hate speech contributes to and may result in physical violence, and emotional and psychological distress to those targeted by hate speech;and WHEREAS, Many groups have suffered harm at the hands of hate speech, including without limitation: African Americas, Latinos, Muslims, Jews, Catholics, Women, Lesbians, Gays, Transgender people, and people with disabilities; and WHEREAS, Hate speech against vulnerable groups exists in our media and is not limited to a few isolated instances or any one media platform; and WHEREAS, Hate speech is often aired on large mainstream media corporations including national cable news networks, television broadcasts, radio broadcasts, and on the internet; and WHEREAS, The media has the power to influence people's behavior and perceptions and according to the National Hispanic Media Coalition (NHMC), a correlation exist between an increase in hate speech in the media and an increase of hate crimes committed against vulnerable groups; and WHEREAS, According to the National Latino Policy & Issues Brief (by the UCLA Chicano Studies Research Center), the October 2008 Federal Bureau of Investigation's annual hate crime statistics reported that of the 8999 single-bias hate crime offenses in 2007, two-thirds (66.5 percent) were motivated by race and ethnicity/national-origin biases, a number that has remained constant since 2003, with anti-African-America bias accounting for more than half of offenses motivated by race and ethnicity/national-origin, the largest share of total offenses (36.4 percent); and WHEREAS, According to several reports (the National Latino Policy & Issues Brief by the UCLA Chicano Studies Research Center and the National Hispanic Media Coalition, a change in offenses motivated by ethnicity/national-origin bias on anti-Hispanic bias has risen steadily, from 42.8 percent in 2003 to 61.7 percent in 2007 (FBI 2008), largely linked to the media negative coverage of Latinos and immigration debate; and WHEREAS, According to the National Hispanic Media Coalition (NHMC), and increase of hate speech in the media targeting Latinos has led to an increase of hate crimes against Latinos; and WHEREAS, An investigation on hate speech in the media has the potential of serving the highest interest of free speech and the First Amendment; and WHEREAS, The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has a long history of examining how licensees use their public trust to serve the most vulnerable segments of society, and some of these lengthy studies have included looking at the impact on children of certain advertising practices, the impact of violent programming on children, and the link between advertising and childhood obesity; and WHEREAS, Past inquiries, studies and explorations have been done in a manner that is constant with our tradition of free speech and conducting an investigation on hate speech in the media actually has the potential of serving the highest interest of free speech and First Amendment protection; and WHEREAS, In 1992 Congress directed the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) to examine The Role of Telecommunications in Hate Crimes; and WHEREAS, No updates to The Role of Telecommunications in Hate Crimes report in 1993 has been made; and WHEREAS, Given the evolution and growth of telecommunication since the 1990's, we are in dire need of an update to this 1993 report; and WHEREAS, The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) regulates airwaves in the United States, but in order to make necessary determination regarding allocation, the FCC turns to the National Telecommunications Information Administration (NTIA), which has served as the President's principal advisor on telecommunication policies since 1978; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, That the Board of Supervisors of the City and County of San Francisco urges the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to conduct a comprehensive investigation on hate speech in the media, and to update the 1993 report on the The Role of Telecommunications in Hate Crimes ; and, be it FURTHER RESOLVED, That the investigation on hate speech should be conducted in a transparent manner, including public participation via public hearing; and, be it FURTHER RESOLVED, That the Board of Supervisors of the City and County of San Francisco urges the FCC's investigation to include the inquiry into the extent and nature of hate speech in the media, the examination of the effects and impact of hate speech, and the relationship between hate speech in the media and hate crimes; and, be it FURTHER RESOLVED, That the Board of the City and County of San Francisco urges the FCC to also explore options for counteracting or reducing the negative effects of hate speech in the media.

Randall Terry vs. Sonia Sotomayor

Browsing about Judge Sonia Sotomayor, I came a Post on a Forum I had not visited before, it is named 'ff free though forum', it has the following entry that I thought other people should read, it was posted by The Lone Ranger and he really washes Randall Terry's filthy laundry.

People as Randall is what passes today as Christianity, this malady is what we confront today, it is monstrous, sick, warped and deadly, this is what we are facing, but the real crime is that there is a legion of Hatemongers on the Media giving air space so sickos like Terry can spew their hatefully pernicious messages.

