Speaking of Unnecessary Fearmongering

ISIS at the Gates Edition.

panic-buttonThe culprit, Duncan Hunter (R-CA):

On Tuesday night, in an interview with Fox News Channel’s Greta Van Susteren,  Republican Rep. Duncan Hunter took it a step further claiming the U.S. Border Patrol has captured “at least 10 ISIS fighters” trying to enter the U.S. through the Mexico border.  Hunter told Van Susteren, “If they catch five or 10 of them you know there are going to be dozens more that did not get caught by the Border Patrol.”

This is, of course, nonsense and leads to one of the following options (which are not mutually exclusive):  Hunter is liar, Hunter is delusional, or Hunter is gullible (if not a simpleton) who is falling for misinformation.  None of these possibilities, by the way, inspires any confidence in Hunter.  (And yes, I am aware that this is far from the first time that Hunter has made comments of this quality).

This accusation is nothing more than a reimagining of what has now become an old trope:  that terrorists (it used to be al Qaeda) will use the US-Mexican border to enter the US.  Never mind, of course, that al Qaeda’s one successful attack on US soil came via direct entry into the US (which would still be the easier way to go).  Further, never mind that despite the ongoing threat inflation in rhetoric regarding ISIS (even at the highest levels of our government, including the President) that notions of an ISIS direct attack on the US is the stuff of speculation.

Also:  in case anyone has failed to notice:  ISIS seems a bit occupied in I and S at the moment.  While they have cast the US as their enemy (which is both true on the ground in Iraq and Syria as well as the politically expedient thing for them to say) this does not mean that their reason for being is attacking the US.

The Department of Homeland Security has responded to Hunter’s assertions thusly (via CNN):

Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson blasted Rep. Duncan Hunter’s suggestion that ISIS fighters have crossed the United States’ southern border into Texas.

“Let’s not unduly create fear and anxiety in the public by passing on speculation and rumor,” Johnson said Wednesday on CNN’s “Situation Room.”

[…]

Johnson said those claims aren’t supported by “credible, specific intelligence to that effect.” He said public officials should “be responsible in what we decide to share with the American public, so that the public is informed.”

His comments came after a Homeland Security spokeswoman called Hunter’s statement “categorically false.”

Hunter’s office responded:

Hunter spokesman Joe Kasper said the congressman stands by his comments.

“A high level source informed the congressman — it was also said that DHS is actively discouraging any talk of IS on the border,” Kasper said.

“The congressman was conveying what he knows — and what he was told,” he said. “And as for DHS’ statement, it makes sense that the left hand of DHS doesn’t know what the right hand is doing — it’s been that way for a long time and we don’t expect that to change. No surprise there.”

Ok, so Hunter has some such of special knowledge about ISIS infiltrating US soil but instead of raising hell about on the floor of the House, he casually makes inflammatory accusations on a cable talk show and then moves on.  Having made this observation I would return the reader to my options regarding Hunter as offered above.

 

FILED UNDER: National Security, US Politics, , , , , , , , ,
Steven L. Taylor
About Steven L. Taylor
Steven L. Taylor is a Professor of Political Science and a College of Arts and Sciences Dean. His main areas of expertise include parties, elections, and the institutional design of democracies. His most recent book is the co-authored A Different Democracy: American Government in a 31-Country Perspective. He earned his Ph.D. from the University of Texas and his BA from the University of California, Irvine. He has been blogging since 2003 (originally at the now defunct Poliblog). Follow Steven on Twitter

Comments

  1. Moosebreath says:

    And in a similar vein, Tom Cotton (running for Senate in Arkansas) said:

    “Groups like the Islamic State collaborate with drug cartels in Mexico who have clearly shown they’re willing to expand outside the drug trade into human trafficking and potentially even terrorism.

    They could infiltrate our defenseless border and attack us right here in places like Arkansas. This is an urgent problem and it’s time we got serious about it, and I’ll be serious about it in the United States Senate.”

    To which an Arkansas paper’s commentator responded:

    “The truth is that an Arkansan is more likely to die being struck by lighting or drowning in a bathtub than by an ISIS attack. That’s not to say that the U.S. government shouldn’t be vigilant about intelligence and defense, but in moments when people are understandably frightened, we expect more from our leaders than to tell tall tales to sew panic for political gain.”

