Progressive News Feeds

Fox News contributor and psychiatrist Dr. Keith Ablow has a weekly segment on Fox & Friends called “Normal or Nuts,” in which he takes viewers’ emails about their odd traits and then declares them either “normal” or “nuts.” Usually these complaints fall into the category of personality quirks; for example, today’s segment included a viewer asking if it was normal to have a crush on her sister’s husband. But one of the emails this morning took an odd turn, when a viewer asked if it was normal that they were planning to “move to a doomsday unit in case of an attack.” The viewer went on to describe their “safety silo” as having “space to store dry food for years” and being able to “run on wind power.” After co-host Gretchen Carlson read the email, which concluded with the viewer asking if the “safety silo” was “just craziness,” Ablow reassured the viewer that, while he wished he could call the viewer “nuts,” it made sense because a group of unnamed wealthy people had a plan to flee the country “in case things get so wildly out of control with the government taking over that there’s no individual liberty left”: CARLSON (reading question): OK. I may move to a doomsday unit in case of an attack, my new home will have 9 foot thick concrete walls, run on wind power, and with space to store dry food for years. Is a safety silo just craziness? ABLOW: No, you know, I wish it were. I honestly wish it were. I wish I could sit here and say, “Boy, that’s so crazy.” But I got to tell you, people with lots of money, they must be really crazy, because they’re getting houses outside this country to flee to in case things get so wildly out of control with the government taking control that there’s no individual liberty left. So this isn’t craziness, but the question is wouldn’t you rather build walls of steel in your character? That’s never vulnerable. Ablow’s diagnosis?

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Last month, we documented how right-wing media used the Norway terrorist attack to push for more lenient gun laws. They’re at it again, now using the riots in the United Kingdom as their hook. Today, Andrew Breitbart’s Big Government published a blog post by AWR Hawkins headlined “If We Let the Government Take Our Guns, We’ll Have To Run and Hide Like Londoners.” Hawkins claimed that “because England banned the private ownership of handguns the “criminals are confident the citizenry is thoroughly unarmed” and are “going into homes and business … taking whatever they want.” They then attempt to strike fear into readers by suggesting “if we ever let the government take our guns, it won’t be long till we’ll be scrambling under tables like Londoners.” He punctuated that post with this picture, although it’s unclear if this is supposed to be a picture of the rioters or those running in fear because they don’t have guns: Not to be outdone, Fox News soon got into the act.

Tags: america, author, feeds, glenn-beck, government, london, media, michael-savage, norway, pamela-geller, the-five

Glenn Beck is asking members of Congress and the leaders of other organizations to lend their support to his Restoring Courage rally slated to take place in Jerusalem in August, according to documents obtained by Media Matters. In an email to a congressional office, Beck staffer Natalie Costantino insists that the event will be “non-partisan, non-political, and non-denominational” and writes that “Glenn would like to invite” the member “personally to support the country, whether it be joining us in Israel or supporting in spirit.” Costantino adds: We are asking supporters to participate in two things that will help strengthen the message of Restoring Courage: First, we are asking if  [Member of Congress' name redacted]  could write a support letter on official letterhead to be posted online. An archive of letters will be created to help encourage others to take the courageous step of standing with Israel.  Please note that your letter of support may be posted on  glennbeck.com ,  theblaze.com , GBTV, our Restoring Courage Facebook page and Glenn may talk about your organization’s support on TV or radio. Secondly, please visit  www.facebook.com/824restoringcourage  and like our page! Reciprocally, we will add your page to our likes. Attached to the email is a “concept letter” stating that the event is “apolitical, non-partisan and will not promote any particular religion but focus on the need for individuals to have the courage of their convictions and take a stand with Israel.” While the rally may indeed be nondenominational, Beck’s focus on Israel is fueled — at least in part — by an interest in End Times theology. As we have documented extensively , both Beck and his chosen religious “experts” have repeatedly suggested that Israel is especially important at this point in time due to its role in End Times prophecies and the possibly impending Second Coming of Jesus Christ. During the monologue on his radio program announcing the Israel rally in May, Beck evoked Ezekiel and the End Times. As he often does when suggesting we may be living in the End Times, he was sure to clarify that he personally has “no idea if these are the times”: BECK: There will be people who will say, ‘oh, you are crazy – that’s not gonna happen. People have been saying that this is Ezekiel for five thousand years. Yada Yada Yada.” I have no idea if these are the times, I just know that the old hatreds are starting up, and as Dietrich Bonhoeffer, said, ‘God will not hold us blameless.’”I choose to stand and be counted. Currently featured at Glenn Beck’s GBTV website is a video titled “Understanding the Holy Land,” wherein a series of religious experts present a brief history of Israel. Among these experts are several frequent Beck guests that believe the End Times could be imminent, including Left Behind author Tim LaHaye, Joel Rosenberg, and Joel Richardson. The documentary repeatedly references the potentially imminent End Times, and at one point portrays the creation of the State of Israel in 1948 as especially important due to its fulfillment of the “one major prophecy that was yet to be fulfilled” about “the end of the world.” In the video, Rosenberg explains why it is uniquely important for people to support Israel at this point in time by pointing to a “prophecy that doesn’t get much attention” from the Book of Joel indicating that God is going to “judge all the nations who have divided his land” when “history comes to an end.”

