. . . white supremacist hate groups . . . have an outsized effect based on the way they have been able to mainstream their propaganda and conspiracy theories . . . [via] conservative politicians' and pundits' . . . claims that Obama is a socialist.
Note that the source for these accusations is the Boston Globe, owned by the New York Times, and nearly bankrupt (of both money and integrity).
-- From "Obama election spurs wave of hate group violence" by Joseph Williams, Boston Globe Staff 5/11/09
While the inauguration of the first black president has lessened racial tensions for most Americans, it has set off a wave of violence on the white supremacist fringe, with anti-hate groups attributing six recent killings - including the ambush last month of three Pittsburgh police officers and the fatal shootings last month of two Florida sheriff's deputies - in part to anger over President Obama's election.
Mark Potok of the Southern Poverty Law Center, which tracks organizations such as the Ku Klux Klan and the National Socialist Movement, said the number of white extremist groups in the United States has increased by about 50 percent since 2000, and activity has sharply increased in recent months. The day after Obama won the presidency, he said, activity on the two most popular white supremacist websites overwhelmed computer servers.
Such groups, they said, tend to feed on racial resentment, economic deprivation, and anger toward government, but they have focused their wrath on Obama.
White extremists seem particularly upset at the belief Obama will curb their access to assault weapons; gun shops nationwide have reported a huge increase in sales of handguns and rapid-fire, large-capacity rifles, and the FBI reports that applications for required background checks for gun owners have soared compared with last year. Eric Holder, the nation's first black attorney general, has said that the administration will try to reinstitute the ban on military-style assault rifles that expired in 2004 during the Bush presidency.
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
Question: How many Americans buying guns would it take to cause "a huge increase in sales" of guns? A "white supremacist fringe" element certainly couldn't create a blip in gun sales; thus, the Boston Globe is obviously implying that most gun buyers are part of their definition of the "white supremacist fringe."
