Terrorist caught in Texas with chemical weapons
Like the subject says, the FBI arrested a man in Texas at the center of a terrorist conspiracy. He was found to posses a massive cache of weapons, including fully automatic machine guns, 40 pipe bombs, 67 sticks of "binary chemical explosives", trip wires and other bomb-making materials, and, worst of all, 800 grams of pure sodium cyanide - enough to kill everyone in a 30,000 square-foot building.
The terrorist was also part of a ID-forgery racket, having sent fake birth certificates, social security cards, and Defense Intelligence Agency ID cards to an accomplice in New Jersey. Details here.
Haven't heard of this case? Neither had I, although the arrest actually occurred in May 2003. It received little publicity then or now, despite surely being the most significant terrorist arrest in the US since 9/11. Paul Krugman, who today gave the case its first national attention, speculates this may be because the terrorist's name is William Krar, a 63-year-old Texas native active in white supremacist and militia movements.
Have we simply forgotten about non-Muslim, non-ELF terrorists? Why did this case get zero attention from the AG or from any media?
The terrorist was also part of a ID-forgery racket, having sent fake birth certificates, social security cards, and Defense Intelligence Agency ID cards to an accomplice in New Jersey. Details here.
Haven't heard of this case? Neither had I, although the arrest actually occurred in May 2003. It received little publicity then or now, despite surely being the most significant terrorist arrest in the US since 9/11. Paul Krugman, who today gave the case its first national attention, speculates this may be because the terrorist's name is William Krar, a 63-year-old Texas native active in white supremacist and militia movements.
Have we simply forgotten about non-Muslim, non-ELF terrorists? Why did this case get zero attention from the AG or from any media?
Comments
Why no attention from the AG you ask....Well...Krar as you say is a white supremacist, and John Ashcroft is wellknown to be highly sympathetic to extremist rightwing causes and groups. I don't know if Ashcroft has/had any connections to white groups which have engaged in actual terrorist activity in the past, but since 9-11, nothing can be discounted. It would easily be within his psychological profile: if Ashcroft had been born a Muslim in Afghanistan, the Taliban would have been his fundamentalist group of choice.
http://www.accuracy.org/press_releases/PR010201.htm
http://www.fair.org/press-releases/s...-partisan.html
http://archive.salon.com/news/col/co...1/16/ashcroft/
http://www.commondreams.org/views01/0122-04.htm
John Ashcroft, whose nomination for attorney general will be considered by the Senate later this month, "has a history of reaching out to white supremacist groups," a longtime researcher in his home state of Missouri said today.
"An examination of Ashcroft's recent record shows that he has actively cultivated ties to white supremacists and extreme hate groups," said John Hickey, executive director of the Missouri Citizen Education Fund.
In a 1998 interview with the quarterly Southern Partisan, Ashcroft praised that publication, saying: "Your magazine also helps set the record straight. You've got a heritage of doing that, of defending Southern patriots like [Robert E.] Lee, [Stonewall] Jackson and [Jefferson] Davis. Traditionalists must do more. I've got to do more. We've all got to stand up and speak in this respect, or else we'll be taught that these people were giving their lives, subscribing their sacred fortunes and their honor to some perverted agenda."
The Jan. 31, 2000 issue of The New Republic reported that Southern Partisan "serves as the leading journal of the neo-Confederacy movement." For 20 years, according to the New Republic account, Southern Partisan has been publishing "a gumbo of racist apologias." For example: In 1996, Southern Partisan said that slave owners "encouraged strong slave families to further the slaves' peace and happiness." In 1990, Southern Partisan praised former KKK leader David Duke as "a Populist spokesperson for a recapturing of the American ideal."
Southern Partisan "has a long history of catering to racism," Hickey said today, adding that the Senate Judiciary Committee should insist that Ashcroft explain why he commended Southern Partisan as a magazine that "helps set the record straight."
Ashcroft's interview with Southern Partisan "was not the only example of Ashcroft reaching out to white supremacists and extreme hate groups," Hickey said.
In May of 1999, Hickey recalled, "Sen. Ashcroft delivered the commencement address and accepted an honorary degree from Bob Jones University. This university is infamous for its racial and religious bigotry."
Hickey, who has been researching Ashcroft's activities over a period of years, added: "He has clearly established a pattern of reaching out to extremist groups."
Re. lack of public attention by the AG...perhaps these terrorists in Texas and NJ do not fit the Bush Administration's carefully cultured media image of the archetypal terrorist: beards, robes, non-white. muslim faith, arab/middle eastern nationalities.... etc etc etc....
Originally posted by sammi jo
Yes there was a thread about this topic last year sometime.
Why no attention from the AG you ask....Well...Krar as you say is a white supremacist, and John Ashcroft is wellknown to be highly sympathetic to extremist rightwing causes and groups. I don't know if Ashcroft has/had any connections to white groups which have engaged in actual terrorist activity in the past, but since 9-11, nothing can be discounted. It would easily be within his psychological profile: if Ashcroft had been born a Muslim in Afghanistan, the Taliban would have been his fundamentalist group of choice.
http://www.accuracy.org/press_releases/PR010201.htm
http://www.fair.org/press-releases/s...-partisan.html
http://archive.salon.com/news/col/co...1/16/ashcroft/
http://www.commondreams.org/views01/0122-04.htm
Re. lack of public attention by the AG...perhaps these terrorists in Texas and NJ do not fit the Bush Administration's carefully cultured media image of the archetypal terrorist: beards, robes, non-white. muslim faith, arab/middle eastern nationalities.... etc etc etc....
You're quite a piece of work, sammi jo.
Originally posted by SDW2001
You're quite a piece of work, sammi jo.