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Glenn Beck’s comment yesterday that the Labor Party youth camp attacked by a terrorist in Norway last Friday “sounds a little like the Hitler Youth” is perhaps a new low point, even for him. But Beck’s comparing the victims of a terrorist attack that resulted in 68 deaths to the Hitler Youth isn’t just egregious — it also smacks of hypocrisy. As CNN.com points out in an article covering Beck’s comment, the 9/12 Project — which Beck founded and heavily promoted during his run on Fox News — runs “Patriot Camps” for young children that include “Educational exercises will focus on our Constitution, the Founding Fathers, and the values and principles that are the cornerstones of our nation.” The CNN.com article also points out that: [I]n August, the Danville, Kentucky, chapter is holding a “Vacation Liberty School” that organizers pledge “will help your children understand where we came from. Understand where we went wrong. Understand where the fork in the road was, and which path we should have taken.” Beck’s comment was criticized by the National Jewish Democratic Council today. Once again , Beck has demonstrated that there are no limits to how low his rhetoric will sink.

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I’ve been pretty critical of Pat Buchanan over the years, mostly due to his ongoing and enthusiastic bigotry. But despite Buchanan’s almost unbelievable dislike of Nelson Mandela and Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. , the most remarkable thing about him might be who he praises , not who he hates. Throughout his career, Buchanan has demonstrated a remarkable ability to find something nice to say about the most despicable people imaginable. Take Adolf Hitler, for example. You could give me all week, and I wouldn’t come up with anything good to say about Hitler. But not Pat Buchanan: He’s ready to offer praise for Hitler at the drop of a hat . You don’t even have to challenge him to do so — he’ll just leap to Hitler’s defense on his own. Then there’s John Demjanjuk, convicted earlier this year of complicity in the murder of tens of thousands of Jews while serving at a Nazi death camp. Not many people would defend such a person, but Pat Buchanan has, even employing the discredited arguments of Holocaust deniers in order to do so. Buchanan’s kind words aren’t reserved for Nazis, though. He praised Klansman David Duke for his staunch opposition to “discrimination against white folks” — though Buchanan did get a bit peeved when he concluded that the grand wizard of the Ku Klux Klan had been “stealing” his ideas. Then there’s Nixon Supreme Court nominee Harrold Carswell, whose outspoken belief in “white supremacy” cost him a seat on the court. Most people wouldn’t defend such a man, but Pat Buchanan will. And just this week, Buchanan argued that Anders Behring Breivik — the monster who murdered scores of people in Norway last week — might’ve had a point. Again and again, Buchanan has found something to praise or defend about some of the most widely reviled people in history. It’s an astonishing track record of providing aid and comfort to mass murderers and white supremacists.

