The Fringe Goes Mainstream
A picture speaks a thousand words.
Gosh, he looks like a normal young man. Like any twenty-two year old out there.
From the Pittsburgh Post Gazzette:
Richard Andrew Poplawski was a young man convinced the nation was secretly controlled by a cabal that would eradicate freedom of speech, take away his guns and use the military to enslave the citizenry.
…
“He was really into politics and really into the First and Second amendment. One thing he feared was he feared the gun ban because he thought that was going to take away peoples’ right to defend themselves. He never spoke of going out to murder or to kill,” said Edward Perkovic, who described himself as Mr. Poplawski’s lifelong best friend.Mr. Poplawski’s view of guns and personal freedom took a turn toward the fringes of American politics. With Mr. Perkovic, he appeared to share a belief that the government was controlled from unseen forces, that troops were being shipped home from the Mideast to police the citizenry here, and that Jews secretly ran the country.
“We recently discovered that 30 states had declared sovereignty,” said Mr. Perkovic, who lives in Lawrenceville. “One of his concerns was why were these major events in America not being reported to the public.”
Believing most media were covering up important events, Mr. Poplawski turned to a far-right conspiracy Web site run by Alex Jones, a self-described documentarian with roots going back to the extremist militia movement of the early 1990s.
Around the same time, he joined Florida-based Stormfront, which has long been a clearinghouse Web site for far-right groups. He posted photographs of his tattoo, an eagle spread across his chest.
“I was considering gettin’ life runes on the outside of my calfs,” he wrote. Life runes are a common symbol among white supremacists, notably followers of The National Alliance, a neo-Nazi group linked to an array of violent organizations.
I am desperate to believe Mr. Poplawski is just a violent, disturbed young man. But if you listen to Rush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck, Sean Hannity or Alex Jones, you begin to realize that the fringe has a very large population. I am very curious to hear Rush et al tomorrow. If this was truly the fringe, there will be a very concerted attempt tomorrow to distance themselves and the conservative movement from the murderous Mr. Poplawski. There would be unqualified condemnation. And if we hear that tomorrow, I will take this all back and admit I am wrong.
But, given the calls to armed revolution and of rights being suppressed somehow due to stimulus spending (and I will never understand the logical connection there) from such mainstream Republicans and conservatives like Representative Michelle Bachmann and Glenn Beck, I am doubtful. Instead, while we will not hear a defense of his actions, I bet we will hear attacks on liberals and the Obama administration for their alleged plans to take Mr. Poplawski’s guns or curtail his rights. I will bet we will hear attacks on the media for covering this story, “all in the guise of ginning up pressure to take guns.” For that is what has happened before. After Columbine. After other of the many shootings and massacres performed by those on the fringe.
And isn’t that an excuse? And if you are excusing, you are not condemning. And if you making excuses, then the fringe goes mainstream.
Weer’d Beerd was a young man convinced the nation was secretly controlled by a cabal that would eradicate freedom of speech, take away his guns and use the military to enslave the citizenry.
that works…
Tom S was a young man convinced the nation was secretly controlled by a cabal that would eradicate freedom of speech, take away his guns and use the military to enslave the citizenry.
If the shoe fits….
Our local wingnut’s sanity hangs by a thread.
I bet we will hear attacks on liberals and the Obama administration for their alleged plans to take Mr. Poplawski’s guns or curtail his rights. I will bet we will hear attacks on the media for covering this story,
Because preserving their talking point, preserving their McCarthyite mechanism to keep their followers scared and mad is going to be more important than walking back their own insanity. And why should they? The Hannitys and Limbaughs and Bachmanns are awfully well paid for this bullshit.
But can they do this without looking like they are excusing a cop killer? There is still a special revulsion for people who would gun down cops. And everyone who doesn’t start walking back the fiction needs to be asked if they are endorsing the killing of police by their deliberately deluded supporters.
We Republicans and conservatives reject the actions of this scumbag. No one in their right mind can legitimately claim that any of us instigated such actions — and certainly no one can reasonably draw a direct connection between the words of any prominent conservative or Republican and these foul deeds.
But if you do want to make such claims, how can you remain associated with a party that openly embraces a man whose words led to the murder of individuals based solely upon their being the wrong race or religion to operate a business in a particular neighborhood? After all, Al Sharpton ran for president as a Democrat, and received a prominent speaking slot despite having incited violence against a “white interloper” who dared to operate a business in Harlem — incitement that resulted in murder and arson.
Lee Ann,
Your comment flies in the face of reality. Par for the course.
Actually I’ve wanted to say this for a while… I’m scared. For now, for the first time, I can see why the holocaust could have occurred… Up to now, it was always caused by “bad people” like Nazis….
I always assumed the German population was duped… Now I’m fearful… because if I had lived back then, and believed what I was told of how the Jews had destroyed the German economy, and felt the hatred I feel now to Republicans like Phil Gramm, Dick Cheney, Tom DeLay, who ran this country directly into the ground at a full dive, I would gladly support their eradication, and plea joyfully at the ridding of the world of the disgusting filth that republicans have brought upon us…
That’s not me.. But it takes very little thought to bring on the rage and think perhaps that killing off all republicans could only benefit this nation as a whole…What scares me is that if such thoughts occur me, then who else out there is affected?
Republicans be afraid, be very afraid….
I am just curious why this guy is considered “crazy”. He is only doing exactly what is being asked of him. He just has the courage to go that extra mile that the rest of these people don’t. He had the fortitude to get beyond worrying about the repercussions of killing and was trying to save the country.
Personally, I don’t think the guy was crazy. I’m pretty sure he knew what he was doing.
of course…he was Polish so
Actually, anon, killing all republicans has been suggested seriously more than once on this website.
maybe republicans killing themselves……. i wouldn’t want to help, that would be unamerican and illegal
By the way — why no complaints from you tolerant, non-violent liberals about anon’s “eliminationist” rhetoric?
Could it be that you share his eliminationist agenda?
than let me be the first. Anon, that is the kind of talk that makes the filth Bachmann spews seem legit. they are the ones with the gun my friend. they are the ones blaming people who have no guilt. luckily, they are out of office now. we need not beat them down any further, other than democratically keeping them from power.
the people to be afraid of are people like RWR who see nothing wrong with a call to arms by Michelle Bachmann backed up by lies from Glenn Beck.
BY the way, as evident by this terrorist from pittsburg who murdered 3 police officers, there are STILL people who blame the Jews. so glad the world has learned their lesson.
Yeah, call me a card-carrying Jeffersonian.
And interesting that you didn’t feel the need to condemn the comment BEFORE I called you on it.
I therefore think it a faux condemnation.
jefferson was a hypocrite and an anarchist. if adams isn’t perfect, neither is jefferson. had he freed his slaves maybe i’d listen. but he never practiced what he preached.
well, i hadn’t READ it before you commented. but please keep calling me a liar. i just tried to reach out and agree with you and you denounced it. Thus continuing the tradition of right wingnuts being total ass holes about everything.
I’m also a big fan of Adams.
On the other hand, you have accused me of being a potential violent murderer. Some job reaching out!
And note which of the founders I quote on my masthead.
And since you don’t listen to Jefferson, I presume you discount that whole Declaration of independence thingy.
i’m a fan of adams too, but he proved to be a bad president. Jefferson’s ideas lost relevance once the revolution was won. Hell, one could argue the whole thing just got out of hand. remember they wanted representation…. not simply no taxes.
of course i don’t, but as he got older, he got more radical. he also never lived up to his own standards as evident by the fact that he died with slaves.