Justin Herdman, the US Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio, made a blunt, powerful statement today regarding white supremacy and those who adhere to it.
In powerful remarks, U.S. Attorney Justin Herdman calls out white supremacists while announcing charges against a man accused of threatening an attack on Jewish community center.
"Those actions don't make you soldiers, they make you cowards." https://t.co/cGHs9h4cjX pic.twitter.com/lKlQGtu9AD
— ABC News (@ABC) August 29, 2019
This guy gets it!
Perhaps he can explain it to the President?
Open thread!
rikyrah
Maddow is doing another segment on the sick migrants that Dolt45 has sentenced to death with the letters sent to them.
??? Goku (aka Amerikan Baka) ??
The fact that the guy who threatened the Youngstown Jewish Community Center lives so nearby me (same county) disturbs me, though I shouldn’t be surprised. White supremacy knows no boundaries and can pop up anywhere
debbie
He wrote his own post-massacre headline!
Martin
Leaked Emails Show How White Nationalists Have Infiltrated Conservative Media
HyperSphericalCow
“A God-given and inalienable right to be on the losing side of this argument.”
Oof. I think that this is one of the most powerful vectors of attack against the alt-right/white/whatever – these guys are losers. They are losing. They can thrash around, and do a lot of damage in the process, but so did the OG Nazis in 1944. And look how it turned out for them. We just have to keep up the fight.
??? Goku (aka Amerikan Baka) ??
@Martin:
Isn’t that like the chicken and the egg?
Anyway, I really appreciated that Herdman tore down the reactionary interpretation of “free speech” that says they should have the right to an audience.
Nobody does and it’s not “censorship” to deny a platform to those that preach hatred and encourage violence
Adam L Silverman
@rikyrah: My understanding is that there is more nuance than Maddow is presenting. Specifically, as reported by MSNBC this afternoon, USCIS has stated that they have handed off this responsibility to ICE because it is ICE that determines who is deported. The problem, as MSNBC reported, is that when asked ICE’s response was “this is the first we’ve heard about this”. Based on MSNBC’s reporting this afternoon, USCIS and ICE are now communicating to ensure the program transitions. Or doesn’t. I’ve got the segment queued up, but the clarification comes in when Velshi brings Julia Ainsley on at the 18 minute mark:
A Ghost To Most
@??? Goku (aka Amerikan Baka) ??:
Free speech ends where sedition begins.
Omnes Omnibus
@A Ghost To Most: Who draws that line?
Amir Khalid
With this President, it’ll all go in one ear and out the other.
Adam L Silverman
@Omnes Omnibus: Harold. He has the purple crayon.
Omnes Omnibus
@Adam L Silverman: Stassen is still alive?
Adam L Silverman
@Omnes Omnibus: Wrong Harold.
Adam L Silverman
ALL HANDS BRACE FOR IMPACT! Twitter meltdown inbound!!!
Spanky
@??? Goku (aka Amerikan Baka) ??: The guy that shot up the Pittsburgh synagogue went to my high school. Twenty years after I did, granted. But still ….
A Ghost To Most
@Omnes Omnibus: Good question. You’re the lawyer; where is the line?
I’ve spent too much time with seditious mofos to have an unbiased opinion.
rikyrah
@Adam L Silverman:
Silverman,
I don’t believe in Nuance with these people. They say that ICE will take over…ICE who hadn’t heard of it. We still don’t have an answer as to why this happened in the first place. There is no nuance. Stop giving them any sliver of the benefit of the doubt. Damn it, how many cruelty related immigration stories have I posted in the past 2 years?
NobodySpecial
This attorney is getting fired on Monday, I’ll bet. It would be faster, but Alberto Gonzalez isn’t there anymore.
Mike in NC
Saw a good article online yesterday (Google “From Russia With Hate”) that detailed Putin’s efforts to promote right-wing white nationalism here and in Europe and other places scared out of their minds about brown people. Funding parties in about 15 countries on top of the installing Trump in the (very) White House.
dmsilev
@Adam L Silverman:
Another day ending in’y’, I see.
HalfAssedHomesteader
@Martin: Infiltrated? Ain’t no infiltration when they’re sent embossed invitations.
Currants
@Adam L Silverman: ooooh nice one, a classic!
Ronno2018
https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&source=images&cd=&ved=2ahUKEwi1wLuJyankAhVZJzQIHRLgBQkQjRx6BAgBEAQ&url=https%3A%2F%2Fskepchick.org%2F2017%2F08%2Fpopper-and-the-paradox-of-tolerance%2F&psig=AOvVaw3DDCb45tNmO2-PDpS3gOzZ&ust=1567219281539241
Mary G
Herdman is an ex-partner at Jones Day and was appointed by Trump, so I assume a Republican. God for him. You know there’s going to be blowback.
Adam L Silverman
@rikyrah: I’m not saying there is any real nuance here. I’m just indicating that MSNBC is reporting that this is not exactly as the way Maddow is reporting it.
Mary G
Withholding inoculations from people locked up in poor conditions is pure evil.
Adam L Silverman
@NobodySpecial: @Mary G: Someone was asleep at the White House personnel office.
Mary G
Moms rule:
Ohio Mom
It’s a marvelous speech but the glaring problem is that law enforcement has more than its share of bigots, misogynists, and yes, white supremicists. And they cover for each other.
Ohio Mom
@Mary G: I saw that earlier. It’s horrible and unforgivable.
Uncle Jeffy
@Mary G: Another charge to add to the crimes against humanity charges laid on Trump and Stephen Miller (unless biological warfare has been made legal).
joel hanes
@Adam L Silverman:
Just have to draw the moon, and then draw a window around it, to go home.
