picture-3.pngAs Dave notes below, some wingnut crazy shot up a Unitarian church in Tennessee, killing 2 and wounding 7. His hatred of liberals and gays was the motive.

What's notable about this is the complete radio silence on the right.

Almost exactly two years ago, there was another tragic shooting at a place of worship -- and they were all over it. Just look at this breathless, obsessively updated Michelle Malkin post.

The difference? The shooter in 2006 was a Muslim.


COVER STORY:
Hate Radio
September 17, 2004 Episode no. 803
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/religionandethics/week803/cover.html
Video - Watch this story
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BOB ABERNETHY, anchor: In much of rural America, talk radio tends to be conservative --rarely liberal. And in some places, archconservative radio broadcasters rail against immigrants, environmentalists, the UN, and everything they think is liberal. Critics call them purveyors of fear and say they sow the seeds of hate. Defenders say it's a free expression of ideas. Lucky Severson reports.

LUCKY SEVERSON: Traveling under the big sky of Montana requires some sturdy wheels, preferably a pickup truck, and a good radio, which usually offers FM music and AM talk.

In this part of the world, on the airwaves conservative talk has a virtual lock. Odds are the talk will progress from Rush Limbaugh to someone even more conservative -- like John Stokes, owner of station KGEZ in Kalispell, Montana.

JOHN STOKES (Radio Host, KGEZ, Kalispell, Montana, on Radio): When the Left extremists are out of power, they are vicious, and it is pure, unadulterated, satanic evil. And they may look like your neighbors. It's evil.

SEVERSON: If you're in Montana, or much of rural America, you will hear very little of what people in these parts call "namby-pamby" liberalism on AM radio, and that's music to John Stokes's ears.

Mr. STOKES: I think it's gone so far extreme to the left that there was a backlash, and that's where you're probably seeing more people come out of the closet and say, "Enough is enough."

SEVERSON: He thinks talk radio is an outlet for America's aggravations.

Mr. STOKES: This is the great thing about America -- is that you can still get on your soapbox and do something. These people say that I incite people to violence. That's the last thing I want.

SEVERSON: But his detractors say some of his broadcasts have incited harassment and stifled public debate. Consider his program shortly after 9/11, when he equated environmentalists with terrorists.

Mr. STOKES (On Radio): So when these left-wing lunatic liberals complain that I have somehow connected them to this, yes, you are responsible. The Green extremists out there, the Green Nazis. Look in the mirror; it's your political correctness that has caused these problems.

KEN TOOLE (Montana Human Rights Network): People contacted us and said, "I've had things happen to my house, and I think it's because they talked about me on the program." Then you've got a problem, and that definitely affects not only the ability to have civic debate, but it also affects the decision making.

SEVERSON: Ken Toole is a Montana state senator and program director for the Montana Human Rights Network. He has been critical of Stokes's talk show called THE EDGE. He says the rhetoric has pushed some listeners over the edge to harass targets of Stokes's attacks. That may be why Stokes refers to Toole as "king fool of the human rights nitwits."

Mr. TOOLE: We went to Stokes and said, "You've got to knock this stuff off," and called him out on it. This is bullying. Does the schoolyard bully affect the schoolyard? I think so.

Mr. STOKES: There hasn't been one incident of violence at all by anybody that's been related to this show.

SEVERSON: How about harassing phone calls?

Mr. STOKES: We get them.

SEVERSON: How about some of these people who are mentioned on your program -- do they get them?

Mr. STOKES: I wouldn't know about that.

MARIA ARRINGTON (Quaker): Since he came into the valley, I'm seeing bumper stickers that are totally offensive to me, that literally say, "Kill the Green Nazis," and from their definition of a Green Nazi, here I am. Do you want to kill me?

SEVERSON: Maria Arrington and Jean Hand Triol are both Quakers and self-described liberals living in the Kalispell area.

Ms. ARRINGTON: I don't think there's any problem having conservative talk radio. My problem with the stations that we're talking about right now is that they're sowing the seeds of hate and fear, and that is dividing the community.

JEAN HAND TRIOL (Quaker): Even if we had different political views, we could have a dialogue, and now a lot of people are afraid to even express a liberal view.

SEVERSON: There is, of course, the other point of view, one you might hear from many of the men in this Bible study group. They call themselves "dirt bags" instead of "sinners," and they meet every Friday morning for Scripture lessons at a local casino.

JOHN CREAMER (Bible Study Leader): Father, we thank you for good health, for this beautiful place ...

SEVERSON: The "dirt bag" Bible discussions are conducted by John Creamer. He's a friend of John Stokes and has a religious program on Stokes's radio station. Creamer thinks talk radio is good for the community because it gets the juices flowing.

Mr. CREAMER: I think it stimulates a lot of thought and discussion, and it may not be the best way to do it, but what is a better alternative to get people thinking about what they should be thinking about?

