Racist Oath Keeper suspended from St.Louis Police force. I was reminded of Glenn Greenwald.

[Cad Bane]

The other night while watching Lawrence on MSNBC he showed clips of a racist St.Louis Police officer who went on an hour long rant at an Oath Keepers event.

The officer repeatedly and proudly referred to himself as a killer and said he would kill again. He also went in to a tired rant about Obama being Kenyan etc etc.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/08/22/dan-page-st-louis-police-officer_n_5702000.html

This just so happened to be the same officer who was seen aggressively pushing Don Lemon live on CNN during a protest.

All of this shouldn't come as a shock to anybody. People who know who the Oath Keepers are know that they are a dangerous white supremacist militia within the Police and Military ranks. They have direct ties to neo-nazis and the KKK.

This is old school racism straight out of the Jim Crow era.

Yet despite all of this Glenn Greenwald decided a year ago promote them with a tweet to his followers. Here's how Greenwald tried to white wash this racist group in his tweet and package them to his supporters.

"A coalition of current and former military, police, and other public officials place huge pro-Snowden ad in Metro"

His tweet was from an article on the libertarian site Reason.com

Ironically Reason wasn't ashamed to mention the name "Oath Keepers" in their headline. They know who their audience is.

http://bobcesca.thedailybanter.com/blog-archives/2013/09/greenwald-promotes-oath-keepers-on-911-for-running-pro-snowden-ads.html

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10023648837

http://littlegreenfootballs.com/article/42504_Why_Is_Glenn_Greenwald_Promoting_an_Extreme_Right_Wing_Militia

I hear a lot of people online pretending that they are just baffled by the hostility that some liberals have for Greenwald. They just can't understand what he has done to earn our distrust.

This just shows how he is perfectly comfortable wading in the darkest waters of the right wing racist swamps. He is willing to reach down deep to align himself with some of the worst folks around just as long as they help promote his agenda.

Maybe now people will realize why we have issues with him and don't consider him to be a credible source.

[msanthrope]

1. OMG--that was the thread I got a hide in because I called Greenwald a ratfucker. The alerter

told the jury that "ratfucker" was homophobic....and so I asked Skinner if it was.....

His reply....

http://www.democraticunderground.com/12593382

You gotta be careful on this site with criticizing the Greenwald.

[moriah]

3. Wouldn't it be more beastophobic, if anything?

I can't see anything sexual at all about it besides the "fucker" part.

It almost sounds like a case of people getting confused like with the word "niggardly" thinking it has a racial context. (I don't use the word simply because it does phonetically sound similar enough to the actual n-word and I'd rather not have to deal with having to dig out Webster's when there are many other words for stingy, or worse offend someone who didn't hear me clearly.)

[msanthrope]

40. I doubt there was confusion on part of the alerter. nt

[JaydenD]

43. That alerter was not confused but relying on others confusion. seems like.

[whatchamacallit]

4. Skinner was right on

You probably just drew a jury mostly comprised of people who don't see 24/7 Greenwald smears as productive.

[KittyWampus]

8. the fact you need to resort to hyperbole is very telling.

[edbermac]

6. Ratfucking?

First heard that term watching the movie All the President's Men. Is that what you were referencing?

Deep Throat: What's the topic for tonight?
Bob Woodward: Rat-fucking.
Deep Throat: [lights a cigarette] In my day it was called double-cross. In simple context, it means infiltration of the Democrats.

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ratfucking

[msanthrope]

41. That's exactly right. nt

[KittyWampus]

10. I also had a post hidden for using term 'ratfucker' w/ someone calling it homophobic. Skinner

is off the mark in his comments. Calling someone that isn't an insult as much as it's a descriptive term for what someone is doing politically.

[msanthrope]

42. Do you still have the alert? Alert on it...you might have the same alerter

I did.

[tclambert]

17. In the future be sure to explain you mean ratfucking only rats of the opposite sex.

No homosexuality involved. Just good ol' fashioned beastiality with vermin.

[Cha]

35. Of course.. "Ratfucking is an American slang term for political sabotage or dirty tricks.

Last edited Tue Aug 26, 2014, 10:58 PM - Edit history (1)

It was first brought to public attention by Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein in their book All the President's Men."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ratfucking

Juror # 2 and 6 got it..

Juror #2 voted to LEAVE IT ALONE and said: "Ratfucking" is slang for political slander, sabotage and dirty tricks. Ironically, the comment left by the alerter is a good example of ratfucking. Greenwald is not immunized from all criticism because he is gay, and not every criticism of him is a homophobic slur

Juror #6 voted to LEAVE IT ALONE and said: I'm not seeing homophobia. AFAIK "ratfucking" refers to dirty tricks only

I've referred to GGreenwald as a ratfucker before with and without the official definition.. I mean that's what he does. But, I guess it's safer to always have the definition after it.. too many alert happy trigger fingers around here.

It was a bad hide, misanthrope.