Randall Terry of "Operation Rescue" spoke locally yesterday. He was urging people to oppose Sonia Sotomayor's appointment to the Supreme Court. If he gave any specific reasons to oppose her nomination, the local paper didn't mention them.

I strongly suspect it's because Sotomayor hasn't said anything to indicate that she's a virulent opponent of Roe v. Wade. I'm sure that Terry would oppose any Supreme Court nominee who wasn't.

***

What struck me as interesting was Terry's comment that Obama is "this baby killing monster in the White House." He also told listeners to "Think of death when you think of Sotomayor."

Now, see, I'm reasonably certain that Obama has never before killed a baby. Or, for that matter, performed an abortion.

So how can we possibly make sense of Terry's claim that Obama is a "baby killing monster"? I can only presume that he means to emphasize that the words and actions of public figures have impact, and that someone who's a prominent public figure therefore has a duty and responsibility to consider that what (s)he says and does will influence the behavior of others.

Ah, that makes sense, and I applaud Terry's understanding that public figures have a responsibility to consider that their words and actions will influence others.

***

So, given this, I'm sure someone can explain to me why Terry goes around openly advocating hatred and murder?

"Intolerance is a beautiful thing...There are people that are politically correct that want to say the cardinal sin of the hour is intolerance and I think that is a bunch of junk."

-- Randall Terry

"Let a wave of intolerance wash over you. I want you to let a wave of hatred wash over you. Yes, hate is good.... If a Christian voted for Clinton, he sinned against God. It's that simple.... Our goal is a Christian Nation... we have a biblical duty, we are called by God to conquer this country. We don't want equal time. We don't want Pluralism. We want theocracy."

-- Randall Terry, from The News Sentinel, Fort Wayne, Indiana, Aug 15, 1993

"When I, or people like me, are running the country, you'd better flee, because we will find you, we will try you, and we will execute you. I mean every word of it. I will make it part of my mission to see to it that they are tried and executed... If we're going to have true reformation in America, it is because men once again, if I may use a worn out expression, have righteous testoserone flowing through their veins. They are not afraid of contempt for their contemporaries. They are not even here to get along. They are here to take over... Somebody like Susan Smith should be dead. She should be dead now. Some people will go, "Well how do you know God doesn't have a wonderful plan for her life?" He does, it's listed in the Bible. His plan for her is that she should be dead."

-- Randall Terry, at the Aug 8, 1995 U.S. Taxpayers Alliance Banquet in Washington DC, talking about physicians who perform abortions and volunteer escorts]

***

More to the point, perhaps somebody, anybody, can explain to me why Terry and his ilk claim to be shocked -- shocked, I tell you -- whenever someone who has listened to their spewing of hate goes out and does something entirely predictable, like shooting up a family planning clinic.

Because, for the life of me, I can't understand how someone can insist that public figures should be held responsible for the effects of their words and actions on others -- but that someone who openly advocates hatred, intolerance and murder should not.

Cheers,

Michael

Operation Rescue Founder Launches ‘Defeat Sotomayor’ Roadshow - Palin vs. Sotomayor

From: Think Progress

Randall Terry, founder of the right-wing extremist group Operation Rescue, has announced a twelve-city tour intended to convince senators that “[t]o refuse to filibuster [Sotomayor] is to bow in abject obedience to the Angel of Death.” The graphic depicted to the right is taken from a flier promoting the event, which claims:

“We must stop permitting this hypocrisy, cowardice, and treachery in our midst. Pro-life voters are calling on pro-life Senators to filibuster Sotomayor.

“A Senator cannot say, ‘I want to overturn Roe,’ and then vote to confirm a Supreme Court Judge that will uphold Roe. A vote to confirm Sotomayor is a vote to uphold Roe.

“Many senators use pro-life rhetoric to seduce us; they get our money, our volunteer labor, and our votes. But once an election is over, they discard us like an embarrassing mistress. . . . Whether they ‘have the votes’ to sustain a filibuster or not, they need to fight to stop her, for the sake of the babies who will die under her judicial reign.“

Sadly, such rhetoric is relatively tame by Terry’s extremist standards. Terry refused to condemn the recent killing of abortion provider Dr. George Tiller, instead calling him a “mass-murderer” who “did not have time to properly prepare his soul to face God.” Terry also once went on the radio to pray for a Colorado abortion provider to be executed; two days later, that doctor was found dead.