  2. stonetools says:

    Sigh- you are fighting the good fight for truth here, Professor, and I commend you for it. But as an expert in political science, you should know that no fear mongering is unneccssary if it advances the political fortunes of you and your team.
    If this farrago of dishonesty and race baiting drives more of the the Fox faithful to the polls to vote against the Kenyan Muslim and his minions,well, mission accomplished.

  3. wr says:

    As has been pointed out elsewhere, in the last year thousands of Americans have been killed by “good people with guns” here. Isis has killed two or three. Ebola has killed one.

    So let’s all panic about Isis and Ebola, and ignore the real threat.

  4. steve q says:

    If you’ve got no solutions, and no previous success to point to, sow fear and sell yourself as tough.

  5. gVOR08 says:

    Had me going. I was doing a thing on, “Duncan Hunter, isn’t he older than that?” I was thinking of the Rep. Duncan Hunter who ran for prez briefly. Didn’t realize his kid, Duncan D. Hunter had taken over the family business as rep from CA and whackjob conservative. There seems to be a fair amount of that. Pauls, Kochs, Bushes (OK, daddy Bush wasn’t a whack job, but…).

    Face it, Republicans can run on their record and their policy preferences; or they can run on fear mongering and paranoia. Rep. Hunter has chosen the sensible path from his point of view.

    As to whether he’s a liar, delusional, or gullible – false dichotomy. Trichotomy? At some point you have to recognize that there’s no point to worrying about distinctions that are unknowable and inconsequential. Just accept that Rep. Hunter will continue to say crazy things.

  6. C. Clavin says:

    Hunter is liar, Hunter is delusional, or Hunter is gullible (if not a simpleton) who is falling for misinformation.

    Well…lets see what else Duncan Hunter believes:
    He believes a single celled organism is a person.
    He wants to deport natural-born citizens because of the crimes of their parents.
    He wants to build another Berlin Wall.
    He is against marriage equality and is for the war on drugs.
    He is in favor of surveillance without a warrant.
    He’s good with nuking Iran.
    I vote for simpleton Republican.

  7. DrDaveT says:

    A high level source informed the congressman

    This explains it: he’s listening to those voices in his head again…

  8. munchboxgrad says:

    http://www.judicialwatch.org/blog/2014/08/feds-isis-on-us-border/

    You must have missed this “High-level federal law enforcement, intelligence and other sources have confirmed to Judicial Watch that a warning bulletin for an imminent terrorist attack on the border has been issued. “

  9. @munchboxgrad: So, are you posting that ironically or unironically?

  10. munchboxgrad says:

    Let’s go with ironicly. Not like th DHS has better things to do like this. http://www.dcclothesline.com/2014/07/29/homeland-security-raids-home-seize-land-rover-violation-epa-standards/

    Besides it’s not like they blamed the terrorist attack in the we dare not speak with include exclamation point ! On a YouTube video. So who are you going to believe them or your lying eyes?

  11. munchboxgrad says:

    And besides the Islamic caliph they established isn’t reallyIslamic per our dear leader. Right?

  12. munchboxgrad says:

    Hey and since you are on the line what about the hawiian muslim day? Is it just an argument of derp! Or does it really mark the day of September 11 in the old calender?

  13. I am feeling a bit of Poe’s Law coming on here.

  14. munchboxgrad says:

    So are you saying I am the extreme one on here but not Isis they are a non-issue. Let me ask you another question? Did you feel that when the moderate mulsims promoted the ground zero mosque it was just a form of outreach for the greater NYC community?

  15. Tony W says:

    I cannot imagine the hell that is living in a Republican world. Boogiemen around every corner, brown people itchin’ to kill you, gay people trying to convert you, Liberals trying to take your guns away (the only way you have to protect yourself!!), terrorist usurpers living in the White House, everyone trying to stop you from praying.

    What’s funny is these are the people saying that being Gay is a choice, but they don’t see their own paranoia in the same light.

