Krugman: Noonday in the Shade (Ashcroft and RW Militias)

[RamboLiberal]

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/06/22/opinion/22KRUG.html?pagewanted=print&position=

In April 2003, John Ashcroft's Justice Department disrupted what appears to have been a horrifying terrorist plot. In the small town of Noonday, Tex., F.B.I. agents discovered a weapons cache containing fully automatic machine guns, remote-controlled explosive devices disguised as briefcases, 60 pipe bombs and a chemical weapon — a cyanide bomb — big enough to kill everyone in a 30,000-square-foot building.

Strangely, though, the attorney general didn't call a press conference to announce the discovery of the weapons cache, or the arrest of William Krar, its owner. He didn't even issue a press release. This was, to say the least, out of character. Jose Padilla, the accused "dirty bomber," didn't have any bomb-making material or even a plausible way to acquire such material, yet Mr. Ashcroft put him on front pages around the world. Mr. Krar was caught with an actual chemical bomb, yet Mr. Ashcroft acted as if nothing had happened.

Incidentally, if Mr. Ashcroft's intention was to keep the case low-profile, the media have been highly cooperative. To this day, the Noonday conspiracy has received little national coverage.

At this point, I have the usual problem. Writing about John Ashcroft poses the same difficulties as writing about the Bush administration in general, only more so: the truth about his malfeasance is so extreme that it's hard to avoid sounding shrill.

[wtmusic]

1. Ashcroft stands "head and shoulders below the rest"

:thumbsup:

[fabius]

2. Thank God for Paul Krugman!

If not for Krugman and a few others, I would completely give up on the American press.

[hlthe2b]

4. Yes... While the NYT has so largely lost its way, don't forget Krugman...

There is still some good coming out of the Old Gray Lady....

[AndyTiedye]

3. And This is Why I take No Comfort in the Fact of our Armed Citizenry

People like them and a lot of the militia types aren't going to
rise up against this government, they want to be part of it
as the Fundies complete their takeover.
They want to be the American Taliban and they are armed to the teeth.
Fascist regimes always have an outer shell of thugs who do their
bidding, deniably. You can always tell who they are because the
authorities have a mysterious lack of interest in prosecuting their
crimes.

They were only stopped this time because their cover was blown by accident, and too many honest cops found out about it.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

5. Rest assured that if this guy had been Muslim

he would have been held in a brig somewhere without benefit of counsel. And what's this about calling environmentalists and animal rights activists terrorists? It is obvious that Ashcroft is using 'terror' as an excuse to put down all groups with which he disagrees.

Wonder if Ashcroft would ascribe any domestic terrorist incident perpetrated by right-wing hate groups as coming not from them but from one of the groups Ashcroft hates? If so, would the right-wingers step up and claim responsibility or sit back and laugh as the AG finishes their job of hate? Would there be enough upright people in the FBI to stand up and say "No, this wasn't done by Muslims (or ecologists, or animal rights activists), this has all the hallmarks of right-wing whackos." Would these agents be allowed to get the truth out, or would they, like the whistle blowers of Abu Ghraib, be placed in mental institutions for 'observation'?

[SeattleDem]

6. so sad that I'm learning about this from an editorial

I try to read papers regularly, I have NPR on all day at work. Why didn't I hear about this case before? If I haven't heard it, certainly your average American rushing to and from work every day hasn't heard about it.

Shameful.