SEVERSON: But the expression of views on talk radio is almost exclusively one-sided. That's been the trend since the demise in the 1980s of the fairness doctrine that required giving voice to opposing opinions. There are differing views on National Public Radio, but Montana NPR stations play mostly music during the day. By and large, radio talk is coming from local personalities like John Stokes and nationally popular right-wing hosts like Michael Savage.

MICHAEL SAVAGE (On Radio): And the Democrats are now functioning like old Soviets before the fall of the wall. And I do believe that they're finished. That's why they're getting this desperate. Akron, Ohio: Joe, you're on THE SAVAGE NATION ...

SEVERSON: In this part of Montana, dozens of timber mills have closed, costing hundreds of jobs. Many locals blame government regulations, and especially the environmentalists, Stokes's so-called Green Nazis.

Mr. STOKES (On Air): This hue and cry now that you're starting to hear from the environmentalists, the Green Nazis: "We need have a dialogue. We need to sit down and understand each other." Don't. We need to finish them off and make sure they don't have babies.

SEVERSON: This is a scratchy picture of John Stokes's Earth Day protest. He is burning the swastika, his symbol for Green Nazis or environmentalists.

He says a thousand people turned out to join his protest against the United Nations, where they shot the UN flag full of bullet holes.

Mr. STOKES: America is in peril. We are under threat of imminent attack. You know, we are being invaded. You can't get anything changed unless you can get people excited about the issues.

SEVERSON: But it's not only issues. It's gays, African Americans, all illegal immigrants, and others. Montana Human Rights Network director Ken Toole:

Mr. TOOLE: We very regularly bring a Holocaust survivor to Montana to talk about the Holocaust, to talk about bigotry and intolerance and take them through the schools. Stokes referred to him as a whore doing the work of the Human Rights Network.

SEVERSON: Researchers have reached different conclusions as to whether biased talk radio simply reinforces listeners' values or causes them to take action. So how influential can a station like KGEZ be? Stokes says he has about 20,000 listeners in a market of around 100,000. But Ken Toole says the size of the audience isn't that important.

Mr. TOOLE: Despite the fact people say, "Oh yeah, he's wacky. It doesn't matter. Nobody listens to him," we think people do hear it. It's not that they do agree. It's not that they're fans, but it is that those kinds of hosts tend to cast how the community debates occur.

SEVERSON: The Reverend Donna Schram of the Flathead Valley United Church of Christ is concerned about the chilling effect of Stokes's brand of discourse.

Reverend DONNA SCHRAM (Flathead Valley United Church of Christ): It's pretty hard, I think, to live that Christian life of give and take of love when you're constantly looking over your shoulder and being in a fearful state.

SEVERSON: The reverend's church is part of the Montana Association of Churches, which has begun asking members to get more involved in civic affairs to counter the influence of talk radio.

Mr. STOKES: The Association of Churches is one of the most leftist, communist organizations in Montana. They put stuff out in churches to boycott all my sponsors. I mean, they're an extremist group.

SEVERSON: Stokes's defenders contend that talk radio is nothing more than a gauge of small-town America's pent-up frustrations.

Mr. CREAMER: It's one of the first times that there has been a measurement taken of the people's temperature, and it's frightening to some people what that temperature is, and it's like, "Oh my gosh, we need to put this thermometer away because it's showing much too high of a temperature."

SEVERSON: Jean Triol agrees that the temperature is much too high, but blames talk radio for elevating it.

Ms. TRIOL: Everyone I speak with is concerned about the same thing and kind of ashamed that they're hunkering down and, you know, not out there with their opinions. It's a bad feeling.

Mr. STOKES (On Car Radio): Good morning on THE EDGE. What do you want to bet that when all is said and done, the foundations that fund our local environmental terrorists are also the primary foundation behind the Taliban? There will be a connection.

SEVERSON: And if you don't agree with him, John Stokes says there is a solution.

Mr. STOKES: Anybody who doesn't like what I'm doing can turn the radio station off. Turn the dial.

SEVERSON: For now, Stokes says his audience keeps getting bigger and bigger.

For RELIGION & ETHICS NEWSWEEKLY, I'm Lucky Severson in Kalispell, Montana.

Challenging Hate Radio: A Guide for Activists

1. Force yourself to listen to it. We know it's tough, but someone's got to do it.

2. Document it. Sometimes only a talkshow host's loyal following hears the most outrageous thing that he says. You need to be able to document exactly what was said (and when it was said). Record the show, and be sure to label and date your tapes.

3. Keep track of the worst statements. Transcribe the most offensive comments [if possible]. Transcripts are easier and cheaper to distribute than audio tapes. Having a one-page list of quotes educates people and motivates them to action quickly. A "worst of" tape can also be very valuable.

4. Inform others who will take action. If you have a group of people interested, setting up an email list, or a quick response phone or fax tree, is a good idea.

