:: walterindenver ::

:: Friday, January 03, 2003 ::

I Have Won A Major Award

OK, not exactly. Beanless Chili (chile!) wins the award. Still, I can hope for one of these.

:: Walter 7:45 PM [+] ::
...

About Time

South Dakota Governor Bill Janklow has pardoned libertarian and AIM activist Russell Means. From the Sioux Falls Argus Leader:

The Means pardon deals with a felony conviction for riot to obstruct justice. The law was repealed by the Legislature in the late '70s, but with no retroactive provision for those convicted, Means said.
He recalls the incident in the Sioux Falls courtroom.
"I refused to stand up for Judge Joe Bottum. There is no crime for not standing up for a judge, but it is a polite show of respect. So he sent in the riot police to deal with us, and we (Means' supporters - W.) beat up the riot police," Means said. "I did my time, one year, three days, 22 hours in the Sioux Falls penitentiary."

Means probably committed other felonies in his younger days - his autobiography is full of sordid tales. The charge for which he was actually imprisoned is bogus. Federal and local authorities pulled out all the stops to try to convict Means of something, anything, but that was the only charge that stuck.

:: Walter 9:41 PM [+] ::
...

Don't Try This at Home

When Andrew Olmsted lists his 10 worst blogs of the year he really means his. I won't even bother to list my worst, a 150 way tie for last.

:: Walter 4:36 PM [+] ::
...

Atrios and Anti-Semitism

Atrios has an odd post about the links between the John Birch Society and Republicans.

I personally think that the Republican party has purged itself of its anti-semitic demons much more successfully than it has its racist demons, though I'm amazed that people seem oblivious to some history on this issue. The John Birch society was strongly rooted in anti-semitism, and much of their core worldview revolved around the existence of a Vast Jewish Conspiracy - later somewhat repackaged in the religious right's "new world order" conspiracy theorizing of the late 80s/90s. The JBS was instrumental in helping get Reagan elected Governor of California, though he did later distance himself from them. From that time, words and phrases like "Hollywood elite" and "New York Liberals" and others were all code words for "Jews."

I call this odd for a several reasons. Tying the JBS to the Republicans is not unlike linking the KKK to the Democrats - historically correct but irrelevant to the modern political scene. It's a battle that was won long ago. Also odd; the differentiation between 'anti-semitism' and 'racism,' as if there's two different sorts of bigotry. I wonder which of the two Atrios thinks is worse?

:: Walter 10:00 AM [+] ::
...