[Blue_Tires]

2. Greenwald never did answer for that, and I've asked him about it repeatedly...

Just the mere fact that he endorsed a political group is a huge ethical breach...But to promote and whitewash THAT bunch?

[gratuitous]

5. Wait . . . what?

Greenwald's tweet of September 11, 2013 noted that the Oath Keepers placed a "huge pro-Snowden ad in Metro" and sourced the fact to the story in Reason. That's the sum and substance of the tweet. There was nothing in the tweet that aligns Greenwald with anyone at Reason or in the Oath Keepers. I don't see this as a white wash of the Oath Keepers.

If there is other source material from Greenwald that endorses or supports the Oath Keepers or Reason, it's not in this tweet. And if that's all there is to this charge against Greenwald's credibility, I can't say I'm persuaded.

But please proceed if you have anything else.

[sabrina 1]

44. Sshhhh, you're interrupting the 'Smear the Journalist Glenn Greenwald' moment.

[Dems2002]

54. Agreed

What GG did was state a fact. He didn't endorse the organization. The vilification of him is so over-the-top here it's hard to wrap my arms around.

[Autumn]

7. An old Greenwald tweet from 2013, link to a DU post from 2013.

It's like being in a time warp. that's a long time to hold things in. I always like these threads. They get so interesting.

[Rex]

9. It's just a jump to the left...and then a step to the right!

Indeed!

[KittyWampus]

11. …put your hands on your hips...

[Rex]

12. .

[JaneyVee]

13. Oath Keeper leader sentenced to 30yrs in prison

For raping his 6yr old daughter and possessing a grenade launcher. Charles Dyer is his name.

[MindPilot]

14. Ferguson PD called.

They need some help making this Mike Brown dude look bad.

Perhaps you can completely discredit him by tying him to some tangentially related event, maybe a convenience story robbery or rap music.

[cui bono]

15. Funny how such things as a murder of a black kid by police can remind

people to yet again attempt to smear GG.

[Cad Bane]

21. Having Greenwald's sliminess shown to you really makes you uncomfortable.

Funny how his own words and tweets are always off limits and viewed as "smears".

He must really say some fucked up shit if his own fans think using his words is unfair.

Funny how nobody else is shielded and protected from their own public statements in that way.

[gratuitous]

26. I'm really missing your point

As I mentioned before, there's nothing in Greenwald's tweet that endorses, aligns with, or white washes the Oath Keepers. It merely passes along a fact that the Oath Keepers posted an ad supporting Ed Snowden, and cited Reason as its source. Do you have some other information that shows Greenwald endorsing, aligning with, or white washing the Oath Keepers? Because the tweet doesn't match the conclusions you've drawn.

[VanillaRhapsody]

29. would it make a difference to you if he tweeted that the KKK did that instead?

would you still be AOK with it?

[cui bono]

49. People posted here on DU what the KKK did regarding the cop that killed Mike Brown.

So what's your point?

[gratuitous]

51. What if it was KKK zombies while they were eating the brain of Mother Teresa?

Boy, you really got me with that one!

But I still don't see where Greenwald's tweet aligns with, endorses or white washes the Oath Keepers. And I've looked at it several times.

[Skittles]

57. that's gonna go right over their heads, gratuitious

that requires critical thinking - not much, but some

[cui bono]

48. Uncomfortable? No, not at all.

You seem quite worked up though. Is it GG that does that to you? The truth perhaps?

[cascadiance]

16. I think blaming Greenwald for this idiot's crap is like calling Koch brothers communists...

... for getting a big chunk of their family wealth with their ancestor's business deals with Stalin!

Greenwald isn't the one that's saying the shit this guy is.

It would also be like being anti-semitic to every Jewish person you know because of the actions of one who more deservedly deserves the RF word in Netanyahu. Totally unfair as there are many great and peaceful people I know who are Jewish that I wouldn't want to feel any defensive feelings for my critique of the actions of Netanyahu's government.

[Cad Bane]

19. I blamed Greenwald for white washing who this group is and trying to sell them to his fans.

Because they aligned with his current agenda.

I never said Greenwald was responsible for what this racist said.

The Oath Keepers as a whole are a racist right wing militia organization. Yet Greenwald still tweeted out a positive sanitized description of who they are.

You can't defend that apparently so you have to make up something that I never said to try and defend him.

[RiffRandell]

18. I lost a FB friend over her insisting that they were non-partisan

yet showed her proof of them speaking at TP rallies. No loss; trust me.

[Cad Bane]

20. You have a friend who supports the Oath Keepers?

I feel sorry for you.

[RiffRandell]

23. Had, and don't.

I'm just fine without your pity.

[Cad Bane]

25. Ok then.

[Blue Idaho]

22. Racists infiltrating police departments...

Why am I not surprised?

[conservaphobe]

24. Walks and talks like a duck... is a duck. No surprise. nt

[Vattel]

28. Lame attempt to smear.

"This just shows how he is perfectly comfortable wading in the darkest waters of the right wing racist swamps. He is willing to reach down deep to align himself with some of the worst folks around just as long as they help promote his agenda."