  16. munchboxgrad says:

    Lol! How bout that silly time when those crazy racist Islamic cat and mouse put the truck bomb in the parking garage in the world trade center …that was so long Amazon is going to put a comes with prejudice when you want to talk about it ?

  17. munchboxgrad says:

    And nobody really cares that your gay… Doug does post a lot about it. I think most people care more about the fact that you feel the need to usurp the word and meaning of marriage. Not that the islamists ( not Islamic warning from Amazon) really approve of gay people or woman s rights …I mean the republican war on women

  18. gVOR08 says:

    @Steven L. Taylor: I had not run across Poe’s Law. Certainly seen enough examples. Useful. Thank you.

  19. wr says:

    @munchboxgrad: “So are you saying I am the extreme one on here but not Isis they are a non-issue”

    Perhaps in your self-panicking (in both the standard and the Holden Caulfield forms of the phrase) you failed to notice that, unless they are really well disguised, Isis is not on this forum, so you are indeed the extreme one here. If you’d like to pose next to Isis so we can judge who is extreme and who is not, I’m willing to take up a collection for your plane ticket.

  20. wr says:

    @munchboxgrad: “that was so long Amazon is going to put a comes with prejudice when you want to talk about it ?”

    I guess being deliberately annoying is about as good as it gets for a certain breed of loser. But for heaven’s sake, if for no other reason than successfully irritating people, could you make even a tiny effort to write in some language recognizable to human beings?

    And with that, good-bye, troll.

  21. munchboxgrad says:

    Bye bye. Wr keep your head in the sand. That’s what the article is about is it not? That’s just fear mongering Steven says? Right? So I bring up examples that are right there in front of you. And Tony talks about being gay!? So to rehash from the top. Bulletin from intelligence agency says attack imminent so fort bliss goes on high alert, then the Islamic caliph isn’t really Islamic, then I asked about how hawaiin muslim day really marks 9/11, then I brought up the ground zero mosque, then asked about that time those silly Islamists put the truck bomb IN the world trade center. Yeah that’s just crazy talk.

  22. munchboxgrad says:

    Oh and sorry txt ing into a phone is the lowest form of writing so I may have skipped the word ago …refering to the truck bomb in the world trade center put there by islamists. I assume your reaction is what?! What are you talking about that didn’t happen….. F’ng grammar nazi. When you have nothing ….

  23. Tyrell says:

    One example of “fear mongering”, “fanning the flames” was the news media coverage of Ferguson. There were more news people there than demonstrators. It just seemed that they were trying to keep the turmoil going instead of giving a balanced picture and talking more to community leaders who were trying calm things down and get people together. Most of what the “news media” showed was people screaming and hollaring at each other. They just seemed to thrive on that sort of thing.

  24. @Tyrell:

    There were more news people there than demonstrators.

    Cite?

  25. munchboxgrad says:

    ..cite? how about you answer some of those questions?……..

  26. ernieyeball says:

    @Steven L. Taylor:..Cite?

    Ty has been at the Ferguson Motel 6 since the beginning of this ruckus and is using his OTB Press Credentials to get the inside dope from the FPD.

  27. Grewgills says:

    @munchboxgrad:
    How bout you go back under your bridge.

  28. munchboxgrad says:

    how bout you comment on the subject at hand?

  29. anjin-san says:

    Hey, it’s munch box jenos!

  30. munchboxgrad says:

    Yup just me ..under my bridge yelling at traffic….

  31. munchboxgrad says:

    Waiting for Steven to tell me his feelings on the ground zero mosque….and reassure my fragile mind that islamists aren’t really Islamic. Care to add your 1 cent on the matter? Or is it just nothing to see here?

  32. @munchboxgrad: I wrote quite a bit about the Park 51 community center issue at the time, if you would like to go back to the archive and search out those posts if, in fact, you are truly motivated to simply read what I had to say on the subject.

    I am not sure, however, why you think I am at your beck and call to answer whatever questions you want to toss out. Further, your tone and approach do not suggest that you are craving a serious dialog on the subjects at hand.