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Before last summer, Hugh Crumpler III was best known in central Florida as a professional bass guide. But for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) he was a big fish. Guns confiscated from Hugh Crumpler III. Photo Courtesy ATF Crumpler, 64, was a key player in a major international gun smuggling network. It was taken down by the Tampa Field Division of the ATF with Operation Castaway, a six-month investigation that federal prosecutors called “the most significant firearms trafficking investigation in Central Florida history.”  Nothing in the more than 500 pages of Operation Castaway court documents, which are public records , indicate anything other than a textbook operation culminating in the interdiction of a large shipment of firearms bound for Honduras. Eight traffickers including Crumpler were convicted and sentenced to between two and a half and seven years in federal prison. Despite this winning outcome, Operation Castaway is under attack from right-wing bloggers and Fox. These critics are disregarding basic standards of fact checking in their rush to link the Tampa investigation to Operation Fast and Furious, the failed ATF initiative in which agents knowingly allowed firearms to be trafficked across the border into Mexico. In one typical example, Fox Business host Lou Dobbs branded Operation Castaway “a second version of the botched operation Fast and Furious” during his July 11 broadcast.

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The unfolding News Corp. hacking scandal is not just about a tabloid allegedly engaging in unethical and illegal behavior, but also about how widespread that behavior was apparently allowed to become within the company. Other News Corp. newspapers have been touched by the News of the World hacking scandal , and there are questions as to whether very senior executives in the company — like James Murdoch — participated in covering up the company’s misdeeds. The DOJ is also reportedly investigating years-old allegations that a News Corp. advertising company hacked into a competitor’s computer system. For close observers of corporate governance, the fact that News Corp. could let a scandal like this one grow so out of control wasn’t a surprise at all. In the midst of countless stories about bribery and hacking, several corporate governance experts have said that this scandal was predictable.

