The Right Wing Double Standard On Terrorism Is Ten Years Old This Month

If you're a Muslim or Mexican and kill Americans you're a terrorist. If you're a white man with a grievance and a manifesto you're a one-off "lone gunman." This double standard, and the interference with law enforcement from the Right to protect white male killers, started at least ten years ago.
By Frances Langum — April 29, 2019

Christopher Hassan may be released from prison (though kept in home confinement with an ankle bracelet and denied access to computers and firearms) because the Trump administration won't charge him with terrorism.

Reading from The Baltimore Sun report this guy seems like a clear and present danger:

[P]rosecutors have said Hasson is a self-described white nationalist who espoused extremist views for years and "intends to murder innocent civilians on a scale rarely seen in this country." In a February court filing, prosecutors said Hasson drafted an email in which he said he was "dreaming of a way to kill almost every last person on the earth."

Prosecutors claim Hasson drew up what appeared to be a computer-spreadsheet hit list that included House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer and Democratic presidential hopefuls Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand, Elizabeth Warren, Cory Booker and Kamala Harris. Several network TV journalists — MSNBC's Chris Hayes and Joe Scarborough and CNN's Chris Cuomo and Van Jones — also were mentioned.

Clint Watts on Monday's Morning Joe put it very plainly why Hasson isn't being charged with terrorism:

CLINT WATTS: The only reason is international terrorists don't vote and domestic terrorists do vote. And it has to do with politics. This is intertwined in our own politics today. They are inspired oftentimes by statements by politicians right now in this country and compare them to what Al Qaeda or ISIS clerics said that inspired attacks around the world over the last decade, they would look remarkably similar. This is incitement to violence.

Joe Scarborough replies that of course he's talking about Trump: 'enemy of the people" in the press, and this weekend he called some FBI agents "scum."

Ten years ago this month the FBI released a report on right-wing, White Nationalist domestic terrorism (PDF). The report was to sound an alarm that nationalist groups were recruiting terrorists to their cells, prompted in no small part by the election of the first Black president.

The response in right-wing circles was utter freakout. Michelle Malkin in particular blogged (Malkin link) "Confirmed: The Obama DHS hit job on conservatives is real".

And the rest of the media stopped asking about white nationalism because Michelle Malkin conditioned them to see that as an "attack on the Tea Party."

You mean attacking Tea Party's birtherism, "bone through the nose" images, and threats of violence?

And this political season, when we're again being gaslighted about the terrorism that is killing not-White or not-Christian people at worship, and targeting the so-called president's critics?

Enough.

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