  33. munchboxgrad says:

    Listen the title of your post here suggests nothing to see here….when in fact the Islamists at gates has/ is happened and happening. And for you to dismiss it because of your partisan leanipngs is wrong. I am here to throw rocks in your glass house.

    “why did the graffiti include the words “Allah Akbar?”
    Nihad Awad, the national director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, said, “The word ‘Allah Akbar’ means ‘God is great.’ We use it in our prayer at least 20 times a day.”
    According to Awad, American Muslims totally reject ISIS and its twisted interpretation of Islam. He suspects the graffiti was a prank, or a ploy to drum up fear.”
    http://www.wjla.com/articles/2014/10/isis-graffiti-in-northwest-d-c-puts-fbi-on-alert-107912.html#ixzz3FkAp0ivn

    So here s the head of some islamic group reassuring the community that was terrorized by Islamic snipers that you should just disregard that Isis graffiti popping up around your neighborhood. I guess you feel the same way?

  34. munchboxgrad says:

    ” the Park 51 community center ”
    You’re funny. Can even bring yourself self to call it what it is? ….I guess that’s the problem I am pointing out for you

  35. @munchboxgrad: The notion that ISIS, or any other terrorist group of that ilk, are going to be crossing the southern border is nothing but speculative nonsense. It has been part of rumor-mongering and crazy talk for twelve years now and there has never been any substantive evidence that it is a real threat. Basic logic dictates that if terrorists want to enter the US they don’t need to make it harder on themselves by sneaking up through Juarez. It is nonsensical.

    The issue is not whether a theoretical threat exists, but what the level of the threat is and what the probabilities are (as well as intelligently assessing them–not making up stories about the Mexican border with its scary brown people or getting up in arms about a Muslim community center in an old Burlington Coat Factory location).

    ISIS is a group interested in controlling territory in Sryia and Iraq (it is, after all, in their name). The notion that their goal is to launch terror attacks in the US is paranoia.

    I would note, however, that in terms of actual probably threats to your life, driving to work is far more of threat to you than is ISIS.

    To be clear: I am not saying that there is zero threat from terrorism on US soil. I am saying, however, that the probabilities are low and that if we are going to protect ourselves then it requires real understanding of the situation, not running around like our hair in fire seeing terrorists under every rock and behind every tree.

  36. @munchboxgrad: It was never a mosque at ground zero, hence calling it the “ground zero mosque” is inaccurate.

  37. Matt says:

    @wr: Thousands were killed with “hands and feet”. Tens of thousands with cars. Lets ignore the real threat?

    It almost amuses me that you think the banning of one tool would suddenly stop murder…

  38. Matt says:

    @munchboxgrad: There is no ground zero mosque you delusional fool. There is on the other hand a near ground zero strip club but I guess that’s fine right?

    You do realize that the best way to infiltrate the USA is through the Canadian border right? There’s barely any monitoring of the border up north. Meanwhile the southern border has ground based patrols, fencing, sensors and UAV patrols.

    Also your article involves one of forty vehicles that were illegally imported here that were seized. The EPA emissions is just one of several regulations that the vehicles fail to pass (safety etc). The owners are allowed an opportunity for restitution too.

    Personally I think the whole showing up in body armor thing is a bit excessive. I also think that taking the cars from the victims of this illegal activity is excessive too. At the very least these people should be compensated as they weren’t the ones who illegally imported the vehicles.

  39. beth says:

    @Matt: No one wants to ban your precious little playthings. If someone points out that people die in car crashes it doesn’t me we want to take away your cars. Jeez talk about uneeded hysteria.

  40. Matt says:

    @beth: Oh yes try to marginalize and misrepresent my point as much as you possibly can.

    You of course know I was just responding to WR’s silliness in a similar vein. Pointing out such an inconvenient truth cannot be allowed by the extremists such as you. Your hatred of freedom prevents you from letting such a comment go without retribution. Talk about hysteria.

  41. Matt says:

    @munchboxgrad: Yeah because immature people never find it funny to imitate something outrageous to get a response out of people.

    You’re a tool if you really think an isis agent is going to be driving around committing terrorist acts by creating half assed vandalism..