5. Call in to the show. Call the on-air line during the show and try to challenge the racism, sexism or homophobia calmly and directly. It often doesn't take much to demonstrate the absurdity of bigoted arguments. If several people call in, it can change the entire show.

6. Write letters to station managers or owners. If the host doesn't respond to criticism, those who run the station need to know how offensive the program is. If you are part of a group or coalition, you might want to request a meeting as well.

7. Notify other outlets. Newspapers, non-commercial radio stations or other media might be interested in stories about talk radio. Send a press release including a few of the worst quotes and the dates they aired. Be prepared to offer a tape for documentation.

8. Build a coalition. Contact organizations that have a particular interest in challenging hate speech—like civil rights, religious, feminist and gay rights groups—and have organizational resources devoted to the issue.

9. Organize a demonstration. If you have an active coalition, a demonstration can draw attention to the problem and put pressure on the station at the same time. Large signs or placards and a one-page flyer with some of the worst on-air statements by the host and your coalition's demands will educate passersby.

10. Keep the pressure on. Even if the station doesn't balance the hate-jock, or allow an on-air discussion of hate speech, just publicizing bigoted statements changes the terms of debate. Hate flourishes when other views are not heard. By challenging it as often as possible, you diminish the ignorance that is necessary to racism, sexism and homophobia.

(Toward that end, here is something well documented that millions have seen and heard just over this weekend's news cycle.~java)

- Hatewatch | Southern Poverty Law Center -

Extremist Steve Sailer is Source for CNN’s ‘Black in America’ Series

Posted By David Holthouse On July 25, 2008 @ 2:42 pm In Academic Racism, Anti-Black, Media Extremism | 33 Comments

As part of its ongoing [1] “Black in America” project, CNN posted a [2] story to its website earlier this week titled “Could an Obama presidency hurt black Americans?” Credited to CNN correspondent John Blake, the piece quotes the wit and wisdom of Steve Sailer, identified only as “a columnist for [3] The American Conservative magazine.”

Specifically, the CNN story quotes a column by Sailer first published last year in which he opined that Obama offers voters “White guilt repellent.”

“So many whites want to be able to say, ‘I’m not one of them, those bad whites. … Hey, I voted for a black guy for president,’” Sailer wrote.

What the CNN article fails to note is that in addition to writing columns and movie reviews for The American Conservative, Sailer is the [4] founder of the Human Biodiversity Institute, a neo-eugenics online discussion forum where right-wing journalists and race scientists have promoted selective breeding of the human species. He also writes frequently for the anti-immigrant hate site [5] Vdare.com, named for the first white child born in America, and runs a website, isteve.com.

Sailer’s website is rife with primitive stereotypes. On it, Sailer mocks professional golfer Annika Sorenstam for having well-developed muscles and claims that Asian men have a hard time finding dates because they look “less masculine” than other men.

Last January, on the hate site vdare.com, Sailer [6] labeled Obama a “wigger.”

“He’s a remarkably exotic variety of the faux African-American, but a wigger nonetheless,” Sailer wrote. “Even genetically, Obama, whose East African descent is apparent in his unusual features, has only a distant relationship to the West Africans who are the ancestors of almost all African-Americans.” To illustrate his point, Sailer used photos of Obama side-by-side with Jesse Jackson and the rapper Ludacris, “both of whom have conventional West African features.”

Assessing the tragic aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in September 2005, Sailer [7] wrote, “The plain fact is that they [black Americans] tend to possess poorer native judgment than members of better-educated groups. Thus they need stricter moral guidance from society.”

This isn’t the only time in recent history that CNN has turned to an unabashed bigot for commentary on controversial issues in America while cloaking the source’s full identity.

In October 2006, CNN medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta [8] reported on a study by [9] J. Phillpe Rushton that purported to show that men, on average, are more intelligent than women. Gupta identified Rushton only as a professor of psychology at the University of Western Ontario. Since 2002, Rushton has been the head of the [10] Pioneer Fund, a pro-eugenics foundation that funds the research of academic racists like [11] Jared Taylor and Rushton, who himself has received over $1 million in Pioneer grants. Among Rushton’s findings are that on average blacks have larger genitals, breasts and buttocks, characteristics that, according to Rushton’s “research,” have an inverse relationship to brain size and, thus, intelligence.

Then last April, CNN host Paula Zahn [12] invited white supremacist James Edwards to participate in a live on-air panel discussion of “self-segregation” in America. Edwards, a self-proclaimed crusader for the white race, is the co-founder of the [13] Political Cesspool, a Memphis, Tenn.-based AM radio show whose guest lineup is a rogue’s gallery of prominent figures on the radical right, including former Klan leader [14] David Duke, anti-Semitic attorney [15] Edgar Steele and the neo-Nazi teen singing duo [16] Prussian Blue.

On that occasion, CNN identified Edwards rather sparingly as a “talk radio show host.”