Mary G
James E Powell
@Ohio Mom:
Agree completely. We have seen many instances of right wing radicals and unapologetic racists in police departments.
This guy works for the president. I wonder how long he keeps that job. If he really believed a word of what he just said, he’d resign. It’s not like he will go hungry.
waratah
We need more people like him standing up. The more people in positions of power that speak up the better it is. Republicans as well as Democrats. Would be better if it was before a threat was made.
Steeplejack (phone)
@rikyrah:
Was it William McGurn you were thinking of at the WSJ?
ZeeLizzee
Apropos of the original post: the guy saying “we are from 100 countries and of 100 faiths” is WHIE and circled by WHITE GUYS. Just saying….
Adam L Silverman
@ZeeLizzee: Yes he is. And yes it would have been nice to have had some people of color and women and women of color up there with him. But the statement was excellent.
stinger
Outstanding speech. Would have been even stronger had the visuals backed it up. Instead, white male Herdman was backed up by 4 other while males. I wish some thought had been given to that.
Jay
Jay
@stinger:
It’s either authentic or it isn’t. Dragooning POC for the visuals isn’t the answer, more diversity is.
Looking at an old group photo from the late ‘80’s of the tech company I used to work for, less than 50% of the people in the photo were white males.
BR
@Adam L Silverman:
In some ways it’s just as strong without a show of visible diversity. The people he’s speaking to — those who need to hear this message — need to see people like those standing on the stage telling them what’s what.
Barbara
Youngstown isn’t far from Pittsburgh. All these actions are horrifying but I die a little every time I think of someone shooting elderly members of a synagogue along with two brothers with developmental disabilities, in order to “take it to the enemy,” in the neighborhood where my mother grew up.
Ladyraxterinok
@Adam L Silverman: Love that book! A staple to read to my son (b 69)
stinger
@Jay: I didn’t really want POC dragooned for the visuals. I wanted POC to be a sufficiently integral part of the senior leadership that they’d have been there by right.
stinger
@BR: That thought crossed my mind, too. But I’d still like to see diversity on that and every stage.
sdhays
@Jay: How the ever loving fuck is Steve Fucking King the Democrats’ fault? JFC, let the fucking Republicans have some fucking agency for once.
Steve in the ATL
@Jay: blaming the Democrats for Steve King? Whoever Christopher Mathias is, he can fuck right off.
Ladyraxterinok
@Mary G: Doesn’t mumps make men sterile? Modern ‘giving infected blankets to Native Americans’?
Way to eliminate groups you are afraid of!
lgerard
I would love to know which “reporter” ratted her out
Ruckus
@BR:
I agree. All white faces making this kind of statement…..
Hard to say that there aren’t whites who agree with this when it’s all white up there. He was after all speaking to an all white, very racist audience and POC up there would just end up a totally turned off message. POC have been delivering this message most of my life and while it’s made a difference, the people who really need to hear it would just totally tune it out with POC up there. It’s unfortunate that it is true but if you want the message to get out it needs to be people in authority, white people in authority, unambiguously saying it. Which is exactly what this was.
Ruckus
@stinger:
POC would be a great visual for us, those who have already understood this long ago. We would appreciate the visual and believe it to be better because in a better world that would be better. In the racist world we live in those extreme racists would never hear a word if there were POC up there. I’m not saying that’s proper or right, just that’s the way it is. And even so you aren’t going to change many racist minds with this speech. But it will be better heard by the people who need to hear it most without POC up on that stage. This isn’t you or me saying this, this is the people that racists will have to deal with when they do their shit. That is power speaking to those who revel in power (because the only power they have is hate and guns) and that is all they understand. Bigger power. Power to make their lives more miserable than their already are.
Sister Golden Bear
Obligatory Upton Sinclair quote: “It is difficult to get a man to understand something when his
salarybigotry depends upon his not understanding it.”Jay
@Ruckus:
So, Whipple, have an advantage.
Case in point, I have 0 convictions in various protests,
Consachs has 12, for the same protests.
I’m white.
She’s iniginous.
Jay
@stinger:
@Steve in the ATL:
Your vaunted First Estate in action.
Sab
@Jay: I like you and your posts, but your spelling sucks. And I am making allowance for the Canadian/Brit aspect.
Iniginous? Mysoginist?
Sometimes I can’t even guess what you meant to say.
apocalipstick
@Ladyraxterinok: It can, but it’s not a given consequence.
Chris Johnson
@Sab: Indigenous
bemused
@Adam L Silverman:
So Westerhout is out due to blabbing too much insider WH info but she’s not the first nor last to spill stuff that tick’s off trump. Are the other leakers just better at covering their tracks when talking with journalists?
Kathleen
@Martin: I realize thread is dead but I wanted to thank you for this. Mainstream media contribute to this by treating pubs like Breitbart as legit media outlets and using them to attack Dems (“Clinton Cash y’all”, ht HandMag Haberman).
artem1s
at least his family isn’t defending him as a ‘good guy’ this time… His mom’s reaction is what I’d like to see more of in these communities.
I hope Herdman’s message is mostly directed at those who radicalized this kid. This isn’t happening in a vacuum. Rural Ohio has been crawling with neo-nazis, white supremacists, radicalized militia, and second amendment kooks for over three decades now. Unfortunately, there will be plenty of Ohio Republicans calling for Herdman’s job today.
Tehanu
@BR:
Also @Ruckus:
Yes. They only listen to white males. They need to see white males who aren’t racist jerks.