  42. beth says:

    @Matt: You don’t even realize that the constant cry of “they want to take our guns” is as baseless, ridiculous and unsupported by any facts or actions as Munchbox’s nonsense about Muslims.

  43. Matt says:

    @beth: You’re so clueless it’s not even funny.

    Seriously the first post was in the same vein as WRs and somehow according to you my mocking of WR’s statement is really me crying about my guns being taken away.

    When I mock your complete cluelessness you double down with crap I never said or even implied..

  44. Matt says:

    @beth: Also btw WR is perfectly fine with the banning of all guns as he has stated in the past. He clearly sees guns as the sole reason people kill each other. That’s the only reason I made the comment about the banning of a tool.

  45. humanoid.panda says:

    @Steven L. Taylor: Well, if you don’t count Black people as people, there weren’t that many demonstrators in Ferguson.

  46. munchboxgrad says:

    @Steven @Matt In fact, the buildings(that were sold for the “community center”) were damaged on 9/11 when landing gear from one of the hijacked planes crashed into them. A wing flap from one of the planes was recovered at the site last year. But I guess being two blocks away isn’t close enough? Close but no cigar just another case of nothing to see here.

  47. beth says:

    @Matt:

    He clearly sees guns as the sole reason people kill each other.

    And you call me clueless? That’s priceless. Anyway, let me know when wr gets elected to some official position where he can actually act on his positions.

    The point is that just as they’ve got you seeing gun boogeymen everywhere, they’ve got Munch seeing Islamic boogeyman everywhere too. Fear is the tool that’s used to drive our public policy and it’s high time we all just stop giving in to it.

  48. Neil Hudelson says:

    Wow, in an article about fear mongering, someone is still scared about the Park 51 center?

    Are you also afraid that Hollywood has been invaded by secret Communists? What are your thoughts on whether or not Paul McCartney is alive? Do you refuse to allow Led Zeppelin in your house because of the secret Satanic messages?

    What are your thoughts on flouride in the water?

  49. gVOR08 says:

    @Neil Hudelson: Well played.

  50. munchboxgrad says:

    @Beth they are everywhere. Russia hands dhs the boston bombers on a platter and they did nothing. I guess after years of Muslim infiltration and terrorism there’s nothing to see hear?

  51. beth says:

    @munchboxgrad: Yes they are – look, they’re right behind you!!!! Be afraid, be very afraid.

  52. munchboxgrad says:

    @Steven. “running around like our hair in fire seeing terrorists under every rock and behind every tree.” Isn’t that what the Islamists say about the “oh Jews”?

  53. wr says:

    @Matt: Yes, little gun nut, you’ve repeated your approved NRA talking points for the day, assuring that no one in the country can ever say a negative word about the Precious without being corrected. I’m sure some angel has just gotten his wings, and you can feel your life is justified.

  54. wr says:

    @Matt: “Your hatred of freedom”

    Yes, to true Americans, you are only free if you can murder 30 or 40 schoolchildren whenever you want. Anything else is fascism.

    My God, has anyone ever measured how much the average IQ drops whenever you walk into a room?

    Now please — we’re dealing with one idiot troll who at least has the common courtesy to troll on the subject at hand. Why don’t you wait until there’s actually a discussion about guns, and then all of us who don’t want to read your droolings on the subject can simply ignore the thread. Thank you.

  55. gVOR08 says:

    @wr: That’s cruel. I like it.

  56. wr says:

    @gVOR08: Sorry if I seem irritable. We seem to be hitting Peak Troll around here…

  57. munchboxgrad says:

    Wr Buzz off. you, so far have added nothing to the conversation

  58. Grewgills says:

    @Matt:

    Yeah because immature people never find it funny to imitate something outrageous to get a response out of people.

    and thus there is munch. Stop feeding the troll.

  59. Grewgills says:

    @munchboxgrad:
    Whereas you have successfully completely derailed it with your childish crap. Go back under your bridge and let the grown ups talk.