UpdateWednesday, Terry's anti-Sotomayor tour will feature a press conference, held at the late Dr. Tiller's former office, "[c]alling on Senator Brownback to lead the Filibuster against Sotomayor."

FROM: DAILY KOS "Palin vs. Sotomayor"

by KingOneEye

Mon Jul 06, 2009 at 09:14:52 PM PDT

So Sarah Palin can no longer abide attacks by political opponents. So she is unwilling to endure the unconscionable smears from the media. So it has become too much to ask her and her family to stand by idly as she is demonized and disparaged. All of these laments were included in Palin's resignation speech on Friday.

Her defenders in the rightist media concurred with her and launched a PR campaign to spin Palin's cowardly retreat as an unconventional response to an environment wherein she was mercilessly battered and besmirched. They condemned what they characterized as unfair attacks against the poor defenseless governor and conservative icon.

I wonder if they feel the same about the treatment of Sonia Sotomayor below.....

Brought to you by...
News Corpse
The Internet's Chronicle Of Media Decay.

I wonder if those same Palin defenders will now condemn Randall Terry, founder of Operation Rescue, who is promoting a campaign to defeat Supreme Court Justice nominee Sonia Sotomayor with the flier pictured here. The flier that this image comes from describes Sotomayor as "a radical supporter of child-killing." I wonder if they will consider it to be an unfair and disgusting personal attack. I wonder if they will condemn the rest of her far-right critics who have cast Sotomayor as a racist, or stupid, or Marxist, etc.

It is instructive to note how these two very different women respond to the slings and arrows of public life. Palin, who has a record of quitting when the kitchen gets too hot, is fleeing the scene and leaving the state she pledged to serve in the lurch. Sotomayor is soldiering on and will soon take her place on the nation's highest court.

The truth is that everyone in public life has had to dodge mud and worse. The only way Palin can expect to avoid getting hit is to stay out of the ring. Yet she seemed to imply that a higher calling compels her to further service on her country's behalf. Does she think that when she reappears there will be no one who disagrees with her policies or agenda? And when they do, as they inevitably will, is she going to quit again?

Hopefully the lessons learned from these confrontational days are that the real heroes are those who stand for something. The true role models are the ones who don't back down from adversity. In the future women, and all Americans, will be able to look up to Justice Sotomayor with pride.

And, in the best case scenario, we will look back at Palin and laugh.

RIGHT WING HATE RHETORIC AGAINST SOTOMAYOR

Organizations Ask the FCC to Open a Docket on Hate Speech in Media

National Hispanic Media Coalition
55 S. Grand Avenue
Pasadena, CA 91105
(626) 792-6462
(626) 792-6051
Email: info@nhmc.org
www.nhmc.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

July 2, 2009 – Washington, D.C. – The National Hispanic Media Coalition (NHMC), one of the country’s foremost Latino media advocacy and civil rights organizations, announced today that thirty-three organizations have signed on to a letter urging the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to grant NHMC’s Petition for Inquiry into hate speech in media. The Petition requests that the FCC initiate an inquiry into the extent, nature and effects of hate speech, and explore ways to counteract or reduce its negative impacts. These signatory organizations represent a variety of diverse communities and include: the Asian American Justice Center (AAJC); Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good; the National Organization for Women (NOW); Rainbow PUSH Coalition; and the Office of Communication of the United Church of Christ, Inc. (full list in attached letter).

In recent weeks, the horrific murders of a 9-year-old girl and her father in Arizona, and the shooting of a security guard at Washington, DC’s Holocaust Memorial Museum remind us that hate crime is still frighteningly prevalent. Recent studies by the UCLA Chicano Studies Research Center, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights document a dramatic rise in hate speech and the possibility for more violence unless the problem is examined.

The diversity of signatories to this letter show that the problem of hate speech is not limited to the Latino community. Women, African Americans, Asian-Pacific Americans, Muslims, Jews, Catholics, gays and lesbians, people with disabilities, and even Caucasian Americans have all suffered harms as a result of hate speech. Hate speech is pernicious in its effect; it can cause psychological harm to its recipients, especially youth, as well as creating an environment that encourages the commission of hate crimes.