And that is an amazing quote that sammi jo cited: if that is a true statement from Ashcroft it should get much more visibility!
Originally posted by SDW2001
You're quite a piece of work, sammi jo.
You're quite a troll at work, SDW2001.
Originally posted by SDW2001
You're quite a piece of work, sammi jo.
Please explain! I am not sure what you mean by "work" in that context......
For those who are buying into the accusations Sammi Jo is dredging up from radical opponents to Ashcrofts confirmation in 2001, please take a little time to reflect on Ashcrofts record. Yes he is definately conservative, yes he was probably playing up for the Southern Partisan mag (bad idea) but that doesn't qualifies him as racist.
Here's a good link that outlines Ashcroft's record which does not justify all this crap about racisim from the left-fielders.
http://www.perspicacityonline.com/10...roft-10115.htm
A few highlights...
Senator Ashcroft supported 26 of the 28 African Americans nominated to the federal bench by the Clinton-Gore administration. Of the two nominees that Ashcroft did not support, one was withdrawn, and the other, Judge White, was defeated.
In April 1991, The Mound City Bar Association of St. Louis, one of the oldest black bar associations in the country, commended Gov. Ashcroft__ for his appointment of Hemphill as well as for his overall record of appointing minorities.
He was one of the first governors to sign a law recognizing Martin Luther King's birthday. In 1986, he appointed a commission to celebrate King's legacy.
He established an award in honor of the accomplishments of African- American educator George Washington Carver.
Yeah sounds like a racist to me....
The arrests were made in April 2003. These militia guys probably got lost in the news shuffle I'd guess. At least the government agencies involved in the arrests didn't "forget" about domestic terrorists eh?
Originally posted by dviant
At least the government agencies involved in the arrests didn't "forget" about domestic terrorists eh?
They made the arrest only because the guy mistakenly sent his ID package to wrong address, and the person who found it in his mailbox called the FBI. They hadn't the fainetst inkling of this guy's arsenal otherwise. How many more like him are out there, that haven't made such a dumb slip-up? To paraphrase the President, our first warning will probably be a cloud of toxic gas in one of our cities.
Originally posted by dviant
The thing I can't believe is that the one guy got off with probation.
He is
a) US-American
b) a white christian
If he was a muslim from some other nation, for the same charges he'd be facing torture in some egyptian prison followed by a secret trial in Gitmo.
Where is Padilla?
What were Padilla's crimes compared to this guy's?
Answer these questions, please, dviant.
Originally posted by groverat
What color is Padilla?
Where is Padilla?
What were Padilla's crimes compared to this guy's?
Answer these questions, please, dviant.
Brown.
Some brig in S. Carolina.
Plotting and consipiring with Al-Queda, in connection setting off a "dirty bomb"
Now that wasn't too hard.
But really I don't see how you equate racial motivation to these. One case vs one case does not make a consipiracy. Please explain how this validates some racial consipiracy where all good 'ol boys get off because Rummy or Ashcroft say so while all brown men get the shaft?
Now I would LIKE to see that good 'ol boy get more of what's coming to him, but if you compare case to case, the dilrod who got probation was arrested for only being the recipient of forged documents without a specific plot. Whereas Padilla is apparently being accused (though not charged yet?) of being involved in a specific plot against the US involving a dirty bomb.
The better comparison would to Krar and his common law wife who were sentenced to 11 years and 5 years in prison for the weapons cache and other conspiratorial charges. But yeah I guess they're playing favorites to the whites huh? You guys are really making something out of nothing unless you can provide more real instances of white over minority favoritism with these terrorist cases.
But that's not really the point of this thread.
That is the entire point of this thread. The Bush Administration (and remember the Executive is the head of law enforcement) defines "terrorist" on racial lines in their little "war" on terror.
Originally posted by dviant
.......
Yeah sounds like a racist to me....
Are you assuming that Mr. Ashcroft is unaware, or stupid, or drops bricks? Far from it...he is an extremely able intellectual who knows exactly whats required to climb the ladder of public life. Rule #1: if your private philosophies are controversial to the extent that they only appeal to a minority, and may hinder or wreck your career, don't wear them on your chest. Look what happened to Trent Lott, even in his lofty position. If David Duke had been a little more subtle with his racism, he would have probably become a senior politician by now as well. He had everything going for him. Who's David Duke, one asks? I could say the same thing about hard-line lefties in parallel circumstances.
Originally posted by dviant
Oh please, sensationalize it some more Smircle. I swear you guys look for conspiracy under every rock.
Care to reply with anything of value? Or do you prefer to take it to the personal level?
Originally posted by Smircle
Care to reply with anything of value? Or do you prefer to take it to the personal level?
Oh no Smircles gonna get personal with me!! Look out!111!!1!
Try reading a couple posts down from my response to you perhaps?
Originally posted by sammi jo
[B]Are you assuming that Mr. Ashcroft is unaware, or stupid, or drops bricks? Far from it...he is an extremely able intellectual who knows exactly whats required to climb the ladder of public life. Rule #1: if your private philosophies are controversial to the extent that they only appeal to a minority, and may hinder or wreck your career, don't wear them on your chest. /B]
So you're saying Ashcroft has done all these various things for minorities while he's been in government so he can secretly work his racial hatred agenda in other ways? Diabolical! Sounds a bit far fetched to me. So what... does he have to father a black child to convince you?
Not to mention that in the instance of the Texas militia fruitcakes I don't see where the favoritism is. The guy and his wife got years in jail. The other doofus did get off with probation, but he was apparently small time compared to their charges. Maybe he gave up info, who knows.
The original premise of this thread was that we were covering up the news of their arrests which I think I pretty much solved considering the time frame of the arrests coincided with the Iraq war. So I really think you guys are just arguing to argue at this point.