  60. Tyrell says:

    @Steven L. Taylor:
    Ferguson: reporters outnumber demonstrators:
    http://www.stltoday.com. 8/21/14
    http://www.whnt.com. 8/20/14
    http://www.politico.com. 8/6/14
    http://www.latimes.com 8/24/14
    http://www.ktla.com. 8/20/14
    See also an interesting essay by Thomas Sowell: “Media and the Mob” This gives thoughts and insights that you won’t see elsewhere. And that is badly needed.
    Thomas Sowell: columns (thomassowell.com)

  61. @Tyrell: None of those are actual links to stories–they are just the home pages of the various media outlets.

  62. Tyrell says:

    @Steven L. Taylor: Sorry about that. My Kindle does not have a way to copy and paste. I will send definite links when I get access to our pc (when a certain person gets through with “Minecraft”).

  63. anjin-san says:

    @Tyrell:

    Ferguson: reporters outnumber demonstrators:

    Maybe the storm troopers, armored personnel carriers, machine guns, and systematic violation of their rights last time has discouraged them. Is that the America you want to live in?

  64. munchboxgrad says:

    Pretty funny grewgills that you think real word examples of Islamist s doing what islamist do best are some how childish. How about you point to the childish crap? Or better yet offer some kinda counter argument? Tyrell you been stewing on that uh? Let’s keep the talk limited to all the examples of nothing to see here and drummed up charges of fear mongering eh?

  65. Matt says:

    @beth: So I’m not allowed to respond to his posts till he’s elected to a high position?

    Time after time WR posts how all these people who died only died because guns were available. He never once agreed with me that people would die regardless. He just keeps going on citing the deaths as if they only occurred because some guns are legal to own.

  66. Matt says:

    @wr: See you can’t even be bothered to actually pay attention to me or my stances. You just pop straight to the stereotype/strawman in your head. It’s like trying to talk to racists about race relations or hardcore right wingers about liberals.

    Your comment was silly and all I did was point out how silly it was.

    @wr: Satire look it up sometime. Beth responded with a ridiculous series of attacks so I responded in a likewise manner in an attempt to highlight to her how silly she was being. Clearly that failed as she still doesn’t seem to understand how ridiculous she was.

    The rest of your post is drivel by a man who is fighting a strawman instead of having a conversation.

    Why don’t you wait until there’s actually a discussion about guns

    What were you talking about then?
    @wr:

    You’re the only one allowed to discuss the subject?

  67. Matt says:

    @munchboxgrad: Parts were found all over the place. Why does that matter?

    Should we block all Christians from being near federal buildings because of Timothy Mcviegh and friends? I don’t get your point and why you’re so mad about a small prayer room in a multifloor facility that is open to the public. Are Christians and Jews allowed to pray there?

    One of my friends who lived a couple blocks from the towers on 9/11 doesn’t care…

  68. anjin-san says:

    @munchboxgrad:

    r better yet offer some kinda counter argument?

    The only argument you appear to be presenting is “I am an idiot” – no one has a counter to that.

  69. Tyrell says:

    @anjin-san: It could also be the insurrectionists, extremists, and others who were sent in fully armed with firebombs, guns, and other weapons to take over the peaceful demonstrations.

  70. Matt says:

    @Tyrell: Oh the few people that showed up and threw rocks then were arrested?

    Or are you talking about the communist/marxist/whatever group that went there with the hopes of causing a fight?

    Because there wasn’t a single shot fired by the protestors nor a single gun found on them. Firebombs were pretty much non existent and I wonder what you mean by other weapons..

    Granted I have family in the area so my perception is different…

  71. munchboxgrad says:

    I am mad about it. the first attempt to destroy the trade center didn’t work out, try and try again. Then when successful they built their victory mosque. But like I asked way back when [so far winning the most down votes :)] Did you feel that when they planned on building this so called community center that it really was a form of out reach to the greater NYC community?

  72. Matt says:

    @Tyrell: Seriously if the protestors were half as armed as your claim there would of been some serious fighting going on. Yet for some reason almost all the videos show is a bunch of police pointing assault weapons and tear gas at a bunch of unarmed protestors. Not to mention the videos of police threatening to shoot people for walking on the sidewalk and such.