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After rushing to declare that the recent attacks in Norway were linked to Muslims, the right-wing media has now expressed outrage that the perpetrator, Anders Breivik, is being described accurately as a self-identified Christian. Breivik “Self-Identified As ‘Christian’ ” Salon: “Breivik Chose To Be Baptized At Age 15. He Self-Identified As ‘Christian’ On His Facebook Page.” As Salon’s Alex Pareene notes, Breivik “self-identified as ‘Christian.’” From Salon: Breivik chose to be baptized at age 15. He self-identified as “Christian” on his Facebook page .  He thought ”Christianity should recombine under the banner of a reconstituted and traditionalist Catholic Church” or, later, under a new (traditionalist) European Church. Breivik is  not  an American-style evangelical Christian. He is not a “fundamentalist” in that sense. Though he does identify with American cultural Christian conservatives. And he considers himself to be fighting in the name of “our Christian cultural heritage.” He supports a reconstituted Knights Templar devoted to winning a war against Islam in the name of Christianity. Does he go to church? Does he believe in the divinity of Jesus Christ? Is he a biblical literalist? I have no idea. There’s plenty about him that would lead a devout Christian to consider Breivik “not a ‘real’ Christian.” Here’s the thing about that: The same is true of all self-proclaimed Muslims who commit acts of terrorism. He’s a sick perversion of Christianity, sure. But if he “doesn’t count” as a Christian solely because no one this evil should “count” as a Christian (which is [Fox News host Bill] O’Reilly’s other argument — “no one believing in Jesus commits mass murder,” he said) then no terrorist should “count” as a representative of his faith. [Salon, 7/26/11 , emphasis in original] Right-Wing Media Complain Breivik Being Labeled As A “Christian” Ingraham: “The Idea That In Any Way He Represents” Christians ” Is Ridiculous And Absurd.” On the July 27 edition of Fox News’ Fox & Friends, co-host Brian Kilmeade asked Fox News contributor Laura Ingraham if she was “surprised” that the media “quickly label[ed]” Breivik a “Christian.” Ingraham replied that Breivik didn’t represent “any mainstream or even fringe sentiment in the Christian community.” From Fox & Friends : KILMEADE: Let’s talk about Norway. The horrific — that horrific terror attack and that gunman and the quick look at — looking at him and the relief the media seems to have expressed that he is not Islamic, and they quickly label him Christian when there is nothing religious about his approach. Were you surprised at that?  INGRAHAM: No, I wasn’t. And the New York Times headline, the day after that horrible attack, I mean, it did jump out of the page at me, you know, Christian extremist, because I don’t recall the Islamic extremist label being used at all — KILMEADE: Ever. INGRAHAM: — or frequently by main stream media. We did a quick search on our radio show for one and we couldn’t find one from the Post — Washington Post or the New York Times . So look, obviously this guy, obviously a beast and an evil person and twisted, we’ll find out. The idea that in any way he represents any mainstream or even fringe sentiment in the Christian community is ridiculous and it’s absurd and the glee seems to have come through in some of these headlines. [Fox News, Fox &  Friends ] O’Reilly Promo: “Why Is The Liberal Press Playing Up The Christian Angle?” A promo for Fox News’ The O’Reilly Factor which aired during the July 26 broadcast of Fox News’ Happening Now asked: “What’s the motive? Why is the liberal press playing up the Christian angle in the Norway shooter case?” [Fox News, Happening Now , 7/26/11 via Media Matters ] O’Reilly: Coverage Of Breivik’s Christian Faith Is “A Movement … To Diminish And Marginalize” Christianity. On the July 25 edition of Fox News’ The O’Reilly Factor , host Bill O’Reilly claimed that identifying Breivik as a Christian “is intentional and people should know. Americans … should know that there is a movement in the American media to diminish and marginalize the Christian philosophy.” [Fox News, The O'Reilly Factor , 7/25/11 via Media Matters ] O’Reilly: “Liberal Media Have Branded” Breivik “A Christian, Even Though There Is … No Evidence.” On The O’Reilly Factor , O’Reilly claimed: ” The New York Times and other liberal media have branded the Norwegian mass murderer Anders Breivik a Christian, even though there is absolutely no evidence the man is a follower of Jesus Christ.” O’Reilly later claimed: “There is no evidence this man was a member of a church. No evidence that he followed the teachings of Jesus Christ. As you know, they’re nonviolent. OK? No evidence that he had anything to do with the Christian faith. Yet, they call him a Christian because he says he is? Come on.” [Fox News, The O'Reilly Factor , 7/26/11 via Media Matters ] Peters: “He Defines Himself As A Christian, But … Anybody Can Claim Anything.” On the July 26 edition of Fox Business Network’s America’s Nightly Scoreboard , Fox News contributor Lt. Col. Ralph Peters claimed Breivik “defines himself as a Christian but, you know, anyone can claim anything.” From America’s Nightly Scoreboard : ASMAN: Well, judging from the mainstream media accounts of the horrific massacre in Norway, you might think that we’re on the cusp of a wave of Christian terrorism that could rival any threat from Muslim terrorists. Is that true? Let’s ask our own terrorism expert and Fox News strategic analyst Lt. Col. Ralph Peters. So Colonel, first of all, this guy who was responsible, who we think is responsible, he’s claimed responsibility, et cetera, Anders Breivik, I guess is his name — do you think that he is — would you define him as a Christian terrorist, as all the headlines are? PETERS: Well, he defines himself as a Christian, but you know, anybody can claim anything. And I have to tell you, doesn’t have anything to do with any church I’ve ever attended. But David, what troubles me most is the hypocrisy. I mean, this is such a godsend to the liberal media. One guy, a Timothy McVeigh type in Norway this time, does something really monstrous, and suddenly, ‘Oh, it’s OK!’ It’s not about — you know, you — you know, it’s just like Islam. Well, you know, it’s not. There have been tens of thousands of Islamist terrorist attacks, and the media have rushed to say it’s nothing to do with Islam. Now one crazy claims he’s a Christian and commits an act of terror, and Oh, my God, we expect more Christian terrorists. Well, I’m waiting for the Baptist suicide bombers. [Fox Business Network, America's Nightly Scoreboard , 7/26/11 via Media Matters ] Yet The Right-Wing Media Rushed To Incorrectly Label Breivik A Muslim Before Learning His Identity Ingraham: “Two Deadly Terror Attacks In Norway … Appears To Be The Work … Of Muslim Extremists.” On the July 22 edition of Fox News’ The O’Reilly Factor , guest host Laura Ingraham claimed the bombings “appears to be the work, once again, of Muslim extremists.” From The O’Reilly Factor : INGRAHAM: In the “Back of the Book” segment tonight, two deadly terror attacks in Norway in what appears to be the work, once again, of Muslim extremists. In Oslo today, which is where the Nobel Prize is awarded, at least one bomb exploded, ripping apart buildings including the prime minister’s office and killing at least seven and injuring 15. Shortly afterwards a gunman disguised as a police officer opened fire at a children’s camp nearby. Though authorities say as many as 10 people were killed in the shooting, the man arrested in that incident has been linked to the bombing in Oslo. [Fox News, The O'Reilly Factor , 7/22/11 via Media Matters ] Rubin: Oslo Attacks Are “A Sobering Reminder For Those Who Think It’s Too Expensive To Wage War Against Jihadists.” In a July 22 Washington Post blog, conservative blogger Jennifer Rubin claimed there was a “specific jihadist connection” in the Oslo attacks and called it a “sobering reminder for those who think it’s too expensive to wage a war with Jihadists.” From the Washington Post : Moreover, there is a specific jihadist connection here: “Just nine days ago, Norwegian authorities filed charges against Mullah Krekar, an infamous al Qaeda-affiliated terrorist who, with help from Osama bin Laden, founded Ansar al Islam — a branch of al Qaeda in northern Iraq — in late 2001.” This is a sobering reminder for those who think it’s too expensive to wage a war against jihadists. I spoke to Gary Schmitt of the American Enterprise Institute, who has been critical of proposed cuts in defense and of President Obama’s Afghanistan withdrawal plan. “There has been a lot of talk over the past few months on how we’ve got al-Qaeda on the run and, compared with what it once was, it’s become a rump organization. But as the attack in Oslo reminds us, there are plenty of al-Qaeda allies still operating. No doubt cutting the head off a snake is important; the problem is, we’re dealing with global nest of snakes.” Some irresponsible lawmakers on both sides of the aisle — I will point the finger at Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R-Ga.), who sits on the Senate Armed Services Committee and yet backed the Gang of Six scheme to cut $800 billion from defense — would have us believe that enormous defense cuts would not affect our national security. Obama would have us believe that al-Qaeda is almost caput and that we can wrap up things in Afghanistan. All of these are rationalizations for doing something very rash, namely curbing our ability to defend the United States and our allies in a very dangerous world. In a later post, Rubin acknowledged her error, writing the story “is a good reminder to all of us including myself that early reports are often wrong.” She nonetheless added, “There are many more jihadists than blond Norwegians out to kill Americans, and we should keep our eye on the systemic and far more potent threats that stem from an ideological war with the West.” [ Washington Post , 7/22/11 ; Washington Post, 7/23/11 ] Big Peace Asks If Norway’s “Big Muslim Problem” Has “Just Blown Up In Its Face.” In a July 22 post on Big Peace, blogger Dan Friedman wrote: “Norway has a big Muslim problem. Before long we should know if Norway’s problem has just blown up in its face.” [Big Peace, 7/22/11 ] Bolton: “It Sure Looks Like Islamic Terrorism.”  From the July 22 edition of Fox News’  America Live , Fox News contributor John Bolton stated: BOLTON: Well, this is a very un-Norwegian act, so the odds of it coming from someone other than a native Norwegian, I think, are extremely high. And it is a classic terrorist effort. And it’s gonna have a dramatic impact on Norway. There have been speculations because the famous Mohammed cartoons were published there, because of this cleric who’s under deportation proceedings. So without anyone taking responsibility for it or any definitive evidence, we can’t say for sure, but it sure looks like Islamic terrorism. [Fox News,  America Live,   7/22/11 via Media Matters ] Erickson: “I Bet You It Was Not Lutherans.” In a July 22 Twitter post, CNN contributor Erick Erickson wrote: “Terrorist bombing in Oslo. I bet you it was not Lutherans who did it.” [Twitter, 7/22/11 ] Media Matters intern Marcus Feldman contributed to this item

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@thedailybeast: ICYMI: How the Anti-Muslim Bigotry that Drove Anders Breivik Could Trigger a Similar Attack in the States http://thebea.st/nftSNc #Norway

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Mark Steyn on the Norway murders: Muslims, he writes, “are entirely absent” http://bit.ly/oM7NXe

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