Church targeted over progressive views

Following yesterday's deadly massacre at Knoxville's Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church, people are searching for answers.

But the right-wing media wasted no time in jumping to conclusions. The media painted the accused gunman Jim Adkisson as a liberal atheist who questioned religion. But the media's portrayal of Adkisson has turned out to be a lie.

Adkisson is actually a right-wing talk radio fan who objected to that particular congregation's progressive views. (The church has long supported fair wages, civil liberties, and other admirable causes.) The 58-year-old wrote a rambling manifesto assailing the "liberal movement" and progressive causes, and it indicated that he planned to keep shooting until police gunned him down.

Right-wing blogs and talk radio constantly prime the pump for terrorists like this. Typical of talk radio is one host's demand that a Cindy Sheehan supporter be "stomped to death." If you listen to almost any right-wing talk show for a few hours, you'll hear the host rant about how anyone who dissents should be silenced.

It's the same intolerant invective that helped spur right-wing terrorists like Timothy McVeigh and Eric Rudolph.

There's a right-wing power structure that props up this terrorism - not only in red states but in places like Sacramento, where Republican DA Jan Scully refused to prosecute thugs who vandalized an antiwar sign.

My solution? Watch the right-wing hate sites, talk radio, and right-wing organizations like a hawk. They should be monitored closely, because that's where terrorism brews.

The media was guilty of scapegoating when it tried claiming Jim Adkisson was a liberal and an atheist. It's no different from the scapegoating that talk radio has been guilty of for years. In the 1930s, Germany was plagued by a certain demagogue who practiced similar invective. His movement grew from a handful of followers into a whole political party.

Just remember that the next time you come across a wingnut blog or talk radio show.

(Source: http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2008/jul/28/church-shooting-police-find-manifesto-suspects-car)