6 ms·

I bet the criteria for being an extremist is not agreeing with everything the state does.

msandford 9mo ago
Back during Obama's tenure lots of right sympathetic groups got labeled domestic terror organizations. It's always political. Don't like the state calling you bad names? The solution is to reduce its power not to just get the "correct" people in charge. https://www.splcenter.org/resources/reports/year-hate-and-extremism/ https://www.splcenter.org/resources/reports/year-hate-and-ex...
- immibis 9mo ago
  Were they domestic terror organizations? The answer to this is important, and often overlooked.
- text0404 9mo ago
  > Back during Obama's tenure lots of right sympathetic groups got labeled domestic terror organizations Which groups were labeled domestic terror organizations by the Obama admin? SPLC is a non-profit, not a government agency.
- michaelmrose 9mo ago
  No they actually didn't. A lot of hate groups pushing violent and hateful rhetoric got called out by individuals and non-profits.
- msandford 9mo ago
  I realize I didn't make the point clearly enough. This is nothing new. It's politics, always has been. The left labels people on the right they don't like with bad names. The right is absolutely going to do it back to the left. That's the game. I don't like it, but that's clearly how it goes. Don't read what I'm saying as an endorsement of what the right is going to the left right now. Nor should you read it as an endorsement of what the left did to the right back then. They're both bad.
  - text0404 9mo ago
    What are you talking about? This is weaponization of the FBI to treat US citizens like criminals by designating them as terrorists or supporters of terrorism. This is not a "both sides" issue. This is the full weight of the state being used against its own citizens for constitutionally-protected activity. You specifically mentioned Obama. How did the Obama admin do the same? Does it make this a dismissable non-issue?
    - RickJWagner 9mo ago
      The Obama administration sent the IRS after conservative organizations. https://waysandmeans.house.gov/2014/06/24/timeline-of-the-irss-abuse-of-conservatives/ https://waysandmeans.house.gov/2014/06/24/timeline-of-the-ir...
      - rhcom2 9mo ago
        This was also bad, and was criticized by Dem members of Congress along with the mainstream media, and led to the IRS Commissioner's resignation. Hopefully Bondi will too.
    - msandford 9mo ago
      "Don't read what I'm saying as an endorsement of what the right is going [doing] to the left right now. " That's me in the post you're critizing me for. I'm explicitly saying it's not good. What else do I need to do to make sure that you understand that I don't think it's okay?
      - mindslight 9mo ago
        Not say things like "it's always political", and otherwise both-sides the topic as if the current regime is not a watershed break with American norms, however flawed and imperfectly-adhered-to they were. Yes, our government has been decaying towards authoritarianism for quite some time and yes, there is plenty of blame to go around. But if we earnestly care about individual liberty, now is the time to throw our backs into stopping it.

Back during Obama's tenure lots of right sympathetic groups got labeled domestic terror organizations. It's always political. Don't like the state calling you bad names? The solution is to reduce its power not to just get the "correct" people in charge. https://www.splcenter.org/resources/reports/year-hate-and-extremism/ https://www.splcenter.org/resources/reports/year-hate-and-ex...

immibis 9mo ago
Were they domestic terror organizations? The answer to this is important, and often overlooked.
text0404 9mo ago
> Back during Obama's tenure lots of right sympathetic groups got labeled domestic terror organizations Which groups were labeled domestic terror organizations by the Obama admin? SPLC is a non-profit, not a government agency.
michaelmrose 9mo ago
No they actually didn't. A lot of hate groups pushing violent and hateful rhetoric got called out by individuals and non-profits.
msandford 9mo ago
I realize I didn't make the point clearly enough. This is nothing new. It's politics, always has been. The left labels people on the right they don't like with bad names. The right is absolutely going to do it back to the left. That's the game. I don't like it, but that's clearly how it goes. Don't read what I'm saying as an endorsement of what the right is going to the left right now. Nor should you read it as an endorsement of what the left did to the right back then. They're both bad.
- text0404 9mo ago
  What are you talking about? This is weaponization of the FBI to treat US citizens like criminals by designating them as terrorists or supporters of terrorism. This is not a "both sides" issue. This is the full weight of the state being used against its own citizens for constitutionally-protected activity. You specifically mentioned Obama. How did the Obama admin do the same? Does it make this a dismissable non-issue?
  - RickJWagner 9mo ago
    The Obama administration sent the IRS after conservative organizations. https://waysandmeans.house.gov/2014/06/24/timeline-of-the-irss-abuse-of-conservatives/ https://waysandmeans.house.gov/2014/06/24/timeline-of-the-ir...
    - rhcom2 9mo ago
      This was also bad, and was criticized by Dem members of Congress along with the mainstream media, and led to the IRS Commissioner's resignation. Hopefully Bondi will too.
  - msandford 9mo ago
    "Don't read what I'm saying as an endorsement of what the right is going [doing] to the left right now. " That's me in the post you're critizing me for. I'm explicitly saying it's not good. What else do I need to do to make sure that you understand that I don't think it's okay?
    - mindslight 9mo ago
      Not say things like "it's always political", and otherwise both-sides the topic as if the current regime is not a watershed break with American norms, however flawed and imperfectly-adhered-to they were. Yes, our government has been decaying towards authoritarianism for quite some time and yes, there is plenty of blame to go around. But if we earnestly care about individual liberty, now is the time to throw our backs into stopping it.