Greenwald's tweet does not show that he aligns himself with anyone.

[VanillaRhapsody]

30. If he tweeted that Stormfront took out a full page ad etc......

would that change your mind?

[Vattel]

31. If he tweeted that the KKK took out a full-page ad,

I wouldn't accuse him of aligning himself with the KKK. Why? Because to make a true claim about what the KKK did is not to align oneself with the KKK.

[VanillaRhapsody]

32. yeah maybe YOU wouldn't but every other human being would......

or do you just not care how ethical he is at all?

what if he tweeted that ISIS took out a full page ad....?

Isn't he kind of tweeting it because he is PROUD of it?

[Vattel]

33. every idiot would

[VanillaRhapsody]

34. So the fact that he is PROUD that this group took out the full page ad...means nothing to you...

I think I would be a little embarrassed.....as should you for making this argument...

[Vattel]

38. You are twisting yourself into knots trying to spin this to reflect poorly on Greenwald.

Huge posters in the Pentagon metro station suggesting that people should, like Snowden did, expose unconstitutional actions by the federal government are big news in Greenwald's world. Obviously he would be interested in the posters and obviously he would think that many of his followers on twitter would be interested. The Reason article he referenced in his tweet doesn't talk about the composition of the Oath Keepers or how crazy and racist many of their members' views are. Did you expect Greenwald to do a thorough investigation of the group before mentioning the posters? I guess he should have done that and then tweeted that his mentioning the posters should not be taken as an endorsement of the views of those responsible for them. Maybe he underestimates how stupid some of his critics can get.

[VanillaRhapsody]

39. no twisting here.....

he sidled up.....yessiree bob....he sidled himself right up and got cozy with them....it is YOU that is twisting themselves into knots to justify it!

[cui bono]

52. Where did he say he was "PROUD" about it? n/t

[cui bono]

50. No. Reporting/stating a fact that happened does not mean you support it.

How many tweets do you think were made stating that a cop killed a young black male. Does that mean everyone who tweeted that that happened supported it?

[3rdwaydem]

36. I encountered some Oath Keepers at a hotel in Sacramento a couple of years ago...

There were a few Black and Hispanic members of the group although most were white males.

I spoke with some of them over breakfast as I knew nothing about their organization at the time. Some were police officers while others seemed to be National Guard or veterans of the armed forces.

They were nice enough although, their views were very far out there and quite unsophisticated. While I didn't agree with them, I would not have thought them to be racist. Oh, and yes, while I may have disagreed with them, I do appreciate those have served or are currently in our military.

[ecstatic]

46. Cool story bro. nt

[Cha]

37. Well if Oath Keepers were promoting Snowden.. who cares what they fuck they stand for?

"It’s the “Oathkeepers,” one of the most extreme right wing militia groups in the US, and one of many offshoots of the Patriot movement, with numerous ties to white nationalist and xenophobic anti-immigrant groups. Their founder, Stewart Rhodes, believes Barack Obama is plotting to disarm American citizens and turn US cities into “giant concentration camps.” He explained the goals of the group like this:

"We say if the American people decide it’s time for a revolution, we’ll fight with you.” Ratfuckers.

http://littlegreenfootballs.com/article/42504_Why_Is_Glenn_Greenwald_Promoting_an_Extreme_Right_Wing_Militia

Run for it citizens.. Obama is coming to take your guns!!!1111 Stupid Fearmongering A$$holes.

Thank you, Cad Bane, for the history on this racist piece of shit officer who got "suspended" from the St Louis force.. should be Fired!

[ecstatic]

45. I cannot believe some people are trying to defend this

Flat out: Anyone defending GG on this one is not liberal, progressive, or a democrat.

[cui bono]

53. It's not so much about defending him as it is about pointing out the ridiculous stretch

to bring it all back to smearing GG.

Anyone who is all about character assassination rather than looking at the issue is not a liberal, progressive or a democrat. And it's happening a lot on DU and it's all about the fact that GG dared to report something sinister happening during the Obama administration. We all know that's all that it's about. If he fawned over Obama not one of the people trying to smear him would have anything bad to say about him. It would be nice to just discuss issues for once.

[Vattel]

60. so true

[SidDithers]

47. Greenwald's a clown...nt

Sid

[Union Scribe]

55. "why we have issues with him"

Already got your clique here eh? Pretty quick worker.

[Dragonfli]

56. Reincarnation is a wonderful and magical thing. /nt

Last edited Wed Aug 27, 2014, 11:37 AM - Edit history (1)

[sibelian]

58. The Force isn't so strong with you.

I think your fascination with Greenwald stems from a deep homophobia.

Ooh! See what I did there?

[Recursion]

59. When Manning or Snowden are the subject, DU essentially repeats the Oathkeepers' manifesto

When the actual Oathkeepers get brought up, DU withdraws.