    @munchboxgrad: The locals were fine with it before Fox news and crew went apeshit…

  73. munchboxgrad says:

    I’m sure all the dead are not “fine with it”. And ….”Parts were found all over the place. Why does that matter?”. It matters because the dear professor and other lap dogs on here claim that it’s not really at ground zero when in fact it is. And just to be clear the reason I bring up the mosque is to highlight the creeping Islam… That as the article states is just nothing to see here

  74. anjin-san says:

    @munchboxgrad:

    When you absolutely, positively, no-doubt-about-it have to be the dumbest guy in the room, nothing does it like

    the creeping Islam

  75. ernieyeball says:

    @Tyrell:..It could also be the insurrectionists, extremists, and others who were sent in…

    Help me here Ty. Sent in by who?

  76. JohnMcC says:

    Ignore the trolls. Nothing makes them madder (both senses of the word).

  77. munchboxgrad says:

    No doubt about it there Mr. reading comprehension guy. http://nypost.com/2012/12/09/no-community-programs-at-ground-zero-mosque-a-year-after-the-controversy/

    My favorite part from the article…Sharif El-Gamal, the lead developer behind the project, ducked out the women’s entrance for the prayer space and would not speak to a reporter.

    I guess it really isn’t a community center after all

  78. wr says:

    @Matt: “He never once agreed with me that people would die regardless. He just keeps going on citing the deaths as if they only occurred because some guns are legal to own.”

    Gosh, I didn’t realize it upset you so much to see someone being mean to those poor innocent killing machines. If it makes you feel any better, I do agree with you that people will die regardless. In fact, I’ll go out on a limb and say that pretty much everyone who’s alive now is going to die at some point.

    Of course that point might well be moved up in time if these people happen to come across some idiot with a gun.

  79. wr says:

    @Matt: ” See you can’t even be bothered to actually pay attention to me or my stances. ”

    Yup.

    Bored now. Bye.

  80. wr says:

    @Tyrell: “It could also be the insurrectionists, extremists, and others who were sent in fully armed with firebombs, guns, and other weapons to take over the peaceful demonstrations.”

    You mean the Ferguson police department?

  81. munchboxgrad says:

    @wr and yet you keep coming back? ….i guess when you’re a lap dog its in your nature. you’re barking up the wrong tree. buh bye

  82. Grewgills says:

    Ok, so Hunter has some such of special knowledge about ISIS infiltrating US soil but instead of raising hell about on the floor of the House, he casually makes inflammatory accusations on a cable talk show and then moves on.

    And that tells you all you need to know about him. This is all about electioneering.

  83. Just 'nutha' Ig'rant Cracker says:

    Wow! Munch, Matt, and Tyrell–the people defending Dr. Taylor should stop while the second string is still on the field. All this arguing over the rantings of loons. Wow! I’m awestruck at their power over y’all.

  84. Tyrell says:

    @Steven L. Taylor: Here are some links. In some of the photos, the protestors had really thinned out. It seems the reporters hung around after the story was over. That seemed strange. I did not see much coverage about the citizens there meeting in churches and having a civil discussion on how they could improve their community. That doesn’t get coverage. I guess they figure people would rather watch rock throwing and stores being burned.

    http://www.politico.com/story/2014/08/how-the-media-discovered-ferguson-110072.html

    http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/metro/six-arrests-made-as-protests-in-ferguson-stay-small-peaceful/article_240a2e9c-a160-5d69-8a7b-c98e04d027d1.html

    http://www.nytimes.com/news/ferguson/2014/08/20/a-reporter-for-every-protester/?_php=true&_type=blogs&_r=0

    http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/photo/souffle/chi-36-hours-in-ferguson-20140825-story.html

    “You couldn’t throw a rock without hitting a reporter”

  85. ernieyeball says:

    @Tyrell: “You couldn’t throw a rock without hitting a reporter”

    If you hit a cop with a rock they might shoot you dead.
    Rock throwing was the justification used by some when the Ohio National Guard shot dead four unarmed American Citizens at Kent State University in May of 1970.
    RIP Jeffrey Glenn Miller; age 20
    RIP Allison B. Krause; age 19
    RIP William Knox Schroeder; age 19
    RIP Sandra Lee Scheuer; age 20