The NHMC anticipates that by initiating an inquiry, the FCC will be able to collect necessary data and information about hate speech, raise public awareness of the issue, and allow citizens to comment on the hate speech happening in their communities in an accessible and transparent forum.

#####

The National Hispanic Media Coalition is a non-profit, media advocacy organization established in 1986 in Los Angeles, California. The organization has grown to have statewide chapters in California, New York, Illinois, Arizona, Georgia and Michigan. Our mission is to improve
the image of American Latinos as portrayed by the media, increase the number of American Latinos employed in all facets of the media industry, and advocate for media and telecommunications policies that benefit the Latino community.

Click on the links below to view a copy of the referenced Docs.

Petition for Inquiry - Hate Speech
Summary - FCC Petition for Inquiry - Hate Speech
Sign-on Letter supporting NHMC's Petition
Press Reease Organizations suporting FCC inquiry on hate speech in media

July 2, 2009

Ms. Marlene H. Dortch
Office of the Secretary
Federal Communications Commission
445 12th Street SW
Washington, DC 20554

Re: National Hispanic Media Coalition’s Petition for Inquiry into hate speech in media

Dear Ms. Dortch:

We, the undersigned, urge the Commission to promptly grant the National Hispanic Media
Coalition’s (NHMC) request that the Commission initiate an inquiry into the extent, nature and
effects of hate speech, and possible ways to counteract or reduce its negative impacts. In the
alternative, we request that the Commission put NHMC’s petition for inquiry out for public
comment.

As the NHMC acknowledges, hate speech does not only affect Latinos. Many groups have
suffered harm at the hands of hate speech, including but not limited to: women, African
Americans, Asian-Pacific Americans, Muslims, Jews, Catholics, gays and lesbians, people with
disabilities, and even Caucasian Americans. As noted in the petition, these harms are twofold:
hate speech is a factor in hate crimes and it causes psychological harm to its recipients,
especially youth.

By opening a docket for comment on the petition, the Commission will collect data and
information about hate speech, raise public awareness of the issue, and allow citizens to
comment on the hate speech happening in their communities in an accessible and transparent
forum.

Respectfully submitted,

Asian American Justice Center (AAJC)
Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good
CeaseSPIN, Inc. (CeaseSPIN.org)
Center for Media Justice
Center on Latino and Latina Rights and Equality of the City University of New York School of Law
Common Cause
Fairness & Accuracy In Reporting
Florida Public Interest Research Group
Free Press
Georgia Association of Latino Elected Officials (GALEO)
Hispanic/Latinos Anti-Defamation Coalition, SF
Industry Ears
Main Street Project
Media Action Grassroots Network
Media Alliance
Media Mobilizing Project (MMP)
Mexican American Legal Defense & Educational Fund (MALDEF)
Minnesotano Media Empowerment Project, Department of Chicano Studies, University of Minnesota
National Association of Latino Independent Producers (NALIP)
National Organization for Women (NOW)
Oregon Alliance to Reform Media
Prometheus Radio Project
Public Interest Pictures and Broadcast Blues
Rainbow/PUSH Coalition
Reclaim the Media
Texas Media Empowerment Project
The Benton Foundation
The Center for Rural Strategies
The New Mexico Media Literacy Project
The Praxis Project
United Church of Christ, Office of Communication, Inc. (UCC)
UNITY: Journalists of Color, Inc
U.S. Public Interest Research Group

cc: Chairman Julius Genachowski, Commissioner Michael Copps, Commissioner Robert
McDowell, Sherrese Smith, Bruce Liang Gottlieb, Rick Chessen, Rosemary Harold

Teens Convicted of Murdering Luis Ramirez Sentenced to 7 Months in Jail

FROM:



by Mariela Rosario | 06.18.2009 | 9:45am |

Crystal Dillman, the fiancee of Luis Ramirez, is moved to tears as members of Latina (a Chicago-based activist org) show their support. AP Photo/Matt Rourke

Brandon Piekarsky, 17, and Derrick Donchak, 19, received 7- to 23-month sentences for their roles in the brutal murder of 25-year-old Mexican immigrant Luis Ramirez. It is a case that has galvanized the community of Shenandoah, Penn., creating a hotbed of racial tension in a blue-collar town. An all-white jury convicted the two teens of misdemeanor simple assault. However, they were acquitted of all felony counts, including aggravated assault and ethnic intimidation—charges that would have carried lengthier sentences, and perhaps left the children and fiancée that Ramirez left behind with a sense of justice.

