OntheWilderSide

“While the individuals who commit these terrible crimes often exhibit signs of mental instability, their acts do not arise solely from personal psychological disorders. Their savagery has often been cultivated, encouraged, and enabled by rightwing groups that foster hate, condone racism and xenophobia, glorify violence, and train their members in the use of assault weapons and military tactics. An individual may decide to act alone, but this does not absolve the hate groups from responsibility for their role in laying the groundwork for the tragedy.”

Stein charged that the FBI and Homeland Security have given inadequate attention to the threat of white supremacist groups, choosing instead to focus resources in attempts to entrap anti-war and environmental activists who have never used violence against any person. “The FBI has a long history of politically motivated targeting that goes after minority groups and leftwing protesters. They expend great resources in entrapping citizens who are basically nonviolent. This is not just a waste of resources, it is an infringement upon our civil liberties.“As president, I will order a thorough review of FBI targeting practices and ensure that the Agency is properly dealing with the threat of white supremacist groups. I will also issue an executive order forbidding the FBI or Homeland Security from infringing upon the legitimate rights of the American people to exercise their free speech or to peacefully assemble to present their grievances to their government. Nonviolent groups, whether of right or left part of the spectrum, deserve to have their right to free speech protected. Political targeting must end.”  

Stein also criticized right-leaning media, specifically Fox News, as well as politicians for promoting intolerance and fear regarding immigrants and non-white ethnic groups. “Intolerance and fear are not acceptable as the products of any legitimate journalistic enterprise. Our economic problems are indeed severe, but they were created by the rich and well-connected, by those with the power to close factories, to move jobs overseas, to shift taxes to others, and to cut wages. Our problems are not due to the hard-working and disempowered workers of America or to immigrants who usually occupy the lower rungs of our economy.”

Stein noted that  “In desperate economic times, it is essential that working people reject the idea that we should be fighting against each other for the few crumbs that fall from the table of the rich and fortunate. We need to stand united to claim our share of the wealth that our work creates. We must reject racism, anti-Muslim prejudice, and any attempt to blame the victims of this economy for its problems. Working together, we can solve all our problems. Those who benefit from inequality and economic elitism want to divide us. We must emphatically reject such attempts.”

[IW:  I would add that my Congressperson, Peter King, who is chair of the House Homeland Security committee, should be holding hearings on violent white supremacist groups rather than law-abiding Muslim-Americans. King has refused to hold such hearings for years.]