The Media Smears American Renaissance

Jared Loughner, the man who attacked Rep. Gabrielle Giffords' political event in Tuscon, lacks any coherent political ideology, but that hasn't stopped liberals from tarring him as a right-winger.  Now that the liberal media has exhausted the claims that he was inspired by Sarah Palin or Ron Paul, they are attempting to tie him to American Renaissance (Amren), Jared Taylor's organization dedicated to supporting the insterests of white Americans, limiting immigration, preserving traditional America, and openly discussing issues such as race and crime and intelligence.

This AP "news" story is typical of the media's current smearing of Amren:

Probe examines possible link to anti-gov't group

WASHINGTON (AP) — An official familiar with the Arizona shooting investigation says local authorities are looking at a possible connection between Jared Loughner and an online group known for its anti-government rhetoric.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the ongoing investigation, says this is one of several motives that local authorities are pursuing in the shooting of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, D-Ariz.

So the story is entirely based on the the information provided by one anonymous sourc?  So much for writing stories with multiple reliable sources.  If you go to a journalism school, you're just wasting $40,000 to learn modern-day yellow journalism.

The anti-government organization American Renaissance is connected to the white supremacist New Century Foundation, according to an analysis by the Southern Poverty Law Center, an Alabama-based group that tracks hate crimes.

I was wrong.  The story isn't just based on one anonymous source.  It's based off of information provided by an anonymous source and a liberal fundraising scam the completely reliable and unbiased SPLC.  No liberal article discussing right-wing organizations is complete without a reference to the SPLC.  The liberal media quotes the SPLC like a Baptist preacher quotes the Bible.

As a libertarian, I have nothing against anti-government organizations, but American Renaissance is not one.  While most of its members are paleocons or iconoclastic libertarians, the organization itself exists to advocate for white Americans.  That does not make it inherently anti-government.

Calling the New Century Foundation "white supremacist" is simply slanderous.  If advocating for white Americans makes an organization racist, then are black advocacy groups such as the NAACP "black supremacists?"  Considering that the people who are affiliated with it tend to acknowledge that East Asians have higher IQs than Europeans, perhaps calling NCF a "yellow supremacist organization" would make more sense.

Members typically espouse anti-Semitic and anti-government views.

This is the problem with journalists.  They think that just by talking to some "sources," they become experts in everything.  Jared Taylor is pretty philo-Semitic.  He welcomes Jews to Amren conferences, even having Jewish speakers in the past.  Amren focuses on race, not Judaism.  The anti-Semite accusation is just more evidence that the anonymous journalist who wrote this AP hit piece failed to do much more research than visiting www.splcenter.org.

And why is anti-government such a pejorative term?  What's wrong about hating the thieves who take a third of your income to give to corporate supplicants, the military-industrial complex, and the lumpen?

Also, note the connotations the "reporter" is invoking.  When people think of organizations "espous[ing] anti-Semitic and anti-government views," they think of guys in Idaho marching around in SA regalia or gun-loving militiamen in the Ozarks.  American Renaissance conferences, however, consist of men in suits listening to academics and writers.

Loughner's online postings include language that is in line with such beliefs.

Loughner was a fan of The Communist Manifesto.  I wonder when the AP will write articles about anonymous sources claiming that he is affiliated with the Communist Party USA?

"News" articles like this are what make me elated whenever I read about the decay and impending end of the Old Media.

Rand Paul Surrenders

I had never completely liked Rand Paul. The fact that he advertised himself to libertarians while at the same time holding certain neocon views such as keeping Gitmo open suggested to me that he was a panderer. However, a couple days ago when I heard about his criticism, albeit mild, of the Civil Rights Act and his defense of private property, I changed my mind. Despite his flaws, very few public figures have the courage to criticize the Civil Rights Act.

Now I have to change my opinion of Rand Paul yet again. Instead of defending his views, he is now saying he does not support repealing the Civil Rights Act. Not only that, but he now claims to support using the federal government to force desegregation:

There was a need for federal intervention to say that you can't have segregation, that we shouldn't be doing that.

In other words, the federal government should dictate the business practices of every store in America. With libertarians like this, who needs liberals?

He should have held his ground. Yes, if he did not support the Freedom of Association Destruction Act, he would have been attacked mercilessly by liberals. But he's a libertarian who wants to abolish most of the imperial government: liberals will attack him mercilessly anyways. Likewise, he has no need to pander to blacks. No matter how much he grovels before them, they won't vote for a libertarian Republican who wants to take away their free stuff.