Judge William Baldwin acknowledged the brutality of the attack and the seemingly light sentences that he was handing down to the teens, but he noted that he could only pass a sentence in keeping with the charges the boys were found guilty of. "This wasn't any fight; this was a group of young athletes ganging up on one person. That's not a street fight," Baldwin said, refuting the defense use of the term "street fight" to describe the beating that left Luis Ramirez in a coma for two days before he passed away. "You picked out a guy who wasn't one of you and beat the pulp out of him."

Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell has since sent a letter to U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder recommending that he pursue civil rights charges in the case. "The evidence suggests that Mr. Ramirez was targeted, beaten and killed because he was Mexican," Rendell said. "Such lawlessness and violence hurts not only the victim of the attack but also our towns and communities that are torn apart by such bigotry and intolerance."

Ramirez's fiancée and the mother of his two children, Crystal Dillman, stood bravely before the court, filled mainly with supporters of the teen killers, and read a statement, saying, "He was my one and only love, and they took him away from me, and they took my children's father."

Gladys Limon, staff attorney for the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund pointed out the frightening 40 percent rise in hate crimes against Latinos between 2003 and 2007 and called on Congress to strengthen hate crime laws. "The failure to hold these defendants responsible for their atrocious crimes denies justice not just to the Ramirez family," Limon said, "but also to the entire community by failing to deter similar crimes in the future."

VISIT MALDEF.ORG TO SIGN A PETITION IN SUPPORT OF THE HATE CRIMES PREVENTION ACT OF 2009.

Ten Days for Neck-Noosed Dragging

FW: "GET THE MEXICAN"

Sent by: Ramon Cardona

FROM:

by nezua. written Wednesday, June 17th, 2009 10:07 pm

WE TALK HERE OFTEN about the climate of hostility, hate, and aggression against Latin@s. Consider this another unfortunate marker in our collection.

MOUNT VERNON, Ohio – A central Ohio teenager accused of putting a noose around a Hispanic boy’s neck and dragging him in a parking lot has been sentenced to 10 days in jail.

The 18-year-old was sentenced Wednesday in juvenile court in Mount Vernon, a city of 15,000 residents an hour’s drive northeast of Columbus. He dropped his original plea of not guilty and pleaded no contest to ethnic intimidation.

A charge of aggravated menacing was dropped.

—Ohio teen sentenced in parking lot noose attack

Of course. I mean, the 18-year old is probably a very good football player or something. Maybe he was the Prom King, I don’t know. I’m sure the court had a good reason for takin’ it easy on the lad.

UPDATE: Thanks to amigo (and a fellow founding editor of The Sanctuary) @ManEegee, my understanding of this crime/event has been broadened. The article I read and linked above played down the assault quite a lot. Let’s use a new link here:

MOUNT VERNON — An 18-year-old Fredericktown man will pay a visit today to the juvenile division of Knox County Court of Common Pleas to plead to charges of aggravated menacing and ethnic intimidation in connection with an incident in which he is accused of trying to drag a teenager with a noose last May.

A hearing is scheduled at 9 a.m. before Judge James M. Ronk.

The man allegedly shouted racial slurs at 17-year-old Robert Cantu and his friends during an early morning confrontation May 30, 2008. The confrontation occurred in a parking lot at the corner of Main Street and Ohio Avenue in downtown Mount Vernon.

” ‘Get the Mexican,’ ” Cantu told police his assailant shouted at him, in a statement four days after the incident. “So they grabbed me and held me down and put the nosse (sic) on me.”

—Knox Co. hate crime case goes to court

They tried to drive away and drag Knox with them, but three friends helped him escape the noose before they took off with his neck and head and body in tow. Maybe that’s the kind of fellowship that earned Mount Vernon, Ohio the title of the state’s Most Livable Community in 1994.

The most serious of the charges — ethnic intimidation — is a fifth-degree felony, which carries a possible jail sentence of one year. However, because prosecutors declined to try him as an adult, the harshest penalty the defendant could serve is six months in a juvenile deten-tion center.

“The ethnic intimidation statue is Ohio’s equivalent of a hate crime,” said Charles McConville, the assistant prosecutor in Knox County who is trying the case. But “no attempt was made,” McConville said, to try the accused as an adult, though,it was ultimately the presiding judge’s decision.

Climate of hate and dehumanization. Inevitable end result, one more time. But hey, I know I’m getting a little overexcited about these kinds of things! Clearly some people find my outrage a bore. After all, wasn’t this just a friendly lil game of Get the Mexican? I hear it’s quite popular nowadays, dontchaknow.

MALDEF: 25,000 Voices and Counting Demanding justice for Luis Ramirez; join us!

SENT BY: Cynthia I.

25,000 people have signed the Luis Ramirez Petition in the last 72 hours. From every state and territory in the country someone just like you has spoken out against the discrimination, racism, and violence that claimed the life of 25 year old, Luis Ramirez and for this we thank you. In addition to our efforts to ensure justice for Luis Ramirez’ family, we have also been working closely with the Shenandoah Latino community. They are grateful for the outpouring of support from people of all backgrounds throughout the country in this time in which they feel especially vulnerable and are seeking equality and peace in Shenandoah. We ask that you continue to stand in solidarity with those suffering from this tragedy in the spirit of peace and justice. In addition to signing and forwarding the Luis Ramirez petition, you can support the Ramirez family and local community by raising consciousness in your own community with these messages of justice, peace, and equality. In the Luis Ramirez case, the Department of Justice recently announced the launch of an investigation into his death. This is a critical first step and we will continue to press forward so that federal hate crime charges are soon filed against the assailants who killed Luis Ramirez. Everyday, our dedicated attorneys and staff work to defend the civil rights of the Latino community and ultimately hope to prevent the violent acts that took the lives of Marcelo Lucero, Jose Sucuzhañay, and Luis Ramirez, all victims of brutal hate crimes. For example, after many efforts with our partner organizations, the Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 2009 was just passed by Congress with a vote of 249-175 and has now moved to the Senate. Thank you for your continued support and for standing with MALDEF and the co-sponsors of this campaign Democracia Ahora, LULAC, NALEO, NCLR, Voto Latino, and MATT. Sincerely, Henry Solano Interim President and General Counsel MALDEF P.S. By forwarding this email you help spread the word and get others to sign as well. We are relying upon you to help bring justice to Shenandoah, Pennsylvania.

Make sure you receive MALDEF email updates. Add
info@maldef.org to your approved senders list.

MALDEF NATIONAL HEADQUARTERS
Los Angeles Regional Office
634 S. Spring Street
Los Angeles, CA 90014

Tel: 213.629.2512

© 2009 MALDEF
Design by Plus Three | Powered by ARCOS

Did Paranoid Right-Wing Media Fuel the Pittsburgh Cop Killer's Rage?

SOURCE: AlterNet

Max Blumenthal, at The Daily Beast. in his April 8, 2009 Post, asks a very valid question that needs a serious answer, did it?

"RAGE ON THE RADIO" - It is LOUD!!!

When something gets into mainstream media, it has a half-life of about 30 seconds. Where something that moves into talk radio can have a half-life of two or three years.

It is hard not to make a connection when we look at the comments that people who committed hate crimes constantly spew in websites, blogs and Talk Radio, it is easy to glimpse a common thread in the way they regurgitate the revoltingly-hateful vomit of the people that we have come to know as Shock Jocks in Right Wing Media Outlets.

It has happened before, the Nazis are a prime example of how a group can be made a target through propaganda, millions died, In Rwanda, the Tutsies were compared to coachroaches, hundreds of thousands died, it has happened and it is happening again in the USA against Blacks, people were attacked, died and are dying, it is happening against Hispanic / Latino / Immigrants again, people are being attacked, died and are dying, LGBT members continue to be under attack, we are being assaulted and we are dying, Liberals are also targets of this hate, Liberals are being attacked and some have died, are we now seeing the results of a relentless campaign by Right Wing Media, the NRA and very violently disturbed individuals against police officers?

With the statements so far on record from people close to Richard Poplawski, I don't see a reason to doubt that he saw the police in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania as 'the enemy'; thus he opened fire in a de facto ambush.

We need to keep asking that question because people keep getting killed, albeit there are others, this one of the most clear examples where a direct link between violence & hate speech where the consequences can be clearly seen:

When police searched the car of the gunman who opened fire in a Unitarian Church in Tennessee, they found a 4-page letter expressing his hatred of the "liberal movement." A regular consumer of Bill O'Reilly, Michael Savage and Sean Hannity, Jim David Adkisson was only following the arguments they make day in and day out, to their logical conclusions.
From the Knoxville News Sentinel:

I followed others by asking this question: Are M. Savage, B. O'Reilly and S. Hannity Guilty of Accessory to Murder?

This situation is getting worse and there is every reason to believe that with the hate coming out of Right Wing Media, it will get ever worser.

The Shock Jocks and the Stations who hire them, do not want to change their dangerous rhetoric, so, I'll ask another question that here, at HLADC-SF, we keep asking: "Is it time to hold their advertisers responsible?"

From Max Blumenthal's post on AlterNet:

On April 6, two days after the 22-year-old Richard Poplawski allegedly murdered three police officers in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, a radio host named Alex Jones settled in before a microphone in his studio in Austin, Texas to do some damage control. "The mainstream media has certainly enjoyed tying me into this story," Jones complained. "They're attacking me and saying I'm delusional and there's no New World Order The Second Amendment, what the country's founded on--it's all my fault!"

Poplawski was a neo-Nazi wannabe who railed against blacks, Jews, "Zionists," and gun control. And like many members of the far-right fringe, he allegedly visited Jones' Web sites and posted alarming reports by Jones' writers on the white supremacist message board, Stormfront. (Poplawski's posts are here, authored under the handle, "Braced For Fate.") While Alex Jones generally avoids overt racism, he has found an eager audience on Stormfront by conjuring dark visions of an impending New World Order, claiming FEMA is secretly building a national concentration camp network, and announcing that President Barack Obama has planned mass gun seizures on his way to establishing a leftist dictatorship. "Remember, the first step in establishing a dictatorship is to disarm the citizens," warned a March 13 commentary on Jones' website, Prison Planet.

In the wake of Poplawski's alleged murder spree, the killer's friends and family members painted a portrait of a paranoid young man whose worldview was informed almost totally by the kind of conspiratorial themes entertained by Jones. Poplawski's best friend, Edward Perkovic, who also spouted white supremacist rhetoric, told the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review that his friend "grew angry recently over fears Obama would outlaw guns." Poplawski's mother remarked to police investigators that her son targeted cops "because he believed that as a result of economic collapse, the police were no longer able to protect society."

But hysterical warnings of government gun grabs and a socialist takeover of the U.S. are no longer the sole proprietary interest of fringe players like Jones. In the Obama era, Jones' conspiracy theories have graduated to primetime on Fox News. And radicals like Poplawski are tuning in. Indeed, according to the Anti-Defamation League, the alleged killer posted a YouTube clip to Stormfront of top-rated Fox News host Glenn Beck contemplating the existence of FEMA-managed concentration camps. ("He backed out," Poplawski wrote cryptically beside the video.) Three weeks later, Poplawski posted another Youtube clip to Stormfront, this time of a video blogger advocating "Tea Parties," or grassroots conservative protests organized by Beck and Fox News contributor Newt Gingrich (see here and here) against President Barack Obama's bailout plan.

READ FULL ARTICLE

From: BILL MOYERS JOURNAL of Saturday, September 13, 2008

"Rage on the Radio" It is Loud!!!

 

We asked several radio hosts to come on this broadcast and talk about the story; they either declined or didn't return our calls. The issue of course is not their right to say anything they want on the air.

 

The First Amendment guarantees their free speech as it does mine. Government shouldn't be the arbiter of what the Bill of Rights leaves to one's own sense of fair play.

 

Watching that report, however, I was reminded of a story from folk lore about the tribal elder telling his grandson about the battle the old man was waging within himself. He said, "My son it is between two wolves. One is an evil wolf: anger, envy, sorrow, greed, self-pity, guilt, resentment, lies, false pride, superiority and ego. The other is the good wolf: joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, generosity, truth, compassion and faith." The boy took this in for a few minutes and then asked, "Which wolf won?" His grandfather answered, "The one I feed."

 

So, too, America's public life. The wolf that wins is the wolf we feed. Media provides the fodder.